God's First Chosen
The Bible depicts the sons of Israel as Gods chosen people. He made a blood covenant with them using the circumcision [Genesis 17:1-23] as a physical depiction of the blood covenant that Jesus would later consummate on Calvary. He gave them a marriage contract, which was sealed with the blood of their sacrifices, when He handed down the Law on Mount Sinai after releasing them from their bondage in Egypt.
‘And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel. And he sent young men of the children of Israel, which offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen unto the LORD. And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basins; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, all that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient. And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words.’ Exodus 24:4-8
Israel accepted this marriage contract, Exodus 24:3; ‘And Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the LORD hath said will we do.’
But it was a very rocky relationship from the very beginning. This is shown by example in the life of Hosea. God told him to marry ‘…a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms: for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the LORD.’ Hosea 1:2.
Hosea’s marriage was a physical example of Israel’s relationship with God from the very beginning, only in the ‘Reader’s Digest Condensed Version’ so to speak. So God divorced Israel; Jeremiah tells us this in chapter 2:
‘Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the LORD; I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown … Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? Yet my people have forgotten me days without number. Why trimmest thou thy way to seek love? Therefore hast thou also taught the wicked ones thy ways. Also in thy skirts is found the blood of the souls of the poor innocents: I have not found it by secret search, but upon all these. Yet thou sayest, because I am innocent, surely his anger shall turn from me. Behold, I will plead with thee, because thou sayest, I have not sinned. Why gaddest thou about so much to change thy way? Thou also shalt be ashamed of Egypt, as thou wast ashamed of Assyria. Yea, thou shalt go forth from him, and thine hands upon thine head: for the LORD hath rejected thy confidences, and thou shalt not prosper in them. They say, if a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man's, shall he return unto her again? Shall not that land be greatly polluted? But thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the LORD. Lift up thine eyes unto the high places, and see where thou hast not been lien with. In the ways hast thou sat for them, as the Arabian in the wilderness; and thou hast polluted the land with thy whoredoms and with thy wickedness … Jer. 2:32-3:2. ‘And I said after she had done all these things, Turn thou unto me. But she returned not. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it. And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce …’ Jer. 3: 7-8a.’
After this bill of divorce was given to the Nation of Israel, God did accept the repentance of individuals and added those souls to His ‘church’ which is His kingdom family and Christ’s bride. But the Nation of Israel was no longer His ‘chosen people.’ Now those who are a part of His church are ‘the Israel of God.’ ‘For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.’ Galatians 6:15-16.
But God knew this was going to happen from the very beginning. He had a plan of redemption and Salvation for men as individuals. His name is Jesus. And men can choose to accept Him and become His bride.
In I Peter 2:9 he says of the church; ‘But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.’ He took these titles right out of the Old Testament, in fact in Deuteronomy 14:2 it says, ‘For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth.’ In Exodus 19:6 God says, ‘And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.’
These titles now fall to all believers and followers of Jesus Christ, for we have been betrothed to Christ when we became believers.
Walk with me as I show you the reflections of His Church as a Proper Jewish Bride. Together we will go through the twelve steps of becoming a Jewish Bride and see how we, His church, ARE a Proper Jewish Bride – The Bride of Christ:
