The Holy Nation

by DYER, M. | Category: Names That Need To Be Known | Jul 2006

Levels of association

In Genesis 2:18, God stated a principle that He intended should apply, not only to Adam, but also to Adam’s posterity: ‘"It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him."‘ (NASB). God had created Adam and recognised his spiritual, physical and emotional needs. He knew that Adam and his seed could find true fulfilment and satisfaction only in a life lived in fellowship and harmony with others. This of course applied to Adam’s relationship with God, as well as to Eve. God ordained different levels of association to further His purpose that man should not be alone. The first fundamental one was that of marriage, from which would spring the family circle, ‘God sets the solitary in families’ (Ps.68:6). The grouping of families into tribes in Israel would seem to have divine sanction from Ps.78:55, ‘He also drove out the nations before them, ... and made the tribes of Israel dwell in their tents.’ An association of families and common language gave rise to nations as we can see from Genesis 10:5. In a world of violence and unrest, an association of people was vital for security; a pooling of labour and ideas giving added strength and vitality to growth and development. Involved in all this were the establishment of government and the rule of law, with subjection to its laws and penalties when the law was broken. Genesis chapter ten is instructive in all of this; the early verses of the chapter showing that this development was according to divine purpose for the good and blessing of mankind.

The origins of the nation of Israel

In this early evolution of nations, God had in view another nation that would arise in due course. ‘When the Most High divided their inheritance to the nations, when He separated the sons of Adam, he set the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the children of Israel.’ (Deut.32:8). We trace the origins of this nation back to the dealings of God with Abraham in Genesis chapter twelve. There was a command from the Lord to Abraham to leave his country and go to a land that God would show him. With the command was also a promise of blessing to him and to a nation that would spring from him - the nation of Israel. Linked to the promise was the intention that this nation would be a source of blessing to all the families of the earth. We can judge the importance of this purpose in the mind of the Lord, by the fact that it is mentioned four times. Coupled to the command, Abraham’s obedience, and the promise, was a covenant that God made with Abraham concerning his seed and the land that would be given to them (Gen.15:18). This covenant was associated with sacrifice and the shedding of blood, telling us of its solemn nature for both parties, and bringing a guarantee of fulfilment. Consequent to these things, a foundation was laid that would govern the future relationship between God and the nation of Israel, including a nation mentioned in the New Testament scriptures. He would give them His Word, they should be obedient to it, and in that obedience they would be blessed and be a blessing to others.

A nation separated to the Word of God

In Exodus chapter 19 we find Israel, recently delivered from slavery in Egypt, now established as a nation, four hundred and thirty years from the call and promise to Abraham. In verses 5 and 6 the Lord speaks to them about His Word, their obedience to Him, and His promise of the honour and dignity He would confer upon them. In their obedience to the Lord they would 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.’’ The Lord gives to Israel a distinctive label which marks them out from all other peoples and nations, ‘You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy’ (Lev.11:45). The word ‘holy’ in these verses is in the original Hebrew the word ‘qadosh’ which means separate or set apart. The nation was to be different from all other nations, the law of the Lord regulating their worship, and their every day life (Lev.11 and 19:19). In Exodus chapter 24, Israel pledged obedience and the Lord entered into a covenant with them based on His Word to them and their words to Him, a covenant solemnized by sacrifice and the shedding of blood. The blood being sprinkled on the people (verses 7 and 8) and on the book (Heb.9:19) gave a sacred link between the Word of the Lord and the acquiescence of the nation. Only in this holy and separated condition was it possible for God to dwell among them, first in the tabernacle in the wilderness, then in the Land at Shiloh and later in the Temple at Jerusalem. His name was to be associated with His dwelling place as we see from such scriptures as Deuteronomy 12:5 and 1 Kings 8:29. Psalm 111:9 tells us, ‘holy and awesome is His name’, therefore the nation that worshipped at the Place of the Name must be a holy nation separated to God. Balaam put it succinctly in Numbers 23:9,

‘A people dwelling alone,

not reckoning itself among the nations.’

Another nation

Coming to New Testament times we find in Matthew 21:43 a statement from the Lord addressed to the chief priests and elders of Israel: ‘"The kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it."‘ We link with this a related statement to the Jews in Matthew 23:38, ‘"See! Your house is left to you desolate"‘; clearly a change was pending in the dealings of the Lord with Israel. Because of a national turning aside from His Word and a rejection of His Son, God was now looking to another nation that would give to Him what He found wanting in Israel. The words of the Lord in John 4:21-24 indicate the nature of the change. Jerusalem and the Temple would no longer be the place of priestly service and worship, ‘"the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth"‘. The days of a material house and animal sacrifices were passing and ‘a dwelling place of God in the Spirit’ (Eph.2:22), and ‘spiritual sacrifices’ (1 Pet.2:5) were being introduced. These changes would be integral to the nation that the Lord referred to in Matthew 21:43. This nation too would be a ‘holy nation’ (1 Pet.2:9), reflecting the unchanging character of a holy God. In chapter 1:2 of this epistle Peter refers to a ‘sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ’. In Hebrews 12:24 the writer refers to ‘Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel’. The covenant with Israel was dedicated with blood (Heb.9:18). The Lord Jesus is the surety of the new and better covenant (Heb.7:22), as He said in the upper room, ‘"the new covenant in My blood"‘‘ (Luke 22:20). These scriptures remind us of Genesis chapters 12 and 15, and Exodus chapters 19 and 24. Thus we have replicated in the New Testament what was seen in the Old.

A New Testament parallel

We find the origins and developments of this holy nation outlined in the book of Acts, and see a similar pattern of God revealing His will and an acceptance and obedience to His Word, as we saw in Abraham and in Israel. Between His resurrection and ascension to the Father, the Lord had spent forty days with His apostles ‘speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God’ (Acts 1:3). He was giving guidance to these men with regard to the birth and growth of the nation He had referred to in Matthew 21:43. This holy nation had its inception on the day of Pentecost as recorded in Acts chapters 1 and 2, when the Holy Spirit came upon the 120 names who were together (Acts 1:15), and ‘were all together in one place’ (Acts 2:1 NASB). Some 3000 souls received the word of the Lord that day through the preaching of Peter. They were baptized and added to the 120 and ‘continued steadfastly in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and the prayers’ (Acts 2:41-42 RV). We are told in verse 44 that ‘all that believed were together’, and in verse 47 that ‘the Lord was adding (Greek ‘together’) to their number day by day those who were being saved’ (NASB). The word ‘together’ here is from the Greek phrase ‘epi to auto’ which tells us that all were ‘of the same’, i.e. they were united in a common purpose in the same place. These who were brought together formed the church of God in Jerusalem and were the nucleus of the evolving holy nation. As the disciples multiplied and were obedient to the faith (Acts 6:7), there was a development of churches of God being planted throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria (Acts 9:31), in Antioch (Acts 11:19-26), and among the Gentiles (Acts 14:27).

The expression of that nation

All who were in the churches of God had responded to a call from God, through His Word, and were in a ‘place’. They had been called ‘into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord’ (1 Cor.1:9). This was a community of churches, one in doctrine and practice forming the house of God, the place of the Name. Christ as God’s Son and Great Priest has authority over it (Heb.3:6 and 10:21). In this way God has found for Himself a holy nation, ‘a people for his own possession, zealous for good deeds’ (Titus 2:14 NASB), a people and a holy nation expressed in the churches of God today.

DYER, M. | Jul 2006
Names That Need To Be Known