The Jewish Fight with History is Like the Plight of People Everywhere

Summary: History is His story—the story of God and His people. But life is often like the picture of a camouflaged tiger. In real life, survival may depend on recognizing the tiger in its context. The tiger's eyes don't fit the context of stripes in tall grass. Details are important. So it is with some details in history.

God made a covenant with Abraham, promising him land for his seed after 400 years, Genesis 15:13,18. When their time was up, God freed a million slaves from the strongest nation on earth and took Israel to the Promised Land, but not without giving them the greatest document of self-government, the law.

A favorite author said, “There is not a negative in the law of God.” This is because of the motive of love. Because I delivered you from the whip and bondage, because you love Me, you will have no other gods. And it's not just about God. He didn't want us lying, stealing, killing or committing adultery. People who do those things are not truly happy. If we live in harmony with His law, we can be healthy and happy.

Because of God's great law, the Jews have done well in spite of much affliction and persecution which has come partly because they did not always honor the law or the God who gave it as Moses warned in his final words of Deuteronomy. So He scattered them among the nations (Jer 31:10) so that others would learn of Him through faithful witnesses like Daniel, Esther or Nehemiah.

But like the eyes that can betray the presence of a camouflaged tiger, there are details in the Hebrew Scripture that most people shrug off. It leaves them at odds with history as they fight for survival.

We see it in Abraham's prophecy when he was tested, “God will provide Himself a sacrifice.” Gen 22:8.
We see its details in the sacrificial system of Moses—an innocent lamb without blemish was used.

We see it in Isaiah 53 where a Lamb would be wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our sins. The chastisement of our peace was upon Him and with His stripes, we are healed (and want to live better and not continue the sins that caused His death for us.)

Daniel 9 even gives the time of the Messiah (“anointed”) as 69 weeks of years from a Persian king, Artaxerxes, whose decree in 457 BC allowed the Jews freedom to return and built Jerusalem, Dan 9:25.

That timing fit perfectly the announcement of another Jewish prophet, “Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.” John 1:29. He was calling attention to Yahshua, a Hebrew name that means salvation and health. He spent time healing and preaching to bring health and salvation. [Jesus is a poor translation; there were no “J's” in Hebrew nor Greek.] Yahshua means Yah (abbreviation) saves.

The Jewish fight with history is the fight of all who fail to see that His life fulfilled dozens of Messianic prophecies, starting with Genesis 3:15. The details of His crucifixion in Psalm 22:16-18 were written centuries before the Romans invented this form of torture. Micah 5:2 foretold He would be born in Bethlehem (a word that means “house of bread”) and He later said, I am the bread of life. Jn 6:35.

He loves Jewish people as He loves all people, “red and yellow, black and white, all are precious in His sight.” Actually, we are all varying shades of brown and alike on the inside. Heeding His words would have saved millions of Jews in 70 AD, but Jewish leaders (like most political leaders) think God is on their side exclusively.

Heeding Christ's warning would spare millions again. He warned of an “abomination” that the disciples understood as military, and when the Roman army came, they fled and were spared the siege. A better understanding of His words would apply them to what's impending, because the signs for Jerusalem are also signs for the end of the world, Matt 24:2,3.

The wording in Mark 13:14 is helpful. “When you see the abomination (military) standing where it ought not.” Military ought not to be in the US. We are supposed to have a free land. To see military convoys and armored tanks transported by trains is a warning of impending trouble. Readiness to flee the cities may affect the destiny of those who claim that Christ is Lord (which means they do what He says).

Waiting until it's undeniable means great loss, for those who did so, were not to go down to get anything out of their house, Matt 24:17.

History is His story, and history repeats worse for those who aren't looking for its lessons.