Did your family have a "golden child"?
You know--a kid who could "do no wrong" in the parents eyes?
Was this you?
I am grateful to say that our family didn't have a "golden child", or at least I never felt that way. But some families do, and while of course the parents love each child, sometimes there can be a favoritism of a certain one for whatever reason.
I don't suggest favoring one member or a family over the others, but having a "golden child" within a family unit does happen sometimes, whether we like it or not.
God loves us. God very much loves every single one of us, and He wants all of us to be in His family and become one of His sons or daughters.
- For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ~John 3:16
- The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise... Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. ~2 Peter 3:9
But, if we are being honest about our Heavenly Father and the family of Christ...did we know that God has a "golden child"?
It is Israel, and the people of Israel.
God loves us all, but (like it or not), God has always had a soft spot for His chosen people/the people of Israel/the Jewish people.
How can we know this, or how can we be sure that it is true?
God tells us about His golden child over and over in His Word, the Bible.
(Over and over He asks all to come to Him and repent of their sins and be forgiven...but over and over and over God also reminds the world of His heart for His people Israel.)
For you are a holy people, who belong to the Lord your God. Of all the people on earth, the Lord your God has chosen you to be his own special treasure.
(7) “The Lord did not set his heart on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other nations, for you were the smallest of all nations! (8) Rather, it was simply that the Lord loves you, and he was keeping the oath he had sworn to your ancestors... ~Deuteronomy 7:6-8
“But do not be afraid, Jacob, my servant; do not be dismayed, Israel. For I will bring you home again from distant lands, and your children will return from their exile. Israel will return to a life of peace and quiet, and no one will terrorize them.
(28) Do not be afraid, Jacob, my servant, for I am with you,” says the Lord. ~Jeremiah 46:27-28
In reading (again) in the Bible today about God's heart for Israel and its people, I was reminded (again) to have a heart for Israel and its people. They are God's golden child/children.
As Deuteronomy 7 (above) states, it wasn't because of anything that Israel did or didn't do that made them God's chosen people, it was all God's choice, and He chose Israel. I can't quite explain it, but I don't need to because God does:
“But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, you descendants of Abraham my friend, (9) I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, ‘You are my servant’; I have chosen you and have not rejected you.
(10) So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
(11) “All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish.
(12) ...Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all.
(13) For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. (14) Do not be afraid... little Israel, do not fear, for I myself will help you,” declares the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. ~Isaiah 41:8-13
Part of our role as God's children is for us to accept God's "golden child" (if you will) status of Israel. But the very next step in our obedience to God is aligning with Him in sharing His heart for Israel. Followers of God are for Israel.
No other people group in the history of the world have been more persecuted and discriminated against than the Jewish people, but the Bible is very clear about supporting Israel, and God makes strong warnings against Israel's enemies. Lately, if we "read the headlines" and are not quite sure
where to "stand" on issues related to Israel...allow God to inform us. Zechariah Chapter 12 reads like a modern-day news headline...and beware to those who are going against God's golden child nation.
Jerusalem’s Enemies to Be Destroyed
A prophecy: The word of the Lord concerning Israel.
Zechariah 12
The Lord, who stretches out the heavens, who lays the foundation of the earth, and who forms the human spirit within a person, declares: (2) “I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling...
(3) On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves.
(4) On that day I will strike every horse with panic and its rider with madness,” declares the Lord. “I will keep a watchful eye over Judah, but I will blind all the horses of the nations. (5) Then the clans of Judah will say in their hearts, ‘The people of Jerusalem are strong, because the Lord Almighty is their God.’
(6) “On that day I will make the clans of Judah like a firepot in a woodpile, like a flaming torch among sheaves. They will consume all the surrounding peoples right and left, but Jerusalem will remain intact in her place...
(8) On that day the Lord will shield those who live in Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of the Lord going before them. (9) On that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that attack Jerusalem. ~Zechariah 12:1-6, 8-9
We must be aware of God's Word and His stance and His love for Israel. And we must stand with our Father and our Lord...which means that we stand with Israel.
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