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*Malachi 11.*
There are a fair number of old-timers here!
Do you remember the days before Sunday School songs were about eating Bart Simpson getting you to eat his shorts?
They even had hymns written specifically for children.
Do you recall the one that went: *[P]*
“/When He cometh when He cometh to make up His jewels;/
/All His jewels, precious jewels, His loved and His own./
/Like the stars of the morning, His bright crown adorning./
/They will shine in their beauty bright gems for His crown/.”?
The song is taken from the book of Malachi *[P]* [*Malachi 3:17* /“They shall be Mine”, says //יהוה// of armies, in the day when I make up My treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him/.]
The song may also be an alluding to [*Zechariah 9:16*/ //And //יהוה// their God will save them in that day as the flock of His people; for they are as the stones of a crown, sparkling in His land./]
But you will notice that although there are pictures of jewels accompanying that verse, there is no mention of jewels up there in that verse which is taken from the English Standard Version.
Instead it talks about a “/treasured possession/” – the same phrase used in the NASB that I read from.
So where are the jewels?
*[P]* Who stole the Jewels?
Well Alex and Haydn have got jewels in their Bibles.
The King James Bible reads: *[P]* [*Malachi 3:17*/ //And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, In that day when I make up My jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him./]
So the “/jewels/” *[P]* in the King James are “/treasured possession/” or “/special treasure/” *[P]*, or something similar, in most other translations.
But it is an interesting word, and I thought that we might have a look at it today.
Usually I speak on several verses, even a whole chapter; I have on occasion spoken on just one verse – today it is just one word!
The word is “סְגֻלָּה” *[P]* – not that that means much.
It only occurs in the Bible just 8 times – so it’s nice and easy to do an exhaustive word study.
While the word occurs only eight times, it is filled with theological and spiritual treasures.
So what does it mean?
At first the word just meant a private accumulation of money or other wealth – personally gained, carefully tended, private property.
That is what it means in *[P]* [*Ecclesiastes 2:8*/ //Also, I collected for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces.
I provided for myself male and female singers and the pleasures of men—many concubines./]
Here was Solomon, in His search for wisdom and what life was all about, investigating life to the full – he was investigating whether there was satisfaction in accumulating material wealth, treasure – all he found was futility.
Ecclesiastes reports that the accumulation of the finest of personal possessions is sheer vanity.
The treasure of silver and gold, the wealth of this world, can never fully satisfy – you just want to get more!
There is far more satisfaction in using in for the LORD’s service – that is what David did: he stocked up vast amounts of wealth for the purpose of building a house for his God: *[P]* [*1 Chronicles 29:3*/ //“Moreover, in my delight in the house of my God, the treasure I have of gold and silver, I give to the house of my God, over and above all that I have already provided for the holy temple,/].
Again סְגֻלָּה just means material treasure, wealth.
In both these cases it indicates “/a particular portion of one’s possessions not used for ordinary purposes but saved for a special purpose/” and so it is distinguished from other words for “possession” or “property”.
But then the sense of סְגֻלָּה changed slightly, it was extended to denote anything highly valued because of the effort in acquiring it – so it wasn’t just possessions, it was /treasured possession/ – highly valued!
It is treasure – of great value, precious.
What is precious to you?
What do you treasure?
When we were kids we loved stories about treasure; you know pirates and hidden chests full of gold coins and gems.
I can remember as a child reading the true story of the discovery of king Tutankhamen’s tomb by Howard Carter and all the real treasure that was discovered.
*[P]* Precious things – so valuable that Tutankhamen wanted to take them with him when he died – he never did, it’s all still in a museum in Cairo!
Why do you value something?
Because you have to work for it, it cost you in time and effort, in the investment of resources.
If it comes easy, you don’t appreciate it.
I knew two people who won major lotteries – in both cases the money quickly dissipated and they were back pretty much where they were.*
*[*Proverbs 20:21*/ //An inheritance gained hurriedly at the beginning will not be blessed in the end./]
Robin treasures the guitars he makes because of the time and effort put into them.
Why are our children precious to us?
Because of the love, time, training invested in them.
They are ours, our own – not the mere obtaining of a possession but treasured possession.
So the basic meaning of “סְגֻלָּה” *[P]* is “/personal property/” *[P]*; but it developed into the idea of: “/valued property, peculiar treasure/”, a “/treasured possession/” *[P]* and associated with that was the idea was that which יהוה has *chosen* (בחר) *[P]* and taken to Himself; in this sense it is only used of the people of Israel *[P]*.
So here are the two meanings of the word as rendered by the NASB *[P]*; the NKJV is not so consistent in the way it translates it, rendering in 4 different ways, one of which is “jewels” in this verse in Malachi *[P]* – and the KJV uses 5 different expressions to translate this one word that only occurs 8 times – that makes it a bit tricky to follow when doing a word study.
One of those expressions used in the KJV is a little strange, it is the term “/peculiar people/”; and although I am sure that is quite true of the people of God; that is not what the word means!
God’s people, Israel, are precious to Him, He chose them, they are His own, He has invested a great deal of personal care and commitment in them; He treasures them.
*[Exodus 6:6-7*/ //“Say, therefore, to the sons of Israel, ‘I am //יהוה//, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage.
I will also redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments./
(יהוה did a great deal for them, took action on their behalf with mighty power, redeemed them, bought them for Himself, so that they would be His own) /‘Then I will take you for *My people*, /(His own possession) /and I will be your God;/]/ /There is no one else like them; they are highly valued in His estimation.
He invested a great deal in order that they become His people, His possession, His treasured possession.
That is סְגֻלָּה!
We belong to Him – His own possession!
Hallelujah!
“/Jesus my Lord will love me forever/
/From Him no power or evil can sever/
/He gave His life to ransom my soul/
/Now I belong to Him/
/Now I belong to Jesus,/
/Jesus belongs to me;/
/Not for the years of time alone,/
/But for eternity/”
We have looked at two occurrences of “סְגֻלָּה”; the other six uses refer not to material property, but are used with a more spiritual sense, and they refer to /the people of Israel/.
It first occurs in the Bible in: *[P]* [*Exodus 19:5-6* (this was when Moses first went up Mount Sinai to meet יהוה, just prior to the giving of the תּוֹרָה and the covenant making Israel His people:)/ //‘Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’
These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel.”/]
All the earth is His, but they would be יהוה’s special treasure; among all the peoples of the earth, Israel would be special, they would belong to Him: “/be Mine/!”
He had redeemed them out of Egypt – they were His personal possession by right of redemption.
יהוה invested great personal effort to take them for His own.
How wonderful!
What a privilege!
Yet, you notice, it is conditional: “*/IF/*/ you will obey My voice, *if* you will keep My covenant/”.
This privileged status was based on covenant relationship.
And, just referring back to Malachi for a moment, you will remember that it was the covenant that the people of Israel in Malachi’s day had despised and disregarded – six times “/covenant/” is mentioned in Malachi – it says they had “/profaned it/”, and that they had “/corrupted it/”.
They had forfeited this honoured position.
You see exactly the same idea in Deuteronomy 26 – the focus again is on Israel hearing and obeying יהוה, keeping the covenant: *[P]* [*Deuteronomy 26:16-19*/ //“This day //יהוה// your God commands you to do these statutes and ordinances.
You shall therefore be careful to do them with all your heart and with all your soul.
“You have today declared //יהוה// to be your God, and that you would walk in His ways and keep His statutes, His commandments and His ordinances, and listen to His voice.
//יהוה// has today declared you to be His people, a *treasured possession*, as He promised you, and that you should keep all His commandments; and that He will set you high above all nations which He has made, for praise, fame, and honour; and that you shall be a consecrated people to //יהוה// your God//, as He has spoken.”/]
“/Be careful to do them with all your heart and soul/” – but what we saw in Malachi was that their heart just wasn’t in it.
יהוה wanted them to be special to Himself, a holy people, but they wanted to be like those in the world around them – and we can be just the same, desire to be like those amongst whom we live.
Holiness is about being separate, different, distinct.
In *[P]* [*Deuteronomy 7:6 *it reads/ //“For you are a holy people to //יהוה// your God//; //יהוה// your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth./]
– you see that being this treasured possession is because יהוה had chosen them.
*[P]* From man’s viewpoint there was the onus to obey and keep the covenant; but from God’s point of view, they were chosen – it is His doing.
God sovereignly set aside a people for Himself.
They are a holy people.
*[P]* It is His doing!
It says precisely the same thing in *[P]* [*Deuteronomy 14:2*/ //“For you are a holy people to //יהוה// your God, and //יהוה// has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth./]
In chapter 7 the context is a warning about mixing and compromising with the people of the land – you, know wanting to be like those around us in the world.
We are to be separate, different, holy.
We are set aside to יהוה as His special treasure; not ordinary like those who are not His.
In chapter 14 the context is about being holy by observing certain dietary laws.
It is the holy, those set apart to יהוה, those whom He has chosen, who are His treasured possession.
In these verses in Deuteronomy and Exodus, Moses reminded Israel that God chose her and redeemed her from bondage not because of her goodness, but solely because He loved her and was faithful to the promises given to the patriarchs.
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