"9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy." - 1 Peter 2:9-10 (NASB)In these few verses Peter reminds his readers, exiled Jews, of who they are. They are the descendants of Abraham and heirs to his Covenant with Jehovah. This verse begins with "but" because He is contrasting those he spoke of in the few verses preceding who did not believe in Christ and thus stumbled and many of those who stumbled were Jews themselves. The Jews in power, in positions of high regard, were the ones who gave Jesus over to be crucified. But Peter is making a connection here. Jesus is the fulfillment of that Covenant. Not only did God promise Abraham that he would give him many descendants, make him into a great nation, and have his line give birth to kings, but He also promised that "in [Abraham's] seed, all nations of the Earth would be blessed."
Peter also reminds them of the purpose behind their calling (and not only that, he calls all of them a "royal priesthood" not just the Levites.) Their purpose is to bear witness to the glory of God; to proclaim to all the great and mighty things the Lord has done for them. By highlighting the connection between Jesus and the Covenant, Peter is drawing a parallel between all that God has done for Israel before and what He has just now done through Christ. As Christ-believing-Jews, not only are they able to speak to God's faithfulness in bringing their forefathers out of Egypt and countless other captivities, but also they can tell of what Christ has done for them in saving them from sin and death.
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