“‘...Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep
My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all
people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom
of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall
speak to the children of Israel” (Exodus 19:5-6, NKJV).
“Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel
at Ramah, and said to him, ‘Look, you are old, and your sons do
not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the
nations’“ (1 Samuel 8:5-6).
When Moses brought the Hebrews out of Egypt and to Mount Sinai, Jehovah God made His covenant with them. The Hebrews would enjoy special privileges and special responsibilities. God intended for them to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. To be unique from all the other nations around them—a distinctive people.
The Law prescribed many things that made the Hebrews different. They ate different food; many things widely eaten at that time were prohibited by the Law. They dressed differently,
especially in the priesthood. They treated their spouses, their children, and their fellow Hebrews differently, even their animals. The righteousness prescribed by the Law was very different from the pagan religions. The Sabbath rest was certainly distinctive.
The Sinai covenant made them a unique and peculiar people. Yet, over and over again, they adopted the ways of the nations aroundthem. By the time of Samuel, we read that the people demanded a king so that they could be like the nations around them.
The exiled captives were no better. They were determined to become like the Gentiles, but
God sent them this word through Ezekiel: “What you have in your mind shall never be,
when you say, ‘We will be like the Gentiles, like the families in other countries, serving
wood and stone.’ “As I live,” says the Lord GOD, “surely with a mighty hand, with an
outstretched arm, and with fury poured out, I will rule over you” (Ezekiel 20:32-33, NKJV).
Why did Israel continually struggle with their distinctiveness? They should have considered
it a precious and honored gift from God, but instead, it seems to have been a burden. I think
that one of the issues is that they were envious of what the other nations had, the unrestrained pursuit of pleasure, riches, etc.
But we should not be surprised because, as members of the Lord’s church, we are subject
to the same temptations. We, too, are called to be very distinctive, unique, peculiar people
(see 2 Peter 2:1-12). Being a disciple of Christ will certainly set us apart from the world in
many ways. But the call of the world is strong, and the temptation to become friends with
the world is constantly pressing upon us (see James 4:4).
The proverb states: “Do not let your heart envy sinners, But be zealous for the fear of
the Lord all the day” (Proverbs 23:17). In truth, there is nothing the world has for us
to envy; that was in the way of pain, sorrow, and ultimately death. The way of Christ is the
way of love, joy, peace, and life. May we each stay faithful to that way.
—John Ostic
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