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| Q: | Genesis, Deuteronomy, Exodus, Revelation This last month I have be studying the book of Genesis. I have been using The People's Bible series for reference. It has been more than helpful, but I still do not understand one topic that is briefly mentioned on page 115. I understand that God poured out his grace on the descendants of Jacob, but why was God so selective? (In other words, why did God only show favor on the Israelites and not on others until the time of Christ?) I never like to question why the Lord does what he does. I do not want to question him; rather I want to develop a better understanding and appreciation of this subject. Would you please offer me some insight so that I can g.html a better understanding of the Old Testament? | ||||||
| A: | Among the finest statements on why God chose, blessed, and revealed saving truths fully to the Israelites are those given in Deuteronomy 7:7-9 and Deuteronomy 9:4-6. These clearly indicate that it was God's good pleasure to do so, not anything meritorious in Israel. This nation was neither bigger nor better than any other. That is the ultimate answer to your question: It was God's desire, an expression of his amazing grace, to select Israel for his saving purposes. Also worth remembering are God's words in Exodus 19:5-6. In choosing Israel God was not at all despising or forgetting about the other nations. Israel was to serve as "a kingdom of priests" for God, that is, to serve as his mediators or go-betweens to channel God's revelation to peoples around them. While Israel often failed to serve faithfully in this respect, God nevertheless gives periodic indication that his saving work continued aside from the work reported in detail in the Bible among the Israelites. The fact that Melchizedek (apparently a Canaanite) and Moses' father-in-law Jethro (a Midianite) were prominent believers shows they had access to the truth aside from divine activity highlighted in Scripture. The fact that the non-Israelites Tamar (apparently Canaanite), Rahab (Canaanite) and Ruth (Moabite) were incorporated into the human ancestry of our Lord Jesus Christ also testifies to God's will in this matter. The purpose of the Old Testament is largely to highlight the progression of the promise of the Savior through the generations and centuries prior to Christ's earthly ministry. It would be presumptuous for us to say too much about God's unrecorded activities among other peoples, but it would also be inappropriate to deny such activity altogether. It is best to focus on God's trustworthy statements on his desire to save Jew and Gentile, and to rejoice that those in heaven include people "from every nation, tribe people, and language" (Revelation 7:9). | ||||||
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