The purpose of Israel

The purpose of Israel. (Short version)

A question that is often asked is why did God choose Israel as his people above all the others? This opens up many other questions such as what was so special about them that God chose them above all other nations on the earth? Does God really have favourites? And what does this mean for those that are not physical Israelites? These are questions that I myself asked when I first came to be a believer. A great number of people have given many different answers to these questions. Many of those answers seem, to me, more like personal opinions and conjecture rather than  Biblical answers that can be derived from scripture.

So I decided to a Biblical study and see if the Bible states not only why God chose Israel but also for what purpose did he do so.

I was rather surprised, during the early stages as a believer anyway,  that the Bible actually states that there is in fact nothing intrinsically special about the Israelites at all. They were not chosen by God because they were good or because they were righteous or indeed because they were strong or plentiful. They were also not chosen by God because God has favourites.

God stated in Deuteronomy chapter 7 that they were chosen because God loved them and so he would keep his oath to their fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Deuteronomy 7-  6For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.

7The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: 8But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

God further proclaimed this later on in Deuteronomy chapter 9 that is was the wickedness of the other nations and not their own righteousness that they would possess the land. God again reiterating that it was to fulfill his promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Deuteronomy 9- 4Speak not thou in thine heart, after that the LORD thy God hath cast them out from before thee, saying, For my righteousness the LORD hath brought me in to possess this land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD doth drive them out from before thee. 5Not for thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of thine heart, dost thou go to possess their land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that he may perform the word which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

God even declared the Israelites a stiffnecked people.

Deuteronomy 9-6 Understand therefore, that the LORD thy God giveth thee not this good land to possess it for thy righteousness; for thou art a stiffnecked people.

The Israelites were in fact “chosen” as we see, because of God’s promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

The promise was first given to Abram way back in the book of Genesis before his name was changed by God to Abraham. God promised to make him a great nation and to bless him.

Genesis 12- 1Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:

2And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

God made a promise to Abraham that his seed would be numerous and that he would be given land in which his seed would dwell.

Although God had made the promise to Abraham that he would be made a great nation, Abraham was actually 75 years old

Genesis 12- 4So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.

However at the time that God made these promises to Abraham,  Abraham did not have any sons or indeed any children at all.

This is something that Abraham even petitioned God in regards to.

Genesis 15- 2And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? 3And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir. 4And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.

His wife Sarah (then Sarai) was actually barren.

Genesis 11-30 But Sarai was barren; she had no child

Sarah at this time was also actually past the age where, even had she not been barren, she would have been able to conceive children.

Genesis 18- 10And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him. 11Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. 12Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also? 13And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? 14Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.

Even after this promised son and the birth of Ishmael, Abraham’s son through Hagar, Abraham did not receive the promised son (Isaac) until he was 100 years old.

Genesis 21- 5And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him.

Abraham would have to wait 25 more years before Isaac, the son promised by God, was finally born unto him through Sarah.

Now an important question to stop and ask here is why did God choose Abraham?

The Bible again does not say that there was anything intrinsically special about Abraham. We are not told he was righteous or good.

In fact Abraham, before he followed God, was likely a pagan. Abraham was born around 292 years after the flood in the land of Ur. Ur was a pagan city where they, including Terah, the father of Abraham, served other gods.  

Joshua 24-2 And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods.

After the tower of Babel and the people were divided, many different nations arose. These nations took the truth that was YHWH, the only true God and embellished and changed that truth creating their own gods until only a snippet of the truth remained.

Abraham could very well have been alive, and even have been an adult at the time of the tower of Babel.

We know that the tower of babel came after the flood. After the flood the world was of one language and sojourned together. They had journeyed from the east.

Genesis 11- 1 And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. 2And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there.

It was because of the tower of Babel that the people were divided and scattered

Genesis 11- 6 And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. 7Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech. 8So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. 9Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.

We are told in scripture that the earth was divided during the days of Peleg

Genesis 10- 24And Arphaxad begat Salah; and Salah begat Eber. 25And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided; and his brother’s name was Joktan.

So it was during the days of Peleg that the incident took place at the tower of Babel and the people divided.

When we look at the genealogy given in Genesis chapter 11 we will see that Abraham was himself born during the days of Peleg.

Genesis 11- 10These are the generations of Shem: Shem was an hundred years old, and begat Arphaxad two years after the flood: 11And Shem lived after he begat Arphaxad five hundred years, and begat sons and daughters.

12And Arphaxad lived five and thirty years, and begat Salah: 13And Arphaxad lived after he begat Salah four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters.

14And Salah lived thirty years, and begat Eber: 15And Salah lived after he begat Eber four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters.

16And Eber lived four and thirty years, and begat Peleg: 17And Eber lived after he begat Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters.

18And Peleg lived thirty years, and begat Reu: 19And Peleg lived after he begat Reu two hundred and nine years, and begat sons and daughters.

20And Reu lived two and thirty years, and begat Serug: 21And Reu lived after he begat Serug two hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters.

22And Serug lived thirty years, and begat Nahor: 23And Serug lived after he begat Nahor two hundred years, and begat sons and daughters.

24And Nahor lived nine and twenty years, and begat Terah: 25And Nahor lived after he begat Terah an hundred and nineteen years, and begat sons and daughters.

26And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

Peleg was born 101 years after the flood.

Shem-Arphaxad 2 years after the flood
Arphaxad- Salah 35 years
Salah- Eber 30 years
Eber- Peleg 34 years

Total 101 years

He died at the age of 239

Peleg – Reu  30 years + 209 years

Which was 340 years after the flood. (The tower of Babel happened sometime between 101-340 years after the flood).

Abraham was born 292 years after the flood

Shem-Arphaxad 2 years after the flood
Arphaxad- Salah 35 years
Salah- Eber 30 years
Eber- Peleg 34 years
Peleg- Reu 30 years

Reu- Serug 32 years
Serug- Nahor 30 years

Nahor – Terah 29 Years

Terah – Abraham 70 Years  

Total 292 Years

Which means Abraham lived for 48 years during the days of Peleg.

So it is quite possible that Abraham had already been born during the time of the tower of Babel but certainly no more than 191 years after it even if it happened the year Peleg was born.

Just as a side note Shem is stated as having lived for 500 years after the birth of Arphaxad which means Shem lived for 208 years after the birth of Abraham.  Which means he died 33 years after Abraham died. Shem outlived Abraham Abraham lived for 175 years

Genesis 25- 7And these are the days of the years of Abraham’s life which he lived, an hundred threescore and fifteen years.

What we do know is that Abraham rejected the pagan gods of his father and his people and followed the calling of YHWH.

We are not specifically told, but God more than likely called out to many people, maybe even all people to follow him. However it was Abraham who listened, it was Abraham who obeyed and so it was Abraham who was “chosen”.

Genesis 26-5 Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.

God knew that Abraham would obey him and teach his children to keep the way of the LORD.

Genesis 18- 18Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.

Abraham believed God, trusted God, listened to God and obeyed God.

For this obedience God blessed him.

Hebrew 11- 8By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. 9By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: 10For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. 11Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised. 12Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable.

It was the faith of Abraham that was accredited to him as righteousness

Genesis 15- 6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

God continued his promise through Isaac and promised Isaac (the promised son of Abraham) that his seed, rather than the seed of any of the other children of Abraham, would be given the land that had been promised to his father Abraham and that his seed would be numbered like the stars

Genesis 26 – 3Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father; 4And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; 5Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.

Isaac was the son that God had promised Abraham so it was through Isaac that the promise would come to fruition.

Now Isaac had 2 sons Esau and Jacob. Although Esau was the elder of the two twins Jacob deceived Isaac into obtaining the blessing that was to be passed down from Isaac unto his eldest son Esau.

God honoured the blessing that Isaac made and so fulfilled his promises to Abraham and Isaac through Jacob and also made a promise to Jacob who he renamed Israel.

Genesis 35 – 10And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel.

11And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins;

12And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land.

The Israelites are the result of those promises that God made.

The Israelites named therefore after their father Israel.

The 12 tribes of Israel are so named after the 12 sons of Jacob (Israel)

The purpose of the Israelites

So we come to the purpose of the children of Israel known collectively as the Israelites.

The Israelites, the children of Israel who had dwelt peacefully in Egypt were made slaves in Egypt by a new Pharaoh who had arisen to power. God however freed the Israelites from their slavery in Egypt. During the process of doing so, God, showed that the gods that the Egyptians worshipped, seeing they were not in fact gods but only perceived gods, false gods that did not in actuality exist, had no power over the true God the God of Israel (see my writing why did God kill the firstborns of Egypt.)

There are 2 purposes of the Israelites.

One purpose was to be a light unto the gentiles.

The Israelites were to follow YHWH. By following YHWH they would inherit the land that was first promised to Abraham and while they followed, obeyed and served him, YHWH would bless them and protect them in that land.

Deuteronomy 28- 1And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe andto do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: 2And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.

Deuteronomy 28-7The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways

The other nations were meant to see the power, blessing and protection that the God of Israel provided and renounce their own false gods, seeing they were useless against the God of Israel accept the God of Israel as the true God the only God who was true and then join the Israelites and become part of Israel and then like the Israelites obey and serve the one true God. Through their following YHWH they would receive the same blessing and protection that the Israelites received. The purpose of the Israelites therefore was pretty simple, to remove the pagan worship of other gods and bring the people of the other nations back to the worship of the one true God YHWH by showing YHWH to be the true God.

Deuteronomy 4-6 Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. 7For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the LORD our God is in all things that we call upon him for? 8And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day?

The Israelites would be a kingdom of Priests.

Exodus 19-6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These arethe words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.

The Israelites therefore were to be a light unto the other nations.

Isaiah 42-6 I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles;

Isaiah 49-6 And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.

The Israelites were the witnesses of God, his servants so that it would be believed and understood that God was the only God.

Isaiah 43-10Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.

There was to be no other nation like Israel. Through them God would make his name known.

2 samuel 7-  23And what one nation in the earth is like thy people, evenlike Israel, whom God went to redeem for a people to himself, and to make him a name, and to do for you great things and terrible, for thy land, before thy people, which thou redeemedst to thee from Egypt, from the nations and their gods? 24For thou hast confirmed to thyself thy people Israel to be a people unto thee for ever: and thou, LORD, art become their God.

We see that this is exactly what happened after God freed the Israelites from Egypt and showed the Egyptians gods powerless.

Many Egyptians did in fact see this and left with the Israelites and joined them.

Exodus 12- 37And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children. 38And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle.

We are told that the strangers, those who were not literal physical descendants of Israel that were with Israel at the time the first covenant was established at mount Sinai were in fact included in that first covenant.

Deuteronomy 29-  11Your little ones, your wives, and thy stranger that is in thy camp, from the hewer of thy wood unto the drawer of thy water: 12That thou shouldest enter into covenant with the LORD thy God, and into his oath, which the LORD thy God maketh with thee this day: 13That he may establish thee to day for a people unto himself, and that he may be unto thee a God, as he hath said unto thee, and as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.

They would live under the same law that the Israelites were to live under

Leviticus 24- 22Ye shall have one manner of law, as well for the stranger, as for one of your own country: for I am the LORD your God.

Numbers 15 – 14And if a stranger sojourn with you, or whosoever be among you in your generations, and will offer an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD; as ye do, so he shall do. 15One ordinance shall be both for you of the congregation, and also for the stranger that sojourneth with you, an ordinance for ever in your generations: as ye are, so shall the stranger be before the LORD. 16One law and one manner shall be for you, and for the stranger that sojourneth with you.

The stranger was in all essence to become part of Israel.They would be included in the promise. Something that God declares in Isaiah. That the son of the stranger should not say that he is separated from the Lord. Those that kept his commandments, they would be accepted.

Isaiah 56-3Neither let the son of the stranger, that hath joined himself to the LORD, speak, saying, The LORD hath utterly separated me from his people: neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree. 4For thus saith the LORD unto the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant; 5Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off. 6Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant;

7Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.

8The Lord GOD which gathereth the outcasts of Israel saith, Yet will I gather others to him, beside those that are gathered unto him.

There are many more biblical examples of the gentiles joining Israel

We see in the book of Esther that many Persians became Jews

Esther 8- 16 The Jews had light, and gladness, and joy, and honour. 17 And in every province, and in every city, whithersoever the king’s commandment and his decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a good day. And many of the people of the land became Jews; for the fear of the Jews fell upon them.

The Gibeonites joined Israel. This is described in chapter 9 of the book of Joshua

The Gibeonites heard about God because of what he did through the Israelites, fearing that Israelites would destroy them they made a league (a pact) with the Israelites. Although they tried to deceive the Israelites through fear they were allowed to join Israel.

Joshua 9- 22And Joshua called for them, and he spake unto them, saying, Wherefore have ye beguiled us, saying, We are very far from you; when ye dwell among us? 23Now therefore ye are cursed, and there shall none of you be freed from being bondmen, and hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God. 24And they answered Joshua, and said, Because it was certainly told thy servants, how that the LORD thy God commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you, therefore we were sore afraid of our lives because of you, and have done this thing. 25And now, behold, we are in thine hand: as it seemeth good and right unto thee to do unto us, do. 26And so did he unto them, and delivered them out of the hand of the children of Israel, that they slew them not. 27And Joshua made them that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation, and for the altar of the LORD, even unto this day, in the place which he should choose.

Ruth of whom there is a book named after her included as scripture in the Bible was a gentile,a Moabite woman. Ruth married an Israelite man, Mahlon, who was the son of Elimelech and Naomi.

Ruth declared that the God of her mother in law, Naomi, which is YHWH , would be her God and Naomi’s people would be her people.

Ruth 1-16 And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:

Ruth is even mentioned in the Genealogy of Jesus as per Mathew.

Matthew 1-  5And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse;

These are just a few of the many examples of the gentiles or peoples from other nations joining Israel.

The salvation of God was not only for the Israelites but for everyone who came to the truth of God and followed God. It was through the Israelites that God’s salvation was to shown.

Isaiah 52-10  The LORD hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.

Isaiah 60 1Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. 2For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.

3And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.

The other purpose was that the Israelites would be the physical lineage through who the Messiah would come.

However unlike what the Jews believed the physical lineage mattered only in relation to the Messiah who would be born of the seed of Abraham.

Galatians 3-16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.

Christ is the seed.

A true Jew was not a Jew because of their physical lineage, a Jew because of the flesh, but a Jew through the heart.

Romans 2-28  For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: 29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

It was not the flesh that made Israel Israel but those of the promise.

Romans 9- 6Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:7Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.8That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. 9For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sara shall have a son. 10And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac

John the Baptist stated to the Jews that it wasn’t about physical lineage back to Abraham and that hey should not think that it was.

Matthew 3-  9And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.

It is those who are Christ’s that are the children of the promise

Galatians 3- 26For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. 27For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. 29And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Those with faith. Just as those gentiles in the Old Testament who came to the faith of YHWH were made Israel.

The Israelites were the means by which God revealed himself in the Old Testament unto the gentiles and through who the Messiah would come.

Through them God showed himself to be the only true God. Thus the purpose of the Israelites was to reveal YHWH to the gentiles who were to see that YHWH was the only true God and come to join Israel and worship YHWH and to bring forth the Messiah.