Free Will and a Chosen People

I've been reading the Old Testament. It suddently occurred to me; what role does a chosen people have within the context of free will?

Lately I've taken the concept of free will for granted because it was a theological issue that I contemplated and accepted early in my Christian life. When it comes to free will, I am certain that none of my ideas are my own, only fragments of what others have said and speculated about God's plan for humanity. While the Word doesn't specifically say we have "free will," we can generically say Love cannot exist without free will.

Anyway, a thought which I'm certain I haven't studied in a Bible Study or heard in church or read in a book is the recurring theme of God's chosen as it applies specifically to free will - or vice versa.

What I'm wondering is whether having a segment of society be God's "chosen people" is a critical or non-critical element of free will. If critical, then how is being chosen resolve against free will [ok, yes this touches on pre-destination, certainly not an original thought]. If non-critical, then why is it a continuous theme in God's framework for this world?

This is only one example, and certainly not the best example of God's wrath on His chosen should they sway from Him. Nonetheless it is recurring: God's people suffering, crying out, being saved, laws given, rebellion, God's wrath, God's people suffering... I guess I am trying to figure out how this loop fits into the concept of free will. Perhaps it is the very concept of free will that causes the loop to occur. The only way to exit the loop is to choose to accept being chosen and thus accept the plan of salvation, rather than God's wrath...

I wrote this in like, 9 minutes, but looking forward to much discussion and research. Your thoughts please...