As the angel of God presented these facts in the travels and experience of the children of Israel, I was deeply impressed with the especial regard of God for His people. Notwithstanding their errors, their disobedience, and their rebellion, they were still God’s chosen people. He had especially honored them by coming down from His holy habitation upon Mount Sinai and, in majesty and glory and awful grandeur, speaking the Ten Commandments in the audience of all the people and writing them with His own finger on the tables of stone. The Lord says of His people Israel: “For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God: the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto Himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. The Lord did not set His love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: but because the Lord loved you, and because He would keep the oath which He had sworn unto your fathers.” {2T 108.1}

Idet Gud fremstillede disse kendsgerninger for Israels børns under deres rejser og i deres erfaring, blev jeg dybt påvirket af Guds særlige opmærksomhed for sit folk. Til trods for (109) deres fejl, deres ulydighed og deres oprør, var de stadig Guds udvalgte folk. Han havde æret dem på en særlig måde ved at komme ned fra sit hellige sæde til Sinajs bjerg og i majestæt og herlighed i en vældig storhed forkynde de ti bud i hele folkets nærhed og skrive dem med sin egen finger på stentavlerne. Herren siger om sit folk Israel: »Thi du er et Folk, der er helliget Herren din Gud; dig har Herren din Gud udvalgt til sit Ejendomsfolk blandt alle Folk på Jorden. Det er ikke, fordi I er større end alle de andre Folk, at Herren har fattet Velbehag til eder og udvalgt eder, thi I er det mindste af alle Folk; men fordi Herren elskede eder og fordi han ville holde den Ed, han tilsvor eders Fædre."