How Did Israel Engage With Their Culture?
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Main question
Has God called the church to fix the world in order to make the world THE better place– God’s Kingdom?
Focus for this week
Exploring God’s plans and God’s blueprints for this better place as seen all throughout the Old Testament. Specifically, how does the Bible describe the role of God’s chosen people when it comes to our relationship with the world?
Creation
What was God’s initial plan for creation?
What was God’s plan for creation after sin entered into the world? How did God start fixing this problem and what steps did he take?
God created the desire, necessity, and possibility for a better place.
So, whose job was it to fix the world?
God took it upon Himself to bring about this better place.
The Powers of the World
Genesis 6:5-8– The Evils of Humanity
What was God’s solution to the evils of humanity?
God chose to limit humanity’s lifespan to 120 years.
Imagine a world where evil rulers could live for a millennium. Would you want to live in such a world?
God also limited the evils of humanity by making blood sacred.
So, if humans could no longer live for a long time, perhaps a city could? Thus the city of Babel was built.
So, how did God respond? God scattered their languages and split people off in order to prevent evil world leaders living in massive cities from taking control indefinitely.
God installed the powers of this world to:
Keep sin in check
Meet the basic needs of people
Make the world a better place
Were the people of God instructed to do anything at this point in the Bible story?
Israel is prepared as a better place
Main functions of Israel: Genesis 12:1-3 and Exodus 19:3-6
1) Move away and remain separate from the other nations
2) Bless the other nations
The question remains, "How does Israel do this?"
Look to Deuteronomy 4:5-6 and see how it answers this question.
Note also how the prophets never condemn Israel for not:
Going out into the world and converting the other nations,
Cleaning up the streets of Edom, Moab, Amon, Egypt, etc.,
Decrying the social injustices of the other nations around them.
Instead, the Prophets rebuked Israel when they:
Neglected the widows and the orphans of Israel,
Failed to take care of the poor and needy of Israel,
Took advantage of fellow Israelites.
Read Deuteronomy 15 for God's specific instructions on how Israelites were meant to treat other Israelites.
Final thoughts
The people of God have been called, not to fix and make this world a better place. Jesus has already brought the better place to earth. It’s already here. The function of the chosen people of God is to BE the better place by embracing, displaying, and proclaiming Christ’s Gospel message to and for the nations around us.
Next week we will take a look at the New Testament and see how the text describes the specific function and role of the Community of believers, who we are meant to care for the most, and why our specific task is so important.
Copyright © 2016 John Nugent. All rights reserved. All credit for this material belongs to Dr. John Nugent at Great Lakes Christian College in Lansing, Michigan.
Nugent, John C. Endangered Gospel: How Fixing the World is Killing the Church. Eugene, Oregon: Cascade Books, 2016.