The Election of Priests, Kings, and Disciples




In the Old Testament, we see times when God chose, and people chose.
God chose Levi to minister forever “… the LORD your God has chosen [bakhar בָּחַר Greek LXX eklexetai εκλεξηται] him…”
Deuteronomy 18:5 (see also 1 Chronicles 15:2)

God chose Saul to be the first king of Israel. What is fascinating about King Saul is that he was chosen both by God and the people:

1 Samuel 10:24, And Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see him whom the Lord has chosen, that there is no one like him among all the people?” (Hebrew and Greek are the same roots as above)…’”

Two chapters later he was chosen by the people:
1 Samuel 12:13, “Now therefore, here is the king whom you have chosen and whom you have desired. And take note, the Lord has set a king over you.

Saul’s election by God had nothing to do with eternal life. Saul was chosen, elected by God for the purpose to be king over Israel and with that he had all of the potential to be a good king and for his lineage to be the lineage of the Messiah.

Why then did you not obey the voice of the LORD?

1 Samuel 15:19 & 22-23, 19 Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? Why did you swoop down on the [c]spoil, and do evil in the sight of the Lord?
22 So Samuel said: “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king.

It is only after repeated disobedience is Saul rejected and David chose to take his place. Saul’s election by God to be king had nothing to do with eternal life and his removal from being king likewise had nothing to do with eternal life, he was simply removed from his post.

Saul is analogous to Judas in many ways because both he and Judas were chosen yet they both forfeited their election.

John 6:70, Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose [eklegomai ἐκλέγομαι] you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?

God elected David to be king and passed over the other seven sons of Jesse.

1 Samuel 16:7-10, 7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 8 So Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” 9 Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” 10 Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.”

The choosing or election had nothing to do with eternal life according to the Calvinist definition: God chose David because of what He saw in the heart and He chose him to be king – not for the purpose of eternal life.

See Luke 6:13; John 13:18, 15:16, 19; Acts 1:2, 24, 15:7 concerning Jesus choosing of the disciples, one of whom was a devil (John 6:70).

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