Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations. Ask your father, and he will show you; your elders, and they will tell you. (Deuteronomy 32:8-9)
This verse seems to allude to the fact that, early in human history, God caused the different nations to go their separate ways. The Bible reveals that, prior to the confusion of the languages at Babel, everyone spoke the same tongue and, consequently, gathered together with one mind and intent. Unfortunately that intent was fixed on rebellion and resistance to God’s purpose. So then, He confounded their languages and divided them into different nations, seventy to be exact if Jewish sources are to be considered. Moses said that God did this in respect to Israel inferring that the nations were divided into 70 languages in order to correspond to “the number of the children of Israel.” Interestingly, Jacob went down into Egypt (the nations) with seventy souls.
The point is that God deals with the nations with Israel in mind. That being said, God deals with Israel with the nations in mind. When the seventy nations of the earth did not respond to God properly, He raised up a nation from the seventy souls who were to be a light to those nations. Thus Israel became His portion and were charged with the task of being set apart from the nations. As it is written, “Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to me above all people; for all the earth is mine” (Exodus 19:5).
As such they were to be the “place (literally “rope”) of His inheritance.” The Hebrew word for “rope” infers both measurement and strength suggesting that Israel is the measure by which the nations judged. Furthermore, though comprised of many strands, when God’s people are united they are strong; when they are divided they are weak.
What does this have to say to us, today? Simply put, God still orchestrates human history by directing the course of mankind and the nations but always with His purpose and His people in mind. In a manner of speaking, those things occurring in our world, which He has ordained, are accomplished with you and me in mind. On the flip side of that, all that He is doing in our lives today is done with the nations in mind. In other words, He desires that we be set apart from the world in order to be His witnesses in the world. So then, He directs our path in order to bring us to where we are supposed to be and empowers us to do what He has called us to do — to be His portion and, consequently, to be light in the darkness.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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