Suggested Scripture Reading: 1 Peter 2:1-10

Focal Passage: But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood,
a holy nation, a people for His possession,
so that you may proclaim the praises
of the One who called you out of darkness
into His marvelous light. 1 Peter 2:9 

In the second chapter of his epistle, Peter continues what he began in chapter 1, outlining our duties as Christians…even as we go through trials and suffering. He begins by telling us to listen and grow in God as we explore the “pure milk” of His Word (vs. 1-3), being built as “living stones” into God’s church. (vs.4-8). He speaks of two relationships we must have. We must work with each other, just as the bricks of a building rely upon one another. And we must rest on the foundation of our Cornerstone, the Lord Jesus Christ.

In the focal passage above, Peter begins to clarify the nature of the church, and the duty we have as Christians…to each other and to the world. When I study the Bible, I like to read various translations. My favorite is the New American Standard Bible (NASB 1995), but I also enjoy the beauty and poetry of the King James Version. It often helps me to understand the meaning of the different wording among translations. In the KJV, the verse above reads as follows:

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a [peculiar] people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light; (bracketed emphasis mine)

Notice that I put the word “peculiar” in brackets. Why does the KJV use that word for Christians instead of “chosen”, as is used in many of the modern translations? That’s because at the time the King James Version was translated, the word peculiar referred to something belonging to someone, like property. If you look up the word on line today in Webster’s Dictionary, you will see “different from the usual or normal” among its several definitions. If you look further, you will also see the following under the word’s origin:

“Middle English peculier, from Latin peculiaris of private property, special, from peculium private property”.

Peter is not saying that as believers we are odd or unusual people (though the world sometimes thinks of us this way), but that we are God’s property…His private possession. Another way to put it is we are His own special people. In fact, he says we are His “royal priesthood”.

Although it might sound scary, what Peter means is we now have the benefits that before Christ were only available to the high priests. As believers, we now have direct access to God. We don’t have to pray through anyone else…we don’t have to confess our sins to anyone else…we don’t have to experience God through anyone else. We can go directly to God at any time!

But with benefits, come responsibilities. As priests, we are also ministers…not pastors, but ministers. And as such, we have a responsibility to the world around us. As the second part of the focal verse puts it…

…so that you may proclaim the praises
 of the One who called you out of darkness
into His marvelous light. 

Peter goes on to tell us in the next few verses, that by observing our good works, others will glorify God. Did you know the Latin word for priest means “bridge builder”? We are to be bridge builders between man and God. What a glorious honor is that for which we were chosen…to bring others to Him.

Dr. Ed Young, senior pastor of Second Baptist Church in Houston, Texas, told this story in a devotional I read this week. A Bible Study group he knew consisted of doctors, attorneys, CEOs, vice presidents, entrepreneurial geniuses and a street sweeper. In the initial meeting, the group leader asked each to identify himself. “I am a physician,” said one. “I’m an attorney,” another responded. “I’m vice president for operations,” answered a third. “I am a son of the King,” the street sweeper said. He had no identity in the world in which he could boast, but he knew his core identity. The others were clouded by their earthly titles, but the street sweeper knew he was chosen by the King of Kings to be a son, with all the privileges, promises and honors of that high position.

As we go about our daily lives this week, may each of us remember that we are “a child of the King”…and may we “proclaim the praises 
of the One who called you out of darkness
into His marvelous light.” 

Suggested Scripture: Deuteronomy, Chapter 6

Focal Passage: 4 Listen, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is One. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. 6 These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. 7 Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them be a symbol on your forehead. 9 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:5-9 

Let’s set the stage for this study. God has given His commandments to Israel for the second time. If you haven’t read the book, I know you’ll remember the scene from the movie. Charleton, Heston, as Moses, comes down from Mount Sinai with the Ten Commandments the Lord has given him. But the people have so corrupted themselves that Moses, in anger, throws the tablets at the base of the mountain destroying them. The Bible tells us that later (Exodus 34) God gave them to Moses again.

Now fast forward to Deuteronomy 6. The Children of Israel are about to enter the land God has promised them. As Moses discusses God’s laws, he clarifies the attitudes implied by them rather than only giving the specific commands. (It is one thing for us to know God’s Word…it is another thing for us to obey it and apply it to our lives). He begins by presenting Yahweh (a form of the Hebrew name for God) as the one true God who requires our complete devotion. We are to love Him with our “heart and soul”, or wholeheartedly, as we might say today.

The next verses discuss the importance of remembering these truths and teaching them to their children and future generations. This is the part I want to discuss today. God told them to bind them as a sign on their heads and as symbols on their foreheads. Orthodox Jews of old (and some still today) would write the commandments on parchment and put them in little boxes called “Tefillin” and bind them on their wrists and foreheads. But is this what God is asking of us? I don’t believe so.

God wanted then what He wants of us today…to keep His Word in our hearts and in our homes. We are to take every opportunity to talk about His statutes with our families and those around us. Look at verses 6-8. We are to teach them to our children and grandchildren…to discuss them as we go about our day…let them be our first thoughts in the morning and the last thing we think about at night.

Have you ever gotten a song stuck in your head? No matter what you did, that song kept drumming around in there all day. That’s the principle here. His Word is to be a part of our very nature, and these verses tell us how to make that so…we are to let them be part of everything we do.

I posted a verse this past week in Wednesday’s Word about the importance of keeping God’s Word in our heart.

Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You. Psalm 119:11 

The only way I know to do that is to read it and memorize it. When was the last time you memorized a verse from the Bible? I’ll bet most of you can recite John 3:16 and the Lord’s Prayer. And if you were in Sunday School growing up as I was, perhaps you memorized other passages of Scripture. I still remember many of them verbatim today…the Christmas story in Luke 2, Psalm 100, Psalm 23 and others. As a small child, they were just words without meaning, but as I got older, their meanings were clear and comforting.

There are many reasons to memorize God’s Word. First and foremost, as the Psalmist tells us in the above passage, it keeps us from sinning. When Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness, His only defense against this attack was the Word of God. Three instances are told to us in Matthew 4:1-11, and Jesus answered each temptation with God’s Word. He didn’t read it…He recited it.

There are other reasons for memorizing Scripture, and Chuck Swindoll elaborates in his book, Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life: 

“I know of no other single practice in the Christian life that’s more rewarding, practically speaking, than memorizing Scripture. That’s right. No other single discipline is more useful and rewarding than this. No other single exercise pays greater spiritual dividends! Your prayer life will be strengthened. Your witnessing will be sharper and much more effective. Your counseling will be in demand. Your attitudes and outlook will begin to change. Your mind will become alert and observant. Your confidence and assurance will be enhanced. Your faith will be solidified.”

There are many verses in the Bible that emphasize the importance of committing Scripture to our hearts. And God gives yet another reason preceding our focal passage:

Do this so that you may fear the Lord your God all the days of your life by keeping all His statutes and commands I am giving you, your son, and your grandson, and so that you may have a long life. Deuteronomy 6:2

The fear of God is the respect that comes when we understand and appreciate His holy character…it carries the idea of total trust and submission to Him. God promises to bless those who fear Him and obey His Word. And the best way to do that is to commit it to heart.

The next time you get that tune stuck in your head, and it’s driving you nuts, why not open God’s word and pick a verse? Read it over and over…recite it out loud and repeat it throughout the day. I bet you’ll find that tune will go away and you will draw closer to Him in the process.