Wednesday, March 24
The Israelites were “a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation” (Exodus 19:6), with special priests set apart to represent them as worship leaders. But in the future, some Gentiles would become worship leaders (Isaiah 66:21).
How would this change affect the renewed community of faith? See Matthew 28:19, Acts 26:20, Galatians 3:28, Colossians 3:11, 1 Timothy 3:16.
In God’s “new world order,” Gentiles would not only join God’s people, they would be equal partners with Jews in a combined community of faith that would be a “royal priesthood.” Therefore, the distinction between Jews and Gentiles would become functionally irrelevant.
When was this prophecy of Isaiah fulfilled?
Paul, the missionary to the Gentiles, proclaimed: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, … for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Galatians 3:28, 29).
Becoming heirs of the promise and therefore an exalted “royal priesthood” was not a mandate for smug elitism but a commission to join the Jews in proclaiming “praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light” (1 Peter 2:9; compare Isaiah 66:19).
The elevation of Gentiles did not entitle Jews to grumble that God was unfair in giving them the same reward. Nor did it entitle Gentiles to treat their Jewish brothers and sisters with disrespect, any more than workers hired later in the day should look down on those hired earlier (see Matthew 20:1-16). The Jews had first “unto them [...] committed the oracles of God” (Romans 3:2) as God’s channel of revelation. Paul wrote to Gentiles: “And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; Boast not against the branches” (Romans 11:17, 18).
In light of the Cross, in light of the gospel commission, why is any kind of spiritual or ethnic or even political elitism so abhorrent in the sight of God? Look closely at yourself; are you harboring any sense of spiritual or ethnic superiority? If so, repent!
