The One Behind The BookSample

Israel - A nation to bless all nations

THE STORY SO FAR...

God created the whole world and gave humans a special place in it to love him and take care of his creation. Adam and Eve chose to disobey God and the results were disastrous. We too have all sinned and have separated ourselves from a perfect relationship with God. However, God does not give up on us and has a plan to set things right!

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Mankind increased in number across the earth and continued to disobey God. Evil spread until mankind seemed to be spiraling out of control. The Bible then focuses on God’s desire to restore all people back into relationship with himself. The question is, how is he going to do this when people keep sinning against him?

From Genesis 12, the Bible follows the journey of Abraham and his family. God made Abraham an amazing promise, telling him that he will have many descendants. In fact, God promised to make Abraham’s descendants into a great nation- the nation of Israel. The purpose of Israel was to bless all other nations by showing them who God is so they would come to know him too. This promise, or covenant, is crucial as it is through Israel that God planned to bring all people back to himself.

Time goes by and the fulfillment of God’s promise begins to be seen. Israel becomes a great nation and is greatly blessed. God gives Israel the Ten Commandments and asks them to follow his way. As always, people are free to choose how to live. The choice is simple: live for God (be blessed and be a blessing), or disobey God (live their own way and face disaster).

On occasions, Israel would be faithful to God but all too often they disobeyed him. They practiced child sacrifice, rejected God by worshipping man-made statues and did many other horrible things. We continually see Israel follow a pattern; firstly they ignore God and go about living their own way which ends in suffering, they don’t know what to do so they cry out to God, God graciously rescues them, but after a short period of peace the pattern starts all over again.

Sin did not just affect Israel’s relationship with God, it also affected their relationship with one another and as a result the nation split in two.

It seemed Israel failed in its mission to be God’s blessing to the world. Although God was angry with Israel, his love for them did not change and he didn’t give up on them.

God stated that he would make a new promise, a New Covenant, with the people. This covenant would completely change peoples’ hearts, and they would be inwardly changed by God’s love. God said he would “pour out his Spirit upon them” (Ezekiel 36:26-27) and they would experience forgiveness for their sins in a new way.

30 Word Recap

Abraham is chosen by God to father a nation – Israel – through whom God will bless all nations. Although Israel often turns away from God, God remains faithful to his promises.

Questions

1. Read Genesis 12:1-3 and Genesis 18:18. What are the promises God gives to Abraham?
2. Read Deuteronomy 30:19-20. Is it God’s heart to bless people or to curse them? Why?
3. Why do you think God wants people to obey him?
4. Read Jeremiah 31:31-34 and Ezekiel 36:26-27. What are some of the key features of the New Covenant?

Personal reflection

Even though Israel did not always obey God, God continued to love them. It is the same with us. Sometimes we disobey God, but he never stops loving us and is always ready to forgive us. What do you think this says about what God is like?