God's Method of Choosing

The other day I was listening to my local Christian radio call-in show and a caller asked, "Why did God choose Israel?" The host was somewhat baffled. I understood. Searching the pages of Scripture, you won't likely find anything that clearly says, "The reason God choose Israel out of every other nation on Earth was ..." It's not in there.

What is in there? I wanted to ask the question because I find that one of the most common complaints about Reformed theology is that "You Calvinists are arrogant because you consider yourself 'chosen by God'." Now, to me, given that God chose Israel and knowing the number of times that the New Testament refers to believers as "the chosen" or something very similar, I'm guessing that God has similar reasons today for choosing whom He chooses as He did when He chose Israel. So, what I'm really looking for is a biblical explanation about why God chooses whom He chooses.

Some of our hints are in the negative. What does that mean? That means that most of what we find from God on the topic are "I did not choose you because ..." In Deut. 7:7 God assures Israel that they were not chosen because they were a great people.

It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the LORD set His love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples ...

By the same token, Paul assures us that God didn't choose Jacob because he was a good person.

And not only so, but also when Rebecca had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad -- in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of His call -- she was told, "The older will serve the younger" (Rom 9:10-12).

(Please note: If you try to say that God chose Jacob over Esau because He knew that Jacob would eventually choose to follow Him, you've simply negated the point. Paul is making the point that it was not based on their works, either past or future. He makes this certain in the next few verses when he says, "So then it depends not on human will or effort, but on God, who has mercy" (Rom. 9:16).)

These two hints tell us reasons that we can discard as to why God chooses whom He chooses. It is not because of what the chosen do, have done, or will do. It's not because they are more lovable, more capable, smarter, better looking (well, perhaps in my case ... no, definitely not), or superior in any way. One other "negative" affirmation of this is actually somewhat of a slap in the face to that concept.

For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God (1 Cor. 1:26-29).

Paul affirms that God chooses the foolish, weak, ignoble people. God's selection, according to Paul, seems to be the low and despised. God doesn't choose whom He chooses because they're worthy of being chosen. That seems to be the message of the negative affirmations.

There is more information, however, in each of the passages I've cited. In Deuteronomy He goes on to say, "... 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" (Deut. 7:8). God chose Israel because God chose Israel. He chose to love Israel. He chose to make promises to Abraham and chose to keep them. God chose Israel because He wanted to. The 1 Corinthians passage states clearly why God chooses "losers": "so that no human being might boast in the presence of God." Perhaps the passage in Romans 9 gives the best answer as to why God chooses whom God chooses. Jacob was chosen over Esau, it says, "in order that God's purpose of election might continue."

I suppose you might be able to find Calvinists who are arrogant. No doubt. But these are ignorant Calvinists. They aren't aware that they are classified as weak, foolish, low folks not worthy of being chosen. There is, at the bottom, only one reason that God chooses whom He chooses, and it doesn't include, nor does it have any room for, "I'm better." It is always and only in order that God's purposes may stand. What purpose? That God be glorified. God chose the loser nation of Israel and chooses people today to be His own based not on our value but His purpose and His glory. I'm happy that He chose me, but that gives me no room for boasting ... which, oh, by the way, was His intent, wasn't it?