"The songs of Joy" by James Tissot
TO CHEW ON: "Fear and dread will fall on them;
By the greatness of Your arm
They will be as still as stone,
Till Your people pass over, O Lord,
Till the people pass over
Whom You have purchased." Exodus 15:16
Couldn't these ancients compose songs on the spur of the moment! Moses' song in Exodus 15 is full of story, theology, and praise for what has just happened.
I am intrigued by his mention of God purchasing His people and thus able to claim ownership of them in that regard. What purchase was Moses referring to here? Was it the Passover when the blood of the sacrificed lamb painted on the door frame signified God's claim to that household?
God's claims of ownership are found in other places too.
- The Levites were an Israelite tribe separated to God for the activity of worship - Numbers 8:14.
- Moses reminds the Israelite nation again of how God owns them because He purchased them in Deuteronomy 32:6.
- Paul reassures the Roman Christians that God's owns them and will take care of them through life to death - Romans 14:8.
- He repeats this ownership claim to the church in Corinth, telling them that it must affect how they live their lives - 1 Corinthians 6:19-20.
And so the truth of Moses' lyric about God purchasing His people echoes down to us today. Its application in our lives is double-sided.
1]We can take comfort that as God's possession we are in His care through whatever comes along (Romans 14:8; Matthew 6:33).
2] But if He owns us, we no longer own ourselves. This has implications for how we spend our hours, days, months, and years on earth:
"Do you not know that your body is the temple (the very sanctuary) of the Holy Spirit Who lives within you, Whom you have received [as a Gift] from God? You are not your own,
You were bought with a price [purchased with a preciousness and paid for, made His own]. So then, honor God and bring glory to Him in your body" (1 Corinthians 6:19-20 AMP - emphasis added).
PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You for buying me with Your blood. As a purchased one, and one of Your possessions, help me to glorify You with my body and life. Amen.
MORE: Our Master takes responsibility
I have always loved Jesus' promise of provision and care in Matthew 6:33: "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." However, I never noticed till today how that whole section (Matthew 6:25-34) begins with "Therefore" alerting us to the fact that these promises rest on something.
That something is expressed in verse 24:
"No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
"Therefore I say to you do not worry..."
Implicit in Jesus' promise that God will take responsibility for us, it seems, is our decision to choose Him as our master and to be loyal to Him over mammon (money, riches, treasure).
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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked AMP are taken from the Amplified® Bible,
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