Chapter 4.

God Prepared Israel

For Jesus’ Ministry.

 

 

God Gave Israel

A True View of the Cosmos.

 

By the time Jesus began His Ministry on Earth, Bible-Believing Jews had a true view of the cosmos -- unlike the preposterous notions professed by pagan philosophers.  They knew that the stars above them, the stones beneath their feet, all the flora and fauna about them, and even they themselves were created by the one and only God.  They believed He was enthroned in Heaven and yet omnipresent throughout the Universe.  They knew He lived among myriads of angels, while they lived among a multitude of evil spirits under the lordship of Satan.  And, they were sure that God was fully aware of each of them -- that He monitored their thoughts -- heard their prayers -- and wanted to give them an abundant life.  They were looking forward to the coming of their Messiah.  They anticipated that He would free them from Roman rule and crown Himself King of the World.

 

Unfortunately, many in Israel were not Bible-Believers.  When they heard Jesus’ Gospel Message, they refused it.

 

 

God Gave Israel

A True View of History.

 

The Jews Jesus spoke to had a correct sense of history.  The Scriptures they heard expounded in their synagogues on Sabbath days had given them a clear view of the past.  They knew of the Garden of Eden and Adam and Eve.  They could recite the story of Noah’s ark and the great Flood -- God’s judgment of rampant immorality.  They had heard about mankind’s attempt to build the Tower of Babel and the resulting confusion of languages.  They knew of the woes of Job.  They could point to where Abraham, Sarah and Joseph were buried.  They memorialized their ancestor’s liberation from four-hundred years of captivity in Egypt every Passover evening.  Most of them could recite the Ten Commandments the Lord had given to Moses on Mount Sinai.  They loved to speak of King David and his son, Solomon, and the building of the first Temple in Jerusalem.  They could discuss the destruction of the Holy City by Nebuchadnezzar and the reasons why many Jews were held in captivity in Babylon for 70 years and how they returned to Judah to rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple.  They knew their ancestors had often been oppressed and occupied by foreign armies.  And, certainly, they were irritated by the presence of Roman overlords in their day.

 

The Jews knew these and many other historical facts.  And, they were familiar with the writings of their prophets.  Eagerly, they looked forward to the arrival of their Messiah.  They were sure He would overthrow the Romans and bring peace and prosperity to the world.

     

 

Israel Emerged as

God’s Chosen People.

 

Seeing, from eternity past, that mankind, endowed with “free will” and influenced by Satan and his evil cohorts, would gravitate to hellish beliefs and behaviors, God decided to initiate and cultivate a spiritual Movement -- to teach men and women how to obtain His forgiveness when they sinned -- to inspire them to worship the one true God – and, to urge them to seek God’s will for their lives.

 

The spiritual Movement began in the Garden of Eden and has persisted throughout human history.  From the days of Abraham until the Resurrection of Christ, most of the members of the Movement were Jews.  After Christ rose from the dead, the Church took the Movement world-wide and millions of Gentiles became members.

 

The spiritual Movement has had many names.  For instance, three months after the Jews escaped from slavery in Egypt, Moses led them to Mount Sinai.  There God made a covenant with the Jews.  He gave Moses this Message for them ...

... if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.  (Exodus 19:5-6 KJV)

 

Much later in history, Peter affixed other names to this spiritual Movement.  To its members he declared ...

... you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light ... 

(1 Peter 2:9 NIV)  

 

Today, this spiritual Movement is called “The Church”, but that name does not fit the Movement’s pre-Christian history.  So, what shall we call the Movement?  Shall we call it “God’s Peculiar Treasure” or “The Kingdom of Priests” or “The Holy Nation” as the passage in Exodus suggests.  Or, shall we call it “The Chosen People” or “The Royal Priesthood” or “The Holy Nation” or “God’s Special Possession” as Peter suggested?  All of those titles fit, but we prefer to call it the “Royal Priesthood Movement”.  That title seems to fit in every moment of its long history.

 

Never forget, God has immense love for mankind.  He has always hoped that every man and woman would end up in Heaven -- that they would be “saved” from an endless incarceration in Hell.  However, He foresaw that all of mankind would be “lost” without the “Royal Priesthood Movement”.  Even with it, most would be lost.  So, from creation forward, God has gathered men and women -- who have sought to know Him and have diligently worshiped Him -- into a body of God-honoring believers which we now call the “Royal Priesthood Movement”.  These precious people are “Royal”, because they will live and reign with Christ in the hereafter.  And, they are “Priests”, because they woo others into their fellowship -- to free them from the grip of sin and to save them from eternal punishment. 

... they [believers] shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.  (Revelation 20:6b KJV)

And, after the millennium mentioned in this verse, the members of the “Royal Priesthood Movement” will live and reign with Christ in the New Heavens and Earth.  If you are a Christian, you belong to this “Royal Priesthood Movement”. 

 

 

The “Royal Priesthood Movement”

Began in Eden.

 

The first members of the “Royal Priesthood Movement” were Adam and Eve.  As soon as they ate the forbidden fruit, they began noticing disturbing changes in their world.  Suddenly, they were ashamed of their nakedness.  They felt obliged to cover their torsos with fig leaves.  Soon, they saw some of the heretofore peaceful animals attack, kill and eat others.  Never before had they seen such violence.  Hearing the shrieks of the dying victims and seeing their blood soaking into the soil unnerved them.  Then, some of the larger animals began glaring at them in threatening ways.  They found a safe place to hide in the woods.  They were exasperated and fearful for the first time in their lives.

 

As evening approached, the Son of God appeared in manly and majestic form.  Normally, He walked and talked with the first couple at this time of the day.  But, Adam and Eve were out of sight.  Of course, the Son knew where they were.  He called them out of hiding and made them confess their sins.  They were ashamed of themselves and readily agreed to repent.  The Son embraced them tenderly.

 

The pair sat down on a stone ledge, and the Son proceeded to explain to them their altered circumstances.  Sternly, He voiced the consequences of their sins.  He said, “As you have already noticed, your world is now degraded by a curse.  Because of that, both of you are slowly dying.  You will gradually show signs of aging.  Your bodies will become frail.  And, someday, you will die.  But, worse than that, because your souls are stained by your sins, you are both destined to spend eternity in Hell after you die.”

 

Adam grasped Eve’s hand.  With tears moistening his cheeks, he gazed hopelessly into her worried eyes.  She slumped forward, face to knees, and sobbed.  Quickly, the Son of God stepped forward and placed a comforting hand on each of them, saying, “Listen.  I have some Good News.  I can show you how to rid your souls of their sin-stains -- by making a sin-sacrifice.  Then, when you die with clean souls, you will enter a place called “Paradise”, which is very similar to the Garden of Eden as it was before you sinned.”

 

Brightening a bit, Adam asked, “What must we do to be saved from the punishment we deserve?”

 

The Son led them to a rocky hill, and using some of the stones there, He helped them build a fiery altar.  Then, He had them place their hands on the head of a beautiful lamb and ask God to transfer their sins to it.  Next, He had Adam slit the throat of the lamb, and as it bled out, He had Adam catch some of the lamb’s blood and sprinkle it around the base of the altar.  Adam and Eve were sickened as they watched the lamb collapse and as they smelled the coppery scent of its blood.  Never before had they killed an animal.  They surveyed the scene in silence.     

 

The Son interrupted their thoughts.  He said, “In God’s Justice System, the penalty for sinning is death, physical and spiritual.  You can’t escape physical death.  Your bodies will die.  But, since you transferred your sins to the lamb, his death paid your spiritual penalties.  Your sin-stains are gone.  Your souls are clean.  Keep them that way, and you will enter Paradise when you die.  Hallelujah!  Still, there are two more steps we must do to complete this sin-sacrifice.  Watch!”

Then, the Son showed the couple how to separate the edible parts of the lamb from the refuse.  And, He placed the meat cuts on the fiery altar.  As the food roasted, a smoky, sweet aroma wafted upward to God.  The Son told the pair to burn the refuse in another place, later, but the roasted flesh became a meal.  As the couple ate the meat, they thanked God that the lamb had died in their place and saved them from damnation.

 

Finally, the Son taught the pair how to tan the skin of the lamb and fashion the leather into clothes that were much more durable than fig leaves.

The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.  (Genesis 3:21 NIV)

 

So, Adam and Eve were the first members of the “Royal Priesthood Movement”.  And, Royal Priests they were.  They told every one of their offspring about their first sins ... how their transgressions brought a curse upon the world ... and, how the Son of God had come to them and taught them how to cleanse their souls.  Some esteemed their testimony and frequently offered sin-sacrifices.  But, others did not!

 

 

Abel Joined

The “Royal Priesthood Movement”.

 

Abel listened carefully to the witness of his father and mother.  As they explained the sin-sacrifice ritual and its power to cleanse a repentant worshiper’s soul, he memorized every detail they shared.  He was committed to keeping his soul clean.  He often offered sin-sacrifices, because he wanted to enter Paradise when he died.  He joined the “Royal Priesthood Movement”.

 

Cain was not fully convinced by the witness of his parents.  He saw no reason to bother with making bloody sin-sacrifices.  “I’m better behaved than most people,” he reasoned.  “Surely, I’ll enter Paradise when I die, if there is such a place.”

 

Abel knew of his brother’s convictions.  As a Royal Priest, he wished to set him on the path to Paradise.  So, he invited Cain to join him in worshiping the Lord.  Abel prepared a fiery altar, and soon, Cain joined him.

... Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering: But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? ...  (Genesis 4:3-7a KJV)

Cain hated God and was jealous of his brother.  Shortly thereafter, Cain murdered Abel.  And, as far as we know, Cain never joined the “Royal Priesthood Movement”.

 

 

Noah Was a Royal Priest.

 

Membership in the “Royal Priesthood Movement” waxed and waned.  Satan and his tribe of evil spirits pushed most men and women away from seeing the need for cleansing their souls by means of sin-sacrifices.  And, some, like Cain, corrupted the practice by offering inappropriate sacrifices.  Many even offered sacrifices to idols and other false gods.   

 

The Priesthood almost disappeared.  By Noah’s day, it had shriveled to eight souls: Noah, his three sons, and the wives of these men.  God told Noah that a world-wide Flood was coming ... fifteen feet deeper than the highest mountain.  He was told to build a massive, barge-like ark in which he and his family and a host of Earth’s animals would ride out the Flood.  During the years the ark was under construction, Noah fulfilled the role of a Royal Priest.  He prophesied to those who came to observe the making of the ark.  He urged them to join the “Royal Priesthood Movement”, help with the work, and make plans to get on board before the rains came.  No one responded to his warnings, not even when the animals lined up to board the vessel.  Finally, the Lord shut and sealed the door of the ark, and the rains commenced. 

 

Noah and his family walked out of the ark about a year later.  And, immediately, Noah organized a worship service to thank God for sparing them all and to cleanse the souls of each of them. 

Noah builded an altar unto the Lord; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And the Lord smelled a sweet savour; and the Lord said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.  (Genesis 8:20-21 KJV)

Note: By this time, the Lord had expanded the list of animals that could serve as sacrifice victims.  These creatures were called “clean”.  The Old Testament contains complex rules for determining which animals should be on the “clean” list.  Certainly, sheep, goats, cattle and doves are “clean”.

 

At that moment in history, every human on Earth was a member of the “Royal Priesthood Movement”, all eight of them.  As they multiplied, they told their children about the origin and importance of sin-sacrifices.  Without question, the practice spread widely.  Almost every culture that has ever existed on Earth has made animal sacrifices.  Unfortunately, as Cain had done, many corrupted the purposes and procedures of the practice.  Too often, unclean creatures have been offered to false gods. 

 

 

Godly Patriarchs Advanced

The “Royal Priesthood Movement”.

 

After the Flood, the “Royal Priesthood Movement” flourished.  Believers had more to say.  They could speak and write of the Fall and the Flood.  The Movement grew in spite of Satan’s efforts to kill it.  And, when the Tower of Babel scheme was crushed by God, the Message of the “Royal Priesthood Movement” went throughout the world.  Here and there believers worshiped God and evangelized their neighbors.  Patriarchs like Job and Abraham diligently sought the will of God, worshiped Him, performed sin-sacrifices to erase their sins, and urged their children to live godly lives.

 

The first chapter of Job gives us an intimate view of Job’s faith.

Job’s sons would take turns preparing feasts in their homes, and they would also invite their three sisters to celebrate with them. When these celebrations ended -- sometimes after several days -- Job would purify his children. He would get up early in the morning and offer a burnt offering for each of them. For Job said to himself, “Perhaps my children have sinned and have cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular practice.  (Job 1:4-5 NLT)

Certainly, Job also offered sacrifices to cleanse his own soul and that of his wife.  He was a member of the “Royal Priesthood Movement”.

 

For sure, Abraham also offered sin-sacrifices.  We are given a harrowing view of one of these.  Having become convinced that God wanted him to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, he came close to doing so.  But, at the last second, an angel of the Lord stopped him.  And, God honored him for being willing to follow God’s leading, even when it was very costly to his son and himself.  Then ...

... Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son.  (Genesis 22:13 NIV)

Through this event, God speaks to us.  He says, “I  gave My only begotten Son to serve as your sin-bearer.  He erased your sins with His sacrificial death on the Cross.”

 

The patriarchal period of the “Royal Priesthood Movement” persisted for at least four centuries.  As late in history as the lifetime of Moses, Reuel -- who gave his daughter, Zipporah, in marriage to Moses -- was serving as the priest of Midian.  We don’t know how many others were serving as members of the “Royal Priesthood Movement” elsewhere in the world at that time.  We do know that the devout among the Jews, in captivity in Egypt, were still faithfully worshiping God.  Probably, world-wide, the “Royal Priesthood Movement” was shrinking in this era.  Animal sacrifice was still common, but, largely, the practice had become corrupt.  Sacrifices were being made to false gods.  Unclean animals were being used as victims.  Often, the sacrifices were not made to erase sins.  Rather, they were vaguely religious foods for pagan festivals.

 

So, God decided to advance the “Royal Priesthood Movement” by motivating faithful Jews.  He fulfilled His ancient promise to Abraham by liberating the Israelites and moving them to the Promised Land.  For twelve centuries, through times when the “Royal Priesthood Movement” flourished and years when it foundered, God kept the Movement alive.

 

But, by Jesus’ lifetime, the “Royal Priesthood Movement” had ceased to exist in the Gentile nations.  And, through Jesus’ Ministry, the Movement became the Church.  Therefore, the Christian Way was the only way to Heaven.

Jesus saith ... I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.  (John 14:6 KJV)

 

Jesus changed the nature of the “Royal Priesthood Movement” by becoming the exclusive Sin-Bearer for the Movement’s members.  His Perfect Sacrifice made animal sacrifices obsolete.  Since His Crucifixion, members of the Priesthood have taken their sins to the Cross in their prayers and transferred them to Jesus.  And, He has cleansed their souls and filled them with His righteousness.  Today, the Church tells the world, “The only way to be saved from endless incarceration in Hell is to ask Jesus to cleanse your soul.”

 

 

Moses,

Led By God,

Changed the “Royal Priesthood Movement”.

 

During the age of the Patriarchs, the “Royal Priesthood Movement” was comprised of believers who worshiped God and offered sin-sacrifices to cleanse their own souls and the souls of those in their family, social group, clan or nation.  As the number of adherents to these activities dwindled, God decided to alter and to invigorate the practices of the faithful, Movement members in the twelve tribes of Israel.  He recruited a man named Moses to spearhead these changes.

 

In the first forty years of his life, Moses, as the adopted son of an Egyptian princess, was part of the royal family of Egypt.  The Jewish historian, Josephus, noted that Moses rose to the rank of general in the Pharaoh’s army.  However, he was an Israelite by birth.  He was a man of renown, but his people were slaves.  They had been captives of the Egyptians for nearly four centuries.

 

One day, Moses saw an aggressive Egyptian mistreating a Jewish slave.  He intervened in the discord and during the ensuing mayhem killed the wicked Egyptian.  Fearing he would be prosecuted for this death, he fled to Midian.  He attached himself to the house of Reuel and soon married Zipporah, one of Reuel’s daughters.  He fathered two sons, Gershom and Eliezer, and became a shepherd for most of the next forty years.

 

When Moses was about eighty, God spoke to him.  He was with his flock on a foothill of Mount Sinai when he spotted a burning bush.  It was ablaze, but it was not being consumed.  Moses went to investigate.  As he stood before the bush, God told him to return to Egypt and -- with the aid of his brother, Aaron -- to deliver a Message from God to the Pharaoh, “Let My people go!”

 

The Pharaoh did not want to part with his slaves.  Repeatedly, Moses and Aaron demanded their freedom.  Each time the Pharaoh said, “No!”  And, each time the Lord dropped a plague on Egypt.  After the tenth plague -- the slaying of “first-born” Egyptian sons -- the Pharaoh agreed to let the Israelites depart.  They did, but Pharaoh sought to bring them back.  The Jews escaped when God opened a path through the Red Sea.  They crossed, but as the Egyptians followed after them, the waters rolled back upon them, and they drowned. 

 

Moses led the Israelites to Mount Sinai where he was given the Ten Commandments, inscribed on two stone tablets by the finger of God.  With these and with many other instructions from God, Moses organized ancient Israel.  An intricate religious calendar was set forth.  It established a set of annual holy days and weekly and daily worship services.  Sin-sacrifices and many other offerings to the Lord were formalized.  A large worship center, known as the “Tabernacle”, was constructed, and a large, fiery altar was set before it.  One of the twelve divisions of Israel –- the Levite tribe -- was commissioned to maintain the Tabernacle and the altar and to administrate and perform the busy schedule of worship services.  The functions of the “Royal Priesthood Movement” became the heart of the Jewish nation.  Most of the members of the Movement were Israelites.  So, Israel became God’s “Chosen People”.

 

God-honoring Jews became the most prominent part of the “Royal Priesthood Movement”.  For a while, the Movement remained alive elsewhere.  We aren’t sure when it ceased to exist outside of Israel.

 

For twelve centuries, the Message of the “Royal Priesthood Movement” went out from Israel.  Prophets, like Isaiah and Jeremiah, added inspired Revelations to the Movement’s Message.  Through far-reaching commercial enterprises, displacements caused by wars, and numerous enslavements of Israelites by foreign conquerors, Jews were dispersed widely.  And, faithful Jews carried the Message and practices of the “Royal Priesthood Movement” with them.  Throughout a great swath of the world, the Jews constructed a network of synagogues to serve as worship centers. 

 

Members of the “Royal Priesthood Movement” have always been anchored to Scripture.  From Adam forward, believers, guided by the Holy Spirit, have repeated, memorized and written down the Revelations they have received from the Lord.  These writings were copied and circulated among the faithful.  Noah and other Old-Testament saints preserved these documents and added to them inspired Messages they received from God.  Later, Moses organized these texts and the inspired Revelations he himself received into the first five books of the Bible.  Gradually, over many centuries, other inspired authors completed the Holy Writ.  These precious writings are still the guiding lights of the “Royal Priesthood Movement”.

 

 

Many Jews Loved

The Message of John the Baptist.

 

By A.D. 26, Israel was ready for the ministry of John the Baptist.  He burst onto the scene that Summer, and great crowds flocked to hear him.  He often spoke of the imminent appearance of the Messiah.  When Jesus came to be baptized by him in the River Jordan, John witnessed the fulfillment of prophecies that the Lord had given him.  He saw the Spirit of God descend like a dove and rest upon Jesus.

... John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! He is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘A man is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.’ I did not recognize him as the Messiah, but I have been baptizing with water so that he might be revealed to Israel.” Then John testified, “I saw the Holy Spirit descending like a dove from heaven and resting upon him. I didn’t know he was the one, but when God sent me to baptize with water, he told me, ‘The one on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I saw this happen to Jesus, so I testify that he is the Chosen One of God.” 

(John 1:29-34 NLT)

After His Baptism, Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where He confronted and humiliated Satan.  Though Jesus was repeatedly tempted by Satan, He disdained Satan’s wicked prodings.  When He returned to the site where John was ministering, about forty days later, John was thrilled to see Him and cried out, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”  Many in the crowd believed John’s words and became followers of Jesus.  That very day, three of John’s disciples, who would become Apostles, became followers of Christ: Andrew, Peter and, probably, John.  It was time for Jesus’ Ministry to begin.

 

 

Exalted Messiah

Or Despised Messiah?

 

Many passages in the Old Testament spoke of a great, Holy Man who would arise in Israel.  Some indicated He would be an omnipotent King who would rule over all the Earth from Jerusalem.  Others said He would be a Man of sorrows, despised, rejected and acquainted with grief.  So, the Jews of Jesus’ day held opposing views of the Holy One to come -- the Messiah.  Today, with a New Testament in hand, it is easy to see that the prophets were given glimpses of two different “comings”.  During His first coming, Jesus lived among the Jews, taught, worked miracles, was Crucified by His enemies, came back from the dead, and founded the Church.  At His second coming, Jesus will defeat Satan and his clan of evil spirits, annihilate His earthly enemies, and establish His Millennial Kingdom, headquartered in Jerusalem.  So. Jesus was the rejected Messiah, and He will be the exalted Messiah.