Got Questions? Week 11

Why is Israel God’s Chosen People?

Israel is God’s chosen people, this is an indisputable fact. In the Word of God, there is a clear distinction between the people of Israel and everyone else. Almost the entirety of the Bible is written from a Jewish perspective, and understanding Jewish culture and way of life is one of the best ways to understand what the Bible is saying.

Every single historical event in the Old Testament and most historical events in the New Testament take place in the region of the world currently known as Israel.

So the question is: why is Israel God’s chosen people? What makes them more special than any other people? Do they possess promises that other people do not? Has Israel been replaced by the church?

I. Where Did the Nation of Israel Come From?

When examining Scripture, we can trace the origins of the Nation of Israel back to Abraham, who is mentioned in Genesis 12-25.

Abraham and his wife Sarah were barren, meaning they could not have children, and they were past normal child bearing age. But God promised Abraham that he would have a child.

But not only was he promised a child, Abraham was promised that his seed (AKA his descendants) would be more numerous than the stars in heaven.

God made this covenant with Abraham because of Abraham’s great faith in God

God then fulfills His promise to Abraham by giving him and Sarah their son, Isaac.

Isaac then marries Rebekah and has 2 sons: Jacob and Esau.

Jacob is renamed to Israel later in his life after he wrestled with God

Jacob then has 12 sons, who become the fathers of the 12 tribes of Israel.

II. Why is Israel God’s Chosen People?

In Genesis 12:1-3 God speaks to Abraham (then known as Abram) and told him to leave his native country and follow the Lord to an unknown land that was promised to him.

This passage is one of the most significant passages in all of the Bible because it marks the beginning of God’s unfolding plan of redemption. Abraham’s family became a divinely appointed channel through which blessing would come to all men. This promise was formalized in a covenant (Genesis 15:18-21) and was repeated 4 more times (Genesis 17:6-8; 22:16-18; 26:3-4; 28:13-14)

This promise is also emphasized in the New Testament in Acts 3:25; Romans 4:13; Galatians 3:8,29; and Ephesians 2:12.

What was included in this initial promise to Abraham?

A land - God had asked Abraham to leave his country and his relatives and follow Him to a land. Specifically, the land of Canaan, which is the land of Israel.

A nation - God had promised to make a nation from Abraham. He will have children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and so on… enough to populate a great nation

A Great Name - God promised to bless Abram and make his name great. There is probably no more honored name in history than the name of Abraham, who is honored by Jews, Muslims, and Christians.

Blessing upon allies, Cursing upon enemies - God promised to bless all those who would bless Israel and He would curse all those who hate Israel

This is the reason for the decline and fall of many nations. Many times it can be traced back to them cursing the nation of Israel.

He would become a blessing - Abraham was not only promised blessings, but God promised that he would BECOME a blessing, even to the point that “all the families of the earth” would be blessed by Abraham. This amazing promise was fulfilled in the Messiah that came from Abraham’s lineage. God’s blessing to Abraham was not for his own sake, or even for the sake of the Jewish nation to come. It was for the whole world through Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:8-9)

It was through Abraham’s lineage that our Savior, The Lord Jesus Christ would come! Truly all the nations of the world were blessed by Abraham!

Jesus also alluded to the fact that the TRUE descendants of Abraham were not just ones that came from his lineage, but those who shared in his faith! So therefore, all those who have been saved by grace through faith are the spiritual descendants of Abraham! (John 8:37-40; Galatians 3:7)

This also indicated a missionary vision that Abraham’s descendants were supposed to have. They were to look beyond themselves to all nations, to all families of the earth.

God did not intend for Israel to simply be satisfied with only their nation knowing and being blessed by God. It was God’s intention that Israel spread the gospel to all nations.

As Genesis 22:18 states, Abraham received this blessing not because he was necessarily more special or better than everyone else. But it was because he displayed extraordinary faith, and God rewarded that faith.

III. Has Israel Been Replaced by the Church?

There is a prevailing ideology within Christendom that Israel has been replaced by the Church and that Israel no longer possesses the special blessing of God. This is not rooted in Scripture.

This belief has been traced back as far as 160 AD, and it more than likely has its and roots in the fact that by that time, Israel had been scattered and the land renamed “Palestine”. In their mind, because Israel no longer existed as a nation, that God could not have been talking about literal Israel.

But when Israel became a nation again in 1948, this began to shake the beliefs of those people.

But when the Bible says “Israel” it means literally “Israel”. It is not a metaphor or allegory to something else. While the Bible does use some similar terms to describe both Israel and the Church, not once does the New Testament ever call the Church “Israel”

The greatest argument against Replacement Theology is to read Romans 9-11 and replace “Israel” with the “Church” and you will realize that the things Paul is talking about make no sense.

After reading these 3 chapters, Paul clarifies at the end of Chapter 11 that God has set Israel aside for now to focus on the redemption of the Gentiles. But one day, the “day of the Gentiles” will come to an end, and the focus will once again be on Israel

This speaks of the Rapture, tribulation, and 2nd coming of Christ. These events, particularly the tribulation, are FOR Israel. They are designed to get Israel to turn back to God and believe in Jesus as Messiah.

So no, Israel has NOT been replaced by the Church. God has not and will not abandon Israel. They are the only nation that possesses the promise of standing until the very end.

America is not in the Bible. Whether or not our nation will even be here during the events of the Tribulation is unclear and we have no way of knowing. The only thing we DO know, is that Israel will NEVER be destroyed, because God has promised it to be so!