Jewish-Gentile Couples as God's One New Man
by Rob Berman, missionary Jews for Jesus South Africa
Jewish-Gentile Couples as God’s Eish Chadash* Echad—One New Man (*Chadash pronounced as Bach and not as chocolate!)
We have just celebrated and remembered the Passover and the Exodus from the land of slavery—the Lord’s deliverance by the blood of the lamb and His mighty hand and outstretched arm. Once Israel had conquered Canaan under Joshua and settled down, they were to follow a redemptive calendar which contained God’s salvation blueprint for Jew and Gentile alike. The month of Nisan, which starts the calendar, was also known as Aviv, a reference to green barley shoots (literally, fresh young barley ears). This was the time of the first fruits and the barley harvest ripening in the fields.
This reminds us of the story of Ruth. Ruth came to Boaz’s fields to glean grain for herself and Naomi. Both women were widowed and destitute, seeking shelter under the wings of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—and finding it in these very fields. Ruth would be redeemed by Boaz, and this union would result in the line that would lead to King David, a shadow of the mighty Warrior, the Lion of Judah: Yeshua, the Messiah.
As we step back from this, we realise that in this line of God’s redemption and amazing grace are various Jewish-Gentile couples. Unlikely people through whom God did amazing things. In the book of Ephesians, the Apostle Paul calls this the removal of the dividing wall of hostility, bringing those who were far (the Gentiles) and those who were near (the Jewish people) into something brand new—the Eish Chadash Echad, the One New Man. This is the new creation in Messiah, a work of his crafting, skill and amazing grace. Paul tells us that the Shalom of Messiah has been proclaimed to both and that in Him they are now echad—one in unity.
Scripture has numerous examples of Jewish-Gentile couples as God joins Jew and Gentile for His Kingdom purposes and the display of His splendour—and as a witness to the spiritual world of His grace, love and power in and through us as the New Body in Messiah.
Let’s consider some of these couples as we journey to Shavuot (Pentecost) this May, moving from the barley to the wheat harvest (a picture of the harvest of Jews and Gentiles into the One New Man—more on that in a future newsletter).
Rahab, who hid the two spies send by Joshua to spy out the land, stated the true report the ten spies 40 years previously did not believe:
I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt… And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath. (Joshua 2:9-11)
Rahab became part of the people of Israel, a Jewish-Gentile union. She was listed in the hall of fame as one who had true faith in the God of Israel. She saved her family because of her faith, just as Noah did.
In the story of Noah, we see the promise of Jew and Gentile together in Noah’s seemingly cryptic utterance, ‘May God enlarge Japheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem’ (Genesis 9:27). From Japheth would come the nations (the Gentiles) who would dwell in the tabernacle of Shem (from whom would come the Jews). Isn’t it amazing how the Lord foretells Jewish-Gentile unity and them becoming the One New Man?
King Solomon was part of many Jewish-Gentile marriages—he married many Gentile wives! Sadly though, He did not influence them to follow the God of Israel; in fact, they turned his heart away from the Lord. Solomon broke covenant with God and polluted Jerusalem with idols and shrines to false gods, defiling the character and name of the Lord and leading to Israel’s division and civil war.
Moses was accused of marrying a Cushite woman by his sister Mirriam and brother Aaron. This did not please God at all, who rebuked them for their bad treatment and dishonour of their brother.
Joseph, who was sold as a slave by his brothers and taken to Egypt, was eventually honoured by Pharaoh. All the while, God’s favour never left him. After interpreting the dream of the famine to come, Pharaoh gave him a new name and a wife—another early Jewish- Gentile union, ‘And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphenath-paneah, And he gave him in marriage Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On’ (Genesis 41:45). We know that Joseph stayed true to God and would have influenced his entire family to be true as well, preserving a remnant to continue the Messianic plan.
Be encouraged as you pray for Israel and Jewish-Gentile couples, God’s Eish Chadash Echad. These are all signs and blueprints of God’s plan and His reconciliation for all the world to see. If you are in such a relationship, we would like to make ourselves and our resources available to you to help you navigate relational harmony in Yeshua the Messiah.
Please visit our website devoted to resources for Jewish-Gentile couples: