God chose one man to be the father of all believers: Abraham. The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “I am God Almighty. Walk before me and be upright.186 Abraham walked with God, established a relationship with him, called upon the God of eternity, the Lord is his name … All the nations of the earth will be blessed in your seed, because you have obeyed my voice.187 Abraham’s spiritual authority is amply confirmed in the New Testament. He is the figure of faith, as we read in Hebrews 11:8-19, or as the apostle Paul teaches: If you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise.188
God chooses a nation
From among all the peoples of the earth, God has chosen a nation for himself: for the portion of the Lord is his people. … He has found them in a desert land, in a solitude of frightful howling; he has surrounded them, he has cared for them, he has guarded them as the apple of his eye. … The Lord alone leads his people.189 The Lord has chosen a people, who are the descendants of Abraham, of his son Isaac, of Jacob and his sons. It is to his people that he will transmit the laws for harmonious cohabitation, the Ten Commandments plus all the related laws and ordinances. The aim is to enable those who put these universal laws into practice to be happy, prosperous, live in peace and multiply.190
The history of the people of Israel also teaches us about the many infidelities of the chosen nation. Could God have regretted his choice, disowning the nation he had chosen and replacing it with the Church? On the face of it, it might seem legitimate to replace the old and imperfect with the new, while hoping for greater success.
According to the following texts, God’s commitment to his people is never called into question: For my people have committed a twofold sin: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living water, and dug for themselves empty cisterns.191 Certainly, unfaithfulness is punished by bitter enemies, armies that plunder the nation and, finally, deportation. But Israel’s abandonment of her people is not mentioned. The opposite, on the other hand, is: Because you are precious in my sight, because you are honored and I love you … do not fear, for I am with you.192 Several biblical authors describe this divine love. From afar, the Eternal shows himself to me: I love you with an everlasting love … virgin of Israel.193 This text applies to the Israelites, and speaks of infinite love over time.
But God is even clearer: Word of the Lord, who created the sun to give light by day, who destined the moon and stars to give light by night, who lifts up the sea and makes its waves roar, whose name is the Lord of hosts: if these laws cease, says the Lord, the race of Israel too will cease forever to be a nation before me.194 His love for his people will cease when the sun no longer presides over the day, and the moon no longer presides over the night. Last but not least, when the tide stops. But these three elements still have their original function. So El Roi’s promise remains as relevant as ever: This is a land which your God cares for, over which the Lord has his eyes continually, from the beginning to the end of the year.195
The transition from the Old to the New Testament in no way alters these statements. On the contrary, when the apostle Paul compares non-Jewish Christians to branches grafted onto the frank olive tree, the roots remain those of the original olive tree! 196 Where is it written that God rejects the people of Israel? Far from it… Paul tells the Romans. 197 And he goes on to formulate a mystery worth pondering: part of Israel fell into hardening, until the whole of the Gentiles entered in. 198 This means that the Jews stumbled, that they did not understand the messianic vocation of Jesus Christ, so that we Gentiles, not members of the chosen people, could gain access to salvation: … through their fall, salvation became accessible to the Gentiles,…! 199 God allowed some misunderstanding so that salvation could be proclaimed to all peoples, to all nations, but the Israelites remain the chosen people. But as far as election is concerned, they are loved because of their fathers. 200 The Jews remain the frank olive tree with roots in the depths of the earth and of history.
As for the Church, faithful to its vocation, it is grafted onto the olive tree. The sap that flows in the olive tree and in the graft is identical. The same is true of the Spirit that flows through the chosen people and the Church. Jews and Christians are inseparable, they have the same expectations, the revelation of the Messiah and his reign in a peaceful world of justice. To claim that the Church has replaced Israel makes no sense and has no theological basis. Worse, it is in flagrant contradiction with the will of the God the churches wish to serve. So today, we affirm with authority and firmness that God has not rejected his people Israel. On the contrary, God loves her: and so all Israel will be saved.201 This text in no way excludes the necessity of Jewish repentance to acquire salvation. At some point, the understanding that the divine Lamb who takes away sins, the long-awaited deliverer of Zion, the Messiah and Jesus Christ, are one and the same person, will be an extraordinary divine revelation for all the people of Israel. It will be a day of confession, repentance, forgiveness and great joy before the Eternal. It will be an explosion of joy and rejoicing in Israel and throughout the world.
In anticipation of this great event, a selection is in order. Define what favors God’s will, what is important before the Eternal: Laws? Sacrifice? Faith? It has been made known to you, O man, what is good, and what the Lord requires of you. It is that you practice justice, love mercy and walk humbly with your God. Listen to the voice of the Lord that cries out over the city.202 Listening to God’s voice is paramount in these times of the Spirit’s spiritual actions.
God chooses a man
The God of Israel also chose a man. He wanted someone who would serve him, an example for the people. If the Eternal knew the ideal person, men had great difficulty in discovering him. The prophet Samuel, who had been given this delicate but all-important task, was looking for a big, strong warrior to anoint king. No, the Eternal must intervene and say to him: Pay no attention to his appearance and his great stature, for I have rejected him. For the Eternal does not look the way man looks. Man looks at what strikes the eye, but the Eternal looks at the heart.203 It was David, a courageous young shepherd, agile in battle, musician and poet, who was crowned king of Israel. The wonderful texts written by this man according to God’s heart are called psalms and are transcribed in the Bible.
David was a shepherd. As king, he had to settle in a place where people could meet him. He settled in the heights of Judea, for 7 years in Hebron, then in Salem, and built a city, the city of peace: Jerusalem.
God chooses a city
It was on Mount Zion that David settled. It was on this mountain, one of many, that the city of Salem was built and grew in importance. Whether by chance or divine direction, the hill where Abraham had received the order to sacrifice his son Isaac, Mount Moriah (meaning ” chosen by the Lord“), is only half a kilometer away. David wants to build a temple to his God, but his God doesn’t want it. The king has too much blood on his hands.
It was his son Solomon who built the edifice. An immense task, with many prescriptions to respect. But in his great wisdom, Solomon pulled it off magnificently. The location is obviously Jerusalem, on Mount Moriah: In Jerusalem I will put my name.204 For David my servant’s sake, and for Jerusalem’s sake, the city I have chosen! 205
Ever since the Temple was inaugurated three thousand years ago, the aim of the Jews has been to go to Jerusalem. This is the city of the great King David, and where the Lord blesses his people. Israel, the Jews and Jerusalem have been intimately linked for millennia. It is in Jerusalem that God reveals Himself to His people and to people the world over. Divine love is revealed from the city of peace, it is in this place that I will give peace.206 . .. the Lord will still comfort Zion, he will still choose Jerusalem.207 Thus says the Lord, I will return to Zion, I will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem.208
A time of confusion will come over the world. The question of the nations will be: what is truth, what is justice and righteousness? Where is the answer? … many nations will come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem. … ten men of every language will seize a Jew by the skirt of his garment, and say: we are going with you, for we have heard that God is with you.209 These prophecies have not yet been fulfilled, but they will eventually come true in our lifetime! Peoples will say: come, let us go up to the house of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways, and that we may walk in his paths. For out of Zion shall go forth the law, out of Jerusalem the word of the Lord.210
The science that comes out of the city of peace is true peace, the kind that transforms human beings into social beings, and the instruments of war into agricultural tools, in order to eliminate famine: the Lord will be the judge of the nations, the arbiter of many peoples; from their swords they will forge axes, and from their spears pruning hooks.211 Why don’t the nations recognize this? Isn’t it a good source of finance? Less profit for arms dealers? No more profits from dirty deeds? No more human trafficking, and no more huge profits? No more exploitation of men by men? Yes, the Eternal has chosen Zion, he has desired it for his dwelling: it is my resting place forever. I will dwell there, for I have desired it …212
Jesus Christ, Emanuel, God among us, was born in Bethlehem. Shepherds and Magi from the East came to adore the King of the Jews. In Jerusalem, the King of the Jews was circumcised. It was here that he taught and healed the sick. He royally entered Jerusalem seated on a colt. In this city he suffered rejection and crucifixion. It was in Jerusalem that Jesus died, Pilate inscribed on the cross: King of the Jews. There he was resurrected, and from the Mount of Olives Jesus ascended to heaven. That’s where he’ll be coming back. The apostle John, in his book of Revelation, mentions this city and describes the heavenly life after death. This heavenly city is called Jerusalem, the city of the living God.213
Let’s go to the house of the Lord!
Our feet stop at your gates, Jerusalem.
Jerusalem, you are built like a city
Whose parts are linked together.
There go up the tribes of the Lord!
According to the law of Israel, to praise the name of the Lord!
For there are thrones for justice,
The thrones of the house of David.
Ask for the peace of Jerusalem,
May those who love you enjoy rest!
Peace be within your walls,
And tranquility in your palaces!
Because of my brothers and friends,
I desire peace within it.
Because of the house of our God,
I wish you well.214