Sforno on Deuteronomy 4:7/ספורנו על דברים ד׳:ז׳

1כי מי גוי גדול אשר אלוקים קרובים אליו, for it will pay you to be considered intelligent and wise in the eyes of the gentiles seeing that G’d is close to us בכל קראנו אליו, whenever we call upon Him. This teaches the gentiles that we are the chosen people. If the gentiles would consider you as being fools this would be a desecration of G’d’s name for they would then ask derisively: “is this the nation that claims to be G’d’s special nation?” (compare Ezekiel 36,20)