God’s Master Plan for Humanity Pt 2

 

Many forget G-d, in having Yeshua sacrificed, was fulfilling His plan for restoring the world.

 

The Jews, far from being “Christ-killers” were G-d’s chosen instrument for bringing about this plan.

 

The Plan unfolds first in the Torah

 

G-d Promised to create a nation out of Abraham, this required several things: a people, a government, a homeland.

 

The People

Genesis 12-24 relates the story of the Man G-d chose.

Genesis 25-45 G-d selects the people – the descendents Isaac & Jacob.

Gen 45-Exodus 18 relates how G-d preserved His people.

 

The Government

In Exodus 19 – Lev 27 & Duet. G-d makes a government for His people.  Literary structure resembles treaties of the day between a great king and their servant nation.

G-d specified the terms for living under His rule, living their lives totally under Him.  No distinction between Sacred & Secular. 

 

G-d expected Israel to be a Kingdom of  Priests, a lighthouse to the nations –

 

Ex. 19:5-6  Now if you will pay careful attention to what I say and keep my covenant, then you will be my own treasure from among all the peoples, for all the earth is mine;

6  and you will be a kingdom of cohanim for me, a nation set apart.’ These are the words you are to speak to the people of Isra’el. 

 

To accomplish this, Israel had to be a Holy nation, distinct, set-apart, so people would see them and be drawn to G-d.

 

If they kept to agreement, they would be blessed, if not the results were automatic (Duet. 11:26-28)

26 ¶  “See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse––

27  the blessing, if you listen to the mitzvot of ADONAI your God that I am giving you today;

28  and the curse, if you don’t listen to the mitzvot of ADONAI your God, but turn aside from the way I am ordering you today and follow other gods that you have not known.

 

Chapter 28 predicts Israel’s inability to keep His commands

15 ¶  “But if you refuse to pay attention to what ADONAI your God says, and do not observe and obey all his mitzvot and regulations which I am giving you today, then all the following curses will be yours in abundance:

16  “A curse on you in the city, and a curse on you in the countryside.

17  “A curse on your grain–basket and kneading–bowl.

18  “A curse on the fruit of your body, the fruit of your land and the young of your cattle and flocks.

19  “A curse on you when you come in, and a curse on you when you go out.

20  “ADONAI will send on you curses, disasters and frustration in everything you set out to do, until you are destroyed and quickly perish, because of your evil actions in abandoning me.

21  “ADONAI will bring on you a plague that will stay with you until he has exterminated you from the land you are entering in order to take possession of it.

22  ADONAI will strike you down with wasting diseases, fever, inflammation, fiery heat, drought, blasting winds and mildew; and they will pursue you until you perish.

23  “The sky over your head will be brass and the earth under you iron.

24  ADONAI will turn the rain your land needs into powder and dust that will fall on you from the sky until you are destroyed.

25  “ADONAI your God will cause you to be defeated before your enemies; you will advance on them one way and flee before them seven. You will become an object of horror to every kingdom on earth. inability to follow G-d’s Commands:

 

Chapter 30 However G-d promises the eventual restoration:

1 ¶  {RY: ii, LY: iv} “When the time arrives that all these things have come upon you, both the blessing and the curse which I have presented to you; and you are there among the nations to which ADONAI your God has driven you; then, at last, you will start thinking about what has happened to you;

2  and you will return to ADONAI your God and pay attention to what he has said, which will be exactly what I am ordering you to do today––you and your children, with all your heart and all your being.

3  At that point, ADONAI your God will reverse your exile and show you mercy; he will return and gather you from all the peoples to which ADONAI your God scattered you.

4  If one of yours was scattered to the far end of the sky, ADONAI your God will gather you even from there; he will go there and get you.

5  ADONAI your God will bring you back into the land your ancestors possessed, and you will possess it; he will make you prosper there, and you will become even more numerous than your ancestors.

6  Then ADONAI your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your children, so that you will love ADONAI your God with all your heart and all your being, and thus you will live.

7  {RY: iii, LY: v} ADONAI your God will put all these curses on your enemies, on those who hated and persecuted you;

8  but you will return and pay attention to what ADONAI says and obey all his mitzvot which I am giving you today.

9  Then ADONAI your God will give you more than enough in everything you set out to do––the fruit of your body, the fruit of your livestock, and the fruit of your land will all do well; for ADONAI will once again rejoice to see you do well, just as he rejoiced in your ancestors.

  

The Land

The book of Joshua describes the taking of the Land given to Israel.

 

Thus Israel had the 3 elements necessary to fulfill G-d’s plan.

 

This restoration is partially fulfilled, but total fulfillment will only occur with the return of King Messiah.

 

Next Week – The Promise Seed & the Renewed Contract.