Is God the God of the Jews only?…

Toward the end of Romans chapter 3 Paul highlights the fact that salvation is by grace through faith (3:22-24).  There can be no boasting on the part of Christians (v. 27) since salvation comes without the requirements of the law (v. 28).  Paul then asks a rhetorical question, “Is God the God of the Jews only?”  It calls for a “no” answer.  God is the God of both Jew and Gentile, and both groups are saved the same way — through faith.  But leaving Paul’s point for a moment, God still is the God of the Jews.  Is this important?

In every way!  Beginning in Genesis God aligned himself with Abraham, the patriarch of the Jews, and his descendants.   Romans 9:4-5 tell of the blessings that God gave to his covenant people:  “the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises, of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came…”

In all of the above benefits the Jews enjoyed, one thing stands out as supremely prominent —  relationship!  All of these things were possible only because God didn’t want all of the peoples of the earth to miss him because of their sin; so he called out a people to himself, thus becoming “the God of the Jews.”

He called Israel out of Egypt after defeating the gods of the Egyptians in a series of the most remarkable power encounters ever recorded.  His deliverance through the Red Sea was nothing short of breathtaking.  His care for them for 40 years of wandering in the wilderness was one long, sustained miracle — manna appearing for 2 million people every morning, sandals that never wore out on over 3 million feet, water appearing from rocks at the right time and place in sufficient amount.  His battle strategies and victories over the inhabitants of Canaan were ingenious and miraculous, clearly demonstrating that while the Jewish soldiers were doing the fighting, it was God who was giving the victory.  Once they were in the land, God’s faithfulness could be seen repeatedly for centuries in answer to the prayers.  God then raised up judges to throw out the oppressors.  His blessings continued to rest on the few kings who were wise enough to walk in his ways.  Yet he never completely turned his back on his people.  He consistently sent prophets to warn them of coming punishment for their continual disobedience, but they did not listen.

In all of this, God left a track record — a paper trail, if you will — of continued faithfulness and commitment to Israel, proving that he was indeed the God of the Jews.  He had never before or since chosen to align himself with any other ethnic group for the purposes of magnifying his name and reaching the other nations of the world.

God’s relationship with the Jews was characterized and sealed by the covenant he made with them.  In the covenant, God was a husband to Israel (Isaiah 54:5).  History records how he demonstrated complete faithfulness to his wife.  Israel, on the other hand, wavered back and forth, developing a legacy of repeated faithlessness and spiritual adultery over centuries (Jeremiah 3:6-8).

But he still remained “the God of the Jews.”  Hosea 2:16 speaks of a future time when “it shall be, in that day, says the Lord, that you [Jews] will call Me ‘My Husband,’ and no longer call Me ‘My Master’…”  Over thousands of years God’s faithfulness and love come through loud and clear.

Thus, “God of the Jews” clearly shows that he is faithful and true to his Old Testament people.  And his faithfulness doesn’t change with his New Testament people.  This faithful, loving, covenant-keeping God with an impeccable track record spanning millennia is God’s testimony to us.

With the seemingly endless Middle East conflict and continual allegations of Israel’s supposedly fictional history, the character of God and the historicity and accuracy of the Bible rapidly come into view.  Both are treasures worth more than any material thing in this life.  Have you expressed your thankfulness to the God of the Jews lately?