Dr. Claude Mariottini - Professor of Old Testament: The Election of Israel

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Dr. Claude Mariottini has posted an excellent article about the Election of Israel from a from the point of view of the Old Testament. I agree with everything He wrote on it and my favorite thying i must quote is when he said:

The history of Israel’s relationship with God is the central reality of the Old Testament. The choice of Israel to be God’s people has a universal dimension. No other nation in the history of the world has influenced humanity more than Israel. Israel’s religious contribution to humanity is greater than any other nation, for it was to Israel that God introduced himself in the greatest act of unselfish love ever demonstrated to humanity. To comprehend Israel’s religious contribution to our understanding of God, one is compelled to understand the concept of God’s election of Israel as his special people.

Like it or lump it. It's true. I think that jealousy is the underlining reason for antisemitism. Their attitude is "Why can't I be special. Why can't I be elect?" The New Testament does not change what was laid in the Old Testament. When we, even gentiles, put our faith in what God has revealed - salvation through faith in Jesus Christ -  we join Israel in that promise to Abraham. Paul wrote in Galatians 3:6-9:

⁶Consider Abraham: "He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." ⁷Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham. ⁸The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: "All nations will be blessed through you." ⁹So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. 

As far as God is concerned, believers today are just a justified and righteous by faith as Abraham  was by his faith. Dr. Mariottini did an awesome job breaking down what the election of Israel means and how it was due to God's unmerited favor. Neither Abraham, nor his descendants, and most certainly not us did anything to deserve to be gifted by God. No way. Just like Israel was chosen out of many nations - some that we would consider were better than they - to become His people - God has chosen to save those who believe and pout their faith in Jesus and we don't deserve it. I'm going to leave aside the debate about if we were personally chosen to have faith or we chose to have faith and just say that it is by that faith in the promise that we become children of  Abraham - slave or free, Jew or Gentile alike.

 ⁴For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love ⁵he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— ⁶to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. ⁷In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace ⁸that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. ⁹And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, ¹⁰to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.
 ¹¹In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, ¹²in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. ¹³And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, ¹⁴who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory. - Ephesians 1:4-14

Much more could be said about how God took it upon himself to reveal Himself to us and we can take no credit, but for now I want end this with Ephesians

Dr. Claude Mariottini - Professor of Old Testament: The Election of Israel