Although Joseph was despised by his brothers and sold as a slave by them he later became a ruler in Egypt, only second to Pharaoh Genesis Later, Joseph forgave his brothers and his entire family moved to Egypt Genesis , Over time, the nation of Israel fell in to deep apostasy and rebellion towards God. Moses had warned the nation of Israel at its inception that there would be serious consequences for the nation if it rebelled Leviticus God desired His people to serve Him from their heart and that they would always be blessed.
Sadly, almost as quickly as they became a nation did Israel begin its rebellion. It is mainly stories that tell how Israel rebelled so God allowed judgement to come upon them. Once Israel cried to God for help, He would deliver them. This is generally the pattern of the nation of Israel, with their rebellion and sins growing worse and worse in time.
Israel eventually elected kings, which quickly led them into worse sin. They became so rebellious and idolatrous that many followed the practices of Molech and Baal.
These false gods required the sacrifice of their children, which much of Israel began to practice Jeremiah The nation of Israel was led captive into Babylon for 70 years Jeremiah The Calling and Mission of Israel. This is why the Apostle Paul wrote, Now if their transgression is riches for the world and their failure is riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fulfillment be!
Join our mailing list today and stay up to date with all the latest news! Sign Up. After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. When God called Abraham in Genesis 12 , he had Revelation 12 in mind. He chose Abraham, built a nation out of him, which bridges the gap to Jesus.
In Jesus, we see the fulfillment of this promise in Genesis, and we understand the result of this promise in Revelation. Notice that people from every nation, every tribe, every language, every people will one day gather around the throne and worship the lamb.
I think it is safe to say this is an example of all the people on earth being blessed through the seed of Abraham.
I want to take a moment just to make a parallel between the promise God made to Israel and the promise God makes to you and me as believers.
Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. His faithfulness to keep his Word is not just true for Israel, it is true for you. You have been called out of darkness and God has saved you so that you could be a light to point people to Jesus.
Like Israel, we were once not a people, but now we are the people of God. The beautiful thing is that this promise, like the one God made to Abraham, will endure forever. You are choosing it to complete a specific job. The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples.
God chose Israel for a specific purpose out of love and to keep His oath to their forefathers. What was His oath and what was the purpose? While He did bring them out of Egypt as promised, the connection goes back to the promise God made to Abraham.
In Genesis 15 we read that God made the original covenant or oath. He would be their God and give them a specific piece of land forever. Yet even before that, God said He would bless Abraham and his descendants so that all the families of the earth would be blessed Genesis Quite simply, God has chosen the Jewish people to demonstrate His own kind and promise-keeping character to the world.
And, to bless all the families of the earth! God lovingly chose Israel and declared to keep that covenant regardless of their sin. God keeps His promises even after hundreds and thousands of years have passed.
Ezekiel prophesied that God would scatter Israel to the four corners of the earth and again return them to this very same piece of land. But He made it clear that it was not due to their righteousness or for their own sake. I will vindicate the holiness of My great name which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst.
For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands and bring you into your own land. Not because they are anyone special, but because He is special in their midst. God will prove to all the nations of the earth that He is God. He has chosen Israel for such a task. Despite being chosen for a specific purpose, this does not make the Jewish people better or more loved by God. In the same way that you would not love or prefer your toothbrush over a wire scrub brush.
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