A Holy Nation

Exodus 19 : 5 – 8, 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." So Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before them all these words which the LORD commanded him. Then all the people answered together and said, "All that the LORD has spoken we will do." So Moses brought back the words of the people to the LORD. NKJV

In Christ, we have been made a nation of kings and priests unto our God. It is God and not man who has ordained us to be raised up above all people. However, in order to grasp fully what it means to be a holy nation of kings and priests, we have to look to God’s Word for clarity.

Since the fall, man has struggled with both pride and insecurity. In fact, it was pride and a haughty look that caused man to fall. (Proverbs 16: 18) Even so, it was also caused by the sense of insecurity that Satan found in Eve’s heart. (Genesis 3) Satan convinced Eve that she lacked one thing… to be like her God. He proceeded to tell her that if she ate of the tree of knowledge, she would become like God, knowing good and evil.

As children of God, we must guard our hearts from comparing ourselves to someone else lest we fall into the traps of Satan. Unfortunately, this not only happened to Eve; it also happened to God’s holy people, Israel. Even though God had ordained Israel to be above all the people of the earth so that He could display His love, mercy, and goodness through them, they didn’t see themselves in the same way. They wanted to be like other nations who had their own king.

When Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount, He reiterated what God had spoken through Moses…we are a holy people before the nations of the world. He didn’t use like vernacular; nonetheless, the meaning is the same. He declared over us in Matthew 5 that we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. This sounds a lot like an exalted people to me.  

Jesus also said that we are a city that is set on a HILL that cannot be hidden. God didn’t raise Israel up, nor did He raise us up as new covenant believers to show how good we are. He has raised us to show the world how good He is to us. Jesus instructed us to let our light shine in such a way that men will see our good works and glorify our heavenly Father. However, in order for us to bring glory to the Lord, we will have to carry out God’s will and not our own desires. This is what is implied when God ordained us to be kings and priests. He wants to raise us up in the world so that others can learn about our God and come to faith in His Son, Jesus.

In spite of God’s desire to promote Israel as His very own nation of kings and priests, they chose to be like other nations. They wanted to have a king to rule over them. Israel had fallen prey to their personal foolish desires and insecurities, which caused them to reject their God and His blessings on them. If you read 1 Samuel 8, you will see what the nation of Israel was willing to subject themselves to in order to have their very own king.  

As Christians, we must be very careful that we don’t fall into the same trap as Israel and desire to be more like the world instead of serving God. It’s time for the people of God, who have forsaken their kingdom assignment and identity for the pleasures of this world, to return to their first love. We must be about our Father’s business; we must humble ourselves under His mighty hand so that He can exalt us in due season. God has created us in Christ Jesus to rule in heavenly places. However, Satan will try to seduce us to serve his agenda instead. Are you a Christian? Are you serving God’s will for your life in Christ or are you serving yourself? The Lord tells us in Deuteronomy to choose life so that we and our descendants might live and possess our inheritance.  

Serving Christ by Serving Others,
Pastor Asa Dockery