And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord, Israel is My son, even my firstborn. Exodus 4:22
How often do you pray for the peace of Jerusalem? According to Psalm 122:6, it’s important for us to do. The Lord Jesus prayed for the city, wept over it in fact, as He lamented their rejection of Him. Even the apostle Paul constantly had the Jewish people on his prayer list as he longed for them to be saved. Our text tells us why this is so important: because Israel is so close to the heart of God.
As our world’s history moves its way through the great dispensation of grace, we rejoice that the Gentiles have been brought into the blessings of God. The Gospel has gone throughout the world, and we are part of the great work of God among the Gentiles. But we must never forget that we have been brought in as a result of Israel’s rejection, and our day of opportunity is almost over. As God dealt with world through the Israelites in the Old Testament, so He will resume His dealings with the world through the Israelites when the day of the Gentiles closes.
In our text, God refers to Israel as His son, His firstborn. Despite their failings and backsliding, He was their God and they were His treasure in the past. And He has far greater glory and blessings for Israel in the future. His relationship with Israel is very precious to Him, and always will be. If Israel is precious to our Lord, Israel should be precious to us.
We owe Israel so much! Let us never lose sight of that great debt, and pray for God’s earthly people. -Jim MacIntosh
Here is the link to the video of this message: https://youtu.be/q0yPqT0YFhQ