Why did God "choose the Jews?"?

Answer 1

I guess he didn't like the Druids or the Aztecs.

A related question would be, "Why did the Biblical god look only in the middle east for someone to 'choose'?"

Answer 2

He didn't. He chose the Hebrews, they are not the same. Even Jewish scholars will tell you that.

The Jewish Encyclopedia: "Khazars, a non-Semitic, Asiatic, Mongolian tribal nation who emigrated into Eastern Europe about the first century, who were converted as an entire nation to Judaism in the seventh century by the expanding Russian nation which absorbed the entire Khazar population, and who account for the presence in Eastern Europe of the great numbers of Yiddish-speaking Jews in Russia, Poland, Lithuania, Galatia, Besserabia and Rumania."

The Encyclopedia Judaica (1972): "Khazars, a national group of general Turkic type, independent and sovereign in Eastern Europe between the seventh and tenth centuries C.E. during part of this time the leading Khazars professed Judaism . . . In spite of the negligible information of an archaeological nature, the presence of Jewish groups and the impact of Jewish ideas in Eastern Europe are considerable during the Middle Ages. Groups have been mentioned as migrating to Central Europe from the East often have been referred to as Khazars, thus making it impossible to overlook the possibility that they originated from within the former Khazar Empire."

Under the heading of "A brief History of the Terms for Jew" in the 1980 Jewish Almanac we read: "Strictly speaking it is incorrect to call an Ancient Israelite a 'Jew' or to call a contemporary Jew an Israelite or a Hebrew."

Though some people won't accept it coming for the mouth of educated Jews because of realigous reason, they are not the people spoken of in the Scriptures.

The Universal Jewish Encyclopedia:
" The primary meaning of Ashkenaz and Ashkenazim in Hebrew is Germany and Germans. This may be due to the fact that the home of the ancient ancestors of the Germans is Media, which is the Biblical Ashkenaz . . . Krauss is of the opinion that in the early medieval ages the Khazars were sometimes referred to as Ashkenazim . . . About 92 percent of all Jews or approximately 14,500,000 are Ashkenazim.

The Bible relates that the Khazars (Ashkenaz) Jews were/are the sons of Japheth not Shem: 'Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood. The sons of Japheth; . . . the sons of Gomer; Ashkenaz . . .' So the Bible verifies that the Ashkenaz Jews [Khazars] are not the descendants of Shem and cannot be Semitic. "

To your question, Yah (God) chose the Israelites (not jews as we know today) for His own purposes. Not because they were better than any other people, but He chose to use them to make His name renown in the world among other things.

Answer 3

Snipe has done an excellent job distinguishing the Jews from the Hebrews so I will answer your question rephrased: Why did God "choose the Hebrews?"

"For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith." - Romans 4:13

If you read Genesis 17, it discusses how Abram's name was changed to Abraham, signifying the promise made to him to become the father of many nations. Before he was circumcised at age 99 (ouch!!!), he was commanded to walk before the Almighty and be perfect.

As you read about Abraham, you will notice that he was obedient to all the things he was asked to do: sacrifice his only son, get circumcised and circumcise all of the men in his camp because he had faith. Romans states that his faith is what made him righteous, and the righteousness of his faith made him the heir of the world.

So essentially, the chosen people became so due to the faith of their patriarch. I'd also like to point out that faithful strangers (non-Hebrews) that dwelt with the Israelites became heirs of the inheritance as well. Unfaithful Hebrews were often cast out of the camp for their disobedience. With this in mind, those chosen are those who are faithful and obedient to His will, regardless of their physical lineage.

Answer 4

Christianity originated from Israel, area of the Jews. In any religion, the practitioners/creators of a religion are the Chosen, or at least the subconscious Superior to everyone else.

Each religion is created to suit the culture that created it; however, every kind of faith is more of an embodiment of an... "Ultimate Truth," if you will, that is molded to serve the people. Hinduism serves Indians, Islam serves Middle Easterners, etc. Christianity had the mixed bag of having missionaries to spread it, which is why it's now so wide-spread. Though it was originally created to serve the inhabitants of Israel, people around the world embrace it as the only truth. But only by investigating the other "truths" in world religions can they stumble upon their own maxims.

Answer 5

God did not choose the Jews...The Jews claim God did but of course God does not exists. Jews however in claiming that they were God's people excluded others and thereby revealed their racist attitude which continues today in spite of all the hardships and ridicule they have endured; nevertheless, the Jews persist in the racism and neither history nor suffering have taught them a lesson as they are too hard headed, filled with their own ego and worth to accept they are the same as other people on the planet. As long as that attitude continues, in my opinion, their persecution will continue.

Answer 6

Because He promised a new nation through the seed of Abraham (the father of the Jews).

Answer 7

God chose the Jews as His conduit for Salvation because He loves mankind and wishes us to join Him in Heaven. Abraham provided that possibility when he chose to believe God's Promise. The rest is history. Literally!

Answer 8

He didn't choose the Jews.

He chose Abraham. And he chose him for his faithfulness and obedience.

He then chose Isaac, and then Jacob a.k.a. Israel, in order to fulfill his promises of blessings to Abraham.

God himself gives the answer:
Deuteronomy 7:7-8 -- The Lord did not set His love on you [Israel] nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; but because the Lord loves you, and BECAUSE HE WOULD KEEP THE OATH WHICH HE SWORE TO YOUR FATHERS [Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph],...

Answer 9

He chose Abraham. He told Abraham that his wife would have a child that would be father to a great nation. Abraham doubted and had a child with another woman and that child was Ishmael, the father of the arabs, Islam. He repented and his wife had the child of promise, Isaac, the father of the 12 tribes of Israel. "Abraham had faith, and God accounted to him righteousness."

Answer 10

Jews (Hebrew: יְהוּדִים, Yehudim; Yiddish: ייִדן, Yidn)are members of the Jewish people, an ethnic group originating in the Israelites of the ancient Middle East. The ethnicity is strongly related to the religion of Judaism, and converts to Judaism are included among the Jewish people.

The Jews have suffered a long history of persecution in very many different lands, and their population and distribution per region has fluctuated throughout the centuries. Today, most authorities place the number between 12 and 14 million, the majority of whom live in the United States (40.5% in 2002) and Israel (34.4% in 2002), although the total number of Jews is difficult to measure and is controversial (god chose the jews because....).