Day 66 - Deuteronomy 26-28

ONE-YEAR JOURNEY OF THE BIBLE
Day 66 - Deuteronomy 26-28 (Who Are God's Chosen People?)
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"Also today the Lord has proclaimed you to be His special people, just as He promised you, that you should keep all His commandments, and that He will set you high above all nations which He has made, in praise, in name, and in honor, and that you may be a holy people to the Lord your God, just as He has spoken."  (Deuteronomy 26:18-19)

Throughout the whole Bible, Israel is called God's chosen people or God's special people or God's holy nation.  It all began when God chose Abraham to be the father of a nation that will be called by God's name.  He did so because all the nations of the world at that time were evil and God wanted to form a nation that will be known as His people.

In the New Testament, however, Christians were also called God's special people as we read from the first letter of the apostle Peter to the Christians:  "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy."  (1 Peter 2:9-10)

The question naturally arises: Has God replaced the nation of Israel with the Church of Christ as His special people?  The simple answer is no.  Both the old and new testaments contain many prophecies concerning the nation of Israel that have yet to be fulfilled and since God always does what He says He will do, we can be certain that those unfulfilled prophecies concerning Israel will absolutely come to pass in the future.

One example of the many unfulfilled prophecies concerning Israel is God's promise that all Israel will be saved as the apostle Paul has written:   "For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.  And so all Israel will be saved,  as it is written: "The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; for this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins."  ,Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers.  For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable."  (Romans 11:25-29)

No one in their right mind today will say that all Israel is saved.  In fact, the majority of Israeli citizens today do not even believe in God.  Therefore, we can conclude that the fulfilment of this promise is yet in the future and therefore we can also conclude that God has not replaced Israel as His chosen people even though Christians now also enjoy a special election as God's "chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy."  (1 Peter 2:9-10)

Paul went on to write the purpose of God for allowing Israel to temporarily reject her Messiah and turning His attention to the Church whose citizens are made up of true Christians:  "'For as you were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience, even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy.  For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all.  Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!  "For who has known the mind of the Lord?  Or who has become His counselor?" ; "Or who has first given to Him and it shall be repaid to him?"  For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen."'  (Romans 11:30-36)