Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Psalm 98:1-3 Oh, sing to the LORD a new song! For He has done marvelous things; His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory. The LORD has made known His salvation; His righteousness He has revealed in the sight of the nations. He has remembered His mercy and His faithfulness to the house of Israel; All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
THE LORD MADE KNOWN AS THE GOD OF OLD TESTAMENT ISRAEL
The LORD, the one true God who has plainly made Himself known to the people of this world, has also made Himself known as the God of Old Testament Israel.
It's not that the true God is God only to the people of Israel, or even that His love for the people of Israel exceeds His love for other peoples. All peoples are His creation and His desire is for the salvation of all peoples. However, as LORD unfolded His plan of salvation for sinners here in this world, He chose to do so chiefly through the people of Old Testament Israel. It would be the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that would be His own special people for this purpose here in this world. God would send His own divine Son, Jesus, to be born as a true human being from this people.
And so, in Old Testament times, it was clearly demonstrated that the true God who made the universe and all that is in it was not the god(s) set up by the Egyptians, or the Philistines, or the Assyrians, or any other people, but the God who made His identity known to this world chiefly through the people and the nation of Israel.
In fact, it is noted in the Old Testament on a number of occasions that the people of other nations, upon seeing miraculous evidence, were moved to declare the God of Israel the true God of all power.
