About the Book

Book: A People Chosen

Author: Karen Engle

Genre: Non – Fiction / Christian / Bible Study

Release Date: March, 2017

Is God finished with the Jewish people? Understanding Israel according to the Bible and not the media, political views, or personal opinion sheds incredible light on why Israel and the Jewish people exist today. God is not finished with the tiny nation and has a great purpose and plan for Israel that will impact the world. A People Chosen: God’s Purpose and Plan for Israel and the Nations is a self-guided eight-lesson Bible study. You will learn about the creation of Israel in Genesis, God’s promises to Israel and the nations, Israel’s scattering and current regathering to Israel, the return of King Jesus to rule and reign from Jerusalem, and why Israel is pivotal in God’s plan of redemption. It is a love story of faithfulness, mercy, and justice. It is the story of a people chosen by God to be a conduit for God’s blessings to all mankind. It is a weighty call, and it has not come without a price.

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My Review

I’m going to go out on the proverbial limb and say that every Christian needs to read Karen Engle’s Bible study A People Chosen: God’s Purpose and Plan for Israel and the Nations or a similar study if they’ve not already done so. I never understood Anti-semitism, especially from self-professed Christians. Now, although I still don’t understand it, I understand how it came about and how God’s used it for His purposes.

Engle writes [Some scholars] believe that when the gentiles begin to grasp God’s purpose for Israel, and when they begin to comprehend and embrace God’s intended posture and purpose for gentiles toward the Jews, the scales will begin to fall off of Jewish eyes. 

This sentence struck me at my very core. I am in the Word every day, and I’ve read both the Old Testament and New Testament several times. Years ago, when I first read Romans, I understood that the Israelites’ hearts were hardened in order for gentiles to be grafted in. However, I never fully understood the need for Christians to play an active role in God’s plan and purpose for Israel. To do anything less is disobedience.

Karen Engle’s study clearly lays out Biblical truth, prophesies that align with God’s plan and purpose, and where we are at present time on that continuum. If you read this study for no other purpose than a reference, you will be blessed.

I would not recommend this as a group study, however, because I don’t feel it’s organized well for such. In the forward, she recommends finishing a lesson a day, or over several days, which is random. There are only eight lessons, but they’re thirty or more pages each, and within those thirty pages, there is a lot of scripture copying. I understand the benefit of this, but it’s very time-consuming. In my opinion, it would have been beneficial to organize this study so each chapter is broken into five segments. You can do that on your own, but it wouldn’t be a smooth transition.

And this is a pet peeve of mine, which does not lessen the quality of the context of this study—why give readers three lines to give a one-word answer and then only three lines to write out two (or more) full scripture verses? My handwriting is very small, and I still had to add multiple lines at times in order to fit it all in. I’ve seen this in many studies and it’s a little irksome. I would think this would be an easy fix and make the study feel more organized.

If you desire to fully understand God’s plan for Israel and why the Jews never believed that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, you need to read this study. If you desire to be in on God’s purpose for both Israel and the gentiles, you need to read this study. It was a real eye-opener for me. I’m giving it four stars, but only because I feel the organization for a smooth study (and it is called a Bible study) is lacking.

About the Author

Karen earned a master’s in biblical studies from Western Seminary. She is an adjunct writing instructor with Moody Bible Institute, a copy editor for Faithlife Corporation, and owner of East Gate Editing. Her passion is taking study groups to the land of Israel, which she says brings the Bible from “black and white to technicolor.”

More from Karen

There is something peculiar about the Jews. They are one of the few ancient people groups that has endured into modern times, and their religion—Judaism—is one of the world’s oldest.

The Jewish people have been miraculously regathered together into a thriving nation after being scattered throughout the earth. Hebrew, Israel’s official language, was once a dead speech but has been revived and is now an active, living language with more than five million native speakers.

They have been the most persecuted people in history and as such their existence baffles historians and theologians alike. There is no logical rationale for the Jews’ existence. Considering the Holocaust alone, the Jewish people should not have survived. And yet, they do.

In fact, they have flourished and been a blessing to the world.

The narrative of the Bible is centered on this unique nation of individuals established by God thousands of years ago in ancient Mesopotamia. From Abraham to King David to Jesus, the story of the Bible is knit together with a common thread: the Jewish people. It is a love story of faithfulness, mercy, and justice. It is the story of a people chosen by God to be a conduit for God’s blessings to humanity. It is a weighty call, and it has not come without a price.

Yet, many people, even Christians, don’t give this a second thought.

About twelve years ago, God stirred my heart toward this tiny nation, and I subsequently spent years studying the history of the Jewish people and God’s purpose and plan for them according to Scripture. And it rocked my theological world. I was in the middle of seminary, and no one (outside of one professor, who is still my favorite) talked about Israel. And though there were books on the topic, I could not find one Bible study.

When I talk to people about Israel and its importance in Scripture and thus modern-day world events, there seems to be a disconnect—a lack of understanding as to why anyone would bring up the topic. Why should anyone care? What is so significant about Israel?

I wrote this Bible study to answer these questions. It’s a cross between a book and a Bible study and is designed to take participants by the hand and help them understand why God cares so deeply about this peculiar nation. It’s a culmination of many trips to the land and years of personal study—and I’m still learning. Heavy on Scripture, full of beautiful images from around Israel, and focused on Christ, the study will turn the black and white pages of your Bible to technicolor.

I hope that those who do the study will begin to see Israel as a beautiful example of God’s faithfulness to his Word.

Blog Stops

Texas Book-aholic, March 26

Inklings and notions, March 27

For Him and My Family, March 28

Blossoms and Blessings, March 29 (Author Interview)

deb’s Book Review, March 30

Where Crisis & Christ Collide, March 31

Genesis 5020, April 1

Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, April 2

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, April 3

For the Love of Literature, April 4 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, April 4

Spoken from the Heart, April 5

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, April 6

Artistic Nobody, April 7 (Author Interview)

SPLASHES of Joy, April 8

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Karen is giving away the grand prize package of an Israel-themed basket: 6 copies of my book/Bible study A People Chosen, the movie The Hope on the rebirth of Israel in 1948, the book Your People Will Be My People, and a $25 gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/f737/a-people-chosen-celebration-tour-giveaway