Not Just Deliverance, but Purpose & Identity (Part II)

October 18, 2006… it’s unique how the Spirit directs and how God positions… so I am sitting in church this morning (10.01.06) and Bro. Dean Sisk is speaking in John. His intention was to speak on “Jesus is Light.” I think my ears heard what he was speaking on; but based on the last “note,” I saw something a little differently. Dean was spoke on 1 Peter 2:9 for a brief moment and mentioned that this is apart of a letter Peter has written and it’s directing to their rejection of the Light…

1 Peter 2:9 says, “But you (Israel) are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own purchases, special people, that you may set forth the wonderful deeds and display the virtues and perfections of Him Who called you out of the darkness and into His light.”

With this in mind, I think it rings a bell directly with Exodus 19:5-6. Here we have Peter telling the people of Israel (gentiles included), and he is saying, “HELLO! (Can you imagine him yelling the Shalom at the people? I just found that funny to think about and a crazy flashback to VBS 4 yrs. Ago) anyway… HELLO! God has called us out. Do you not remember (t’shuva)? Do you not remember the commandments God gave us that are the basis of the 613 commandments in the Torah (first five books of the Bible aka Law of Moses or Pentateuch)? (Jewish belief is that the Ten Commandments do not hold a higher view than the rest of the 613 commandments in the Torah, but they believe that they are based from the 10 commandments God gave Moses and Aaron on Mt. Sinai; and yes I am confident they hiked 7498ft. of Sinai again) Do you not remember the first time God called unto us and said, ‘if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, then you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; 6 and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’” So I think this is much more than the rejection of Jesus’ teachings. This is the rejection of their purpose and identity by God.

I love how 1 Peter 2:9 supports the consistency of God. Peter, a fishermen who took up the family trade probably because he wasn’t good enough to further learn past the Torah, recognizes the calling of the people. So he certainly remembered Exodus 19:6 from, I assume, when he was kid learning the Torah (as all Jewish kids are taught). I think this is something we Christian living in America need to see the importance of… We are not taught to love the Word. In the church today, we are expected to accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, read our bible when we have free time, and Go… I think it’s sad that we (as a body) are not being still/silent, rooting ourselves, and allowing fruit to bear (just my opinion); but
Jewish culture teaches their kids to love the Word. And this passage (Exodus 19:5-6) has HUGE implications (I would imagine) because it was the first time God tells the people of Israel they will be HIS possession and treasure. Wouldn’t any person tell their children, generation after generation, their purpose and name if God spoke to them? And so, because of this, we have Peter reminding the people that we are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own purchases, special people. And he goes even further to remind them that they are “to set forth the wonderful deeds and display the virtues and perfections of Him” BECAUSE God said they would be a “kingdom of priests.”

Isn’t God sovereign?

To be continued… asap

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