Israel: Election & Identity
- James Collazo
- Nov 22, 2020
- 7 min read
Updated: Nov 17
Introduction
The Hebrew name Yisrael (H3478) means "to strive with God" or "God strives." It first appears thirty-two chapters into Genesis, when Jacob wrestled with God's messenger and overpowered him, though he received a permanent injury to his hip. "The man asked him, 'What is your name?' 'Jacob,' he answered. Then the man said, 'Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome'" (Gen. 32:27–28). Moses, the author of Genesis, later explained, "Therefore to this day the Israelites do not eat the tendon attached to the socket of the hip, because the socket of Jacob's hip was touched near the tendon" (Gen. 32:32). The account of God renaming Jacob as Israel appears again in Genesis:
After Jacob returned from Paddan Aram, God appeared to him again and blessed him. God said to him, "Your name is Jacob, but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel." So he named him Israel. And God said to him, "I am God Almighty; be fruitful and increase in number. A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will be among your descendants. The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you" (Gen. 35:9–12).
Israel in the Old Testament
Why is this story so important? It shows how God chose the Hebrews to become the nation of Israel—a people who strive for God. He rescued them from slavery in Egypt and led them to live in the land of Canaan, at the crossroads of Asia, Europe, and Africa. God intended for the Israelites to have a visible role in the world, just as modern-day Israelis do. From Israel, the Hebrews would serve as a "light for the Gentiles" (Isa. 49:6). God chose Jacob to be "Israel," and his twelve sons would lead the twelve tribes of Israel, the nation of God's elect (Gen. 49:28). But Israel is more than the name of an ancient country or the modern State of Israel. It is the name of God's chosen people throughout the world, first the Jews and then the Gentiles (Rom. 1:16). Most importantly, Israel finds its ultimate identity in Jesus, who perfectly represents humanity's striving for and with God.
In the Old Testament, the term Israel carries multiple layers of meaning, including geographical, ethnic, political, covenantal, and spiritual dimensions. Geographically, Israel referred to the land God promised to Abraham and his descendants (Gen. 12:1–7, 15:18–21), often described as flowing with milk and honey (Exod. 3:8; Lev. 20:24). Ethnically, Israel also referred to the descendants of Jacob, who was renamed Israel after wrestling with God (Gen. 32:28). Jacob's twelve sons became the ancestors of the twelve tribes of Israel (Gen. 49:28), forming the foundation of Israelite society and identity (Exod. 1:1–5). Politically, Israel became a nation-state that reached its peak under kings like David and Solomon (2 Sam. 5:1–5; 1 Kings 4:20–21). The kingdom later split into the northern kingdom of Israel, with ten tribes, and the southern kingdom of Judah, with two tribes (1 Kings 12:16–24).
Covenantally, Israel represents God's chosen people and the special relationship he established with them. God made a covenant with Abraham, promising to bless him and his descendants and make them a great nation (Gen. 12:2–3, 17:4–8), which he reaffirmed with Isaac (Gen. 26:3–4) and Jacob (Gen. 28:13–15). Spiritually and symbolically, Israel signifies God's faithfulness, his sovereignty over the land and its people, and his redemptive plan for humanity (Isa. 49:6; Jer. 31:31–34). In prophetic literature, Israel often represents all of God's faithful people, including both Jews and spiritual descendants among the Gentiles (Rom. 2:28–29; Gal. 3:7). To understand Israel in the Old Testament, one must consider all these dimensions together—geographical, ethnic, political, covenantal, and spiritual—to grasp its full significance within the biblical story.
Israel in the New Testament
In his letter to the Romans, the apostle Paul strongly identified with his Jewish heritage:
I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it through the Holy Spirit—I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people, those of my own race, the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption to sonship; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship, and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen. It is not as though God's word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham's children. On the contrary, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned" [Gen. 21:12]. In other words, it is not the children of physical descent who are God's children, but the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham's offspring (Rom. 9:1–8).
Paul also wrote clearly about the Jews' current standing with God, showing how he, as a key teacher of New Testament theology, referred to Israel in the present tense when speaking of the Jewish people:
I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. . . . I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, and in this way all Israel will be saved. . . . As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies for your sake; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable (Rom. 11:1–2, 25–26, 28–29).
Though replacement theology, also called supersessionism, dominates much of modern Christendom, it contradicts the New Testament's message. Replacement theologians claim that the church has replaced the Jewish people as God's chosen. However, Paul teaches that Gentiles are grafted into Israel's family tree as branches (Rom. 11:16–24). God never cut down or replaced the original olive tree. Today, the tree of Israel still stands, filled with faithful Jews and Gentiles who believe in their Messiah. Unlike replacement theology, commonwealth theology presents a unified view of Israel, in which Jews and Gentiles live together in the Commonwealth of Israel through reconciliation in Christ. Paul also affirms this reality:
Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called "uncircumcised" by those who call themselves "the circumcision" (which is done in the body by human hands)—remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world (Eph. 2:11–12).
Conclusion
Two questions arise when Christians consider God's election of Israel: 1) Why would God choose one nation over another? 2) Why did God choose the Hebrews, even when they were unfaithful and rejected Jesus as their Messiah? As the prophet Hosea reminds us, God never divorced Israel as his chosen people. Instead, he looked forward to a time when the Israelites would reflect on the consequences of their actions, repent, and reconcile with him (Hos. 2). The prophet Isaiah writes:
The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn (Isa. 61:1–2).
Jesus himself read this passage in his hometown synagogue in Nazareth, which angered his fellow Jews so much that they wanted to kill him (Luke 4:16–30). Why were these Israelites so offended, even though they were supposed to await God's favor? Because they realized Jesus was claiming to be the Messiah and the very embodiment of Israel itself. We know Jesus as the King of kings and Lord of lords, but he is also the Israelite of all Israelites. When God chose Israel as his elected nation, he acted sovereignly, fully aware that sin enslaves human free will (Rom. 8:7–8). However, God also intended Israel to show the world how to strive for him. When he saw the Israelites repeatedly fail, he resolved to save the world through Jesus' atonement and resurrection.
Prayer
Blessed are you, LORD our God, King of heaven and earth. You sent your Son to reveal your steadfast love and save the commonwealth of Israel. Pour out your Spirit, renew your church, and fulfill your covenant among your set-apart people. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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