God had a word to speak to the people of Israel, and it was a marvelous word. He had delivered them from the clutches of Egypt and was in process of bringing them into their own land. More important than land, however, was the way God wanted to treat His people. He told them that He wanted them to be His “special treasure” (Exodus 19:5). As they responded in faithfulness to His voice and His covenant God would enable them to be to him, “A kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exod. 19:6).

The people had seen God’s deliverance; they had personally experienced how God had “bore” them “on eagles’ wings” (Exod. 29:4) and had brought them to Himself. They were blessed beyond their ability to fully comprehend it. All they had to do was to love God and be faithful to His covenant.

This is the Word of the Lord that comes to us today. As the Church we are a part of God’s “kingdom of priests.” We are God’s holy nation, a nation without borders, comprised of all peoples who have believed in Christ and who, therefore, live in faithfulness to God’s covenant.

And, what does this covenant look like today? It looks like Jesus. In Jesus God has said to people that they are His “special treasure.” We look to Jesus and we know how God wants us to live. We see His love, and we are compelled to love. We see His mercy, and we are compelled to live in mercy. We see His forgiveness, and we are compelled to live among others in a spirit of forgiveness. We look at His life and see what it means for God to be among us, and we know there is no higher calling than to live in the mind and spirit of Jesus.

We look to Jesus and find that we are compelled to “tell to the generation to come the praises of the Lord” (Psalm 78:4).