The Narrow Path Ministries

Steve and anyone else,

I have been searching but cannot find passages that relate to being a peculiar people, special people. I am familiar with 1 Peter 2:9-11, but I'm looking for more passages than this from OT and NT dealing with us being a people completely different from our culture and so forth. Any help on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Ryan

ROTFLOL!!

RyanFromBryan, thanks for a good laugh. Seriously though, that's not what 1 Peter 2:9-11 means. It doesn't mean we're strange or different from other people around us, although that's often true. (And sometimes we're different in ways that aren't good; that's what the Jews used to do because they didn't want to be like the "unclean Gentiles". The Jews had an inflated opinion of themselves, in other words.)

What "peculiar" means is best seen by going back to Exodus 19:5-6, where 1 Peter 2:9-11 is quoted from:

"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. And ye shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou [Moses] shalt speak unto the children of Israel."

You can probably see from the context that "peculiar" means nothing more than "special". And not "special" as in different, necessarily, but "special" as in greatly beloved!

Make sense?

Damon

I was not referring to strange or peculiar in the sense of being weird or awkward, but in the sense of being other worldly. I am familiar with Ex. 19 as well but was curious if there were any other references elsewhere.

Ryan

Yes, I knew what you meant but the way you said it was hilarious.

I meant exactly what you meant, by the way. "Peculiar" doesn't refer to a difference in culture, character, righteousness, or anything else. "Peculiar" simply refers to being special or greatly beloved. Some of the other terms refer to things like character and righteousness. "Holy," for instance. "Peculiar" itself doesn't, although the mere fact of being special and beloved to God should result in differences of character and righteousness as compared to others.

Make sense now?

Damon
PS. As far as other references go, try Titus 2:14. You probably know about the ones in Deuteronomy already, right?

Actually, the references in Deuteronomy would be helpful if you know them offhand. Thanks.

Ryan

I usually use this site to look up bible passages, and this site to do Hebrew/Greek word studies.

The citations I've found for "peculiar" or "peculiar treasure" are as follows:

Exodus 19:5
Deuteronomy 7:6 ("special" in the KJV)
Deuteronomy 14:2
Deuteronomy 26:18
Psalm 135:4
Malachi 3:17 ("jewels" in the KJV)
Ephesians 1:14 ("purchased possession" in the KJV)
1 Thessalonians 5:9 ("to obtain" in the KJV)
2 Thessalonians 2:14 ("obtaining" in the KJV)
Titus 2:14
Hebrews 10:39 ("saving" in the KJV)
1 Peter 2:9

Damon

We are in this world but not part of it and it's system of thinking
and doing. We are a separated people and should not blend in well.
JESUS issues a strong warning about not being a friend of the world.
Although he ate with sinners HE didnt participate in their lifestyle/culture.
Is that what this means?

Consider 1 John 2:15-17 and we can see some general categories of how we must be different, though this passage is obviously not a comprehensive list. Being in the world and not of it doesn't mean we dress strangely or segregate ourselves, &c.

Being in the world but not of the world basically means that, instead of just going through life without really putting any thought as to why we are here, remaining in self-destructive and "animalistic" patterns of behavior where we're driven by our fleshly desires and nothing else - that's the way the world is - we THINK about life before we act.

As an example that's shown up on this forum a couple of times, going beyond just the biblical injunction against divorce, how will divorce affect me? How will it affect my spouse? Most importantly, how will it affect my children? Am I going to selfishly put my own desires above those of my spouse and children the way the world often does, or am I going to seriously THINK about the consequences of divorce before I act?

Just my $.02.

Damon