Part 2: Tracing Israel’s Journey: From Abraham to Christ, a Story of Faith, Promise, and Redemption
The Covenant with Moses
Israel left Egypt, journeyed from Elim, and came to the Wilderness of Sin between Elim and Sinai. Here, God made a covenant with Israel, giving them His Law, His calendar to keep His holy convocations and assemblies, and the service of the priesthood for provisional atonement. While conditional and having blessings and curses attached, this covenant provided crucial foundational stones for God’s eternal Kingdom. The Law provided God’s moral standard, revealing His perfect and Holy nature as Judge and King, and the Law gave Israel its civil standards by which they could judge and govern God’s people according to His justice and righteousness.
The Establishment of the Priesthood and the Tabernacle
God’s blessings in the covenant would set Israel high above all the nations of the earth, they would be blessed beyond measure, and God would make them a blessing to every nation. Israel would prevail and ultimately destroy every enemy, and she would be set apart as a Holy people unto the Lord. Their provision would be in abundance, even the wealth of the nations would be theirs to inherit, and Israel would be the head of God’s Kingdom authority, meaning they would have governing power over every nation.
In other words, the Kingdom of God was promised to Israel and even belonged to them, provided they would love God and obey His commandments, a test of their faith and devotion towards Him. Paul acknowledges six Kingdom blessings in the Book of Romans that God promised Israel, saying, “My countrymen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises.” And he affirmed the foundation of Israel, the Patriarchs, from whom Christ came and is now over all creation, saying, “Of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen” (Romans 9:3-5).
The Lord declared to Israel, “You shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:6), another Kingdom promise. But the children of Israel complained and rebelled against God in the wilderness. When Israel committed idolatry against the Lord, including the sin of the Golden Calf, it was the sons of Levi that stood with Moses. And specifically, it was Phinehas, Aaron’s grandson, who rose with a javelin in his hand and speared to death an Israelite man and Midianite woman who had committed harlotry and idolatry in the camp of the Israelites. The Lord established the priesthood, covenanting with Levi and later one of his sons, Aaron, to make provisional atonement for Israel. We read:
“Then you shall know that I have sent this commandment to you, That My covenant with Levi may continue, Says the Lord of hosts. My covenant was with him, one of life and peace, And I gave them to him that he might fear Me; So he feared Me And was reverent before My name” (Malachi 2:4-5).
“Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ‘Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned back My wrath from the children of Israel, because he was zealous with My zeal among them, so that I did not consume the children of Israel in My zeal. Therefore say, ‘Behold, I give to him My covenant of peace; and it shall be to him and his descendants after him a covenant of an everlasting priesthood, because he was zealous for his God, and made atonement for the children of Israel’” (Numbers 25:10-13).
The Time of the Judges and Kings
Israel was established as a theocracy. The Levites were called to teach and administer God’s Law to the Jewish people, including the Laws of atonement for sin. The name Levi (לוי), derived from Hebrew, means “attached to me.” Levi can be used as a first name. Similarly, the Hebrew word for prayer, tefillah, also means “to connect.” Therefore, we see a correlation between praying to God and serving Him as His priest. Prayer is critical for renewing our connection with God and petitioning Him for our needs and provision.
However, the priest’s primary responsibility in serving God was to bring the Jewish people close to Him. The priests were to attach themselves to the Lord through intimate prayer and service and attach Israel to the Lord by interceding and administering their sin offerings, making atonement and peace with God. This service unto the Lord was so that all Israel would become a kingdom of priests unto the Lord. Just as the Levites were attached to the Lord, thus, all Israel will be the Lord’s Heritage through their Messiah and High Priest.
Moses was instructed to construct a Tabernacle, called the “Tabernacle of meetings,” to officiate the priestly offerings, commanding the Israelites to build a copy of the heavenly image. The Tabernacle sat at the center of Israel’s encampment in the desert—three tribes on each side, including the half tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, and the Levites and sons of Aaron camped in the middle. The head of each encampment carried a unique flag. Our early Sages taught that the banner of Reuben featured the figure of a man, and the flag of Judah had the picture of a lion. The flag of Ephraim showed an ox, and Dan’s was decorated with the image of an eagle. These four symbols appeared in the faces of Cherubim, seen by the prophet Ezekiel, and also appeared in the four living creatures found in the Book of Revelation.
In Ezekiel’s vision, we see the Cherubim in the midst and around the throne of God while the Seraphim stand and fly above it. It is not that God has set angels to be higher than Himself, but this vision shows that He is at the center of all things that are heavenly and earthly. The Seraphim, therefore, minister to the angelic realm, while the Cherubim minister to the earthly realm. On this basis, we can understand the profound significance of the camp of Israel. The Cherubim and the Tabernacle that Israel built is the chariot that carries the manifest presence of God, and the nation of Israel—the army of the Lord—is God’s escort; each person within their tribe encamped around the Tabernacle holding their unique banner of the Lord.
The Eternal Kingdom
Seeing God’s throne on high, His feet touching the earth and resting upon a chariot of angels surrounded by an immeasurable host of God’s people, it is easy to visualize the poetry of God’s love for Israel. The journey of Israel from the time of Abraham, through the establishment of the priesthood and the Tabernacle, and into the time of the judges and kings, sets the stage for the ultimate fulfillment of God’s covenant through Christ. As Israel continues to play a central role in God’s redemptive plan, we look forward to the complete restoration and reign of His Kingdom.
SOURCE: HOUSE OF DAVID MINISTRIES
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Ongoing series:
- Israel’s Covenants and the Kingdom
- Separation of the Church from Israel
- The Significance and the Early Church
- Reconnecting the Church to Israel
- God’s Kingdom and the Restoration of Israel
