The God who chose Israel

The God
Who chose Israel

The other night as I was drifting off to sleep, I believe the Lord dropped a question into my mind about Israel. He asked, "What other religion do you know whose god singled out a nation to call His own?"

I started thinking about how through thousands of years, from Genesis to Revelation, God speaks of Israel and His special relationship with the people of Israel. And I could not think of a single other religion or "god" that did such a thing. You never hear about any God like "the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob" — Jacob who was renamed by God "Israel" in the Genesis.

There is nothing more consistent in the Bible than God's declaration of being Israel's God - even when Israel has been unfaithful, God has not; He has always had Israel in mind and in His plans.

No wonder the nations rage against Israel. No wonder even half of Christianity is insanely jealous against Israel. They are fighting against God, because God surely wants to gather us all into faith by Israel's Messiah Yeshua. We will not make it if we harbor such jealousy against Israel that we cannot abide to embrace them. It's really that simple.

     * Almost a week later (3/36/24) as I am preparing this to put in my elists this week, I was prompted to look up what Israel means, because I know it contains the name of God Isra - El.

Israel is used 2,507 times in 2,231 verses in the Hebrew scriptures, but the very first use is in Genesis 32:28. I found the first use of "Israel" is in Genesis 32:28 This is precisely where God re-named Jacob.

In Genesis 25:26 we learn that Jacob was named Jacob because of the circumstances of his birth. Names in the Bible indicate the character that marks the life of the person. We see that God changed Jacob's name as He also changed Avram's name.

The name that was on Jacob's life was "heel holder, supplanter, a layer of snares" because at birth, his twin brother emerged first from the womb and Jacob, the second twin grabbed hold of his brother's heel in one long delivery.

     Do you get that picture? It was not two separate delivery processes that are normal for multiple birthing. Instead by grabbing Esau's heel, Jacob used the momentum of his brother's delivery into the world to facilitate his own delivery. The birth of these twins was one long delivery instead of two separate deliveries. That is the first I have understood it as such, but I think it is also key in the salvation of all Israel.

     It is pivotal always to make note "first use" of words and names in the Bible, as it will often give further insight. Later in life, after many troubles in Jacob's life because of his character of being tricky with people to get what he wanted, he wrestled with God all night long for a blessing as he was about to return to his homeland and face the brother he had tricked out of their father's blessing. He wanted to return with all his family and live in harmony with his brother Esau.

     At the end of wrestling all night with the manifestation of God as a Man, Jacob was renamed Israel. “Israel” means “God prevails”  The name change given to Jacob indicates that Israel will prevail because God will prevail:  Then the God-man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because as a prince you have persisted with God and with men, and have prevailed to overcome.”

     That is statement to all of us, and it is key to Israel’s salvation, which we are witnessing right now. Jacob is unsaved Israel, and the whole world is against Israel. But they are persisting, as Jacob did in his life in exile and in beginning the return to the Israeli homeland. They have had to persist through warfare, terrorism and international trickery and grievance against them…but they have and will prevail...and “so all Israel shall be saved."

     God has called Israel His own and no matter what it looks like, they will overcome. The lesson is for us too. We Christians, being adopted into Yeshua's family as "the commonwealth of Israel" are also called to such persistence with God and man that we too, as princes, prevail with God and man to overcome.

Revelation 21:7 The one who overcomes will inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he will be My son.