Have you ever wondered why God does the things He does? It is easy to overlook His goodness as we rush through our days, but what is the real reason God does things? It is love. Love is God’s ultimate motivation.
The Bible makes this clear in various places. First of all, we see it in God’s love for Israel. In Deuteronomy 7:6-8, Moses is speaking to Israel just before they entered the Promised Land, saying:
“For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth.” (NKJV)
That’s a tremendous statement. Yet we know through the New Testament that it becomes true individually of every Christian. The Lord has chosen you out of all the people on the earth (see also 1 Peter 2:9).
Now let’s see why the Lord chose Israel. It will help us to understand something important about why the Lord chooses you and me.
First of all, Moses explains reasons why the Lord did not choose Israel, verse 7:
“The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples.” (NKJV)
Moses is warning them: "Don’t ever begin to think that there was something special about you, that you were so strong and mighty that the Lord chose you for that reason. No, you were the fewest of all peoples."
Verse 8:
“…but because the LORD loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers, the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.” (NKJV)
So – not because... but because. Not because you were great or mighty, but because the Lord loved you. Why did He love you? Moses never even tries to explain that. And that’s true not just of God’s people Israel in the Old Testament, it’s true of every one of us. It’s not because we were such tremendous people, not because we were so clever, or so talented or so gifted, but because He loved us.
That’s the mystery. The unexplained mystery
For reflection and prayer
God loves you, not because you deserve it for some special reason, but because He loves you.
