THE MINISTRY OF GOD’S SERVANT

One of the great encouragements for a servant of God is that not only will God bless him personally, but also his descendants. This is recorded in Genesis 26:24 where God said that He would bless Isaac and his descendants because God had considered Abraham as His servant. So when a person, regardless of nationality, serves God honestly and faithfully with all his heart, he is seeking God blessing for his children and future descendants. God will do this for all who are considered His servants, because God is just and unchanging. His blessing of Abraham’s descendants is a general principle that God has done and continues to to do for His servants and their future descendants.

Abraham’s descendants were considered servants of God and were therefore treated with special respect. In the typical example recorded in Leviticus 25:42, the Israelites were not allowed to sell any of their poor people into slavery like other people from foreign nations. This command was given because God had redeemed the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, so they needed to be treated with special respect compared to people from other nations. This command is a symbol of God’s chosen people. The first meaning is that Christians have been saved by Christ with His blood from the bondage of sin and the devil, so we have become God’s chosen people and are treated with special respect compared to other people living in this world. The second meaning is that those who are counted as God’s servants are also to be treated in a special way, that is, not to be allowed to endure trials too severe to bear (1 Corinthians 10:13). So when Christians read this verse, we will be encouraged, because through God’s command to the Israelites, we can see God’s special love and treatment for those whom He has chosen and redeemed, especially those who are considered God’s servants.

(to be continued)