Blessed Hope Bible-Presbyterian Church
500 Upper Bukit Timah Rd, Singapore 678106
Israel is privileged by her national spiritual heritage. Before Israel returned to the land on 14 May 1948, the Hebrew Scriptures were sought to revive the use of the Hebrew language. In it is hidden the treasure of Israel’s spiritual heritage. Until today, the Hebrew Scriptures remain in the hands of God’s people in Israel. If they would come to the Scriptures, they would find the Christ of the Scriptures. Salvation is not far for God’s chosen people.
Acts 1:12-15
12 Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day’s journey.
13 And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both — Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James.
14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.
15 And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about a hundred and twenty,)
The Fruit of the Spirit is Gentleness
Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Do you often second-guess others’ intentions in a negative way? Do you count the wrongs others have done to you? Are you willing to forgive and make peace? To be forgiving and forbearing is a fruit of the spirit called ‘gentleness.’ Where there is no forgiveness, each one is irreconcilably offended.
We see the father looking out for the son to return. When he saw the son, he welcomed him home with open arms. Jesus said If you have a need, call to your Father in heaven and He will supply your every need. An earthly father will do good to his son what more our heavenly Father. He urges us to pray, call upon the Lord for help.
The Apostle Paul presents the history of Israel as an object lesson for the Christian church. When Israel abide with Him, they prospered. We see this in the reign of David and the early part of the reign of Solomon. When Solomon began to wander away from God’s law to multiply wives and gold and horses, God caused the kingdom of Israel to be rent into two after Solomon’s death. In the Northern Kingdom, there were no good kings. The king led the people astray in the worship of other gods. God judged the Northern Kingdom severely in 722 B.C. The Assyrians came and destroyed the kingdom. There was no recovery for the North Kingdom after that. Likewise, the Southern Kingdom was judged by God through the hand of the Babylonians in 586 B.C. There was a remnant God preserved that still experienced God’s goodness and good hand protecting and prospering them.
When Israel departed from God, they were lovingly wooed to come back to God. In Israel’s history, God sent many prophets especially during the time of Israel’s divided kingdom to rebuke and reproof their waywardness. God sent afflictions their way especially by way of famines and foreign invaders to arrest their attention to come back to Him.
Only Joshua and Caleb from that generation of men did enter the Promised Land, the rest perished in the wilderness because of their unbelief. Joshua and Caleb from a young age followed the Lord wholly. Humility and the fear of God characterised their lives setting for us good example of men who by faith served God, receiving God’s blessing at the end of their lives. Amen.
2 Kings 6:24-33 And it came to pass after this, that Benhadad king of Syria gathered all his host, and went up, and besieged Samaria. 25 And there was a great famine in Samaria: and, behold, they besieged it, until an ass’s head was sold for fourscore pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a cab of dove’s dung for five pieces of silver.
The Apostle Paul uses a gardening metaphor commonly known as marcotting to describe how Gentiles are given the privileges to enjoy the promises of God to Israel through the gospel. The wild olive branch receives life when it is attached back to the main branch by an “artificial bandage” to partake of the root and fatness of the olive tree, symbolic of Israel.
The Apostle Paul is reminding his readers that God’s promise of blessing to Israel has not been nullified because she has, nationally, rejected her God. Israel is still that nation that God has consecrated to be a witness for Him. Israel will feature most prominently in the days when our Lord returns. We are seeing the build up to that reality as we read the news concerning Israel. May God open our spiritual eyes to see the fulfilment of His unfailing promise to Israel unfolding according to Scriptures. May our faith be strengthened. God does not forsake His own! Amen.