When God Chooses Us

KEY VERSE: “Thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God: the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself.” —Deuteronomy 7:6

SELECTED SCRIPTURE: Deuteronomy 6:20-25; 7:6-11

THE selection of the nation of Israel as the chosen people of God had its roots in Jehovah’s dealings with Abraham. This relationship lasted many years during which time God tested and tried Abraham’s faith. The ultimate and final test Jehovah gave to Abraham was that he offer his son as a burnt offering. Abraham was faithful even in this trial, and because of this, God made a covenant with him that was to be the substance of the hope of Israel, the church during the Gospel Age, and finally the hope of the world. This promise is recorded in Genesis 22:16-18: “By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.”

This promise was repeated to Abraham’s son Isaac (Gen. 26:3-5), and also to Isaac’s son Jacob. (Gen. 28:13,14) The nation of Israel developed from the twelve sons of Jacob who became the heads of the twelve tribes. In Deuteronomy 7:7,8 the Lord, through Moses, told the nation of Israel why he chose them as a peculiar people unto himself: “The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people; but because the Lord loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.”

For some 1600 years the Lord dealt with the nation of Israel as his chosen people, but because of unfaithfulness the nation was cast off and no longer had the exclusive hope of becoming the promised seed of blessing. (Matt. 23:37-39) Jehovah was well aware that Israel would not be faithful and in prophecy he foretold his turning from them and accepting the Gentiles as his chosen people. One of these prophecies reads, “Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the Lord thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel: for he hath glorified [honored] thee.”—Isa. 55:5

The Apostle Peter, in expanding on this theme, identifies this new nation of favor as the footstep followers of Jesus chosen down through the Gospel Age. “Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light: which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.”—I Pet. 2:9,10

The Apostle Paul ties the selection of the people of this new nation as the chosen people of God to the promise that God gave to Abraham. “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, and to thy seed, which is Christ. … For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”—Gal. 3:16,26-29

These individual Jewish and Gentile followers of Jesus have taken the place of the nation of Israel as the chosen people of God, and in doing so the Lord considers them to be the real Jews. “He is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision [obedience to God’s law] is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.”—Rom. 2:29

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