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Romans 9:4-5
They are the people of Israel. They have been adopted as God’s children. God’s glory belongs to them. So do the covenants. They received the law. They were taught to worship in the temple. They were given the promises.The founders of our nation belong to them. The Messiah comes from their family line. He is God over all. May he always be praised! Amen.
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Isaiah 2:3
People from many nations will go there. They will say,“ Come. Let us go up to the Lord’ s mountain. Let’s go to the temple of Jacob’s God. He will teach us how we should live. Then we will live the way he wants us to.” The law of the Lord will be taught at Zion. His message will go out from Jerusalem.
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Acts 17:23
As I walked around, I looked carefully at the things you worship. I even found an altar with to an unknown god written on it. So you don’t know what you are worshiping. Now I am going to tell you about this‘ unknown god.’
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Luke 24:47
His followers will preach in his name. They will tell others to turn away from their sins and be forgiven. People from every nation will hear it, beginning at Jerusalem.
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Psalms 147:19
He has made his word known to the people of Jacob. He has made his laws and rules known to Israel.
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Zephaniah 3:16-17
The time is coming when people will say to Jerusalem,“ Zion, don’t be afraid. Don’t give up.The Lord your God is with you. He is the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you. In his love he will no longer punish you. Instead, he will sing for joy because of you.”
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Romans 3:1-2
Is there any advantage in being a Jew? Is there any value in being circumcised?There is great value in every way! First of all, the Jews have been given the very words of God.
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Acts 17:30
In the past, God didn’t judge people for what they didn’t know. But now he commands all people everywhere to turn away from their sins.
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Psalms 68:20
Our God is a God who saves. He is the King and the Lord. He saves us from death.
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Zechariah 9:9
“ City of Zion, be full of joy! People of Jerusalem, shout! See, your king comes to you. He always does what is right. He has won the victory. He is humble and riding on a donkey. He is sitting on a donkey’s colt.
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Isaiah 12:2
God, you are the one who saves us. We will trust in you. Then we won’t be afraid. Lord, you are the one who gives us strength. You are the one who keeps us safe. Lord, you have saved us.”
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Hebrews 7:14
It is clear that our Lord came from the family line of Judah. Moses said nothing about priests who were from the tribe of Judah.
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Isaiah 46:13
The time is almost here for me to make everything right. It is not far away. The time for me to save you will not be put off. I will save the city of Zion. I will bring honor to Israel.
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2 Kings 17 27-2 Kings 17 41
Then the king of Assyria gave an order. He said,“ Get one of the priests you captured from Samaria. Send him back to live there. Have him teach the people what the god of that land requires.”So a priest went back to live in Bethel. He was one of the priests who had been forced to leave Samaria. He taught the people of Bethel how to worship the Lord.In spite of that, the people from each nation made statues of their own gods. They made them in all the towns where they had been forced to live. They set up those statues in small temples. The people of Samaria had built the temples at the high places.The people from Babylon made statues of the god named Sukkoth Benoth. Those from Kuthah made statues of the god named Nergal. Those from Hamath made statues of the god named Ashima.The Avvites made statues of the gods named Nibhaz and Tartak. The Sepharvites sacrificed their children in the fire to the gods named Adrammelek and Anammelek. They were the gods of Sepharvaim.So the people of Samaria worshiped the Lord. But they also appointed all kinds of their own people to be their priests. The priests served in the small temples at the high places.The people worshiped the Lord. But they also served their own gods. They followed the evil practices of the nations they had been taken from.The people of Samaria are still stubborn. They continue in their old practices to this day. And now they don’t even worship the Lord. They don’t follow his directions and rules. They don’t obey his laws and commands. The Lord had given all these laws to the family of Jacob. He gave the name Israel to Jacob.The Lord made a covenant with the Israelites. At that time he commanded them,“ Do not worship any other gods. Do not bow down to them. Do not serve them or sacrifice to them.The Lord is the one you must worship. The Lord brought you up out of Egypt by his great power. He saved you by reaching out his mighty arm. You must bow down only to him. You must offer sacrifices only to him.You must always be careful to follow his directions and rules. You must obey the laws and commands he wrote for you. Do not worship other gods.Do not forget the covenant I made with you. And remember, you must not worship other gods.Instead, worship the Lord your God. He will save you from the powerful hand of all your enemies.”But the people wouldn’t listen. Instead, they were stubborn. They continued in their old practices.They worshiped the Lord. But at the same time, they served the statues of their gods. And to this day their children and grandchildren continue to do what their people before them did.
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Ezra 4:2
Then those enemies came to Zerubbabel. The family leaders of Israel were with him. The enemies said,“ We want to help you build. We’re just like you. We worship your God. We offer sacrifices to him. We’ve been doing that ever since the time of Esarhaddon. He was king of Assyria. He brought our people here.”
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Genesis 49:10
The right to rule will not leave Judah. The ruler’s scepter will not be taken from between his feet. It will be his until the king it belongs to will come. The nations will obey that king.
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2 Chronicles 13 10-2 Chronicles 13 12
“ But the Lord is our God. We haven’t deserted him. The priests who serve the Lord belong to the family line of Aaron. The Levites help them.Every morning and evening the priests bring burnt offerings and sweet- smelling incense to the Lord. They set out the holy bread on the table. That table is‘ clean.’ They light the lamps on the gold lampstand every evening. We always do what the Lord our God requires in his law. But you have deserted him.God is with us. He’s our leader. His priests will blow their trumpets. They will sound the battle cry against you. People of Israel, don’t fight against the Lord. He’s the God of your people who lived long ago. You can’t possibly succeed.”
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Isaiah 12:6
People of Zion, give a loud shout! Sing for joy! The Holy One of Israel is among you. And he is great.”