Servants, Friends and Brethren

It is inspiring and endearing when God takes personal ownership of people.  In common speech we take ownership of all kinds of things, even things which are not technically ours like "my show" on TV or "my sleep."  God addressed Aaron and Miriam in Numbers 12:6-8:  "Then He said, "Hear now My words: "If there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak to him in a dream. ⁷ Not so with My servant Moses; he is faithful in all My house. ⁸ I speak with him face to face, even plainly, and not in dark sayings; and he sees the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses?"  God made Himself known to Moses His faithful servant, and thus rebuked those who made false accusations against Him.

Caleb was another man who trusted and served God.  Those people to whom God revealed His glory and signs yet did not heed His voice would be unable to enter the land of promise.  In contrast God said in Numbers 14:22-24, "But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land where he went, and his descendants shall inherit it."  David was another man God identified as His servant after he offered to build a permanent structure in Jerusalem for the presence of God to dwell.  2 Samuel 7:4-5 revealed, "But it happened that night that the word of the LORD came to Nathan, saying, ⁵ "Go and tell My servant David, 'Thus says the LORD: "Would you build a house for Me to dwell in?"  Moses, Caleb and David were men to whom God revealed Himself and they listened to Him, were faithful, followed God and sought to bless Him.

Abraham was a man to whom God revealed Himself on the more intimate level as friend, for it is written in James 2:23:  "And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." And he was called the friend of God." (Is. 41:8)  Amazingly, God was revealed to mankind in human flesh in the person of Jesus Christ who told His disciples in John 15:14-15:  "You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. ¹⁵ No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you."  How incredible is it, that friendship with the almighty God is possible by His grace!

After Jesus rose from the dead, a new and unprecedented relationship was made possible by the power of the Gospel.  See how Jesus referred to His disciples who had forsook Him and fled on the night He was betrayed in John 20:17-18:  "Jesus said to her, "Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, 'I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.'" ¹⁸ Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her."  Jesus did not send Mary to speak to blood relations--his half-brothers or half-sisters with Mary his mother--but to His disciples.  He called them brethren because by faith in Jesus they had been adopted into the family of God.  How remarkable it is that sinners can be called "My brethren" by Jesus because of the work He has accomplished through His death and resurrection.

Those who have been adopted into God's family are His human brethren though we remain His humble subjects; we show ourselves His friends by believing and obeying Jesus.  Since He has made Himself known to us it is fitting we also are faithful, follow Him fully and seek to bless Him.  We also ought to serve and show ourselves friends to the brethren, for we have been made one Body in Christ.  We are all different but are partakers of the same Holy Spirit and same LORD.  Praise the LORD Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life.  May our lips show forth His praise and our lives bless His holy name who calls us brethren, having been purchased with His own blood.