Wednesday, February 9, 2011

The Chosen Inheritance

The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect.
The counsel of the LORD stands forever,
The plans of His heart to all generations.
Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD,
The people He has chosen as His own inheritance.
(Psalm 33:10-12)
Ancient of Days ~ by William Blake
When presidents, kings or heads of state rise up to declare their counsels, whether they be good or evil, do not get excited. They will not last for long. Kings come and go; movements rise and fall. They are only here for a season.

More importantly, they cannot stop the counsel of Yahweh. Rather, He brings the counsels and plans of the nations to nothing, and He does it so that He may establish His own counsel and the plans of His heart. The counsels of the nations bring chaos. The plans of the peoples cannot bring about the wonderful destiny God has for the world. Only the counsel of God can establish it.

Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD. In the Old Testament, Israel was that nation, the people He chose as His inheritance. God chose her to be a “kingdom of priests” (Exodus 19:6). Through her He would gather in all the nations (see Isaiah 2:2-4 and Isaiah 60-62). In the New Testament, this is fulfilled in Jesus the Messiah, Son of David, Israel’s King.

Jesus came into the world and announced, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel [good news]” (Mark 1:15). He taught us to pray, “Kingdom of God, come. Will of God, be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10 JVD). This is the purpose of God — heaven on earth! Now all who receive King Jesus, whether Jew on non-Jew, have a share in this plan and are described in this way:
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; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. (1 Peter 2:9-10; see A New Kind of People)
Before Jesus ascended to His throne at the right hand of the Father, He gathered His disciples and gave them this charge:
All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you. (Matthew 28:18-20)
God’s heart is for all nations and all generations. His plans and purposes are as wide as the world and as deep as time. His counsel endures forever. His kingdom has come into the world and will come to completion when King Jesus returns. Blessed is the chosen generation, the royal priesthood, the holy nation, the people He has gathered as His own inheritance.

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