Bible 101: Lesson 4: Who Are The People Of The Bible

Saturday Bible Study Class 9-6-2025
Bible 101 – Lesson 4
Who Are the People of the Bible?
Presented by Israel Ministries
ME
by Marvo El
 
Lesson Summary
Dive deep into the biblical identity of God's covenant people throughout Scripture
Explore the distinct roles of Israel, the Gentiles, and the scattered tribes
Understand the prophetic significance of God's people in the last days
Discover who God is speaking to in different passages of Scripture
This lesson will challenge our understanding of biblical identity and provide clarity on God's covenantal relationships throughout history.
Today's Journey
01
Israel – God's Chosen People
Exploring the covenant foundation
02
The Nations (Gentiles)
Understanding their relationship to covenant
03
The Scattered Tribes
Following the diaspora and promises of return
04
The True People in the Last Days
Examining prophetic identity and faithfulness
We'll conclude with our Hebrew Word of the Week, homework assignment, reflection questions, and a knowledge-checking quiz.
Section 1: Israel – God's Chosen People
The foundation of biblical identity begins with understanding God's choice of and covenant with Abraham and his descendants. This covenant forms the backbone of all Scripture.
God's Promise to Abraham
"The LORD had said to Abram, 'Go from your country, your people and your father's household to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.'"
Genesis 12:1-3
This foundational promise establishes God's covenant relationship with Abraham and sets the stage for the formation of Israel as a distinct people. Notice the promise includes both national blessing and global impact.
An Everlasting Covenant
"I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you."
Genesis 17:7
The Hebrew term for "everlasting covenant" (brit olam) indicates a permanent, unbreakable relationship - not a temporary arrangement.
A Kingdom of Priests
"Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation."
Exodus 19:5-6
Treasured Possession
The Hebrew word segullah indicates something precious, like a king's personal treasure
Kingdom of Priests
Israel's calling to mediate God's presence and truth to the nations
Holy Nation
Set apart for God's purposes, distinct from other nations in practice and calling
A Chosen and Holy Nation
"For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession."
Deuteronomy 7:6
God's election of Israel wasn't based on their size or merit, but on His sovereign choice and covenant love (Deut. 7:7-8).
Israel is God's Portion
"When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when he divided all mankind, he set up boundaries for the peoples according to the number of the sons of Israel. For the LORD's portion is his people, Jacob his allotted inheritance."
Deuteronomy 32:8-9
This profound passage reveals that God organized the very boundaries of nations with Israel in mind. While He is sovereign over all peoples, Israel is described as His special "portion" and "inheritance" - language indicating a unique, covenantal relationship.
Known Only Israel
"You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities."
Amos 3:2
The Hebrew word for "known" (yada) implies intimate relationship, not mere awareness. It's the same word used for Adam "knowing" Eve. With covenant relationship comes greater accountability.
Israel, God's Servant
"But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the offspring of Abraham, my friend; you whom I took from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest corners, saying to you, 'You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off.'"
Isaiah 41:8-9
God addresses Israel with terms of deep relationship: servant, chosen, offspring of Abraham (God's friend). This language communicates both privilege and responsibility - Israel was selected for divine service.
Israel's Covenantal Heritage
The Adoption
Formal recognition as God's son (Exodus 4:22)
The Glory
Divine presence manifested among them
The Covenants
Formal agreements with Abraham, Moses, David
The Law
Divine instructions for covenant living
The Promises
Divine guarantees for future blessing
"They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises."
Romans 9:4-5
Section 2: The Nations (Gentiles)
Understanding the biblical identity of the nations (Gentiles) and their relationship to God's covenant people helps clarify many passages in Scripture.
Word Given to Jacob, Not the Nations
"He declares His word to Jacob, His statutes and His judgments to Israel. He has not dealt thus with any nation; And as for His judgments, they have not known them."
Psalm 147:19-20
This passage establishes a fundamental distinction in biblical history: Israel alone received God's direct revelation through Torah. The nations were not given the same covenant instructions or relationship.
This helps explain why biblical standards were different for Israel compared to other nations throughout the Old Testament.
Nations Will Come to the House of the Lord
"In the last days the mountain of the LORD's temple will be established as the highest of the mountains... Many nations will come and say, 'Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.' The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem."
Isaiah 2:2-3
Isaiah prophesies a future time when the nations will seek Israel's God and His instruction. This vision shows the nations coming to learn God's ways, with Israel and Jerusalem as the center of divine teaching.
Israel as a Light to the Gentiles
"I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth."
Isaiah 49:6
Israel's covenant calling was never meant to be exclusive, but rather to serve as a channel of God's revelation and salvation to all peoples. This prophetic role finds fulfillment both in Israel as a nation and ultimately in the Messiah.
Gentiles: Once Far, Now Brought Near
Once Separated
"Remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world."
Now United
"But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ."
Ephesians 2:11-13
Paul describes the Gentile condition as one of exclusion from Israel's covenantal blessings before Christ, but now brought near through the Messiah. This highlights the importance of Israel's covenant as the framework into which Gentiles are invited.
God Accepts All Who Fear Him
"Then Peter began to speak: 'I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.'"
Acts 10:34-35
Peter's revelation about Cornelius marked a pivotal moment in understanding that God's acceptance extends to people from all nations who respond to Him in reverent obedience. This doesn't nullify Israel's covenant role but expands its reach according to God's original intent.
No Difference Between Jew and Greek
"For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him."
Romans 10:12
Paul emphasizes the equality of access to God's salvation through faith in Messiah. This doesn't erase distinct identities but establishes equal standing before God in terms of salvation.
The removal of separation doesn't mean the removal of distinctive callings or identities within God's purposes.
Nations Will Come to Israel's Light
"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn."
Isaiah 60:1-3
This prophetic vision shows Israel's restoration bringing spiritual illumination to the nations. Rather than replacing Israel, the nations are depicted as being drawn to and blessed through God's covenant people when they are walking in their divine calling.
Section 3: The Scattered Tribes
One of the most significant yet often overlooked biblical themes is the scattering and promised regathering of the tribes of Israel. This prophetic narrative shapes much of biblical history and prophecy.
Israel Scattered Among All Nations
"Then the LORD will scatter you among all nations, from one end of the earth to the other. There you will worship other gods—gods of wood and stone, which neither you nor your ancestors have known."
Deuteronomy 28:64
Moses prophesied Israel's eventual scattering as punishment for covenant unfaithfulness. This prophecy was fulfilled through the Assyrian exile (722 BC), Babylonian exile (586 BC), and ultimately the Roman dispersion (70 AD), resulting in Israelites being scattered throughout the world.
From "Not My People" to "Sons of God"
"Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or numbered. And it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them, 'You are not My people,' there it shall be said to them, 'You are sons of the living God.'"
Hosea 1:10
Through Hosea's prophetic life, God illustrates how the rejected northern tribes would one day be reclaimed. Their identity would transition from "not my people" (Lo-Ammi) to "sons of the living God" - a dramatic covenant restoration.
The Nations Told to Hear: He Will Gather Israel
"Hear the word of the LORD, O nations; proclaim it in distant coastlands: 'He who scattered Israel will gather them and will watch over his flock like a shepherd.'"
Jeremiah 31:10
Jeremiah prophesies that the same God who scattered Israel will also regather them. Notably, this message is directed to the nations, indicating they have a responsibility to recognize and perhaps participate in this divine restoration process.
God Whistles and Gathers His Scattered People
Divine Calling
"I will whistle for them and gather them in, for I have redeemed them"
Global Scattering
"They shall remember me in far countries"
Family Restoration
"They shall live with their children, and they shall return"
"I will whistle for them and gather them in, for I have redeemed them, and they shall be as many as they were before. Though I scattered them among the nations, yet in far countries they shall remember me, and with their children they shall live and return."
Zechariah 10:8-9
Letter to the 12 Tribes Scattered Abroad
"James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings."
James 1:1
James addresses his New Testament letter specifically to the "twelve tribes in the Dispersion" (Greek: diaspora), showing that early believers maintained awareness of Israel's tribal identity despite centuries of scattering.
Messiah Dies to Gather the Scattered Children
"He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one."
John 11:51-52
Caiaphas unknowingly prophesied that Jesus' sacrificial death would serve to regather the scattered children of God into one. This connects the Messiah's mission directly to the prophetic promise of regathering the scattered tribes of Israel, while also extending to include all who would become God's children through faith.
Regathering Into One Nation Again
Divine Declaration
"Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will take the people of Israel from the nations among which they have gone..."
Physical Return
"...and will gather them from all around, and bring them to their own land."
National Unity
"And I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel."
"I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. And one king shall be king over them all, and they shall be no longer two nations, and no longer divided into two kingdoms."
Ezekiel 37:21-22
Section 4: The True People in the Last Days
Scripture defines God's true people in the last days through specific characteristics of faithfulness rather than merely ethnic or religious labels.
Those Keeping Commandments + Testimony of Yeshua
"Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God's commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus."
Revelation 12:17
Dual Characteristics
God's end-time people are identified by both commandment-keeping and faith in Jesus
Target of Opposition
These faithful ones become the specific target of the dragon's (Satan's) attacks
Covenant Continuity
Represents the continuing covenant relationship that honors both Torah and Messiah
Angels Gather the Elect From the Four Winds
"And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other."
Matthew 24:31
Yeshua describes the end-time gathering of God's elect from worldwide dispersion - a fulfillment of the prophetic promises to regather scattered Israel, now expanded to include all who belong to Him.
Salvation is of the Jews
"You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews."
John 4:22
In this conversation with the Samaritan woman, Jesus affirmed the covenantal role of the Jewish people as the source of divine revelation and salvation. This doesn't mean only Jews can be saved, but rather that God worked through the Jewish people and their Scriptures to bring salvation to the world.
This statement reminds us that biblical faith is historically grounded in God's revelation to Israel, not a disconnected universal spirituality.
A Chosen Generation, Royal Priesthood
"But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God..."
1 Peter 2:9-10
Peter applies the Exodus 19 covenant language about Israel to believers in Messiah, showing the continuity between ancient Israel and the community of faith. The language echoes Hosea's prophecy of restoration from "not my people" to "people of God."
The Saints Defined
"Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus."
Revelation 14:12
Similar to Revelation 12:17, this verse defines God's faithful people by their dual commitment to keeping God's commandments and maintaining faith in Jesus. This biblical definition challenges both those who emphasize commandment-keeping without Messiah and those who emphasize faith in Messiah without regard for God's commandments.
Gentiles Grafted Into the Olive Tree
Original Olive Tree (Israel)
The natural cultivated olive tree representing Israel's covenant
Some Natural Branches Broken Off
Some Israelites removed due to unbelief
Wild Olive Branches (Gentiles) Grafted In
Gentile believers joined to Israel's covenant through faith
"All Israel Will Be Saved"
Natural branches can be regrafted; God's covenant promises remain
Romans 11:17-26
144,000 Sealed & Great Multitude
The 144,000 from Israel
"Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel."
Revelation 7:4
Specifically from the 12 tribes
Sealed before judgments
Represents covenant faithfulness
The Great Multitude
"After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language..."
Revelation 7:9
From all nations and languages
Standing before the throne
Clothed in white robes
Revelation presents both a specific number from Israel's tribes and an innumerable multitude from all nations - together forming God's complete redeemed people.
Hebrew Word of the Week
עַם (Am)
Pronounced: "ahm"
Meaning: People, nation, tribe, kinsfolk
This Hebrew word describes Israel as God's covenant family - more than a religion, but a bloodline and covenant heritage. It appears over 1,800 times in the Hebrew Bible, often in phrases like "am Yisrael" (the people of Israel) or "ami" (my people).
Understanding this concept helps us grasp the familial, not just religious, nature of God's relationship with His people throughout Scripture.
Homework Assignment
For each of the following scriptures, complete these three tasks:
Identify the Genre (historical narrative, prophecy, epistle, etc.)
State the Purpose (why was this written? what was the original context?)
Place in Bible's Structure (how does this passage fit into the larger biblical narrative?)
Scripture Passages:
Genesis 17:7
Exodus 19:5-6
Isaiah 49:6
Jeremiah 31:10
Revelation 7:4-9
Be prepared to share your findings at our next meeting. This exercise will help you develop the skill of contextual interpretation.
Reflection Questions
Divine Purpose
Why do you think God chose Israel as His covenant people? What does this tell us about God's character and His ways of working in history?
Prophetic Patterns
What do the prophets teach about the scattering and gathering of God's people? How might this pattern apply to our understanding of biblical history?
Biblical Interpretation
How does understanding Israel's covenant role affect the way we read and apply different passages of Scripture?
Personal Application
What does it mean to be "grafted in" to Israel according to Romans 11? How does this concept shape your understanding of your own identity as a believer?
Bible 101 – Lesson 4
Who Are the People of the Bible?
Thank you for joining us on this journey of discovery!
Presented by Yishrael Ministries
Homework Assignment Lesson 9-6-2025
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