God's Covenant Promise
When God makes a covenant with His people, it comes with some special promises. God is always faithful to fulfill His part of the covenant and supply the promises, as long as we do our part to keep the covenant He laid out for us. Our part is always to be obedient to Him and to His Word. If we will do that, He will make us His own possession out of all of the peoples of the whole earth. In fact, He will make us a kingdom of priests and a holy nation or holy people group. (Genesis 19:5,6) This was the message that God gave to Moses to deliver to the people of Israel, and it is His message to believers today.
Israel was to be a nation set apart to God, so that the whole world could see how God blessed His people. They were to be His kingdom of priests to bring other peoples to Him. However, all of this could only have been done if they listened carefully to Him and kept all of the covenant God gave them. They failed, and God had to punish them, instead of blessing them. Then, God introduced His New Covenant through Jesus and His shed blood for us. Now Christians are God's people, and He has given us very similar promises, if we keep the New Covenant. We are "a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people." (I Peter 2:9) He does this for us, so we can proclaim His praises to all peoples of the world, and they can come to Him. However, we have the same choice to make that Israel had. We can obey Him and His Word, so that He blesses us, or we can disobey, so that He has to punish us, as His disobedient children. I pray that we will take account of our lives and our witness in light of this promise from God. If this has not come true in our lives, it is because of us. God has not failed.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Exodus 20-22.
Israel was to be a nation set apart to God, so that the whole world could see how God blessed His people. They were to be His kingdom of priests to bring other peoples to Him. However, all of this could only have been done if they listened carefully to Him and kept all of the covenant God gave them. They failed, and God had to punish them, instead of blessing them. Then, God introduced His New Covenant through Jesus and His shed blood for us. Now Christians are God's people, and He has given us very similar promises, if we keep the New Covenant. We are "a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people." (I Peter 2:9) He does this for us, so we can proclaim His praises to all peoples of the world, and they can come to Him. However, we have the same choice to make that Israel had. We can obey Him and His Word, so that He blesses us, or we can disobey, so that He has to punish us, as His disobedient children. I pray that we will take account of our lives and our witness in light of this promise from God. If this has not come true in our lives, it is because of us. God has not failed.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Exodus 20-22.