God's Amazing Choices

According to the Bible, God has made many amazing choices. These choices are amazing in the sense that they do not make sense to us human beings. Here are a few examples.

1. God chose the tribe of Judah--Psalm 78:68.
Of the twelve tribes of Israel, why did God choose Judah. Psalm 78:67 says God did "not choose" the tribe of Ephraim? Why Judah and not Ephraim? One might ask the same question about every tribe.

2. God chose Jerusalem--1 Kings 11:32, 36.
Of all the cities on earth, why did God choose Jerusalem? Why not Samaria or Shiloh or Bethel or Dan or Babylon or Nineveh or New York City or Abilene, Texas? One might ask the same question about every tribe. Ezekiel 5:5 says Yahweh has set Jerusalem as the "center [navel] of nations." Why has God made this choice?

3. God chose Saul--1 Samuel 10:24.
Of all the people in Israel, why did God choose Saul to be the very first king? Why not Abner or Samson or Gideon or Abimelech or someone else? Why did God make this choice?

4. God chose David--1 Samuel 16:6-13; Psalm 78:70.
Of all the sons of Jesse, why did God choose David? Why not Eliab, Abinadab, Shammah, or someone else? Samuel the prophet thought Eliab was the best choice. Why did God make this choice?

This leads one to two very significant choices relevant to us.

5. God chose Israel--Isaiah 41:8.
A very old jingle reads:
How odd of God
To choose the Jews.
Why did God choose Jacob=Israel rather than Esau=Edom? Malachi 1:2-3.

6. God chose Christians=the Church of God. 1 Corinthians 1:26-29; 1 Peter 2:9-10.
Why did God choose Christians?

Here are a few thoughts about this for reflection and discussion.

A. God is ARBITRARY. God's choices are HIS OWN BUSINESS. God does not choose a person or a people or a thing BECAUSE a person is rich or powerful or wise or RIGHTEOUS. ALL human beings are sinners--Romans 3:23.
Psalms 115:3; 135:5 declare:
"Our God is in the heavens;
HE DOES WHATEVER HE PLEASES."
It is futile for us human beings to try to "figure out" WHY God made his choices. God is God, and he always makes the right choices, even when we do not comprehend when and why he does this.

B. God demonstrates his wisdom and power.
God's choices of the Israelites [Jews} and the church show his wisdom and power. Put it this way:
If God can save the Israelites or the Jews, he can save any people on earth.
If God can save Christians or the church, he can save any people on earth.

Read 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 once again:
"Consider your own call, brothers and sisters,
not many of you were wise by human 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, things that are not,
to reduce to nothing things that are,
so that no one might boast in the presence of God."

REAL LIFE is NOT about US. It is ALL about God. Let us turn our hearts and our eyes away from us, and look UPWARD to God, our Creator, King, and Master.

Share YOUR thoughts and ideas with others. Let me hear from YOU.

John Willis