Israel's role was to serve as God's set-apart covenant nation—a kingdom of priests and go-betweens—so that through Israel the Gentile nations would come to know the true God.
In Exodus 19, God told Israel that if they would obey His voice and keep His covenant, they would be His peculiar treasure above all peoples. Les Feldick describes Israel as a little stream pulled out of the great river of humanity and called to "funnel back into the nations of the world" to bring them into knowledge of their God. This calling was not exclusion of the nations; it was the means by which God planned to reach and bless them.
Exodus 19:5-6 — The foundational statement of Israel's calling to be God's peculiar treasure and a kingdom of priests.
Deuteronomy 7:6 — Confirms that God sovereignly chose Israel as a special people above all other peoples on the earth.
Deuteronomy 32:8 — Shows that God set the boundaries of the nations according to the number of the children of Israel, making Israel central in God's plan.
Sometime after Israel came out of Egypt and gathered at Mount Sinai, God spoke to Moses about the nation's calling. In Exodus 19:5-6 He said, "Now therefore, if 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." The condition for this treasured position was covenant obedience. Deuteronomy 7:6 repeats the same truth: "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 upon the face of the earth." God's choice placed Israel in a distinct covenant relationship. Deuteronomy 32:8 shows how central Israel was in God's plan for the nations: "When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel." Scripture therefore presents Israel not as one nation among many, but as the nation around which God ordered the whole human race.
Les Feldick teaches that when God called Abraham, He was creating a special race of people—the nation of Israel. He pictures the mass of humanity as a river and Israel as a little stream that God pulled out of it. The whole object, Les says, was to use Israel to "funnel back into the nations of the world, and bring them into a knowledge of their God." That was their opportunity and their option, which they rejected (Clip 1). Les emphasizes Exodus 19:5 as the moment God lifted Israel out of the mainstream of humanity and put them into a covenant relationship as His favored, chosen people (Clip 2). This was a position above all other nations, one that no other people could infringe upon (Clips 3, 4). God also promised Abraham that he would be a blessing to all the world; when Israel failed, God set them aside and brought in the Gentile system (Clip 5). In the end, Israel is still central: as Deuteronomy 32:8 shows, they are at the core of the human experience, and in the end-time scenario Israel will again be head of the nations (Clips 6, 3). The nation's intended role was to be a kingdom of priests, a nation of go-betweens between God and the Gentile world (Clip 7).
God's promise to Israel in Exodus 19:5 was conditional: "if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant," they would become "a peculiar treasure unto me above all people." Verse 6 defines this relationship as a "kingdom of priests" and a "holy nation." Les Feldick explains that this wording lifts Israel out of the mainstream of humanity and puts them into a place of covenant relationship as God's favored, chosen people (Clip 2). He adds that the language of Exodus 19:5 elevates Israel above all other nations (Clip 3).
Israel was not chosen to be a privileged end in itself. God told Abraham that he would be a blessing to all the rest of the world (Clip 5). Les says the whole object of pulling Israel out of humanity was to use them to "funnel back into the nations of the world" and bring them to a knowledge of their God (Clip 1). Because Israel failed, God later set them aside and put the Gentile system into the place Israel had enjoyed in the Old Testament (Clip 5).
The promise in Exodus 19:5 begins with "if." Les Feldick emphasizes that this was conditional, because God never takes away the free will of men or nations (Clip 3). Israel's elevated position above all nations was conditioned on obedience to God's voice and keeping His covenant. Les says that position "will never change" except for the dispersions, and in the end-time scenario God will bring Israel back and make them once again the head of the nations (Clip 3).
Exodus 19:6 says Israel would be "a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation." Les Feldick explains that "holy" means separated, and that Israel was promised that if they obeyed God's commands they would become a nation of priests—"go-betweens"—between God and the nations (Clip 7). They were to receive the system of law, worship, and temple, but the whole idea was to be a nation of go-betweens.
Les points to Deuteronomy 32:8, where God set the boundaries of the nations according to the number of the children of Israel, and concludes that Israel is "at the very core of the whole human experience" (Clip 6). He says the unique set-apart position of Israel cannot be infringed upon by any other people (Clip 4). Even today, the world's attention is on that "postage stamp size" nation because everything else falls in place as it begins with Israel (Clip 6).
Why Every Jew Was Meant to Be a Priest — Exodus 19
Hello and welcome to Through the Bible with Les Feldick. An Oklahoma rancher and farmer, Les Feldick has been teaching homestyle Bible classes for 20 years in Iowa, Oklahoma, and Texas. Les Feldick's unique style of Bible teaching has made the books of the Bible come to life. When Les is teaching, it's so interesting that people say time just seems to fly by. And now, here is Les Feldick.
Israel as the Little Stream of Humanity
Les shows that God called Abraham to create a special race—the nation of Israel—by pulling it like a little stream out of the great river of humanity, for the purpose of funneling the knowledge of God back into all nations.
Israel Lifted Out of the Mainstream
Les points to Exodus 19:5 as the verse that lifts Israel out of the mainstream of humanity and places them in covenant relationship as God's favored, chosen people.
A Conditional Elevation Above All Nations
Les stresses that the Exodus 19:5 promise was conditional, that God never takes away free will, and that Israel's elevated position above all nations will hold until the dispersions and then the end-time scenario when Israel is again head of the nations.
A Unique Set-Apart Nation
Les teaches that Israel has been positioned as a unique set-aside nation and that no one can infringe upon or invade that position.
God's Purpose Beyond Israel
Les explains that God also promised Abraham he would be a blessing to the whole world; after Israel's failure, God set Israel aside and put the Gentile system into the place Israel had enjoyed.
Israel at the Center of the Human Race
Les uses Deuteronomy 32:8 to show that God set the bounds of the nations according to the number of Israel, making Israel the core of the whole human experience and explaining why the world is still concerned with Israel today.
A Kingdom of Priests and Go-Betweens
Les explains that Israel was promised to be a kingdom of priests—a separated nation of go-betweens between God and the other nations, equipped with the law and the temple worship system.
Exodus 19:5: Now therefore, if 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:
This is the verse Les highlights to show Israel's covenant role and its conditional basis.
Exodus 19:6: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.
Defines what that role was: a kingdom of priests—a holy, separated nation serving as go-betweens for God and the world.
Deuteronomy 7:6: 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 upon the face of the earth.
Confirms the special, set-apart choice of Israel above all peoples.
Deuteronomy 32:8: When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel.
Explains why Israel appears at the center of God's dealings with the nations.
Genesis 12:3: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
God's promise to Abraham shows Israel was chosen as a channel of blessing to all families of the earth.
No. Les Feldick teaches that Israel was pulled from the river of humanity to "funnel back into the nations of the world" and bring them to a knowledge of their God. God also told Abraham that he would be a blessing to all the rest of the world. So Israel's selection was the means by which God planned to reach all nations.
Yes. Exodus 19:5 says "if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant," then Israel would be a peculiar treasure. Les stresses that the promise was conditional because God never takes away the free will of men or nations.
According to Les Feldick, Israel's elevated position above all nations will never change—except for the dispersions—and when God brings them back and finishes the end-time scenario, Israel will once again be the head of the nations.
Yes. Exodus 19:6 calls Israel "a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation." Les describes this as Israel becoming a nation of go-betweens, serving between God and the Gentile world.
Watch the Teaching: Why Every Jew Was Meant to Be a Priest — Exodus 19