Dada, Sam

Based on the standards of humanity, election is temporary because man does not last forever. When considering election from the One who is eternal, election is permanent and a constant state of being. For the Israelites, being chosen by Yahweh had nothing to do with their actions or approval but everything to do with His love for them. The same goes for every person on this earth that God has “…predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified” (Romans 8:28-29). This verse is getting ahead of the subject. To understand how God lovingly chose humanity to be His people, one must dive deep into the Old Testament to get context. Election does not start with the Israelites, known as God’s chosen people, but it starts with one successful relationship He had with a man named Abram.

Abram was a man who was in constant relations with God for over forty years. God commanded Abram to move from his homeland to a foreign country within those years. Along with this command, God also established promises He would fulfill, including making Abram into a great nation, blessing him, and making his name great. Abram was faithful and obeyed God’s commands from this moment, and God kept His promises.

Because of this, God established a personal covenant with Abraham, “For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him” (Genesis 18:19). Nothing prompted God to make a covenant with Abraham other than that He initiated a promise under no conditions. In the New Testament, believers looked back at this covenant and acknowledged the sign between God and Abraham, where God’s covenants were made based upon selfless promises. The moment “... God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, saying, ‘Surely I will bless you and multiply you.’ And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise. For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.” (Hebrews 6:13-18) This verse elaborates on the covenants God made that were not based upon Abraham but based on His faithfulness, meaning that there is no significant reason God chose Abraham of all people except for the reason that it is part of God’s character.

Additionally, the covenant God made with Abraham extended to his future generations. At the age of ninety-nine, God spoke to Abraham, “And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God” (Genesis 17:7-8). God had already chosen Abraham, so to extend the covenant from Abraham to his future generations implies that God’s choosing would also apply to his descendants.

To prove that this promise came true, a descendant that God blessed was Jabob. For example, “But now hear, O Jacob my servant, Israel whom I have chosen! Thus says the Lord who made you, who formed you from the womb and will help you: Fear not, O Jacob my servant, Jeshurun whom I have chosen. For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants” (Isaiah 44:1-3). Jacob is considered God’s servant because he is part of Abraham’s family. Therefore, the same promise God made to Abraham applied to Jacob, and God continued to promise Jacob that He would fulfill this promise with his descendants.

Once again, God was faithful to hold to His covenant with Abraham’s descendants, who are called Israel. Rather than neglecting them due to the more extended periods that passed by, God reminded Israel of His covenant with them. Through Moses, God spoke, “I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the Lord” (Exodus 6:7-8). Here God is not choosing Israel for the first time because he had already chosen them the moment He promised to bless Abraham’s future generations. Instead, God solidifies His choosing over them by establishing Himself as their God and promising to lead them from slavery into freedom in the land He had promised to their forefathers.

Over time God reveals the conditions to the chosen Israel to abide by. First, “...when [Israel] come[s] to the land that the Lord will give [Israel], as he has promised, [Israel] shall keep this service” (Exodus 12:25). The service refers to the Lord’s Passover where a sacrifice takes place, to which Israel obeyed. As far as how this relates to the New Testament, Passover continued to signify being chosen by God, whether one was an Israelite or not. This is supported in Act 10:41, “Not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead” (Act 10:41). The author of Acts talks to the Gentiles who are not part of the Mosaic Covenant but are experiencing the same privilege of Passover and being chosen by God. Without the context from the Old Testament, there would be no foundation to support how people outside of the Mosaic Covenant eventually were chosen by God.

Another condition is brought up, “And when the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which He swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, you shall keep this service in this month” (Exodus 13:5). Unlike the first verse, this verse points out the lands they would travel through. Despite the culture of the people residing in these lands, God emphasized that they are to continue with their service. This service refers to eating unleavened bread for seven days; in other words, their diet symbolically represents how Israel is distinct from the other nations. 

God continues to distinguish Israel from other nations through His commands.

Through Moses, God’s commands were delivered, “When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites as he swore to you and your fathers, and shall give it to you, you shall set apart to the Lord all that first opens the womb. All the firstborn of your animals that are males shall be the Lord’s” (Exodus 13:11-12). God remains faithful to the promises He swore to their fathers and continues to keep His promise through generations. For the Israelites, that means being set apart from anyone who is not within their kin. For example, “It shall be as a mark on your hand or frontlets between your eyes, for by a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt” (Exodus 13:16). Through this marking, there is no way that Israel can escape the covenant, nor would any foreigners enter within this familial blood covenant.

As mentioned, God promised to multiply Israel. In Exodus, He said it Himself, “Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever” (Exodus 32:13). So it came to be. Within Israel, several tribes include Manasseh, Benjamin, Asher, Napphtali, Gad, Dan, Zebulun, Issachar, Judah, Simeon, Reuben, and Ephraim.

Under the tribe of Reuben came the tribe of Levi, which God ordained. For instance, “...the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And that day about three thousand men of the people fell. And Moses said, ‘Today you have been ordained for the service of the Lord, each one at the cost of his son and of his brother, so that he might bestow a blessing upon you this day” (Exodus 32:28-29). Considering that God had successfully multiplied Israel to the point that they were given tribes and made branches within those tribes shows how God was faithful to His promise. Furthermore, for God to look within the branches and to ordain the tribe of Levi shows how God continues to select His people to perform His work.

Earlier, a symbolic representation of being set apart included participating in Passover. According to Exodus 32:28-29 being ordained is another way of acknowledging how one is set apart, including service to lead. In Act, it says, “‘And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.’ But the Lord said to him, ‘Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name’” (Act 9:14-15). This is important because the descendants of Abraham are expected to lead people to Christ after the death and resurrection of Christ. Israel is expected to follow God’s commands starting in the Old Testament and into the New Testament because God has chosen them.

Given the authority of priestly roles, “...those descendants of Levi who receive the priestly office have a commandment in the law to take tithes from the people, that is, from their brothers, though these also are descended from Abraham. But this man who does not have his descent from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. It is beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior. In the one case, tithes are received by mortal men, but in the other case, by one of whom it is testified that he lives. One might even say that Levi himself, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, for he was still in the loins of his ancestor when Melchizedek met him” (Hebrews 7:5-10). In other words, Israel was commanded to pay their tithes to the tribe of Levi since they were chosen to function as priests. Melchizedek, both king and priest received tithes from the inferior Abraham.

From generation to generation, God continued to choose within Abraham’s descendants. Because of their faithfulness to multiply, Moses approached the people to proclaim, “The Lord your God has multiplied you, and behold, you are today as numerous as the stars of heaven. May the Lord, the God of your fathers, make you a thousand times as many as you are and bless you, as he has promised you! How can I bear by myself the weight and burden of you and your strife? Choose for your tribes wise, understanding, and experienced men, and I will appoint them as your heads.’ And you answered me, ‘The thing that you have spoken is good for us to do.’ So I took the heads of your tribes, wise and experienced men, and set them as heads over you, commanders of thousands, commanders of hundreds, commanders of fifties, commanders of tens, and officers, throughout your tribes” (Deuteronomy 1:10-15). Finally, God explicitly explains that He has chosen Israel repeatedly because He loves them. This explanation opens up with acknowledging the chosen people, “For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth” (Deuteronomy 7:6). 1 Peter 2:9-10 also acknowledges their state of being chosen, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy” (1 Peter 2:9-10). Not only is Israel chosen, but they are a priesthood, a holy nation, and a people that are after the will of God. Being chosen for these roles emphasizes the election of God. Without God, they would be of little to no importance. It is by God’s love that they have mercy, “but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt” (Deuteronomy 7:8). As a reminder to His people, God tells them that He loves them and provides evidence that proves He is loving towards them.

Through God’s exclusive love for Israel, Israel experiences exclusive blessings from God. One of these gifts is the Holy Spirit. For example, “Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations” (Isaiah 42:1). With the Holy Spirit, Israel is set apart from the other nations. They are also distinct because they are in a covenant with God to bring justice to nations on their behalf. In Matthew, Jesus references the prophet Isaiah, “Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. He will not quarrel or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets; bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory; and in his name, the Gentiles will hope” (Matthew 12:18-21 God’s). The Holy Spirit is mentioned again, but this time the gift of the Spirit is also extended to the Gentiles. Earlier Israel (Levi) was to act as priests, and this verse references that because Israel is to minister to the Gentiles. Just as God had chosen Israel to be His people, He chose Israel to work the front lines of making the Gentiles God’s people.

Another exclusive blessing Israel experiences is righteousness. In command to His people, God said, “I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols. Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them” (Israel 42:6-9). Here, blessings include righteousness, being led by God, being a light for the other nations, and worshiping God.

To tie it all together, God chose Zion. “For the Lord has chosen Zion; he has desired it for His dwelling place: ‘This is my resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it” (Psalm 132:13-14).

“As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in Scripture: ‘Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame” (1 Peter 2:1-12).

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