Sunday Sermons
Quality People
Quality People
“Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, 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).
Before God gives any laws, He explains His purpose for delivering Israel. Although all people owe their existence to Him (19:5) yet He is looking for a people who will be a “holy nation” (19:6), that is, people whose hearts are His and who are morally like Him, “a kingdom of priests”− those people who long to serve and worship Him out of love.
Practical Steps
In order to achieve His purpose of developing a godly people, God gave a number of regulations that would naturally support keeping Israel distinctive from the ungodly cultures that would surround them in Canaan, including:
• Zero tolerance for idols: Exodus 20:4
• Zero tolerance for blending other faiths with the truth of one true God: Exodus 20:3
• A Specific Day of Rest: Exodus 20:8
• A distinct morality: Exodus 20:12-17; Leviticus 18
• Specific food laws: Leviticus 11
• Worship Requirements: Leviticus 23
• An entire calendar of religious observances: Leviticus 23
• Rules concerning intermarriage: Deut. 7:1-4
Deuteronomy 7:4
“You shall not intermarry with them; you shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor shall you take their daughters for your sons”
On the one hand, one might think that this law would be unnecessary in light of all the other laws that God has given. After all, what Canaanite or Amorite would want to marry an Israelite woman or man who would reject all their gods, be under specific food laws, and would not participate with them in any immoral behavior? You would think that if an Israelite young man met an Amorite girl, that after a long discussion that either the girl would convert or leave. Yet after living for some time I can see why God would have to give this regulation in Deuteronomy 7.
• A young Israelite man or woman could easily meet someone and try to persuade their parents that their Canaanite girlfriend "isn’t that bad", is "actually a very nice person", and that "we have more in common with them than not", when in reality religion touches every corner of our lives.
• Passion always clouds a person’s thinking. It could be tempting for a young Israelite to think they would eventually change their Canaanite fiancé, when in reality the only person we have the power to change, is ourselves.
• One might be tempted to think that such a marriage would be okay seeing that the Canaanite fiancé would not "stand in the way" or "forbid" one’s son or daughter from continuing to worship God, and yet many souls, including the souls of sons and daughters, are lost for lack of spiritual oneness in a household.
It is noteworthy, that right after this legislation is given, Israel is reminded of their purpose, “For you are a holy people to the Lord your God: the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession” (Deut. 7:6). This is repeated (14:2). In 26:18 the same language is used and this time God speaks of His people being a “treasured possession”, that is, His valuable property.
Kingdom of Priests
This clearly means that every member of the nation was to be a believer and worshipper in God. Every member was supposed to “know” why they believed (1 Peter3:15) and explain God and the things of God to all newcomers. Every member was expected to be able to teach God’s truth (Deut. 6:7; Joshua 4:21). Every member was expected to be a light to the surrounding nations (Deut. 4:6-8). Thus, holiness is not about being part of some exclusive club and God was not trying to keep others from becoming His people, for God has always welcomed those who fear Him from any nation (Acts 10:34-35). Rather, the only way that the wisdom of God’s word could be communicated to other nations, the only way that Israel could have an influence upon other cultures, and the only way that the people with the right motives were drawn, was for Israel to live a morally upright life (Deuteronomy 26:19).
We learn then, that remaining a pure people is not only something that affects our salvation, there is an even wider purpose. Honest hearts will not be drawn by a compromised faith or immoral lives (Luke 14:34-35).
The Right Direction of the Stream
Even though God selected Israel to be His people, He was open to accepting others, yet the condition would always be that the outsiders must do all the changing. Thus, Rahab is accepted because she believed and changed (Joshua 2:8-10). Ruth is accepted because she deliberately made God her God and started to live the lifestyle that was demanded (Ruth 1:16). Israel was never told to alter the message or tone down the demands, even though the Law was filled with requirements that included time commitments, financial commitments, sacrifices, and a completely different way of living. Outsiders benefited greatly when they too committed themselves to God. When God's people compromise, nobody wins.
The Constant Danger
Remaining a holy people is not an effortless task. The devil is not going to leave anyone alone for long and throughout the Bible the challenge or confrontation that we often see played out is between “who will influence who”. Even the righteous who let down their guard and do not take evil seriously, often have lost this battle:
• Seth’s godly descendants were corrupted when they intermarried with Cain’s ungodly line: Genesis 6:1-2,5.
• Lot, a believer who chose the fertile valley of the plain, ended up in immoral Sodom and having zero influence on his family: Genesis 13:11-13
• The rabble had more influence on the Israelites than the Israelites had on the rabble: Numbers 11:4
• The Moabites influenced the Israelites rather than the reverse: Numbers 25:1-2
• The Canaanites had a greater influence on the new generation of Israelites, even when it was clear that God was the true God: Judges 2:11
• The northern kingdom of Israel let her guard down and ended up being influenced by all the surrounding nations: 2 Kings 17:8
• When Israelite men married foreign women, the children spoke the language of their mother rather than the sacred language of their father: Nehemiah 13:23-24
Too Difficult?
• From Deuteronomy 7:4 is seems clear that Israelites would interact with Canaanites and that there would be offers of marriage. Turning down such an offer could be socially offensive and unpopular and yet God reminded His people that the momentary discomfort of offending someone could never compare with the alternative: They would “become as pricks in your eyes and as thorns in your sides and they shall trouble you” (Numbers 33:55; Joshua 23:13; Judges 2:3). This kind of trouble never goes away because evil is never passive. It will always try to persuade, convert and win over. We must do all we can to set ourselves up for success. God wants to spare us the pain of such unions:
• Trouble caused by the unbelieving son-in-law or daughter-in-law.
• The heartache of seeing your son or daughter cave in and become an unbeliever.
• The pain of seeing your grandchildren reject what you believe and become more and more like the culture.
• The pain of seeing yourself isolated, marginalized, viewed as old-fashioned or too strict and therefore, irrelevant, judgmental, or even "a hater".
• The pain of seeing the nation you love crumble as the various families in it crumble.
The New Testament Theme
“But like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior” (1 Peter 1:14). “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9).
In the New Testament we find a unique people, God’s people, this time no longer the physical nation of Israel, but a spiritual nation of believers in Christ, the church, the new Israel of God (1 Peter 2:5). The expectation to be a holy, unique and spiritually/morally separate people is the same. One passage after another reinforces this point: Matthew 5:13-16; Romans 12:1; 2 Corinthians 6:14 “Do not be bound together with unbelievers”; 2 Corinthians 7:1; Ephesians 5:3-11; Philippians 2:15; 1 John 2:15-17.
The Great Advantages
We need to stop and thank God more often for all the wonderful expectations and requirements that He has placed upon us, for they all work for our benefit:
• God’s Moral Requirements: Ephesians 5:3-11
These ensure that only people who really love you will want to continue to date or marry you. When people know the clear score and expectations and what life with you will involve, the pretenders, curiosity seekers, those with short-term commitments, or those who just happen to be ‘between’ relationships, will not be interested. Pretenders will quickly realize that they have no interest in this kind of commitment, scrutiny, maturity and openness. Of course with these expectations comes a wonderful life of meaningful work, rich relationships, and great personal fulfillment having fulfilled one's purpose for being created.
• God’s Worship Requirements: John 4:23-24
These make certain that the church will be filled with people who because of gratitude actually deeply desire to worship their Creator in the ways He has asked, rather than those who are into themselves or experiencing a mere feeling.
• God’s Doctrinal Requirements: 2 John 9
These guarantee that the church will be filled with truth-seekers rather than people who are seeking something else, like personal gratification, power, fame, followers of their own opinions or mere earthly rewards. It means that only the humble, mature and obedient will be drawn— the “good and honest heart”. This also ensures that the church will not become like the world.
• God’s Commitment Requirements: Luke 14:26; Matthew 6:33
These ensure that the church will be filled with courageous and unselfish individuals who will put God ahead of everything else. What a blessing to spend our lives with such as our brothers and sisters in Christ.
