The Lord said to Abram, “I will make of you a great nation… I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” —Genesis 12:2,3
…from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all… —Romans 9:5
“When your days are fulfilled to walk with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for Me, and I will establish his throne forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to Me a son. I will not take My steadfast love from him, as I took it from him who was before you, but I will confirm him in My house and in My kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established forever.” —1 Chronicles 17:11-14
DAVIDIC COVENANT
1. God promises eternal king and kingdom to Israel alone.
2. Perpetual covenant will endure predicted discipline before its ultimate realization.
“‘I will take the sons of Israel from among the nations where they have gone, and I will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king will be king for all of them; and they will no longer be two nations and no longer be divided into two kingdoms. They will no longer defile themselves with their idols, or with their detestable things, or with any of their transgressions; but I will deliver them from all their dwelling places in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them. And they will be My people, and I will be their God.’” —Ezekiel 37:21-23
ANTI-SEMITISM
Hostility toward or discrimination against Jews as a religious, ethnic, or racial group.
“‘My servant David shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd. They shall walk in My rules and be careful to obey My statutes. They shall dwell in the land that I gave to My servant Jacob, where your fathers lived. They and their children and their children’s children shall dwell there forever, and David My servant shall be their prince forever.’” —Ezekiel 37:24,25
Do not be arrogant, but be afraid…I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited… —Romans 11:20,25
RECOMMENDED RESOURCES
Books
Our Hands Are Stained with Blood by Michael L. Brown, PhD
The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom
Videos & More
gracestl.org/weekend-resources
Discussion Questions
1. Paul lists 10 advantages of being a Jew. Name those you remember. If you’re not Jewish, are you content with the idea that God may not give you the same advantages? Why or why not?
2. Israel has long been hated like no other nation. Why do you think that is? What unites Muslim, Christian, Buddhist and other countries to even care about such a tiny nation, much less hate it?
3. We may get indignant at the hateful reply of a papal ambassador to Jews in the Holocaust. Where does that hatred come from? How would Jesus feel? Does refusal to be antisemitic make us more righteous than them? Why or why not?