God chose to reveal Himself through a people called Israel. Throughout the entire Bible He identifies Himself as the God of Israel, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This is incredible to me. As a Christian I have been taught that the Bible is God's self-disclosure, but this falls short--it is His self-disclosure to the world through a particular people. His identity is wrapped up in His dealings with this people. Not because they are better than any other, but because He has chosen this way. His certificate of authenticity to Gentiles such as myself is this: If the God of Israel goes back on any of His word to the people of Israel, then He is not worthy of worship. This is why I am neither reformed nor dispensational, though I have learned much from both groups of Christians. Both groups require me to overlook promises that God has made to the people to whom He has linked His identity.
Some might say that the New Testament changed this, but Jesus came as Messiah, the Annointed One promised to Israel. He was crucified as the King of the Jews. Every time "Christ" is mentioned in the epistles it is referring to Messiah as a distinctly Jewish concept. Gentiles didn't know what Messiah was. They needed Jews like Paul to tell them. (God promised to make Israel a "light to the nations" in Isa. 42:6, 49:6 and Matt. 5:14.) They even had to fabricate a new Greek word "Christos" to attempt to describe the concept of Messiah to Gentiles.
This all just amazes me. I do not have time right now to go in depth with this, but there it is. He is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It is His name forever (Ex. 3:15).
