Eden Revisited
“Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My commandments, then you shall be My own possession among all the 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
Own Possession – What is the value of Israel to the Lord? How highly prized is this people He has chosen? The answer is found in the word segullah, a term with parallels in other ancient languages, that means “a valued property to which one has an exclusive right of possession.”[1] No other people on the face of the earth is segullah to YHWH. Yes, that’s right. No other people. Israel is YHWH’s exclusive possession.
But there is an expectation. Holiness!
There is an “inextricable association between being God’s segullah and the pursuit of holiness.” Striving for holiness is the identification mark of those who are segullah to God. In fact, the Kingdom is distinguished from all other peoples and nations by this very fact. Holiness is the indispensible attribute of the people of the Lord. This passage in Exodus and the similar ones in Deuteronomy and Leviticus all point in the same direction. Without holiness we are nothing more than the excluded nations. Without holiness, we are not set apart for His purposes. Without holiness, we are pawns among the powerful. Holiness is the life-blood of the people of God.
Church attendance, baptism, tithing, prayer, study of the Word, charity – none of these matter at all if holiness is not the passionate pursuit of life. There are simply no substitutes for holiness. Nor are there any excuses. “What is good, O man?” says the prophet. And the Lord answers, “I will show you what is good.” What God designates to be holiness is holiness – and nothing else can be offered in exchange.
This theme weaves its way through Scripture from Adam to Cain, from Cain to Noah, from Noah to Abraham, from Abraham to David, from David to the Messiah. There is no escaping the call to holiness. There is only obedience or disobedience. Whether God summarizes holiness in a single commandment as with Adam, or in the constitution of a nation as with Moses, the requirement is the same. “If you will obey My voice.” If you will listen to Me. If you will attend to My instructions and follow them. They all point toward holiness. They all show the way toward peace with God and the fulfillment of our purpose. Obedience makes us who we claim to be.
Perhaps what we really need is a holiness assessment. It isn’t difficult. The attributes of holiness are clearly spelled out in the Torah. Do you want to be segullah of YHWH? Then simply do what He says. Nothing more. Nothing less.
Topical Index: holiness, segullah, possession, Exodus 19:5-6
[1] Nahum Sarna, Exodus: The JPS Torah Commentary, p. 104.
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Do the promises of YHWH in the Bible apply to us non-Jewish people? Or do they only apply if we live lives of holiness (although I guess if I’m not living a life of holiness then they wouldn’t apply because they’re pretty contingent on obedience)?
Happy Thanksgiving for those who celebrate it. 🙂 Although, a day for giving thanks is always a good day… I should probably celebrate it more often.
Good morning dearest Amanda,
As I see it, obedience is the evidence that we are spiritually alive just as our pulse is evidence that we are physically alive. Neither one gives us life in and of itself and we can’t make those things happen by our own willfulness. However they prove we are alive. Think about it. When someone appears dead what is the first thing we check as confirmation?
If you’ve never seen George Washington’s Thanksgiving day Proclamation check out this website.
The founding fathers of this country had their faults for sure, but they were men of principal and acted on the wisdom God gave them. Today we reap the benefits of their sacrifices. Even in its corrupted condition this country continues to offer us the right to study and worship without molestation.
Make it a blessed day of giving thanks to YHVH that you don’t live in Haiti, Somalia, Ethiopia, etc…………
Still praying for you.
Happy Thanksgiving Day to everyone.
http://www.pilgrimhall.org/ThanxProc1789.htm
Amen to holiness brother Skip. “Be ye holy for I am holy” is the command of YHWH. Holiness is not optional. And we are not left to wonder -“what does holiness look like?” Should we move to Jerusalem (the holy city) or join the ranks of a monastery and live the separated life of a monk?
Holiness? Follow Christ. Yes, what would Yeshua do? We (together) have the mind of Christ. One statement I would like to make here that should be underlined, highlighted and in bold print. Please know this: “Holiness is not the way to Christ- Christ is the Way to holiness.” Christ is the Doorway leading into and unto a holiness or pleasing unto our Abba.
Where is the starting place for holiness? What is the first step of the journey? Our kneeling at the cross of Christ. Remember baruch? “Bow the knee”. Let us kneel before the LORD G-d, our Maker. It is G-d that works in us, both to will and to do of His good pleasure. And what is His will? What is His good pleasure?- That we (all) be conformed into and unto the image of the Son. To walk, think, eat, act and love as Christians (little Christs).
Holiness and humility are inseparable. From the manner/message of His birth, the manner of His life, and the message of His death, burial and resurrection- the story of the life of Y’shua was (and is) the message of holiness and humility. His was an “others-centered” life. We have heard it said (encapsulated), love G-d, love people. Yeshua demonstrated to us, and now lives through us that we in turn might show this lost and dying world the love of G-d. He taught us how to live, to love and to laugh. He said unto “whosoever will”- “I am come that you might have life and have it abundantly” (John 10.10)
What does holiness look like? We (now) have the mind of Christ. “Let (allow) this mind (to) be in you which also was in Christ Jesus.”
If holiness (imputed and imparted) is the will of G-d, (and it is), and we were to hear and obey G-d’s instruction- “ask and you will receive”- should we, could we, boldly pray for holiness?
This message today is only for those who are called by His name. This journey toward holiness, this “Aliyah” is a lifelong, day by day pursuit. Do we desire holiness? Have we seen the worth or value of living the life of Christ and allowing this Life to be incarnated in us? The very same Breath that raised Christ from the dead now lives in us. We are not left to do this on our own. YHWH has given unto us the Ruach HaKodesh, to enable and empower us toward living a Christ-centered, Christ-focused, Christ-empowered life. Holiness is possible for G-d is able (both) to will and to do of His good pleasure. We (who belong to Him) are being conformed and transformed (with each passing moment) into the image of the Son.
Skip & Carl,
Thank you for your good messages.
Been studying and teaching I Peter. I Peter is Peter’s pastoral encouragement and personal testimony to a group of primarily Messianic Jews who were part of the “diaspora” (dispersion) and facing or in the midst of persecution for their faith in Christ. Peter wanted these folks to “stand fast” in a true understanding of grace (5:12). I suggested an outline of this letter as covering the following topics in building block fashion, i.e. a Grace that Saves (1:10), a Grace that Submits (2:13), a Grace that Suffers (4:1) and a Grace that Serves (4:10)…and the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast remains God’s promise to us all (5:10)….But Peter’s emphasis in this book was not only to “stimulate” right thinking (II Peter 3:1) but to call for both individual and corporate witness by means of right living through obedience centered in Holiness (“As obedient children…be holy in all you do” – 1:15) – even while, in keeping with the Savior’s example, such a call to holiness was really tough to be and do.
God’s Word and demands are to “be holy, because I am holy” (1:16). Righteousness is and has always been God’s purpose for His people (Eph 1:4). There is no escaping this. Righteousness demands that we walk the same way of the cross as our Savior walked (2:21). It is there that we fulfill our greatest purpose and become for God His “chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God” (2:9). When we fulfill this call, we then “declare the praises of Him who called [us] out of darkness into His wonderful light” (2:9).
Thank you for this. I once taught a lengthy Bible study on 1 Peter (one word at a time) and I have all the study questions that go with that study if you are interested, but your summary is brilliant.
Thank you 1 and all. My heart is full of thanksgiving to YHVH for this message and blog.
My husband Ron and I are just past the the first chapter of “God, Time, and the Limits of Omniscience: A Critical Study of Doctrinal Development” , by Skip Moen, D.Phil. It’s not exactly light reading “LOL” but for those who love the theological debates of the centuries, it’s wonderful! We don’t know how much of it we will be able to agree with but it’s very worthwhile reading.
I do agree that Davids summary is brilliant and am saving it. And we’d love a copy of your notes on this Skip.
Skip – would love to have your study questions on I Peter. It is such a short but rich letter. Would particularly love to have a stronger and deeper understanding of the Hebrew mindset of this letter which I know you have and I no doubt, lack…What struck me about this book is how Peter seemed to be writing it with his own “testimony” in mind. One example: I thought it was really neat how he started with the name given to him by Yeshua (i.e. Peter) – knowing that he was a person who was under the authority of and possessed (owned) by God. Another example: The way he begins with God’s “election” knowing that he was one who had been “called” by God and “kept” by God (probably remembering that before he would deny Yeshua 3x, Jesus had told him that Satan was wanting to sift him but that Yeshua had prayed for him and that he would return etc. Very cool.
I am sending the notes to you
David, the arrow is sticking out from “dead-center!” There is one pilgrim in Christendom whose eye is very attracted to the “after” in 1 Peter 5.10! “after you have suffered awhile.” (how long LORD?) O Hallelujah- “the fining pot for silver and the furnace for gold” YHWH is the Master Chef and will not permit or allow us to be tested above that which we are able! Only He knows “how hot” and “how long!” In the midst or our travail and testing- time and temperature are in His control and let us not ever forget the “fourth man” who was also standing in midst of the flames with the three. Now who might that that fourth man be? Would His name be Immanuel? (G-d with us?) “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel”–which means, “God with us.” (Matthew 1.23)
Skip
The theme of “YHWH’s possession” is taken by Sha’ul when he says:
“You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men.” (1 Cor. 7:23)
I guess we have no excuses.