O, the glories of God’s redemption. The wonders of it all. Can it be so? Will a holy God really make a way for a broken and unholy people to be right with Him?
God’s Love Continues, but Why?
The biblical storyline moves from Israel’s sin–its black and white backdrop of worshipping the created instead of the Creator–to God’s provision for a broken humanity of relationship restoration with the unbroken God. The hues of color on the biblical storyline canvas are about to explode with such fresh images of splendor–the world will hardly bear its expression. In the midst of clamor and chaos God intervenes. The destitute are granted access to their Designer. The unbroken, holy and infinite Creator-God is about to reconfirm His oracles of truth and promise of His covenant to an altogether underserving–but chosen–people. O, the wonders of it all.
“Now the Lord said to Moses, “Cut out for yourself two stone tablets like the former ones, and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the former tablets which you shattered. So be ready by morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and present yourself there to Me on the top of the mountain.”
Exodus 34:1-2
And so it is with God–the Anchor holds. Only now, we will see why. Something must be understood in the storyline of God’s redemptive history. There must be a delineation within the nature of man’s relationship with God. God must make clear an attribute that moves behind the backdrop of His covenant love for these people–the chosen descendants of Abraham. We know already that part and parcel to God holding true to His ancient covenant made to this people will stand because of His character, but there is another dimension that God wants them (and us today) to understand. There is another layer that–at its core–affirms God’s relationship to His people; however, it seems to many to be a contradiction in terms.
An Expanded Understanding of God’s Nature…
And so, here is Moses…going up to the mountain to mediate between the sinful Israeli people and God, who is allowing it to take place. But why? Why would God continue to allow this people to come to Him? Beyond His character saying that He would, what about the relationship guarantees that God will keep His promises to these people–and all people that come into a covenant relationship with Him? What is it about God that assures His eternal and ancient promise to the family of Abraham will stand?
“Watch yourself that you make no covenant with the inhabitants of the land into which you are going, or it will become a snare in your midst. But rather, you are to tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars and cut down their Asherim—for you shall not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God…”
Exodus 34:10
How could this be? God, a jealous God. And yet, it is. But how could a holy God be jealous? And so it is with many things that at first seem difficult to understand about the character and workings of God in and through His creation.
So how does God use this word to describe His nature? For many, to be jealous means to desire or want something that is not yours–something they don’t own or possess. In other words, you see a car that you don’t have and you are jealous for that car to be yours. That’s how most people would define jealously. However, it is not the case with God. And this reality is another reason why God will keep His promises to His chosen people. The word, jealous, is the Hebrew word transliterated, qannā (kuh-nah). It is used 6x in 5 verses in the Bible, and it is always in the context of warning His people from worshipping other gods. And so, God is not wanting what He doesn’t possess (as we understand jealousy), but rather communicating that He will not share His glory with any created thing among His possession. In other words, using the car example, the car is owned by the person and when someone else drives it away the owner is jealous for it to return back to him. Israel was birthed by God, and as a result is the possession of God. God is not jealous for something that is not His, but rather they are His children and He will not permit their wandering or submission to any other gods.
O, the glorious jealously of God. He will not let His people–His own possession–go. He will not let them be utterly disintegrated. Can they stray? Of course, but He always maintains a remnant, because His people are His people, and He is jealous for them. Glory! The Anchor holds!
So, How Does this Apply to Us Today?
Peter in his first epistle, stated that the Christian is, “...a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession.” Paul tells Titus, “For the grace of God has appeared…who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession.” In other words, the Christian is God’s possession in the same way Israel was God’s possession. Does this mean the Christian replaces Israel? No, but it does mean that the Christian is grafted in to the covenant promises of Israel, and as such God is jealous for them as He is for Israel! Glory to God!
And this is yet another reason why Christ had to die. How could a sinful Gentile–outside the covenant God made to His chosen people Israel–ever hope to be in a covenant relationship with God?
“But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.”
Galatians 4:4-5
Glory to God, in Christ, we are His–His own possession! He will not share His glory with another! May we walk in this truth–toward God and away from anything that would capture our affections, love, heart, and worship.
— May 5, 2017