begat he us with the word of truth

[WatchmanRay]

"If ye will hearken to My voice indeed, and keep My covenant." We could not think of a disobedient people being for God - "a peculiar treasure, a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation." The apostle Peter speaks of the saints as "children of obedience"; [glow=red,2,300]they are begotten of that nature, and characterized by it. He speaks of "being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the living and abiding Word of God" (I Pet. 1:14,[/glow] 23). Man after the flesh is born of corruptible seed, but there is another generation born of incorruptible seed, who desire earnestly the pure milk of the Word, and then the strong meat of the Word, and who grow up into the measure of the stature of the fullness of the Christ by it. They become "a chosen race, a kingly priesthood, a holy nation, a people for a purpose" (I Pet. 2:9). Just what the Lord proposed in Exodus chapter 19.

As one has written: "In the sovereign operation of the Spirit of God upon mankind, there is the apprehending of those whom He chooses to become a part of His specific workings for this day. In every age He has selected those whom He wills, drawing them out and beyond the normal course of this world's living, and placing within them a Divine Call, a sense of destiny which must be fulfilled. This inworking of His grace results in the formation of a 'new creation species' which becomes part of that 'firstfruits' for the demonstration of His love and salvation for all mankind. It is clearly written, 'And it was of His own will that He gave us birth as sons by His Word of Truth, so that we should be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures - A SAMPLE of what He created to be consecrated to Himself' (James 1:18, Amplified). Hence this divine selectivity is a vital part of the outworking of His own purpose, not for the excluding of all men from His salvation, but rather for the consummation of that plan, as they become instruments through whom His grace and mercy are revealed to others."

To these the word of promise is given: "Ye shall be a PECULIAR TREASURE unto Me above all people." Many of us know all too well that this word "peculiar" has often been used to cloak religious conduct both strange and irrational. People have been known to dress in outmoded or unusual styles of clothing, to act in wild and curious ways, and to do rather weird things and then grin a self-conscious grin and justify it all by saying, "Well, we are called to be God's peculiar people!" The English word "peculiar" in the language of A.D. 1611 (when the King James Bible was published) had no connotation of queerness, oddness, ridiculousness nor foolishness. It translates the Hebrew word GULLA meaning "to shut up wealth - to put the jewels, treasures, etc. belonging to a king in a safe, protected place because of their extraordinary value." It was God's way of emphasizing that His special people would be of great importance, value, and purpose to Him - a treasure above all other treasures.

Every loving mother and father has a good idea of what God meant. There are babies in houses up and down every street, as you can tell by the baby clothes hanging on the lines of a summer day. But in the house where you live, there is one little infant in particular, and he is a peculiar treasure unto you above all others. It does not mean necessarily that he is prettier, but it does mean that he is the treasure above all other treasures, full of hope and purpose in your lives, and you would not trade him for any other child in the whole world. He is a peculiar treasure! This gives us some idea, at least, of what we are - God's special jewels marked out for Him!

But it means infinitely MORE than that! The apostle Peter, reiterating the covenant of Ex. 19:5-6 states, and the Diaglott beautifully renders, "But you are a chosen Race, a Royal Priesthood, a holy Nation, a PEOPLE FOR A PURPOSE; that ye may declare the Perfections of Him who called you from darkness into His wonderful light." In the phrase, "a people FOR a purpose," it has been pointed out that the word "for" is the Greek word "eis" meaning INTO, and signifies that forward action of God taking a people and leading them onward, preparing them, purifying them, until they become merged into ONE with His purpose and reality. A people INTO A PURPOSE! So many wander through their whole life time here upon earth with no aim, no vision, no goal, no purpose for living, no understanding as to the why of this schooling experience under the dealing of God's hands, and no preparation for what lies beyond.

The sovereign Lord and King of the universe says that He is choosing a people to be His very own "special treasure" for the outworking of His purpose. it is said that a bar of steel worth five dollars, when made into ordinary horseshoes will be worth only ten dollars. If this same five-dollar bar is manufactured into needles, the value rises to $350, but if it is made into delicate springs for expensive watches, it will be worth $250,000. This original bar of steel is made more valuable by being cut to its proper size, passed through the heat again and again, hammered and manipulated, beaten and pounded and finished and polished, until it is finally ready for its delicate task. This truly is a parable which sets forth a vital truth concerning the elect of God. Let us realize that God expends His effort only on that which gives promise of having value. The farmer does not spend time tilling the sand hill that has no value for crops; he puts most of his time and work into the heavy field which has the greatest promise of an abundant harvest. When God leaves us utterly alone, and does not lay His heavy hand of dealing upon us, we may be sure that our lives are barren, and fit only to be "vessels of dishonor" in the great house of His Kingdom.

Someone has said, "Sunshine all the time only makes a desert." We need the clouds, the dark days, the storms, the rain, the winds, just as much as we need the sunshine, and God who is molding our lives, seeking to make us into the image of our Lord Jesus Christ, is the One who knows what is best for us if we would be a part of HIS PURPOSE in the earth. In this connection, we hear Job saying, "He knoweth the way that I take: when He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold" (Job 23:10). Notice that Job does not say, I know the way that He takes," but rather, "He knoweth the way that I take." We would like to know what God is doing. We would like to pull aside the veil and see the end from the beginning. We would like to know the way that He is taking us, but if we did, and if we could see, we would not need faith to believe and accept GOD'S WAY. So Job, in the midst of all his deep afflictions, found comfort, not in the fact that he knew the reason and the answer for all of God's dealing with him, but he took encouragement in the truth that GOD KNEW WHAT HE WAS DOING. "He knoweth the way that I take," he said confidently, and then his faith leaped over every barrier, and as he looked into the distant future, he cried, "When He hath tried (processed) me, I shall come forth as gold."

As His special treasure He has a great and wonderful plan for us. There is no need to comment at length on the instruments He employs in preparing us to be what He desires, for we have them on every hand, pressure upon pressure, difficulties, testings, trials, labors and cares, along with the precious blessings, victories, and triumphs of His grace. But it is essential to realize that the Father has great PURPOSE in it all that we might be trained, developed, processed and formed with a view to our being part of His greater purpose which encompasses the ages yet to come. Treasures are not locked in the treasure-house merely because they have great value - they are there RESERVED UNTO A PURPOSE. In due time they shall be brought forth to serve as vessels of honor at the royal banquet, as adornment for ruling dignitaries, as materials for some splendid building or magnificent temple, or yet to support a fighting army, to conquer other kingdoms, to secure the peace, and to make provision for the needs of the people.

A treasure for a purpose! What a calling! There is a company, gathered out of all generations, and joined unto the Christ, which in due time shall be led forth out of the Father's TREASURE HOUSE OF SONS to be the manifest expression of His image, character, and nature, the revelation of the fullness of His power and glory, who shall carry to fulfillment all of His counsel and will. For these the whole creation groans, and they are in the process of preparation, reserved unto a day of manifestation. God knows every detail of His redemptive plan for His creation, and precisely the work to be wrought by each of His kings and priests, and He chooses by His election of grace those previously marked out (predestinated) according to His foreknowledge, and who shall come INTO PURPOSE at the appointed time as Sons of God to deliver groaning creation from the bondage of corruption, restoring all back into God again, praise His wonderful name!