The Bible is About Israel
If Israel’s chosenness is still intact—as Paul claims—and if God’s covenantal promises to them remain active despite unbelief, then we are compelled to reconsider the lens through which we read the entire Bible. That lens is not merely theological; it is genealogical and covenantal. The Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, must be understood as the story of Israel.
“The Bible is the story of the Jewish people and their covenant relationship with the God of Israel.”
The Bible tells the story of the Jewish people. It is a book about the God of Israel and the nation of Israel. It was written by Jewish authors, primarily for a Jewish audience, and it revolves around the covenantal relationship between the God of Israel and His people. This is why the Jewish people have long been known as “the people of the book.”
To strip the Jewish people from the center of the biblical narrative is not only a theological error—it’s a profound distortion of God’s revealed plan. Imagine reading the Bible while erasing or spiritualizing Israel. What’s left is not the Bible in its intended meaning, but a reinterpreted document that has been reshaped to fit a foreign framework. And that’s exactly what much of historical Christianity has done.
Christian theology, especially since the early centuries of the Church, has often claimed ownership of Jewish Scripture, while simultaneously detaching it from the very people to whom it was given. By spiritualizing Israel and turning God’s promises into abstract concepts for a predominantly Gentile church, the original context and trajectory of the biblical story is fundamentally altered. This shift has allowed many to read the Hebrew Scriptures (what Christians call the Old Testament) as merely a prelude to a different religion, rather than the living, covenantal backdrop to the New Testament writings that build upon it.
This is not just an academic problem—it has deep spiritual consequences. When we fail to recognize Israel’s covenantal role as God’s firstborn nation, we also fail to rightly understand God Himself. His faithfulness, justice, mercy, and long-suffering are demonstrated in His dealings with Israel. His promises are not vague or universalized; they are specific, covenantal, and irrevocable.
Paul says clearly in Romans 9:4–5:
“To them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the Torah, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, came the Messiah.”
Notice the present tense—“belong,” not “used to belong.” This is not obsolete; it is ongoing.
To misunderstand Israel’s role in the story is to misunderstand the story itself. It affects how we view the Law, the identity and mission of Yeshua (Jesus), the meaning of the cross, and our expectation of the age to come. In short, if we get Israel wrong, we get God’s redemptive plan wrong. We end up misinterpreting the true meaning of the gospel, distorting what God has promised, and losing sight of how we are to prepare ourselves for faithful discipleship in light of what is still to come.
This is why restoring a biblical understanding of Israel’s place in Scripture is not just about historical accuracy—it is about faithfulness to God’s Word. The Bible is not the story of God replacing Israel with the Church. It is the story of God redeeming the world through His covenant with Israel, extended to the nations through the Messiah—who Himself is the embodiment of Israel’s mission.
To honor Scripture rightly, we must honor the people to whom it was first given—and through whom the whole world is blessed.
To rightly understand the message of Scripture, we must begin by understanding Israel's identity and role in God's unfolding plan. The Bible is not a generalized spiritual manual—it is a covenantal narrative. From Genesis to Revelation, the story centers on Israel’s calling, failures, promises, and ultimate destiny as a light to the nations.
While Christianity may claim the Bible as its sacred scripture, it is crucial to recognize that the Old Testament remains the living heritage of the Jewish people. Furthermore, for Jews who believe in Yeshua as the Messiah, the New Testament is not a foreign addition—it is a continuation and fulfillment of the story rooted in Israel’s Scriptures.
This raises an important question that many Christians instinctively ask: "But what about Jesus?" Rather than being a break from Israel’s story, Yeshua (Jesus) is the very climax of it. He does not replace Israel—He embodies Israel’s mission. As the promised Messiah, He fulfills the role of Israel’s representative, walking in perfect covenant faithfulness and confirming the promises made to the patriarchs (Romans 15:8).
Far from setting Israel aside, Jesus affirms and deepens Israel’s vocation to be a light to the nations. His ministry was not a rejection of the old story, but its pinnacle—God’s covenant faithfulness in flesh and blood. To understand Jesus rightly, we must situate Him within the story of Israel, not over and against it. Jesus is not a departure from the covenant, but its unveiling in fullness through the Messiah who comes from, ministers to, and returns for the people of Israel. This is precisely why He is called the 'King of the Jews'—a title that affirms His identity not only as Israel’s Messiah but also as the rightful heir to their throne, the embodiment of their hope, and the fulfillment of their covenantal destiny.
In short, the Bible is not about a spiritualized, de-ethnicized people of God—what some have referred to as a 'spiritual Israel.' It is about a specific family—descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—through whom God chose to reveal Himself and His redemptive purposes for all nations. The story of Israel is not background—it is the stage on which the entire drama of redemption unfolds.
To understand this covenantal story more deeply, we must return to its origin. Israel’s identity as God’s chosen people is not a late development—it begins with a promise. The covenantal relationship between God and Israel is rooted in the call of Abraham, and the promises made to him serve as the foundation for everything that follows. The story of Abraham is not just the story of one man—it is the launching point of God’s redemptive plan for the world through a particular family.