Who Counts?

As for the saints who are in the earth, they are the majestic ones in whom is all my delight.  Psalm 16:3

Majestic Ones – Isn’t it nice to know that when we become His servants, God calls us majestic (or excellent).  The way up is down.  Down to the ground in humility and acknowledged unworthiness.  Then God lifts, up into His presence.  Push the button for the basement instead of the penthouse.  God resides at the bottom, not the top – out in the wilderness, not in the city.

So, who are these majestic ones that are the beneficiaries of His delight?  This He also explains.  The ve adirei (majestic ones) are the doshim (saints).  And who are these?  The root word of doshim is qadosh, the Hebrew word that means sacred or holy.  These are the ones who are set apart for God.  That’s what it means to be holy – to be put aside for God’s use.  But we all knew this, didn’t we?

Oh, yes.  God calls the ones who are set aside for His purposes saints.  Actually, He calls them the “set aside ones.”  You might find it interesting that the singular “saint” is never used in Scripture.  There is no Saint Paul or Saint Peter.  There are only all those who are set aside. 

So, how is someone set aside for God’s purposes?  Do you have to get a special calling or an anointing or a divine whisper?  No, all you need to do is follow His instructions.  Those who practice the Way, who follow God’s directions for living, are automatically set aside because they no longer subscribe to the patterns of this age.  Of course, there is another implication here.  If I am not set apart, if there is no difference between what I do and what the rest of the world does, then I am not one of the saints in the earth and God does not delight in me.

For Israel, this distinction was pretty clear.  Israel was called to follow the Torah.  That was the guide book for being set apart.  It covered a lot more than religious ceremony.  It covered business, family, community, morality and even how we think (the tenth commandment).  It included everything from punishment for theft to marital fidelity.  The reason that there is no apparent difference between civil and religious law in Torah is because there is no difference.  How we live is either set apart in all that we do, or it isn’t.  Israel was a nation established by God for His purposes and those purposes meant that it had to act very differently than other nations.

Why is this so difficult for us?  Is it because we don’t want to be “Jewish”?  Is it because we really do believe that there is a separation between the Old and the New Covenants?  Is it because we have hidden bias?  How do we as Christians pick and choose what “set apart” means for us?  We want nine of the commandments but we don’t want the diet.  We want the blessings but we don’t want the scrupulous living.  Something doesn’t add up.  But, who’s counting?  Only God, I’m afraid.

Topical Index:  ve adirei, doshim, qadosh, holy, set apart, saints, Psalm 16:3, delight