Good Morning!
In the midst of mourning and sorrow a word that we use a lot to describe Mrs. Geneva is “saint”. And while she in her humility may not have liked us talking about her and her faithfulness to the Lord, plus the example she set for her fellow brothers and sisters in Christ the word “saint” is something that most certainly applies to her.
In today’s prayer and worship help we are going to talk a little bit about that title, where it comes from, what it doesn’t mean, and how it relates to all men and women who claim the name of Jesus by faith alone.
There are many places in the New Testament where we see “saint” used. However, while we may think that it only shows up there it also used in the Old Testament in diverse times and situations. In Deuteronomy 33:1-3 we read:
Now this is the blessing with which Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death. And he said: “The Lord came from Sinai and dawned on them from Seir; He shone forth from Mount Paran, and He came with ten thousands of saints; from His right hand came a fiery law for them. Yes, He loves the people; all His saints are in Your hand; they sit down at Your feet; everyone receives Your words.
There the word is brought forth to give definition to the type of people mentioned in the passage. The Hebrew word translated saints is: “qodesh” which refers to things that are set apart by the LORD for a specific purpose in His ordering of the world. In Exodus 16:23 it points to the worship of God’s people. Later on in Jeremiah 31:23 the prophet uses the term to describe the place where the Israelites will dwell in the days of the New Covenant. We also see it show up in the lists of the accoutrements of the Levite priests in Leviticus 21:6 as well as in descriptions of Jerusalem itself like in Isaiah 48:2. Regardless of where and why it is used there is always a sense of God taking something or someone and marking it or them out for His use in His kingdom to bring glory to Himself.
In the Deuteronomy passage Moses first in verse 2 uses it to describe the angels of God, His retinue of praise and glory as the Law was given on Mount Sinai and through which the light was reflected off Mount Seir and Mount Paran. There is a sense of the majesty of Jehovah. The brother of Jesus, Jude, references a passage similar to this in Jude 1:14 when he says, “Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, ‘Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousand of His saints,’. David does as well pick up on the imagery in Psalm 68:17 noting, “The chariots of God are twenty thousand, Even thousands of thousands; the Lord is among them as in Sinai, in the Holy Place.”. The “these saints” is referred by the Apostle and by the Psalmist of Israel to give weight to those who will come and judge the nations for their sin and wickedness against the people of God. For example, think of Matthew 25:31 and Luke 22:28-30 and the statements of Christ about the angels and the Apostles bringing to bear their own judgment against sinners and the Twelve Tribes of Israel. That prophesy itself most certainly pertains to what Moses is laying out in the passage.
In other words the holy ones of the Lord will come not only to actually bring testimony against those who are unholy, but they will be a living witness to the grace and love of Christ in the midst of the Day of Judgment. Here we see one of the great glories of God in having holy people around us. As we see their daily attention to the things of the Lord we can and should and do draw strength from their example, but it must be said we do not get it from them, as the Roman Catholics falsely believe. As Protestants our grace and faith is not mediated to us through holy men and women who pray for us or intercede on our behalf. Ours comes through the spiritual union that we have with Jesus Christ and from Him alone.
The angels and saints of Deuteronomy 33 are fulfilling a comparable role as do the men and women of faith listed in Hebrews 11. They are to attest to Israel of the holiness of the Law and of God Himself as they sit as His feet and learn His word as well as be an example to later generations of what it means to love God above all things. Both sets of saints, the angels and the Israelites, benefit from this great and wonderful time of being in the Lord’s presence as they bask in His glory and find strength in His benevolence. Should we not desire to be there as well?
The passage appears right as Israel is preparing to enter into the Promised Land. It is especially at this time that they need to remember the kind of Deity they are blessed to serve. If they have questions about it all they need to do is look at the light shining and bouncing off the mountains and the angels of the LORD and His saints.
How can we today make use of this? The saints of the New Testament fulfill the same role that the angels and saints of Deuteronomy 33 do. As we see how the term is used in the third verse of Chapter 33 we can draw great peace and comfort from the way God in His mercy has readied us for His service. There in that portion of God’s Word the set apart ones are granted to be somewhere Moses was not even allowed to look as he sat in the crevasse while God passed by him. In verse 3 he writes that the saints are in the very hand of the LORD. They are kept safe and comfortable in a place where Christ will later testify in John 10:29 that no one can ever snatch them out. They are forever with Him, because He has brought them unto Himself.
But how do you get to be a saint? On that note we’ll close with a quotation from the Apostle Paul which succinctly and carefully gives us a definition which is easily understandable:
To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours.
We who are the Lord’s chosen ones, not by anything we have done, yet purely by His decree, have been set apart, sanctified, called to be saints of the living God to be a holy example to the nations by the way we live, move, and have our being in an evil day and time. This is the kind of saint Mrs. Geneva was, and is, and it is available for all who would come and rest in Christ.
For today’s reading a little more on the word “saint”:
https://www.ligonier.org/posts/power-persevere/
Blessings in Christ,
Rev. Benjamin Glaser
Pastor, Bethany ARP Church