“WE AFFIRM that God’s covenant with Israel in Scripture is a reflection of His real dealings with them in redemptive history. We affirm that in this old covenant God did most certainly guarantee material prosperity to the nation of Israel as a sign of His goodness and love to them. We also affirm that, on condition of keeping the old covenant, the people of Israel had a rightful claim to material blessings from God as spelled out in passages such as Deuteronomy 28. Israel did not, however, permanently secure such blessings.“
“WE DENY that Christians today stand in the same relation to God as Israel did under the old covenant. Therefore we deny that Christians today have a claim to the material blessings promised in the old covenant.“
It is TRUE that under the Old Covenant God promised material prosperity and physical success to Israel, His chosen nation. Passages such as Deuteronomy 28 and Leviticus 26 outline blessings of health, wealth, fruitful land, and victory over enemies, given on condition of their obedience. For example, the promise of land to Abraham (Gen. 12:1; 15:18) was fulfilled as Israel inherited Canaan under Moses and Joshua (Josh. 1:3–9). Yet when they rebelled, they were sent into exile and lost those blessings (2 Kin. 17; 25).
Why did God deal with His people in this way? Because the Old Testament represented a particular stage in redemptive history. Israel was a physical nation with a physical land, governed under God’s law. Their material prosperity served to display God’s favor before the surrounding nations. It was a “come-and-see” religion. Outsiders could look at Israel and behold the blessings of their God.
But with the coming of Christ, everything changed. In the New Covenant, God’s people are not defined by ethnicity, borders, or governments. The Kingdom of God is spiritual, spread throughout every nation, and its King, though ascended, is not yet visibly reigning on earth. Until His return, our mission is not “come-and-see” but “go-and-tell.” When Christ returns, His reign will be visible, His kingdom tangible, and all creation renewed. Until then, we must not misapply Old Testament promises — such as 2 Chronicles 7:14, which speaks of God healing the land — by directly claiming them for ourselves today. That promise was made to Israel (and not Kenya or any other nation), and its fulfillment is clearly seen within Israel’s history as the rest of Chronicles records.
It is also TRUE that in Christ all God’s promises are “Yes and Amen” (2 Cor. 1:20; 2 Pet. 1:3–4). This means every promise finds its ultimate fulfillment in Him and through His work on the cross. Therefore, the way we read Old Testament promises must always be filtered through Christ. To ignore this is to misapply God’s Word.
It is FALSE, then, to claim that there is no difference between how God dealt with Israel under the Old Covenant and how He deals with the church today. The promises of material prosperity given to Israel do not apply to Christians in the same way. Instead, we see that they were shadows pointing forward to greater realities in Christ. For example, the land promised to Abraham ultimately pointed to “a better country, that is, a heavenly one” (Heb. 11:8–10). Our inheritance as Christians is not a piece of earthly soil, but the eternal city of God.
And so, dear Christian, do not measure God’s faithfulness by your bank account, your health, or your earthly security. These were never the promises made to you. Instead, lift your eyes to Christ, in whom every promise of God finds its fulfillment. What you have in Him is imperishable, undefiled and unfading, kept in heaven for you away from all corruption (1 Pet. 1:4). Your joy is certain, your hope is eternal, and your future is glorious. How do I know this? Because Christ Himself is your treasure and not long from now, you will see Him face to face.
