Deuteronomy 14:2 A people for God’s own possession

When you read the Old Testament, there are a lot of passages that we don’t know what to do with today.  Strange practices, like in Deuteronomy 14:1, where the people were told not to cut themselves or shave their foreheads for the sake of the dead.

I don’t think that will be much of a problem today.  Two verses later, it talks about not eating any abomination.  And then God outlines for them what animals they may eat or not eat. 

Much of what God told them people follow today, though we do eat pork and shrimp and lobster and crabs, which God had forbidden those people then.

So is there any value in reading stuff like this? 

Deuteronomy 14:2 should get our attention: ² “For you are a holy people to the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.

Our first response, of course, is that this is something that God said to Israel.  THEY are a holy people to the Lord, a people for His own possession. 

And that is true.

But so are you.

Because the Old Testament was written in Hebrew and the New Testament in Greek, it is often hard to see which expressions in each Testament are equivalent to each other.  But fortunately, the Hebrew Bible was translated into Greek before the time of the New Testament, and the New Testament writers generally used that when they referred to the Old Testament. 

So when God called the Israelites a holy people, the New Testament calls believers that all the time: we are saints. (Romans 1:7, I Corinthians 1:2, II Corinthians 1:1, Ephesians 1:1 et al.)

When the Old Testament calls the Israelites a people for God’s own possession, the Greek Bible calls that λαὸς περιούσιος [la - os´ periou´sios], which translates as a chosen people, a people of a very special status.  Titus 2:14 has that exact expression: ¹⁴ who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession [λαὸν περιούσιον], zealous for good deeds.

And that is speaking about every believer today.  I Peter 2:9 has a very similar expression:

9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

The expression is a little different here in the Greek, but it is the same for another way that the Greek Old Testament translates that first Hebrew expression.

The point is that you, a believer in Jesus Christ, are yourself a holy people, a people of God’s own possession out of all the peoples on the face of the earth.

In Deuteronomy, it says that because of that, the people should live differently than all those other people, and we should too.

How?

Rather than tell you what I think you should do or do differently, just be conscious of the fact that you are a chosen people of God, a special people out of all the people in the world, God’s special people.

The Hebrew word for possession here is סְגֻלָּה [s^e – gul´ - lah] which means  1. valued property, special treasure, one that belongs only to this one person  2. treasure.  Like a person might have a coin collection or antiques which are his own special prized possession. 

That is how God regards His people.  That is how God regards you.

So when you are out and about, remember who you belong to and who you are.

 

 

John 17:20 Jesus’ Prayer for You

One of the reasons that Jesus came into the world was to put a human face on God. 

In the Old Testament, all the other nations were trying to do something like that with idols, little statues of animals or some kind of being.  The problem there, of course, was that they were essentially making the Lord of all creation into something small and tiny like a block of wood or stone.

But the Lord of all creation is a hard thing for most of us to picture, let alone comprehend.  How do you have a relationship with something, Someone, who fills all of heaven and earth? 

Jesus told His disciples that He who has seen Him has seen the Father.  John 14:9

In John 17, Jesus prays for us.  Those of us who are alive today.  He is not just praying for His small band of disciples there but for us as well.   John 17:20 ²⁰ “I am not asking [these things] for these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word.  

That’s us.  Some might wonder if Jesus’ prayer for us only begins here at verse 20 and not before this, but when you see what He is praying for us, it won’t really matter.  Usually we think that the disciples were privileged far beyond anything we might have today, but that doesn’t seem to be the case here.

So what exactly is He praying for us?

John 17:21 (NASB95) ²¹ that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.  

That we all may be one, just as God the Father is in Jesus and Jesus in Him, that the world might believe that He sent Him.  Jesus wants us to be in God like He is.

Now I don’t know all that that means, but I know it’s a lot more than what we are seeing now, because we are not making an impression on the world.  Maybe because everything we do together is in buildings where people don’t see what’s going on.  I don’t know.  But when people see or meet us, they should sense something different.

He even says that He gave us His glory, that we might be one just as They are.  John 17:22  “And I, the glory which you have given Me, I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one.”

God has given glory to His people.  Again, I don’t know what that looks like.  I suspect that if and when Christians see this and become aware of it, they will sense more of it in their lives.

Christians should have such a bond and a love for each other that it is obvious and noticeable to others.

In fact, we should be “perfected into one” (John 17:23).  Next time we see another Christian, we need to open our eyes real wide to fully see what God has wrought here.

AND  are you ready for this?

Jesus repeats this idea about the world knowing, before He said believing, that God had sent Him, but now also that the world would know that God loved us just as He loved Jesus.  John 17:23  I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected into one, that the world may know that You sent Me and loved them just as You loved Me.

We should pause here for a while and just let that sink in.  God loves you like He loves Jesus.

Then Jesus wishes that we could be with Him that we might see His glory.  John 17:24 “Father, what You have given Me, I want that where I myself am, that they might be with Me, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me, because You loved Me before the foundation of the world.

Going to heaven isn’t just for our sakes.  Jesus wants to show us stuff just like when you have people over to your house, and you show them your personal stuff as a way of connecting with them.  Jesus is saying, Wait, you’ve got to see this.  You won’t believe it.  He wants to share this with us. 

And then, one more thing.  Jesus wants us to know the love that the Father has for Him and for this love to be in them.  That’s us.  Jesus wants us not only to know that God loves us like He loves Jesus, but He wants us to experience that love for ourselves. 

Now I can’t tell you how to make that happen.  Romans 5:5 says that the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.  I’m not sure how many Christians would say that it has.  I can’t, but I feel like it’s close.

Some Christians have had experiences where the love of God washed over them like the waves of the sea.  Most of us just have to take Jesus’ word for it, though when we do that, we will sense more of it.

If this is new to you, a lot of this is new to me as well.  Stay tuned.

Psalm 67:1 God, be gracious to us

Nineteen times in the book of Psalms, somebody prays that God would be gracious to him.  Grace means favor, so he is praying that he would find or have favor with God.

Who wouldn’t want favor with God?

Actually we already do have favor with God.

Romans 5:1,2  ¹ Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom also we have obtained access [by faith] into this grace in which we have come to stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.

Focus more on verse two here.

Through Jesus we have obtained access into this grace, or favor, in which we have come to stand.  The word ‘stand’ is in the perfect tense in Greek, which emphasizes the present condition of a past event.  We have come to stand in the favor of God.  We are there, and that’s where we’re staying.

This isn’t dependent on what we do, will do, or have done in the past.  Our relationship with Jesus brings us into favor with God.  Or I should say, or faith in Jesus.  It is not something that varies from day to day depending on what’s going on in our lives.

We don’t need to keep praying like in the psalms for God to be gracious to us.  He has, and He is. 

Think about your kids and your grandkids.  I often refer to this, because I see the importance of this in understanding God.  God created life such that we learn what it is like both to have parents and to be parents.  Some people get poor examples of this or none at all.  I get that, and that’s sad and unfortunate.  But that is still the best way humans can understand what it means to be children of God and knowing His love and favor apart from a personal experience with God, which some people do get but very few.

Believing in Jesus is not just having God forgive our sins, but we become children of God just like children are born to us. 

I suspect too many of us are living under a model of God sitting on His throne, and we bring our requests to Him asking for help and stuff.  Some He grants, and some He doesn’t.  Meanwhile, in our daily lives, it’s one constant trial after another where we never know what to expect, because God has to keep testing us until the day we die.

I realized some time ago that I wasn’t excited about God.  Oh, I am and have always been quite aware of who God is, His awesomeness and His worthiness.  But I certainly didn’t see myself like David dancing before the Lord with all his might. (II Samuel 6:14)

But I’m starting to.  The sad thing is that I have been a Christian for a very long time.  But I am still learning, and I hope these articles help you learn some things too.

John 15:11 Joy is Required

John 15:11 ¹¹ “These things I have spoken to you that the joy that is mine may be in you, and your joy may be made full.   [translation mines]

A long time ago, early in my Christian life, I read a book called They Found the Secret.  It told the stories of about 15 famous Christians and what was the secret to their success as a Christian, if I may use that word.

One very interesting thing about that book was that everybody had a different answer.  Nobody gave or had an answer that had to be replicated in everyone else’s life. 

Yet it was the same.  Call it by whatever name you want to call it: conformed to the image of Christ, full surrender, the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the deeper life, there are others.

Four years ago, my life hit complete bottom.  Not because I got cancer, though it was while I had cancer.  That wasn’t really even a factor except that it forced me to quit work.  And that wasn’t the reason either.

What these things did do was essentially force me to look back on my life, and that was what did it.

Words could not express my disappointment in God.  I couldn’t even talk to Him above the bare minimum.

Very slowly He began to put me back together.  One thing at a time.  I should have kept notes, though I’m not sure the disciples kept notes when they met Jesus, thinking that they were going to have to write the gospels later.

The latest piece in the puzzle, which may not be the best word to use here, but it’s 4:30 in the morning, is the word ‘joy.’

In a sense, it is a choice, an act of faith, a bold, courageous surrender to God.  I don’t know if it’s something you can just decide to do.  I couldn’t.  Twenty years ago, I tried.  It’s a long story, I can send it to you if you want, but it didn’t work.  Completely.  Or it didn’t last. 

Maybe you have to be completely broken first.  I don’t know.  It’s all very new to me.  I’ll keep you posted.

II Chronicles 29:36 What God Had Prepared

When you read through the Bible, you will notice that certain events are repeated in other places of the Bible.  When you read the life of Jesus in all four gospels, you will read about Jesus’ death and resurrection four times.  You will read of the feeding of the five thousand four times.

You might be tempted to skim over these repeated stories, because you already know them.  The key is to read them in their context.  See which parts of the story are emphasized in each source.

This happens with the life of Hezekiah, one of the kings of Judah.  He is one of the major figures in the Bible.  His story occurs in II Kings, II Chronicles, and Isaiah, 11 chapters in all, much of the story being repeated.

You might be tempted to say that, oh, I already know that story.  But then you need to look a little closer. 

A major miracle occurs in his life and the life of the nation.  One of the greater miracles of the Bible.  Kings and Chronicles go into great detail about the whole thing.  Awesome and inspiring.

Chronicles mentions it but finds something far more important than a mere miracle.

Hezekiah restored the temple worship, gathered all the faithful throughout the entire land of Israel, including the north which was no longer a part of their nation, and they celebrated the Passover.  For two whole weeks even.  And not only that, but they broke some of the rules because so many new people came, and Hezekiah prayed about it, and God blessed them for it.

Later when God rescued the nation through a great miracle, Hezekiah prayed about that too, but it never says that God heard Hezekiah’s prayer like it does here.  Like this was the more important prayer.

2 Chronicles 30:26 (NASB95)  ²⁶ So there was great joy in Jerusalem, because there was nothing like this in Jerusalem since the days of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel.

People were having great joy in God again, and this was the important thing.  Yes, miracles are nice.  Even necessary sometimes. 

But first things first. 

You need to have a relationship with God where you find intense joy.  You can’t work this up.  We’ve talked about this before, and we will again.  I’m not going to give here a three-step plan to intense joy.  A good first step is the realization that God wants you to have it.  That fact alone can tell you a lot about whether you are on the right track or missing something essential in your Christian life.

 

Ezekiel 22:30 Standing in the Gap

In my morning prayers, I pray for nations.  And peoples.  Some people are not defined or limited by nations. 

Sometimes, and lately even more often, I have asked God if it makes any difference. 

After all, nations are big things.  How can the prayers of one person make a difference there?

Today I read two passages on the subject.  If I had only read one, I might not have paid as much attention, but I read two.  So far.  I’m not done reading yet.

Psalm 106:23  (NASB95) Therefore He [God] said that He would destroy them, had not Moses His chosen one stood in the breach before Him, to turn away His wrath from destroying them.

Ezekiel 22:30 (NASB95)  ³⁰ “I searched for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand in the gap before Me for the land, so that I would not destroy it; but I found no one.

In each case, it was one man.  Just one.

Two times the Bible says that God wanted to destroy the nation of Israel and that He would make a new one for and through Moses. 

Exodus 32:9,10 (NASB95) ⁹ The Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, they are an obstinate people. ¹⁰ “Now then let Me alone, that My anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them; and I will make of you a great nation.”

Numbers 14:11.12 (NASB95) ¹¹ The Lord said to Moses, “How long will this people spurn Me? And how long will they not believe in Me, despite all the signs which I have performed in their midst? ¹² “I will smite them with pestilence and dispossess them, and I will make you into a nation greater and mightier than they.”

One man stood between the nation and God.

No, I am not a Moses.  Numbers 12:6–8 (NASB95)  ⁶ He [God] said, “Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, shall make Myself known to him in a vision. I shall speak with him in a dream. ⁷ “Not so, with My servant Moses, He is faithful in all My household; ⁸ With him I speak mouth to mouth, even openly, and not in dark sayings, and he beholds the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant, against Moses?”

But then in the passage from Ezekiel, God was looking for anybody.  It didn’t have to be a Moses.  And He didn’t find anybody. 

I have some prayer requests that have gone unanswered for a very long time.  Decades.  But how can I not pray for them?  If there is a need, if you shut your heart to that need, I think that’s the kind of thing God looks for at the judgment.  If something is worth praying for, then it’s worth praying for even when there is no answer in sight.

So I, one man, will continue to pray for nations, for peoples.  I’m not looking for awards in heaven.  I’m looking for God to do a work in my lifetime.

 

 

 

 

Ephesians 5:22-33 Husbands and Wives

I think this is one of the most misunderstood passages in the Bible.

The passage talks about wives first, but I think for teaching purposes in our time it is better to begin with the husband.

Four times in this passage Paul tells the husbands to love their wives.  I don’t think that’s because it’s so hard for them to do that, but it can be hard to convince the wives of that. 

Gary Chapman did an invaluable service to Christians, everyone actually, with his teaching about love languages.  We all have our own love language, how we would like or need love to be expressed to us, but then we tend to show love in that same way, and that may not be how the other person wants or needs love to be expressed.

I suspect this has more to do with men’s tendency to get involved in things, in projects, in work, in causes, and they don’t “nourish and cherish” their partner enough.  (Ephesians 5:29)

Paul’s instructions to wives are a mess in most English Bibles.  I didn’t try to see how many different Bibles do that, but it’s a lot and it’s shameful.

Paul’s instruction to wives comes right out of his teaching about being filled in spirit.  And that section is poorly done as well.

In Ephesians 5:18, Paul tells believers to be filled in spirit.  That’s the literal expression, no interpreting involved.  The word ‘in’ can be translated as ‘in, with, or by.  The word ‘spirit’ can be understood as the Holy Spirit or the human spirit.  The expression in the original Greek is very different from any other time when the Bible speaks of a person being filled with the Holy Spirit, though Luke 4:1 is close when it says that Jesus was full of (the) Holy Spirit.

That command is followed by 5 participles.  Those are verb forms that modify the main verb.  The important or real question is whether these participles describe or define the action of the main verb or are the results of it.

Most Bible teachers, and no, I didn’t check them all, say that these participles tell us the results of being filled with spirit, i.e. the Holy Spirit.  So when a person is filled with the Holy Spirit, they then will speak to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, sing and make melody in their heart to the Lord, give thanks to God always, and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ. 

The first question then is how can Paul command a believer to be filled with the Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is going to fill us in this way because what?  I had the class in school.  We yield to the Holy Spirit.  And then we have all these things happen to us.  Or that’s how it’s supposed to go.

What happens is that if we don’t produce all these wonderful results, then I guess it’s our fault for not being yielded enough, and Christians start struggling to be more yielded, and a vicious cycle ensues.

My understanding of the passage is that Paul is telling believers to fill their spirits in contrast to drunks who fill their bodies.  And the way we fill our spirits it to speak to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, sing and make melody in our heart to the Lord, give thanks always for all things, and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.

So what does all this have to do with wives and husbands.

If you have a good Bible translation, the word ‘submit’ in verse 22 should be in italics.  It should be in italics, because it is not there in the original Greek.  It was added by the translators, and it shouldn’t have been.

Read the passage like this:

Ephesians 5:18–23 ¹⁸ And do not get drunk with wine, for that is reckless abandon [or, debauchery], but be filled in spirit, ¹⁹ speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; ²⁰ giving thanks always for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God and the Father; ²¹ being subject to one another in the fear of Christ, ²² wives, to your own husbands, as to the Lord, ²³ because the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body.

Paul loves to have really long sentences, held together by participles, shifting the focus constantly to new subjects. 

Wives being subject to their husbands is a subset of Christians being subject to one another. 

Maybe the best commentary on this is Philippians 2:2-4  ² make my joy complete by being of the same mind, having the same love, united in spirit, thinking the one thing, ³ nothing from selfishness or empty thinking, but with humility regarding one another as more important than yourselves; ⁴ not your own interests each one looking out for, but also the interests of others.  [translation mine, very literal for a reason]

Paul’s injunction to wives is not a separate, special, unique charge, but it is a major part of the Christian life, but it is just more important in a marriage, because, well, you’re living with this other person, and that relationship itself is a picture of Christ Himself and the Church. 

So, wives, Paul, or God, is not asking more from you than he, He, asks of any other believer.  It’s just that it’s needed more right now where you are than in your relationships with other people.