The people of God obviously refer to those who are different from the rest and enjoy a special status. They are something special to God and have a special relationship with Him to qualify to be people of God. Let us go to the beginning when God called Abram in Genesis 12 to leave his land for a new place that God would show him. Once Abram was there, God says in Genesis 12:2, “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.” This nation would become the nation of Israel, the first group to be designated as God’s people.
When God spoke to Abram, He used certain adjectives: make you a great nation: bless you: make your name great; you will be a blessing. This promise was based on a specific performance. To leave his country and go to the place that God shows him. Abraham obeyed and left. Thus, the covenant is known as the Abrahamic Covenant. This blessing promised to Abraham would extend through him to all the peoples of the earth. Thus, Abraham became special and chosen by God. This covenant lays the basic framework for a class of people to be known as the chosen people of God.
In Deuteronomy 7:6, God affirms the Jews to be the chosen people of God “For 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.” Further, Deuteronomy 7:7-9 tells us, “The LORD did not set His affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath, He swore to your forefathers that He brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; He is the faithful God, keeping His covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commands.”
The plan of redemption demanded that God be born as a human being to redeem mankind. God had planned from the beginning to be born into a very small nation or race of people called the Jews. The Old Testament tells the story of how God set about creating, distinguishing, and preserving that race. Later still, He narrowed the Messiah’s ancestry to the line of David.
However, God’s reason for choosing the nation of Israel was not solely for the purpose of producing the Messiah. God’s desire for Israel was that they would go and teach others about Him. It is the blood of Jesus and belief in Jesus as the son of God that brings us salvation.
• A chosen people: The Bible states that God chose the Jewish people for a special purpose: to be his witnesses, to give the world the Scriptures, and to be the lineage through which the Messiah would come.
• Proclamation to the nations: The prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 66:19) says, "They will proclaim My glory among the nations," a commission that was given to the Jewish people.
• Witnesses to God's character: Their role was to demonstrate God's holy character and bring the world to faith in the Messiah.
Dr Ashwin Drummond
Laddertoheaven.co.in