23:7,8
The rescue from Egypt was seen as the defining event in Israel’s history, but an even greater event was going to occur. The return from Babylon was only a precursor of this. While a second temple was built, most Jews recognised that this could not be it, for they were still under oppression. There must be something more, and indeed there was, but they failed to recognise it when Jesus came. However, the story has not ended yet. The gospel going round the world will eventually result in the Jews returning to Christ and to their land. We need to be careful how we treat the land in terms of the promises to Israel. There are some who seem to put enormous store on the land and precise boundaries. This cannot be right, for the whole of the Old Testament shows that what God is most concerned about is righteousness, and the promises of the land were dependent upon the faithfulness of Israel, not vice versa. At the same time there are so many promises concerning the land, that if we say the land does not matter then that cannot be right either. We need a proper balance in these matters.
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