Were there any exceptions to God dealing only with Israel in the Old Testament?
Yes, there were exceptions. Scripture notes Jonah going to Nineveh, Rahab the harlot, and Nahum and the Syrian, among a couple others. Yet by and large during the Old Testament, God dealt only with His covenant people, Israel, while they were under the covenant promises.
Les teaches that during the Old Testament, while Israel was under the covenant promises, God was dealing only with His covenant people, but with exceptions. He points out that he already referred to Jonah going to Nineveh, and there were a couple others: Rahab the harlot, and Nahum and the Syrian, and so forth. Yet by and large, God went only to His covenant people. This comes from Ephesians 2:11-12, where Paul reminds Gentile believers that in times past they were Gentiles in the flesh, called uncircumcision by the circumcision, and that God's dealings were primarily with Israel.
That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
More Questions
When was God dealing only with the Jews in the Bible?
During the Old Testament economy, God was dealing with the Jews only, while Israel was under all of God's promises.
Why did God set Israel aside and turn to the Gentiles?
When Israel refused and rejected the covenant promises, God set them aside temporarily and turned to the Gentile in grace.