Why is Israel called God's chosen people?
Israel is called God's chosen people because in His sovereignty God ordained it. After calling Abraham out of idolatry, God gave him the Abrahamic Covenant, promising a separated, holy nation that would come under the covenant promises. This favored status rests solely on God's sovereign ordination.
Les explains that after God gave Abraham the Abrahamic Covenant, He called him out of idolatry and promised him a separated nation that would be holy and come under the covenant promises. That is why Israel is called the favored nation, or God's chosen people, because in His sovereignty that is the way He ordained it. Les also notes that Abraham was saved by faith plus nothing, not by offering sacrifices, and later sacrifices came in. In Exodus 19, God promised that Israel was to be a Kingdom of Priests.