Thy mercy, my God, is the theme
of my song. In ancient times, when men were
invited to a feast, each guest was appointed a portion of food
and drink by the host. The size and type of this portion
was directly related to the level of affection and esteem which
the host had for each guest. Paul speaks of this in the book
of Romans, where he quotes the prophet Malachi, saying, As it
is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. He also
has reference to it when he writes what advantage then hath the
Jew, or what profit is there in circumcision, much every way,
chiefly because that unto them were committed the oracles of
God. In this he points out the great blessing that was given
to the descendants of Jacob in revealing himself unto them in
a manner which he did not do for any other nation upon the
earth. There was no reason that the Lord did choose to bestow
this particular favor upon natural Israel, except that it pleased
Him, having set His love upon them. 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. He calls them a holy people,
not because they possess some innate righteousness, but because
He sanctified them, or set them apart. He declared them to be
holy, and appointed unto them a portion not given to the other
nations of the earth. Most who claim to believe the
Bible embrace the concept that God, as a sovereign, had the
right to choose any nation upon the earth as special in His sight.
Most have no difficulty at all with the notion that the Lord
chose Israel as His nation and showered them with blessings
and favor that He did not bestow on any other nations. They delight
in the accounts of God's utter faithfulness to and defense of
Israel. The Pharisees believe this quite
strongly, along with the majority of natural-born Israelites in
Jesus' day. Most natural-born Jews still
hold this notion, as well as a good portion of those who claim
to be the followers of Jesus Christ in the present day. This
was especially true in the early days of the New Testament church,
as the Judaizers sought to impose the rigors of Moses' law on the
Gentile believers, believing that an Israelite is one who
is circumcised in the flesh. Paul, a Pharisee of the Pharisees,
unceremoniously laid the axe to the root of that notion, saying,
For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly, neither is that
circumcision, which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew,
which is one inwardly, and circumcision is that of the heart in the spirit,
and not in the letter, whose praise is not of men, but of
God. It is here that many begin to quiver, shake, and mumble,
and to confuse the clear teaching of the New Testament concerning
who the nation of Israel actually is. For they are not all Israel
which are of Israel. Paul made no such equivocation
as he said, For we are the circumcision which worship God in the spirit,
and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the
flesh. But God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our
Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me and
I unto the world. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision
availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. The kingdom
of God cannot be inherited by flesh and blood, nor can any
man be found in the abiding favor of God by virtue of his performance,
natural birth, or citizenship in any earthly nation, regardless
of its name or heritage. The Lord was pleased to demonstrate
His love for the true Israel by His choice of natural Israel
as their type and foreshadow in former times. He has now made
plain that the people which are the apple of His eye make up
that holy nation which He chose from before the foundation of
the world and hid in Christ, having made known unto us the
mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He
hath purposed in Himself. that in the dispensation of the
fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in
Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth, even
in him, in whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being
predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all
things after the counsel of his own will, that we should be to
the praise of his glory who first trusted in Christ. This is a
mystery which was kept hidden from the foundation of the world,
but has now been clearly manifest by the preaching of the gospel.
It never ceases to amaze me that many who clearly understand and
accept the concept of God's sovereign choice of the natural nation
of Israel, nonetheless grow angry when they are told that it is
upon this same premise that the Lord chose the true Israel, which
is the elect bride of Christ. Yea, even before God chose Israel
as a nation, He had an everlasting love for those sons which He
hid in the bosom of Christ. And because ye are sons, God
has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying,
Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a
servant, but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
This is indeed the heritage of those whom the Lord has appointed
to receive their portion in Him. At whose table do you eat? If
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