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The Lover and the Hidden Treasure
by
Ian Gillingham
God is a lover. And He's looking for a lover to enthrall and
draw close to Himself. The opening chapters of Genesis
commence the unfolding the heart of the lover and the love
story but it is purposeful to look much later in the
Scriptures and see how the story ends.
You may be like some, who, in wanting to find whether the
story is worth reading, jump to the last pages to know the
conclusion before they dive into the novel. The Bible doesn’t
disappoint such readers for the windup in Revelation 19-21
offers glimpses of the grand conclusion and peeks into
eternity. But along the way God yields clues and secrets of
treasure, much of it hidden from the masses but disclosed to
the wise and understanding seeker by revelation.
The First and the Last
When Jesus performed his first miraculous sign at the
wedding banquet (John 2) it exposed a gripping clue into the
great mystery between God the Lover and His beloved. That the
Father chose to manifest this clue at a wedding is astounding.
For what better place than a wedding to foreshadow an aspect
of the dramatic conclusion of history which will climax in
eternity? What better place than a wedding banquet for a Host
to extend to all the guests an invitation to an eternal
marriage?
Read John 2: 1-11 aloud. Pay close attention to what the
master of the banquet says in vs. 10 (“you have saved the best
till now.”) It could be said that Jesus saved the best wine
till last. Now recall that this is the first of his many
miracles. Do you see the clue? (Hint - It’s found in the
opposites or extremes.) Jesus decreed of Himself, “I am the
First and the Last.” (Revelation 1: 17)
Is it accidental that God reveals “The First” performing his
first miracle at a wedding in order to foreshadow that His
last and greatest miracle could also be at a wedding? Could it
be that God might be saving His best wine for last? For as
history closes, God, the Host of the banquet, will usher in
the great wedding banquet in heaven for His Son and His
beloved.
And who are his beloved, His precious redeemed? Rev. 5:9
answers that question. (Read the entire chapter aloud. Decree
it with the authority God has given you as a believer.)
Some have concluded that the redeemed refers only to the
Church. A wise and understanding saint looking at the whole
counsel of Scripture would find holes in that theology.
Standing on the premise that the redeemed is the Church alone
would require cutting out hundreds, if not thousands, of
verses concerning another beloved - Israel; His hidden
treasure. You’ll find out more on this descriptor later.
The beloved
The scriptures teem with overtures of love between God the
lover and his people. They begin flowing between God and our
ancient fathers, Adam, Abel, Enoch and Noah, etc.
Each man dedicated to following God but largely following on
his own or within a small community of believers.
Then the love story takes a dramatic turn when God sovereignly
chooses to set apart an entire people for Himself beginning
with Abram and his seed. When Jacob arrives on the scene and
ultimately struggles and overcomes, the love story heightens
all the more for Jacob ultimately represents the whole house
of Israel for ages to come - struggling with God.
The saga ebbs and flows through the rest of the Old Testament.
Following and rebelling. And being divorced. Yes, divorced.
Read Jeremiah 3:8 And therein, lies the trap. Israel rejects
God in the O.T. and then, in part, rejects Christ in the N.T.
and the early church fathers jump on the divorce bandwagon,
ignoring the remnant God kept for himself and the rest is ugly
history. Yet, if God could remain opposed to His ancient
people forever, then where does that leave us, the Church?
What if we rebel and turn our backs on God as the house of
Israel did?
Those who conclude that the beloved of God only includes the
Church forget that immersed within the Genesis account is an
irrevocable covenant that remains forever. It is not
conditional on man's obedience. It was initiated by God their
Father and it will be fulfilled by the finisher of our faith.
The Abramic covenant
God initiates covenant by declaring the terms in Gen. 12:2-3;
6-7 & 15:5. He then confirms the terms by cutting covenant
with Abram in 15:18-21. In the midst of the darkness the
smoking firepot passed between the pieces symbolizing that
God, who is a consuming fire, authored this covenant.
As promised on oath, descendants miraculously came forth from
Abram. They settled in various places, including Egypt, due to
famine in the land of Canaan. But again as promised, God
delivered Israel from oppression and drew them out of bondage
by his mighty hand. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob led
his chosen people back to the land of their inheritance
promised on oath in Genesis 15:18-21. He demonstrated his
mighty power by showing Israel that he is a covenant keeping
God.
Then periods of history unfolded wherein Israel swung back and
forth in her obedience.
From our reading of scripture we know that Israel regularly
rejected the prophets who called her to repent of her wicked
ways and turn back to God. Interspersed throughout the call to
repent, God repeatedly “held out his hands to an obstinate
people.” (Isaiah 65:2) He lavished hope (Jeremiah 29:10-14)
but Israel would have none of it. And when her sin reached its
full measure she was exiled, she lost her means of worship, ie
connection with God and her land was turned over to foreigners
and destroyed. Thus marked a dark chapter in God’s love story
with Israel.
A new covenant with the house of Israel
Can God be forever frustrated? Would God be angry with Israel
forever? Would He prolong His anger through all generations?
Read Psalm 85:5, then read the entire chapter. You will pray
into it later.)
Never outdone by their sin and steadfast in love that
overwhelms, God renewed His love by announcing another
covenant with the house of Israel (Jeremiah 31:31-34) prior to
their exile to Babylon. Decree this passage. It has been
fulfilled in Christ Jesus, the King of the Jews.
The second dispersion
In 586 B.C. the house of Israel was exiled to Babylon
signaling the first dispersion. They were gathered back by
their lover 70 years later and restored as God’s beloved.
Centuries past. The Messiah came as foretold by the prophets
and when Israel again repeatedly rejected their Lord and their
God, He set into motion another exile. In fulfillment of the
words of their lover they were dispersed a second time in 70
A.D. But this one was different from the first in that they
were dispersed en mass to the nations. The exile would reach
its culmination in seeing them go to the ends of the earth
because of their sin.
Read through and decree Ezekiel 36: 16-20 with the emphasis
that these verses have taken place. It is vital to know that
what you have decreed is past tense. It is done. They will not
be exiled a third time. It is time for them to come home!
The second & final return for the sake of His Name
The house of Israel has never returned a second time to
the land of Israel after being dispersed to the ends of the
earth. They have not yet been regathered entirely since Jesus
uttered those sobering words just prior to his death, “Look,
your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not
see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the
name of the Lord.’” (Luke 13:35)
Nevertheless, behold saints of God, for the Lord God is the
First and the Last. He shall have the final word for He knows
what is coming. He foretold centuries beforehand through the
prophet Isaiah that Israel, though dispersed, would return a
second time. Read through and decree Isaiah 11:10-12.
It has commenced and you are a present part of fulfilling that
very scripture. It is a “now” verse. Some prophetic
verses wait for years, even centuries, for their fulfillment.
Yet this is the hour in which the Almighty has chosen to
restore his ancient people unto Himself. What a time in
which we live!
Now decree Psalm 85 mentioned earlier and place yourself as an
intercessor on behalf of the house of Israel. The first
application the psalmist writes about, is them. Other
applications, whether personal or corporate can apply, but
remember that the scriptures came to the Jew first. So
from verse 4 on, substitute accordingly using “their” and
“them” instead of “our” and “us.”
So significant is this move of God; He has reserved hundreds
of scriptures concerning the restoration of the house of
Israel. But is it for their sake that He is doing these
things? Read on.
There is nothing made that is ever to be worshipped. God has
set forth a decree. “I am the LORD your God who brought you
out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no
other gods before me. “ (Exodus 20: 2-3). Here is the
clincher. Read through and decree Ezekiel 36: 21-22. Nothing
on earth shall be worshipped. No nation, no people, nothing -
except the Sovereign LORD. And His name shall be the only
name.
Read through and decree the following verses concerning their
return.
Ezekiel 36:24-32
Jeremiah 31: 7-14
Jeremiah 16: 14-15
Isaiah 43: 1-7
Isaiah 49: 13-23
Jeremiah 32: 37-41 (Do you know of another verse where God is
putting His whole heart and soul into the matter at hand?)
Ezekiel 39: 21-29 (Do you realize the earth shaking upheaval
and significance of every Jewish person leaving their present
home in exile and returning to the land of their inheritance?)
There are other reasons why the Lord does these things. Here
are two more:
1. So that the nations would know that God rebuilds what he
destroys and replants what was desolate. Read through and
decree Ezekiel 36: 33-36
2. So that the nations would know that God is the LORD. Read
through Ezekiel 36:23.
To “know” God signifies relationship. Concisely put, that
verse is nothing less than global harvest. Holiness in Israel
preceding massive end time harvesting of nations.
Now decree Ezekiel 36:23.
The hidden treasure
Back to that descriptor of Israel, “the hidden treasure,”
mentioned earlier. Let’s look at scripture to unearth more
clues in God’s amazing love story.
Read Deuteronomy 7:6. “The LORD your God has chosen you out of
all the peoples on the earth to be his people, his treasured
possession.”
Deut. 14:2 “...For you are a people holy to the LORD your God.
Out of all the people on the face of the earth, the LORD has
chosen you to be his treasured possession.”
Deut. 26:18 “And the LORD has declared this day that you are
his people, his treasured possession as he promised....”Psalm
135:4 “For the LORD has chosen Jacob to be his own, Israel to
be his treasured possession.” Now decree each of them. Praise
the LORD for His wisdom. Praise Him. He is sovereign. He is
their Father. What the LORD has foretold, He will do. Fullness
for Israel! Glory to God.
You may ask, ‘why are they treasured’?
Deuteronomy 7:7-9 yields the answer. God’s love endures
forever and He is a covenant keeping God. Bottom line.
“How great is the love the Father has lavished upon them
(emphasis mine), that they should be called children of God!
And that is what they are! (1 John 2:1) What a grand plan of
redemption! It’s the great exchange! Saved from wandering in
exile and brought into citizenship in heaven. Every willing
Jewish person drawn by the eternal love of God back into His
embrace - a people belonging to God. How can we hold back
praise from the Father? Stand in the gap and thank God on
their behalf. You’ll fulfill your role as an intercessor by
thanking the Father for the Jewish people he has drawn and
captivated with love already. But don’t stop there. Ask Him to
graciously draw many many more. Join your brother Paul in Acts
10:1 as he pleads, “Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to
God for the Israelites is that they may be saved.”
Why can they be considered hidden?
Read Matthew 13:44. The field is often described as the world.
That God would sovereignly choose to hide his treasure in the
field is just one aspect of the eternal wisdom of God. Such
insight is not my own.
We have an awesome privilege as Gentile believers to join the
lover as He gathers His treasure unto Himself. Take in what
the Holy Spirit reveals to us through Paul in Ephesians 3:1-9.
Note the specific wording concerning Israel. We Gentiles are
heirs together with Israel, members together of one
body....
Concerning their being “hidden” note carefully the following
phrases:
“...made known to me by revelation...,” “not made known to men
in other generations as it has now been revealed by the
Spirit...,” and “this mystery, which for ages past
was kept hidden in God...” Though hidden for ages past,
they remained under his banner of love. Call forth the eternal
love of God to now be manifested, made abundantly clear to
them and received in their hearts. This is the hour of their
destiny! God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
The great wedding in heaven
So here we are, looking forward to the great wedding in
heaven. Yet how can there be a wedding when the bride is not
complete? Since God divorced Israel in Jeremiah 3:8, how can
she be considered "members together of one body" with the
Gentiles, as Paul writes? For we know that God is bound by His
own laws. Israel was guilty of harlotry and was thus divorced.
And He plainly records in Deuteromony 24:1-4 that if a woman
is divorced (note vs.4), "then her first husband, who divorced
her, is not allowed to marry her again after she has been
defiled. That would be detestable in the eyes of the LORD."
God is a husband to Israel. (see Isaiah 54:5) As we apply
Israel to be the woman and her first husband to be God, then
we discover that after the divorce, God is not allowed to
remarry her because of her harlotry. How can God remarry
Israel whom He has divorced? He is bound by His own word. The
ramifications in answering this are crucial, yes even
foundational, to our entire understanding that God is the
truth and that He is love. If God can make exceptions and
break His own word then it undermines what He has recorded in
Scripture. Our trust in Him erodes. But...if the Holy Spirit
would grant revelation with another look in the Scriptures,
then we should pursue it.
As an intercessor, I trust you are continually looking for
answers to biblical questions beyond your understanding, with
more Scripture! “Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will
be satisfied.” (Luke 6:21) Look at Romans 7:1 “The law has
authority over a man only as long as he lives.” Read on. “For
example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as
long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released
from the law of marriage.” Is there a stirring in your spirit?
God grant it! God is bound to his law on marriage as long as
the man lives. The incarnate God, Jesus Christ, was Israel’s
husband in the flesh, making the implications of this verse
nothing short of stellar. Because by his death it means that
Israel (the woman) could be released from the law of marriage!
That’s freedom. And now Christ lives and is eagerly getting
his beloved ready to be remarried at a later date!
This is love! This is redemption incarnate. Rejoice! Give
thanks! This is God’s master plan of redemption for the whole
world. May your spirit burst forth right now with longing,
yes, even yearning for the bride to be complete. May deep
things in your spirit call to the deep regions of God’s heart
concerning the restoration of Israel. May God grant you the
spirit of prayer for this matter. Ask for it! May you have
tears, groans with understanding, and intercession for the
bride to come forth in fullness. Jew and Gentile together. May
the Lord dismantle any wrong theological beliefs you have held
concerning the church and Israel and put you back together
with right understanding. But above all may God grant you a
heart of love. Yes, for the house of Israel, but especially
for the whosoever. If you want it - it’s yours!
You have saved the best till last
God is a lover. He loves to party. Weddings are parties.
Joyous occasions. They are celebrations between a husband and
wife. These earthly gatherings foreshadow the greatest wedding
of all time that is about to take place. The Host has seen fit
to prepare a beautiful bride, the beloved, for His One and
Only Son, the Bridegroom. Since creation those who have
followed God wholeheartedly and kept His commands, comprise
this great company of people called the beloved. Commencing
with Abram, the Jewish people were chosen as a people to
convey God’s love to the nations. Then God sovereignly chose
to graft Gentiles who believed, along with the Jews. As
history draws to it’s grand climax we will see this beautiful
bride arise as a glorious gift to the lover.
Jew and Gentile. One beloved. One bride. For one lover.
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