“Now it is not as though the word of God has failed, because not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. Neither is it the case that all of Abraham’s children are his descendants. On the contrary, ‘your offspring will be traced through Isaac.’ That is, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children, but the children of the promise are considered to be the offspring. For this is the statement of the promise: ‘At this time I will come, and Sarah will have a son.’ And not only that, but Rebekah conceived children through one man, our father Isaac. For though her sons had not been born yet or done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to election might stand—not from works but from the one who calls—she was told, ‘The older will serve the younger.’ As it is written: ‘I have loved Jacob, but I have hated Esau.’” (CSB – Read the chapter)
Who is Israel? Today, of course, Israel is a modern, Western, democratic nation sitting in the midst of a region that is otherwise largely premodern, intensely tribal, and decidedly democratic in its general outlook on the world. But is that what the New Testament authors had in mind when they spoke of Israel? Obviously not. But then what did they mean. We see a whole lot of promises made about Israel in the Scriptures. Who were those for? Who is the Israel of the Bible, and are they still around anymore? Paul unpacks some of that here in a passage that absolutely must factor into any Christian’s thinking about Israel today. Let’s explore what he has to say.
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The Nexus 