God's unfrozen chosen

Reading how the Israeli government is being pressured by the whole world to impose another building freeze in Judea and Samaria, I sensed God might be saying something to us. World events almost always carry some communication from Father if we bend our ear a bit.

As I prayed about this racist policy, which is designed to ultimately make the Jewish heartland judenrein,I wondered if it was connected to another "freeze." One that has encased all God's chosen people for two centuries, but especially the Jewish people.

Isaiah had prophesied that Messiah would become to "both houses of Israel, a stone to strike, and a rock to stumble over" (Isa. 8:14). And Jesus did just that. The first house, the house of Judah,who are the Jews,rejected him outright in the first century in fulfillment of another word from Isaiah. He prophesied, "The Lord has poured over you a spirit of sleep; He has shut your eyes" (Isa 39:10). Paul even includes that verse in his olive-tree explanation.

So for 2000 years the freeze on Judah's heart has been in place.He was offended by the gospel and would have none of it.Which is how God arranged to get it to us.But God did promise that a day would come when Judah would thaw out and get a second chance.And when he did, "then all Israel would be saved" (Rom. 11:25,26).

That brings me to the freeze on the other house, the descendants of the house of Israel, who we call "Christians." Namely, us. We might have had a moment of wakefulness granted us when we understood the gospel and got saved, but generally speaking most went right back to sleep. For we were soon lulled into accepting a religion that nullified our faith in Jesus and signed us up for a religious program of works righteousness.

But as the Psalmist wrote, God has set His alarm clock to wake us all at the right time. "His set time to favor Zion" (Ps. 102:13). And God's clock is waking up the whole house right now!

Christians are rubbing the sleep from their eyes to discover the Hebraic roots of their faith and reaching out to love and encourage their still sleeping brother, Judah. And as a result, Judah is stirring. He is looking at those who he once considered his mortal enemies, and for good reason,and seeing a new loving attitude. And his heart is melting.

So just as this awful building freeze will be lifted and life will resume, so too will it happen for the Israel of God. Soon we will see all the prophecies about returning to the land fulfilled, when the peace of God will reign, and the promised Son of David has vanquished all our enemies.

I just hope the Israeli government also realizes the Ice Age is over and stops talking about freezing anything.