Seeking Jesus First Sep. 29, 2025
Becoming a citizen of Israel in the Old Testament simulates becoming a citizen of the kingdom of heaven in the New Covenant.
“And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the ordinance of the Passover: No foreigner shall eat it. But every man’s servant who is bought for money, when you have circumcised him, then he may eat it. A sojourner and a hired servant shall not eat it. In one house it shall be eaten; you shall not carry any of the flesh outside the house, nor shall you break one of its bones. All the congregation of Israel shall keep it. And when a stranger dwells with you and wants to keep the Passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as a native of the land. For no uncircumcised person shall eat it. One law shall be for the native-born and for the stranger who dwells among you.”” (Exodus 12:43–49, NKJV)
The foreigner is not a partaker of the covenant until they are circumcised and participate in the Passover covenant meal. Afterwards they are treated as citizens with the same laws and blessings and protections as natural born citizens.
In Deuteronomy 21, we learn of the way an Israelite may marry a foreign woman. The woman must discard her former way of dressing, shave her head and clip her nails. Then she must stay in the house for a month while she “mourns her father and mother”. This symbolizes dying to her old life. Afterwards, the man may marry her, but he may never dishonor or enslave her.
How do we enter the kingdom of heaven? How do we become citizens of heaven? We put our faith in The LORD Jesus Christ. We circumcise our hearts and die to our old life. We discard our old way of clothing ourselves and we allow Christ to clothe us in robes of righteousness. We reject the former things as we are made new creatures and receive citizenship in a heavenly kingdom. We are “betrothed” to Christ Jesus as we become His bride, and He does not dishonor us nor does He enslave us. As citizens of heaven, we are of the brotherhood of Christ Jesus. We are made equal through the blood of Christ as we become fit for Him to call us family. We are accepted in the beloved.
Jesus Christ is LORD and GOD. He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We participate in his covenant without partiality. We receive the same laws and blessings. We receive the same inheritance. We become heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ Jesus.