And He said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed” (Genesis 32:28).

Before the World was created, and before the Stars danced in majestic design. Before the galaxies displayed their glorious splendor, and before Adam and Eve graced the landscape of our blue-jeweled-planet. Before there was light or darkness, and before anything was realized, before time itself, there was God.

Within the eternal mind of God, before anything was created in Heaven, or, on earth, visible, or, invisible, there was a plan, there was a design, and a purpose that He set in motion.

You see He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And Christ is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence (Col 2).

God chose to communicate through His creation. David said, “The Heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shows His handiwork” (Ps. 91:1). Just by simply looking up into the heavens you know that God exists and is there.

God chose to communicate through His Word. The psalmist wrote, “Forever, O Lord, your word is settled in heaven. Your faithfulness endures to all generations; you established the earth and it stands” (Ps. 119:89).
David stated, “You have magnified your word above all your name” (Ps. 138:2).

God chose to communicate through a nomadic people. Nearly 4,000 years ago God chose a 75-year-old man from Mesopotamia and made a covenant with him. Abraham lived some 300 years after the flood and Jewish tradition declares that his mother took him as a child to learn from Noah and Shem as they were still alive during Abraham’s lifetime.

God chose to make a covenant with Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3). When the Lord made this covenant, He began to communicate specifically through a chosen people. These tribes were the descendants of Abraham and Sarah. Through Abraham came the promised son Isaac. Then Jacob was born, then the 12 sons of Jacob, the patriarchs, followed by Moses, the prophets, judges, and kings.

God chose to convey a story through these descendants of Abraham, a story so wonderful, so profound, so simple and yet so complex. It was a story of an Anointed One that would come, a Messiah who would redeem Israel and deliver them from their oppressors. This Messiah would be the glory of Israel and a light to the Gentile.

God chose to reveal a promise concerning land that exclusively belonged to the descendants of Isaac, Abraham’s son. This hope touched the very soul within the children of Israel. This promised piece of real-estate is at the heart of the tension throughout the Middle East. “Who owns the land” is the main issue that is so provocative that people are willing to give their lives for this portion of property.

God chose borders of His chosen land, Genesis 15:18 (from the river of Egypt to the Euphrates). This is the same location as Israel today. In fact, Israel does not have all the land promised her. The fulfillment of all the land is yet to come.

God chose descendants to dwell in this land, Genesis 12:1-3 (descendants of Abraham). This covenant was later confirmed to Abraham to be unconditional and everlasting (Genesis 17:7, 8). Subsequently, the covenant was confirmed to his son Isaac in Genesis 17:19, and then to his grandson Jacob in Genesis 35:9-15.

God chose the children of Isaac, Abraham’s son, to be:

1. A witness to the true God of the universe before the nations
2. A conduit to receive, preserve, and transmit Holy Scripture,
3. The posterity for the Messiah, the savior of the world

God chose Eretz Yisrael (the land of Israel) to be the center of the world. Israel has been on the crossroads of the great empires, Assyria, Babylonia, Egypt, Greece and Rome. Israel has been “Gods testing ground of faith.” Israel has been, and still is, the place where God shows forth His miraculous power to sustain, and bless His ancient people. God’s covenant regarding the land is everlasting and unconditional.

God said to Abram, “For all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever…Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you” (Gen. 13:15-17).

God chose Gentiles to Help. “For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob, and will still choose Israel, and settle them in their own land. The strangers (Gentiles) will be joined with them…People (Gentiles) will take them and bring them to their place” (Isa. 14:1, 2).

“Behold, I will lift My hand in an oath to the nations (Gentiles), and set my banner for the peoples: They shall bring your sons in their arms, and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders” (Isa. 49:22).

God Chose Precious Promises. “I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen. 12:1-3).

You empower us through your prayers and generosity. You help us carry Israel’s sons and daughters upon our shoulders.

Shalom and Blessings,
Until He comes, we are
Together Under His Wings,

Dr. Jeff

Time is short, Life is precious, and Jesus is coming soon!

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