We’ve come to the end of our Chosen: 30 Days with the Patriarchs Scripture Plan! (If you are just joining us you can find links to the Scripture Plan and the previous posts by scrolling down!) In the last 30 days we’ve looked at the lives of Abraham, Sarah, Hagar, Ishmael, Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob, Esau, Rachel and Leah. So, what does it means to be chosen by God? Today we’ll look back at what we can learn from the patriarchs, and look ahead to what it means through Christ.
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Lessons learned from the Patriarchs about being chosen by God
Gods choices are not our choices
The stories of the patriarchs, as with other stories in the Bible, show us that God does not base his decisions in the same way we do. He does not look at the external appearance, abilities or circumstances. He knows our heart. He knows who will be faithful – even before we are born!
I chose you before I formed you in the womb;
I set you apart before you were born. Jeremiah 1:5
God chose Abraham to be the father of a great nation even though he was ‘advanced in years’ and married to an infertile women.
God chose Jacob to inherit the promise even though he was the younger son.
God chose Leah, the wife that was not chosen by Jacob, to be the mother of Judah (ancestor of Kings and Jesus) and Levi (ancestor of the priests).
God chose them because he knew they would be faithful to him and trust him.
We are Chosen by God for Eternal Consequences
None of the patriarchs saw the fulfilment of God’s promised land but they continued to have faith in him that this promise would be fulfilled for their descendants.
From Abraham the whole world would receive an everlasting blessing through his descendant Jesus Christ.
God always keeps his promises
Despite all the mistakes, failings and detours made by Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob, Leah and Rachel, God kept his promises and they were fulfilled. This continues through the stories of Abraham’s descendants up until the birth of Jesus, and continues for us today.
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What does it mean to be chosen by God in the New Testament?
In the New Testament we see that Jesus is God’s chosen son, the fulfilment of the promise to Abraham.
Then a voice came from the cloud, saying: “This is my Son, the Chosen One; listen to him!” Luke 9:35
What does it mean to us to be chosen by God?
And now, through faith in Jesus Christ, we are God’s chosen people. What does this mean for us?
Let’s look at a few verses and then pull them together:
You did not choose me, but I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce fruit and that your fruit should remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give you. John 15:16
For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him. He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he lavished on us in the Beloved One...In him we have also received an inheritance, because we were predestined according to the plan of the one who works out everything in agreement with the purpose of his will, so that we who had already put our hope in Christ might bring praise to his glory. Eph 1:4-6 and 11-12
Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and dearly loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a grievance against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you are also to forgive. Above all, put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. And let the peace of Christ, to which you were also called in one body, rule your hearts. And be thankful. Col 3:12-15
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; you had not received mercy,but now you have received mercy. 1 Peter 2:9-10
From these verses we can put together a picture of what it means to be chosen by God.
As his chosen people we are:
- Adopted as sons through Jesus Christ
- Holy and dearly loved
- Forgiven by the Lord
- A royal priesthood
- A people for his possession
- Called out of the darkness into his marvellous light
- God’s people
We are to:
- Produce fruit that will last
- Be holy and blameless in love before God
- Bring praise to his glory
- Put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience
- Bear with one another and forgive one another
- Put on love
- Let the peace of Christ rule our hearts
- Be thankful
- Proclaim his praises
And we receive these blessings:
- Grace lavished on us
- An inheritance
- Mercy
And whatever we ask for in the Father’s name will be given us.
That’s quite a lot to give God thanks and praise for!
Get the Bible Study Guide and Workbook
If you have not already purchased your copy of the Bible Study Guide and Workbook to go with the Chosen: 30 Days with the Patriarchs Scripture Plan it’s not too late! The workbook is undated and can be started at any time. Here you will find a page for each day of the study. The daily worksheets use my 5L Bible Study Method: Letter, Look, Learn, Live, Love which encourages and guides us to look deeper into the text we are reading.
You can also find the other posts about this Scripture Plan here:
Introduction: Patriarchs Scripture Plan
Week 1: God’s Promises to Abraham
Week 2: How to Trust God in times of doubt, sorrow and testing
Week 3: How to Respond to God’s Promises – lessons from Isaac and Rebekah
I hope have been blessed and encouraged through these reflections and the Scripture Plan. I’d love to know what you have learned about being chosen by God from this study. Please leave a comment to let me know!
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