Pack Your Bags

In one paragraph

Brian opened this Sunday by walking Tribe fam through a set of Old Testament and New Testament passages that together trace God's long, unbroken commitment to Israel, the people, the land, and the city of Jerusalem. The message was framed as preparation for a coming series Brian is calling "twenty one days for Israel," and the whole morning was an invitation to let Scripture begin shaping how the...

Read together

1. Genesis 22:18 God telling Abraham that all nations of the earth will be blessed through his descendants because he obeyed
2. Deuteronomy 4:37 Because God loved the fathers he chose their descendants and personally brought them from Egypt by his great power
3. Deuteronomy 10:15 The Lord set his affection on the fathers, loved them, and chose their descendants above all peoples
4. Deuteronomy 32:9-11 Israel belongs to the Lord as his special possession, found in a desert, guarded as his own eyes, like an eagle hovering over them
5. Ezekiel 16:4-14 God's extended metaphor of Israel as an abandoned newborn he rescued, raised, covered in covenant, and adorned with beauty that spread among the nations
6. Hosea 2:19-20 God declaring he will make Israel his wife forever in righteousness, justice, unfailing love and faithfulness
7. Zechariah 1:14-17 The angel's message that God's love for Jerusalem and Mount Zion is passionate and strong, and the towns of Israel will overflow with prosperity
8. Romans 11:1-36 Paul's argument that God has not rejected Israel, that Gentiles are grafted into the olive tree, and that all Israel will be saved
9. Zephaniah 3:17 God exulting over Israel, calming her fears with singing, when he comes to rescue her
10. Jeremiah 31 Referenced briefly in connection with a coming time of Jacob's trouble in the last days

What was said

• Write down the passages Brian listed today, Genesis 22:18, Deuteronomy 4:37, Deuteronomy 10:15, Deuteronomy 32:9-11, Ezekiel 16:4-14, Hosea 2:19-20, Zechariah 1:14-17, and Romans 11, and sit with one of them each day this week.
• Read Romans 11 all the way through on your own and ask the Lord to speak to you about his heart for Israel as you go.
• Start thinking honestly about what you could remove from your schedule or abstain from to make room for the twenty-one days for Israel journey that is coming in a few weeks.
• If you have a brother or sister who holds to replacement theology, invite them out for coffee or a beer and listen to where they are coming from before sharing what you are learning.
• Ask the Lord to begin aligning your heart with what he says in his word about Israel, not telling yourself what to think, but genuinely inviting him to speak.

Talk about it

1. Brian described the weight that comes with being a people chosen by God to be a conduit of blessing to all nations. Where else in your own life have you felt the weight of a responsibility or calling that was bigger than you could carry on your own?
2. In Ezekiel 16, God's first words to an unwanted, abandoned Israel were simply 'live.' What does it mean to you that God's choice of Israel had nothing to do with their own merit or attractiveness?
3. Brian pointed out that God uses marriage language, not contract or partnership language, to describe his commitment to Israel. What does that choice of language tell you about the kind of relationship God is actually after?
4. Romans 11 warns Gentile believers not to boast, reminding them that the root supports the branch and not the other way around. In practical terms, what might spiritual arrogance toward Israel look like today, and how does this passage correct it?
5. Brian said that loving God more fully means developing a love for what God loves, and he is asking the congregation to reorganize priorities to make room for Israel in the coming weeks. What would you actually need to set aside to make that kind of room, and what is making that difficult?