Monday, 7 March 2016

Seeing Judaism Anew: Christianity's Sacred Obligation,
Ed. Mary C. Boys, Rowman and Littlefield, 2002
Chapter 14, "Covenant and Conversion" (pp. 163-174), page 165

The second point in Joann Spillman's summary of Christian teaching is about covenant:

The Bible teaches that G-d made a covenant with the Jewish people. According that scripture, G-d repeatedly affirmed and renewed this covenant. G-d does not break promises, but rather, "He is mindful of His covenant forever, of the word that He commanded for a thousand generations" (Psalm 105:8). While the people may be faithless, G-d is always faithful. If G-d were to renege on the covenant with Israel, then Christians could not rely on G-d with any confidence.

That sounds all fine and dandy and - as far as it goes - is ok, but we need to ask where our faith is located: do we believe that G-d doesn't break covenants, or do we believe in G-d? Clearly, G-d allowed both the first and second temples to be destroyed against the expectations and faith of the people, but that doesn't mean that He abandonned His covenant with them.