Yeshua as Holy Israel: The Oneness of God, His People, and His Land
The land of Israel (Eretz Yisrael) is often referred to as the Holy Land (Eretz Hakodesh) and “our Holy Land” (Artzeinu Hakedoshah). But Israel is more than land; it is a body for the soul of a people. In Hebrew, the God of Israel is called “Holy Israel” (Kadosh Yisrael – קדוש ישראל). The Hebrew language communicates oneness. God is holy, and He is also Israel. The implication here is that Jesus, Yeshua, the Word of God revealed in the flesh, is Holy Israel, and His land and His people are inseparably one in Him. Thus, Yeshua is the physical embodiment of Israel, which is why Paul repeatedly said, “We are in Christ.”[i] The sages affirm this by saying that God’s Kingship (His Malchut) is also His congregation of Israel (His Knesset Yisrael). They consider Israel an aspect of God, meaning that God, Israel, and His Torah (His written word) are all one.[ii]
We also need to view the land of Israel and its people as physically and spiritually sanctified and made holy by the Lord, not merely as an abstract concept of holiness or some act of religious observance, but a tangible and physical presence of God’s holiness on His land and His people. As God alone is Holy, Israel can only be made holy by God’s presence, which literally inhabits both the land and its people. The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground” (Exodus 3:5, NKJV).[iii] Anything touched by God, either an object or a person, is made holy, and anything or anyone that touches what God has made holy is also holy.[iv]
The Hebrew word “holy” (Kadosh—קָדוֹשׁ) comes from the root word Kadash, which means “separation” or “set apart for a specific purpose.” Other translations are sacred, consecrated, sanctified, and hallowed. In the case of the Jewish people, Israel was set apart for service unto the Lord, as we read, “But you, Israel, are My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, The descendants of Abraham My friend” (Isaiah 41:8). In contrast to holy (Kadosh), holiness (Kedushah) implies something beyond our material existence—a Divine level of holiness that, by its nature, is distinctly separated from our material world and our created human nature. In other words, our mortal senses cannot perceive Divine holiness, yet God has made us in such a way that it is not entirely beyond our ability to comprehend it. But to fully imbue God’s holiness requires a transcendent work of the Holy Spirit. Jesus declared, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven” (Mathew 16:17).
God instructed Israel to be holy, meaning to keep herself sanctified and set apart for service to the Lord. Even though God chose the Levites and the sons of Aaron to be His holy priesthood, all of Israel was ultimately to be to God a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.[v] However, being holy or acting in a holy manner does not make one holy; it merely preserves the condition of a person, place, or artifact used to serve Him, which can only be instilled by God's Divine presence. The fact that the land of Israel and its people were made holy by God's presence and instructed to “be holy” implies that they could also become defiled, which, of course, they did. In scripture, we find that Israel, both the land and its people, was defiled by sin, the shedding of innocent blood, and idolatry, and eventually, God’s presence left Israel, and the Temple was destroyed by the Neo-Babylonian Empire.[vi] Still, we are reminded, “For Israel is not forsaken, nor Judah, By his God, the Lord of hosts, Though their land was filled with sin against the Holy One of Israel” (Jeremiah 51:5).
Yeshua said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 15:24). So, it is clear that He came to redeem that which was lost. But He also came to cleanse and purify that which had become defiled. And not just of Israel, but of every nation, as it says, “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works” (Titus 2:11-14). The instruction to the church is explicit: just like Israel, we have been made holy by the indwelling presence of the Lord, and we are to remain holy, keeping ourselves sanctified and set apart for service to the Lord. Paul reminds us, “Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?” (1 Corinthians 6:19).
We find another interesting association with Israel’s holiness when Paul says, “Has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew… For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches” (Romans 11:1-2, 16). Paul’s analogy raises several questions: Who is the firstfruit? Who is the lump? Who is the root? And who are the branches? One thing is clear from Paul’s words: the firstfruit makes the lump holy, and the root makes the branches holy. Therefore, we surmise that if Christ is the Firstfruits of all creation, and we are Firstfruits in Christ, then it should be evident that our holiness comes from Christ, and Israel’s holiness comes from those who are in Christ.[vii]
To be clear, holiness does not mean saved; it means sanctified. Paul said that in a marriage, the believing spouse sanctifies the unbelieving one. Why? So that the entire marriage would be holy and the children would be raised in a sacred home. We read, “For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy” (1 Corinthians 7:14). In this example, holiness is transferred to the unholy person by their association and physical presence. In the case of Israel, the lump remains holy by association with Christ and His church, even though most of Israel is yet to receive her Messiah. And until the final harvest, the two will grow together, both the saved and the unsaved. And there was a reason for this. Yeshua said, “Lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest” (Matthew 13:29-30).
The Bible uses the term “Holy One of Israel” more than thirty times. However, the English translation does not accurately communicate the genuine meaning, as seen in Hebrew. In the English language, the words “one” and “of” are added to the translation (Ha’kadosh shel Yisrael – הקדוש של ישראל), translating as “the Holy One of Israel.” In Hebrew, on the other hand, it is written as “Holy Israel” (Kadosh Yisrael – קדוש ישראל), and the difference is rather significant. The English language conveys a sense of belonging to, and at the same time, a distinctly separate association. The Hebrew, however, communicates oneness.
In other words, “Holy Israel” is another name given to our Lord; He is not merely holy as an association with Israel. He is in every literal sense the embodiment of Holy Israel. The clear implication from scripture is that Yeshua, the word of God revealed in the flesh, is called Holy Israel; therefore, Yeshua and Israel are inseparably one. And all who are in Him, by association are Israel and are holy. The sages affirm this by saying that God’s Kingship (His Malchut) is also His congregation of Israel (His Knesset Yisrael). They consider Israel an aspect of God, meaning that God, Israel, and His Torah (His written word) are all one.[viii]
When we move to the land of Israel, we find the land is also inseperably one from Yeshua and His people. God made a covenant promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and these covenants are like a marriage—a legally binding contract between two people, in this instance, God and His people, Israel. These covenants are permanent, unbreakable, and eternal. We also read in scripture of God’s promise to restore the Jewish people to the land He promised by covenant to Abraham. As it says, “You shall no longer be termed Forsaken, Nor shall your land any more be termed Desolate; But you shall be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; For the Lord delights in you, And your land shall be married” (Isaiah 62:4).
Even though God has partly restored the Jewish people, their land will remain defiled until Yeshua returns and the time of the Gentiles is fulfilled. Jesus said, “And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled” (Luke 21:24). But we Yeshua does return for His people, Israel, only then will we see God’s prophetic words to Moses completely fulfilled. And the nations will rejoice in the Lord, as it says, “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people; For He will avenge the blood of His servants, And render vengeance to His adversaries; He will provide atonement for His land and His people” (Deuteronomy 32:43).
And so, it should be on the heart of every Christian who has been sanctified and made holy by Christ, that we not only pray for the peace of Jerusalem, but that we hearnestly long to see the Jewish people restored to their land, and for their land to be cleansed and purified so that Christ Himself, who is named Holy Israel, will dwell for eternity in Jerusalem in the midst of all who are called by His name, not just of the seed of Abraham, but from every tongue, tribe, and people to be God’s eternal heritage and treasure from every nation.[ix]
[i] Romans 8:1, 12:5. 1 Corinthians 1:30. Galatians 3:28. Ephesians 2:13. Colossians 1:28. 1 Thessalonians 4:16.
[ii] Glotzer, Leonard R. The Fundamentals of Jewish Mysticism: The Book of Creation and Its Commentaries. Jason Aronson, Inc. 1992.
[iii] All Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Bible (NKJV) unless otherwise noted, Thomas Nelson Inc., 1982.
[iv] Exodus 29:37, 30:29. Leviticus 6:18, 27.
[v] Exodus 19:6.
[vi] Leviticus 18:25, 27-28. Numbers 35:33-34. Jeremiah 2:7, 3:9, 16:18. Ezekiel 36:18. Amos 7:17.
[vii] 1 Corinthians 15:20.
[viii] Glotzer, Leonard R. The Fundamentals of Jewish Mysticism: The Book of Creation and Its Commentaries. Jason Aronson, Inc. 1992.
[ix] Romans 9:24.