Israel: A Chosen People In A Promised Land - Part 3
A CHOSEN PEOPLE:
We can see from Genesis 12:1-3 that Yahweh called Abram away from his ancestral lands (in Ur – which is now southern Iraq and Kuwait) to a place that was unknown to him, a place that would become home to his people. It would be a special place, one of blessing and worship. The relationship between Yahweh and Abram’s descendants is a special one, on one hand it is full of miraculous blessings and expansion (when they followed Yahweh), and on the other hand it also contained a heavenly father’s discipline of a wayward children – children that he loved dearly and wants to be in ‘tabernacle’ with.
Yahweh adds to the promise first given in Genesis 12 in relation to being a blessed and numerous people. In Genesis 17:1-7 we see Yahweh confirming his promise to Abram and also extending it.
Genesis 17:1-7 (NIV) states “When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless. Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.” Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.”
In these verses we see Yahweh promising that the descendants of Abram will be so numerous that his name would be changed to ‘Abraham’ which means “Exalted Father” or “Father of Many” in the original Hebrew language. Not only will he be the origin of the nation of Israel, but also many other nations and kingdoms. In Genesis 15:5 Yahweh tells Abram that “Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” – denoting that his descendants will be too numerous to count, which is the situation that is evident in today’s modern world.
Yahweh calls this promise to Abraham a ‘covenant’. In the Middle East and Mediterranean regions at that time a covenant was an oat bound kinship bond that is legally binding. In a sense Yahweh brings Abraham and his descendants into His holy family (a position that is shared with Christians, after the death and resurrection of His son Jesus). This is a position of importance and shows why Yahweh treasures then so much.
The depth of this relationship can be seen in Deuteronomy 7:6…
Deuteronomy 7:6 (NIV) states “For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.”
We see in this verse several elements of that relationship between Yahweh (God) and the people. They are a holy people, meaning that Yahweh has special plans for them, and an intimate relationship exists between them. Furthermore, it says that Yahweh treasures them. This is not just a concept of “Hey, this lot are really cool – I think I may be nice to them” – no, this statement shows the depth of relationship and the depth of love for the people that Yahweh has. If you have a treasure, you guard it and look after it with all your effort – Yahweh does this for His people time and time again.
Israel as a group of people, as a nation – are a people chosen, blessed, cherished, and protected by Yahweh. God does not lie, nor does he go back on his promises. Israel only exists then and today because God said it was so.
To read the other parts of the study, and to access the entire document (when uploaded) please follow this link —> Israel: A Chosen People In A Chosen Land - Study Page