Chosen?

Favored Without Favoritism

Concerning the chosenness of Israel in the Scriptures, there can be no argument that the Old Testament, as the Quran does, singles out Israel as being in a special relation with ALLAH. As the Quran states, it is a relationship of “favor”. Yet, it is not a relationship of favoritism. (AL Baqarah 2:40, 47) Also, in the Scriptures previous to the Quran, when there are terms used such as chosen, it is not favoritism which is the substance of the unique relationship, but it is special responsibility that is the emphasis. Significantly, it is almost always the emphasis by the Hebrew Prophets that Israel was miserably failing to live up to the responsibility which ALLAH had uniquely required of the Hebrew people.

Please read the first chapter of the Prophet Isaiah to see a representative sample of the severe rebukes by the Prophets toward how the children whom ALLAH had “reared” and “brought up,” had “rebelled” against him. ALLAH continually reminded them that their calling was to do such basic and reasonable things such as seek justice, encourage the oppressed, defend the cause of the fatherless, and plead the cause of the widow, because their “hands were full of blood.” They had “become like Sodom and Gomorrah,” and had become children of His who had given themselves to corruption.

Yet, despite the regretful fact that they had become a “brood of evil doers,” each of the Prophets held out the hope to them that when they finally changed their ways, they would provide light to all nations and would be a blessing to the world. But, when they fiercely rejected the Messiah whom ALLAH had sent to them who was the very personification of ALLAH’s Love, Justice and Mercy, they revealed that they were not yet a people ready to represent ALLAH as a light which would reveal His Justice, Love and Mercy to the nations. Centuries after the former Prophets had spoken and written, their rejected Messiah characterized the House of Israel as desolate when he virtually wept over Jerusalem as he spoke of their evil of killing Prophets and stoning those whom ALLAH had sent to them. (New Testament – Luke 13:35) His tender appeal to them revealed that they would continue in their state of being in serious disfavor with ALLAH until they were ready to accept the precious reality that their Messiah had come to them in the name of the Lord.

Even after their Messiah’s unjust execution and walking alive out of a heavily guarded Jerusalem/ AL Quds tomb, they again confirmed the truth of their Messiah’s declaration about their stoning ALLAH’s messengers by viciously and without any legal justification, maliciously stoning to death His Christian messenger, Stephen. Ironically, it was a former Jewish Rabbi who witnessed that criminal stoning, who later anguished over the Jews’ rejection of their Messiah (Romans 9:1-5) He quoted the Prophet Isaiah when he characterized them as a disobedient and obstinate people. (Romans 10:21)   But, this very man who witnessed that violent extrajudicial stoning and who later became the chief writer of the New Testament also wrote of a future day (Romans 9, 10, 11) when a remnant would represent all of Israel and would turn to the Messiah of all people everywhere. But this would happen only after vast numbers of non Jews would turn to him. I am personally convinced that Rasuul Paul’s exciting declaration about so many non Jews turning to him is emphasizing the millions upon millions of Muslims who soon will reach a new understanding of the worth to ALLAH of their Messiah. It will be after that time that the Jews will also begin to demonstrate love, mercy, justice and respect in their treatment of Palestinians and will repudiate their horrible lie which was the original sinister foundation for building the present nation of Israel.

“A land without a people for a people without a land.”

Despite their horrible disobedience, rebellion and evil, because ALLAH’s Mercy is even greater than Israel’s evil, the nations and groups which choose to continue to use violence and murder due to their retaining an ideological commitment to destroying the present nation of Israel, will force ALLAH Himself to fight against these misled nations and groups despite how strongly they believe in the justice of their cause. This fighting against them will not be because He has a special delight in preserving Israel as a nation. Rather, He will fight against rejectionist nations and groups committed to destroying Israel because they are stubbornly placing their own analysis of how justice must be accomplished above the ultimate purposes of ALLAH. This stubbornness on their part exhibits a Bush/ Sharon/ Wolfowitz/ Netanyaha type of arrogance which presumes to know all of ALLAH’s mysterious purposes. This kind of hyperarrogance He will not tolerate. But for these same groups committed to destroying Israel and nations to be exceptionally indignant and enraged at the injustice Israel has shown and is showing toward Palestinians and for them to scream to ALLAH and to the entire global community about this injustice, is a prayer, a plea and an activity which pleases ALLAH, that He will bless. But it is very difficult for even ALLAH to bless legitimate exposure of horrible injustice when those who expose the injustice are flagrantly murdering innocents. By this indiscriminate murder, they are ignoring His Will for even a nation that is exhibiting wickedness. They must finally accept the reality that wickedness does not stop wickedness. Israel must be allowed to continue to exist because in the future ALLAH Himself will finally cleanse that nation by probably using very painful cleansing agents. But it must be ALLAH who chooses the method of cleansing and not enraged and vengeful neighbors.

When the eyes of the people of the world see the burned and mangled bodies of the innocent persons who Palestinian extremists murder, their attention is so distracted that they cannot hear the cries for justice of other Palestinians concerning the greater number of lifeless bodies of those whom the Israeli military has killed or murdered and for the multitudes of homes and fruitful vineyards they have callously destroyed. But when quietness finally prevails after the useless but dreadful mutual murdering finally stops, even Palestinian protests spoken in whispers will be heard by deaf men as shouts. It will be then that the Merciful ALLAH through His rejected and murdered, but triumphant Messiah will bring true healing and increased justice for Palestinians.

Wonderfully, the compassionate Messiah also opens another door that Muslims have yet to consider. A glorious door of opportunity has been opened for all Muslims to truly become ALLAH’s precious chosen people. The outspoken but beloved disciple/apostle Peter emphatically reveals to us in the Scriptures, this most amazing reality. (1 Peter 2:9) This glorious reality is that millions upon millions of Muslims now can become miya fil miya (100%) certain that it is they, themselves who can choose to be ALLAH’s chosen people. According to Peter’s declaration, Muslims can not only be an integral part of ALLAH’s 21^st century chosen people, but Muslims also can become vital members of a uniquely created ALLAH-Nation which is not a rebellious nation similar to Israel in the past and present, but it is a uniquely holy nation which will transcend all nationalistic boundaries. Yes, the whole Muslim world, according to this revolutionary teaching by the only man in history besides the Messiah to actually walk on water, can be a people uniquely chosen to belong to ALLAH. It will be then that Arab Muslims and Arab Christians will discover a meaningful unity through their mutual Messiah, which also can bring a more meaningful unity to the now relatively isolated twenty-two Arab nations of the Middle East.

This almost certainly will occur as soon as you choose to put the dark claim behind you that the Scriptures previous to the Quran have been changed. You also must choose to put the darkness behind you that your now Risen Messiah failed to defeat death and deceptively escaped. He most certainly did victoriously walk out alive from a heavily guarded Jerusalem/ AL Quds tomb and it is time for you to admit that reality. Then, when you have consciously chosen to leave this dark rejection of truth, you will be free to respond to ALLAH’s gracious invitation to come and enjoy the wonderful liberating light of His Risen, Triumphant, and Reigning Messiah.

Oh how jealous and envious will be those who do now with arrogance view themselves as being ALLAH’s only chosen people. Yet, their jealously and envy (Roman 9, 10 and 11) will also turn to joy when they, themselves finally realize that they also must decide to put their darkness and rebellion against ALLAH behind them. Then they also will be free to no longer reject ALLAH’s perfect stone, the stone which the builders so foolishly rejected but has now become the precious cornerstone (1 Peter 2:6-8) of His glorious spiritual temple. This will also be a time when certain people of Israel discontinue their racist crime of considering Palestinians to be an inferior people.

The words of a contemporary English street language New Testament called “The Message” seem to capture the intense jealously which will characterize the response of many Israelis when they are shocked as they witness millions of Muslims responding to the open invitation of the Risen Messiah to come to his glorious banquet of belief. These observations were written in the original language in the latter part of the 10^th chapter of his theological letter to Christians in Rome by the former Rabbi Saul who became the Rasuul/ Apostle Paul. This former Jewish Rabbi quotes both the Prophet Moses and the Prophet Isaiah. Writing about unbelieving Israelis he quoted:

“When you see God reach out to those you consider your inferiors – outsiders! – you’ll become insanely jealous.

When you see God reach out to people

you think are religiously stupid,

you’ll throw temper tantrums.”

Then he capped it with a damning indictment:

“Day after day after day, I beckoned Israel with open arms,

And got nothing for my trouble but cold shoulders and icy stares.”