Copyright 2002-2022 Got Questions Ministries. Rather, it was simply that the LORD loves you" (Deuteronomy 7:7-8 NLT). We need faith to believe in Gods goodness to the whole world, and every individual in it. Therefore be careful to observe them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. For what great nation is there that has God so near to it, as the LORD our God is to us, for whatever reason we may call upon Him? (Deuteronomy 4:5-7). 2) The reason God chose Israel was so that he might reveal himself (the Law, through Moses; his character, through the Covenants, and through his actions in saving Israel (e.g the Exodus)). The Scriptures are quite clear that among all the nations in the world, God chose Israel as the one He would work with. Is There More to Israel Than the State of Israel? Deuteronomy 7:7-9 We all have equal standing before God and free access to the Father through his son, Yeshua. God blessed Abraham and his descendants because of Abrahams faith, a living faith that resulted in diligent obedience to Gods instructions and law (Genesis 26:3-5). In addressing the ancient Israelites, He told them: 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. Deuteronomy 33:16 provides the key to the answer. How are we to align ourselves with this passion of Gods heart, when it seems contrary to our sense of justice and fair play? Was there something special about these people unlike others? The Jewish people are trustees, guardians and messengers of these gifts to the world. More than one Jewish person has verbally wished that the choice had landed on another people group instead. I n the comments below regarding God's command to stone sinners for certain crimes in the Old Law, (see Deut 12:10), the topic of Israelite genocide came up. The Israelites were Gods chosen people because they represent Gods faithfulness to Abraham and that he keeps his word. Jesus had to come from some nation of people, and God chose Israel. This is not the will, nor is it the purpose or the desire of God. Moses is preaching one of his final sermons to the people of Israel before they enter into the promised land. The gospel was the reason God chose Israel. Israel may be the nation that was chosen, but they have been chosen for a reason. And the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle. However, Israel's sinful motives and impatience were not outside of God's sovereign control. God's choice of Israel was expansive, not exclusive. I can't recall his name. Non-Denom In Relationship Question: "Why did God choose Israel to be His chosen people?" Answer: Speaking of the nation of Israel, Deuteronomy 7:7-9 tells us, "The LORD did not set His affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. If you look at the covenant that was made it was a conditional covenant. Get our Question of the Week delivered right to your inbox! When the Holy Spiritwas granted to Jesus followers and the New Testament Church was established on the Day of Pentecost, the people in this beginning congregation were initially Jews (Acts 2:5), descendants of Judah, one of the 12 tribes that comprised ancient Israel. "Why did God choose Israel to be His chosen people?"Answer: Speaking of the nation of Israel, Deuteronomy 7:7-9 tells us, "The LORD did not set His affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. Jesus Christ is the ultimate reason why God chose Israel to be His chosen people. For no uncircumcised person shall eat it (Exodus 12:48). Jesus Christ is the ultimate reason why God chose Israel to be His special people. If you have put your trust in Christ as savior, then you are now Gods special possession. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version ( 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.). New Revised Standard Version It was not because you were more numerous than any other people that the LORD set his heart on you and chose youfor you were the fewest of all peoples. Am I Bugging God When I Continue to Pray about the Same Thing? He will not give up on Israel, he will not renege on his promises (despite Israels unfaithfulness), and if he says he will do something, he will do it. All rights reserved. Yeshua answered, If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? While it is indeed a great privilege and honor, it is also a great responsibility to belong to the King and to be His ambassadors. A deepening trust in Gods sovereign plan and his perfect goodness to us can help us accept the differences we see to steward our privileges well and generously, and to humbly accept the difficulties we experience that others seem to escape from Scott-free. Why did God create me? This has been proven from a historical and a scholarly point of view if you wanna take religious belief out of it. There are NO scriptures that said He chose ANY other nation of people. Members were considered Abrahams seed regardless of their race, and the body of believers was referred to as the Israel of God (Galatians 3:29; 6:16). God gave His laws and Sabbaths to be a benefit to all people (Deuteronomy 10:13; Mark 2:27). Used by permission. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. God wanted Israel to serve as a model nation. Surely I have taught you statues and judgments, just as the LORD my God commanded me, that you should act according to them in the land which you go to possess. Thus says the Lord, "The people who survived the sword. What to Do if Your Child Has Walked Away from the Faith, Social Media Influencer Oli London Has Detransitioned after Converting to Christianity, A Prayer for Victory - Your Daily Prayer - November 2, 6 Female Celebrities Who Openly Follow Christ, 7 Things that Will Keep Me from Coming Back to Your Church, How to 'Let Go and Let God' with Adult Children in Trouble, 30 Morning Prayers to Start Each Day with God. How are to we believe that God is just and loves everyone, but at the same time sets his affection on one people group in particular? These Jews who were the earliest Christians did not fully understand that God was also going to bring gentiles into the Church. The study looks at how Jesus tells us time and time again that each of us has a specific purpose, and about the importance of each one of us in His plan. The curses and punishments in Deuteronomy promised to Israel if they fail are eye-watering in their severity and extremity. It is enough to make anyone envious of the chosen people retreat from that position with gratitude. They were to show other nations how a people can live under God's rule. But He still has a special purpose for the descendants of Israel in the future. God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are so bent on exalting God the Father that they rejoice when he exerts his wisdom and power and grace to choose a people for himself in a way that will confound all the man-centered expectations of the world. Indeed, contrary to Gods revealed heart forevery nation, and his declared lack of favouritism? The first reason without a doubt is because of Abraham. There are several reasons why the LORD continued to bear with Israel. Israel produced leaders, kings, priests, prophets, and missionaries to the entire known world. Why Did God Choose Israel? Jesus tells Peter, and all those who read these words, that we are not to look at others and insist on identical treatment, but to accept the privileges we receive from God with understanding and also the challenges that he has uniquely put before us. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. 00:00:00 00:30:17. He will not give up on Israel, he will not renege on his promises (despite Israels unfaithfulness), and if he says he will do something, he will do it. 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 choose Israel because He wanted to make from Israel a nation of people who will praise Him. And this is not even thrown out of the window on the safe arrival of Yeshua the Messiah. This can only be done when we truly believe that God really loves us. So often when you think of Israel you think in terms of a nation of people, which is what they are now, but that is not what they always were. Moses writes, "Let the blessing come on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brothers." God honored Joseph because he "was separate from his brothers." He refers to Israel as his special treasure () and the apple of his eye ( ) among other tender and affectionate designations. He says, "Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" ( Exodus 19:5-6 Exodus 19:5-6 Loading. He offered them an opportunity to become the model nation of His way of life for all nations, so that all people could have His blessings. This statement is found in 12:5, 11, 14, 18, 21, and 26. Deut. It is because of Jesus that the offer of salvation flows to every person and all peoples on the face of the earth. So why did God choose Israel? 18 But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, Gods special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. These laws made it clear that the king of Israel was not the final authority; but was an authority under God. Carl Mason God chose Israel for two reasons. Print subscriptions available in U.S., Canada and Europe. Our identity in the flesh does not give us preferential treatment or diminish our status before God. But they chose to reject God's rule in order to become like all the other nations. Today th. This really is the crux of why God chose Israel to be his chosen people. God told them that he would drive the people out slowly over time. The fact that we can be different but equally precious is a truth that the enemy is trying to hide. Article Images Copyright . Moses is delivering his farewell address, a soliloquy urging Israel to follow God and his commandments. It is in Jesus that this promise is fulfilled. Posted on September 8, 2022 by Rod Reynolds According to Scripture, God chose the people of Israel, that is, the people descended from the patriarch Israel, as his chosen people. The significance of Gods work with Abraham and his descendants was clearly respected by the first-century Church of God. But these too are lies. Through humanity itself. Modern Approaches to Jewish Election God chose Israel because God chose Israel. God says He will put His laws, which Israel did not obey, in their mind and write them on their hearts under the New Covenant (Hebrews 8:10). . This blessing is meant to be a channel of blessing to all nations (Genesis 12:2). From this promise you see that God did not choose a nation, he chose a man and built a nation from this man. While God chose to work with the ancient nation of Israel, this decision did not exclude people of other nations (gentiles) from coming to understand God and serve Him. Especially with the advent of the New Atheists, there is an allegation that the God of Israel commanded "genocide.". moving from there into the time of jesus there is the ideal confluence of cultures that facilitates the early propagation of the gospels in the manner that we presume was ideal for god's plan- israel is a religious state being ruled by the romans who are the greatest administrators in history and who have subsumed the culture of the greeks who Clarence L. Haynes Jr.is a speaker, Bible teacher, and co-founder of The Bible Study Club. So why did God choose Israel? Answer (1 of 29): Well I don't know. God chose Israel really for the same sort of reason that he chooses his people today: because Israel was weak and sinful. He didn't choose Israel because Israel was lovelier than all the other nations. Unfortunately, they failed to be the model nation God desired; and because of their national sins, they incurred Gods punishment. 1 Samuel 16:7 "But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. 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. 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 (Deuteronomy 7:6-8, emphasis added). Found grace in the wilderness. He also wanted to bring his Messiah into the world through a people group. A commentary on the fifth speech of Moses in Deuteronomy 16-21. In the very next sentence, God reveals why he has chosen Israel. 1 Peter 2:9-10. Let not only the nation of Israel be a reminder but let the cross of calvary be a forever reminder that God is faithful and that he keeps his word. I suppose for the same reason He chose Israel.To them He said, "The LORD did not set His heart on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other nations, for you were the smallest of all nations! He bestows great honour upon him but also gives him a heads-up about his painful end. So why did God choose Israel? In Deuteronomy 7, Moses tells why God chose Israel to be the nation through which He gave the law and would one day send the Saviour. God redeemed the monarchy and brought it into His covenant, seen in the promised Davidic covenant (2 Samuel 7:8-16). Paul writes to the Galatians that there is no longer Jew nor Greek (3:28), but then he also says there is no male nor female, so we understand that he does not mean those identities vanish when we come to faith, but rather that we are all equally valuable in Gods sight. He has done this for no other nation.. Yet the tribes of Israel are still there right to the end of Revelation, just as God promised that they always would be (Romans 9-11, Jeremiah 31:35-36). Yet the tribes of Israel are still there right to the end of Revelation, just as God promised that they always would be (Romans 9-11, Jeremiah 31:35-36). . Because God had specifically chosen and worked with their ancestors and now was continuing to do so, they understood themselves as being part of the commonwealth of Israel, which gave them access to Gods covenants of promise (Ephesians 2:12). As for observing the Passover(one of Gods commanded observances in both the Old and New Testaments), God said, And when a stranger dwells with you and wants to keep the Passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as a native of the land. We see Gods distinct choice of Israel right to the end of Revelation, because his calling and gifts are irrevocable (Romans 11:28-29). "O seed of Abraham His servant, You children of Jacob, His chosen ones" ( Psalms 105:6 ). We can see his standards. There wasn't anything particular about the Israelites which caused God to pick them as His chosen people. Deuteronomy begins with many chapters in which Moses is portrayed as delivering a historical retrospective and extended exhortations to the people about to cross over the Jordan River into the land of Israel. He chose Abraham, built a nation out of him, which bridges the gap to Jesus. The problem of sin was solved by Jesus on the cross. But it was because the LORD loved ONE FOR ISRAEL is an initiative of native-born Israelis on the forefront of high-tech media evangelism, proclaiming salvation to Israel, raising up spiritual leaders through ONE FOR ISRAELs Bible College and equipping them with the tools they need to transform our communities. A humbled, obedient people will then serve in the capacityGod intended for them. This will help you believe that God chose you for a purpose. Rejoice! In essence, God chose to reveal His very self through the nation of Israel! In other words, we must not covet the package that others have got. Prophecies hidden in the Feast of Tabernacles, The end times Prophecy found in YOM KIPPUR. God later confirmed that the Messiah would come from the line of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Genesis 12:1-3). That reason is because from Abrahams lineage we get to the Messiah, Jesus. However, the objective remained that Gods desire would be for this nation to be a holy nation set apart for his purpose. This was the nation that God delivered out of slavery in Egypt, the nation to whom God gave the land of Canaan, and the nation through whom would come Jesus, the Messiah. God instructed the ancient Israelites that they were to respect peoples of other nationalities who came to live among Gods chosen people. The Pursuit of Victory: How To Conquer Your Greatest Challenges and Win In Your Christian Life. I have formed you, you are My servant, O Israel, you will not be forgotten by Me. Then they said to Moses, "Because there were no graves in Egypt . Peter immediately looks over at John, When Peter saw him, he asked, Lord, what about him? Israel is our concrete proof of this truth, and will continue to testify to the certainty of Gods word by being a living example of it. A personal delivery. There are many laws unique to Deuteronomy, such as the prohibition of sacrifice outside "the place which the Lord your God will choose" (Deuteronomy 12:5) and having a . Although the whole earth is mine, youwill be for me a kingdom of priestsand a holy nation.These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites. Exodus 19:3-6. This promise was repeated to Abrahams son, Isaac, and to Abrahams grandson, Jacob (Genesis 17:21; 26:24; 28:1-4, 13). Get our Question of the Week delivered right to your inbox! Actually, the Bible reveals thatthere remains a bright future for these peoples. and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you. Genesis 12:3. Then Moses went up to God,and theLordcalledto him from the mountain and said, This is what you are to say to the descendants of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel:You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles wings and brought you to myself. 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