#DailyDevotion Jesus Is God’s Israel, God’s Son
Genesis 46:1–7
Israel moved with all he had. When he came to Beer-sheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. 2God spoke to Israel in a vision at night. “Jacob, Jacob!” He said. “Yes,” he answered. 3“I am God, the God of your father,” He said. “Don’t be afraid to go down to Egypt, because I will make you a great people there. 4I will go down to Egypt with you and bring you back again. And Joseph’s hand will close your eyes.” 5Jacob moved from Beer-sheba. Israel’s sons took their father Jacob, their children, and their wives in the wagons Pharaoh sent to get them. 6They also took their cattle and the other livestock they had acquired in Canaan. And so Jacob and all his family came to Egypt. 7He took with him to Egypt his sons, his grandsons, his daughters, his granddaughters — all his descendants.
It’s kind of funny how the LORD works sometimes. We are blessed to see it in hindsight though I think it still probably has us scratching our head often enough. Since Abraham, God had been moving in this family’s life directing towards this direction, to have Israel go into Egypt and become a great people. The LORD would then one day bring them back out of Egypt with a mighty hand because the Egyptian dynasties would have changed, who would not be friendly to Israel, and the LORD would show these Egyptians who the LORD is and what He can do.
But as we will see in the Gospel lesson for this week, Israel here is doing performance prophecy. It isn’t just for them but for us, so that we could recognize the Messiah when he came. Hosea writes in chapter 11, “When Israel was a boy, I loved him and I called My son out of Egypt.” Somewhere along the way Israel became the son of God. It could have been when the LORD made a covenant with him. I’m not certain right now, but Hosea seems to recognize that. Israel as a whole becomes God’s son though they are many. But as we will see in Matthew 2 and in the other Gospels as well, Jesus becomes Israel rolled up to one again.
Now when Hosea makes this quote he goes on to describe how unfaithful the people of Israel had become even though the LORD had treated them like a son. He was not going to hand them over to the Assyrians to let the Assyrians be lord over them. Israel was not the son they were called to be. So the LORD will reduce Israel down to one again in Jesus. He is the Israel who redoes Israel’s failing. So Jesus will come out of Egypt like Israel. Jesus will be tested in the wilderness like Israel. Jesus will cross the Jordan when he is baptized like Israel. He will live in the land of Israel and obey the LORD and be faithful to Him in all he thinks, says and does. He then will be the atoning sacrifice for Israel’s sins and not only Israel’s but for the whole world.
All of God’s promises to Israel are to be found now only in Jesus. Only Jesus fulfilled what Israel was called to do. Now to be partakers of Israel’s promises both Jew and Gentile must be baptized into Christ, into Israel. The Baptist called Israel to be baptized and the Christ has called us all to be baptized into this baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. We are made one with Jesus and all he has done when we are baptized into him. No need to look to unbelieving Jews to fulfill the prophecies of the Old Testament. Jesus had fulfilled them. Don’t look anywhere else for Israel than in Jesus and his Church.
Heavenly Father, grant that we may be joined to Israel through our baptisms into Christ that we may be partakers of all the promises made to Israel. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.