There is an spiritually unhealthy fascination among many religious groups with all things Jewish. The evidence for that is the consistent use of transliterations of terms in Hebrew words, such as: Torah—law, Yeshua—Jesus, and Yahweh—Jehovah (there are others), also there is the delving into Jewish customs, and the adopting of certain symbols of Jewish origin. There is also a new emphasis on learning Hebrew, and favoring the Jews is considered important, due to a mistaken application of Genesis 12:3:
I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.
All this is, without a doubt, is due to a misunderstanding that somehow there are yet unfulfilled prophesies made to the Jews, and that some day Christ will come an establish an earthly kingdom when the Jews finally return to Jerusalem. This explains why many so-called “Christians” seek the well-being of the Jews. This is regrettably affecting political policy as well, exacerbating the tensions between the United States and predominantly Muslim nations. This also has definite implications for true Christians’ efforts to take the good news of Jesus, the Christ, to such nations. If we are perceived to be in favor of the Jews, in opposition to to Muslims, how could our presence and teaching be tolerated?
True Christians, those who accept the truth of the New Covenant, know and accept that God’s covenant and association is no longer with the Jews. One who wishes to follow Christ can no longer have confidence in the teachings of the law (Torah) as related to the way of salvation. The Spirit of God inspired Paul, the apostle, to write these words to those of his day who tended to want to continue under the teachings of the Law given to Moses:
You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.
The teaching and practice of Old Testament law meant that one was separated from the grace of God in Christ. This is because Christ’s sacrifice for sin was not available in the Old Covenant, but through faith in Christ. Galatians 3:23-28 makes it clear that we are no longer under the Old Covenant:
23 Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. 24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
From this we must learn that we are no longer under the law given to Moses, nor any of its precepts, and that we now make no distinction between Jew and Gentile. 1 Corinthians 9:21 tells us:
To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law.
This verse tells us that we are to understand that we are under the law of Christ, not the law given to Moses. If we don’t understand which covenant we are under, we wouldn’t know how or what to obey, because the New Testament is different from the Old Testament.
Jeremiah 31:31-32 says:
Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD.
The Jews themselves, with whom God had made the first covenant, are the ones who broke the agreement that He had made with them, through their disobedience. Since it was broken, Christ has established a new covenant or testament, but, not just with the Jews alone, but with all people. Therefore, we are no longer under the Old Testament, but under the New Testament.
But, the Old Testament still has many things to tell us:
1 Corinthians 10:6-11 And these things were our examples, that we should not be lusters after evil, as they also lusted. 7 Nor should we be idolaters, even as some of them, as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.” 8 Nor let us commit fornication, as some of them fornicated, and twenty-three thousand fell in one day. 9 Nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted Him and were destroyed by serpents. 10 Nor murmur as some of them also murmured and were destroyed by the destroyer. 11 And all these things happened to them as examples; and it is written for our warning on whom the ends of the world have come.
In 2 Timothy 3:15 we read:
and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
Since the New Testament Scriptures were recently being written, we must conclude that the Old Testament writings were what are here called useful to “make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” This would be because all the background and teaching had as its purpose to lead us to Christ, as we saw earlier in Galatians 3:23-28.
As true Christians, let us be wise, and not be misled into a fascination with all things Jewish. We are not Jewish, we are Christians. We do not have hope for a kingdom on earth, but for a place prepared in heaven for us by Christ. See John 4:3:
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.
2 Peter 3:10-12 says the following:
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
11 Seeing that these things are thus all to be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy living and godliness, 12 looking for and earnestly desiring the coming of the day of God, by reason of which the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
When Christ comes again, the world will be no more. We are not to wait for an earthly kingdom, but place in heaven with God.
Have no hope in things Jewish; set your hope in Christ. It is good to study the Old Testament, for its history, prophesies, and examples. We can see the goodness and faithfulness of God there, and how He planned from the beginning for our salvation though Christ. There is nothing wrong with learning the Hebrew language and studying the words that convey the meaning of the Old Testament. If people do not learn the languages of the Bible, how can new revisions be made as our modern languages evolve? But, we must always remember that our hope is in Christ, and for a place in his Father’s house, not here on earth. In that the Jews have no part, unless they come by faith and obey Him, just has been the case with Christians since the beginning of Christ’s church.