Covenant Privileges of Israelites Versus Gentiles

The covenant privileges of Israelites versus Gentiles are rooted in the biblical distinction between the Israelites, who were God's chosen people, and the Gentiles, who were considered outsiders. The Israelites enjoyed unique privileges, including the sonship, glory, covenants, legislation, divine service, and promises ^[3].

Under the Mosaic law, non-Israelites, or Gentiles, were not entirely excluded from the privileges of the Israelites. They were allowed to participate in certain aspects of Jewish life, such as observing the Sabbath and participating in certain festivals, provided they adhered to specific regulations ^{[1, 2]}. The law made provisions for the "stranger" or "sojourner" who lived among the Israelites, requiring kindness towards them and granting them certain rights (Ex. 12:19; Lev. 24:22; Num. 15:15; Deut. 10:18).

The distinction between Israelites and Gentiles was not merely a matter of nationality but also of spiritual privilege. The Israelites were entrusted with the oracles of God, which included the law and the prophecies ^[6]. According to John Gill, this meant that the Jews had a significant advantage over the Gentiles in terms of their understanding of God's will and their participation in the covenant ^[6].

However, the New Testament indicates a shift in this distinction. The apostle Paul writes that the Gentiles are no longer excluded from the privileges of God's people. In Romans 10:12, he notes that there is no distinction between Jew and Gentile, as the same Lord is Lord of all. The book of Ezekiel prophesies a future where Gentiles will be included among God's people, with the prophet stating that the land will be divided among both the Israelites and the strangers who sojourn among them ^[7].

Early Christian interpreters, such as Gregory Thaumaturgus, understood this shift as a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies, where the Jews, who had been privileged, were cast down due to their misuse of their privileges, and the Gentiles were admitted in their place ^[5]. John Calvin also notes that the covenant was not limited to the Israelites but was extended to the Gentiles through faith ^[8].

The inclusion of Gentiles among God's people is seen as a key aspect of the New Covenant, where the distinction between Jew and Gentile is no longer a barrier to participating in God's blessings ^[4]. As Jamieson, Fausset & Brown note on Ezekiel 47:22, the literal sense of the prophecy must be modified to express the spiritual reality that Gentiles are not excluded from settling among the covenant people and enjoying equal privileges ^[4].

The historical development of this doctrine is marked by a gradual expansion of God's people to include those beyond the boundaries of Israel. The early Christian church, comprising both Jews and Gentiles, embodied this new reality, where the privileges once exclusive to Israelites were now shared with Gentiles through faith in Christ.

Sources

Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Citizenship — The rights and privileges of a citizen in distinction from a foreigner (Luke 15:15; 19:14; Acts 21:39). Under the Mosaic law non-Israelites, with the exception of the Moabites and the Ammonites and others mentioned in Deut. 23:1-3, were admitted to the general privileges of citizenship among the Jews (Ex. 12:19; Lev. 24:22; Num. 15:15; 35:15; Deut. 10:18; 14:29; 16:10, 14). The right of citizenship under the Roman government was granted by the emperor to individuals, and sometimes to provinces, as a favour or as a recompense for services rendered to the”
Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Foreigner — A Gentile. Such as resided among the Hebrews were required by the law to be treated with kindness (Ex. 22:21; 23:9; Lev. 19:33, 34; 23:22; Deut. 14:28; 16:10, 11; 24:19). They enjoyed in many things equal rights with the native-born residents (Ex. 12:49; Lev. 24:22; Num. 15:15; 35:15), but were not allowed to do anything which was an abomination according to the Jewish law (Ex. 20:10; Lev. 17:15, 16; 18:26; 20:2; 24:16, etc.).”
Romans “Romans 9:4 (Rotherham) — Who, indeed, are Israelites, whose are the sonship, and the glory, and the covenants, and the legislation, and the divine service, and the promises,”
Ezekiel (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Ezekiel 47:22: to the strangers--It is altogether unprecedented under the old covenant, that "strangers" should have "inheritance" among the tribes. There would not be room locally within Canaan for more than the tribes. The literal sense must therefore be modified, as expressing that Gentiles are not to be excluded from settling among the covenant-people, and that spiritually their privileges are not to be less than those of Israel (Rom 10:12; Gal 3:28; Eph 3:6; Col 3:11; Rev 7:9-10). Still, "sojourneth," in Eze 47:23, implies that in Canaan, the covenant people a”
Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “ANF Vol 6: Gregory Thaumaturgus, Dionysius, Julius Africanus, Methodius, Arnobius — DISCOURSE SECOND. (part 10): the extrusion of the Jews and the admission of the Gentiles. For the elders of the Jews and the scribes in the law, and those who were richly privileged with other prerogatives, because they used their riches ill and their power lawlessly, were cast down by Him from every seat, whether of prophecy or of priesthood, whether of legislature or of doctrine, and were stripped of all their ancestral wealth, and of their sacrifices and multitudinous festivals, and of all the honourable pri”
Romans (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Romans 3:2: Much every way,.... The circumcised Jew has greatly the advantage of the uncircumcised Gentile, , "in all respects", , "on every side", as the Rabbins speak; phrases to which this in the text answers: chiefly; more especially, particularly, and in the first place; because that unto them were committed the oracles of God; by which are meant the law of Moses, and the writings of the prophets, the institutions of the ceremonial law, and the prophecies of the Messiah and the Gospel church state; and in a word, all the books of the Old Testament, and whatsoever is conta”
Ezekiel (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Ezekiel 47:22: And it shall come to pass,.... In the last days, under the Gospel dispensation: that ye shall divide it by lot for an inheritance unto you; who were Israelites, both by natural descent, and by the Spirit and grace of God: the Gospel was first preached to Israel after the flesh, and made effectual to the conversion of many of them; and the first churches were made up of them, and they shared all the blessings and privileges thereof; as they also will in the latter day, when converted: and to the strangers that sojourn among them; not such as were strangers to spi”
CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 98: for himself, did not commence with circumcision, in the meanwhile concealing what he meant by that sign, but first announced that he intended to make a covenant with him, and, after his faith in the promise, made him partaker of the sacrament. Why does the sacrament come after faith in Abraham, and precede all intelligence in his son Isaac? It is right that he who, in adult age, is admitted to the fellowship of a covenant by one from whom he had hitherto been alienated, should previously learn its conditions; but it is not so with ”

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