More Than: Israel
Who are God’s people? There are few questions of greater significance, and one we’d all get wrong if it weren’t for the Word of God. Relying on our own reason and sense of right and wrong leads us to believe that God’s people are the good people. We may not agree with everyone else on what good means, but we are certain that those are the people that God calls his own. This was the same mistake that the people of Israel made. The Pharisees thought they were God’s people because they were devout descendants of Abraham. The disciples thought they were God’s people because they were devoted. But we are not God’s people based on who we’re related to or what we try to do. God’s people are those who need God’s mercy. As they cry out to the Lord, the Son of David, he hears, and he answers in a way that challenges our sense of self-importance. We are not deserving of God’s mercy, but the Lord rejoices in lifting up the humble and mercifully making us his holy people.
