Choosing a Special People

"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 on the face of the earth."—Deuteronomy 7:6

Richard Evans

.When God began his earthly creation, it was first necessary to prepare him a home. “For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited” (Isa. 45:18).

Only after that home was prepared did he bring forth the creatures. The greatest and last of this earthly creation was man and woman—intelligent beings with free will who were able to relate to him with love. “And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might” (Deut. 6:5).

Though essential to the development of a loving creation, free will gave the individuals power to choose for themselves to do good or to do evil. Anticipating the inevitable negative response, God with infinite wisdom and patience set in motion a plan—a plan that required several ages to demonstrate to his creation the calamitous consequences of that response and to select and prepare two peoples to assist him in the recovery of his creation from those consequences.

In the Beginning

In the beginning of that plan the heavenly Father related to only a few individuals—those who were willing to respond to him in faith and love. "By faith Enoch . . . had this testimony, that he pleased God" (Heb. 11:5).

Also, God allowed his spiritual creation, the angels, to interact directly with the earthly. Like humans, these beings were created free moral agents. Some of them, like their earthly counterparts, chose to follow their own dictates rather than God’s (Jude 6). The consequences were tragic.

"And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. . . . But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord" (Gen. 6:5-8).

Only the family of Noah survived the destruction this evil brought upon the earth. Afterward God’s interaction with his creation continued to be on an individual basis, and with just a few notable exceptions (e.g., Job, Melchizedek), this relationship was restricted to individual members of the family of Abraham. To the patriarchs of that family God revealed his intention to recover his earthly creation.

"Now the Lord had said unto Abram, . . . I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: . . . and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed" (Gen. 12:1-3).

An Age for Choosing a Special People

After a few more centuries the time arrived when the divine plan called for a new and different relationship. To select the first of his chosen peoples, and to provide his people much needed instruction, it was necessary to establish an earthly nation with God as its king—a nation through which he could prepare his people and make manifest some important principles—principles necessary for life.

He chose a nation of slaves to accomplish this work. "For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God, the LORD hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. The 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: . . . Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations" (Deut. 7:6, 7, 9).

The Old Testament, except for the book of Genesis, is a chronicle of God’s work with this nation of slaves—their deliverance, their covenant with God, their wanderings, their faithfulness and unfaithfulness, their blessings and cursings. In spite of their failings, God pledged they would become a "holy people"—a people set apart for sacred service. He promised that when they were obedient to his principles, and lived in harmony with them, they would be a kingdom of priests.

"Now therefore, if [im, Strong’s #518, ‘if, when, since’] ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation" (Exod. 19:5, 6).

No time limitation was specified in this promise. God did not say if you obey my voice by 606 B.C., or by A.D. 33 or 70, or by any other date. God pledged that when Israel obeys, with no date stipulated, they will be a peculiar treasure unto him, a holy nation.

The Purpose of the Special People

Later in his relationship with these special people God reaffirmed his promise by an unconditional covenant with David, their king. "Moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; . . . and thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever" (2 Sam. 7:10-16).

There are three different entities addressed in this covenant—house, kingdom, and throne; though different, the three are inseparable and together are to be "established for ever."

As with the covenant made with Abraham, the ultimate outcome does not depend upon David’s righteous conduct, nor that of his seed. Against all contingencies David’s house, David’s kingdom, David’s throne are secure forever.

Verse 14 of this text is difficult and most versions do not render it adequately. One that gives the proper thought reads, "I [God] shall be his Father, and he [David’s seed] shall be my son. He will be a guide to the wandering: and I will cause him to correct men with a staff, and the sons of Adam with a touch" (2 Sam. 7:14, Ferrar Fenton).

The statements of the Davidic covenant parallel those of the Abrahamic. Not only is it personal and national, it is also universal—the future work of David’s kingdom will be the recovery of all the "sons of Adam."

The prophets and teachers God sent to his chosen nation made this universal promise clear and emphatic. David’s kingdom was to be a kingdom of priests through whom God could fulfill his covenant with Abraham.

"Not for your sakes do I this, saith the Lord GOD, be it known unto you: be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel. Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities I will also cause you to dwell in the cities, and the wastes shall be builded. And the desolate land shall be tilled, whereas it lay desolate in the sight of all that passed by. And they [the rest of the sons of Adam] shall say, This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are become fenced, and are inhabited. Then the heathen [all humanity] that are left round about you, shall know that I the Lord build the ruined places, and plant that that was desolate: I the LORD have spoken it, and I will do it. Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will yet for this be enquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them; I will increase them with men [all humanity] like a flock. As the holy flock, as the flock of Jerusalem in her solemn feasts; so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men: and they [the sons of Adam] shall know that I am the LORD" (Ezek. 36:32-38).

God promised his special people of Israel he would use them to provoke his earthly creation to return to his principles, to his ways; but, as he declared to Moses, Israel must first obey his voice. Ezekiel’s prophecy addressed this prerequisite: "I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them" (Ezek. 36:26, 27).

There are no conditions attached to this promise, and it is yet to be fulfilled! At no time in the past has Israel received its "heart of flesh"; therefore, there is a time still future when God’s chosen people will walk in his statutes and keep his judgments—when they will obey God’s voice. Consequently, at that time, this special people will be a kingdom of priests. God decreed there will be a time when Israel will hearken to his principles. His people will be obedient! Israel, as a nation, is predestined to be a servant to their God:

"Thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee. I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine . . . for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him. . . . Ye 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 is no God formed, neither shall there be after me" (Isa 43:1, 7, 10).

"Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified. . . . I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth" (Isa. 49:3, 6).

God predestined the nation of Israel to be "a light to the Gentiles" which would bring his salvation "unto the end of the earth"—to all his earthly creation. This predestination does not apply to individuals, it concerns the aggregate, the sum. Israel, as a nation, will be God’s servant and his holy people. The individual Jew is not predestined to share in this divine purpose. God will not violate the free-will of his creatures, and will not have any serve him who is unwilling. The choice is the individual’s.

Another Age, Another People

The heavenly Father used the Jewish age for the work of selecting and developing his "holy nation." In his marvelous plan, however, he has predestined two peoples—Israel and the church. When the age arrived for the work of developing the second people, he sent forth his son. A wondrous sign marked the inauguration of its work when that son, Jesus, was baptized in the river Jordan. "And straightway coming out of the water, he saw the heavens opened [schizo, Strong’s 4977, ‘rent asunder’] and the spirit like a dove descending upon him" (Mark 1:10).

The word used here for the opening (rending) of the heavens is the same as used for the rending of the Temple veil in Luke 23:45. This rending of the heavens, and later the veil, demonstrated that yet another relationship between God and his creation had been introduced—a relationship that did not replace what had come before.

"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am come not to destroy but to fulfill [pleroo, #4237, ‘to complete’]. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law till all be fulfilled [ginomai, #1096, ‘be accomplished’]" (Matt. 5:17, 18).

The purpose of this age, the Gospel age, was not to replace Israel in the divine arrangements. It was an added dimension. His covenant with Israel remained in force while a new and different relationship was set in place to develop his second predestined people.

"James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me, Simeon [apostle Peter] hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, After this I [God] will return and [the quotation from Amos 9:11, 12 begins here] will build again the tabernacle [tent] of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: [in order] that the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things" (Acts 15:13-17).

At the time the words quoted by James were first spoken the house of David had so fallen the prophet Amos described it as a tent, or booth; thus symbolizing the frailty of it in a divided Israel. In spite of its condition at the time, however, God through Amos promised "in that day" he would return (Deut. 30:3,9; Jer. 12:14, 15; Psa. 6:4; 80:3, 7, 14, 19; 90:13; Num. 10:36) and "build it as in the days of old" (Amos 9:11,12).

Amos’ prophecy dealt with all three aspects of the Davidic covenant—David’s throne, David’s house (tent), David’s kingdom (2 Sam. 7:10-16). James, by quoting Amos, confirmed this direct link to that unconditional covenant, the covenant that reaffirmed the predestined Israel of the future.

James pointed out that before this promise could be fulfilled God must first take out of the world "a people for his name." After this, he would remember his covenant with David and then the divine purpose would be accomplished—the residue of men would seek after the Lord.

A Subsequent Age for Correction

The introduction of this new relationship between God and his creation, the calling and election of the church, did not mean God abandoned "the apple of his eye" (Deut. 32:10). The Apostle Paul’s answer to just such a question was unequivocal, "I say, then, hath God cast away his people? God forbid" (Rom. 11:1). This affirmation was firmly founded on God’s long-standing promise: "And the LORD thy God will make thee plenteous . . . for good [Hebrew ki] the Lord will again rejoice over thee for good, as he rejoiced over thy fathers: . . . if [ki, ‘for’] thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law, and if [ki, ‘for’] thou [shalt] turn unto the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul" (Deut. 30:9, 10).

"For I am with thee, saith the Lord, to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished" (Jer. 30:11).

During the age in which God has been taking out of the world a people for his name (the church), he has been correcting Israel. Moses had prophesied long before of the need for this age of correction.

"And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee, and shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thychildren, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul; that then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee" (Deut. 30:1-3).

Moses foretold Israel’s future would first be a time of blessing, followed by a time of cursing and scattering, then there would be a time of regathering and obedience. God promised he would return to Israel (Acts 15:16).

That the heavenly Father set aside an age for Israel’s correction makes evident it has a future, a time when his favor will return; otherwise the correction would be in vain (Isa. 55:11).

"And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: for this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. As concerning the gospel, they [the Jews] are enemies for your [the church’s] sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers’ sakes, for the gifts and calling of God are without repentance" (Rom. 11:26-29).

The immediate context makes manifest the call of national Israel, Jacob; the "whole house" (Ezek. 37:11; 39:25) will never be repented of by God. God has predestined Israel to be a holy nation, his special people.

Other Purposes of the Jewish Age

A critical part of the work to bring about this glorious conclusion was accomplished during the Jewish age. Though God used this age to choose and develop his special people, it also provided needed instructions for subsequent ages—instructions for those whom God would call to be the church and, later, for all of his human creation.

1) The Jewish age prepared a people among whom would be some who would be receptive to the call of the Gospel age (Gal. 3:19-24).

2) The Jewish age provided "examples" from which those called to be of the church could learn important lessons (1 Cor. 10:1-11; Rom. 15:4)—lessons that would be of value to all humanity in the Messianic age.

3) The Jewish age made it manifest that a life of faith was essential for righteousness. Works of the law would not suffice (Rom. 3:20; Gal. 3:11).

4) The Jewish age provided graphic illustrations of the vast difference between good and evil (Rom. 3:20; 7:13).

5) The Jewish age furnished dramatic proof that the human creature is incapable of doing good outside of the laws of God (Rom. 3:19; 7:7-25).

God’s Plan Irrevocable

From the beginning, then, God’s promise to his servant Jacob has been irrevocable. As Jeremiah declared: "Therefore fear thou not, O my servant Jacob, saith the LORD; neither be dismayed, O Israel: for, lo, I will save thee from afar, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and shall be in rest, and be quiet, and none shall make him afraid. . . . Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will bring again the captivity of Jacob’s tents, and have mercy on his dwelling place; and the city shall be builded upon her own heap, and the palace shall remain after the manner thereof. And out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voices of them that make merry; and I will multiply them, and they shall not be few; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small" (Jer. 30:10, 18, 19).

God has spoken. He will not repent! He will return to Israel! Then the grand purpose of the Jewish age will have been accomplished. God’s servant Jacob will be a holy people—a special people that will be a witness of God’s salvation for all the families of the earth. The sons of Adam shall return to their gracious Creator in love and obedience.

"And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away all tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth; for the LORD hath spoken it. And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation" (Isa. 25:7-9).