“And seven women shall take hold of one man in that day, saying, ‘We will eat our own bread and wear our own clothes, only let us be called by your name; take away our reproach.’ In that day the branch of the LORD shall be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land shall be the pride and honor of the survivors of Israel. And he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy, everyone who has been recorded for life in Jerusalem, when the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and cleansed the bloodstains of Jerusalem from its midst by a spirit of judgment and by a spirit of burning.” Is. 4:1-4
Devotional Thought For The Day
Such are the ratios of men to women when disastrous warfare has stricken a nation. I suppose that for the remaining men this may have seemed a boon, however, their dwindled numbers would have had to take care of the food production and national defense. They likely would not have had time for seven women, even under such desperate circumstances where the women promise to be taking care of themselves, their own basic needs. This “cleansing” was promised in consequence of the pride, arrogance, immorality, luxury, and fleecing of the poor that was taking place in an affluent time. The descriptions are quite comparable to what often occurs in America today. We should pray that it not happen, but a reversal of fortunes may be required to call people here back to humility and to seeking the LORD. Far more preferable would be for people to come to their senses, to quit luxuriating and greedily seeking wealth, and to turn their attention to the poor. We have to a large degree turned our backs on the homeless, many of whom suffer mental illness, on those who live in poverty and in areas terrorized by gangs and drug merchants, and on the offspring of those who were subjugated under our government against their wishes – African Americans, Native Americans, and some Hispanics. Many of these suffer impoverished lives while others of us are doing quite well. We can live in places where it is easy to forget the suffering of others.
One of the constant themes of the prophets, and of Jesus, is that only a “branch” of the tree of Israel would be saved, only a few will survive the wrath which is to come. Isaiah describes it as “beautiful and glorious,” those who have been “recorded for life in Jerusalem.” We have two contrary reactions to this reality, that the people of God will always be a minority. First, we eagerly desire to be among them and to be confident of life and salvation and the blessing of God. However, when it becomes apparent that we will suffer being counter-cultural and quite “different” from the people around us, we may have some second thoughts. It is a painful thing to be ostracized from the majority and to not be part of the activities, to not share their ambitions and lifestyle, but to have a stronger allegiance to One Whom those around us do not know or acknowledge. We may seek compromise, to fit in, participating in things that we shouldn’t, laughing at things that aren’t really funny but tragic, and generally living in disguise. But all of these things have an erosive effect on our faith and loyalty to God, and our commitment to what is good. Hence the decline of the church over the past 50 years of increasing affluence, and hence the erosion of social concern for the poor, the weak, and the vulnerable. All the while life has been fairly good for the majority, but God surely hears the cries of the poor and observes the misery that many live in, and the inequities and disparity that causes the suffering. And He prepares judgment.
We perhaps don’t notice, but those who have been marginalized and discriminated against surely observe that there is much less concern for issues of social justice these days. The anger and outrage seethes out and erupts every so often when some terribly egregious injustice takes place. We notice, and perhaps think that someone should do something about it – the angry riotous behavior, but it quickly goes out of the news and we forget about it. We have other things, pleasant things to distract and occupy us. Others are forced to continue living in fear of the people who ought to be helping them. We hoped that things would change, and there was a great deal of optimism when we were young; somehow the torch went out and got buried in the attic. But God’s eyes remain wide open, and ours should as well, so that we have compassion, care, and concern for those who lack basic needs, safety, security, and rights. I may be sounding like the hippies of the past, but in spite of the stupidity that accompanied much of that movement, they did have some things right – especially care and concern for equal treatment and opportunity, and the need to offer a helping hand to the downtrodden. This should not need to be rekindled within the fellowship of Christ’s people, but compelled by the love of Christ this should be one of our constant concerns. May God grant that it return with fervor.
There are numerous places in Holy Scripture where these dynamics of affluence and oppression are observed and condemned, enough that we should take notice and give serious consideration. Yes, it will mean that we are “different,” and will live in such a way that confronts and criticizes, perhaps even condemns, the status quo values and ambitions around us. But the one thing that we are called to is to love as we have been loved, and this includes all of life. And in the end it will surely be better to be part of the branch, the remnant. For God and for His people, life in this world is a matter of deferred gratification. Hopefully we remember this and live accordingly. There is much yet to be done.
Prayer For The Day
Dear Lord Jesus, forgive us for busying ourselves with the selfishness and greed that consumes our current values, and for turning away from fervent concern for the poor and the least in our midst. Help us to wake up before judgment is required. Protect and preserve the vulnerable, and prosper all people, that Your goodness and love might be apparent to all. Especially we pray that Your love might be revealed in how we live. Amen.