God chooses
‘He chose his servant David. He took him from the sheep pens. He brought him from tending sheep to be the shepherd of his people Jacob. He made him the shepherd of Israel, his special people. David cared for them with a faithful and honest heart. With skilled hands he led them’. (Psalm 78:70–72)
The bible is full of examples of God selecting people and nations. He chose Israel, and he plucked David from a life of obscurity and placed him on a national platform of leadership as king of Israel. And the New Testament celebrates the truth of election - we are part of a royal priesthood, a chosen people, a holy nation. The doctrine of election has been the subject of huge debate for centuries, but allow me to state my understanding of this amazing but potentially bewildering truth. Some would say that if God has chosen some, but not others, then He is selecting some for judgement and others for blessing. Two factors are vital - first, God always ‘chose’ not because he had personal favourites, but for the blessing of the whole world. He chose Israel as a beacon nation, He chose David to be a righteous king for Israel, and He chose us because He chooses to bless the planet through us - a great truth and a greater responsibility! But then I’m convinced that we are chosen ‘in Christ’ - all who freely respond to the call to follow Jesus become the blessed ones that God has chosen to bless through His Son. In this view, God chooses a people rather than persons.
That said, for David, the promotion from sheep pen to royal palace was entirely at God’s initiative. But that’s not to suggest that it was just a random selection - on the contrary, we read that God sees the heart, and that means that He saw David’s heart. Did the Lord see David’s private devotion through those lonely days in the desert, his willingness to serve, and decide to expand his influence massively?
We are chosen. And, like shepherd boy David, we’re called to faithfulness in the ordinary.