The Gifting of Israel

It was Jewish giftedness that elevated both Moses and Marx to the top.  It  produced 22% of all Nobel prize winners, 6 of the 8 founders of Hollywood's biggest studios and 1 in 5 of the world's richest people.  This indicates that God's gifting of the Jewish people has given them a disproportionate influence on the world, for better and for worse.

Paul pointed to their irrevocable gifting and calling (Romans 11:29)  to launch his defence of God's ongoing purposes through Israel in Romans 9-11, saying "Theirs is the adoption as sons, theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises"  (Romans 9:4-5)  .

"Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift"  (2 Corinthians 9:15)

Their human giftedness is simply the spin-off from their unique calling to be "a light to the nations"  (Isaiah 49:6) where

• the adoption as sons singled them out as God's firstborn to whom He uniquely chose to reveal Himself (Exodus 4:22)
• the glory rooted them in relationship with Him through many divine encounters (Exodus 20:18-20)
• the covenants anchored them in obedience to His eternal plan, especially regarding the land (Genesis 17:7)
• the law gave the truth they were to focus on (Psalm 147:19)
• the temple worship provided the pattern for living out their priesthood in every aspect of their lives (Isaiah 61:6)
• the promises enabled them to experience His enduring faithfulness through all their ups and downs (Psalm 145:13)

Yet Israel's most crucial gifting was that "theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah"  (Romans 9:5).