The Holy Nation
Today’s Focus: Building the Holy Nation: Introduction
Scripture: Genesis 12:1-3; Romans 14:17
Greetings Kingdom Citizens
The nation of Israel was built and established by God to be a type and shadow of the Holy Nation. The concepts and principals of the nation is to familiarize us with the arrangement of the Holy Nation. Now this is just a description of the Holy Nation, not the complete image of it because we know that the type and shadow are far less complex than the reality and we will see this in this mini-series. So let’s look at how God get’s this going.
God starts the nation by giving a man 12 sons. Who is that man? Of course we are talking about Jacob. Now remember Jacob was the son of Isaac who was the son of Abraham. Now what is significant about this is that Abraham was the father or one who was given the promise.
Genesis 12:2,3: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee (seed) shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
Now before God gave Abram this promise He told him to get out of his country and from his kindred and from his father’s house and God will take him to a land. Why would God tell Abraham that? Abraham was living in a very evil culture where there was multiple false god worshipping. God needed to separate him (sanctify) from the land and its culture so that he can begin the process of producing a holy seed.
Now it takes three generations to get the nation started (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob). But when Jesus comes, it does not take three generations, He started with twelve. Why? Jesus is heaven itself on Earth and does not need 3 generations to get started. But the point in both of these, the type and reality is to start a nation.
The arrangement of Abraham’s house is arranged and designed for peace and to produce peace. It is designed to show the Kingdom of God. What is the Kingdom of God?
Romans 14:17: “For the Kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness, and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit”
The evidence of the Kingdom of God’s presence is peace. The result of the rulership of the King brings about peace. So the authority structure ordered in the nation of Israel is to produce peace. Now remember the children of Israel were in bondage for 430 years and had to be reconditioned to the ways of the True and Living God. After being brought out of Egypt, God brings them into the land he desires them to have. Now you have 12 tribes and this piece of land. In most of our societies and cultures when land is brought up, everybody gets a pitch fork and begins to fight over the land. Now remember the arrangement of the house of Abraham was to produce peace. So what does God do? He divides the land up but does it in a unique fashion.
God settles the land and divides it amongst the tribes. Now 11 of the 12 tribes received a land grant from God except the Tribe of Levi. God did not scatter the tribes amongst each other but gave each one, with the exception of Levi, a land grant and defined border.
In the next message we will look at peace amongst the 12 Tribes in the land of Israel.
At Our Father’s Service,
Elder Calvin Calhoun, Jr.
