It is strange that we all read the same scripture and understand it to say different things. I don't think people are taking into consideration the purpose God had for creating Israel. They were to keep knowledge of God, and that was because the nations had forgotten Him, and it was essential to the nations that the knowledge of God be retained. Israel was created for the gentiles, as caretakers of God. God cannot be separated from His attributes, and the law explains some of those attributes.
People are not taking into consideration that there was grace given to mankind from the day Adam and Eve disobeyed. All say that Israel had no grace given, and also it was stripped from them when Christ was born and they did not recognize Him. They still believed in a Messiah, they still believed in grace, but as I read Romans carefully, it makes me wonder if God has forgotten Israel the nation.
Gal. 3:16 Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ. 17 And this I say,
that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God [
e]in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect. 18 For if the inheritance
is of the law,
it is no longer of promise; but God gave
it to Abraham by promise.
The view of symbols that the old testament is so full of is also looked at differently than it seems to me the Lord is using them. I think it is important to understand the spiritual meaning of the symbols used in the old testament, and how God used them to explain the spiritual to people who were not all given the holy spirit to help them understand. The book of Revelation also is written through symbols.