Israel's Land & the Church

The biblical-theological (and even political ramifications) of the the land of Israel is a very controversial subject.  I find the typology of Dr. Bruce Waltke informing, regarding Israel's land and the church and its life in Christ, from a biblical-theological perspective.  He states,

"1.  Both are a divine gift

2.  Both are entered by faith alone

3.  Both are an inheritance

4.  Both uniquely offer blessed rest and security

5.  Both offer God's unique presence

6.  Both demand persevering faith

7.  Both have an already-but-not-yet quality"

An Old Testament Theology, p. 584

God is Good: Therefore Enjoy Life

The Preacher, King Solomon:

"This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment." Eccl. 2:24-25

An Old Testament Scholar, Dr. Waltke:

"The hedonist says, 'Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die.' But that is not Qoheleth's reason; for him, the ability to enjoy life is a gift of God...In other words, God is good. By associating enjoyment in the context of God's goodness, the preacher also rejects denial ('all is well') and false optimism ('I will be happy')." An Old Testament Theology, 962.

A Rebuke to the Church and an Aim of Mine

"Only those who have journeyed through the Old Testament can appreciate the full splendor and glory of the New Testament and fully digest its fruit, and those who have not cannot. The consequence of a general ignorance about the Old Testament among the people of God is a pervasive reduction of the full message of the the New Testament to a basic gospel of atonement and individual ethics. I suspect many Christians feel spiritually undernourished because they live out their lives on the basis of about ten biblical texts. The spiritual life of the church would be greatly enriched by kindling a love of the Old Testament through a more thorough program of adult Christian education." (p. 16)

Source: Waltke, Bruce. An Old Testament Theology.

For this reason and more one of my aims this year is to understand more fully and be transformed by the Old Testament, and in this way gain more understanding of the New.