Category: God Pledges Himself

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9)

“In ch. 6 of Exodus it says, ‘Therefore, say to the Israelites: “I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.”’ …That word ‘to take’ is also language of when someone marries his wife, ‘He takes his bride.’ [Like in traditional wedding vows], ‘Do you, Timothy, take Brenda to be your lawfully wedded wife?’; ‘Do you, Brenda, take Tim… ?’

You see this imagery, where God says, ‘I’m going to pluck you out, snatch you out.’ And this isn’t just, ‘I’m going to set you free.’ But, ‘I’m taking you out of there and putting you in here!’ ‘I’m taking you into something that is so intimate and so real, something that you have never experienced as a people of God under Egypt.’ ‘I, the holy God, who can wipe out nations, wipe out Egypt, I choose you. My treasured possession, I take you out because I love you, I’m passionate for you.’ And out of that reality we become… a royal priesthood and a holy nation. An unholy people in an instant become what? A holy nation. Not because of what they’ve done, but because of God’s grace… taking them out, bringing them into this moment, and saying, ‘Now, this is who you are. Because I am holy, you are holy. You are no longer just a nation among nations. You are a holy nation… and to add to it, you are a royal priesthood!’” [from P. Tim’s message at AMC on 1/27/2018]

Let’s pray: Lord, we are amazed at Your love for your people, Your covenant faithfulness throughout generations. As Your people, may we live out our covenant faithfulness to You. May our love for You be fervent and passionate!

– JP

“So Moses went back and summoned the elders of the people and set before them all the words the LORD had commanded him to speak. The people all responded together, ‘We will do everything the LORD has said.’ So Moses brought their answer back to the LORD.” (Exodus 19:7-8)

“God says, ‘You will be my treasured possession… out of all the nations that I have, all the wealth, everything I have, you, Israel, are going to be right here, close to me, because I love you. You are treasured. And you have value.’ He begins to speak into Israel, from living under the shadow of a mighty, tyrannical nation of Egypt, they come into the shadow of the Almighty, where they are now treasured and valued beyond any other place in all the earth.

This holy God, who says, ‘Don’t come up My mountain!’ [Now, says to the people of God], ‘You are going to be the closest thing to me.’ And Israel is like, ‘What do we do with this?’ But you and I in Christ, we know exactly what He does with that! Where He takes His very own Son, holy and perfect in every way. And for us, who are imperfect, can’t be with God, He lays His life down for us. So that our faith in Him, when He died and rose again… given to us as a gift of God that we could enter in… not only is God holy, awesome and perfect… but [now] we find ourselves right in His heart. That’s who God was saying, Israel, you will be. And that is who God says we are in this day.

The whole language of Sinai has this incredible imagery of how God loved Israel, treasured her. Then all of sudden from this point forward, there’s all this language in the prophets that talk about Israel as the bride of God. The covenant that was written, the covenant that was spoken on Sinai, was the moment where God would come and reveal His passionate heart like a husband toward His bride, the one He most treasures and loves. And in that covenant, it would never separate. God would hold to that covenant.” [from P. Tim’s message at AMC on 1/27/2018]

Let’s pray: Lord, Your love for Your people is overwhelming! May this love touch us and continue to change us, that we would be the faithful bride of Christ, displaying His glory in our world.

– JP

“Then Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain and said, ‘This is what you are to say to the descendants of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.'” (Exodus 19:3-6)

“We see, also, in the midst of this, God is not just revealing his holiness but he’s revealing his intimacy for his people. And that is what is so profound about this covenant moment. We see the absolute holiness of God, purity, where we see no sin, where no one who has sinned can reside in the presence of God… and we see the absolute love and passion of God who just loves his people… and wants to be with them… But there’s this distance. How does that come together?

On this mountain we see this moment where God says, ‘It is going to come together! It is going to happen. That is part of the promise. This next phase in your life is to walk into this incredible, passionate love in the midst of My purity, come together, focused on you, for My glory through your life, and for your salvation.’

We read in verse 3, ‘Then Moses went up to God,  and the LORD called  to him from the mountain and said, “This is what you are to say to the descendants of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings  and brought you to myself.  Now if you obey me fully  and keep my covenant,  then out of all nations you will be…’”’ …be my what? My segullah… You will be my segullah.

The imagery of segullah (‘treasured possession’) has to do with royalty. Like the Queen’s jewels, or the Hope Diamond. A king would have lots of plunder, but he would set this aside and say this is my precious [treasure]. Not only was it just precious and treasured, but it also …had incredible worth and value just because the king or queen said ‘that is mine.’” [from P. Tim’s message at AMC on 1/27/2018]

Let’s pray: Lord, only by Your grace we can come into Your presence and even go as far as claiming to be Your treasured possession. That is where our sense of worth and value comes from… to be identified with Your people as Your treasured possession on earth. We worship You!

– JP

Then Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain and said, “…You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” (Exodus 19:3-6)

“The Lord redeemed his people, delivering them from the Egyptians, bearing them through their journey, bringing them to himself. All of this was rooted in God’s gracious covenant. He remembered his covenant with Abraham (2:23–25). He claimed Israel as his ‘firstborn’ (4: 22). He took Israel as his own people and gave them glorious covenant promises (6:6-7). Therefore he redeemed them out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery (i.e., life maintained by human work).

Now, the Lord will give his redeemed people his requirements (20:1ff), essentially saying, ‘This is what it looks like to live in a blessed relationship with the God who has redeemed you.’ And he will give the promise of redemption’s (not work’s) reward: they will be God’s treasured possession and they will be to God a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.

This movement of God’s grace is the same for God’s people today. God redeems us through Jesus Christ because of his gracious covenant; he gives us the requirements of his Word, picturing the life of grateful obedience; and he declares redemption’s reward, that we would be his inheritance (Eph. 1:18), his treasured possession, a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation (1 Pet. 2:9; Rev. 1:6).” [ESV Gospel Transformation Bible]

Let’s pray: Lord, thank you for Your grace in Jesus Christ. Not only did You rescue us from our sins, but You have saved us for a purpose, to be Your treasured possession, a kingdom of priests, a holy nation in this world. We rejoice in Your redemption plan!

– JP

Then Moses went up to God, and the LORD called  to him from the mountain and said, “This is what you are to say to the descendants of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.'” (Exodus 19:3-4)

The Exodus is not just about God rescuing the people from oppression, or taking them to the Promised Land… it’s about bringing the people to Himself. Sinai is not just the place where the Law was given, it was where God revealed Himself and bound Himself to His people in an unprecedented way.

“What could God possibly have wanted with a tribe of Hebrews enslaved in Egypt? Why did God redeem them and guide them across the hostile wilderness (while they seem to have complained all the way) to… the mountain of God?

…God used this opportunity to give the Torah to Moses at Mount Sinai… A careful study of Scripture reveals the astonishing truth that the Creator was unfolding his plan to come down from heaven, establish an intimate and loving relationship with his people, and live with them! …[T]he Ten Commandments… summarized their covenant and spelled out how he loved them and how his people could express their love for him.

…[T]he history of Israel is an amazing love story in which God loved the Hebrew people far more than they loved him… At Sinai, God established a covenant relationship with his people. This made their relationship more than a temporary liaison, more than a legal or political union… The covenant God established with his people resembled a marriage so closely that later prophets described it in those terms [cf. Jeremiah, Hosea, etc.].” [R. Vander Laan, That the World May Know: Vol 9, Fire On the Mountain]

Let’s pray: Lord, may your covenant people be faithful to You. May our hearts belong to You and You alone. May we love You with ALL our heart and soul.

– JP