The People Of God

The People of God

You have been set apart as holy to the LORD your God, and he has chosen you from all the nations of the earth to be his own special treasure.

Deuteronomy 14:2

Our ancestors . . . were guided by a cloud that moved ahead of them, and all of them walked through the sea on dry ground. In the cloud and in the sea, all of them were baptized as followers of Moses. All of them ate the same spiritual food, and all of them drank the same spiritual water. For they drank from the spiritual rock that traveled with them, and that rock was Christ. Yet God was not pleased with most of them, and their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. These things happened as a warning to us, so that we would not crave evil things as they did, or worship idols as some of them did.

1 Corinthians 10:1-7

When we study ancient history, we learn about all kinds of civilizations. Have you ever wondered why God’s history book—the Bible—focuses on one small group of people and God’s dealings with them?

The Old Testament story of God’s dealings with Israel is like a lesson book for all the world to read. It shows us who God is, what he expects, how he shows mercy, and how we can know him. Here are a few things the Israelites’ history helps us understand:

• our need for a Savior—they were delivered from slavery in Egypt
• what it looks like to live by faith—Abraham believed God and was made right with him
• the need for payment for sin—the priests made sacrifices to cover people’s sins
• our opportunity to approach God—the Tabernacle was built as a place to meet with God
• the provision of God—God gave the Israelites manna, and water from a rock in the desert, and he led them to victory in battle
• a place of eternal rest being prepared by God—after many years in the desert, they were led to the Promised Land

Israel’s history shows us how God deals with his people. And today we, as the people of God—the church—are a living history book, showing those around us what God is like and what it means to live as his child, in his family.

DISCUSSION STARTERS

When you think of stories you’ve heard or read about the children of Israel in the Old Testament, what do you remember about them?

From what you know about the Israelites, how are we like them?

What do the verses in 1 Corinthians 10 tell us about why God focuses his history book on the children of Israel?