"For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God, and the Lord hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth." (Deuteronomy 14:2)
If you are a believer in Jesus, then
God has chosen you out of all people of the earth to be set apart for Himself,
special and highly favored. A royal priesthood, a peculiar people (II Peter
2:9).
The children of Israel were far from
perfect, yet in God's eyes they were the very object of His affection. He would
destroy anyone who would threaten or harm them, even if they were "in the
wrong," and bless those who would give them even so much as a cup of cold
water (Genesis 12:3, Matthew 10:42).
God's system of fairness operates
differently than ours. We judge based on circumstances and a natural
perspective on equity and justice. However, God's judgment is based on covenant. I recently watched a documentary about a notorious Mafia
family. The father was a feared and ruthless enforcer for one of the five
Italian crime families, and his daughter was picked up every morning by a
driver who took her to school (the driver was not associated with the mob at
all, and knew nothing about the family). It was discovered that the driver had
attempted to coerce the young, middle-school aged girl into performing a sexual
act with him, and the next morning, several men met him by the car, pulled him
out, took him to a secluded place and shot him dead. End of story. No trial, no
opportunity for explanation. Why? Because he had touched something precious
that belonged to them. The apple of their eye (Zechariah 2:8).
Now, I understand that these were
wicked men, and that their actions outside of the law are inexcusable, however,
they take care of their own. In a similar manner, our Heavenly Father is
jealous over those who belong to Him. Of course God's justice is according
to truth against those who would trouble us, but nevertheless, His judgments
are fearful, holy, righteous, and true. It is a fearful thing to fall into the
hands of the Living God (Matthew 18:6-7, Hebrews 10:31).
"Well that's not love,
brother... How can you compare God with the Mafia?"
But it is love, a very special, jealous kind of love. God is jealous
over His people, but we must seek the protection of our Father in order to
partake of it rather than attempting to avenge ourselves. King Saul
relentlessly sought after David's life, but David deferred judgment to the
Lord, even when he had opportunity to take matters into his own hands (I Samuel
24:3-7, 26:7-11).
David understood covenant
relationship, and He knew that God would honor His promises. He knew that he
was better off committing his cause to the Lord rather than attempting to take
care of matters himself (I Peter 2:23). God commands us to forgive, "turn
the other cheek," love our enemies, and do good to those who persecute us,
and for this reason it is commonly assumed that we are required to be
"doormats," and to be trampled upon at the whim of every wicked man
and device. But nothing could be further from the truth. When we forgive, and
return blessing for evil, we defer our cause to our Heavenly Father. We give
place unto wrath, if wrath is justified (Romans 12:19-20).
Of course, this requires faith on
our part, trust, and suffering in the flesh (denying the fleshly impulse to
handle situations ourselves), and holding grudges. We are to trust our Heavenly
Father unequivocally, seeking His glory in all things. Much of the time mercy
prevails, and God brings victory in unusual, wonderful, and glorious ways.
However, our victory is always assured when we walk in God's ways and obey His
commands.
We must understand that God is a God
of love, but He is also a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29). He is the defender of
Israel, and protector of all who put their trust in Him (Isaiah 54:17).
