“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. 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, 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 7:6-8 ESV
Remember when you were playing sports in gym class or with friends and captains selected their teams? They typically selected the most athletic, the fastest, the strongest, and the most skilled to be on their team first, and then the leftovers were chosen last. That makes a lot of sense. Some people think God is like that…that He chooses the best and most talented people to do the greatest work for Him and then the rest of us are given the least desirable tasks. Yet from the very beginning of Scripture, God selects the most unlikely candidates to do the most extraordinary works! In the Exodus story, God delivered the Hebrews from slavery and oppression by the powerful Egyptian dynasty. It wasn’t just because He had pity on their plight, but because He had a special plan for them. He hand-picked them to be His people from all the other nations, set apart to be holy and to make His name known among the pagans. The Book of Deuteronomy, which literally means “second law,” reiterates God’s promises for the next generation—the children and grandchildren of the Hebrews who fled from Egypt and wandered in the wilderness. It reminds us that even after 40 years in the wilderness, the LORD hasn’t forgotten His promises. In fact, God is still in the business of setting apart unlikely and unworthy people to accomplish mighty works for His glory! Paul wrote to the Corinthian church, “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 Corinthians 1:29 ESV). How humbling and encouraging that He has chosen you and me for His work!
Daily Battle Orders:
Praise and thank God for choosing you, a broken and imperfect man, to be part of His family and an ambassador for His kingdom!
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