NOTES for Deu 26:16-19
16 This day the LORD thy God hath commanded thee to do these statutes and judgments: thou shalt therefore keep and do them with all thine heart, and with all thy soul. |
17 Thou hast avouched the LORD this day to be thy God, and to walk in his ways, and to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and to hearken unto his voice: |
18 And the LORD hath avouched thee this day to be his peculiar people, as he hath promised thee, and that thou shouldest keep all his commandments; |
19 And to make thee high above all nations which he hath made, in praise, and in name, and in honour; and that thou mayest be an holy people unto the LORD thy God, as he hath spoken. |
Hide
What is the meaning of the covenant-union that God made with His people? First of all, a covenant, like any other union, is an agreement, and an agreement that binds both sides. This can seem strange: it means that God binds Himself by certain obligations before human beings.
A bound God does indeed seem strange. But He does this entirely voluntarily. He knows that otherwise, without taking on any obligations, no relationship can be built with anyone. He agrees to limit Himself within a framework understandable to human beings, so that human beings will also agree to limit themselves within a framework acceptable to Him. The Torah, whose history begins at Sinai on the day the covenant was made, is precisely this framework. In making a covenant-union with His people, God also takes upon Himself, in accordance with the Torah He gave, very definite obligations. But there is also a difference: in this case the Lawgiver turns out to be one of the parties to a union made in accordance with the law He Himself gave. If this involved human beings, at least fallen human beings, such a situation would be fraught with all kinds of abuses: one of the parties to the agreement would be acting as its guarantor. But God can be relied on in this respect, as in every other respect: no more reliable guarantor can be found.
What obligations does God take upon Himself? He promises to set His people above all other peoples and make them a sacred, sanctified ("holy") people. This can seem like a whim or caprice: God decided to have a favorite on earth who would live by rules invented especially for him, and God would grant him special privileges in return.
But of course the point is not that God needs favorites. The point is that He has a special plan for humanity, one that involves solving special tasks, the chief of which is the coming of the Messiah and the bringing into our untransformed world of the Kingdom that will transform it. This cannot be done without a special, sanctified people; and special rules are given to them not at random, but so that they can preserve that state of sanctification as long as possible. Chosenness, then, means not special rights but special responsibility: for the covenant made, for the Torah given, and afterward for the Messiah and for the Kingdom that will enter the world with Him.
After registering, you can subscribe to any Bible reading plan. Personalized settings and other services for registered users are planned, so we recommend registering now. Registration is free. | ||
