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God’s People, Bahara’ And the World

God’s People, Bahara’ And the World

Last updated on: December 7, 2023 at 4:50 pm by Martin Thomas Johnson

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God’s People, Bahara’ And the World 2023-12-07T16:50:46-05:00 Martin Thomas Johnson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

You can tell it is election season because politicians are making all kinds of promises if the people choose to elect them, then again that is how politics work after all.

Constituents choose to vote for those whose beliefs align with theirs. So, the logical thing to do is tell the constituents what they want to hear and hopefully, they will choose you to be their representative.

Vote

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However, at some point, your actions must align with your words, if not the constituents will choose to vote for another candidate. Recently, the longtime mayor of the town I live in was voted out.

After two terms, the voters realized he wasn’t serving their best interests and was only looking out for himself, not trying to better the community. Politicians should know people get tired of broken promises. And that is what caused the downfall of our mayor.

Didn’t keep promises
Became proud
Stopped working for the people
Chose to put his interests first

Most of us make choices based on our beliefs. No one likes being told what to do or what to believe. Americans value their freedom to choose. This became more evident during the pandemic lockdowns. Our human nature likes to make our own choices.

This developed even before the fall in the garden. Man chose to disobey God and listened to Satan who told him what he wanted to hear. Man chose earthly power and selfish desires over God’s will.

Chosen

The first Adam should have chosen to obey God. Although man rejected God, Christianity teaches that God chose us to be different than the first Adam.

Family

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As God’s people we cherish that God chose us despite our sins (John 15:16, Ephesians 1:3- 4, 1 Thessalonians 1:4). God chose us to be part of His family and to do His will.

Jesus told His followers a parable to help them understand the difference between those who are called and those who are chosen, many are invited to the feast, but few choose to do anything (Matthew 22:1-14). There is a difference between being called and chosen.

Bāḥar

In Judaism, being chosen by God is very important. The Hebrew word in the Old Testament for chosen is bāḥar and it also means acceptable or appointed. Although God called Israel His people, they chose other ways.

God isn’t a politician. God chose Israel to do His will, not theirs or the world’s (Exodus 19:5, Deuteronomy 14:2, Isaiah 43:1-3). Being chosen by God or means doing what He does.

Jewish rabbis choose disciples because they believe they are capable of doing what he does, disciples are chosen to become like their Rabbi. Below are some requirements for becoming a Jewish disciple in the first century.

Memorize their rabbis’ words.
Learn their rabbis’ traditions and interpretations.
Imitate their teacher’s actions.
Make their own disciples.

Years ago a theologian explained, “When Jesus called the disciples, they weren’t following another Rabbi, they weren’t good enough to be chosen by others. But, Jesus chose them because He knew they could do what He did.”

Teaching

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Disciples don’t choose their Rabbi, rabbis choose disciples. Jesus chose the men who would do what He did; most of the disciples were martyred for following their Rabbi Jesus.

The same principle applies to the bridegroom/bride analogy in the New Testament, as a man I understand my role in choosing my bride. Although different, we become one until death do we part.

Jesus chose His bride, the church, and made her holy by calling her out of the world. As God’s people, we are called to holiness, not worldliness.

Holiness

God chose us to be a holy priesthood dedicated to His purposes like a faithful bride to her husband (1 Peter 2:9-10). A man doesn’t choose a bride who is like other women, he chooses a bride he can spend the rest of his life with.

Proposal

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Their new life isn’t like their previous life; they are both changed with a new purpose. This relationship is holy and unlike any other.

When we accept God’s call on us and choose to be a part of the people of God, we too are changed and strive to be Christlike, not like the world we live in. The bridegroom chooses the bride and purifies her.

Leads her
Loves her
Cares for her

God has chosen us to be different—holy and wholly His. In the finale of The Golden Bachelor, the woman who wasn’t chosen shared, “I just wanted him to choose me because I wanted to be the one he loved for the rest of his life.” Love and holiness are some of the responsibilities that come with being bāḥar!

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