Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the
earth
Meaning not Abraham, nor his natural seed; but such who believed
in Christ, who dwelt in the furthest parts of the earth, to whom
the Gospel came, and by which they were laid hold upon, and
apprehended by Christ as his own: and called thee from the
chief men thereof;
from among the great men of the earth, out of their families,
courts, and palaces: or rather called them by grace, when such
personages were passed by and left; not many noble, not many
mighty, being called in those times, ( 1
Corinthians 1:26 ) : and said unto thee, thou art my
servant;
and not only called them by the name, but made them such in
reality: adding, I have chosen thee, and not cast thee
away;
nor does the Lord cast away any whom he has chosen and foreknown;
and therefore being thus dear to God, as all the above titles and
acts of grace show, and being secured by him from perishing or
being eternally lost, this should encourage them to suffer
persecution patiently for his name's sake, and not be afraid of
any of their enemies, as follows.