Psalm Chapter 114
I want to be on the Lord's side, don't you? Imagine the power of God when He decides to help a certain nation or group of people. God chose Israel to dwell among. He led them by a cloud in the day and a pillar of fire by night. He opened the sea that they could walk through, He fed them in the wilderness. Enemies that tried to devour them were destroyed. The waters of the sea destroyed them when they tried to pursue after Israel. Nothing has changed. Even though Israel has not yet recognized their Messiah except for a few Messianic Jews that are increasing by leaps and bounds, they are still God's chosen people and God has not forgotten His promise to Abraham. After much tribulation and future sorrows, Israel will finally recognize the Messiah and repent. God will then judge all nations that come against Israel. Lets hope that our own nation is not one of them to persecute Israel or believers in Jesus Christ. If God is for someone, woe to anyone who opposes them. If Jewish people do something to offend us, we must fervently prayer for them, never persecute or harm them in any way. In fact we should be that way toward anyone who disagrees with us on political issues as well as our faith in God. I read recently that Martin Luther, who we can thank for getting the church back on the right track spiritually and starting the great Reformation, turned against the Jews when they rejected his message of the gospel. He then published writings condemning the Jews. Hitler used Luther's writings to justify what he decreed against the Jewish people. This was wrong of Luther and was the cause of millions being killed in later years. Of course Hitler would have found justification somewhere else. Does that mean that Luther was wrong about everything else? No. Just because God calls someone to do a great work for Him does not mean that the person is immune from future temptation or sin. We are still human beings who can sin and walk away from God if we choose. He doesn't take away our free will. In other words, we can backslide into error and even be lost if we continue in error without repenting. Luther was wrong to react to rejection the way he did. We must look at our own lives and guard against being hurt to the point of allowing a bitter spirit to ruin our testimony before others. If a Jew does something wrong against you, do you blame all Jews? If an atheist offends you, do you hate all atheists. All Christians, Jews, atheists, Muslims are individuals with different traits and backgrounds. Just because one does something wrong should not necessarily reflect the whole group. I see this daily though. A Home schooling mother kills her children and immediately all home schooling families are looked at differently. A high school drop out robs a bank and high school drop outs are still stereotyped and seen in a bad light. Yet I know 100s of high school drop outs that are the hardest workers and great individuals. Lets quit stereotyping people into all the same mold. A TV evangelist is caught up in adultery and everybody assumes all TV evangelists are evil or just after money. The bible says you shall know them by their fruits. My point is though that we should pray for our enemies, not persecute. We should never desire bad to happen to those who disagree with us or even persecute us. That is why God tells us to let Him be the one who takes vengeance. We are not to do so as Christians because we will get it wrong 90% of the time and hurt the innocent or bring a reproach on the cause of Christ. In Luther's day, the Jewish people were persecuted and scattered all over the earth. They were hated everywhere and treated badly by the so-called church of that day. Can you blame them for rejecting Luther's message at that time? Would we listen to someone's preaching if the church they represented harmed one of our family members? They probably didn't see Luther as any different from the Roman church. They saw Christians as all the same. We have many Messianic Jews who have come to Christ in these modern times because they have been able to separate Jesus Christ and the gospel from Christianity of the past. Jesus Christ saves and has never changed. Jesus was born into a Jewish family. He was a Jew whether the church accepts that or not. And the church is not to get all high and mighty thinking we are superior to the Jews. If it wasn't for the Jews like Jesus, Peter, John etc., we would not be saved. Since the Jewish people were looking for a conquering king to be the Messiah instead of a savior from sin, they missed the first coming of Jesus Christ and did not recognize Him as the Messiah. God has not cast them away however, and we better remember this. Paul warns of this also. We are to be wise but harmless.
Love does not mean to hide our message of salvation by faith in Jesus Christ for fear of offending, but love means not to bring harm to those that reject the gospel. By harm I mean, refusing to hire them, rent to them, or show any kindness that you would show to a fellow believer. Cruelty has never yet won a soul to Jesus Christ. Verse 2 of Psalm 114 says, that Judah was His sanctuary and Israel His dominion. Like I said before that has not changed. God probably sees them in the future as rejoicing in the lamb of God that came to take away the sins of the whole world.
The one they will mourn over and grieve that their ancestors rejected is Jesus Christ who was pierced over 2000 years ago on Calvary. If any reader who reads these scriptures and claims to be a Christian or believer in Christ, if you are truly born again by the spirit of God, you should rejoice that Israel is coming back to God and will find out that Jesus is their Messiah. This makes me want to shout with joy. Their redeemer stills lives both for the Jews and for anyone else who will dare to believe and receive Jesus Christ.
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