IMAGO DEIਨਮੂਨਾ

IMAGO DEI in Community Relationships

Living as God’s “Segulah”

Scripture Focus:

“Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine.”
— Exodus 19:5

A God Who Forms a People

The book of Exodus is not just a story of deliverance—it is the story of a relationship.
It tells how God rescued His people from slavery, guided them through the wilderness, and shaped them into a nation that would bear His name. God did not only want to free Israel; He wanted to form them. He saw the Israelites as a community of people who were forming a nation that he would call His own. He called them out of Egypt to become His own nation, a community that reflected His nature and character.

Before giving them the Ten Commandments, God made a powerful declaration in Exodus 19:5:“You will be my treasured possession.” The Hebrew word for “treasured possession” is “Segulah”—a word full of intimacy and value. It describes something deeply personal, precious, and guarded—like a king’s private jewel, set apart from all his other riches. This verse reveals God’s heart: He didn’t just want servants; He wanted a people He could treasure.

Segulah: A Relationship Rooted in Covenant

In Exodus 19:5, God’s promise comes with a condition: “If you obey my voice and keep my covenant…”The covenant was not merely about rules—it was about a relationship.
To be God’s Segulah meant to live in alignment with His heart, reflecting His holiness and His image in every relationship. God’s intention was clear: He was forming not just individuals, but a community of belonging—a people who would relate rightly to Him and to one another.

The Ten Commandments: A Blueprint for Communal Relationship

God’s first instruction to His Segulah community was the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20), He wasn’t just laying down laws — He was forming a relational framework for His people, both with Him and each other. Each commandment teaches how to honour God and how to live honourably with others.

Let’s look at them through the lens of relationship:

1. Commands 1–3: Our relationship with God — worshipping Him alone, honouring His name, revering His presence.

2. Command 4: Our relationship with those who labour beside us — keeping the Sabbath holy, providing rest for ourselves, our co-workers and essential suppliers.

3. Command 5: Our relationship within the family — honouring parents and nurturing generational respect.

4. Command 6: Our relationship with the community — valuing life and protecting it.

5. Command 7: Our relationship in marriage — upholding faithfulness and purity.

6. Command 8: Our relationship with others’ property — respecting boundaries and possessions.

7. Commands 9–10: Our relationship with our neighbours — speaking truth, rejecting envy, and seeking contentment.

Every command rests on one central truth: How we relate to others flows from how we relate to God.

God’s Unchanging Heart … (Read More)

Though Israel repeatedly failed to keep these commandments, God’s heart never changed.
He continued to call His people “My treasured possession.” Even when they turned away, His covenant love pursued them.

Today, through Christ, that same love reaches us. Peter echoes the same identity that was first spoken of in Exodus: “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession…” (1 Peter 2:9). If we belong to a relational God, then every relationship in our lives becomes sacred ground. God calls us to live as His segulah — displaying His love in the way we honour, forgive, serve, and speak to others. When we see each person — family, friend, co-worker, or neighbour — as someone God treasures, our relationships begin to mirror His heart.

We are God’s segulah — His prized people, called to reflect His image in our homes, marriages, workplaces, and neighbourhoods.

Reflect:

• Do I live as one who is God’s segulah — deeply loved and set apart for His purposes?
• How do my daily relationships reflect (or distort) the image of God?
• Which of the Ten Commandments challenges my relational life the most today?