A peculiar people

 

Titus 2:14

Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

What an interesting word:  peculiar. Somewhat old-fashioned, which is why it is used abundantly in the King James version, and almost never in more modern translations. 

The meaning according to the Oxford Dictionary is “different to what is normal or expected; strange; unusual; odd; curious; weird.”   

These interpretations of course have everything to do with perspective:  on which side are you standing and calling someone or something peculiar, odd, weird? For many of us, for example, the lifestyle of the ultra-orthodox Jewish community would seem peculiar. Mainly because it is so different to our own way of living. For them, we would seem peculiar – why are we claiming to worship the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when we are plainly not of Jewish descent?

Jesus is calling His bride to be different from what people in the world expect; to a lifestyle that would be strange in their eyes; to follow unusual ways of responding to worldly pressures; to hold fast to commands from Him that would look odd, curious, even weird to their way of operating in life.

But the word peculiar also means “particular; special; individual.”

1 Peter 2:9 “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:”

We are special in God’s eyes, each one individually and particularly called to praise Him and live a life displaying and representing Him!

Choosing a way of life that is seen as odd or weird by people in the world should not bother the bride in the least. Because we have our eternal destiny in focus, and we are  preparing ourselves for that glorious day when our Bridegroom is coming to fetch us for the Marriage Feast of the Lamb written about in Revelation 19:7.  Our life on earth is but a miniscule part of the eternal life that we enter into once our bodies have passed away – why waste that short time on worrying about what others may think about our choices to live a holy life, acceptable to our Beloved Jesus?

Points to ponder:  Are the words of the chorus of Lize Hadassah Wiid’s song Adonai, given here, also your heart’s cry? Do not rest until your heart longs for Him in this way:

“Oh Adonai, my Adonai - will we hear the trumpet sound - will we hear You call our name -  oh Adonai, our Adonai - when You come to fetch Your bride - will we be standing in the line, our Adonai.”

Adonai