Devotion for Friday 28 May
Dear Readers and Listeners, Friends in Jesus Christ,
Our watchword is taken from the Book of the Prophet Micah, Chapter 7 verse 9, “He will bring me out to the light; I shall see his vindication,” (NRSVB). The prophet Micah calls out in distress, for he sees that the those around him, those who are the leaders and officials of Israel, are twisting justice and even the judges are asking for bribes. Micah is searching to find a righteous person, but is seems as if they have all perished, for he cannot find one upright person. Micah calls out and tells that he feels as if the words that he brings to the peopel have been crushed and gleaned, as if they are not listened to, nor can they be found. Micah cannot see the harvest that his words should have produced, a crop of righteous people, waiting to serve the Lord.
The prophet alerts the people, the rulers and the priests, to the coming wrath of God that will caused Israel to be displaced. Both kingdoms, the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judah, will be destroyed for the leaders are joining in corruption and have moved the people into a direction of lawlessness, injustice and deception. Micah utters his calls of woes and devastation as he firstly addresses the people, the earth and all the creatures to listen. Micah then calls on those who spend their time planning evil plans and unlawful practices; and on those who have been the heads of the tribes of Jacob, who are not teaching the people the Laws of the Lord. They are haters of good and lovers of evil who have turned the people to follow their example.
However, Micah brings words of comfort as he pronounces that Bethlehem will be the birth place of the One who would be the Ruler of Israel. Micah also tells of the return of the exiles from Egypt and the restoration of the temple where the good Shepherd will feed the flock, and there the sheep will be safe and secure. It has been a long time coming, in the worship of Israel, that they have followed the complete instructions of a leader. Micah can foresee a time when the assembly would all gather together in the Temple and worship God again in peace and in righteousness.
Those who disregarded the words of the Prophet Micah, disregarded the possiblity that God’s anger at deliberately wrong action, is part of the redemption of the lost. People are incapable to carry the burden of sin, they are equally unable to save themselves. Only the Messiah has the ability and the calling upon him to come and be the light of the world, the salvation of mankind. He will be the ransom paid for all out, setting them free from the hands of the enemy.
The Apostle Paul, prior to his meeting with Christ on the Road to Damascus, was called Saul. He was a zealous and righteous person in the eyes of the temple authority, for he interpreted scripture in a manner that blinded him to the fact that the Messiah dwelled on earth and died, resurrected and ascended to save the world. With great enthusiam Saul persecuted the new religious group, called the Way, the name given to the followers of Christ. Paul experienced God’s intervention in his unrighteous mission as Christ appeared to him and called, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” Saul knew that this was a godly intervention and he asked, as he was struck with blindness, due to the brightness of the appearance of Christ, “Who are you, Lord?” And Jesus answered that he was Jesus, whom Saul was persecuting.
There on the road God broke through the spiritual blindness of Saul by giving him physical blindness, until he came to realized the truth of God’s plans and the unrighteousness of his own plans. Then God restored him in the community again so that he could preach, the Word of the Lord, to those who were unbelievers. Ananias was shown in a vision that he had to go and anoint Saul, heal him and prepare him to become a voice that calls, however, Ananias first had to be assured by God that Saul the persecuter of the Christians, changed to Paul the Preacher of Christ Crucified. “Ananias went and entered the house. He laid his hands on Saul and said: Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit,” Acts Chapter 9 verse 17, (NRSVB).
God turns people to him and does not allow that recklessness and lawlessness prevail, for the enemy of justice will not prevail and God will bring it to pass that those who are spiritually blinded will receive sight and believe. This will herald in the vindication of all the prophets and priests, believers and preachers who continue to call out loudly the word of the Lord, while they were persecuted for teaching and preaching concerning The Truth and the Life, the Light of the World.
Father, we praise you that we can hear and harken your Words as we listen to voice of the Spirit of the Lord, who lives and us, and who calls us to follow in the ways of rigtheousness, Amen.
