It is amazing the impact on individual lifes, the history of nations, the record of the bible and the plan and storyof redemption that valuing our inheritance can have! Naboth knew the true cost of holding onto his inheritance and refusing to surrender, swap or sell his vineyard! It cost him his life. The 5 daughters of Zelophehad so cherished their inhetitance that they forced a change in Old Testament Law with unexpected and almost unbelievable consequences. The presidence they set in Numbers chapter 27 and Numbers chapter 36 became a decisive factor in cementing the relationship between Ruth and Boaz in Ruth chapter 4 and from that relationship not only came the King of Israel David but so too the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us as Christians hold onto, value and treasure our inheritance in Christ, refusing to devalue, despise, or disregard that inheritance for a world that disappoints and material prosperity that disappears.
Ephesians chp 1 vs 11 – Living in the Light of Our Inheritance
Heading somewhere, heading home.
We are heirs of God, let us live like it!
Living from the gutter to Glory!
There was a latin phrase which caught on a number of years ago after the film ‘The Dead Poets Society’ – Carpe Diem – seize the day! The modern equivalent of which YOLO – you only live once!
The believer in Ephesians chapter 1 is encouraged not simply to seize the day or live for the moment, as if you only live once but rather to:
‘Lay hold of eternity’!
We noted previously in the context of redemption the importance of our inheritance! The theme of inheritance runs through the whole bible and the importance of it.
Inheritance is linked to:
- Identity
- Purpose
Bible maps, and biblical maps of the promised land are divided up:
- Not by states
- Not by shires
But by:
- Tribes
Ie according to the tribes or families of the nation of Israel.
The land was their inheritance!
The land was their inheritance, and by the way it was their inheritance in perpetuity! There was provision for this in Leviticus chapter 25, for redemption and for the return of the land as an inheritance in perpetuity to the tribes of Israel at the year of Jubilee.
These Old Testatment land laws and registers, strangely included in the Word of God, when perhaps other material could not be so included
“And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.” (John 21:25)
All of this material recorded and included in the scriptures regarding land laws, inheritance laws, redemption rights and the year of Jubilee (Leviticus 25:10,13), impresses upon us as New Testament believers that when God gives an inheritance, it is forever! That is a good lesson to learn!
Our inheritance in Christ is the next step in the flow of truth here in chapter 1:
- Chosen – verse 4
- Predestined for adoption – verse 5
- Redeemed – verse 7
- Wisdom of God’s purpose worked out not as a photo but as a film! In 4 dimensions and not only 3! Wisdom projected from the Divine mind onto the canvas of time (vs 9 to 10). To gather all things in Christ, the church is the first glimpse of the new world and of this purpose (Ephesians 1:10).
We have been chosen, predestinated, adopted, and redeemed for a purpose (Ephesians 1:11). From our perspective that purpose is our “inheritance” (Eph 1:11)
All of this of course flows from God:
- Election
- Predestination to adoption
- Redemption
- Inheritance
- “Chosen in Him”
Chosen not for good in me!
God cannot chose between men for salvation the way we chose! When it comes to human choice we tend to chose the best option! The best room in the house, the best cake on display in the bakers window, the best job. When it comes to God choosing the sinner, the situation is clear (Romans 3:9ff). Just as when God formed Adam of the dust of the ground, it wasn’t that one handful of dust was any less dirty than another handful of dust! It was because of what could do with that handful of dust!
- Adopted
The Old Testament is bookended by adoption!
The Old Testament year, and redemptive calendar begins on:
- 14th day of the 1st month Abib / Nissan with Passover
The Old Testament calendar ends on:
- 14th day of the last month Adar with Purim
The first feast celebrates the nations release from a place – Egypt.
The last feast celebrates the nations release from a person – Hamman.
With both of these feasts there is connected a prominent OT character:
- Purim – Esther
Interestingly both Moses and Esther are adopted!
The whole of the redemptive history of the Old Testament is bookended by adoption!
- Redeemed
Redemption encompassing:
- Ransom
- Release
- Relationship
Not purely a negative phenomenon, but redeemed for a purpose! Most clearly seen perhaps with the redemption of the nation from Egypt, seen too with Ruth and perhaps in picture form with Rebekah!
There are some great examples of those who held fast to their inheritance! They weren’t for letting it go!
Individual lifes, the story of the bible, the destiny of nations and the course of history was shaped by those who had an appreciation of their inheritance, so too for us. My inheritance: what I have in Christ and where I am going with the Christian faith.
- Naboth – the cost of his inheritance
- Daughters of Zelophehad – the commitment to their inheritance
- Ruth – the consequences of holding onto that inheritance
They will be encouraged to:
- Deny
- Despise
- Disregard
- Devalue
Their inheritance but they didn’t and neither must I!
Live your life in the light of that inheritance.
The believers inheritance permeates the whole of the Ephesian epistle:
- Privileges of that inheritance (Ephesians 2)
- Prayer
- Praise
- Practices of that inheritance (Ephesians 3+4)
- Preeminence of Christ
- Perfecting of the saints
- Preaching of the word of God
- Practice of gifts
- Prospect of that inheritance (Ephesians 5)
- Relationship
- Resemblance
In living out our life as Christians in the light of our inheritance we can make an unexpected impact for Christ!
- Naboth
- 1 Kings chp 21
- Naboth valued his inheritance – it wasn’t just a vineyard or a business, it was his inheritance (21:1). He wouldn’t give it up to be turned into a lawn!
- Naboth was encouraged to devalue his inheritance:
Naboth valued it with his life
- Daughters of Zelophehad
- Numbers chapter 27 and 36
- The 5 daughters of Zelophehad, petition Moses as the land is about to be divided up, they too want their portion and their inheritance.
- In the first half of Numbers many did not value, were not prepared to fight for their inheritance in the land eg the 10 out of the 12 spies who were sent doen to spie out the land.
- These daughters forced a change in case law and received their right to inherit from their father in the absence of a son.
- They really valued their inheritance!
- This had an unexpected consequence which arises in Numbers chapter 36. Having inherited their fathers land they are restricted to marry within the tribe.
- I f I were to tell you that your salvation depended on the passion and pursuit of their inheritance would you believe me? Their conviction and passion for their inheritance was used by God to direct subsequent events that lead us ultimately to the birth of Jesus Christ!
- Ruth
- Ruth chapter 4
- What is happening here?
Probably not as a consequence of the levirate laws of marriage in Deuteronomy 25 which applies to:
- Brothers (Lev 25:5) and the widows “brother in law” (Lev 25:5)
- Who “dwell together” (Lev 25:5) – taken by the Rabbis as indicating brothers with inheritance rights to the same father, ie living on the family land.
- The child born as a result is credited to the deceased brother (Deut 25:6)
This was not what transpired in the book of Ruth:
- Boaz was a near kinsmen (Ruth 3:12,13), not a brother and Naomi perceived no levirate right per se of redemption by Boaz.
- Naomi seems quite clear regarding levirate marriage in Ruth 1:11ff this would depend upon her having another son.
- Boaz credits the choice of Ruth as the cause of the union rather than legal rights per se “Let it even be established, that thy name may be magnified forever, saying, The LORD of hosts is the God of Israel, even a God to Israel: and let the house of David thy servant be established before thee.” (Ruth 3:10)
- Once the son is born he is credited to Boaz (Ruth 4:21) and not Mahlon
This does not fulfil the criteria we know of for levirate but rather fits better with the legislation given as a consequence of the problems raised by the daughters of Zelophehad in Numbers 27 and 36.
It appears to have been their faithfulness and commitment to ensuring their inheritance in Numbers chapter 27 and the subsequent issues which arose in Numbers 36 with legislation that committed the daughter who inherits her fathers property to marry within the tribe. The faithfulness of the daughters of Zelophehad had unexpected consequences, reaching far beyond the daughters of Zelophehad! Their faithfulness in a sense turned the course of history, bringing to pass the marriage of Ruth and Boaz and thus the line of David and of Messiah!
Bible teaching from Ephesians chapter 1
Dr J Stewart Gillespie