Although our church may seem small in size and lacking in outward splendor, today’s message reminds us that God has never measured His people by numbers or appearance. Throughout the Bible, God has chosen people not by their outward status, but by faith and obedience.
This truth is clearly shown in today’s passage from Matthew 15.
[Matthew 15:22-24] A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession." Jesus did not answer a word. So, his disciples came to him and urged him, "Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us." He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel."
Why Did Jesus Say He Was Sent Only to Israel?
Common sense tells us that Jesus is the Messiah who came to save all humanity. Yet, in this passage, Jesus initially refuses to speak to a Gentile woman, declaring, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” Why did He say this? Jesus clearly stated that His earthly ministry was directed first to the people of Israel, who were chosen by God.
It is true that God’s choice of Israel is emphasized throughout the Old Testament. After delivering them from Egypt and settling them in Canaan, God entrusted His word to them. In Deuteronomy 8, God commands the Israelites:
[Deuteronomy 8:1] Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors.
[Deuteronomy 8:19] If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed.
Israel became God's chosen people through the Law of Moses given at Mount Sinai. So, was this grace of God's choice eternal for the Israelites? No, it was not. Because the Israelites broke the Law, they suffered a series of failures and punishments through the history. And finally, their role as God’s chosen people based on physical descent came to an end, and God’s plan of salvation was now opened to all people through faith in Christ.
Now, let us examine what happened until they lost their status as the chosen people.
Israel’s Failure and God’s Promise for the Last Chance
Did the Israelites keep their covenant with God as His chosen people? Sadly, they did not. As God warned, they were destroyed by Babylon. Although God promised their return after seventy years of captivity, their repentance was essential for the restoration of Jerusalem.
The book of Daniel records Israel’s captivity and Daniel’s earnest prayers for the restoration of Jerusalem. In the book of Daniel, we can look at how Daniel prayed and how God gave Israelites a chance once more.
[Daniel 9:3] So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.
Daniel’s prayer in verses 4-15 is a profound confession, acknowledging that Israel deserved God’s judgment. He pleads not for their sake, but for the sake of God’s name and glory.
Daniel had no face to ask for the restoration of Jerusalem for the sake of the Israelites. He prayed for the glory of God. He prayed that if Jerusalem was not restored, it would be a disgrace to God's name.
[Daniel 9:16, 18-19] Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, turn away your anger and your wrath from Jerusalem, your city, your holy hill. … We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.
Daniel appeals to God’s honor and the glorious name. If Jerusalem remains desolate, God’s glory among the nations would be diminished. He asks for the restoration of Jerusalem for God’s reputation as the One who chose Israel.
God’s Answer: The Prophecy of the Seventy ‘Sevens’
God responds to Daniel's prayer by sending the angel Gabriel, who delivers the prophecy of the seventy ‘sevens’ (Daniel 9:21–27). Have you ever heard about the prophecy of seventy ‘sevens?’ God allowed a prophetic period of seventy ‘weeks' for Israel, after which His special work for them as a chosen people would be abolished.
In the Bible interpretation, we can see that seventy ‘sevens' means 490 years. We already know from studying Daniel 7 that a day is interpreted as a year. 70 weeks is 490 days, and 490 days is interpreted as 490 years. Many Bible scholars understand this prophecy using the day-year principle, which is consistently used in prophetic passages. When we apply this principle, the timeline leads remarkably to the time of Jesus’ ministry.
The prophetic period of 490 years is a duration which was given to Israel once more as a chance to be God’s chosen people. Daniel 9:25-27 gives us some detail explanation about what will be happened during the prophetic period of 490 years.
[Daniel 9:25] "Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven 'sevens,' and sixty-two 'sevens.' It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble.
In this verse, we can find a clue to finding the starting point of the prophetic period of 490 years. It was said, “from the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem. Biblical scholars identify this decree as the one issued by King Artaxerxes in 457 BC.
According to Ezra 7:7, Ezra was sent to Jerusalem by the decree of King Artaxerxes in the seventh year of his reign. Since Artaxerxes' reign began in 464 BC in the world history. the seventh year of his reign would be 457 BC.
Verse 25 said, “Until the Anointed One comes, there will be total sixty-nine ‘sevens’.” What does it mean by the Anointed One’? It means Messiah, doesn’t it? It is an amazing prophecy that tells us when the Savior will appear.
Adding 483 years, equivalent to sixty-nine ’sevens’, from 457 BC, we arrive at AD 27. Do you remember that Jesus was baptized in AD 27, when he was 30 years old. As you know, he was born in 4 BC.
Isn’t it amazing? You may not believe that the book of Daniel foretold the year in which Jesus would be baptized and begin his public ministry.
Let’s go on the prophecy of the book of Daniel.
[Daniel 9:26-27] After the sixty-two 'sevens,' the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing. He will confirm a covenant with many for one 'seven.' In the middle of the 'seven' he will put an end to sacrifice and offering.
The Book of Daniel 9:26-27 not only announced the time of the beginning of Jesus' public ministry, but also foretold that he would establish a new covenant and die in the middle of the last seven years, and that the old covenant's sacrificial system would be reformed.
Jesus ministered for three and a half years, establishing the new covenant just before His crucifixion, as prophesied for the “middle of the final seven.”
Do you know what happened in Jerusalem three and a half years after Jesus' resurrection and ascension?
After Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, and about three and a half years later, a great persecution scattered the believers from Jerusalem to Gentile regions like Antioch. From that point, the focus of the gospel shifted from Israel to the Gentiles.
[Acts 11:19, 26] Now those who had been scattered by the persecution in connection with Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, telling the message only to Jews …… and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.
As the prophetic period of 490 year has been completed, the focus of the gospel shifted from Israel to the Gentiles.
The End of Israel’s Special Role and the Gospel for All
The period of God’s special salvation work for physical Israel was fulfilled and completed. Yet, some Christian groups today still claim that God has a separate, ongoing plan for the physical Israel. However, this is contrary to the faith and teaching of the apostles.
In the New Testament era, there is no longer any distinction between Jew and Gentile in God’s plan of salvation. The people of Israel couldn’t be called as the chosen people of God anymore.
Now, could you understand why Jesus said that he was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel? Because he came in the era of the prophetic period for the people of Israel. However, the chosen people of God rejected him, and the gospel mission expanded beyond Israel. The gospel of Jesus was begun to deliver to Gentile.
[Galatians 3:28] There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
For example, there is a prophecy of the 144,000 in Revelation 7. But it does not refer to the physical tribes of Israel, but the chosen saints who are faithful to Jesus. They were symbolically listed as twelve tribes. It is because God’s final church is united as one body, closely connected each other between members and organized.
Our True Identity and Confidence
Beloved members, we shared the profound prophecy from the book of Daniel. This message is really amazing to us. We cannot deny that God controlled everything. We cannot reject the truth of our spiritual life.
Our church may not be large or outwardly impressive, but we are part of God’s chosen people—not by physical descent, but by faith in Christ. The history of Israel teaches us that God’s promises are fulfilled not through external might, but through faith, repentance, and obedience.
Let us take pride in being called, redeemed, and united in Christ. Let us stand firm and confident, knowing that we are heirs of God’s promise and participants in His eternal plan.
Source: https://blog.naver.com/ceongkim