Running throughout the biblical texts is the idea of a divine plan, according to which God’s intention to bless Israel as his beloved people is intimately tied to the eventual blessing of all of the families of the earth as well. By means of his covenant with Israel, what God sought was not to obtain some type of benefit for himself by granting his people blessings in exchange for their obedience but to bring into existence a people who would be just as fully committed to their own well-being and that of others as he was.