Remember what he has done, you children of his servant Abraham. Remember it, you people of Jacob, God’s chosen ones.

他仆人亚伯拉罕的后裔啊！他所拣选的人，雅各的子孙哪！

他僕人亞伯拉罕的後裔啊！他所揀選的人，雅各的子孫哪！

爾曹當追念主所行之奇事、追念主之異跡、並主口宣之判語、原文五節作六節六節作五節

亞伯漢。主之僕。雅谷伯。蒙拔擢。聖祖裔。可不勉。能敬主。庶無忝。

you his servants, the descendants of Abraham, his chosen ones, the children of Jacob.

O offspring of Abraham, his servant, children of Jacob, his chosen ones!

you children of his servant Abraham, you descendants of Jacob, his chosen ones.

you offspring of Abraham his servant, Jacob’s descendants— his chosen ones.

You descendants of Abraham, His servant, You sons of Jacob, His chosen ones!

O seed of Abraham His servant, You children of Jacob, His chosen ones!

O ye seed of Abraham his servant, Ye children of Jacob, his chosen ones.

you offspring of Abraham His servant, Jacob’s descendants— His chosen ones.

O ye seed of Abraham his servant, ye children of Jacob his chosen.

O children of Abraham, God’s servant, you descendants of Jacob, God’s chosen ones!

you offspring of Abraham, his servant, you children of Jacob, his chosen ones.

He continued,“ I am the God of your father. I am the God of Abraham. I am the God of Isaac. And I am the God of Jacob.” When Moses heard that, he turned his face away. He was afraid to look at God.

The Lord has chosen the people of Jacob to be his own. He has chosen Israel to be his special treasure.

“ Family of Jacob, listen to me. You are my servant. People of Israel, I have chosen you.I made you. I formed you when you were born as a nation. I will help you. So listen to what I am saying. Family of Jacob, do not be afraid. You are my servant. People of Israel, I have chosen you.

Then I will enjoy the good things you give your chosen ones. I will be joyful together with your people. I will join them when they praise you.

You did not choose me. Instead, I chose you. I appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit that will last. I also appointed you so that the Father will give you what you ask for. He will give you whatever you ask for in my name.

The Lord says,“ People of Israel, you are my servants. Family of Jacob, I have chosen you. You are the children of my friend Abraham.

They are the people of Israel. They have been adopted as God’s children. God’s glory belongs to them. So do the covenants. They received the law. They were taught to worship in the temple. They were given the promises.The founders of our nation belong to them. The Messiah comes from their family line. He is God over all. May he always be praised! Amen.I do not mean that God’s word has failed. Not everyone in the family line of Israel really belongs to Israel.Not everyone in Abraham’s family line is really his child. Not at all! Scripture says,“ Your family line will continue through Isaac.”( Genesis 21:12)In other words, God’s children are not just in the family line of Abraham. Instead, they are the children God promised to him. They are the ones considered to be Abraham’s children.God promised,“ I will return at the appointed time. Sarah will have a son.”( Genesis 18:10, 14)And that’s not all. Rebekah’s children were born at the same time by the same father. He was our father Isaac.Here is what happened. Rebekah’s twins had not even been born. They hadn’t done anything good or bad yet. So they show that God’s purpose is based firmly on his free choice.It was not because of anything they did but because of God’s choice. So Rebekah was told,“ The older son will serve the younger one.”( Genesis 25:23)It is written,“ I chose Jacob instead of Esau.”( Malachi 1:2, 3)What should we say then? Is God unfair? Not at all!He said to Moses,“ I will have mercy on whom I have mercy. I will show love to those I love.”( Exodus 33:19)So it doesn’t depend on what people want or what they do. It depends on God’s mercy.In Scripture, God says to Pharaoh,“ I had a special reason for making you king. I decided to use you to show my power. I wanted my name to become known everywhere on earth.”( Exodus 9:16)So God does what he wants to do. He shows mercy to one person and makes another stubborn.One of you will say to me,“ Then why does God still blame us? Who can oppose what he wants to do?”But you are a mere human being. So who are you to talk back to God? Scripture says,“ Can what is made say to the one who made it,‘ Why did you make me like this?’ ”( Isaiah 29:16; 45:9)Isn’t the potter free to make different kinds of pots out of the same lump of clay? Some are for special purposes. Others are for ordinary use.What if God chose to show his great anger? What if he chose to make his power known? But he put up with the people he was angry with. They were made to be destroyed.What if he put up with them to show the riches of his glory to other people? Those other people are the ones he shows his mercy to. He made them to receive his glory.We are those people. He has chosen us. We do not come only from the Jewish race. Many of us are not Jews.God says in Hosea,“ I will call those who are not my people‘ my people.’ I will call the one who is not my loved one‘ my loved one.’ ”( Hosea 2:23)He also says,“ Once it was said to them,‘ You are not my people.’ In that very place they will be called‘ children of the living God.’ ”( Hosea 1:10)Isaiah cries out concerning Israel. He says,“ The number of people from Israel may be like the sand by the sea. But only a few of them will be saved.The Lord will carry out his sentence. He will be quick to carry it out on earth, once and for all.”( Isaiah 10:22, 23)Earlier Isaiah had said,“ The Lord who rules over all left us children and grandchildren. If he hadn’t, we would have become like Sodom. We would have been like Gomorrah.”( Isaiah 1:9)

Family of Jacob, you are as weak as a worm. But do not be afraid. People of Israel, there are only a few of you. But do not be afraid. I myself will help you,” announces the Lord. He is the one who sets his people free. He is the Holy One of Israel.

He remembered the holy promise he had made to his servant Abraham.

You are a holy nation. The Lord your God has set you apart for himself. He has chosen you to be his special treasure. He chose you out of all the nations on the face of the earth to be his people.The Lord chose you because he loved you very much. He didn’t choose you because you had more people than other nations. In fact, you had the smallest number of all.The Lord chose you because he loved you. He wanted to keep the promise he had made to your people of long ago. That’s why he used his mighty hand to bring you out of Egypt. He bought you back from the land where you were slaves. He set you free from the power of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt.

But God chose you to be his people. You are royal priests. You are a holy nation. You are God’s special treasure. You are all these things so that you can give him praise. God brought you out of darkness into his wonderful light.