God chose Israel as His chosen people so that through them He could bring all the nations of the world to a knowledge of Him and to salvation through their Messiah.
Les Feldick teaches that God called Abraham out of idolatry and promised to make his descendants a separated nation under covenant promises. This nation was pulled out of the mainstream of humanity to funnel back into the nations and bring them to a knowledge of Israel's God. The Abrahamic covenant ultimately pointed to the day when Israel's Messiah, by being crucified, would become the object of faith for the whole world.
Genesis 12:2-3 — God's call of Abraham contains the foundational promise that through his great nation all the families of the earth would be blessed.
Exodus 19:5-6 — God explains Israel's unique standing as His special treasure, a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.
John 1:11 — When the promised King from Israel came, His own people did not receive Him, setting up the rejection that was foreknown by God.
In Genesis 12:2-3, God promised Abraham: "And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 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." This shows that God's purpose in choosing a nation was never only about that nation alone; all the world's families would be blessed through Abraham's line. In Exodus 19:5-6, God said to Israel, "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 Bible also records the outcome of Israel's chosen status in John 1:11: "He came unto his own, and his own received him not."
Les teaches that from the great river of humanity God pulled out a little stream, the nation of Israel. God called Abraham out of idolatry, saved him by faith plus nothing, and gave him the Abrahamic Covenant, promising a separated holy nation that would come under the covenant promises. He describes Israel as God's chosen people, the favored nation, sovereignly designated for a unique role in His overall program for the whole human race. That role was to funnel back into the nations of the world and bring them into a knowledge of Israel's God. Les emphasizes the last statement of the Abrahamic covenant: "In thee, in Abraham, shall all the families of the earth be blessed," which he says would come about when their Messiah was crucified and became the object of faith, not just of Israel, but of the whole world. When Israel rejected their King, God was not taken by surprise; the Godhead had planned it all before creation. After their final rejection, Les teaches, God set Israel aside and put the Gentile system into the place Israel had enjoyed, yet the promises given to Abraham still stand.
Les teaches that out of the great river of humanity God pulled a little stream, the nation of Israel. God called Abraham out of idolatry and saved him by faith plus nothing. He gave Abraham a covenant and promised him a separated nation, holy and set apart under covenant promises. The purpose was that Israel would be used to funnel back into the nations of the world and bring them into a knowledge of their God.
Les points to the final statement of the Abrahamic covenant: "In thee, in Abraham, shall all the families of the earth be blessed." He teaches that this blessing was to come about through Israel's Messiah, who would be crucified and become the object of faith for the whole world. Israel's special role was therefore not an end in itself; it was God's way of preparing the means by which salvation could go out to all nations.
Les explains that when Christ came the first time, Israel was given the opportunity to have the King in the Kingdom, but God's foreknowledge knew they would reject it. Peter accused Israel of having killed their Messiah, but God was not taken by surprise. The Godhead had pre-planned redemption before anything was created. Les sees Israel's rejection as a crescendo that led to God setting Israel aside and turning to the Gentiles, but the covenant promises were not forgotten.
Les teaches that Christ was the minister to the Jews first and foremost. After Israel had their final opportunity to repent of crucifying their Messiah and rejected it, God set Israel aside. He broke them off from the root of Abraham and put the Gentile system into the place Israel had enjoyed. Yet even then, God had told Abraham that he would be a blessing to all the rest of the world, so the Gentile age continues that purpose.
Acts 4 Explained: No Other Name — Only Jesus Saves
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.
God Pulled Israel Out of Humanity
Les shows that God called Abraham to make Israel a special race, pulling this little stream out of the river of humanity so they could funnel the knowledge of God back to the nations.
Abrahamic Covenant and Israel's Calling
Les explains that God gave Abraham a covenant, called him out of idolatry, and promised a separated holy nation under covenant promises, which is why Israel is called God's chosen people.
Blessing for All Families Through Messiah
Les points to the last statement of the Abrahamic covenant: in Abraham all families of the earth would be blessed through Israel's Messiah being crucified and becoming the object of faith for the whole world.
God Foreknew Israel's Rejection
Les teaches that God planned redemption before creation and knew Israel would reject Christ when He came the first time, so their rejection was not a surprise.
Gentiles Grafted Into Israel's Place
Les uses the wild olive tree to show that after Israel's rejection, God set them aside and put the Gentile system in the place Israel enjoyed, while still keeping the promise to bless all nations through Abraham.
Israel Set Above All Nations
Les says God sovereignly designated Israel as the chosen people and favored nation for a unique role, preparing them to bring all the other nations of the world to a knowledge of Israel's God.
Israel's King Came First
Les recounts that God promised Abraham a nation, a land, and a King-Redeemer; Christ was the minister to the Jews first, and when they had their final opportunity to repent of crucifying their Messiah, they rejected it.
Genesis 12:2: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
This is the beginning of God's covenant call to Abraham, making him the father of a great nation set apart for God's purposes.
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.
This is the key promise showing that Israel's election was intended to bring blessing to all the families of the earth.
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:
God explains that Israel's special status as His treasure was conditional on covenant obedience and was never meant to diminish His ownership of the whole earth.
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.
God called Israel to be a kingdom of priests, a role that would stand between God and the nations of the world.
John 1:11: He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
This verse records Israel's rejection of their Messiah, the event Les says was foreknown by God.
Because God sovereignly called Abraham out of idolatry and promised to make his descendants a separated, holy nation under covenant promises. Les Feldick teaches that this designation made Israel the favored nation, set above all other nations for a unique role in God's program for the human race.
No. God also told Abraham that he would be a blessing to all the rest of the world. Israel was pulled out of the mainstream of humanity so that through them all nations could come to a knowledge of Israel's God, and ultimately be blessed through their Messiah.
No. The Godhead planned redemption before anything was created and knew Israel would reject Christ when He came the first time. Les teaches that Israel's rejection of their Messiah was not a surprise to God.
Les teaches that God set Israel aside and put the Gentile system into the place Israel had enjoyed. Yet even then, the Abrahamic promises were not canceled, and God's purpose of blessing all nations through Abraham continued.
Watch the Teaching: Acts 4 Explained: No Other Name — Only Jesus Saves