Psalms 135:4

My Notes

What Does Psalms 135:4 Mean?

Psalm 135:4 declares the basis of Israel's identity in the simplest possible terms: "For the LORD hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and Israel for his peculiar treasure." The choice was God's. The treasure is Israel. And the reason is Himself — lesesgullato, for His own possession, for His personal, prized collection.

The Hebrew segullah (peculiar treasure) is a technical term for a king's private treasury — the personal collection of valuables that belongs to the monarch alone, distinct from the national treasury. Exodus 19:5 uses the same word: "ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people." Israel isn't God's employee or God's project. Israel is God's personal treasure — the collection He chose for Himself, guarded under His own name, valued beyond what the object could possibly be worth on its own.

The Hebrew bachar (chosen) emphasizes deliberate, sovereign selection — the same word used for God choosing Levi (Deuteronomy 18:5), choosing David (Psalm 78:70), and choosing Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 6:6). God's choice of Israel wasn't based on Israel's merit (Deuteronomy 7:7: "The LORD did not set his love upon you... because ye were more in number"). It was based on God's own desire. He wanted them. The verb is active, not reactive. God didn't respond to something attractive in Israel. He decided to treasure them. The value is conferred, not discovered.

Reflection Questions

• 1.God chose Jacob — not for his merit but for God's own desire. How does knowing the choice was God's initiative, not your qualification, change how you see your identity?
• 2.Segullah means the king's private treasure. How does being called God's personal collection — not His project or His employee — affect how you relate to Him?
• 3.The value is conferred, not discovered. Where are you still trying to prove your worth to a God who already decided it?
• 4.God chose Jacob — a deceiver and manipulator. If God's choice isn't based on character quality, what does that say about the people you've written off as unworthy of being treasured?

Devotional

God chose Jacob. Not because Jacob was impressive — he was a deceiver, a manipulator, a man who spent his early life trying to steal blessings meant for someone else. God chose him anyway and called him His peculiar treasure. The Hebrew word means the king's private collection — not the national museum, not the public display. The private vault. The things the king keeps for himself because they matter to him personally.

That's what you are to God. Not His workforce. Not His project. His segullah — His personal treasure. The value isn't based on your performance or your potential. It's conferred by His choice. A diamond is valuable because someone decided it was valuable and created a market for it. You're valuable because God decided you were valuable and placed you in His personal collection. The value comes from the valuer, not the valued.

If you've been trying to earn your place in God's estimation — performing, achieving, proving your worth through spiritual output — this verse says you're solving a problem that doesn't exist. God already chose you. The choosing wasn't a response to something He saw in you. It was a decision He made about you. And the word He uses isn't servant or follower or adherent. It's treasure. Private, personal, peculiar treasure. You didn't earn it. You can't unearn it. You were chosen, and the choosing was final. The treasure doesn't decide its own worth. The King does.

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture