God made a promise to Abraham. It was a promise that wouldn’t be broken because God had looked into future-time and saw what would happen. A nation would descend from Abraham’s bloodline.

So the Lord, in making the promise, said the following to Abraham.  “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Genesis 12: 1-3.

The dye was cast. The nation would come about because of the choices God knew He would make. And that was good, of course. That’s why He loved it so much, though not necessarily any more abundantly than any other nation; for He loves all people equally. In other words, just as a normal parent of more than one child loves each the same, but at the same time differently for different reasons; God loved this nation for its special difference.

It would be a nation of priests and prophets. It would be a royal repository of His truths, wisdom, and guidance. And even though it failed in its design to be a beacon of and propagator to the world of those truths, wisdom, and guidance, God most of all knew that it would be the nation from which the world’s savior would come.

As such, God’s salvation plan would then be available to cement His promise in which He said all the families of the world would be blessed by Abraham. Jesus is that blessing by virtue of being the seed of Abraham (Galatians 3: 16, 29).

In summary, Israel was the chosen nation because of God’s foreknowledge, love of causing things to turn out for the good, and His promise to its forefathers—the line of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

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“The LORD did not set His affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath He swore to your forefathers that He brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; He is the faithful God, keeping His covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commands.” Deuteronomy 7:7-9