ROMANS 9:4-5. “Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; whose are the fathers, and of whom, concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.” GOD BLESSED FOR EVER. JEWISH PRIVILEGES Adoption: God’s own chosen nation from among the nations of earth, has been set apart to be His witnesses on earth. Such privilege was theirs, but they did not understand, Their calling of God was so high. Instead of dwelling in peace in their land,
They wait on for Messiah so nigh.
They have been blessed with adoption as sons; But Messiah they have so far rejected. From the Gentiles has many other sons come; Who have not God’s salvation neglected.
Glory: they had the visible glory of God’s presence in the Tabernacle and the Temple. God actually dwelled with them. How could they miss the blessings they had; It was visibly there to be seen. The cloud was above and the Shekinah inside; Glory in the camp shed its gleam.
Even today, one of the smallest of nations, Is the center of all nations’ concerns. They have survived in spite of all tribulations, That have fallen from wherever they turn.
Covenants: God made the covenants with Israel concerning themselves and the land He had promised them. Covenants God made with the sincerest of intent; He intended to bless this chosen nation. Israel broke most, and the others they bent, Instead they rejected divine intervention.
Covenants will cost both parties their life, They unite two, that both might be blessed. We outsiders are in, and Israel has strife, The benefits of covenant they missed.
The Law: written by God on tables of stone, and the scriptures of truth themselves, contain all that God wanted Israel to know, in order for the life and purpose of the nation to be accomplished. God removed all doubt of His intention toward them, When there was placed in their keeping, the law. But instead of learning from the truths it contained, Israel copied ways from other nations they saw.
So, the law did not work like a schoolteacher should, They rebelled against the claims that it made. Even for us, if we ever had done the best we could, It will condemn the best intentions we claim.
Services: the ordinances and rituals that God instituted in the religious services of the Israelites, were in sharp contrast to the false worship of the nations around. The dignity and glory of the people of God, In times past, was in sharp contrast to evil. The practices were written down plain in the Word, They still work when the requirements we fill.
For though the law isn’t the way back to God, It does still God’s standards make plain. Today, as back them, when our God is our Lord, We will follow His pattern the same.
Promises: directly from God, came promises of blessings when Israel obediently followed His revealed will to them. When God makes a promise, you on it can count; It will happen, just as He said. You act on His truth, never having a doubt, For His words are as sure as His deeds.
He wanted Israel to be a kingdom of priests, But they didn’t His promises obey; So, others are brought in to take the priests’ place. The Church is that kingdom today.
Christ came: The Redeemer has come through Israel, just as the prophets foretold in the scriptures. The uniqueness of His Person; the place of His birth and hundreds of other prophecies are written concerning Him who would come through Israel. He came to His own but they received Him not; What a tragedy Israel brought on its head. The rejection of Christ, brought on Israel a blot, And for that rejection the nation has bled.
But it’s not over yet, a new day is coming, When Israel, its Messiah will see. Peace will reign, like a brand-new morning, With Christ: Israel, and the Church, will be.
“This has seemed like a long response Father, to a few words in an obscure chapter; but I am seeking to learn the value of privileges, and the need to act on them without hesitation. I have so many, and I thank Thee for them, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.”