Identity of belonging

I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians; I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to walk with heads held high. –Leviticus 26:12-13 (NIV)

Identity is what we believe about ourselves – it goes to the core who we think we are, how we want to be known. As slaves in Egypt, the children of Israel were not just beaten, they were beat down. They had not merely suffered defeat, they were defeated. Their spirit was broken. They needed an identity overhaul.

The truth of God’s image of who we are is freeing. In Him, we need not bow our heads to any man, for we are beloved children of the King. The Israelites needed regular reminders. These next verses will likely be familiar. Notice the context – the priests were to invoke these blessings as a proclamation of ownership and identity for God’s people.

The Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:
“The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”’
“So they will put My Name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.” –Numbers 6:24-27 (NIV)

As a kid, I remember putting MY name on MY stuff to differentiate it from everybody else’s. To this day, I will put my name in the front of books I may loan out, in hopes that they may eventually find their way home. Ownership is identity. God loves being our Dad. And He wants us to enjoy having Him as a Father.

But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. –Isaiah 43:1 (ESV)

Belonging. Having somewhere to come home to. Knowing that when I show up, there’s someone there who claims me, who is glad I made it home safe. Knowing that person was watching the door, waiting for my arrival, ready to come looking for me had I been late.

Though God has every right to claim ownership of my life – first He created me, then He bought me back – the claim He makes and the belonging I feel are not burdensome. Not only are we His possession, we are His prized possession, the objects of His affection, protection, and constant care. Lord, tattoo Your Name on my heart. It’s Yours.

And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God. –Galatians 4:6-7 (ESV)

May we speak that “identity blessing” from Numbers 6 over our brothers and sisters around the world today? My heart is heavy for the people of Ukraine, Afghanistan, and dozens of other countries where war and tyranny are a way of life. And especially for those whose governments are openly hostile toward Christians.