As many of you who follow this blog know, I devoted a month’s worth of my writings to the unconditional covenant that God made with the Children of Israel. A very common question that many people ask is, “Why has Israel suffered so much persecution for thousands of years? If Israel is indeed God’s chosen people, why do they suffer so greatly?”

In the next few weeks, I will aim to touch on this very complicated yet important subject. It’s important to keep in mind that God’s covenants are unchangeable and His calling is irrevocable; God made an everlasting covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel), which had nothing to do with Israel’s obedience or faithfulness to Him.

Let me address a very important, foundational issue regarding Israel’s calling; did the Lord choose the Children of Israel because they possessed a specialness that made them more talented, beautiful, or more worthy? Let’s see what God Himself has to say about this:

““For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are 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 of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but because the LORD loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers, the LORD brought you out by a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.” Deuteronomy 7:6-8

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. Not only did He demonstrate His grace, but also his everlasting faithfulness to His promises and His word. He eventually revealed His Son, Yeshua, through the Jewish people. In essence, God chose to reveal His very self through the nation of Israel!

This concept of being chosen due to God’s love, grace, and faithfulness is a hard concept for many to understand. 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. As He said in the first part of the verse, He has chosen us to be His own possession. This introduces a new concept, which is that through us He can manifest His love, grace, and faithfulness.

In the next few blog entries, we will further explore the issue of God’s election and the reason for it. However, in the meantime I would like to encourage each of you to reflect upon the mere fact that we, Jewish or Gentile, have been chosen just like the Children of Israel were chosen. Whether part of the natural Olive tree, or grafted in, we have been chosen to manifest God in the world, and live for His glory!

“For the love of Messiah controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, that they who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. ” 2 Corinthians 5:14-15

Shabbat Shalom

Moran