Several years ago, I had to make a car trip from northern Indiana to Indianapolis in the center of the state.  As I drove down, I was listening to some teaching tapes that ended just about the time I reached the city.  When I ejected the tapes, the car radio came on to the frequency I had been listening to when I was back in the upper part of the state, only to discover that whatever station had that same frequency in Indianapolis definitely was not a Christian station.  Instead of the nice praise music I expected, I was greeted by someone bellowing out,

I’m on the highway to hell.

No stop signs, speed limit…

Don’t stop me.

I’m on the highway to hell.

Once I recuperated from the initial shock of the lyrics, I was reminded of the old saying about the world going to hell in a hand basket and remembered the joke that goes with it that this is a great time to be in the hand basket business.  Of course, the other alternative is to take affirmative action and stand in the road with a big “detour” sign.

The facts that someone would actually go to the trouble to write a song that boasts of the fact that he is going to hell, that a record company would be willing to record and release it, and that a radio station would be brazen enough to risk playing it on the air are true signs that we are living in perilous times.  These are the days that the Apostle Paul described when he talked about the end of the present dispensation:

This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.  For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.  For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.  (II Timothy 3:1-7)

There is one thing that I’ve noticed from reading about the perilous times that are described in the Bible — God always raises up a peculiar person who can stand against the prevailing rush of destruction and show the people that there is an exit they can take on their highway to hell.  In the Old Testament, He established a special relationship with the nation of Israel so that they would stand out as a unique people to demonstrate to the pagan world around them that there really is a special significance for those who belong to God and keep His commandments.

For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God, and the Lord hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth…The Lord hath avouched thee this day to be his peculiar people, as he hath promised thee, and that thou shouldest keep all his commandments. (Deuteronomy 14:2, 26:18)

In the New Testament, both Peter and Paul use the term “peculiar” to describe those of us who have been redeemed from the highway to hell and have become a beacon light to shine back to those still on that highway.

Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” (Titus 2:14)  “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. (I Peter 2:9)

If we look at some of these heroes who made a difference during some of the perilous times in history, we can see four great characteristics that make them stand out from the people around them and that qualify them for the title “peculiar.”

The first characteristic I see about these peculiar people is illustrated in the story of David when he fought Goliath: peculiar people see themselves differently.  In the story recorded in I Samuel 17:1-36, there is repeated reference to the army as the “servants of Saul,” the “army of Saul,” the “army of Israel,” or simply as “Israel.”  However, David showed up with a different vision of himself and the people to whom he belonged; he saw himself as a soldier in the army of the Most High God — not as just part of a human effort led by a mortal king in a natural nation.  By standing up and asking the question, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?”  David made a quantum leap into a new dimension and broke the month-long stalemate between the opposing armies.  His question became the catalyst for Israel’s victory.  Even as a teenager, David was able to detour his entire nation off their highway to hell because he dared to see himself differently.  God raised him up during perilous times to make a difference.  We, too, can make a difference in these perilous times if we dare to break from the mold which the world around us has set for us and see ourselves differently — according to the beautiful promises and blessings described in God’s Word.

The second characteristic that distinguishes peculiar people is demonstrated in the life of a very unlikely hero: a harlot named Rahab.  As we have already discovered, her story reveals that peculiar people view God differently.  Rahab lived in Jericho, the city of that was destined for destruction in the conquest as the people of Israel came into the Promised Land under Joshua’s leadership.

Everyone in the city could feel the impending doom as the army of the living God amassed outside their city walls.  They had heard the stories of how the God of Israel had opened the Red Sea so that the people could flee Egypt, how the Lord had then closed the sea to drown the advancing army of Pharaoh, and how that the great I AM had fed, protected, and provided for the multitude for forty years.  Now this nation with such special concern from the Almighty God was approaching them.  In their minds, there was nothing they could do; they faced certain defeat.  In all of that great city, there was only one peculiar person who dared to think differently; Rahab ventured to believe that God could be for her rather than against her.  As we read the story in Joshua 2:9-13, we see that out of all the citizens of Jericho, she was the only one who saw that God could possibly be on her side.

Rahab made the difference between life and death for herself and her family because she was bold enough to be peculiar and believe that God was on her side.  Through saving her family, she proved that there is a detour off the highway to hell when we begin to think differently about God.  In our perilous times that so closely parallel the conditions in which the city of Jericho found itself, we can also make a difference if we will courageously believe the Word of God that God is truly for us rather than against us.

The prophet Jeremiah demonstrated the next principle concerning how peculiar people can make a difference in perilous times when he made a most unusual and seemingly foolish business transaction.  Jeremiah 32:1-19 tells the story of how the prophet was in prison when his cousin Hanameel showed up with an offer that anyone would be a fool not to refuse.  Jeremiah’s uncle had a piece of property to sell and wanted the prophet to have the first chance at it.  Of course Jeremiah was in prison — a rather unlikely time for him to be investing in real estate; but even more significant was the fact that Babylon was threatening to attack Israel — and Jeremiah had the prophetic “inside scoop” that they would conquer and destroy the land.  Yet Jeremiah went ahead and purchased the property in spite of all the indications that it was a foolish waste of his money; he invested in the future when there seemed to be no future.  He could act in such a peculiar way during such a perilous time because he had a different view of the situation.  He looked beyond the present situation even when he saw destruction coming because peculiar people see the situation differently.  If Jeremiah could look at his present perilous times through prophetic eyes, so can we.  We may seem quite peculiar to everyone around us, but we can be God’s traffic control agents directing those on the highway to hell toward a heavenly detour.

One last key about peculiar people is that they see the power of just one person.  A good illustration of this principle can be found in the tiny biography of Shammah in II Samuel 23:11-12.

After him was Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite.  And the Philistines were gathered together into a troop, where was a piece of ground full of lentils: and the people fled from the Philistines.  But he stood in the midst of the ground, and defended it, and slew the Philistines: and the Lord wrought a great victory.

Shammah decided to stand up all alone to defend his little pea patch from the invasion of the enemy who had planned to steal all the crops of the Israelites just when the harvest was coming in.  Although he had no one to stand with him, he courageously planted himself in the middle of his field and defied anyone who would to try to take his goods.  Just like his name, which means “the one who is there,” Shammah refused to be moved off of his blessing.  The result was described as a “great victory” — not simply a victory, but a great one!

Peculiar people never think that they, their opinions, or their actions are insignificant.  They always believe that their vote counts and will be the one that makes a difference.  Peculiar people know that much of history has been shaped by just one man or just one vote.  Perhaps they remember that in 1645, Oliver Cromwell was given power over England by a one-vote margin.  Or that in 1649, Charles of England was executed on the decision of just one vote.  Or that in 1776, one vote swayed the decision for English rather than German to be made the national language of the United States of America as the colonies were desperately trying to break all ties with the mother country.  Or that in 1845, Texas was admitted into the Union by a single vote.  Or that it was one lone vote that saved President Andrew Jackson from impeachment in 1865.  Or that Rutherford B. Hayes became President in 1875 on the power of a just one vote.  Or that Adolph Hitler was elected as leader of the Nazi Party in 1923 by a single ballot.  Or that it was one vote that reaffirmed the Selective Service just weeks prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1942.

One day several years ago, I was shopping in a local mom-and-pop convenience store when I noticed pornographic literature for sale behind the checkout counter.  It just so happened that my visit coincided with a national boycott of the Seven-Eleven chain over the same issue.  I just mentioned to the cashier that it would be wise to get rid of that merchandise before the born-again Christians in the community started marching in front of their store with anti-pornography placards.  Within just a few days, the owner of the store called our church to inform us that they had decided to eliminate all the objectionable literature.  I have no way of knowing how many other people may have had input into that decision, but I have always thought that my one vote must have played a significant part.  On another occasion, I ran across what I considered to be sacrilegious and blasphemous material on the comic page of our local newspaper.  I felt strongly enough about the content of the cartoon that I sent a letter stating my concerns to the editor.  Within the week, a full-page spread appeared in the paper asking the readers to respond to a survey concerning the content of the cartoons carried by the tabloid.  It seemed really strange to me that any newspaper would go to such a length to run a survey over such a seemingly insignificant part of their operation.  And I couldn’t even guess how many — if any — others had “called them on the carpet” about the offensive comic; but I always suspect that my one letter must have had at least some impact.

Peculiar people don’t mind being the ones who march to the beat of a different drummer because they know that it just might be that all the others are marching to the beat of the wrong drum and that their courage to change drummers could be the key to salvation for many others as well as themselves.  Peculiar people know that, in spite of what tradition may tell us, five hundred thousand Frenchmen can be wrong.  Peculiar people know that it only takes one flagman on the road to detour a line of traffic — and they have the courage to be that one lone flagman!

Peculiar people see the situation differently; and because they do, they make a difference.  In 1879, Frank W. Woolworth started with three hundred dollars that he had taken out as a loan.  His plan to have a store that sold only five-cent items worked well for the first two weeks but then failed.  He refused to give up on his idea and added ten-cent items.  By 1911, his company had made almost one hundred of its employees into millionaires.  On October 8, 1871, Mrs. O’Leary’s cow started the Great Chicago Fire that destroyed millions of dollars worth of downtown Chicago including Marshall Field’s store.  Unlike most of the other merchants, Mr. Fields refused to be defeated and rebuilt amidst the ashes of his lost career.  In 1785, as Napoleon challenged England, Lord Mayer Rothschild single-handedly diverted the collapse the British financial structure by averting a run on the market when he stood to buy any and all stock offered for sale.  His refusal to give up on the British economy instilled hope and confidence in the other financiers of the country.

There is a simple progression to becoming one of God’s peculiar people: practice being a person of prayer because people of prayer become people with perspective and perspective gives purpose.  People with purpose become people of persistence, and it is the persistent people who obtain power.  People with power gain permanence that is accompanied with prosperity, God’s provision in perilous times.  The one important thing to remember about peculiar people is that they don’t have to be weird people, just unusual — unusual about how they see themselves, how they see God, how they see their situation, and how they view the power of standing alone against the opinion of the majority.  Although it doesn’t use the word “peculiar,” Philippians 2:15-16 accurately describes what happens to those peculiar people whom we saw in I Peter 2:9 as having been called out of darkness into God’s marvelous light.

That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world, holding forth the word of life.

They become flagmen with flashlights, lanterns, and flares in the present perilous times, detouring people off the highway to hell.

In God’s eyes, these unusual individuals are not peculiar people; they are His special and peculiar treasure.

Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine.  (Exodus 19:5)