Exodus 19:5 (KJV) Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people; for all the earth is mine.
Titus 2:14 (KJV) Who gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
‘Peculiar’ is a strange word. For example, among other things, it can mean private property, distinctive, odd, or special. I would call that a pretty wide spectrum for such an unusual word. If you look at the other translations of the Bible, you will see that ‘peculiar’ in the above scriptures refers to ‘private
property belonging to God’. On the other hand, if you look at Bible stories or our lives, I believe it is fair to say we are peculiar because we belong to God. For example, take the following passage I read the other morning:
1 Samuel 30:3-7 (NIV) When David and his men came to Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep. David’s two wives had been captured—Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the
widow of Nabal of Carmel. David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the Lord his God. Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.” Abiathar brought it to him, and David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?” “Pursue them,” He answered. “You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the
rescue.”
I have read this several times, but the other day it struck me differently. I mean, can you imagine if the children in your town had been snatched up by thugs? Wouldn’t your first thought be to chase after them immediately without hesitation? I can just picture the men of town piling into pickup trucks,
flooring it, and praying that God would join them. David was different; you could say he was downright peculiar. Rather than acting on his emotions, he submitted them to God then acted according to God’s directives. God did give David a favorable answer, but I suspect that even had the answer been a
negative one, David would have obeyed. He was a man after God’s own heart, not one who generally acted on his own initiative.
We are told to be prepared to explain the hope that is in us. Our peculiar behavior is what will inspire people to ask us about our hope in the first place. By that, I do not mean eccentric or weird behavior, just behavior that is atypical. Behavior that is born out of faith in God catches people’s attention. When we remain confident and at peace, even though the odds are stacked up against us, people take note. Loving our enemies is another example of shockingly peculiar behavior that springs from a relationship with God. I am sure you will be able to think of many other examples if you try.
I am not going to share a story about myself this time. My brand of ‘peculiar’ might just lead to confusion because, in all honesty, I can be ‘strangely unique’ at times. (Not all of it sprouts from my connection with Jesus.)