God's Covenants With IsraelSýnishorn

Day 3 – ‘You will be a blessing’

God chooses Israel, elect. “Theirs… [are] the covenants,” Paul says in Romans 9:4 and Romans 11:28, “As far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs.”

This election of Israel does not mean that God has a favorite nation and doesn’t care about the rest of the world. He says, “You will be a blessing” and “all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” So, it is not an election at the expense of the rest of the world but as a blessing to the rest of the world. In the Bible, Israel is called the apple of God’s eye. That is an old-fashioned expression for your eyeball or just your eye. If you think about the purpose of your eyes, it becomes easier to understand Israel’s election. Our eyes are quite small in proportion to the rest of our bodies, but they are extremely important. Thanks to your eyes, your body can find its way around. That is why Jesus also calls the eye the lamp of the body.

Israel is the same: It is very small compared to other nations and people groups in the world, but it has enormous value and significance. Through Israel, God shines His light in the world. The world received the Bible through Israel - God’s guidance for life, the Savior and Redeemer from sin, and the Gospel. God still continues to fulfill this promise: All peoples on earth will be blessed through you. If you look carefully, you can still see it happening!

Something to think about: How do you see Israel being a blessing to the whole world today?