Saturday Night Devotions

I Peter 2:9

     But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

     We now have before us one of the greatest descriptions anywhere of the blessed status bestowed on believers in Christ.  First, we are “a chosen generation.”  Jesus said, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you (John 15:16).”  Since God has chosen us for this time, let us be like David who “served the purpose of God in his own generation (Acts 13:36 ESV).” 

     Secondly, we are “a royal priesthood.”  A priest is a mediator, a go-between between God and man.  It is difficult to imagine a more important job – helping people become reconciled to God and to know Him better.  It is a position of service – priests serve both God and man.  Our priesthood, however, is “a royal priesthood.”  Although we are servants, we are now simultaneously kings as well.  We do not serve out of importunity or helplessness.  We serve with gallantry and with noble power.  Only Melchizedek in the Old Testament and Jesus in the New Testament were both priests and kings.  Now we join this matchless duo in carrying on this great role of serving God and serving man -- and our great Task is wonderfully empowered, for royal blood now courses through our veins.   

     Thirdly, we are “a holy nation.”  All the world’s believers comprise a single nation.  We are all bound by the same laws, motivated by the same hope, and ruled by the same sovereign Lord.   We are a “holy” nation – we are set apart from others by our heart to be holy and our heart made holy by the indwelling Spirit of God. 

     Fourthly, we are “His own special people.”  Certainly all men, in a way, are God’s people, because He has made us all, and “in His hands we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28).”  But God considers believers, those devoted to Him, as “His own special people.”  What a thought to cherish, that we as worms are special to God on high.  It is amazing to contemplate and spurs us to praise Him.  Psalm 135:3-4 says, “Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; sing praises to his name, for it is pleasant.  For the Lord has chosen Jacob for Himself, Israel for His special treasure.”  We find the Lord precious – and for so many good reasons.  But the Lord finds us precious to Him as well, and with this in mind we make all effort to make ourselves as presentable and as lovely to Him as we can.  As a bride seeks to make herself beautiful for the one who treasures her, let us strive to make ourselves pleasing to our Lord who, for reasons of His own, has made us His specially treasured people.

     Following this grand four-faceted description of the people of God, this wonderful verse then tells us why God has called us to be a “chosen generation,” a “royal priesthood,” “a holy nation,” and “His special people.”  God has granted us these great titles, not for us to be impressed with ourselves, but to be pressed to “proclaim the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light.”  God has chosen us though there was nothing notable about us.  God made us royal though we were born as common men.  God made us holy, though we had sinned.  And God has called us His special people, though we know for a fact there is nothing exceptional about us.  How can we rightly respond?  The verse tells us:  proclaim His praises.  Our only proper response to God’s calling on our lives is to praise Him in return.  Praise God in your private devotions alone each morning.  Praise God in great numbers on the Lord’s Day.  Praise God with singing and with testimonies of His goodness.  Praise Him with loud music and in silent prayer.  We must be people filled with exuberant praise to the Lord who has called us with such a great calling.  People who know God well will cry out to Him with their needs.  But those who know Him best of all will cry out to Him with songs of praise.  Too often our private devotions have too little study, too little prayer, and too little time spent with our Master.  But perhaps most of all, for all too many of us, our daily devotional time with God is void of concerted praise.  The very thing which He calls on us to do in response to His giftings, we are most prone to leave undone.  Let us resolve to fix this today.  There are 150 psalms in the book of Psalms, and in those 150 psalms David calls us to praise God 158 times.  Let his repetitive urging have its proper effect on us.  “Praise the Lord!  Praise, O servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord! (Psalm 113:1)” Let the “poor and needy” praise the Lord as in Psalm 74:21.  In fact, let all the peoples praise Him as in Psalm 67:3.  In fact, let even “a people yet to be created” praise the Lord as in Psalm 102:18!  This is what He has created us to do!  Praise Him!  He has gifted us with great titles; let us praise Him with great songs of praise in return!  Psalm 135:1 echoes this eternal urging: “Praise the Lord!  Praise the name of the Lord; praise Him, O you servants of the Lord!”