The idea of God's judgement on Israel, which is so prominent in the utterances of Amos, has to be linked with his understanding of the election of Israel, already referred to in 3:2, and Israel's failure to understand what her covenant relationship with God meant. Chapter 9: 7 rejects the false idea of Israel that Israel's relationship with her God meant special privilege and benefits without special responsibilities. God had promised great blessing to the descendants of Abraham. Deuteronomy 28 links blessings with obedience. We have seen that the idea of the people of God was not linked with racism; the bond which held the people of God together was obedience to the will of God, not membership of any particular race, although God had worked through the descendants of Jacob. Chapter 9: 7 makes it clear that God had not chosen Israel for his special self-revelation because she deserved it in any way or because she had any merit which other nations did not. God could have chosen any other people for this self-revelation. God's sovereignty over all people is made clear in 9: 7, and is linked with the utterances against other nations in 1:3-2:3. God is completely free to choose other nations to serve him and to reject those who fail him. Despite the profound insights of the prophets, most of the Israelites had failed to understand the character of Israel's God. He was not merely a national god.