Understanding and Interpreting the Bible (Part 5A)

Understanding and Interpreting the Bible

(Part 5A --- Dividing the PROGRAMS)

Up to this point, we have looked at what it means to divide the REALMS and the AGENCIES. Let's place our attention on dividing the PROGRAMS within these two agencies. I'll start with a high level overview of the programs within these two groups.

Firstly, what is "programs"? I use this work to describe how each of the agencies (people groups) function. You could describe it as the operations, or procedures, or processes, or actions, that define the people group. In essence it is how you identify them. It is their "Modus Operandi".

Let's start with the agency of Israel. Please enlarge the following image and study its content. I'll discuss this image and clarify it's content.

The image above illustrates the realm of Earth. As discusses in previous posts in this series, this realm is a physical and visible realm. God operates within this realm by physical manifestations. The key agency in this realm, and to whom God gives his focus, is Israel, the circumcision, according to the covenant God made with Abraham, also detailed in previous posts.

On the other side of the image we have nothing! This is a very important point to note. The agency called "the Body of Christ", and the program associated with them, is still hidden deep in the heart of God. (Deut.29:29) It is still a mystery that is far from being revealed in the heart or mind of man. Another interesting scripture that Paul writes in his day, looking back at 'time past', is Eph.3:8, which reads,

"Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;"

In the context here, the word 'unsearchable' indicates that the grace of God and the riches of Christ, which are all the spiritual blessings given to the Body of Christ as seen in Eph.1:3, are unsearchable in the scriptures in Paul's day. No prophecies even mentioned the operations, or procedures, or processes, or actions, that define the people group called the Body of Christ. God had not yet revealed how He would pour out His grace over humanity and cause His Spirit to inhabit them. It was still a mystery, a secret, unknown to humanity.

So, now that we have the basic understanding of the above image, let's get into the details of the programs. How do we overview this program of Israel?

We must understand that God had a plan with Israel. His covenant made with Abraham would create a physical nation and provide them with a physical land. God would separate them out from all other nations to be a special treasure to the Lord because of Abraham's faith and for the purpose of bringing His Son into the world.

Deut.7:6-8 For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God: the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. 7 The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: 8 But because the Lord loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

I want to point out again that the way that God worked with Israel was physically. God made practical covenants throughout Israel's history. We see the covenant with Abraham as one that promised a land and descendants, in Genesis 12:1-5. These descendants became an official and identifiable nation when they received and agreed with the Law, a covenant made with Moses. 

The law was a constitution to the nation and separated them from all other nations. In Exodus chapters 19-24 and Deut.11, a conditional covenant was made with Israel that either brought God's direct blessing for obedience or God's direct cursing for disobedience upon them. This covenant would serve to set the nation of Israel apart from all other nations, called-out as God's chosen people and is significant because in it God promises to make Israel a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. The Lord told Moses, "I will give thee [Moses] tables of stone, and a law, and commandments...that you may teach them [to Israel]" Exo. 24:12.

Tablets of stone! How much more physical and tangible can one get!

Deuteronomy 4:5 Behold, I [Moses] have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the Lord my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land which ye go to possess. 6 Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. 7 For what nation is there so great, who has God so near unto them as the Lord our God is, in all things that we call upon him for? 8 And what nation is there so great, that has statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day? 

Also see: Deuteronomy 7:6; 1 Kings 8:53; Romans 9:4-5, Ephesians 2:11

Later, God made a covenant with David, promising him that his throne and kingdom would be an everlasting kingdom. 

2 Samuel 7:12 "When your days are fulfilled, and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you [Solomon], who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever...16 And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever.

In the covenant the words "house," is promising a dynasty (physical bloodline) in the lineage of David; "kingdom," is referring to a people who are governed by a king; "throne," is emphasizing the authority of the king's rule; and "forever," is emphasizing the eternal and unconditional nature of this promise to David and Israel.

Lastly, throughout the Old Testament period. we have a number of Israel's prophets who would, through prophecy and psalms, provide intricate details of the coming Christ; the One who would redeem Israel, become their King, and lead them into a time of great blessing and prosperity upon the earth. 

Below is a sampling of the many prophecies that are found in the Old Testament; 

Isaiah 2:1-4; Isaiah 11:3-5; Isaiah 11:6-9; Isaiah 60:1–3; Jeremiah 3:17; Zechariah 14:16-18; Zachariah 8:23; Isaiah 35; Isaiah 65:19-25; Daniel 2:44; Job 19:25-26; Jeremiah 23:5.

Now, the key point I'm establishing here is that everything that God did with Israel was physical, practical and tangible, just like the realm in which they live. Consider these following points and notice foe different they are when comparing them with our way of thinking today,

• Jews never ever considered going to heaven when they died. Their hope and longing was to be resurrected physically to inhabit the Millennial Kingdom under the reign of their Messiah King!

• Their prophecies stated that their physical enemies would be destroyed and that they would be a light and salvation to the gentile nations, and be preeminent, reigning as kings ad priests over them. Lk.1:67-75

• Everything they did and worked for and aimed to achieve was physical. They longed for a physical land. they had physical covenants, they hoped in a physical salvation from physical enemies. They sought after a physical king, who would reign from a physical city. They worshipped in a physical temple, praying for and expecting physical blessings, like bodily healing, abundance or crops, large families, wealth, possessions, status, etc.

• There wasn't a hint of understanding of a spiritual relationship with God, let alone that Christ would be living IN them as in a spiritual temple.

The physical and tangible nature of this program is evident. Besides the practical nature of the covenants, God, throughout the Old Testament, interacted with Israel in a very visible and sensational way. Consider all the miracles, consider the angelic visitations, consider the blessings of wealth and prosperity, if Israel kept the Law, and the physical curses if they didn't. Everything about this realm and agency could be experienced by the senses; sight, hearing, taste, touch and smell. God was with Israel, and His Shekinah glory was present in their tabernacle. Is this the way that you experience God working today? No! Absolutely not! This program has ended, temporarily, and the program that we are in today, the Grace Program, has none of this elaborate and overwhelming physicality. Paul clearly points out in 2 Corinthians 5:7 that today, we walk by faith, not by sight. Our program is the flipside of Israel's. We are a spiritual body, and God deals with, and interacts with us in a spiritual way.

In the next part of this lesson, we will dive into this with accompanying scriptures.

God bless.