Is it Enough Merely to be an Israelite?

by Bertrand L. Comparet

The trouble with religion is not that people know so little about it, it is that they know so much about it that is not so. Christians have been taught so much that is not true, but has become church doctrine or dogma. Yahshua quoted to the Pharisees those terrible words from Isaiah, "In vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." There is much that is taught today, as religion, that is not in the Bible.

In general, the major churches don't teach about the kingdom of Yahweh anymore, in fact they don't believe in it. These preachers believe in a sort of democracy of God, everybody reduced to the same dead level as part of the masses. If your doctrine is such that it is not going to bring in enough Negro, Filipino or one of the other of the colored masses as converts, then rebuke Yahweh for having been too exclusive and change your doctrine to one that will bring them in. These preachers are going to answer for this in due time, because Yahweh gave nobody authority to change His word.

To restore a true perspective, those of us who have been preaching and teaching the Israel identity and kingdom message, have pointed out that Yahweh is no politician. He doesn't need the votes of the colored races; He is a majority all by Himself. He picked His own people who were qualified by Him for a specific job. Yahweh rewarded them with both duties and responsibilities, as well as authority.

We have tried to swing the pendulum too far the other way. Some have been teaching that if you were just born into Israel, you have got it made automatically, it doesn't matter what your character, is or what you do with your life. You can be the worst scoundrel on earth, but this doesn't matter because if you are an Israelite, you have your predestined high place in heaven all cut out for you.

This is a comforting doctrine for those who don't feel they are morally equal to living up to their responsibilities, but the Bible doesn't verify this doctrine. With all the great offers Yahweh made to Israel, always has gone the responsibility of the nation of Israel and for each individual Israelite to live up to these responsibilities.

One of the things that is so often quoted as a sweeping all inclusive statement is the verse taken out of Romans 11:26. "And so all Israel shall be saved, as it is written..." The punctuation is different than is commonly believed, it really says, "And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob."

We have often enough condemned other churches for taking one verse out of context and founding a doctrine on it. Certainly we should never be guilty of this ourselves, because we know better. In the first place, Paul is not correctly quoting Isaiah, because Isaiah didn't say all Israel shall be saved, Isaiah 45:17.

If you read the rest of Romans chapter 11, you will understand that Paul doesn't intend any such sweeping statement as those few words, as taken out of context, would indicate. Note this from Romans 11:2-5,7. "Know ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he madeth intercession to God against Israel, saying, Master, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine alters; and I am left alone, and they seek my life. But what saith the answer of Yahweh unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal..."

Note what Paul goes on to say here. "Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace...But what then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded."

We can't laugh off the word remainder by saying that is all that remain, implying that the great majority are the ones who remain. This is taken from the Greek and trying to find similar English words isn't the solution, we have to see what the Greek says.

"There is a remnant", Paul said. This is the Greek word leimma and is derived from the root word leipo, which not only means a few but which connotes a lacking or insufficient number. If we wanted to say "not only a few but not enough", the Greek word leipo is the word we would use, and leimma is derived from and based on this. So this remainder is going to be a few, not 99 and 99/100%, or something like that. Paul isn't teaching any such doctrine. Neither did Isaiah say they were all going to come through just because they were Israelites, Isaiah knew better. Isaiah knew the history of his people.

There were many times when Israel strayed from the path Yahweh had given them. Moses was up on mount Sinai getting the laws from Yahweh and after he had been gone for a few days the people became restless. Remember; up to this time Moses was the one who had performed the miracles Yahweh gave him power to do in Egypt. Moses was the one who led Israel out of Egypt. He was the one who stood on the shore of the Red Sea and held his staff out over the water. The waters of the Red Sea parted and Moses led Israel though to safety.

Moses had led Israel along in the wilderness quite a distance. Out in the desert Moses was the leader who always saw to it that Israel had enough food and water. However, there was mixed multitudes that were with Israel. The word mixed used there, was the Hebrew word ereb, which means mongrel. Some of Israel had mixed their race, with the Egyptians, while they were in Egypt. Here was the nation of Israel, and there were a lot of them. After Moses had been gone a few days, they went to Aaron and complained about Moses being gone so long. They were worried he might not come back. Just in case Moses didn't return, they demanded Aaron make some idol gods to lead them.

After all the miracles they had experienced, Israel wanted idol gods. The mixed multitude that was among them egged them on. In spite of seeing the pillar of cloud, that lead them, they still were easily led into apostasy. Well, Aaron was a good example of the clergy then and now, he gave the people what they wanted, not what was right for them. So Aaron collected gold from the people, melted it down and made the golden calf.

When Moses came down from the mountain and called Aaron to account for his actions, Aaron's excuse was, "I put this gold in the fire and this calf came out." Aaron neglected to state who made the mold in which the melted gold was cast. Exodus chapter 32 tells us 3,000 people were killed, by the plague, in the penalty that came upon Israel for their apostasy.

Leviticus chapter 10 tells us the two older sons of Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, knew the instructions governing the priests, that had been given as to who might approach the tabernacle and how. But Aaron's sons were ready to take over, and do it their way. They offered incense and strange fire, as the Bible calls it, so they were slain by Yahweh. We can't say that Nadab and Abihu were part of the mongrel mixed multitude. They were the two oldest sons of Aaron, so they were pure Israel stock.

It was rough going through the desert. There were many hardships and the people began complaining. They wished they had remained in Egypt, even though they had been slaves there, because in Egypt at least they had eaten well.

What were they going to do? Here was a rebellion against what Yahweh had told them to do. Sure, they were mainly Israelites and Yahweh had given them a tough job to do and they weren't equal to it, they were ready to quit. Numbers 11:1-2 tells us, "And when the people complained, it displeased Yahweh: and Yahweh heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of Yahweh burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the outermost parts of the camp.

And the people cried unto Moses; and when Moses prayed unto Yahweh, the fire was quenched." The people grumbled about the food. Yahweh had promised them, through Moses, they would have plenty to eat. They were complaining they didn't like the manna Yahweh had sent they wanted meat. Yahweh told them, "I will give you meat till it is running out of your nostrils." So Yahweh sent them quail, more than they could eat, but with this quail, he also sent a great plague, which killed a great, many of them.

Before the Israelites had completed their forty years of wandering, they were ready to turn north into Palestine. A group of spies were sent ahead to look the land over to see how they should go there and occupy it. When they returned, only two men said they could conquer the land because Yahweh had promised it to them. Numbers chapters 24 & 14 tells this was a wonderful land. They had never seen anything with such productive fields. But, there were giants in big fortified cities. Because of the giants, the people were not willing to go and take over this land.

When the people rebelled, only three of them wanted to go ahead. These three were Moses, Joshua and Caleb, all the rest of them were condemned to wander out in the desert until they died. Yahweh said, "Not one of this generation which has rebelled are going to enter that land or set foot in it. Your children will, because I promised it to them, but you who have doubted my word and refused to obey me will not."

In Numbers chapter 16 Korah, a Levite, led a rebellion. Korah was ambitious, he wanted to take over the position Moses and Aaron had of leading the people. Before the whole assembly, Korah said to Moses and Aaron, "You take too much upon yourselves, setting yourselves up above the people like this. We are all as holy as you and are all fit to be priests." So Moses probably said, "All right Korah, tomorrow you and those who follow you, come here with your little metal censers, in which you have fire and incense. Aaron and his sons will be here with theirs, and you can each offer incense before the tabernacle of Yahweh, and let us see who Yahweh accepts."

You know what happened, the earth swallowed up Korah and his accomplices. The earth split open, they fell into the crevice, and it closed upon them, the rest were killed by fire from Yahweh. There were many Israelites who went along with this rebellion, they were just middle-of-the-roaders who were going to wait and see what would happen. If Korah had gotten away with his rebellion, they would have followed him. These people didn't take an active part in the rebellion; they didn't have courage enough to be on either side. So another plague broke out among them and 14,700 of them died.

This was no mere accident, this was a punishment sent by Yahweh. There were plenty of the Israelites who died in the wars with Assyria and Babylon, many of them killed in their fighting with the Philistines and so on. As we well know, Yahweh can bring His own followers safely through danger. When great numbers of Israel were slaughtered on various occasions, we know they had it coming to them. Sure they were born Israelites, but they weren't living up to it so they lost their safety. We can't let ourselves be carried away by the idea that all we need to do is just be born of Israelite parents. We have to do more that; we have to conduct our lives according to Yahweh's laws. We have a larger opportunity open to us than anybody who is not Yahweh's people Israel. However, we have to take an active part in getting this opportunity. In all the teaching of a remnant surviving, it is interesting to look up the words, which are used, in the original languages. Let's read Isaiah 10:20-23. "And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them, but shall stay upon Yahweh the Holy One of Israel, in truth."

The word remnant, in the Hebrew shar, means a remainder. then it continues, "The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty Yahweh." Here again is the word shar. Here is what we find quoted in the New Testament from Isaiah 10:22. "For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall return, the consumption decreed shall overflow with righteousness." The word-translated consumption is the Hebrew word killayown, which means destruction.

Righteousness sometimes can only manifest itself as punishment and destruction. "For Yahweh God of hosts shall make a consumption." Here is a little different word kalah, and its meaning really is to consume completely, it is more emphatic than merely destruction. "...For Yahweh God of hosts shall make a destruction, even determined, in the midst of all the land." In Romans Paul refers back to this. Isaiah also cries concerning Israel, "Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved." These are Greek manuscripts being translated. The word remnant is kataleimma in Greek, which means a few. This word can't be paraphrased into all, or everybody that remains. It means a few shall be saved. Then Isaiah 46:3-4 tells us, "Hearken unto me O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, which are borne by me from the belly, which are carried from the womb: And even to your old age I am he; and even to white hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and I will deliver you." All the remnant is translated from sheriyth which means that which has escaped. When an army is routed, those who manage to escape with their lives are few and disorganized.

Zephaniah 3:13 tells us, "The remnant (sheriyth) of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth: for they shall make them afraid." This is where we get our remnant, those that are not deceitful. Can we trust all Israel today? We know we can't, and this is why not all are going to be saved. Jeremiah 31:7 states, "For thus saith Yahweh, Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout among the chief of the nations: publish ye, praise ye, and say, O Yahweh, save thy people, the remnant of Israel." Again, the word from which we get remnant is sheriyth, those who have escaped. Joel 2:32 continues, "And it shall come to pass that whosoever shall call on the name of Yahweh shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as Yahweh hath said, and in the remnant whom Yahweh shall call." Here the word remnant is translated from the word sariyd, meaning a survivor.

We have a nation of over 250 million people. If 1,500 died of an epidemic of Asian flu, we don't speak of all the rest of the millions as survivors. It is when most of the nation perishes, and only a few are left, that we refer to them as survivors. The lesson, which goes with this, is, that special privileges bring special responsibilities, and rewards beyond anything we can imagine, if we keep our part of the bargain. Don't ever think we can dodge our responsibilities. Remember what Joshua said to the people of the two and a half tribes who wanted to take their land east of the Jordan. Joshua said, "If you plan just to stay here and not go on as part of the army, to conquer the rest of the land west of the Jordan, as Yahweh told you to, if you do that you are sinning against Yahweh, and be sure your sins will find you out." We also have to fulfill our responsibilities.

What about all of Israel? Israel can be divided into three classes. One class is hopelessly wicked, and there are plenty of them today, as we have had in every generation we have a record of. They have been periodically destroyed for their wickedness, not saved, destroyed. Then there is the other extreme, the relatively good remnant. Then in between there are the great masses. They are generally not extremely bad, and they are never extremely good, they are half way between, what about them? It is easy enough to classify the two extremes, and see what is going to happen to them Why is the evil group among us? This is simply because we, the rest of the nation of Israel, are violating Yahweh's commandment that we should destroy these evil people from out from among us. Go back and look where the various commandments of the law are given, through Moses. We will find one after another of the sins listed there, that the person doing these evil deeds shall be put to death. Then all Israel shall see and fear and shall not commit these sins anymore.

Did we do as the law commands? No, we have never done it more than haphazardly and these people have multiplied among us. Now we find, on the part of public figures, them practically saying that even imprisoning these criminals is a wrongful injustice against somebody who merely robbed, raped or murdered, because it is all the fault of society that these criminals chose to act this way. The wicked are here because we have allowed them to be here. In one of my radio broadcasts I use the title, "The Mystery of Good and Evil". People have asked, why does Yahweh permit evil to exist? The answer to this question is given in the Bible. Yahweh allows evil to exist because we allow it to exist. We weren't put here to be passive spectators in a drama worked out by somebody else. We, of all the people on earth, were put here to be active participants in this battle between good and evil, to bring about the kingdom of Yahweh here on earth. Few of Israel have been willing to recognize the responsibility, and that they have the numbers, the authority and the power to do it. Because Israel has shirked their duty, the nation as a whole has had to pay the penalty.

Some of you are now wondering what you can do. We have learned about all this responsibility, now what is expected of us? Are we to change the course of history and make nations behave or other huge spectacular things? No, only in a very few of these many generations has anybody reached this point. Yahweh has a way of bringing about His purposes through people who don't seem to be outstanding, but just the same in their own quiet way, are doing the jobs that Yahweh put them here to do. These are the people who are the real elect out of Israel. I have taught you before how in the Hebrew different words are used, with very different meaning, which have been lost by inaccurate translation into English. When the entire nation of Israel was spoken of, the Hebrew word edah was used. When the select leadership group was spoken of, the ones upon whom Yahweh could rely, those who had the spiritual capacity to respond to Him, when these were spoken of a very different word was used, kawhawl. In the King James Bible, both edah (ed-daw) and kaw-hawl are sometimes translated congregation, and sometimes assembly. There is no attempt to preserve a distinction between them and no comprehension on the part of the translators that there is any distinction.

You people are a part of that kaw-hawl, but what sort of things can you do? I wish to point out that Yahweh has used the most insignificant of people to accomplish some pretty great things. About 892 B.C., the Syrian king Ben-hadad with an enormous army, besieged the city of Samaria. This was the capital city of the northern kingdom of Israel. Ben-hadad stood there besieging Samaria until there was extreme famine in the city. Israel was at the point of starvation; all food they had was eaten up. The Syrian army was so enormously greater than the army of Israel, cooped up in Samaria, that they didn't dare go out and meet Syria in battle. II Kings chapter 7 records the events which happened.

The prophet Elisha was there in Samaria. Here they were, surrounded by this enormous army. The Syrian army could live off the countryside. Their foraging parties were going out, wherever food existed, scooping it up and supplying the troops. They weren't short of anything. It was only the people in Samaria that were reduced to starvation. Elisha said this, "Thus saith Yahweh, Tomorrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria." That measure was about two quarts, and you couldn't have bought a measure of flour for ten thousand shekels, in this besieged and starving city of Samaria So, "tomorrow about this time a measure of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria. Then a lord on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of Yahweh and said, Behold, if Yahweh would make windows in heaven, could this thing be? And Elisha said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not eat thereof." When we challenge Yahweh in this way, we have taken on ourselves a big contest, and we are apt to lose it. "And there were four lepers at the entering in of the gate..."

From the earliest dawn of history, leprosy has been regarded with special horror, no cure for it was known. Of all diseases it is the most spectacular, the victims literally rot away while they are still alive. The victims reach the point where joints of their fingers rot and fall off, because the disease has destroyed the circulation system of the body. While they are still living, bit-by-bit their bodies die and fall apart, a spectacular, horrible sight. Anyone who contracted leprosy was driven out, they couldn't enter into the city or into a camp, and they had to live outside the city apart from everybody. These poor victims couldn't engage in commerce, as nobody would buy anything they had touched for fear this dreaded disease would be carried with it. From a safe distance people might toss the lepers a coin, this was all that was left to them of their lives.

"And there were four lepers at the entering of the gate: and they said one to another, why sit we here until we die? If we say, we will enter into the city, then the famine is in the city, and we shall die there: and if we sit here, we die also. Now therefore come, and let us fall into the host of the Syrians: if they save us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall die. And they rose up in the twilight, to go unto the camp of the Syrians: and when they were come to the outermost part of the camp of Syria, behold, there was no man there. For Yahweh had made the host of the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots, and a noise of horses, even the noise of a great army: and they said one to another, Lo, the king of Israel hath hired against us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us. Whereupon they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents, and their horses, and their Asses, even the camp as it was, and fled for their life. And when these lepers came to the outermost part of the camp, they went into one tent, and did eat and drink, and carried away thence silver, and gold, and raiment, and hid it...Then they said one to another, We are not doing well: this is a day of good tidings, and do we hold our peace: if we tarry till the morning light, some mischief will come upon us: now therefore come, that we may go and tell the king's household."

The lepers went to the gate of the besieged city. They had a tough time getting the guards to let them in but they had terrific news. They demanded to be taken to the king. Finally the lepers were taken to the king and the king of Israel wouldn't believe their story. As long as it was daylight, the king could see a few hundred yards away, the camp of this mighty Syrian army. Now, a little before midnight in came these lepers saying that the whole Syrian army has disappeared. The king was too smart; he wasn't going to fall for a trap like this. Finally the lepers persuaded the king to send two scouts out, to go to the camp to see whether the Syrians were really gone. The scouts discovered it was just as the lepers had reported. The Syrians had fled in such panic and disorder; they left their food, weapons and everything else behind. Here was a deserted camp.

Remember the nobleman who sneered at this. "Could Yahweh do this, even if he opened the windows of heaven to drop this down to us?" Morning came and the people prepared to rush out to the camp of the Syrians. Everybody was hungry and they knew there was food out there. It had been weeks since anybody had a good meal, and it had been several days since most of them had any food at all. Here was a wild mob, ready to storm out at first daybreak. This nobleman, who had sneered at the idea, was at the gate. The moment the gate swung open, out came a terrific rush of people who trampled him to death. He saw the coming of it, but didn't get to eat of it. Who could have been found, in all the nation of Israel, more insignificant than these four lepers? They weren't important landholders or farmers, they weren't businessmen, and they weren't statesmen. They were just four poor outcast lepers.

Because of their apostasy, Yahweh allowed the twelve tribed nation of Israel to be conquered and ruled by the kingdom of Midian for seven years. During this time Israel was pretty badly treated. Then Yahweh commissioned Gideon to save Israel. Gideon said, "Who am I that I should save Israel? My father's family is unimportant in one of the smaller tribes, and I am the least of my family." He was doubtful he was worthy of this task. Gideon asked for a sign, a test whether this was true or not. He said, "I am going to leave a sheep's fleece out overnight, and if this thing is really true, tomorrow morning let there be dew on the fleece, but none on the ground around it." The following morning this is the way it was, dew was on the fleece but nowhere else. Gideon was still skeptical; he wanted another demonstration of a miracle. He asked that on the next morning there would be dew on the ground, all around the fleece and no dew on the fleece. Yahweh was patient; He had picked Gideon to do this job. He knew how astonished Gideon was, because it was a job Gideon couldn't do. Gideon didn't realize that Yahweh was going to do the job Himself; He had just picked Gideon to get the credit for it. The second day Gideon got the sign he had asked for, and then he had the courage to come out and lead Israel.

Gideon gathered together an army of 32,000 men "...and Yahweh said to Gideon, the people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me." Yahweh told Gideon to send all the cowards home. 22,000 out of 32,000 of the army went home, and then Gideon was really afraid to go into battle. This business of raising a volunteer army isn't as easy as it might seem. They had to have draft laws in those days also. There were 10,000 left of Gideon's army. Yahweh told Gideon this was still too many soldiers. Gideon was then told by Yahweh to take the troops down to the creek for a drink. Some will bend down and lap up the water directly from the creek. Others will scoop up the water in their hands and drink the water out of their hands. Yahweh then instructed Gideon to only keep the soldiers that lapped the water directly from the creek; these were going to be his army. There were only 300 out of the 10,000 that did this. Yahweh told Gideon to send the other 9,700 home.

Here was the Midianite nation, militarily powerful enough to have conquered and ruled for seven years, the entire nation of Israel. Yahweh told Gideon, "Three hundred men are all that you shall take into battle." You know what Gideon was told to do. The Midianites were camped in a huge camp and Gideon still had some misgivings. He was worried when he had 32,000 men, now he had only 300. There were thousands of soldiers out there in the camp of Midian. Yahweh said, "If you still have doubts, you sneak down in the darkness till you come to the edge of the camp, and see what you observe." So Gideon sneaked up within hearing distance of one of the tents, some of the soldiers were talking there. One of them said, "I had the strangest dream... I saw a loaf of barley bread come rolling down a hill into this camp, it knocked down tents right and left, it was smashing the whole camp." Then another soldier said, "That is an omen from God: that barley loaf represents Gideon and his men, it shows we are going to be defeated."

The other events hadn't quite convinced Gideon, but this did. He went back and got his 300 men. The lamps that were in use in those days looked much different from what we would use today. They looked like a small and rather flat, shallow teapot. There was a little handle on one end, and then there was the central part that held the oil. In the spout of the teapot there was a cloth wick down into the oil. When you wanted light the cloth wick was lit. Yahweh told Gideon that each of his men were to have a lamp, then to light it. Then to get an earthen pot, and put the lamp in the bottom of the pot, so that the light of it can't be seen. Then 300 men can surround about three sides of the camp of Midian. Gideon was instructed to sneak up on the Midian troops in the darkness, and then suddenly, when he gave the signal, every man would smash this earthenware pot. All at once the Midianites will see this circle of light surrounding them and every man will shout, the sword of Yahweh and of Gideon!

It would be a startling event to be awakened out of your sleep this way, wouldn't it? Especially after you have been already told in a dream you were going to be defeated. This sudden noise and show of lights certainly startled these Midianites. In their panic, the Midianites jumped up, they didn't know whether the army of Gideon was already among them. It was dark in the camp. Whoever found another man scurrying around near him, supposedly an enemy; he slashed at him with his sword. The Midianites killed about half of their own army in this way, the rest fled in panic. It didn't take a leader of an enormous army, statesman, or a man of importance. Here was a man who wasn't even among the important members of his own family. To paraphrase a little, Yahweh commanded Gideon, "You go out and do your job, and see what the results are to be, for I will take care of that part of it." Moffatt's translation of I Samuel 14:6, is especially good and clear. "...The Eternal never has any difficulty about delivering his people, by means of many or by means of few."

As far as the leadership group (kaw-hawl) is concerned, you aren't usually being required to do great and heroic things; this isn't the way Yahweh generally does it. Our job is to live up to our ideals. Our job is to be somebody Yahweh can depend upon to see that these ideals are not lost before the next generation comes along. What about the great masses of people? We couldn't interest them. We could talk about this day and night for the rest of our lives, if we could compel them to stay and listen. We wouldn't make any converts, and they too are born Israelites. What is their part in the scheme of events? Their part is that it took a nation to demonstrate what Yahweh wanted to have proven here on earth. If Yahweh had sent a few angels down here to live in perfect personal conduct, and to use their tremendous angelic powers to put down trouble whenever it came in the world, what would it have proven? For most of humanity, nothing. Yahweh would have proven that angels were a different order of being from ourselves. He would have proven angels have different powers and capacities and they can get results we can't. As far as people are concerned, it wouldn't prove anything to them.

Suppose Yahweh just took the elect, those that He calls kaw-hawl in the Old Testament, and didn't bother producing any other people in Israel. This would prove Yahweh had a few favorites and that He took good care of them. It would also prove He rewarded them greatly. Then the ordinary people would wonder what does this prove about me. I'm not special and can't do what these others can do, I don't get any special favors from Yahweh. What has been proven? For them nothing would have been proven. There had to be a nation in which the ordinary dumb person could live better than the people of other, non-Israel nations. This wouldn't be because they had brains to accomplish this, because they never had, but because he at least had good sense enough to follow those few who constitute Yahweh's elect, the kaw-hawl. Then these ordinary people were led into obedience to Yahweh's laws, this is what the nation was for.

Remember how often, especially in Isaiah, Yahweh says, "Ye are my witnesses," when He was speaking to the nation of Israel. We were to be Yahweh's witnesses to the world. If our nation would live according to Yahweh's rules, then we would demonstrate to the world that here was a nation, which had prosperity such as no other nation, had been able to achieve. Here was a nation, which wasn't afflicted by plagues that came upon other nations; they had good health and a long life. Here was a nation which had liberty such as none of the other nations had. However, it always took the policeman's club and the executioner's sword to keep Israel obeying the laws of Yahweh. One of our famous statesmen, probably Benjamin Franklin said, "If a people will not be ruled by God, they will certainly be ruled by tyrants." This is the lesson the world has had to learn. The laws of Yahweh give the greatest freedom that any nation can ever have. This is why the great masses of people, all Israel, were put here. We were put here with the responsibility to do what they were instructed to do, this is to obey the laws of Yahweh. When Israel hasn't lived up to this responsibility, when they became an obstruction instead of a tool in the hand of Yahweh, to accomplish His purposes they were put out of the way. Scores of thousands of them at a time were eliminated, over and over again.

With Yahweh's favor goes the tremendous responsibility of living and doing what is required, when we are selected for this sort of a job. We may never have the opportunity to do the great, heroic things, which are recorded in history. However, remember those four lepers, not one of them led an army, routed that huge besieging army of Syrians, or led a rescue force to bring food into the city. All they did was to go out to the camp of the Syrians, find it empty and go back and report what they had seen. They were the least of all the people around. What appeared like the least spectacular job of all, they did. Whatever your particular walk of life is, we have the responsibility of showing the good character that Yahweh requires of those who are His favorites. We can't lie to people or cheat them. We can't live a wicked life without paying a higher penalty than the ordinary individuals, who were never called upon to be anything but just part of the crowd. This isn't too much to ask of us, especially with all the blessings Yahweh has showered upon us.

If we are leading the sort of life where we are demonstrating the way Yahweh meant people to live, we are loyal to Him. We are trying to learn what His will is, and to conform to it. We don't have to do these spectacular historic things. Our part is a small one, but it is an important one, because Yahweh generally accomplishes His purpose through unimportant people. The people like Napoleon and figures like this, who could brag they led armies and conquered nations etc., aren't working for the glory of Yahweh. Each is only working for his own personal glory; this is why Yahweh hardly ever leaves anything really important up to them. Yahweh does His work through the unimportant people like those of us here, because we are not trying to be the important ones, we realize the glory is Yahweh's.

Don't let anybody tell you that merely being born into Israel, in and of itself, is all it takes to be saved. We can take one verse out of context, but if we go back to the Bible and see where it fits in and what it is based on, it doesn't uphold any such ideas. Those in Israel that have been saved have been the faithful ones. The times when the bulk of the nations were following Yahweh's laws, the nation had peace and prosperity, everything good. Some-times there were only a few in the nation that were doing right, then times could get very bad indeed. Remember when Elijah came back to try to save Israel from Ahab, there were just 7,000 men left in the whole nation of Israel who had not become apostate idolaters, worshiping Baal. However, Yahweh saved the nation because of them.

When Yahweh came down to destroy the city of Sodom, He told Abraham what He was about to do. Abraham was worried because his nephew Lot and Lot's family lived in Sodom. Abraham told Yahweh he knew the people, in this fairly large city, were mostly bad but there might be fifty good people there. Abraham asked Yahweh if He would destroy the whole city, including these fifty good people, because the others were evil. Yahweh told Abraham if there were fifty good people He wouldn't destroy the city. Abraham must have wondered himself, if there were as many as fifty good people because he started to bargain with Yahweh. Yahweh was very patient and finally told Abraham if there were even ten good people in Sodom, He wouldn't destroy it for the sake of the ten good people. There weren't ten people in Lot's family; the rest of the people weren't worth saving, so Sodom had to be destroyed. In fact, not all of Lot's family was worth saving. Yahweh took care of those who didn't merit the destruction. Always it is the few on whom Yahweh relies, the few who have measured up to the test of character. It is the small everyday actions that we will be measured by. I forget who it was that said, "When you stand before God's judgment seat, He isn't going to look for medals or diplomas, but for scars." Have you been out there in the battle for right? Have you stood fast for right against evil? If you have, you will be among those of Israel which will be saved. You will not only be saved, but put right up on the top. You are going to be the icing on the top layer of the cake. It is worth working for.