While many believers in Messiah are hesitant to think of the Bible as a work of literature, we cannot deny that a large portion of the books comprising the Bible contain narrative, relating key events and figures that are pivotal to the overall story of redemption conveyed by the Bible as a whole.
Because many of us see the Bible as the sum of its parts, it is difficult to see the bigger story being told--like putting together a jigsaw puzzle without seeing what the full picture looks like. Many who try to summarize the bigger story tend to lean on the pattern of breaking the Bible narrative into four parts: Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration.
While this type of summary may work for evangelism, it is important that believers in Messiah move beyond the basics and explore the deeper narrative put forth in scripture. If we want to understand the Bible as a complete work, it is important to focus on the story it tells about God’s chosen people, the nation of Israel. Here are three reasons why:
God made a covenant with Abraham
The covenant between God and Abraham marks a major shift in the overall story. Humanity falls in Genesis chapter 3, and nine chapters later God promises to make Abraham into a great nation, that His descendants would live in the land He promised to them, and that all nations will be blessed through him. This last part is further clarified in Genesis 22, when God says to Abraham, “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice” (Genesis 22:18
And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed—all because you have obeyed me."
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NASB). With this covenant we begin to see the redemption story unfold, and Messiah is the ultimate fulfillment of Abraham’s seed. The focus shifts from our fallen state to the promises of God--and we learn that God always keeps His promises.
Israel is the main character in the Bible
If we remove Israel from our conversations about scripture, then we ignore the covenants that God made with her which impact all nations. In fact, 70 percent of the times the word “covenant” is mentioned in the Bible, it is linked to Israel. Israel is the setting for most of the Bible’s key narrative events, including the birth of Messiah and the giving of God’s Spirit. Israel also plays a key role in end times prophecy, and when Messiah returns He will reign from Israel in Jerusalem.
Yeshua (Jesus) was and is the Jewish Messiah
Yeshua has fulfilled many of the covenants made between God and Israel. Most noteworthy are the Abrahamic and Davidic covenants, since He was descended from Abraham and was from the line of King David. The remaining covenants that have yet to be fulfilled are God’s promises to Israel concerning her land, forgiveness, and King, and these will be fulfilled when Israel embraces Yeshua as their Messiah. When Messiah returns, He will unite the Gentile believers who have been spiritually grafted in to Israel with the Jewish believers who already belong to Israel (Ezekiel 37:15-23
Again a message came to me from the LORD: "Son of man, take a piece of wood and carve on it these words: `This represents Judah and its allied tribes.' Then take another piece and carve these words on it: `This represents Ephraim and the northern tribes of Israel.'* Now hold them together in your hand as if they were one piece of wood. When your people ask you what your actions mean, say to them, `This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will take Ephraim and the northern tribes and join them to Judah. I will make them one piece of wood in my hand.' "Then hold out the pieces of wood you have inscribed, so the people can see them. And give them this message from the Sovereign LORD: I will gather the people of Israel from among the nations. I will bring them home to their own land from the places where they have been scattered. I will unify them into one nation on the mountains of Israel. One king will rule them all; no longer will they be divided into two nations or into two kingdoms. They will never again pollute themselves with their idols* and vile images and rebellion, for I will save them from their sinful backsliding. I will cleanse them. Then they will truly be my people, and I will be their God.
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(NASB),Romans 11:11-24
Did God's people stumble and fall beyond recovery? Of course not! They were disobedient, so God made salvation available to the Gentiles. But he wanted his own people to become jealous and claim it for themselves. Now if the Gentiles were enriched because the people of Israel turned down God's offer of salvation, think how much greater a blessing the world will share when they finally accept it. I am saying all this especially for you Gentiles. God has appointed me as the apostle to the Gentiles. I stress this, for I want somehow to make the people of Israel jealous of what you Gentiles have, so I might save some of them. For since their rejection meant that God offered salvation to the rest of the world, their acceptance will be even more wonderful. It will be life for those who were dead! And since Abraham and the other patriarchs were holy, their descendants will also be holy—just as the entire batch of dough is holy because the portion given as an offering is holy. For if the roots of the tree are holy, the branches will be, too. But some of these branches from Abraham's tree—some of the people of Israel—have been broken off. And you Gentiles, who were branches from a wild olive tree, have been grafted in. So now you also receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in the rich nourishment from the root of God's special olive tree. But you must not brag about being grafted in to replace the branches that were broken off. You are just a branch, not the root. "Well," you may say, "those branches were broken off to make room for me." Yes, but remember—those branches were broken off because they didn't believe in Christ, and you are there because you do believe. So don't think highly of yourself, but fear what could happen. For if God did not spare the original branches, he won't* spare you either. Notice how God is both kind and severe. He is severe toward those who disobeyed, but kind to you if you continue to trust in his kindness. But if you stop trusting, you also will be cut off. And if the people of Israel turn from their unbelief, they will be grafted in again, for God has the power to graft them back into the tree. You, by nature, were a branch cut from a wild olive tree. So if God was willing to do something contrary to nature by grafting you into his cultivated tree, he will be far more eager to graft the original branches back into the tree where they belong.
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(NASB)).
It is easy to see the Bible through a highly personalized lens, but we must remember that the scope of the story is so much bigger than just us as individuals. God has blessed all nations through one small nation, and the overall story of the Bible demonstrates God’s instruction and love for all us through His dealings, covenants, and His love for Israel. As Moses said inDeuteronomy 7:7-8
"The LORD did not set his heart on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other nations, for you were the smallest of all nations! Rather, it was simply that the LORD loves you, and he was keeping the oath he had sworn to your ancestors. That is why the LORD rescued you with such a strong hand from your slavery and from the oppressive hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt.
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(NASB), “The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but because the Lord loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers….” To truly understand the fullness of the Bible story, it is essential to see it with a focus on Israel.
Mark Yarbrough, Ph.D., is the Vice President for Academic Affairs, Academic Dean, and Associate Professor of Bible Exposition at Dallas Theological Seminary. He has been published in various magazines, and has written “Paul’s Utilization of Preformed Traditions” and “How to Read the Bible Like a Seminary Professor.” He also contributed to the book, Israel, the Church, and the Middle East: A Biblical Response to the Current Conflict, from which this article was adapted. Dr. Yarbrough is a member of the Alliance for the Peace of Jerusalem, which seeks to educate individuals, especially the next
