Chosenness

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The Jewish people are not so intrinsically holy that their return to their ancestral land would create a shining light as a society of perfect morality, impeccable ethics and an example for the World to emulate. This has been the mistake of many commentators who point at the State of Israel and say, “They’re no better than any of us. How can they call themselves the ‘chosen people’”. This perception is so incorrect that it is downright laughable and shows a complete misunderstanding of the meaning of chosen-ness. God chose the Jews not because of any superior qualities they may possess. He chose them because He chose them, with the ultimate purpose of revealing Himself to mankind, as we read earlier in verses 22 and 23.

This is what J.C. Ryle knew a century earlier, as we have already read. The Jewish people are to return to the land in a state of unbelief. Only once they are in the land, at some unspecified time, would God ‘sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep My laws. You will live in the land I gave your forefathers; you will be My people, and I will be your God’.

This is still, at the time of writing, in the future, despite the growing number of Jews discovering Jesus their Messiah in Israel and elsewhere. But, when the time comes, God will act according to His words in verses 33 to 38.

“‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: On the day I cleanse you from all your sins, I will resettle your towns, and the ruins will be rebuilt. The desolate land will be cultivated instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass through it. They will say, ‘This land that was laid waste has become like the garden of Eden; the cities that were lying in ruins, desolate and destroyed, are now fortified and inhabited.’ Then the nations around you that remain will know that I the LORD have rebuilt what was destroyed and have replanted what was desolate. I the LORD have spoken, and I will do it.’  ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Once again I will yield to the plea of the house of Israel and do this for them: I will make their people as numerous as sheep, as numerous as the flocks for offerings at Jerusalem during her appointed feasts. So will the ruined cities be filled with flocks of people. Then they will know that I am the LORD.’”

Again, this is still to come, but make no mistake, when it does, the Jews and the whole World will know Who is truly in charge.

But, meanwhile, Israel has to live, as the Zionist Entity, with the clearly stated, but now for reasons of political correctness not talked about aim of its enemies to ‘drive the Jews into the sea’. This statement, made by the Egyptian leader Nassar in 1967, has never been publicly revoked and remains to every Israeli the stated purpose of Palestinian political pressure. The reason why it is not mentioned in Arab propaganda is for the simple reason that it wouldn’t go down well in the corridors of power, newsprint and media channels in Europe and the USA.

Since September 11^th, 2001, the public has become more aware of the catalogue of hate and invective directed towards Israel and the Jews from their Muslim Arab neighbours, but this is unnecessary for me to repeat as a daily reading of internet, satellite and terrestrial news sources would suffice. The key factor is blind hatred and, rather than reacting to it on an emotional level, we should seek to understand it in a wider context.

Why so much hate? Why have the Jews and everything associated with them attracted such negativity from those around them, whether Christian, Arab, Gentile, Muslim, or even other Jews! Is it because they are a cursed people and we are just seeing the outworking of this, or is it because they are a blessed people, attracting resentment and anger? They can’t be both, only one can be true … but which one is it?

For the next article in this series, click here.

For the previous article in this series, click here.

Who are the chosen people and why?