Why was Israel created?
God created Israel to be his treasured possession, a holy nation (Ex. 19:5-6). As God’s possession, Israel’s value depended not on her accomplishments but on God’s love and affection. God sovereignty reigns over all nations, but Israel enjoys the status of most precious possession. “Israel is the very embodiment of Jewish continuity: It is the only nation on earth that inhabits the same land, bears the same name, speaks the same language, and worships the same God that it did 3,000 years ago. You dig the soil and you find pottery from Davidic times, coins from Bar Kokhba, and 2,000-year-old scrolls written in a script remarkably like the one that today advertises ice cream at the corner candy store.” The people of Israel (also called the “Jewish People”) trace their origin to Abraham, who established the belief that there is only one God, the creator of the universe (see Torah). Abraham, his son Yitshak (Isaac), and grandson Jacob (Israel), are referred to as the patriarchs of the Isra
