I will incite you to jealousy through a stupid nation
They have made me jealous with what is not God, they have vexed me with their vain idols; and I will make them jealous with people that are not a people, I will vex them with a foolish nation - Deuteronomy 32:21
Before Moses died, he was commissioned to write a prophetic song about Israel, which stressed that they would become unfaithful to God by worshiping other gods and arousing the jealousy of Yah. He, in turn, would repay them by "arousing their jealousy through a stupid nation, with what is no people" - Deuteronomy 32:21
The canticle is found in Deuteronomy 32 and many verses indicate that it is prophetic in nature as we see the Jewish nation on God's holy and blessed ground - see verses 13, 14.
Furthermore, verse 29 of chapter 31 clearly states that it is for the "conclude of days" and like many prophecies we can imagine that it has had and will have at least two fulfillments: one in the first century and the other in the next day of the Lord. This multiple fulfillment is also confirmed by the apostle Paul in Romans 10:16-21
He, after explaining that Israel has not put faith in the word about Christ, cites among other verses that of Deuteronomy 32:21, which is the subject of this article.
The fact that Paul mentions the good news about Christ makes us understand that the Israel he is talking about is not the whole nation made up of the twelve tribes but what was left of his time and what will be present in the day of the Lord, i.e. the Jews.
In chapter 11, verses 11, 13 and 14, Paul says that the refusal of the Jews to accept Christ gave the opportunity for people of the nations to become part of Israel as God's people, arousing the jealousy of the Jews. The apostle himself hoped that by converting some of the nations he would arouse "jealousy among those of his own flesh" in order to save some - Romans 11:11-14 How could a Jew's jealousy of a Gentile help him accept Christ?
Evidently many Jews witnessed the descent of the holy spirit upon the Gentiles, who manifested it by special gifts such as speaking in tongues, performing miracles, etc.
Obviously a faithful Jew will have wondered why God gave Gentiles, "stupid" in the eyes of the Jews, such wonderful gifts that have always been a prerogative of the prophets of Israel. In this way the jealousy aroused in them will surely have prompted some to accept Jesus (Yeshuah) of Nazareth as the Messiah.
Some considerations need to be made.
When Paul mentions the stupid nation described in Deuteronomy 32:21, he is also referring to the prophet Hosea. In Romans 9:25, 26 we read: “Thus he says precisely in Hosea: «I will call "my people" those who were not my people and "beloved" those who were not loved»; and "It will come to pass that in the place where it was said: 'You are not my people', there they will be called 'children of the living God'".
If we read the context from the book of Hosea we understand that the prophet is not referring to all the Gentiles, but to the ten dispersed tribes represented by Ephraim or northern Israel, who as prophesied in many passages will be reunited with Judah - see for example Ezekiel 37:15-28
Evidently Paul is referring to them without giving further explanations on the identity of these gentiles who would have aroused jealousy in the Jews and it is perhaps for this reason that it is called in Deuteronomy "stupid nation".
Hosea himself calls northern Israel "a dumb dove" or "without judgment" even though, in that context, Scripture speaks of the judgment they bring upon themselves - Hosea 7:11. Indeed Ephraim showed himself stupid by persevering in disobedience and idolatry… .
Similarly today we can assume that many Ephraimites are found within Christendom and, now as then, are showing themselves just as "stupid" in their conduct and drunkenness - compare Isaiah 28:1-4 and Ezekiel 23:40- 43
Ephraim mixed with idols says Hosea: it is truly a stupid nation which yet God will choose again to awaken his people - compare Ezekiel 23:11, 13, 14, 32-35; Jeremiah 3:11-14
Of course, among these Gentiles there were and will be people who have no Jewish ancestry.
Though initially "stupid", this great crowd of people will be purified during the great tribulation - Revelation 14:14-20
Now let's try to go into the second fulfillment.
Let us go back to what Paul says in Romans 11:11, 12: "Therefore I ask: Have they stumbled so that they fall completely? Never be! But from their misstep comes salvation for people of the nations…. Now if their misstep it means wealth to the world, and their decrease means wealth to people of the nations, how much more will their full number mean!”
Paul further confirms that God has not forsaken Israel because they have not completely fallen. This clearly demonstrates that Israel remains at the center of God's purpose and that it is possible for a fair number of Jews to convert.
Unfortunately some think that the reference to a complete number is an indication that the Israel of God is made up of only 144,000 individuals but Paul is not talking about this.
The term used does not primarily mean number but fullness, that is, filling something until it has reached its limit.
Paul probably knew nothing of this number which was revealed 40 years later but he was speaking of the entire salvation of Israel including of course the celestial elect of his time but also all the fullness or mass of Gentiles (mostly Ephraimites) who they will be saved..
This great crowd we find in Revelation 7:9 and is itself, to all intents and purposes, Israel, completing the missing part, i.e. mainly the ten tribes.
Reading verses 25-27 we see that Paul calls it a "sacred secret," something we shouldn't ignore. "A numbing of sensibility has come over Israel (Judah evidently) in part until the full number (fullness, pleromai) of the people of the nations has come in. In this way all Israel will be saved" – Romans 11:25-27
In Paul's time the Jews became numb in sensitivity to Christ and still are.
Some jealously moved by what they saw happening to the Gentiles, and probably after the destruction of the temple, accepted Jesus but most did not.
We understand that pure worship will start again with the Jews: "Judas has the command staff until Silo comes..." (Genesis 49:10), "Salvation comes from the Jews" (John 4:22) and so on , in several other scriptures Judah was the first to enter the battle and is the first tribe mentioned among the 144000 – Revelation 7:4, 5
The temple was in Judea and the Lord came from Judah. That said, the verse from Romans quoted above regarding the numbness of present-day Israel indicates that the general mass of Jews will not awaken until (i.e., "until the time") all the mass of the Jews has become part of Israel. gentiles (Ephraimites).
When will this happen? Is it proof that the gathering of the great crowd takes place long before the jealousy-driven Jewish mass converts to Christ? Furthermore, if, as hypothesized, the 144,000 (at least those not of the tribe of Judah, Benjamin and Levi) are chosen among the Gentiles unaware of their Jewish ancestry and sealed with spirit, they will arouse jealousy among the current Jews, prompting them, at a certain point, to accept Christ?
Only time will be able to answer these questions.
As we observe exciting world events ahead, let us continue to study the Bible with dedication and full sincerity—God may give us yet-unexpected privileges.
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