the Levites to be his priests (1 Chr. 15:2). A consciousness of election pervades the text. Throughout, God calls Israel “my people,” frequently in contexts where he is recalling his faithfulness to his covenant (1 Chr. 11:2; 17:6–7, 9–10; 2 Chr. 6:5–6; 7:13–14). At the climactic moment of the Davidic covenant, King David responds with a prayer of gratitude and wonder: “What other nation on earth is like thy people Israel?… Thou didst make thy people Israel to be thy people for ever; and thou, O