The Promised Blessing to All

Mingled throughout the OT Scriptures, we find indications that the fulfillment of the promise that the Lord made in Genesis 3:15 was alive and well. Isaiah wrote: “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14); “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). 
 [In the midst of prophecies of gloom and destruction for Israel, comes a clear message that the promised One is on schedule. This One, Who was to come, would be “wounded for our transgressions,” and the Lord would lay upon Him the “iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:5-6). The promised blessing that would be to all people was beginning to be fleshed out through the Lord’s prophets; here was the Promised One Who would fulfill the prophecies that commenced with Genesis 3:15. Even though Israel and Judah were facing captivity, and the land of Israel would be destroyed, there is no failure in this promise! 
Changes Prophesied

As the Lord guided events to the fulfillment of the prophecy recorded in Genesis 3:15, hints of changes to come were spoken of through His prophets.

Jeremiah records this: “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new [fresh] covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know [learn to know] the LORD: for they shall all know [learn to know] me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will [should – the XXL notes this as being in the subjunctive mood (Hebrew doesn’t have a subjunctive mood)] remember their sin no more” (Jeremiah 31:31-34).12 As the writer of Hebrews explains this passage from Jeremiah, he writes that “if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second” (Hebrews 8:7). After then quoting the above passage from Jeremiah, he goes on to say, “In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old [obsolete]” (Hebrews 8:13). What this tells us is that the covenant that was made between God and Israel at Mt. Sinai was not an everlasting covenant in that form (the Law of God and the Law of Moses), but has been replaced in keeping with OT prophecy. However, it is also noteworthy that Jeremiah quotes the Lord, “I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts”; the Law of God, those Ten Commandments, written by the finger of God upon two tables of stone will, at this time, be written by the Lord upon the hearts of those who place their faith in Him. 
The Words of Jesus

A question that we might ponder is this: Why did the Lord call [a gentile] Abraham away from his home in Ur? Was it to give him a land that he had never seen, or was it so that all the families of the earth might be blessed through him? Obviously, the promise of God included both, but as we have examined His promise regarding the land, we have seen that it was always dependent upon obedience, whereas, as we have seen, the promise of blessing flowed uninhibited, even when Israel was in exile, and only received greater clarification through the Lord’s prophets.

Jesus came in fulfillment of the promised blessing – here was the One Who would strike the blow to Satan by being the sin-bearer for all of humanity. Jesus was eternal God in the flesh (John 1:1,14), born into Israel so as to be a High Priest Who could identify with us (Hebrews 2:14). We might find it amazing that the Jewish people could miss their Messiah when He came, when they had all of the prophecies of the OT for reference. However, because of their oppression under Rome (they were quite free, but were required to pay taxes to Caesar, and live under their laws), they were diligently looking for a political Messiah; they majored on “the government shall be upon his shoulder,” and felt no need for the promise that He would bear their sins. They were desperately awaiting relief from Rome, and felt little concern for their sinful state – after all, they had the sacrificial routines down to a science! Like the people of Isaiah’s day, they shed much blood but realized very little cleansing – those who remained faithful to the Lord were only a remnant.

The religious leaders of the Jews never accepted Jesus as being the Son of God, and very soon looked for a reason by which they could have Him removed, since it became obvious that He wasn’t going to do away with Rome. One day Jesus told these religious leaders a parable about someone who built a vineyard, along with everything that was needed for its operation, and he let it out to caretakers (husbandmen). When it was time for the owner to receive of his vineyard, he sent his servants to get some of the product for him; however, the caretakers abused his servants and gave no produce from the vineyard. At last the owner sent his own son, thinking that the caretakers would recognize who he was and show a change of heart. However, when they saw the son, they killed him; Jesus’ question for the religious rulers was: “What will he [the owner] do unto those husbandmen?” (Matthew 21:40). Their response was vigorous: “He will miserably [severely] destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen …” (Matthew 21:41).13 Jesus responded, “Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you [future tense, but indicative mood – a stated fact], and given to a nation [people] bringing forth the fruits thereof” (Matthew 21:43)
.14 “And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them” (Matthew 21:45).
In His teaching, Jesus clarified some things for us regarding those who are His from all eras. “As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold [oule – speaking of those who were not a part of Israel]: them also I must bring [lead], and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold [poimne – flock], and one shepherd” (John 10:15-16).15 Jesus says that He is the Shepherd of one flock of sheep, and this flock will be made up of both Jews and Gentiles. Just before Jesus went to the cross to pay the price for the sins of the world (in fulfillment of the promise that the Lord made to Abraham), He met with His disciples for what we call the Last Supper. It was during this time that something very significant took place. When Jesus took the cup after their supper, He said, “This cup is the new [fresh] testament [covenant] in my blood, which is shed for you” (Luke 22:20). Here is the implementation of the prophecy of Jeremiah – God (Jesus) is making a new covenant with the house of Israel and Judah (His disciples were all Jewish) – a covenant founded upon His blood that would be shed, not on the blood of sacrificial animals (Hebrews 9:12). Clearly, with a new covenant in place, it would be understood that changes were going to be made in how we are to live; at the very least, based solely upon Jeremiah’s prophecy, we know that God will now write His Laws upon the heart.  [Insertions of […] are made by the author  …. now continue in Part Four]