“But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.” 1 Peter 2:9
God is always good! We see this in 2 Kings 20 and Isaiah 38 as God allows Hezekiah to know that he would be passing away so that he could get his affairs in order. And we see God’s goodness again as He grants Hezekiah 15 more years after he turned his face to the wall and cried out to the Lord in prayer. Immediately afterwards, Hezekiah entertained a delegation from Babylon and showed off. He took them throughout the palace, the temple, and everywhere showing all the treasures God had blessed him and his kingdom with. Some, if not most, would say that Hezekiah went too far by doing so, and maybe he did. But what was it that prompted Hezekiah to do such a thing? Maybe he was just glad to be alive, overwhelmed by the goodness of God, and lost a little judgement. Nevertheless, his life had been spared and God granted him another 15 years to live.
Why 15? That number jumped out to me as I read these scriptures. Why not 10, 12, 18, or 20 years? Why the number 15? I love discovering the meaning to things in scripture, and especially numbers. I really like the number 15! The number 15 is considered to be not only a symbol of rest, but also a symbol of restoration, healing and deliverance. Also, this number could be a symbol of the redemption and sacrifice that Jesus made for humanity.
In 2 Peter 9, we see that once we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior, God sees us as “His chosen people, royal priests, a holy nation, and His very own possession.” And in that same verse, Peter goes on to say that, as a result of this “salvation,” we can go on to “show others the goodness of God” through our very lives.Or in essence you could say that God wants to “show off” His goodness in and through us.
Today, allow God’s Sozo Salvation to show up in every area of your life, and then let Him “show off” His goodness through you to the world around you, so that they may be drawn to Him.