Who does G-d Choose?

In Acts 1:15-26 we read that about 120 disciples decided to cast lots to see who would be the replacement for Judas as they waited for the Holy Spirit. They asked G-d to decide who should be chosen by lot between the only two they appointed - Joseph called Barsabas and Matthias - the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles. Nothing further is ever heard about Matthias. That is because men chose the "two" appointees. I would also like to point out that there also is no mention of a Matthias among the lists of disciples or followers of Jesus in the three synoptic gospels. Which leads us to the question - who does G-d choose?

Who Does G-d Choose?

-Who sent an angel to tell a coward (Gideon) threshing wheat as he hid in fear - "Thou mighty man of valour; go lead a very small band against a mighty army and defeat them with only the word of G-d? In Judges 7 - The LORD said to Gideon, "You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into your hands. In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her, so He told Gideon to use only 300 men to destroy that great and powerful army!

-Who chose a drunk (Noah) to pilot His ship of salvation?

- Who picked a leader (Moses) to lead His people, who was wanted for unlawful flight to Midian to avoid prosecution for crushing a man's skull; a leader who said if it were not for the honor of the thing he would rather let Aaron go back and face the music alone?

-Who chose a kid who was only allowed to tend sheep and who had a "little" problem with lust (David) to be king?

-Who picked a man (John the Baptist) who dressed in a leather G-string and ate bugs and lived in the wilderness to prepare the way of His own Son and to baptize Him who was already perfect?

-Who was it who picked such a ragged lot of men - most of whom appeared as mad as hatters to be His holy prophets? Isaiah 20:2

-Who was it who chose a nation of slaves, then saved and delivered them out of the hands of their mighty slave masters to be His chosen people - who immediately thereafter went and made and then worshipped a golden calf during a group orgy? Why did He not choose Egypt who at that time had the greatest army and the greatest wealth in the whole world?

-Who was it who made the first humans, who did the only thing He told them not to do?

-Who picked the first leader of His people (Abraham), a man who kept on pawning off his beautiful wife as his sister to kings and pharaohs for a few bucks?

-Who was it who chose the leader's wife (Sarah), who when He told her that He would give her a child in her old age, she responded in rasping laughter?

-Who was it who picked a whore (Rahab) to save a nation and and be a direct ancestor to His own Son?

-Who gave Solomon so much wisdom, knowing that he would soon go out of his way to break every proverb that he penned? -

-Who chose the "love apostle" (John) from the most quarrelsome of them all?

-Who picked the greatest killer (Paul) of His new people to write more of the New Testament, to teach His closest disciple Peter (2 Peter 3:15-16) and to affect more of later generations more than any of His other followers. Paul wrote that not only was he was chief among the Apostles but also that he was also chief among all of the sinners. (Remember Matthias?)

-Who picked the most knowledgeable Jew (Paul) to go to teach the Gentiles and the most illiterate Bible scholar (Peter) to go teach the most religious people (Jews) on earth!

-Who picked the thief (Judas) to carry the money purse?

-Who would choose such a terrible group of sinners and publicans to be friends with?

-Who slaughtered the fatted calf and gave the finest gifts to a foul-smelling, philandering son returning home from a terrible life of debauchery while his other son worked without ceasing with no reward?

-Who gave the prodigal son the money that he wasted on whores and booze and riotous living initially?

-Who wants us all (John 17:11-21) to actually become one with Him? (Eccl 3:18; John 3:3,5)

MY LORD AND MY DAD!

You have not chosen me; I have chosen you! It's His job and His alone to make you and I ready. (1 Cor. 1::25-31). Dear one. He always chooses the least likely (1 Sam. 16:7) to do the most, (Eccl. 1:9), (John 14:12; 1 John 4:4). It is interesting to note that the key qualities G-d looks for to fill all the church offices (1 Tim. 3; Tit. 1:5-16, etc.) mentioned in the Bible are spiritual and reflect loyalty to the Head rather than any natural or observable abilities (1 Cor. 1:25-31; 2 Cor. 5:15-21; Eph. 2:22; 4:11-16). Also see II Cor. 7 and what must you do to be saved. Jud. 3:15 literally means "he was bound as to the right hand." Shamngar was just a farmer with and ox-goad yet he slew 600 Philistines with a startling blow.. Deborah was just a housewife, but G-d told her to call Barak out of Kedesh-Naphtali and command him to raise up a 10,000-man army to deliver G-d's people out of Sisera's hands ( Judg. 4:9; 6:2, 18-20; Rev.12:11). G-d always picks sinners, idiots and the least likely to do His best work! In 2 Corinthians 4:7 we read: "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of G-d, and not of us."

Those whom G-d chooses are chosen out from among all the others. They who are chosen were/are exactly in the same sinful condition or worse than the rest of the whole human race. They were also partakers of corruption, morally and spiritually destitute of anything good. They were/are, like all other unsaved sinners, having their carnal minds at enmity with G-d, serving Satan, deserving of death and condemnation, without righteousness. There is no distinction between the elect and non-elect before the Father calls us to come to Jesus.

It isn’t that among all other men and women some of us have distinguished ourselves, set ourselves apart, believed on our own, gave more, done more or even managed to attract His attention because of a small spark of goodness or the faint promise of a reformed life or because of any great accomplishments or good intentions and/or promises. No. Paul made it extremely clear in Romans Chapter 3: that there is none who is righteous, good or understands, all have gone astray, all are corrupt and deserving of death. G-d doesn’t choose men or women because he foresees value in them, but He makes men and women valuable because He has chosen them. “Herein is love, not that we loved G-d, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propiation for our sins." (1 John 4:10). Read Ephesians 1, Paul is deafening as he continues to make the point that the distinction in humanity between those who believe and those who don’t believe is entirely G-d’s doing. Note the repeated emphasis on the divine initiative in salvation as seen in the vocabulary related to G-d’s will or purpose or plan: “according to the kind intention of His will” (v. 5), “the mystery of His will” (v. 9), “His kind intention which He purposed” (v. 9), “according to His purpose” (v. 11), “the counsel of His will” (v. 11). Indeed, no fewer than 11 times in these verses do we find vocabulary reflective of divine sovereignty: he elected us (v. 4), He predestined us (v. 5), His good pleasure (v. 5), G-d’s will (v. 5), G-d’s will (v. 9), His good pleasure (v. 9), His purpose (v. 9), He foreordained us (v. 11), His purpose (v. 11), His counsel (v. 11), His will (v. 11). To “elect” is to choose out from among others. This is no random choice. In other words, election was not and is not haphazard or based on anything that we do. There was and is deliberate, calculated, reasoned intent on G-d’s part. He knew what he was doing when He chose one but not another. He said: “I want this person, but not that person.”

G-d creates in us a clean heart, renews in us a right spirit, G-d is the author and finisher of our faith, G-d starts the redemptive work in us and finishes it - He saves us, He redeems us, He heals us. He fills us with His Spirit, He anoints us, He calls us - in fact, G-d does everything for us!

What is our only job once we are chosen?

There is an old story of a very ancient John teaching the believers of his day. As John was teaching, he kept on saying the same thing over and over again with the same smile and the same voice: "Little children, love one another, love one another." Finally this so wearied them all that one day they said to him, "Why, Master, does thou ever repeat the same words?" He was silent, thoughtful, and then John said: "So the Lord has commanded us and if that is fulfilled - that alone will suffice - and again John said: "Little children love one another."

Shalom and Selah! Love one another!