God promised the Jews that when the Messiah came, He would write the law on their hearts and "give them a soft heart instead of their stony one of sin".
This idea of the Messiah going to come was a big deal for the ancient Jews. They thought about it all the time.
Think of how big a deal it was for Abraham, from whose seed the Messiah would come -- think about how Abraham sacrificed this son of the Promise on the mountain top in such agony!
The ancient Jews were saved because they believed God was going to send the Messiah in the FUTURE.
This is why Paul writes about the faith of the Jewish forefathers having saving faith. They were those who Jesus tells us "who longed for this day but did not live to see it."
I'm not a big NIV fan but this is from the Old Covenant, Jeremiah 31:33:
"This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time," declares the LORD. "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people."
I guess that pretty much confirms what I believe.
I’m convinced God really loves the Jewish people and I just cannot wrap myself around His abandoning them.