“Chosen or Abandoned” ~ ✨
After the first ancestors Adam and Eve had sinned, God raised up several “great eras.” From the following eras, we can see God’s chosen one or the abandoned. The first great era was Noah and his family of eight; the second great era was Abraham; the third great era was the twelve tribes of Israel; the fourth great era was the establishment of Israel as a nation with kings; and the fifth great era is the coming of Jesus Christ in the end times. This sharing will briefly examine each of these great eras, focussing on the fourth to discern God’s purpose.
The First Great Era:
Genesis 6:6 records that God regretted having created humans on the earth and was grieved in His heart, for He saw that human wickedness was great and every inclination of their thoughts was only evil. God wiped out all living creatures He had made—humans, animals, creeping things, and birds—except for Noah’s family of eight and the pairs of animals. After the flood, God blessed Noah and his sons, commanding them to be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth (Genesis 9:7). Thus began the first great era after the flood.
The Second Great Era:
This era began with Abraham. God chose Abraham and made him the father of many nations (Genesis 17:4). Later, when a severe famine struck the earth, God brought Abraham’s descendants (the Israelites) to Egypt, a land not affected by the famine. There, the Israelites lived comfortably, and it is easy to imagine how they forgot the God who protected them. After Joseph (Abraham’s great-grandson and Jacob’s son, then Egypt’s vizier) died, a new Pharaoh arose who did not know or remember Joseph. He enslaved the Israelites.
God saw the misery of His people in Egypt, heard their cries, and came down to rescue them from the Egyptians, leading them out of Egypt to a good and spacious land flowing with milk and honey (Exodus 3:7-8). God sent Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, forming the twelve tribes of Israel, who wandered in the wilderness for forty years.
The Third Great Era:
After Moses, Joshua took over and led them into the promised land of Canaan. Thus began the third great era of the twelve tribes of Israel, descended from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
During this time, judges governed Israel on God’s behalf. Yet, after their rebellion in the wilderness, the Israelites continued to stray in their hearts, unfaithful to God’s covenant even in the prosperous land of Canaan (Psalm 78:37-40).
The Fourth Great Era:
The twelve tribes of Israel neither revered God nor united, often falling prey to foreign enemies. By the end of the judges’ era, during the time of the prophet Samuel, they demanded a king to rule them like other nations (1 Samuel 8:5). God allowed their request and appointed Saul as the first king to govern Israel on His behalf, ushering in the fourth great era. In Israel’s history, this era had a profound impact. Readers can observe God’s election and rejection through the establishment of Israel’s monarchy.
God appointed Saul as the first king. Many believe God intentionally chose an unfit man to prove His people wrong in demanding a king. However, from the biblical account, readers can see why God chose Saul. God knew the Israelites judged by outward appearance and did not trust Him (Numbers 13:31-33). Humans look at outward appearance, but God looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7).
In 1 Samuel 9:15-16, I read what God said to Samuel the day before choosing Saul: “About this time tomorrow, I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin. Anoint him ruler over my people Israel; he will deliver them from the hand of the Philistines. I have looked on my people, for their cry has come to me.” I also read that God told Samuel Saul would govern His people (1 Samuel 9:17). Saul was a descendant of Abraham, from the smallest tribe of Benjamin, and thus included in God’s covenant with Abraham.
God instructed Samuel on how to prepare for Saul’s coronation, ensuring Saul’s actions would be recognized and accepted by the Israelites. More importantly, God gave Saul a new heart, and he prophesied among the prophets, filled with the Spirit (1 Samuel 10:9-10). If God had appointed an unfit Saul to prove Israel’s request wrong, we would not have read this account (1 Samuel 15:11): “The word of the Lord came to Samuel: ‘I regret that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions.’”
God said He regretted His decision, revealing His grief and mercy. Though God foreknew Saul’s pride and disobedience, He still gave him a chance. Similarly, God foreknew Israel’s generations of rebellion, yet His faithfulness and mercy never abandoned them. God’s mercy surpasses His anger born of grief or wrath, as seen in Saul’s reign of over thirty years (Acts 13:21).
The Fifth Great Era:
From its establishment to its fall, Israel lasted over four hundred years, finally falling in 587 BC. Afterward, God no longer governed His people through prophets, judges, or kings. After the last prophets had passed away, God remained silent for about four hundred years. The Bible does not explain why God ceased speaking to Israel. I believe He may have said all that needed saying, leaving Israel to await the prophesied Messiah.
The covenant-keeping God sent John the Baptist around 4 BC to prepare the way for the Messiah (Jesus Christ). Thus began the fifth great era—the end times, where Jesus Christ came to save sinners. We are now in this era.
God shows no partiality; He extends grace to both Israel and the Gentiles. As Scripture says: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile” (Romans 1:16).
God’s grace to His chosen people is evident in Israel’s history and in the elect in Christ during the end times. In the Old Testament, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David were chosen and obedient servants of God. Through them, God raised the first four great eras, though none were perfect in God’s eyes. On the other hand, Saul was also chosen by God, but he did evil in God’s sight, repeatedly refusing to repent, ultimately leading to his death.
Decisions to reject out of grief or anger are painful and regrettable for both God and humans. I see that God’s judgment on earth arises more from His grief than His wrath. God regretted having created humans and flooded the earth to display His holy and righteous nature. He regretted appointing Saul, yet His faithfulness and mercy surpassed His anger born of grief. The more His grief, the greater His mercy. After the flood, God promised never to destroy the earth with water again, using the rainbow as a sign of His delayed judgment, giving people a chance to repent (Genesis 9:11-17). The extra thirty years given to Saul has also demonstrated God’s desire that “no one should perish.”
What lesson does Saul’s failure offer end-time Christians? Ephesians 5:8-10 reminds us: “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord.”
Thank God, His mercy surpasses His anger. He often holds back His wrath, for He remembers that humans are but flesh, a fleeting breath! God’s mercy over wrath reaches its pinnacle on Christ’s cross—the One truly “rejected” (Matthew 27:46) so that all who turn to Him may be “chosen.”
May this poem stir deeper spiritual understanding in readers👇🏻
“End and Beginning” ✨
By fate and friendship bound
Love and hate each find their place
Once, humanity turned from the Way
Hate triumphed over love
Evil over good
The human heart, unfathomable,
Is known to You
Who can escape Your gaze
Your only Son You gave
To turn from darkness to light—This freedom is mine
The heavens changed as the sky was torn
All things reborn
My hope restored
How long will You endure
O Lord
Completion and origin lie in calling Your name
✨✨💖 ~
en yan hua fang 