Careful reading of the Bible shows how the faith of Israel developed. Initially they were the Chosen People because Yahweh chose them from all the nations to be their particular God. In time God was seen not as one god among many but as the best god. “What god is as great as our God,” wrote the Psalmist. It is not until the time of exile that we see Israel developing a true monotheism, belief in the one God. I am God; there is no other! we read in Isaiah 45. At first this seems counterintuitive. The destruction of the nation and the razing of the temple did not make Israel doubt God was with them but helped them to come to see that God was the Lord of History, with a divine plan for all peoples. That rings true to our own experience — it is in times of sorrow and difficulty that we turn to God and find the grace, mercy and consolation which God alone can give.
