Kaplan advocated dropping chosenness for two reasons: to undercut accusations of the sort made by Shaw that the Chosen People idea was the model for racist ideologies, and because it went against modern thinking to see the Jews as a divinely chosen people. But does "chosenness" really mean the Jews were divinely chosen? After all, how did the notion of one God become known to the world? Through the Jews. And, according to Jewish sources, that is the meaning of chosenness: to make God known to the world.
As Rabbi Louis Jacobs has written: "We are not discussing a dogma incapable of verification, but the recognition of sober historical fact. The world owes to Israel the idea of the one God of righteousness and holiness. This is how God became known to mankind.
Does Judaism believe that chosenness endows Jews with special rights in the way racist ideologies endow those born into the "right race"? Not at all. The most famous verse in the Bible on the subject of chosenness says the precise opposite: "You alone have I singled out of all the families of the earth. That is why I call you to account for all your iniquities" Amos Why were the Jews chosen?
Because they are descendants of Abraham. And why were Abraham and his descendants given the task of making God known to the world? The Torah never tells us. What God does say in Deuteronomy , is that "it is not because you are numerous that God chose you, indeed you are the smallest of people" Because of the Jews' small numbers, any success they would have in making God known to the world would presumably reflect upon the power of the idea of God. Had the Jews been a large nation with an outstanding army, their successes in making God known would have been attributed to their might and not to the truth of their ideas.
The "Chosen People" idea is so powerful that other religious sects have appropriated it. Theologians and churchgoers alike have debated its meaning and who deserves this title.
It seems that everyone wants a piece of the promise…. But is there a clear answer to the question, who are the Chosen People? Dear reader:. In the world you will have tribulation.
Because He overcame, we are overcomers. As overcomers, local believers in Israel help their neighbors overcome poverty, depression, and so much more. FIRM exists to connect you with trusted gospel-centered work while empowering local ministries to transform lives in Israel.
Through your generous gift, you can help people in Israel overcome and be spiritually transformed. When we choose something, it often means that we prefer one thing over another. We are told in Romans 2 that God does not show favoritism.
Rather, when something is chosen, it was for a specific purpose. When you chose your toothbrush rather than a wire scrub brush to clean your teeth, it is not because you love your toothbrush more. It is because it is the best choice for a specific task.
If are removing rust from a piece of metal in your garage, you would reach for the wire brush, not the toothbrush. You are choosing it to complete a specific job.
The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. God chose Israel for a specific purpose out of love and to keep His oath to their forefathers. What was His oath and what was the purpose? While He did bring them out of Egypt as promised, the connection goes back to the promise God made to Abraham. In Genesis 15 we read that God made the original covenant or oath.
He would be their God and give them a specific piece of land forever. Yet even before that, God said He would bless Abraham and his descendants so that all the families of the earth would be blessed Genesis Old Testament Overviews. New Testament Overviews.
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Italian Italiano. Norwegian Norsk. Polish Polski. Swahili Kiswahili. Swedish Svenska. All the other nations of the world are subject to a more general providence and the whims of the natural world.
Interestingly, though some have seen this position as racist, it was embraced in different forms by some modern liberal thinkers. Some thinkers, influenced by egalitarianism and universalism, rejected the notion of Jews as chosen.
Foremost among such thinkers is Mordecai Kaplan , the founder of Reconstructionist Judaism. Kaplan was a humanist and a naturalist; he did not believe in a supernatural God that could bestow favor upon one nation, and he believed that it was practically and morally problematic to posit the fundamental superiority of one people.
Still, most forms of contemporary Judaism have not rejected the concept, but have played down its importance or stressed its more benign interpretations.
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