Was Yahweh prejudiced when he allegedly designated the Hebrews as the "chosen people"?

Answer 1

You mean the writer, the writer of the story book must have been Hebrew, he just wrote his own into the STAR roll!

Answer 2

The concept of the chosen people is often misunderstood. It does not imply superiority of any kind.
Historically, it goes back to Abraham. Abraham lived in a world steeped in idolatry, which he concluded was contradicted by the reality of design in nature.

So Abraham came to a belief in God, and took upon himself the mission of teaching others of the monotheistic ideal. Abraham was even willing to suffer persecution for his beliefs. After years of enormous effort, dedication and a willingness to accept the responsibility to be God's representative in this world, God chose Abraham and his descendents to be the teachers of this monotheistic message.

In other words it is not so much that God chose the Jews; it is more accurate that the Jews (through Abraham) chose God.

Answer 3

First, it's important to note the context around God choosing Abraham. Abraham is chosen in response to people rebelling against God again and being split into many nations. Abraham is chosen by God to be the one that God uses to bring all the nations back to Him again. Abraham was "blessed to be a blessing" not for his own good but to benefit all people. [It is interesting to not that many different peoples are now united as followers of Jesus - one of Abraham's descendants in fulfillment of the promise that the Messiah would bring the gentiles back to God.]

Second, God made clear that He chose Abraham because he made an unlikely candidate. Abraham had no children and his wife was barren. He had no homeland. Nothing that he could claim that he could say that he had anything to offer. In choosing Abraham, God made clear that He loves people unconditionally, not because they have anything to offer Him. By extension, we can rejoice that God loves you and me regardless of how good we are.

Third, the Bible shows no positive "prejudice" toward the people of Israel. Unlike most "histories" of the time which make heroes out of the people writing the history, the Bible is honest and completely unflattering toward Abraham and his descendants. All their weakness and faults are honestly recorded and not glossed over. If anything, we see that God is not for or against the Hebrews, but for the weak and humble and against the proud, arrogant, and haughty.

Answer 4

The choosing was mutual, thus no specialness was intended. In the forty year walk, God instructed the Chosen to leave another people alone because God had an agreement with them.

Answer 5

No. 'Chosen' refers to chosen to keep a covenant. Chosen to keep more commandments. Chosen, really, to do more work. I'm certain my life would be much 'easier' from an outsiders viewpoint if I weren't 'chosen' to conduct my daily life as I do.
The manipulation of this phrase simply makes those who manipulate it appear prejudiced, as if they understood it's meaning, they wouldn't ask such statements.

Answer 6

Chosen for what?
Most tribes around the world have names for themselves as groups... and most of them translate to mean "the people".
The thing about the Judeo-Christian tradition is that it is decidedly ethnocentric, and identifying with Israel at "the holy land" has taken on a self-destructive aspect for American christians.
I think that God takes exception to people putting their words into His mouth, particularly when it is used for someone's agenda.

Answer 7

Consider the source of that story

Answer 8

No, they were the ones who accepted the Torah. So why wouldn't they be the chosen ones?

Answer 9

Well, he seemed to have chosen them in that area. Why would that indicate prejudice ? They have valued education, and not killed their female children as Arabs often did.

If they had accepted their own Messiah, it'd be an interesting change to history.

Answer 10

Hobokin, New Jersey.....