God be merciful to us and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us, Selah. That Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations. (Psalm 67:1-2)
From the moment God called Abraham, it is clearly evident that his descendants, eventually called Israel, were to be a blessed people. As it is written, “I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing” (Genesis 12:2). Even when they drifted away from God and pursued other philosophies and interests, though punished, God did not abandon His purpose for them nor did He deny them the blessing of His mercy and compassion.
He may have hidden His face for a moment, but he did cause His face to shine upon them when they repented. The fact that there is still a people and nation called Israel is evidence of His commitment to the call He placed upon them. As Paul said, “The gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” (Romans 11:29). As revealed in the words of this psalm, that call required Israel to be a holy people through whom God would make His way to be known in the earth. Israel was charged with the duty of being His ambassadors and emissaries to the rest of the nations. This is what is meant when He said, “You shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:6).
As a kingdom of priests, Israel was to represent the Almighty to the nations, and by example, teach them how to serve the One and Only God. This mandate given to the people of God has not been abandoned even though, by and large, Israel is not currently walking in its role according to the plan of God — not yet anyway. Even so, as believers in Messiah, we are part of the family of faith and, as such, are charged to do what Israel was commissioned to do — to be a holy nation and kingdom of priests. As Peter said, “You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9).
You and I — those He has graciously caused His face to shine upon — are to make His way known in the earth. We are Messiah’s ambassadors and are here to proclaim His Name and His salvation to the inhabitants of the earth and to fulfill what was spoken to Abraham: “And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:3).
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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