God loves each and every one equally and favours none because of any of their talents. He has blessed all people with specific traits including colour of their skin, place of birth etc keeping in mind the tasks assigned. However, we are astonished when we see some people enjoying all the comforts of life while others suffer endlessly, for no apparent reason. And why has the loving God made different classes of people, specifically due to the caste and creed, while others appear to be His favoured ones?
What does God’s favor mean? Moses was chosen by God, even before his birth, to lead the Israelites from the slavery of Egypt to freedom. He was raised up and trained in the palace of Pharaoh to understand and learn all about Egyptian wisdom and ways. But his real training to perfect him in the ways of the heavenly kingdom was in the forty years of wilderness while grazing Jethro, the Midianite priest’s sheep. Yet when in anger he struck the rock twice to get water instead of just speaking to it, as commanded by God, he was barred by God from entering and leading his people into the Promised Land (Numbers 20:11-13). Recounting that incident to hie people before leaving them, he told them about his prayer before God (Deuteronomy 3:25-26). He prayed to God, ‘let me cross over and see the good land beyond Jordan, those pleasant mountains, and Lebanon’. He revealed God’s anger towards him, ‘the LORD said to me, ‘Enough of that! Speak no more to Me of this matter’. That one incident of misjudgement and not paying proper attention to the Word of God led to this.
Yet God did not abandon him, and after showing him all the land that the Israelites were to inherit, God ‘buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-Peor; but no one knows his grave to this day’ (Deuteronomy 34:5-6). He was not permitted to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land yet he received greater blessings. The Law was given to Moses, by God, on Mount Sinai and he understood the nuances of that. At the Transfiguration of Lord Jesus, Moses and Elijah, representing the Law and the prophets were sent by God to be with Him. Both departed the earth in different manners but in each case the hand of God was clearly apparent.
Moses prayed to God, ‘please, show me Your glory’ and was told by God, ‘you cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live’ (Exodus 33:18-20). God answered his prayer by bringing him into the presence of His Son, and revealed His glory in His Transfiguration. Moses and Elijah appeared in the presence of Lord Jesus, ‘in glory and spoke of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem’ (Luke 9:31). The Greek word ‘exodon’ means ‘departure, exit, death’ and is linked to the Israelites leaving Egypt to freedom and the coming freedom for mankind from slavery to sin. Their discussion was about fulfilment of the law and all the prophecies about the Messiah in the Old Testament.
We are told that ‘the LORD spoke to Moss face to face, as a man speaks to his friend’ (Exodus 33:11). In Egyptian captivity there were twenty to thirty lakh Jews but only Moses tried to help and ended up killing an Egyptian. He left the luxury of the palace of Pharaoh to be in the wilderness of Midian to be trained by the Lord into total dependence on Him and Him alone. We feel the pain and anguish in the heart of God on seeing the sinful state of all of humanity. But then a ray of light appears in the form of Noah, who ‘found grace in the eyes of the LORD’ (Genesis 6:6-8). Out of all the people living on the earth at that time Noah was chosen by God to make the Ark/ship in a place far away from the sea. Till that time, it had never rained on the earth and the size of the ark was huge, with its length being ‘three hundred cubits (450 feet), its width fifty cubits (75 feet) and its height thirty cubits (45 feet). The size of a standard cubit is 18 inches. Noah had help from no one, except his wife, three sons and their wives, a total of eight people only. It took him 120 years to build the ark, yet he kept the motivation level of his family members high despite the probable derisive comments from everyone around them.
Apostles Peter, Andrew, John and James were no ordinary fishermen but they had their own boats and businesses. Yet at the call of the Saviour, they left everything behind and followed the Saviour Lord. Every believer is specifically chosen by God, for we, in our blindness in sin, could never have turned to Him.
Why were Moses and Noah and so many others like us, so favoured by God? Abraham was chosen because deep inside him there was a desire to know God, the Creator and Sustainer of all universe. God calls out to everyone but only His sheep hear His voice (John 10:26). The chosen are supposed to make a difference in the world around them, and like Moses, Noah, the disciples and all followers are equipped by Him to achieve what seems impossible to others.
Specific blessed state of the favoured of God – Moses and Noah experienced His supernatural blessings, power and exceptional tasks to represent God’s kingdom before others. The Lord blesses and His favour surrounds them like a shield (Psalm 5:12). David could see the Lord as a Good Shepherd providing for all his needs and assured protection from the enemies with eternal life (Psalm 23). The New Covenant, through Lord Jesus, is about forgiveness of sins, eternal life and presence of the Holy Spirit in us. This fulfils the promise of the LORD, that, ‘I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people’ (Jeremiah 31:33). We are blessed to be the ‘children of God’ through faith in the Saviour’s sacrifice and redemption.
As believers, we are blessed with understanding and knowledge of God to live and to live ‘more abundantly’ (John 10:10). The Apostle who rejoiced in the love of the Lord could then bless all believers (3 John 2). His prayer is for all to ‘prosper in every way and (that your body) keep well, even as your soul keeps well and prospers’.
Those favoured by God receive firstly, supernatural blessings and increase in exceptional ways. It is not that they do not suffer adversity but God strengthens them to face it and emerge stronger. Mordecai and all the Jews feared for their lives because of the decree that Haman had received from the king for their total destruction. His perseverance paid, Haman was hanged and the Jews were saved and the festival of Purim is celebrated by the Jews even today in remembrance. The king honoured Mordecai and he ‘went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, with a great crown of gold and garment of fine linen and purple’ (Esther 8:15).
Second, they receive Divine favour and experience God’s presence with them in unimaginable ways. The Philistines deployed themselves in the Valley of Rephaim, against King David and his army (2 Samuel 5:22-24). Answering his prayer, the Lord not only gave him the plan for battle but also assured him of heavenly help. He was told, ‘when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then you shall advance quickly. For then the LORD will go out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines’.
Third, they are visited by angels with messages from God. We see Priest Zacarias and Mary, the mother of our Lord, being visited by Angel Gabriel with God’s message of great blessings (Luke 1). The message to Mary was, ‘Rejoice, highly favoured one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women’ (Luke 1:28). Which woman would not have liked to be the mother of the much-awaited Messiah by the Jews? Prophet Daniel fasted and prayed for three weeks and was visited by the angel with the answer to his prayers (Daniel 10:2-11). He was called, ‘O Daniel, man greatly beloved’. The angels are described as ministering spirits to those who inherit salvation through faith in Lord Jesus (Hebrews 1:14).
Four, they receive spiritual power and authority beyond the natural realm. The believers are blessed by the Lord to be ‘the light of the world’ (Matthew 5:14). We have no inherent light to shine before others. But our Lord has blessed us further, as He prayed to the Father in heaven, ‘the glory which You gave Me I have given to them’ (John 17:22). The glory of the Second Adam, same as was given to Adam at creation, is in every believer. Not only this, the Holy Spirit, ‘the Spirit of power, love and self-control’ dwells in us to teach, guide and help us (2 Timothy 1:7). With all these blessings, every believer is equipped for supernatural ministry and this has been evident in the life of saints since the Day of Pentecost.
Five, power over the unseen forces of evil that afflict people. Lord Jesus had personally experienced the attack of demonic forces and Satan himself at the very beginning and throughout His ministry. He equipped all believers with authority over these forces, ‘Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall in any means hurt you’ (Luke 10:19). We, who believe and receive these blessings from the Lord in faith, live as His favourites. However, the devil does not want us to stand in power against him and creates all sorts of doubts in our minds. When the Saviour Lord called Lazarus back to life, after he was dead for four days, He did not first check His power and authority and that is how we are to live.
We cannot force God to love us nor can we earn His Divine favour. The sons of Korah were worship leaders at the Temple in Jerusalem. And their ancestor, Korah, a Levite, had rebelled against Moses and Aaron and he and his partners were swallowed alive by the earth (Numbers 16:31-33). These sons of Korah had known the result of being away from God. They sang, ‘For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere, I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness’ (Psalm 84:10). But we have to make an effort to get close to God by meditating on His Word. God’s favour is found in loving Him, trusting Him, obeying Him, honouring Him in everything and exalt Him in our life by putting Him first in everything. It is reflected in our attitude of gratitude by being thankful for everything we have received from Him and will continue to receive. King David could declare, despite all the troubles he faced in his life, ‘Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart’ (Psalm 37:4).
What was different in the favoured ones of God in the Scripture? The first, ‘Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him’. Enoch did not die a natural death but was taken by God (Genesis 5:24). The second, ‘Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD… Noah walked with God’ (Genesis 6:8-9). The first quality is that they walked with God in obedience to Him and it took Noah 120 years to build the ark and must have suffered ridicule of others for making a ship nowhere near the sea. Also, he had probably never seen the sea nor had any knowledge of ship-building.
David was just about fifteen years old and he was chosen to be next king to replace Saul for he was found to be a ‘man after God’s own heart’ (1 Samuel 13:14). David faced many adversities, sinned and was the cause of the murder of Uria, the husband of Bathsheba. He could always turn to God, opening his heart in real earnestness, to seek forgiveness.
Apostle Peter is seen by many as a foolish person, cut off the ear of the servant of the High Priest in the Garden of Gethsemane and denied the Lord three times. Yet he walked on water and was entrusted by the Risen Lord personally to ‘Feed His lambs, Tend to His sheep and finally Feed My sheep’ (John 21:15-17). The disciples were called out by the Lord with one command ‘Follow Me’. Apostle Peter diligently heard Him and followed with his whole heart. We tend to move ahead of God by making plans and then seek His blessings at the start of the work. We desire God to follow us in blessing our plans rather than seeking His will before even starting the planning process. The favoured sheep of God are identified by Lord Jesus, they ‘hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me’ (John 10:27).
Apostle Paul, the great scholar and Apostle, presented another trait of the favourites, ‘we walk by faith, not by sight’ (2 Corinthians 5:7). Faith, being the proof of things not seen but hoped for, would be of no effect if we believe, only in what is visible (Hebrews 11:1). Paul and Silas were ‘forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the Word in Asia’ and they could not go into Bithynia also and went to Philippi instead (Acts 16:6-7). Those who walk by faith earnestly seek the guidance of God and live in obedience. We learn of God’s will through the Scripture and by the Holy Spirit from within, but tend to ignore that as the voice of the devil. Many excuses are made, that the devil is trying to stop me, for God would never stop me from this.
God loves all His children equally but He gives more tasks to those who will follow His Word. No one would like to trust someone with something important, who is unreliable in executing the plan exactly. Lord Jesus assured a true follower of the Father’s love and that ‘We will come to him and make Our home with him’ (John 14:23). The only condition is to love and do His word and will, to be His favourite.
God especially loves those who go to Him not only for receiving something but who, in humility and submission, come to worship and get near Him. Those who follow this way, live every moment of their lives filled with joy and the hand of God rests on them to shower His blessings continually. When we take one step towards God in real earnestness, He moves much faster and closer than we an think and imagine!
