Why ancient Israel?

Students of Scripture have long wondered about the purpose of God's dealings with Israel of old. Even if you believe - as Dawn to Dusk does - that Israel's election as God's special treasure is a permanent affair, and that in due course Israel will fulfill its purpose "to show forth God's praise" (Is. 43:21), you still cannot help but wonder what purpose sinful, rebellious Israel of old fulfills in the scheme of things.

I suppose if such a thing as an "orthodox" (Protestant) answer can be said to exist, it goes something like this: Salvation is grounded in God's grace and Christ's sacrifice alone and accomplished by His efforts alone; human beings are utterly incapable of doing anything to facilitate their own salvation; people must recognize the depths of their own depravity in order to understand their spiritual impotence and their desperate need of divine grace; God raised up Israel as representative of the human race and gave them a law to demonstrate the wretchedness of the human condition through Israel's failure to even begin to meet the provisions of the law.

The idea, of course, is that ancient Israel and its law constituted a temporary phenomenon, merely a step along the way in the progressive unveiling of God's purpose for man and its accomplishment in Jesus Christ. Israel and its law underscore human inadequacy and, above all, our sinfulness as a race. That being demonstrated and recorded in the historical books once and for all, Israel no longer has any special value in the plan of salvation. Bye bye.

This theory is seriously flawed. For one thing, let's get real. I mean, who needs the record of Israel's failure to convict him of sinfulness? People repent when they see their own sinfulness by whatever means, and they do so without historical Israel's help! Have you ever met a person who has thrown himself upon the mercy of God as a result of reading the historical books of the Bible and being convicted of his own sinfulness through Israel's perfidy? Most people who turn to God have never read the books of Kings and Chronicles.

This same theory illustrates what is probably Christendom's most serious defect - it puts the spotlight on man instead of on God. As far as this observer can tell, churches today have scant interest in God. You are probably a churchgoer. Why not check to see if that statement is true. Dropping God's or Jesus Christ's name into a sermon or conversation doesn't necessarily demonstrate interest in God. Stop and listen to what is said and done in your church. You probably hear lots about outreach and good works programs, but what do you hear about God? You may hear talk of salvation through

Jesus, but how much do you actually ever hear about Jesus? How much sermon time is devoted to exploring His mind, His thoughts? How often are Scriptures explaining the attributes of God examined? At the very heart of human sinfulness lies a lack of interest in God. Jesus had to sorely rebuke Peter for being more concerned about "the things of men" than "the things of God":

But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men" (Matt. 16:23).

Could He say the same thing to "the Church" today? Christians are to love their fellow man only as much as they love themselves (Matt. 19:19), and they are to "hate" themselves by comparison with God (Luke 14:26). How can we think we love God if we pay no attention to His glory, His goodness, His greatness? To the degree that Christendom focuses on man rather than on God, to that degree it is ineffective.

The theory that Israel's purpose is to prove the sinfulness of man makes man once again the centre of attention. No, the history of Israel is recorded to give us insights into the goodness and faithfulness of God, not into the treachery of man. Sure, useful lessons in both vice and virtue can be gleaned from the accounts of biblical heroes and villains. But the true hero in Scripture is God - and Jesus; the saints are merely a "cloud of witnesses" (Hebrew. 12:1) to the glory and deeds of God.

Read Joshua, Judges, Ruth, Kings and Chronicles with a God-focus rather than a man-focus. Sure, you read that Israel was unfaithful to its covenant with God, but far more significantly you can read words such as Solomon's at the dedication of the temple:

Lord God of Israel, there is no God in heaven above or on earth below like You, who keep Your covenant and mercy with Your servants who walk before You with all their hearts (1 Kin. 8:23).

The emphasis of the historical accounts is on God's faithfulness, mercy and goodness, and His longsuffering towards Israel in spite of her faithful unfaithfulness. Read 2 Chronicles 7:10:

On the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people away to their tents, joyful and glad of heart for the good that the Lord had done for David, for Solomon, and for His people Israel.

Seeing the glory of God is untold times more "useful" for our salvation than is recognizing human depravity.