Beneficiaries
“YHWH, Elohey Yisrael, there is none like You, Elohim, in the heavens or in the earth, keeping covenant and mercy with Your servants who walk before You with all their hearts.” 2 Chronicles 6:14 (Darby)
Servants – God keeps His promises. And God is merciful. That is very good news! But who are the beneficiaries of this good news? Solomon answers, “His servants.” How are they distinguished from the rest of Mankind? His servants walk before Him with all their hearts.
‘eved is the Hebrew word translated “servant.” It usually means “slave,” a facet we should not overlook. While slavery did not carry the same nuances that we associate with the word today, the idea of unwavering commitment and ownership stands behind Hebrew concepts of service to another. This noun is derived from the verb ‘avad, “to do, make, carry out or perform.” The basic tasks of a slave are to do the will of the master, to carry out the master’s instructions and to perform one’s duty to the master. Certainly Solomon has these actions in mind when he calls those who experience God’s covenant keeping and mercy avadecha (“Your servants”).
This thought is particularly distressing. Why? Because we want to experience the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living, and this thought suggests that only those who walk before Him with all their hearts are the beneficiaries of His covenant and His mercy. If that’s the case, most of us (if not all) are not going to make it. Try counting the number of days that you walked before the Lord as His ‘eved with all your heart. Actually, try counting the number of hours or even minutes. Days is probably far too much. Can Solomon really mean that unless we are walking before Him with all of our hearts, we are not going to experience His covenant and hesed? I don’t see how that can be the case.
Paul assures us, in case we didn’t know it already, that we have all sinned and deserve punishment. Paul also assures us that we are no longer condemned because of the grace of God and the obedience of His Son. Mercy triumphs! We are beneficiaries of His love in spite of our faltering commitment. But that doesn’t excuse faltering. Just as the biblical concept of the wicked describes those who over a course of time reject the instructions of YHWH, so the concept of servants describes those who over the course of time continually strive for obedience. God’s beneficiaries are not the perfected ones. They are the broken but repentant ones. To walk before Him with all of our hearts is to set the course of our lives so that His purposes become our purposes. That takes a long time, but God is patient. He might not be patient with excuses and rationalizations, but He is patient with those He loves to transform. Someday, upon the arrival of the renewed covenant, we will serve Him without wavering. Today we serve Him in spite of wavering.
Topical Index: servant, ‘eved, obedience, 2 Chronicles 6:14
“While slavery did not carry the same nuances that we associate with the word today”
Hi Skip,
When I was in graduate school I studied under a professor named Fredric Jameson.
Fred’s thinking was heavily influenced by the “Frankfurt school.”
German Jews who were heavily influenced by Freud and Marx.
Folks with names like Horkhiemer, Adorno, Walter Benjamin, and Herbert Marcuse (UCSD).
Their thinking was theoretical and very complex and difficult to understand.
But I took every class Fred ever taught over a period of about seven years.
And one thing always stuck in my mind, but I had no idea what he was referring to.
Fred would be off in some complex theoretical explanation, and then he would turn and look at me.
And he would say, “of course now we are back into the old master/slave dialectic.”
And I would wonder what in the world is he talking about.
Wasn’t slavery a bad thing?
There is a considerable difference between the “master-slave” dialectic (found eloquently elaborated in Marx, Hegel and others) and the “master-slave” relationship that was part of Torah. Torah acknowledges that there are slaves, but it never diminishes the human dignity of the slave, in contrast to all of the surrounding cultures and the general history of the world. Maybe Fred reflected on the human nightmare of history rather than the lamp unto my feet.
What a beautiful statement that sums it all up:
God’s beneficiaries are not the perfected ones. They are the broken but repentant ones.
AMEN!
Thank you Lord for your Long Suffering Love and Mercy.
Thank you for picking me up when I fall & giving me strength to carry on.
I do not have the time, neither do we have the space to adequately “cover” the subject of servanthood. It is both exceedingly deep and exceedingly broad. for an excellent synopsis (and beyond we need to study Romans 6,7, and 8 in depth.
I once was slave to sin and to my desires. I knew no other way, but to feed the flesh. It was all about me and I was the center of the universe. Feed me, clothe me, love me- call is “meism,” call it selfishness, call it sin. “self-centeredness.” “Steppin’ on any toes here?” I hate it for you and much as you don’t like hearing it.. what we need to hear are the words, -not “I,” but Christ.. (sound familiar?)- I hope so.
We (who are His), have been bought by a price, Yes, bought with the precious blood of Yashua Hamashiach, the G-d/man. Redeemed, set free, and under new management. (He is our LORD-remember?) Sin and Satan no longer have dominion over us, we (who are His) are now “free”, empowered and enable to do that which is pleasing unto YHWH- to do His will. And yes, His will is written in His word. It’s all there, -written instructions for life, for love and for laughter- “your best life ever”- (no, I don’t claim to be a fan of this man-“your best life ever”).
What happened to the prodigal when he repented and returned to His Father? (I should know this- w’ere talkin’ up close and personal now- I am that man- his story is my story- amazing..). Yes, what happened to the wandering, erring son? First, he came to his senses. I wonder.. have we? Want an “eye-opening” experience? Try repentance- it’s good stuff. Works every time, and BTW, the only time in our Bible, “the Father” was ever shown to be in a hurry! (He ran to meet him). The son said, “Father, I’ll be your servant,” but the Father said, -“no, you will be my son!” Do you remember what the Father did for this son?- I do. I remember it well- and what a “homecoming” it was- , (pardon me..)- Hallelujah! I’m so glad G-d loves and receives sinners.
There is so much to say about being a servant. Scads. Who was Yeshua? A servant. If we are to follow in the way of the Master, what will our role be? er.. “a servant?” Yes. A servant. Serve your wife, sir. Serve your family. Serve your neighbor. Serve your employer. Serve your G-d. Any questions? I believe our role is clearly defined.
One last, (ha!) word on “servants.” My dear friends, it was the servants who witnessed the water being turned into wine during the wedding feast at Cana. Want to see some genuine, bona fide miracles? Try living as a servant, – there is no greater joy than serving the LORD Jesus Christ in this way- Amen? Any servant-hearted men out there? Oh, I hope so.. I just love servant-hearted people and so does my Father. Amein.