Why is it that God had so much favor upon the Israelites than any other nation?
You have probably heard the word ‘sovereignty’ before. ‘Sovereignty’ is defined as ‘the full right and power of a governing body to govern itself without any interference from outside sources.’ In reference to a country, this means that a country has the authority to rule in whatever way it sees fit. In the greatest sense, the Lord is sovereign in all He does. In fact, the sovereignty of the Lord goes beyond the thought that He has the authority to rule as He sees fit. In His case, it means that whatever the Lord decides to do is the absolute right thing to do. It is said of the Lord Jesus in Colossians 1:16, “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him.” The Lord created all things, so naturally He has the right to do as he pleases among His creation.
It was after Abraham had been faithful to the Lord, when He instructed Abraham to offer his only son, Isaac on an altar, that He made a great promise to Abraham. For those who are familiar with this account, we know how the Lord tested Abraham’s loyalty by telling Abraham to offer his son as a sacrifice on an altar. This incredible account is given to us in Genesis 22:1-14. Now let’s read the words of the Lord 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 the 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.” Notice that the seed of Abraham would be as the stars of the heaven and as the sand on the sea shore. This is a lesson for us, showing us that part of Abraham’s family are a heavenly people (the Church), and part of Abraham’s family are an earthly people (Israel). Of course, Abraham’s son was Isaac; Isaac’s sons were Jacob and Esau. Let’s read the words of the Lord in Genesis 32:28, “Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.” The Lord changed Jacob’s name to Israel. Jacob (Israel) had 12 sons, who went on to be the founders of the 12 tribes of Israel.
Now let’s take a look at Deuteronomy 7:7-9, where the nation of Israel is addressed. “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. Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations.” We see the Lord chose Israel as His favored nation…simply because He chose to do so. It had nothing to do with Israel’s size, their strength, or their Godliness. The Lord sovereignly chose to love and bless the nation of Israel.
Now let’s look at the words of the Lord Jesus to His disciples in John 15:16, “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.” Again, it is the sovereignty of God at work in choosing these twelve men. Did the Lord choose Judas, too? Of course He did. In John 6:70 we read, “Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?”
Throughout the scriptures, we see God’s sovereignty. We can be thankful for that because He always knows what is best and he will always do what is right, according to Genesis 18:25, “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (195.2)