Day 1 – God chose Israel

I must be honest, for a very long time I felt left out when it came to the nation of Israel, God’s chosen people. God didn’t need to choose a nation to be His special people, but He did this with reason. After Adam and Eve disobeyed God, He promised the Messiah (Genesis 3) and later God confirmed that a Messiah would be born from the line of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Genesis 12:1-3). Jesus Christ was God’s ultimate reason for choosing Israel. Ultimately, they were the beloved chosen people through whom Jesus Christ would be born. (John 3:16).

Choosing Israel was not merely to create a lineage for the Messiah, but they were chosen to be a nation of priests, prophets, and missionaries to the world from whom we can learn. God’s yearning for Israel was to be disciples who would go and teach others about Him and who could point others towards God and His promised provision of a Redeemer, Messiah, and Saviour. Today we know the truth of the nation of Israel, which for the most part, failed in the task of teaching us about God. Ultimately, we can be grateful for their purpose. Throughout the Bible, we read how God saved Israel from their enemies and how He led them out of Egypt to a promised land.

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. But it was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath He swore to your forefathers that He brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh, King of Egypt. Know therefore that the LORD your God is GOD; He is the faithful God, keeping His covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His COMMANDS.”

Prayer: Lord our Father, You are the King of kings the Lord of lords and we acknowledge and know You are God and You are a promise keeper, a faithful God. You love us so much that You send Jesus a Messiah, to save us from this world. Thank you for loving us just like we are, with all our shortcomings. We can never be perfect but with Jesus in us, we are trying for perfection. We are forever grateful that You are our God. Amen.

By Marie Swanepoel for www.womenoftheword.co.za