Eric's Beijing Diary

DAY SIX

"Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the LORD: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged." (Isaiah 51:01)

Sitting here in the canyon, listening to the birds chirping, and gazing at the craggy rock formations glowing in the rising sun, I am reminded of the scripture that says, "Look to the rock from whence ye were hewn." What is meant by "the rock?" Some would call it Jesus, the "Rock of Ages." Some, I suppose would see it as a symbol of God. But the second verse makes it clear:

"Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him." (Isaiah 51:02)

The rock is Abraham. At some point--if we really want to know God's purpose--we must all come to terms with our spiritual roots. If I were to do that in the most literal sense, I would be looking to the Lutheran Pietism of my background. There is a sense in which this exhortation could (and I suppose should) be applied that way. But sooner or later, we must all look at this exhortation literally. Either we are the seed of Abraham, or we are outside the fold. Salvation is for the chosen. Of course, we understand that we are the seed of Abraham by faith, and that this does not in any way subtract from the advantage of the Jew, as Paul says in Romans 3. But without getting into a lengthy theological discourse on the matter, there is a sense in which all of us must come to terms with our essential Jewishness. I first came to terms with this issue about 20 years ago, during a summer of prayer and reflection between school terms. I was reading a book called "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok. I guess I had always had some interest in the Jews, mainly, I suppose, because of my love for the Old Testament. But I was not prepared for the extent to which I would identify with the Hasidim. But that book began a process of discovery. The way we express this can be rather touchy. I got into a discussion with a Messianic Jew at Desert Springs church in North Phoenix, once. When I said something about the essential Jewishness of Christianity, and especially, about being a Jew in the spiritual sense, he became very agitated. "You are Goyim! How can you call yourself a Jew!" Perhaps we need to be careful how we express it, but I cannot back down from my position. Basically, without over complicating the issue, the position of Christians in the family of God is rooted in God's covenant with Abraham. "And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." (Galatians 3:29)

"Father, please show me how to fully and properly understand who I am in Christ because of your promise to Abraham. I have no desire to go to Israel and stake my claim on earthly real estate. But I do live with the hope of the New Jerusalem. And I recognize that my place at the table is a direct fulfilment of your promise to Abraham. The Covenant. Thank-you, Father, for allowing me to be included in the promise you made to Abraham so many years ago. Give me an ever deeper and richer understanding of what this really means."