God promised ISRAEL that she would be a NATION OF PRIESTS
- IF she would "KEEP MY COVENNT" (Exodus 19:5-6)
ISRAEL "TRANSGRESSED THE COVENANT" by NOT SHOWING
MERCY (Hosea 6:6-7)
- she OPPRESSED THOSE IN NEED and REFUSED HIS WORD and, thus, SUFFERED HIS WRATH (Zechariah 7:9-12)
God promised ISRAEL that she would yet be that ROYAL PRIESTLY
NATION (I Peter 2:9),
because of GOD'S MERCY (I Peter 2:10 cf.Hosea 2:23)
FAITHFUL ISRAEL will "be PATIENT unto the COMING
OF THE LORD" (James 5:7)
and will SEE the MERCIFUL END OF THE LORD (James 5:11)
for having BY FAITH SHOWN MERCY to their BRETHREN IN NEED (James 2:12-17)
Finally, by way of CONTRAST, under the PRESENT GENTILE
"DISPENSATION OF GRACE" (Ephesians 3:1-2), God has "CONCLUDED THEM ALL (JEW & GENTILE) IN UNBELIEF,
that He might have MERCY UPON ALL" (Romans 11:32)
GENTILES, "in TIME PAST have NOT BELIEVED" (Romans 11:30)
BOTH (JEW & GENTILE) can NOW become "THE CHILDREN
OF GOD BY FAITH IN CHRIST JESUS" (Galatians 3:26,28) and be the RECIPIENTS OF GOD'S MERCY (Ephesians 2:4) and be prepared to "SIT TOGETHER IN HEAVENLY PLACES WITH CHRIST
JESUS, according to the RICHES (WEALTH) OF HIS GRACE" (Ephesians 2:6-7)