In our readings this year, we have recently finished the book of Isaiah. It's hard to believe this year is almost over, and I'm surprised to still be learning new things from the Old Testament.
For some reason, while reading Isaiah, I seemed to pick up on this whole concept of the Chosen People. It starts with Abraham, where God promises blessings upon his descendants -- that they should be as numerous as the stars in the sky. God also promises a choice land for His people.
Going down a couple of generations, it comes to Israel and his twelve sons, who then head the Twelve Tribes of Israel. Then the rest of the Old Testament follows what happens to this Chosen People.
Every time I hear the term "Chosen," the first thing that comes to mind is: why is there even a Choice People to begin with? Doesn't this contradict the doctrine of "God is not a respecter of persons"? (Acts 10:34)
I'm also surprised to see how rotten this group of people are throughout the Old Testament. God works miracles with them, but they always apostatize -- not even waiting a full generation. Sometimes they are "good" with good kings or judges, but most of the time, they're the ones following idols and sometimes being worse than their neighbors.
But yet in Isaiah, even with the anger against Israel, he states that God's hand is still outstretched. And this is important ...
... They are still the Chosen People. When they turn to good, God is ready to support them.
Now that we're in the Jeremiah books, we'll get to see what happens next: the scattering of Israel, where ten tribes will become lost, and two will remain. Eventually, the descendants of Judah will reject and have their own Messiah crucified.
So, why them? What about most of all the other people in the world, like me (Gentiles)? I can't help that I was born outside of their group. Why am I not Chosen?
In some cases, it seems that God really is being a respecter of persons. For example, in the New Testament, Jesus made it a point to administer only to the Jews (including the Samaritans). It was only at His death that the Gospel was opened up to the Gentiles. At one point during his ministry, a Gentile says "yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table." (Matthew 15:27) So, are the rest of us just sloppy seconds?
But then I notice that a Chosen People needed to be established near the beginning so that the true Gospel could eventually be revealed and established more permanently in the world. Because of apostasy throughout the world after the Flood, this was a strategy to shore up Truth for generations to come. It would take a couple of millennia to come to full fruition into what we have today.
Some wonder if these people were chosen as some kind of necessary setup for the ultimate sacrifice to come. Only the Chosen People could reject their own, paradoxically helping to save us from our sins through the Atonement. According to as-of-yet unfilled prophecies, the Chosen will ultimately accept Christ in the last days. The First will be Last, and the Last will be First. Or in other words, the Chosen will be the Last to accept Him.
Some also point out that the promise to Abraham has been fulfilled. Throughout the Old Testament, the Chosen People have intermingled with their neighbors. Simple math would show that chances are very high that we are all descendants of Abraham -- and also Israel. In this sense, we are literally one of the Chosen. We may be "watered down," yet we may have full access to all of the blessings promised to Abraham and his descendants.
I'm not sure if I've figured all of this out, but I figure God knows what He's doing.
Finally, I would like to close with thoughts about the Jewish people today. Some seem to forget that they are still the Chosen People. The Bible reminds us that those who fight against Israel will be punished, and will ultimately not prevail.
We should also be reminded that from a Christian standpoint, the Jewish belief system isn't necessarily wrong. They are just missing the additional information the rest of us have accepted. Their current existence as a people reminds us of our own heritage. In a strict sense, as Christians, we are also Jews -- that is, we believe in the same God of Abraham and Israel. We are held to many of the same commandments. The main difference is that we believe many of the parts of the Law of Moses have been fulfilled and replaced with a Higher Law.
Today's Jewish people have preserved much of their own traditions, of which we can learn plenty. So, in the coming days, we must remember to be friends, help them out, encourage them, work together, and learn. Because in the end, we will all be one again.
So, what are your thoughts? What do you believe about the Chosen People?
