His Treasured Possession!

At the conclusion of the Pentateuch comes the book of Deuteronomy, the "second law" in which Moses recounts many of the laws given to him and the Israelites on Mount Sinai.

In Exodus, the first law, God gave to the children of Israel the commands they were to live by, reminding them that they were a nation set-apart and holy to the Lord. They were not to defile themselves with the people, cultures, and gods around them, but to serve only the Lord God.

Exodus 19 tells us of the special place that Israel had in being the chosen possession of the Lord. God, in His sovereignty, chose out Israel, and promised to bless them if they were obedient and kept His covenants. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. (Exodus 19:5-6, ESV)

Reading through Deuteronomy last week, I picked up on the repeated references to the Israelites as God's chosen people.

For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. (Deuteronomy 7:5-6)

God continues speaking through Moses reminding the people that it was not because of their greatness of number that the Lord chose them, for they were not a great nation at first. It was because God is a steadfast, faithful God, who covenanted with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that He would give them a nation. He chose to love the Israelites, and He redeemed and set-apart this nation for Himself. Not because of anything they had done, but because He is a God who is faithful to those who love Him.

For you are a people holy to the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. (Deuteronomy 14:2) 

Because of this calling and this requirement set on them, the Israelites were to drive out the Canaanites who inhabited the land God was bringing them to, so that they would not become polluted. As God's elect, they were to remain holy for Him.

And the Lord has declared today that you are a people for his treasured possession, as he has promised you, and that you are to keep all his commendments, and that he will set you in praise and in fame and in honor high above all nations that he has made, and that you shall be a people holy to the Lord your God, as he promised. (Deuteronomy 26:18-19)

But this just wasn't any possession; this was a treasured possession. Something highly valued and cherished. Merriam-Webster's dictionary defines treasured as "something of great worth or value; a person esteemed as rare or precious; to hold or keep as precious." The Israelites were of great worth in the Lord's eyes. He viewed them as precious. But this wasn't because of anything in them, for they were often wicked, deserting the One who called them out from a pagan land. They turned from their Redeemer many times, yet He still kept His covenant with them. God placed value in them because of of what His Son would do for them in the years to come. It was through Christ's future coming that they were ransomed, and He chose to love them for the sake of His own glory. 

They are the Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarches, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen. (Romans 9:4-5)

But because of unbelief, the nation of Israel rejected the Son of the One who saved them. And because of their unrepentant spirit, God allowed them to harden their hearts in accordance with His plan to bring salvation to the world. Paul speaks of this in detail in Romans 9-11, and also of his own calling to bring the Gospel to the Gentiles. And while the Jews have resisted the work of Christ, the message of Jesus is still offered today for Jew and Gentile alike. The hardness of the Israelites provides the means of repentance to the rest of us. God is God over all, and through His grace and wisdom, has brought salvation to all mankind, showing mercy on the remnant of Israel who love Him and providing a way of escape to the Gentiles, as well. 

For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes....For the Scripture says, "Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame. For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." (Romans 10:4, 11-13)

To those who believe, Christ promises His redemption and peace. The law that condemned the Israelites, also would condemn us, but by laying down His life for us, Christ ultimately fulfilled the law by loving us. The law cannot be held up against us anymore, for Christ's blood covers it all and makes us righteous. God foresaw the rejection of Christ by the Jews and opened the door of mercy and grace to those of us (and them!) who would believe in His Son. It isn't anything in us that makes us worth loving, but because of His faithfulness and patience, God desires all to be saved, and so He provided the way for us through the death of His only Son.

Because of His Son, God also claims us as His treasured possession. The Cornerstone that was laid was rejected by its own. That Cornerstone itself was chosen and precious, and those who choose to believe today in it will not be put to shame, but instead will also be chosen and precious--like Christ is.

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; one you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (1 Peter 2:9-10)

Let us live showing forth the glory of God to a lost world, realizing that we are loved by a Savior who died for us. A Savior who treasures those who belong to Him and lives to make us righteous--not because of who we are, but because of what He's done; not because of what we've done, but because of who He is.