STAND FIRM: Gentiles Being Grafted-In Isn't Anything New
With politics, I’ve often heard that there’s not one platform agenda for Christianity. I don’t buy that, but maybe it’s easier to look at it from the opposite end — Satan has a list of platform agenda items. Throughout history, he has played the same cards over and over. Three of those items are sexual perversion, the death of children and being against Israel. He’s repeatedly employed those things though presented in different ways.
One of the ways he’s accomplished the third one is by blinding the church to their relationship with Israel and God’s continued plan. My heart aches for this blindness with many believers, and it’s why I’m going to such lengths to stress the importance that we reevaluate the continued role of Israel.
One of the biblical principles I keep referring to is Paul’s words to the Romans that we (Gentile or non-Jewish Christians) are grafted into Israel. It’s through the Jewish Promised One, Jesus, that we have been adopted into God’s family (Israel) to share in the promises to them of the New Covenant, reconciliation to God, salvation, eternal life and the kingdom of God. Our possession and enjoyment of those things aren’t despite them, but through their Messiah and shared with them. Paul explains this even more plainly in Galatians where he says we have been adopted instead of being grafted in.
Because we’re now 2,000 years down the road of Satan blinding the church of this reality and disconnecting us from the Old Testament, this may seem like a new concept. But it’s not only a principle laid forth through Paul’s epistles, there’s a preceding pattern in the Old Testament.
There are Old Testament examples of Gentiles (non-Jews) being adopted into Israel and becoming partakers of God’s promises. In Matthew 1, Matthew includes a genealogy that traces Jesus back to Abraham and David. This was important to prove the fulfillment of prophecy and for Jesus to what was claimed of the Messiah. In that genealogy, there are two Gentiles listed who were grafted into God’s plan and promise. Not only is their inclusion proof of this grafting, but it shows a pattern. It is a pattern that was first foretold to Abraham when God told Him the whole world would be blessed through his descendants. Look at the inclusion of the two Gentile women: “Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of King David…” (Matt. 1:5-6 NIV).
We first find Rahab in the Gentile, pagan city of Jericho. She’s an idol-worshipping prostitute who, when seeing the work of the God of Israel, feared Him, and asked to be spared. She was spared and adopted into Israel. Her story is a beautiful display of God’s love, mercy and grace. Her story is a picture of salvation in so many ways, including how she was included in the promises and plan of God through being grafted into Israel.
Rahab’s story wasn’t a one-time thing. This was a pattern. There should have been more of this because Israel was called to be a “light to the nations.” In this genealogy, there is also Ruth.
Ruth was a pagan Gentile from Moab. After the death of her husband, Ruth chose to follow her mother-in-law, Naomi into the nation of Israel. Ruth was reconciled through a picture of the coming Messiah when Boaz carried out the role of a kinsman redeemer. Her story is also a picture of salvation, which shows how God’s promises are inherited through His heirs, the Jewish people.
You’ve likely heard powerful sermons and lessons on Rahab and Ruth being included in the plan of God, and their stories are so beautiful, but let’s not miss how it was also a picture of how Gentiles are grafted in. Paul wasn’t sharing a new idea in Romans or Galatians, rather he was repeating a principle and pattern that had existed since God’s call of Abraham.
Thank you for reading my articles, I want to invite you to help the two ministries I lead — Stand Firm and Epic Life (a BMA of Arkansas church plant in Pea Ridge). I have tried, in my strength, to make headway with both ministries, and I have seen some impact, but I don’t want to see what my effort can do, I want to see a move of God. For this reason, I reached out to some friends, Kevin and Jenna, to launch a prayer network on behalf of my family and these ministries. They are beginning weekly Zoom prayer meetings on Sept. 19. I’d love for you to consider joining this Prayer Collective. You can join by scanning the QR code (below) or go to tiny.cc/EpicPrayer. Even if you can’t make the Zoom calls, we’d love for you to join the group so you can pray and get updates through email.
— Jake is the newest state missionary and would love to share about the work in Northwest Arkansas and encourage your church to stand firm. (standfirmministries.com)
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Jake McCandless
Jake McCandless authors a weekly column titled, Stand Firm and Live Epic, through which he seeks to encourage the modern church to not just survive, but thrive in current times. He also addresses many end-times topics.
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