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Today's Little Lift
by Jim Bullington
Why is/was Israel the chosen nation of God? Did His choosing of Israel guarantee a special spiritual relationship, or was the choosing of an entirely different nature? What about today; are the Jews still God's chosen people, or has that relationship been broken off? Today's devotional will consider these questions from a biblical perspective.
Moses said, “For you [the nation of Israel] are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth. The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; but because the LORD loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers, the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Therefore know that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments; and He repays those who hate Him to their face, to destroy them. He will not be slack with him who hates Him; He will repay him to his face.” (Deuteronomy 7.6-10).
First, note that the choosing of Israel as a nation actually had nothing to do with their actions or size. It was not because they were holy, or possessed more faith than others. The reason for God's choosing is explicitly stated in today's focus text. God chose Israel because of the promise that He made to the Ancient Father's, namely to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God does not break His covenants, so it was a foregone conclusion that He would make Israel a special people totally aside from their faith or lack of it; the root of their blessing tree was firmly planted in Abraham and his direct descendents!
While it cannot be denied that the Israelites had a special spiritual relationship with God, it is NOT THE CASE, that an Israelite stood in God's good graces merely because he was an Israelite. Neither can it be shown that Israel was the only nation to have a holy relationship with the Lord God. In fact, God loved all peoples of all races and nationalities. The relationship of any and every individual was dependent upon the faith that each individual had (or didn't have). The blessings which God shed upon Israel apart from and independent of their faith were physical blessings! His character did not change when they became His special people, nor did He suspend the law of faith which every person who comes to God must embrace! He watched over them and protected them from physical harm, gave them food and drink, gave them victories over their enemies as well as myriads of other blessings, but these were of the physical sort, not spiritual. They were the keepers of the Law, but that did not relieve them of their God-given duty of observing the Law!
The question as to whether Israel is still God's chosen nation was answered by Paul; hear him: “But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, 'In Isaac your seed shall be called.' That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed.” (Romans 9.6-8). The Israel of God today is comprised only of those who obey the gospel of Jesus Christ! One more passage: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Galatians 3.28-29).
Questions:
1. What promises did god make to Abraham (see Genesis 12.1-3)? How did these promises affect the way God viewed and treated Israel?
2. What did/does the law of faith have to do with one's spiritual relationship with God? Was Israel excluded from that law?
3. How can it be that “...they are not all Israel who are of Israel”?
4. When one is baptized into Christ, what effect does that person's gender, ethnicity, social standing, or genealogy have upon his/her relationship with God? Whose seed does that person become?
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