Replacing Replacement Theology
Weekly Sidra: Ha’azinu (Give ear)
Torah Portion: Devarim / Deuteronomy 32:1-32:52
Haftorah Shabbat Shuva
Hoshea / Hosea 14:2-10
Mica / Micah 7:18-20
18 Who is a Hashem like You, Forgiving iniquity And remitting transgression; Who has not maintained His wrath forever Against the remnant of His own people, Because He loves graciousness! 19 He will take us back in love; He will cover up our iniquities, You will hurl all our sins Into the depths of the sea. 20 You will keep faith with Jacob, Loyalty to Abraham, As You promised on oath to our fathers In days gone by. (Micah 7:18-20)
There are two types of Replacement Theology. There is the “Christian” version which states that the church replaces Israel because Israel broke the covenant. There is also the “Jewish” version. This one claims that Jews are obliged to follow Torah completely while non-Jews have to only follow the Seven Laws of Noah (Benei Noach).
Both of these versions have one thing in common. They are both incorrect. They view one path of salvation for Jews by keeping Torah and one path for Christians through “Jesus” only and no Torah.
Ha’azinu (Give Ear) is the penultimate sidra in the Torah, but it is the last one we read on a full Shabbat. This Shabbat also represents Shabbat Shuva. Shuva means return and this is the final Sabbath to return in repentance to Hashem prior to Yom Kippur. So what does all this do with replacement theology?
The verses above explain that Hashem will forgive our sins and blot them out forever. Here is the great part!! Hashem has not maintained His anger forever. He will take us back in love and cover our sins.
This applies both to the Jews (keeping faith with Jacob… as you promised on oath to our Fathers and those who are not Jews by birth, but fear Hashem.)
Shaul (Paul) states the case in Romans 11 for the non-Jew being grafted in to the olive tree (representing Israel).
1 "In that case, I say, isn’t it that Hashem has repudiated his people?" Heaven forbid! For I myself am a son of Israel, from the seed of Avraham, of the tribe of Binyamin. 2 Hashem has not repudiated his people, whom he chose in advance… 11 "In that case, I say, isn’t it that they have stumbled with the result that they have permanently fallen away?" Heaven forbid! Quite the contrary, it is by means of their stumbling that the deliverance has come to the non-Jews, in order to provoke them to jealousy. 12 Moreover, if their stumbling is bringing riches to the world – that is, if Israel’s being placed temporarily in a condition less favoured than that of the Non-Jews is bringing riches to the latter – how much greater riches will Israel in its fullness bring them! 13 However, to those of you who are Non-Jews I say this: since I myself am an emissary sent to the Non-Jews, I make known the importance of my work 14 in the hope that somehow I may provoke some of my own people to jealousy and save some of them! 15 For if their casting Yeshua aside means reconciliation for the world, what will their accepting him mean? It will be life from the dead! 17 But if some of the branches were broken off, and you – a wild olive – were grafted in among them and have become equal sharers in the rich root of the olive tree, 18 then don’t boast as if you were better than the branches! However, if you do boast, remember that you are not supporting the root, the root is supporting you.
The final conclusion is this salvation can only be attained by belief in Hashem through the redeeming work of Our Rabbi Yeshua. The belief then must be lived out in our actions in keeping Torah. This is true for both Jews and non-Jews regardless of your theology.
Categories: Parasha Ha'azinu, Torah, Torah Video
0 Responses
You must be logged in to post a comment.