It has always been God's intention to form a people who serve as a light to those who do not know him. This thread runs throughout the story of God and man from the beginning. At times, he needs to work drastically to protect his people, and those he would rather bless feel his wrath. At other times, he works through those same outsiders to form his own people. His ultimate purpose is still a people formed in obedience to him, and this objective was most obvious in his becoming a man and showing us the way.