Topical Bible: The Jews: Chosen and Loved by God

◄ The Jews: Chosen and Loved by God ►

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The Jews, also known as the Israelites or Hebrews, hold a unique and significant place in biblical history as the chosen people of God. This divine selection is rooted in the covenantal relationship established between God and the patriarchs, beginning with Abraham. The narrative of the Jews as God's chosen people is woven throughout the Old and New Testaments, highlighting their role in God's redemptive plan for humanity.

Divine Election and Covenant with Abraham

The concept of the Jews as God's chosen people begins with the call of Abraham. In Genesis 12:1-3 , God calls Abram (later Abraham) to leave his country and promises to make him a great nation: "I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing." This covenant is further solidified in Genesis 17:7 , where God declares, "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."

The Covenant with Israel at Sinai

The election of the Jews is reaffirmed at Mount Sinai, where God establishes a covenant with the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In Exodus 19:5-6 , God proclaims to the Israelites, "Now if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, you will be My treasured possession out of all the nations—for the whole earth is Mine. And unto Me you shall be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." This covenant underscores the special relationship between God and Israel, setting them apart for His purposes.

The Role of the Law and the Prophets

The giving of the Law through Moses further defines the identity and mission of the Jewish people. The Law serves as a guide for living in accordance with God's will and maintaining the covenant relationship. The prophets, sent by God, call the Israelites back to faithfulness and remind them of their chosen status. In Amos 3:2 , God states, "You only have I chosen of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities." This highlights both the privilege and responsibility of being God's chosen people.

The Promise of a Messiah

Central to the Jewish identity is the promise of a Messiah, a deliverer who would come from the line of David. This promise is a testament to God's enduring love and faithfulness to His people. Isaiah 9:6-7 speaks of this coming ruler: "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." The expectation of the Messiah is a cornerstone of Jewish hope and identity.

The New Covenant and the Inclusion of the Gentiles

With the coming of Jesus Christ, the promised Messiah, the scope of God's covenant expands to include the Gentiles. However, this does not negate the special status of the Jews. In Romans 11:1-2 , the Apostle Paul, himself a Jew, affirms, "I ask then, did God reject His people? Certainly not! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. God did not reject His people, whom He foreknew." Paul further explains that the inclusion of the Gentiles serves to provoke Israel to faith and that God's promises to the Jewish people remain irrevocable (Romans 11:11-29).

God's Enduring Love for Israel

Throughout Scripture, God's love for the Jewish people is evident. Despite periods of disobedience and exile, God's commitment to Israel remains steadfast. Jeremiah 31:3 captures this enduring love: "I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have drawn you with loving devotion." This love is not based on merit but on God's sovereign choice and faithfulness to His covenant.

The Jews, as God's chosen and loved people, continue to play a vital role in the unfolding of biblical prophecy and the ultimate fulfillment of God's redemptive plan for the world.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Deuteronomy 7:6,7
For you are an holy people to the LORD your God: the LORD your God has chosen you to be a special people to himself, above all people that are on the face of the earth.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

[Greek: En Toyto Nika]
... You Jews wish to conquer all mankind: and behold, instead ... Then know this, that God
so loved you, sinners as ... noble, are called: but God hath chosen the foolish ...
/.../kingsley/town and country sermons/sermon xxxiv greek en toyto.htm

Mary at the Cross.
... The Jews honestly convicted Christ as a blasphemer because they had dishonestly
denied Him to be a good man. ... But if Christ is chosen and loved as He ought ...
/.../dods/the expositors bible the gospel of st john vol ii/xx mary at the cross.htm

The History Books
... Their Sacred Book was all that the Jews possessed ... When, for instance, Saul was chosen
king, Samuel 'wrote in a ... While her people loved and served their God they ...
/.../duff/the bible in its making/chapter iv the history books.htm

The Law Anterior to Moses.
... His precept; if they had habitually loved their neighbour ... patriarchs, and so again
for the Jews, at definite ... and inobservant of the Sabbath, was chosen to the ...
/.../tertullian/an answer to the jews/chapter ii the law anterior to.htm

The Murderous Rejection.
... Instantly He is surrounded by a group of these Jerusalem Jews who, with an air of
apparent earnest ... He only saw Jerusalem"the chosen"the loved"the lost ...
/.../gordon/quiet talks about jesus/the murderous rejection.htm

The Gospel was Preached to Jews and Gentiles in Hades.
... God is not only Lord of the Jews, but of ... the disciples after the resurrection, "I
have chosen you twelve ... is the People [3291] of the Beloved"loved and loving ...
/.../clement/the stromata or miscellanies/chapter vi the gospel was preached.htm

God's Sovereignty Defined
... During one of the Feasts of the Jews, the Lord ... If then God loved Jacob and hated
Esau, and that before they ... places in Christ: According as He hath chosen us in ...
/.../pink/the sovereignty of god/chapter one gods sovereignty defined.htm

Typology
... Let us change the rule which we have hitherto chosen for judging ... which is upon these
books for the Jews, is there ... said that Israel would be always loved by God ...
//christianbookshelf.org/pascal/pensees/section x typology.htm

The Apostles Chosen
... world, and things which are despised hath God chosen, yea, and ... among the Gentiles,
but only among the Jews; or as ... But Jesus loved his Father in heaven, with a ...
/.../newton/the life of jesus christ for the young/the apostles chosen.htm

Passages Referring to Bethany in the Sacred Narrative.
... But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good ... Now Jesus loved Martha,
and her sister, and Lazarus ... fifteen furlongs off.) And many of the Jews came to ...
/.../macduff/memories of bethany/passages referring to bethany in.htm