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.
Author Interview
What kind of research do you do? I spend hours researching the topic of Israel and do it daily (it’s what I love doing in my free time). I’m a fan of Logos Bible Software, which gives me access to thousands of digital books and resources on the topic. I also spend a fair amount of time researching the culture and context of the Bible, and I believe it strongly affects how we interpret the Word of God. But the best “research” happens when I’m in the land of Israel, especially visiting archaeological sites and hearing from those who are (almost) daily discovering artifacts that support the accuracy of the Scriptures.
How long do you spend researching before beginning a book? This is my only book, and unless the Lord leads me to write another, it will probably be the last one I write. I’m an editor by trade, and I prefer editing to writing. For A People Chosen, I spent about eight years researching for it, including five trips to Israel.
Was there anything you found interesting while researching the topic? The most interesting thing I learned while researching this topic was the magnitude of Aliyah, or Jewish immigration, from the four corners of the earth back to the land of Israel promised to them through the Abrahamic Covenant (just as God had said would happen!) I learned about something called “The Finnish Route,” which began when a wave of about one million persecuted Russian Jews seeking immigration to Israel overwhelmed southern transportation routes. In the early 1990s, Finnish Christians began to help Jews cross the border into Finland, where they stayed with Christian families until they could fly out of Helsinki. It made Finland a major pipeline for Soviet Jewish immigration. Upwards of 30,000 Jews have immigrated to Israel through the Finnish Route over the past twenty-nine years—and it’s still active today. That story blew my mind, and I included it and some other amazing stories in the chapter on gentile responsibility in A People Chosen.
Do you read much? I’m an avid reader and confess I have a real problem: I buy more books than I have time or energy to read. I tend to gravitate toward theologians like Walter Kaiser and Darrell Bock, but I also love to get lost in good novel.
Anything else you'd like to share? God has a purpose and plan for his people (the Jews) that did not stop with the New Testament and a specific calling for gentile believers in that plan. I wrote this Bible study to take people by the hand and connect the dots, beginning in Genesis, with that plan—and to understand why what is happening in Israel today is so important!
Click here to get your copy!
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.
5 comments:
I found it very interesting to read about "The Finnish Route" as I was born in Finland and have not heard of this before.
I loved reading the author interview. Thanks for sharing.
This sounds like a very interesting read.
I am enjoying these tours and finding all the terrific books my family is enjoying reading. Thanks for bringing them to us and keep up the good work.
I enjoy learning more about the Jewish culture. Thank you for sharing this timely study.
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