himself. gives the answer: "No one knows who the Son is except the Father." (Malachi 1:23, emphasis added). Required character traits include faithfulness to God and tenacity of character. Most chosen people quotes stop right here. Here Abram, though he was already seventy-five years old and presumably settled comfortably in his clan's adopted land, unquestioningly picks up his entire household and all his possessions and moves to an unknown land simply because the Lord has commanded him to. Not because they are anyone special, but because He is special in their midst. And Jacob was destined to supplant his brother Esau as his father's primary heir. You didnt trust him or obey him. So Moses' point in saying, "God owns everything in heaven and on In other words, take all boasting off of man and focus all boasting As a reward for Abraham's faith in the Lord, God said to him in Genesis 12:2-3: I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. 9I went up the mountain. The Lord Himself expands on this in an address to the Israelites delivered by Moses in Deuteronomy 7:6-8: For you 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. If He had chosen the people of Egypt with all their mighty power then His power in delivering them from their enemies could not so easily have been displayed. Thus says the Lord GOD, It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for My holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you went. Why God Chose Israel - Redeeming Grace Ministries for this was to show that God's election is free and unconditional. I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac; he cut the wood for the burnt offering, and set out and went to the place in the distance that God had shown him. Quite plainly, the difference between Jews and Gentiles (or the nations) is that God has chosen one for a specific task, and not the others. all boasting in man. The second thing to notice is in verse 15: the way God exercises Get our Question of the Week delivered right to your inbox! All of our resources exist to guide you toward everlasting joy in Jesus Christ. He announced them to you out of the fire on the mountain. In this story, God commands Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac, whom God had previously promised him and given to him by a miraculous birth, and who was to be Abraham's heir and the bearer of his legacy and lineage. Yet, by faith, Christians are now brought into that story, not as second-class citizens but full heirs with Christ. One would think that Abraham would object. Christian Standard Bible "Appoint judges and officials for your tribes in all your towns the LORD your God is giving you. It is the same today: He saves us poor weak helpless sinners, and transforms us by his grace: My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. What's in a Name? What Made It Okay for God to Kill Women and Children In the Old It's the nature of But what happened before that? In the same way that you would not love or prefer your toothbrush over a wire scrub brush. How does "safely" function in "a daydream safely beyond human possibility"? Quite simply, God has chosen the Jewish people to demonstrate His own kind and promise-keeping character to the world. The Lord Almighty speaks clearly and emphatically and explains why did God choose Israel by the following Bible verse (Deuteronomy 7:6-11 ): . There will be more of you than there were of them.. He will take this stiff-necked nation of Israel and changed her heart. Contents 1 Is Israel Special? "You shall be holy for I, the Lord, am holy." Said the sages: "You must consider yourselves part of the king's retinue and emulate Him. God chose Abram not only to bless his own descendants, but to bless all of the families of the earth. and poor. each people has its own god and this god has a right to his own and praise and proclaim that name. Then I will make you into a great nation. 11The 40 days and 40 nights came to an end. How well informed are the Russian public about the recent Wagner mutiny? is because it one of the two places in the New Testament where babes: yea, Father, for such was thy gracious will [literally: for They belong to you. king of Egypt. (Psalm 106:78) generation or to let them justly be destroyed by When her time to give birth was at hand, there were twins in her womb. God's love for the fathers of Israel was free and God chose us to break our stubbornness. of his name. 2. (Genesis 22:13). He has been brought back to life! electing love. (Isaiah 19:1825, emphasis added), A fulfillment of this prophecy would begin to bring to fruition God's original promise to Abraham that "in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.". in Christ) Eph 1:5,6; and because as he himself says "I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy" (Exodus 33:19). God's Self-Glorifying Purpose in Electing Israel. 26I prayed to him. So although he would naturally be Abraham's heir as the only son of Abraham's wife Sarah, he also showed himself to be worthy of Abraham's legacy and lineage. And that blessing gave Jacob precedence and rulership over his brother Esau: Certainly Jacob's actions were dishonest and deceitful. Between God the Father and God the Son there has flowed He has chosen Israel for such a task. New International Reader's Version Why the Lord Gave Canaan to Israel 9 Israel, listen to me. There are many statements in the Bible emphasizing that God has chosen Israel out of all of the nations of the earthwhich sounds rather exclusive. Why did God choose Israel? Jesus is rejoicing, but it says he is rejoicing in the Holy Spirit. The best value in digital Bible study. Today we carry our study one step further and discover that the In verse 29 the goal of election is "that no (Revelation 21:12, 2227; 22:12, emphasis added), This represents the final and complete fulfillment of God's original promise to Abraham that "in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." you above all peoples, as at this day. At each point where the tree branches, the lineage is traced through a particular son in preference to the other possible lineages. One other place in Deuteronomy where this is stressed is 7:67. Moving to the end of the Christian Bible, this promise is broadened to all of the nations of the earth in the form of the new Jerusalem, formerly the capital of the nation of Israel, whose doors are open to all nations: Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. The promise to Abraham yes. Does the Bible explain why God chose Israel? And you will say with the apostle Paul in Romans 8: "Who shall And as Jeremiah says, "He whole nation for earthly purposes like he did so. "Asking why a certain Bible story happened the way it did" is among on-topic questions. pleasure of God the Father. All we have is what the Bible tells us - that Abraham was rewarded by God for his faith in Him. ", But the word of the Lord came to him, "This man shall not be your heir; no one but your very own issue shall be your heir. He brought him outside and said, Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them." And when Isaac has two sons, Jacob and Esau, even before they were You reached out your mighty arm and saved them.. Then he showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city. their fathers." The Bible is full of Gods promises that can encourage our faith. we move into a period when Israel as a people is no longer the Afterward his brother came out, with his hand gripping Esau's heel; so he was named Jacob. But He made it clear that it was not due to their righteousness or for their own sake. There are many nations in the world. There are at least two answers as to why God chose Israel: 1. It is because it is the best choice for a specific task. In the meantime, consider yourself in good company. In Ephesians 2, Paul says that before faith in Jesus, we were excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise (Ephesian 2:12). God chose Israel because He had promised Abraham that his descendants would become a great nation (see Genesis 12:3, 7; 17:4, 7-8; 22:17). That is also why He gave them an everlasting covenant. From the Bible we know that God will shape human history around this family. set his love upon you [literally: delighted in you] and chose you, He hated them. The tables are turned from what the world expects. 15So I turned and went down the mountain. v. 23). The Appointment of Joshua to be Moses' Successor - Bible Hub Dr. Joshua Is Appointed Leader Three Times: But Is He in Charge? I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. (Genesis 5:68). Verse Concepts For you are a holy people to the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. And therefore So she said to Abraham, "Cast out this slave woman with her son; for the son of this slave woman shall not inherit along with my son Isaac. He's Hence why I answered the question purely using Scripture without being opinionated. The Lord will make himself known to the Egyptians; and the Egyptians will know the Lord on that day, and will worship with sacrifice and burnt offering, and they will make vows to the Lord and perform them. In John's vision, Jerusalem, the capital of ancient Israel, has expanded to such a vast extent that it encompasses the entire then-known world, and is the abode of the righteous kings and common people from all nations. in heaven; he does whatever he pleases" (Psalm 115:3). the Holy Spirit rejoicethe humbling of human pride and the And surely there were many in the times of Abraham and Moses. God keeps His promises even after hundreds and thousands of years have passed. It follows the same pattern as the earlier genealogy from Seth to Noah. God's Word affirms that the Jews are God's chosen people: "You are a people holy to the Lord your God. Brenton Septuagint Translation And the Lord said to her. In Genesis 15 we read that God made the original covenant or oath. He created because it's And so God has pleasure in - which makes my answer on the spot. everything in heaven and on earth. Forgive the Israelites for being so stubborn. This passage teaches again the freedom of God's grace in loving God will prove to all the nations of the earth that He is God. Are Jews the Chosen People? | My Jewish Learning admired and praised and enjoyed in every people and tongue and Why Israel? And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. It was through this family that the Creator chose to reveal Himself and His Son to the world. Noah's curse on Ham's son Canaan reverberates through the entire Bible story, providing an origin story for God's special enmity against the inhabitants of the Land of Canaan that the Israelites conquered and dispossessed in their conquest of the Holy Land. Thats why he brought me here to take over this land. That isnt true. He did so by sending His only Son to earth, through a Jewish family from Judah, from King Davids line. Perhaps Israel was not really God's first choice. 18Then once again I fell down flat in front of the Lord with my face toward the ground. The firstborn was Esau, and the second to be born was Jacob. Hell destroy them. So far it is looking good for Esau to be the one through whom Isaac's lineage passes. (Genesis 11:12). (Genesis 25:2934, emphasis added), As to Esau's character, the final line sums up the point of the story: "Esau despised his birthright.". But in ancient Hebrew society, the birthright of the firstborn son was all-important. ", But Jacob said, "I will not let you go, unless you bless me. He loves you because he loves his own glory. There are few reasons to believe that he ONLY chose Israel. He does not show favoritism or prefer one people group over another. This phrase emphasized the nation's unity, initiated by their covenant with God at Mount Sinai and forged in the wilderness. And if you see Chapter 12, it begins with God telling Abraham (Abram then), "Go to your father's country", Why did he make this promise to Abraham? God will have His way with Israel as He will with you. Abraham's fundamental character is one of unquestioning loyalty and obedience to God, whatever God commands him to do, even if God's commandment seems highly outrageous and damaging to Abraham's own interests. The wise And so you read in Isaiah that God created Israel "for his is surely within that scope. When the boys grew up, Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man, living in tents. But for now the focus is on the ingathering The In fact, you are stubborn. . fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand, and Isn't the point to explode the myth that After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, "Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great. However, the fourth puts the other three in context, and deserves its own special coverage before the rest are taken up in a sequential account following the Bible narrative. (Genesis 21:812, emphasis added). begins to assemble new people for himself called the church. It looked like a calf. Deuteronomy 7, God chose Israel, Racism, Israel Was and Is Chosen, God good pleasure of God. human beings could ever receive is to know and share in the glory . So why did God choose Israel? Doug is the founder of Ezra Adventures, a travel and education company, specializing in exclusive customized small group travel throughout Israel and the Middle East. He has chosen Israel for a purpose to reveal His power, His faithfulness, and loving-kindness to all the earth. God has chosen you to be a people for his own possession, out of Let's turn first to Luke 10:21. Here God makes a seemingly ridiculous prediction: that Abraham, though he and his wife are now very old, will have a son who will be Abraham's heir, through whom his lineage will be counted. For Esau to sell his birthright to his twin and younger brother Jacob for something so trivial as a bowl of stew just because he was famished in the moment betrays a great weakness of character. Bible calls these people "the elect." Biblical Israel is located in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. choose a people for himself, and that it depends ultimately on the and choosing Israel. heart. helpless, are surprised with divine favor. He's not here. And he was punished by having to flee from his home and his beloved mother, whom he never saw again. Why is Deuteronomy so important? the Father that they rejoice when he exerts his wisdom and power He turns for now to the Gentiles and But lets keep reading. Here is a typical entry in the genealogy: When Seth had lived one hundred five years, he became the father of Enosh. Those nations are greater and stronger than you are. BEST VALUE in digital Bible study. One of the reasons why God chose Israel to be his chosen people is because he needed someone to uphold his standards in the earth. this place? This question has an answer through Scripture that I'm writing up right now. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank, and rose and went his way. Now what happens in the New Testament with the coming of Christ? doesn't elect a You used your mighty hand to bring them out of Egypt. I will vindicate the holiness of My great name which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst. when he calls himself "their God," he does not mean that he is on a I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. The few stories about Isaac in the Bible narrative show him to be a man of peace, but also a man of resolve. Why Did God Choose Israel: The Truth About The Jews (2023) - Bible Keeper Thanks to this obstinate and stiff-necked people, we find that there still no limit to Gods love and forgiveness. You had made him angry. The completion of Jacob's supplanting of Esau is told in the shocking story of Jacob deceitfully taking Esau's blessing, as orchestrated by his mother Rebekah, told in Genesis 27:128:5. Make man see his utter And when you stop and think about it this is the most loving For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purposes of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calls, it was said unto her: The elder will serve the younger. the Old Testament and then turn to the New Testament and see Deuteronomy 7:6 For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The I am going to destroy them. If the character of the firstborn son is not suitable, the lineage will pass through the first son whose character. 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. Why God chose Abraham is a different matter entirely. It is worth noting here, though, that in the story of Noah's drunkenness after the Flood, Ham specifically disqualified himself and his firstborn son Canaan as having any part in the blessed lineage of Noah: The sons of Noah who went out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Youre about to discover Gods perfect plan through the lens of 25+ references throughout Scripture. Instead the New Testament speaks of election And he chooses in What does it mean that Israel is a light to the Gentiles (Isaiah 49:6)? 6The Lord your God is giving you this good land to take as your own. was: Why did God set his love upon you? So what God the Father must reveal is the true spiritual identity And it also shows him to be his mother's son; after all, she was the one who planned and orchestrated the whole plot to deceive her husband into giving the all-important blessing to her favorite son Jacob instead of to Isaac's favorite son Esau. chosen a totally different people to accomplish his purposes. We do not know the complete and true nature of God's plan or how He determines what He does. ", But Abram said, "O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" Deuteronomy 26:17-19 You will drive them out. Soon after Jacob deceived him and stole his elder and favored son's blessing, Isaac willingly gave this blessing to his son Jacob as he was about to depart from them: Then Isaac called Jacob and blessed him, and charged him, "You shall not marry one of the Canaanite women. Wouldn't this question be on-topic per #6 in the Help Center thread? Your people will be stronger than they were. Rabbi Zev Farber Categories: Moses giving the charge to Joshua, from Die Bibel in Bildern, Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld, 1860. God choose Israel because He wanted to make . And in general, God chose the lineage of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob because the nation that would come from them could serve as a light and a blessing to the other nations of the earth. In Hebrew, the word holy does not mean perfect or blameless but set apart for a specific purpose. the intellectual elite and to reveal them to babes. (Genesis 28:1315, emphasis added). I didnt eat any food or drink any water. did God "set his love upon you (or delight in you) and choose you"? For 33 years, he served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota. He did not create the world It will be a sign and a witness to the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt; when they cry to the Lord because of oppressors, he will send them a savior, and will defend and deliver them. After Seth, in every case the lineage passes through the firstborn son, who is the only child given a name. But once again, Abraham simply sets out without a murmur to obey the Lord's command: After these things God tested Abraham. He chose Israel for His own portion, that through them He might inherit the world. It only takes a minute to sign up. He is the firstborn, he is a man's man, an outdoorsman and a hunter, and he is his father Isaac's favorite. Moses describes the election of Israel like this: 6) For you are a people holy to the Lord your God; the Lord your God wanted Israel to serve as a model nation. They are the promises to Israel, Gods choosing of this people and their place in Gods plan for the world. have been drawn to cast your life on him and hope in him and follow Why did God Pick the Jews? Seth lived after the birth of Enosh eight hundred seven years, and had other sons and daughters. SOME ARE CHOSEN - Boston College How does Christianity traditionally explain the need to subject the Israelites to slavery in Egypt? you for his people. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. God then says to Abraham: By myself I have sworn, says the Lord: Because you have done this, and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will indeed bless you, and I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. Person in his own rightthe Holy Spirit himself. 20And he was so angry with Aaron he wanted to destroy him too. the honor of his name in all that he does. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Lord GOD, when I prove Myself holy among you in their sight. I didnt eat any food or drink any water. rev2023.6.27.43513. You used your great power to bring them out of Egypt. It is not until Abraham has set up the altar, tied up his son Isaac, put him on the altar, and raised the knife to kill him that God intervenes and prevents the sacrifice, substituting a ram, which is to be sacrificed instead of Isaac. We saw secondly that God is, therefore, absolutely Pharaoh. He was so angry with you he wanted to destroy you. pleasure, whose eyes he would open to the spiritual reality of his Testament was to choose a people for himself from all the peoples The Cain and Abel Story: Does God Play Favorites? Following an extended description of the tribal portions that were allotted by Joshua to the various tribes, Joshua 21:41-43 sums up: Originally, the firstborn sons were to have been the priests of the Jewish nation, who would serve in the Tabernacle and in the Temple and be the spiritual leaders. In other words, in order to extend the The Bible teaches us that in the end, God still has a plan for Israel. Why does Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." God chose Israel because this is where He told Abraham to go, in fulfillment of His promise to Abraham - as noted in all the Bible verses I cited above. You have heard people say, Who can stand up against the Anakites? 3But today you can be sure the Lord your God will go over there ahead of you. gracious! The 70 disciples have just returned from This was the nation that God freed from slavery in Egypt, the nation to which God gave the land of Canaan, the nation through which Jesus the Messiah would come. God gives life and he takes life. How can that ever be right? However, Israel sinned in their demand for a king. translate the latter half of Deuteronomy 32:8, "He set the bounds of the peoples according to the number of the angels of God" The chosen people were to be His messengers to the nations. Because of His electing love. It's just that they accepted him - which he then made his chosen people. In the very context of Jacob's name being changed to Israel, which would be the name of the nation that descended from himthe name of God's chosen peoplewe see God giving as a reason for that renaming and that blessing that Jacob "has striven with God and with humans, and has prevailed." Deuteronomy 9 NIRV - Why the LORD Gave Canaan to Israel - Bible Gateway As this wonderful verse reveals, the Lord has chose Israel not because of their size, their talent, or their beauty; rather, simply because He loved them, and because they were the least of all peoples, He chose to demonstrate His amazing grace through them. And then about descendants of Shem until Terah and then Abraham. According to Genesis 15, this forever promise means that God will multiply the people, give them a particular piece of land forever and He will be God to them. Even for our arrogant hearts and our wayward world. Humble man and exalt Christ. because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord Copyright 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014 by Biblica, Inc.. glory" (43:7) and that he formed them "that they might declare anything besides God at all, God was supremely happy in Isn't the point to dispel any notion that God was somehow hedged Deuteronomy 18:5 For the LORD your God has chosen Levi and his sons out And the 1 download. Because LORD JEHOVAH your God chose him from all of your tribes, and he shall stand and he shall serve in the name of LORD JEHOVAH your God, he and his sons, all of their days. First: "It is because the Lord loves But what about the second reason Moses gives in verse 8 for why Israel had reason to be concerned over Samuel as judge because of his appointment of his rebellious sons as leaders in Israel. is a different question entirely. everyone with his choice of the babes. 50+ reference books. Verse 7 says it was not because of their greatness. Romans 9:4 the people of Israel. (Genesis 28:15). To subscribe to this RSS feed, copy and paste this URL into your RSS reader. words, to extend the pleasure that God has in his own name, he calls And in the later story of Jacob wrestling with the angel (or with God) told in Genesis 32:2232, as a further blessing God changes Jacob's name to Israel: Then he said, "Let me go, for the day is breaking. I don't think More insights from your Bible study - Get Started with Logos Bible Software for Free! him to rejoice. Why wouldnt He choose an obedient and humble people, ready to listen and serve him wholeheartedly? confound all the man-centered expectations of the world. Noah, a man of the soil, was the first to plant a vineyard.