“They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises.” Romans 9:4
September 30, 2026
It is a tragedy that the most we hear about Israel in the daily news is negative and critical. Anti-semitism has once again reared its ugly head. We are told that Israel is guilty of genocide and is a danger to the world. The next privilege Paul mentions is that of glory. The splendor of the divine presence in the Tabernacle and the Temple of Solomon. By God’s grace the idol infested world was given the visible symbol of God’s presence and the Ten Commandments. Israel was a light in a spiritually dark world. Never underestimate that treasure of truth. The following story is worth the read as recounted by James Boice. “Benjamin Disraeli…conservative statesman…served as prime minister of England in 1868 and from 1874 to 1880…elected to Parliament at the age of thirty-three…attacked by Daniel O’Connell, the Irish Roman Catholic leader…attacked Disraeli because he was Jewish. Disraeli replied, ‘Yes, sir, I am a Jew. And I remind my illustrious opponent that when the ancestors of that right honorable gentleman were brutal savages eating nuts in a German forest, my ancestors were serving as priests in the temple of Solomon and giving law and religion to the world.’”
God has given to the church the responsibility of being the light of the gospel. How are we doing with that?
H
Reflection:
In what ways am I Christ’s presence in my sphere of influence?