The Return of God’s People

Posted on January 24, 2017 Updated on January 30, 2017

1 Peter 2:9-10

“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.”

The world is descending deeper into darkness with injustice abounding, lawlessness increasing, light becoming darkness and darkness light. In the midst of all that is happening, people are left wondering where is the hope? Where is the light of God?

The light will not shine until the people of God collectively rediscover who they are, what their calling is, and to Whom they belong. In the time of the apostles, there was a strong belief that they, too, were near the end. There was a sense of urgency and expectancy, like there seems to be now, for God’s people to step into their calling and be the light that God ordained them to be back when this call was commissioned in Exodus (19:5-6). God redeemed His firstborn, Israel, from Egypt to establish them as His possession, His Holy nation, His priests that would bring forth light to the nations. This was God’s intention for Israel since the beginning. It was for this reason He called Abraham forth from Babylon and promised to bless all the world through his seed. Though Israel has certainly struggled and failed at this call, God has not forgotten them, nor will they ever be forgotten by Him:

Isaiah 44:21

“Remember these things, O Jacob, and Israel, for you are My servant; I have formed you, you are My servant, O Israel, you will not be forgotten by Me.”

Though Israel and her sister Judah have become blind and deaf towards their identity and their calling, it is certain that God will finish, in and through them, what He ordained from the beginning. For as the apostle so confidently says,

Romans 11:28-29

“From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.”

And as the prophet Isaiah so eloquently tells us,

Isaiah 55:10-11

“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there without watering the earth, and making bear and sprout, and furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; so shall My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding  in the matter for which I sent it.”

God’s word, His promises, and His calling for His people will be accomplished at the appointed times. When these times come and the blindness is removed, then their true identity as God’s possession will once again be fully realized. Even more, they will be given power and strength to fulfill their initial calling: being a light upon a hill, and a kingdom of priests who follow the High Priests to minister and heal nations. Before this can come about, though, God must first heal their blindness (Isaiah 42:19), circumcise their hearts (Deuteronomy 30:1-6), and they must turn and be healed by their Messiah. Although this process and calling began when Christ ministered upon the earth, we have yet to see it come full circle… at least not in the way the prophets and apostles spoke/speak of it. Nevertheless, this is what we long for, what we pray for, and what we set our on eyes on as the world eats itself alive.

Romans 8:19-21

“For the anxious longing of creation waits  eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.”

As we eagerly wait, we fully submit ourselves to God through Christ, taking hold of our calling as fellow heirs with Christ (Romans 8:16-17), fellow citizens in the household of God (Ephesians 6:19), which is of the commonwealth of Israel (Ephesians 2:12-13). By the grace and mercy of God, we are being grafted into the household of God to share in the work He commissioned His chosen people, Israel, to do. If we are of the chosen, then we surrender ourselves to His purposes, His will, His Word, and His rulership, just as Christ did. Finally, we seek out what it means—to God, not to us—to be a holy nation, a kingdom of priests, a people of His possession. This is ONLY accomplished through His Word, and His Word alone—from Genesis to Revelation. May God grant us the eyes to see, the ears to hear, and the wisdom to understand His perfect will!