Israel, God's People

ISRAEL:  CHOSEN NATION AMONG THE PEOPLE

"I have also sent to you all My servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, `Turn now everyone from his evil way, amend your doings, and do not go after other gods to serve them; then you will dwell in the land which I have given you and your fathers.' But you have not inclined your ear, nor obeyed Me.” (Jer. 35: 15)

Introduction

The world is full of different religions. Although the intentions are primarily good, not all of them are following the same goal or are uncertain about the last destination of their members. The most of these religions arrest the members to a specific philosophy and liturgy, all enough to keep them inserted and involved.

It is evident that the true religion is the one able to connect us directly with the true God, the Creator of earth and heaven. All others can bring some benefits, but for sure will never lead the believers to eternal life and future kingdom. These religions are only for present life.

Considering the poor or non existing interest from nations, God called a righteous man and from him originated a priest nation to serve as light to all people.

Ø  Why Israel was chosen among all nations? Was this nation better or bigger than any other?

ü  Because God was pleased by Abraham’s obedience and loyalty.

ü  Because of His oath to Abraham.

ü  Because all other nations were corrupted: "It is not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart that you go in to possess their land, but because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD your God drives them out from before you, and that He may fulfill the word which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Therefore understand that the LORD your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stiff-necked people.” (Deut.9: 5, 6)

"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.” (Deut.7:7, 8)

“Now the LORD had said to Abram: "Get out of your country, From your family And from your father's house, To a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; And you shall be a blessing.”

(Gen. 12: 1, 2)

"So it shall be, when the LORD your God brings you into the land of which He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you large and beautiful cities which you did not build,” (Deut. 6: 10)

Ø  What kind of work should Israel do as a chosen nation?

A priestly work, announcing the truth to the gentiles and teach them about the true God and His ways.  “And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel." (Ex. 19: 6)

“And you shall be holy to Me, for I the LORD am holy, and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be Mine.” (Lev. 20:26)

Interesting to observe that God separated Israel from others, but today somebody want to join both people. Is quite clear the reason expressed in this verse: “to be Mine!”

“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;” (I Pe. 2: 9)

There are only two people: Israelites and gentiles. There is only one chosen nation: Israel; called to be God’s people and separated from all others. So it’s easy to understand that among holy Israelites there is no space for gentiles and once grafted in olive three through Yeshua, only the Israelites receive this sap.

Ø  How should be Israel’s behavior and what would they face if they followed the way of the nations?

Obey and be loyalty. "And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul,” (Deut. 10: 12)

"You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are all around you. You shall diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God, His testimonies, and His statutes which He has commanded you... And you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the LORD, that it may be well with you, and that you may go in and possess the good land of which the LORD swore to your fathers” (Deut. 6: 14, 17, 18)

The disobedience would cause hard punishment to Israel. "But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:..” (Deut. 28: 15)

CONCLUSION:

All people must recognize that Israel is elected because God is sovereign and to His wish we must curve our faces. And through Abraham and his seed all nations shall be blessed.

“I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." (Gen. 12: 3)

ISRAEL: HOLY NATION SEPARETED FROM ALL PEOPLE

“And you shall be holy to Me, for I the LORD am holy, and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be Mine.” (Lev. 20: 26)

Introduction

Now inserted into the jewish vision, actually we are able to quite understand why God removed His people from Egypt and after entering the Holy Land they were forbidden to marry with different people. All involvement would only cause His children to divert from God and embrace the idolatry and disobedience to His laws, statutes and judgments.

Coexisting with gentiles the Israelites would collapse into transgression and in this case they would never fulfill the priestly mission. For many times this was a fact.

Ø  Why God planned to remove His people out of Egypt and what were His considerations if they had returned?

He removed His people from Egypt so that they could serve Him. "And you shall say to him, `The LORD God of the Hebrews has sent me to you, saying, "Let My people go, that they may serve Me in the wilderness"; but indeed, until now you would not hear!” (Exo. 7: 16)

The pharaoh asked the israelites to make their sacrifices in the land of Egypt or not so far from his territory. “Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, "Go, sacrifice to your God in the land. And Moses said, "It is not right to do so, for we would be sacrificing the abomination of the Egyptians to the LORD our God. If we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, then will they not stone us? We will go three days' journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the LORD our God as He will command us. And Pharaoh said, "I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away. Intercede for me." (Exo. 8: 25- 28)

Always the same, but God would never accept His people returning to Egypt!  "But he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, for the LORD has said to you, `You shall not return that way again.” (Deut. 17: 16)

Actually some religious insist on ecumenism. It’s a serious mistake to cause mixture of clean and unclean, and you must consider definitely God has a separated nation and His special treasure. If Israel is separated by Him, obviously nobody can propose any fusion, any mixture with the other people.

Remember now Joseph, that as an Egyptian governor, asked his people to vow, that after his death, his bones would be removed from Egypt. “Then Joseph took an oath from the children of Israel, saying, "God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here." (Gen. 50: 25)

“And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for he had placed the children of Israel under solemn oath, saying, "God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here with you." (Exo. 13: 19; Jos.24: 32)

However, when they faced the first fence, all miraculous signs were forgotten and they complained, requesting for the chance to come back to Egypt. “So they said to one another, "Let us select a leader and return to Egypt." (Num. 14: 4)

"How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who complain against Me? I have heard the complaints which the children of Israel make against Me.” (Num. 14: 27)

So, it’s not strange and difficult to see somebody forgetting about our teshuvah, returning to Egypt. That is regression. By these verses one can consider how difficult is serving and worship God in a strange land and among Egyptians, but this action demands a total renunciation to linkages to the world of gentiles.

Ø  What advice the Lord has given to his people when he considered the coexistence among Canaanites?

"When the LORD your God brings you into the land which you go to possess, and has cast out many nations before you, the Hittites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than you, and when the LORD your God delivers them over to you, you shall conquer them and utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them nor show mercy to them. Nor shall you make marriages with them. You shall not give your daughter to their son, nor take their daughter for your son. For they will turn your sons away from following Me, to serve other gods; so the anger of the LORD will be aroused against you and destroy you suddenly.” (Deut. 7: 1- 4)

The junction made by marriage or even the coexistence in some level could easily move Israel far from God. His love and jealousy for His children is amazing and its obvious to any sincere believer that covenant with gentiles is not different from being God’s enemy.

Ø  What occurred to Solomon when he married to strange women?

“But King Solomon loved many foreign women,as well as the daughter of Pharaoh: women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites from the nations of whom the LORD had said to the children of Israel, "You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you. Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods." Solomon clung to these in love.” (I Kings 11: 1, 2)

“Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? Yet among many nations there was no king like him, who was beloved of his God; and God made him king over all Israel. Nevertheless pagan women caused even him to sin.” (Neh. 13: 26)

Ø  What serious providence Nehemiah and Ezra decided to follow after seventy years of Babylon's captivity when they were restoring the temple?

“And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, spoke up and said to Ezra, "We have trespassed against our God, and have taken pagan wives from the peoples of the land; yet now there is hope in Israel in spite of this. Now therefore, let us make a covenant with our God to put away all these wives and those who have been born to them, according to the advice of my master and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law. Arise, for this matter is your responsibility. We also are with you. Be of good courage, and do it.” (Ezra 10: 1, 2)

Courage is necessary to leave pagan wives, false doctrines, strange language and way of their life. The identity of God’s people is a fact of serious analysis and not everybody is able to understand.

“Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, "You have transgressed and have taken pagan wives, adding to the guilt of Israel. Now therefore, make confession to the LORD God of your fathers, and do His will; separate yourselves from the peoples of the land, and from the pagan wives." (Ezra 10: 10, 11)

"Should we then hear of your doing all this great evil, transgressing against our God by marrying pagan women?" (Neh. 13: 27)

In order to restore the worship, it was mandatory to leave the customs learned in Babylon and banish all strange behavior, in other words, to clean.

“So I cleansed them from all strangers, and appointed charges to the priests and the Levites, every one in his business,” (Neh. 13: 30)

Is it different today? Think about.