Who Should I Be?

We are now in the new year of 2017 and have left a very eventful year behind us as we continue our lives. 2016 will be known for it’s politics, publicly, but many of us have had personal events that made this an eventful year personally. Sometimes we are left asking ourselves “how should I act (or react)?” or “who am I?” amidst such challenging circumstances. Life, in general, asks the question “who should I be?”, a question that we must go to the scriptures to answer.

During the Christmas season I was blessed to be able to speak following our church’s Christmas cantata. The cantata consisted of traditional carols, contemporary Christmas songs, narration and monologues all pointing to the reason for Christmas, the birth of Jesus Christ. In the story the choir and actors told it covered the events surrounding the advent, the advent itself, the reason for the advent and how we should be during the advent. To follow this up the sermon I preached brought three types of people to our attention that were all represented in the story of the advent. The scripture I referenced was Isaiah 51:7-8.

Isaiah 51:7-8 (NRSV)

Listen to me, you who know righteousness,
you people who have my teaching in your hearts;
do not fear the reproach of others,
and do not be dismayed when they revile you.
For the moth will eat them up like a garment,
and the worm will eat them like wool;
but my deliverance will be forever,
and my salvation to all generations.

There are three types of people that are mentioned in this passage. The first type of person that Isaiah mentions is the righteous. The NRSV identifies them in this way, “you who know righteousness,” in other words, you who are righteous. The ones who are righteous “have my teaching in your hearts.” The person who can be listed in this category knows the word of God and his teachings. Jesus says, in John 14:15, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” The righteous are those who not only know God’s teachings but also keep them. There is no mistake as to who Isaiah is talking about here. In the Christmas story we see Mary, Joseph, the Shepherds and, later, the Magi.

The second type of person is the type who “reproach” and “revile” the righteous. These are they who take God’s word lightly and do not follow his teachings. Some may not even consider the Word of God at all and attack those who do calling them all sorts of names to dissuade them from their righteous pursuits. God, speaking through Isaiah, obviously doesn’t think very highly of these individuals’ actions. The reason God gives for the righteous to not “fear” or “be dismayed” is that the ones who do this are temporary.

The third type of individual relies on the creation rather than the creator. They rely on their own abilities and expect others to do the same. When they see the righteous openly relying on God and succeeding they tend to move deeper into their own “self sufficiency” and brag about their own ability to provide without the “crutch” of religion. They pride themselves in the things they can accumulate like cars, boats, houses, lands, etc. All of which Jesus warns them against by saying, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”(Matthew 6:19-21, NRSV)

Moth and rust consume everything that the unrighteous build with their own strength, therefore, their wealth and power are temporary and the righteous don’t need to fear or be dismayed. Not only will the “moth and rust consume,” but the unrighteous will not inherit eternal life and the end of their existence will be eternal death, the worm, with no hope of life in heaven where the righteous have their treasure stored up. The ones who fit into this category in the Christmas story would be Herod, his advisors and “all of Israel” that went along with Herod’s blasphemy and murder.

The last type of person is the Lord himself. Through the prophet Isaiah, the Lord is reassuring the righteous of his salvation that lasts “to all generations.” That can also be interpreted as lasting forever. The righteous have him to turn to forever while the unrighteous are temporary and are here today and gone tomorrow, just like the lilies of the field. Look what happened with Herod, he was a mighty ruler and did a lot of horrible things but God saved Jesus from him by waiting until Herod’s death to bring him back to Nazareth where Jesus was to grow up. In the Christmas story there is only one that fits into this category and that is the child in the manger, Jesus the Messiah.

Even though these types of people can be seen in the Christmas story we can also see them in everyday life as we go into this new year of 2017. The righteous are identified as those who know the Word of the Lord and follow it. They are the ones who rely on God no matter what happens in their lives and show their faith in him through obedience to his Word. It should be the desire of everyone to be numbered among the righteous, all it takes is obedience. If you do not know God’s Word, start reading and studying the Bible then find a church that teaches and preaches the Word so that you can learn how to live for Christ.

Whatever you do, avoid being a part of the unrighteous for their destiny is one of eternal separation from God. Strive to follow God’s word and not make excuses or try to justify your actions. So many of the unrighteous claim to be righteous but justify themselves unrighteous by not following the Word of God but, rather, making excuses for the sin they continue in.

It is my hope and prayer that all follow in the path of righteousness by following God’s instruction. The only way for a person to do this is through the power of the third person mentioned here, the Lord. God has sent his helper, the Holy Spirit, to give us the ability to have his “teachings on [our] hearts.” In this new year make it your goal (not resolution) to learn the Word of God and follow him by living it.