Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matt. 15:24 NASB). Rather than replacing Israel, believers in Yeshua as the Messiah have joined Israel, the name for God’s people who have been and will be repeatedly scattered and regathered because a “deal” between God and Israel that was ultimately sealed with the blood of Yeshua.
Category: Discussions
Why did apostle Paul connect Hagar with Sinai and Jerusalem in Galatians 4? Was it to free believers in Yeshua (Jesus) as God’s Messiah from obedience to God’s Law?
“In 1st Kings 17:21–22, where Elijah lies down on the dead child three times and revives him, is this a Messianic reference, and if so, can you tell me it’s significance?” —Anna C.
Early rabbinical literature echoed the imagery of Yeshua’s description of Herod as “that fox.” There may not be a coincidence that Yeshua then refers to the love of God for rebellious Israel as a hen caring for her chicks. Some have claimed the “house left to you desolate” in this passage refers to Israel in favor of “the church,” but similar parables related by prophet Yirmeyahu (Jeremiah) suggest otherwise.
Is the purpose of this story to tell us that Abraham was a coward lacking in faith that he would use his wife to protect him from death? No, God brought Abraham there to teach Abimelech a lesson.
This incident gave Abimelech a good dose of humility as well and that’s a lesson we would do well to learn. It’s more pleasant to learn from other people’s mistakes than our own.
King Solomon built a structure for God’s presence to occupy in Yerushalayim (Jerusalem), but Solomon’s prayer points toward God’s people’s being the dwelling place of God.
Why do the prophets, Yeshua the Messiah and His apostles repeatedly refer to Sodom and Gomorrah when talking about judgment and mercy?