A Treasured Possession, A Priestly Nation

Exodus 19-20:  http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ex%2019-20&version=NIV1984

            Of all the things that I could comment on today—the theophany at Sinai (that is, the manifestation of God’s promise in thunder, lightning, and smoke), the Ten Commandments (how they’re numbered, special emphases in them), the notion of the holiness of God—of all those things, I’d like to direct your attention to Exodus 19:4-6, “You will be for me a treasured possession, a kingdom of priests, a holy nation.”

            First, a treasured possession.  I’ve made a career of pointing out how important Genesis 12:3 is to understanding Israel, that God’s purpose was that she would be the instrument through which He would bring salvation to the nations.  I’ve made a point of undermining Israel’s claims to be the object of God’s affections.  Here’s a small clarification:  Israel is not the sole object of God’s affections.  Israel might be God’s instrument, but she is the instrument for His greatest project and you can understand if He feels a special affection for her.  Here’s a silly example:  I have several hammers—16 ouncers, 20 ouncers, brad hammers, mallets.  I might even have a sledge, though I’d have to check the garage to be sure.  They’re all instruments of construction (not the sledge so much), but I have a favorite—a fiberglass-handled sixteen ounce hammer which fits my hand and for which I always reach.  I need all the hammers because they’re all different and for different purposes; and on principle I refuse to throw a good tool away.  But I do have a favorite.  The world is the object of God’s love, but Israel is His treasured possession.

            I’d make at least these two points.  First, it’s God’s affection for Israel that makes her constant rebellion so heartbreaking.  I mean, when things get to their climax and Jesus is on the scene, who pushes for His crucifixion?  The leaders and people of Israel, and that’s a tragedy.  Second, though, I’d point out that the Lord continues to have a holy people, and in the New Testament that is His Church.  We are His treasured possessions.

            I addressed the priestly nation a little bit yesterday, but it deserves a special mention, too.  There are two key aspects of priesthood.  First, a priesthood stands before God and makes sacrifices on behalf of the people.  So, Israel (or, in the New Testament, the Church), as a whole, stands before God on behalf of the peoples.  Their life is an ongoing sacrifice to God.  In the New Testament we talk about our sacrifices as prayer and praise—praise of God’s saving acts on behalf of the earth and prayer for the application of those acts to the whole earth.  Boy, do we miss that in our understandings of worship!  I hear all the time critiques of worship that go along the lines of, “I don’t get anything out of it.”  On the one hand, I want to say, “If you hear the good news of Jesus, then you got something out of it.  Maybe you just didn’t appreciate it.”  On the other, I want to say, “Well, worship is just about you and what you get out of it.  We worship on behalf of the world, offering praises to a God who richly deserves to be praised on behalf of a world that ought to praise Him but doesn’t.”  In the first instance, worship is a gift; in the second instance, worship is a responsibility, our representing our fallen race before God’s throne, just as Jesus, the perfect Man, stands there and represents our race.

            Second, at its best, priests don’t just represent the people before the God; they also represent the God to the people.  That also is part of Israel’s (and the Church’s) priestly calling, to represent the Lord to the nations, to speak His words, embody His values, share His hope.