4. They are the people of Israel. They were God’s chosen children. They have the glory of God and the agreements that God made between himself and his people. God gave them the law of Moses and the right way of worship. And God gave his promises to them.
5. They are the descendants of our great ancestors, and they are the earthly family of Christ. Christ is God over all. Praise him forever! Amen.
6. I do not mean that God failed to keep his promise to them. But only some of the people of Israel are truly God’s people.
7. And only some of Abraham’s descendants are true children of Abraham. But God said to Abraham: “The descendants I promised you will be from Isaac.”
8. This means that not all of Abraham’s descendants are God’s true children. Abraham’s true children are those who become God’s children because of the promise God made to Abraham.
9. God’s promise to Abraham was this: “At the right time I will return, and Sarah will have a son.”
10. And that is not all. Rebekah also had sons. And those sons had the same father, our father Isaac.
13. As the Scripture says, “I loved Jacob, but I hated Esau.”
14. So what should we say about this? Is God unfair? In no way.
15. God said to Moses, “I will show kindness to anyone I want to show kindness. I will show mercy to anyone I want to show mercy.”