Why the Jews? Why Isreal?

[Mistydawn]

Have you ever wondered why God chose the Jews as his people, or why Isreal as the place to send his son...etc.?

I mean, didn't God make us ALL? All mankind in his image?

If it was because the Jews worshiped him from the beginning, then he really didn't want to save us all, or he would have made his come-back in a Heathen land, with heathen people who did not believe in the one true God.

Would be interested to hear the thoughts of others on this.

[deerslayer]

I've been taught that the Jews (beginning with Abraham)were chosen for whatever reason (genetic, as an example of God's fulfillment of promises, etc.) to be his chosen people that they would produce Jesus the savior and, then after Jesus' death and resurection, act as a nation of priests and preachers to win over the gentiles as believers in Jesus Christ. They failed to be the evangelists for Jesus, but, in the end times 144,000 Jews will be evangelists that will win many souls to Christ - both gentile and jew. So they will finally fulfill their mission -sort of.

[+and-then]

I've been taught that the Jews (beginning with Abraham)were chosen for whatever reason (genetic, as an example of God's fulfillment of promises, etc.) to be his chosen people that they would produce Jesus the savior and, then after Jesus' death and resurection, act as a nation of priests and preachers to win over the gentiles as believers in Jesus Christ. They failed to be the evangelists for Jesus, but, in the end times 144,000 Jews will be evangelists that will win many souls to Christ - both gentile and jew. So they will finally fulfill their mission -sort of.

I understand it the same way. I would only add that the Bible said Abraham had FAITH in God and it was counted to him for righteousness. That's the same situation Christians have today. We are NO better, but because we believe then we are covered by His sacrificial death. I always like to point out that when people talk about the Jews being God's CHOSEN people - they seem to have been chosen so He can show the rest of the world what happens when we are disobedient to the law He provided to us. They will be rewarded at the last but man..... what they have endured makes me almost glad I'm not chosen.

[Rlyeh]

Have you ever wondered why God chose the Jews as his people, or why Isreal as the place to send his son...etc.?

I figured it was because the authors were Jewish.

[Leonardo]

Have you ever wondered why God chose the Jews as his people, or why Isreal as the place to send his son...etc.?

Because Paul had a knack for marketing.

There is also the serendipity of timing in that religion. It was feverishly marketed within the culture which has formed the basis of much of the modern, Western world - the Roman Empire. Had the ancient Hebrews not been located in, or near, the coast of the Levant they would not have come under Roman rule and we would probably know about their religion only as an artifact of an old culture.

[Mistydawn]

I understand it the same way. I would only add that the Bible said Abraham had FAITH in God and it was counted to him for righteousness. That's the same situation Christians have today. We are NO better, but because we believe then we are covered by His sacrificial death. I always like to point out that when people talk about the Jews being God's CHOSEN people - they seem to have been chosen so He can show the rest of the world what happens when we are disobedient to the law He provided to us. They will be rewarded at the last but man..... what they have endured makes me almost glad I'm not chosen.

Yeh, but he made the whole Earth right, so why Jerusalem and why the Jews and not for arguements sake the Egyptians?

[Knight Of Shadows]

it depends on which theory you hear for example us " muslims "

believe that theory came from that most prophets died got killed by them

and they are the most people who got prophets and kept killing them

so they got the idea that whatever they do it's forgiven because god choose them as chosen people

which is how they explained having many prophets sent to them

" this post is not made to insult jews or such it's just to give opinion on the matter from muslim prospective "

[Leonardo]

Yeh, but he made the whole Earth right, so why Jerusalem and why the Jews and not for arguements sake the Egyptians?

First, there is the cosmogenic feature of old religions. They describe the pertinent deity as being a "Creator God" (for the ancient Dynastic Egyptians this was originally Ptah, but later other gods took up the role as different 'sects', and Pharaohs, assumed prominence.) Because these deities were 'tribal' in nature, obviously the tribe to whom the deity was important took it upon themselves to see themselves as 'chosen'.

The proto-Israelites were one such tribe.

Additionally, there was often a violent struggle to assert the tribes 'ownership' over a particular piece of land. The tribal deity was called upon to look favourably on this struggle - as we can read in the Old Testament. The basis for the Jewish tribal deity was set down during the 2nd millenium BCE, when the proto-Israelites separated themselves from the rest of the Canaanites in the Levant. When the Jewish scriptures were written - during the early 6th century BCE - the sense of tribalism hadn't changed much, and still hasn't in any of the world's cultures.

So, the tribal deity becomes the 'national deity', and then - via gaining influence in Rome - becomes a 'global deity'. The deity of the ancient Israelites, YHWH, was no more 'influential' in real-world affairs than any other tribal deity in any other culture. It is only through the actions of human beings seeking power that this deity has assumed a global significance today, but the essence of the deity has not changed. It is still the tribal deity of the ancient Israelites.

[Imaginarynumber1]

I figured it was because the authors were Jewish.

This^^^^^

Also, the christian god is the god of the Israelites, so I don't understand why so many people want to worship him anyway.

There were other gods at the time and other people not made by god; i.e. the people in the land of Nod, Cain and Abel's wives.

It's just a silly fairy tale that's been blown way out of proportion.

[Viral]

I figured it was because the authors were Jewish.

Perfect response.

[Sir Wearer of Hats]

I always thought that it was because of the tribe-that-would-one-day-be-the-Jews were the ones who survived the Flood via Noah and before that were the ones who took on Adam and Eve. Thus there was a special "spark of the divine" in their bloodline that other tribes didn't have (ie the people who were warned about Cain being a nasty piece of work).

[Viral]

I always thought that it was because of the tribe-that-would-one-day-be-the-Jews were the ones who survived the Flood via Noah and before that were the ones who took on Adam and Eve. Thus there was a special "spark of the divine" in their bloodline that other tribes didn't have (ie the people who were warned about Cain being a nasty piece of work).

Adam and Eve were the original humans supposedly thus we're all descended from them. The same goes for the flood, it killed all life on Earth so we must be descended from Noah... Then again, that simple fact alone pretty much displays how the flood never happened...

[buckskin scout]

Have you ever wondered why God chose the Jews as his people, or why Isreal as the place to send his son...etc.?

I mean, didn't God make us ALL? All mankind in his image?

If it was because the Jews worshiped him from the beginning, then he really didn't want to save us all, or he would have made his come-back in a Heathen land, with heathen people who did not believe in the one true God.

Would be interested to hear the thoughts of others on this.

God made a series of covenant and promises to a proto-Israelite peoples called Hebrews. The Old Testament can very well be read like a polemic against the pagan polytheistic beliefs found in Canaan likewise portions of the New Testament reads like a polemic against Pharisee/Rabbinical corruptions of the Tanakh.

I am seeking a great book on Ras Shamra tablets (the Ugarit tablets) at the moment. They found thousands of the tablets at Ugarit including religious texts that reveal the religious beliefs and practices of the Canaanites (they do live up to their Old Testament reputations btw it was no propagandist religious slur on the Scripture writers).

[deerslayer]

I'll stir the pot with the following: Does it not appear that the Jews have a rather miraculous history culminated with the return to their homeland in 1948 - which was prophesied in the old Testament.

A note of warning: God told Abraham (the father of the Jewish people) "I will bless them that bless you and curse them that curse you."

[+Paranoid Android]

Have you ever wondered why God chose the Jews as his people, or why Isreal as the place to send his son...etc.?

Throughout Jewish history, more often than not, God chose to complete his plans by using people. And for the most part those people were from the Hebrew tribes of Israel, and though there were exceptions, Israel were God's chosen people. God chose one nation through which to carry out his plans to ultimately save all nations. Jews are still awaiting the fulfilment of this plan, Christians believe that Jesus fulfilled it.

That God "chose" the Hebrews to carry out his plan is not an indication that he doesn't love the rest of us, or that he loved Israel more. God simply chose to work his plan this way. And Abraham when called stood up and left his lands behind in a sign of faith that God would provide for him and carry out his promises.

This is, of course, the answer from a believer. If you don't believe then chances are you'll agree with the previous answer/s given - because it was written by Jews.

~ Regards,

[buckskin scout]

I'll stir the pot with the following: Does it not appear that the Jews have a rather miraculous history culminated with the return to their homeland in 1948 - which was prophesied in the old Testament.

A note of warning: God told Abraham (the father of the Jewish people) "I will bless them that bless you and curse them that curse you."

Then there are many believe the future regathering and return to Zion is a strictly supernatural Messianic vision rather than a contemporary secularist political program (that Zionism is a false satanic-even movement). Such as the Haredim Jews.

There are plenty of Scripture verses that support their view:

Deuteronomy 30:1-5

Nehemiah 1:8-9

Isaiah 11:10-13; 14:1-2; 43:5-7; 49:22; 56:8

Jeremiah 16:14-15; 23:3-8; 29:13-14; 31:8-10, 23, 31-33

Ezekiel 11:15-20; 28:24-26; 34:11-15; 36:24-28, 33-38; 37:1-28; 38:8, 12; 39:23-29

Hosea 2:18-23

Zephaniah 3:19-20

Zechariah 8:7-8

[Rlyeh]

Then there are many believe the future regathering and return to Zion is a strictly supernatural Messianic vision rather than a contemporary secularist political program (that Zionism is a false satanic-even movement). Such as the Haredim Jews.

How can it be satanic if its secular?

[Yamato]

Have you ever wondered why God chose the Jews as his people, or why Isreal as the place to send his son...etc.?

I mean, didn't God make us ALL? All mankind in his image?

If it was because the Jews worshiped him from the beginning, then he really didn't want to save us all, or he would have made his come-back in a Heathen land, with heathen people who did not believe in the one true God.

Would be interested to hear the thoughts of others on this.

This is fundamentally how Christianity changed the game. The New Testament replaced the Old Testament. I suspect this was the reason for how they named the two seemingly irreconcilable tomes.

[karmakazi]

Have you ever wondered why God chose the Jews as his people, or why Isreal as the place to send his son...etc.?

I mean, didn't God make us ALL? All mankind in his image?

If it was because the Jews worshiped him from the beginning, then he really didn't want to save us all, or he would have made his come-back in a Heathen land, with heathen people who did not believe in the one true God.

Would be interested to hear the thoughts of others on this.

I agree with Rlyeh that it's because the authors were Jewish. Every culture with a mythology views themselves as the chosen ones.

I honestly don't think the gospels were ever meant to paired with the Torah and viewed as a single whole message. That would be like taking the Vedas and making them inseperable from the words of Buddah, and interpreting each based on the other. It would vastly change the understanding of both.

I'll stir the pot with the following: Does it not appear that the Jews have a rather miraculous history culminated with the return to their homeland in 1948 - which was prophesied in the old Testament.

A note of warning: God told Abraham (the father of the Jewish people) "I will bless them that bless you and curse them that curse you."

That could be said of many groups of people. It's all in how you spin the story. For example, in the US African-Americans were living in tribes in Africa, then they were brought here and lived as slaves, then they were freed but still mis-treated, today they are holding jobs of the same and equal respect as anyone else - senators, doctors, record execs, even... gasp... president.

Edited June 15, 2012 by karmakazi

[Leonardo]

I agree with Rlyeh that it's because the authors were Jewish.

We don't know the ethnicity of the people who wrote the books of the New Testament. While we can guess that some of the authors were Jewish, we only know the religion espoused in this "new Jewish bible" was partially based on the actual Jewish scriptures.

For sure, many of the main characters in the books of the NT are Jewish by birth. But that does not speak for the author's ethnicity.

Why would a Jewish author, for example, portray the Pharisees as self-serving criminals?

Edited June 15, 2012 by Leonardo

[karmakazi]

We don't know the ethnicity of the people who wrote the books of the New Testament. While we can guess that some of the authors were Jewish, we only know the religion espoused in this "new Jewish bible" was partially based on the actual Jewish scriptures.

For sure, many of the main characters in the books of the NT are Jewish by birth. But that does not speak for the author's ethnicity.

Why would a Jewish author, for example, portray the Pharisees as self-serving criminals?

I was referring to the Torah as having been written by Jewish authors, I agree that this is not so much the case for the NT. I would consider the NT authors to have been in a transitional state of Christianity.

[Leonardo]

I was referring to the Torah as having been written by Jewish authors, I agree that this is not so much the case for the NT. I would consider the NT authors to have been in a transitional state of Christianity.

And, with all due respect to Judaism, the 'God' Misty speaks of in the OP is the Christian version of the deity. Had Christianity not derived from Judaism I doubt we would be at all wondering why "God" favoured/favours the Jews.

[Rlyeh]

And, with all due respect to Judaism, the 'God' Misty speaks of in the OP is the Christian version of the deity. Had Christianity not derived from Judaism I doubt we would be at all wondering why "God" favoured/favours the Jews.

Then it should come as no surprise the concept of Jews being God's chosen originates from the Hebrew scriptures.

[buckskin scout]

How can it be satanic if its secular?

Because it doesnt fall under a Messianic/Supernatural fulfillment coinciding with a huge revival and outpouring of God's spirit. But an imposter/secular political motivated Zionist movement. Israel is a secular nation and the topic literally divides schools of Judaism.

I pity the Palestinians as they are being oppressed by a totalitarian occupation. Believe you me, none of us want to be a Palestinian living in Israel today. The pro-Zionist media never gives a balanced honest story. Anyways, where is the Messiah? The revival? And the outpouring of God's spirit?

[Lion6969]

According to scripture Jews were the chosen people by god and god bestowed upon them many favours and many prophets sometimes more than one at any given time. However they turned their back on god elevated the rabbis to the same status as god, changed the word, killed their own prophets. As a result god forsake them and upon them is gods wrath. He chose them but they failed him, they were then sent Jesus to guide the lost sheep back, but in their final rebellion they rejected the messiah. So god replaced them with followers of Jesus. Who worship the same god.

Significance of jerusalem is that god chose this land for the Jews to establish the rule of gods law and way of life, plus David slept on a rock which has a direct link to heaven. Dome of the rock etc.