What is the difference between God saying 'my people' and 'thy people' to Israel?
The difference is conditional: when Israel is in the place of obedience, in the land, and in the place of blessing, God calls them 'my people.' At other times, as when He told Moses or Daniel 'thy people,' He identifies them as the prophet's own people, Israel.
Les teaches that true prophecy is directed to the nation of Israel, usually within a time frame. In Daniel 9:24, God tells Daniel that 490 years are determined upon 'thy people.' Les asks who Daniel's people are and answers: Israel, the Jew. He then points out how Scripture repeatedly switches the pronoun in God's dealing with Israel, from 'my people' to 'thy people,' from the time the nation came out of Egypt. Sometimes God told Moses 'thy people,' and other times He said 'my people.' The difference Les gives is that when Israel is in the place of obedience, in the land, and in the place of blessing, God calls them 'my people.' In Daniel's case, God says 'thy people,' tying the prophecy to Daniel's people, Israel.
More Questions
Why does God call Israel 'thy people' instead of 'my people'?
God refers to Israel as 'thy people' rather than 'my people' when they are in rebellion because they are out of a place of relationship.