You do not bring people together by stirring up anger, or by reminding people of their grievances. When you remind people of their grievances, legitimate or not, you spread division and strife. Take a close look at those who claim to be trying to bring people together while emphasizing the grievances and complaints of various groups.
If you rely on people, even powerful people, to rescue the oppressed from oppression, you will be disappointed. The powerful, no matter how well-intentioned, can only help you for as long as they live. When they die the structures they have created will resume oppression. It is only when we rely on God that we will see the oppressed rescued from oppression in any meaningful way. It is God, and only God, who can bring about long term change for the better. I will praise the Lord for as long as I live, for it is He who cares for the orphan and the widow. He will see that they receive justice.
Today’s passage refers to the fall of “Babylon”. The “Babylon” referred to here is the city/nation which dominates the world both economically and militarily. It had used its position of power to take unfair advantage of others. John warns us as believers to not take part in the sins of “Babylon”. I am not sure that this prophecy is a once and done prophecy. I believe that any nation which rises to power by oppressing others will suddenly fall and the people of that nation will suffer when that fall happens. Certainly we should take careful thought about this prophecy because if it were about today “Babylon” would be the United States. Are we guilty of the sins which this prophecy ascribes to “Babylon”? How can we separate ourselves from the sins of our nation?
Zechariah condemns those who were called to lead God’s people who, instead of serving the people they were called to lead, used their position of leadership to enrich themselves at the expense of the people. However, he also condemns the people for choosing to follow such leaders rather than the good leaders whom God has sent them. I see this in the Church today. All too many people are following leaders who are abusing them, while rejecting leaders who offer to serve them. Zechariah warns us that God will bring persecution and suffering upon the Church if we do not follow those whom He has sent to lead us. I, also, see that God is calling some to serve His people as He desires. Are you one of those called to serve and lead God’s people? If so, are you truly serving them? Or are you “eating the meat of the fattest sheep?”
When you churn cream you get butter. When you punch someone in the nose, it bleeds. When you intentionally make someone angry, they will fight back. Or to put it another way, when you do things that make someone angry, you should expect them to resist the course of action you would like the group to follow.
I will praise God with all that I am. I will not put my trust in humans because they will only be on this earth for a short while. God made heaven, earth, and the seas, and everything in them. He keeps all of His promises for all of time and beyond. He will give justice to the oppressed and food to the hungry. God will reign forever and I will praise Him.
Today’s passage describes the fall of “Babylon”. The city described was wealthy and powerful. Its people indulged themselves in every luxury and immorality imaginable. The rulers of every nation who indulged in her luxuries and sins will be terrified by her fall. The merchants who sold luxuries to the people of this great city will be terrified as well. God’s people are warned not to take part in her sins, to come away from her or they will be punished with her.
Whenever I read this passage, it frightens me. The only nation on earth today which fits the description of “Babylon” given here is the United States. What is meant when we are warned to “Come away from her”? Are we supposed to relocate? Or is it enough to resist the sins of the society around us? Is it possible to live in this country and avoid taking part in any of the sines of our society?
This passage condemns leaders who use their position of authority selfishly rather than to care for those put under their authority. However, it also condemns the people for following such leaders. When we follow evil shepherds rather than the Good Shepherd, we will suffer as a result. God will punish leaders who abuse their positions of power, but that does not mean that we can follow such leaders and not suffer as well.
I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have found that by writing this daily blog of what I see when I read these scriptures, I get more out of them. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. In order to make that possible I read the passages and write my thoughts a day in advance. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.
Zechariah points out the foolishness of those who turn to sources of divination in order to plan for the future, rather than following the commands of God. He then condemns those leaders who have encouraged the people to seek after such guidance instead of guiding them to God. Zechariah then condemns those people who reject godly leaders, even after they have been shown the venality of their wicked leaders.
Today’s passage contains a warning against both those leaders who lead people away from God to the worship of idols, and those people who seek out such leaders rather than godly leaders. This is all too common among human societies. Wicked leaders lead people astray and wicked people are unwilling to follow godly leaders. It is a cycle which can only be broken by the intervention of God’s Holy Spirit to change the hearts of the people. I believe we are well into such a cycle now. Let us fervently pray to God that He send His Spirit to raise up leaders to lead people back to Him and to transform the hearts of the people to be willing to follow such leaders.
John now hears words of condemnation for “Babylon”, a nation which dominates the earth through military and economic might. It’s fall is announced and God’s people are warned to separate themselves from its sins. I believe from the context that this represents the same world power as was discussed in yesterday’s passage and referred to there as the prostitute. The people of this nation will not believe that any harm can come to them because they will be confident of their power and wealth. As a result of this arrogance, their fall will come all the more swiftly. John tells us that the rulers of the world who had both committed adultery with her and conspired to bring about her downfall will be terrified by her fall. The merchants of the world will weep for the fall of this power, since its fall will cause a collapse of world markets.
No matter how mighty a nation may be, it will not long survive when it steeps itself in sin and persecutes those who strive to live righteous, godly lives. When those who strive to live by God’s commands see the nation in which they live head down this path they must strive with all of their hearts to not be seduced into the sins of those around them.
I will praise the Lord with all of my being. The psalmist reminds us not to put our trust in powerful people. No matter how good their intentions they will die one day and they have no power to help us beyond that day. Instead, lest us rely on God, whose power will know no end. He is the sure defender of the weak and powerless. He gives justice to the oppressed and food to the hungry. He loves the godly, who are those who strive to do as He does (giving justice to the oppressed and food to the hungry). I will praise the Lord and strive to live as He would have me do.
Stirring up anger will create quarrels and conflict as surely as beating cream will, in due time, create butter. There is no mystery here, yet many people seem surprised when the anger they nurtured in others leads to conflict and disorder.
I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have found that by writing this daily blog of what I see when I read these scriptures, I get more out of them. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them. I hope that the Spirit is moving in others through these posts as the Spirit has definitely been convicting me.
Today’s passage from Zechariah confuses me. It has two parts but I do not see how the two parts fit together. In the first part the prophet starts by condemning the political and spiritual leaders for their failure to lead the people in a godly manner. He then goes on to say that God will make Judah strong and restore Israel. God will bring them back from the lands to which He has scattered them and will destroy those who oppose them.
Then the prophet begins the second part. In the second part God tells the prophet to care for the flock intended for slaughter. The prophet says that he cared for the flock intended for slaughter and got rid of three evil shepherds. The prophet became impatient with the sheep and tells us that they hated him. He resigned his post and requested his wages. He received his wages which were thirty pieces of silver. At God’s instruction he took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them to the potter in the Temple. God tells the prophet that this reflects how He will give the nation a shepherd that will not care for them, a shepherd that will get fat off the flock without doing anything to benefit it. God promises that sorrow awaits this worthless shepherd.
Reading this entire passage, I see very little in it aside from the foreshadowing of Judas. The only other thing I see in this passage is that God promises that those leaders who take advantage of their position in order to benefit themselves and do not look out for those they are leading will suffer for their actions.
Today’s passage begins with an angel coming down from heaven declaring that Babylon is fallen. Yesterday’s passage told us that the prostitute who sat on the scarlet beast was Babylon. Another voice called out from heaven for God’s people to come away from her and not take part in her sins. The voice tells us that she did evil to others and sent terror upon them, now these deeds would be returned onto her. She was arrogant and proud and thought that nothing bad could ever come to her. As a result of her arrogance, her collapse will come swiftly. All the rulers and merchants of the world will mourn Babylon’s fall because they benefited from her self-indulgence. Finally another angel throws a large boulder into the sea and declares that the fall of Babylon will be final and permanent. It will never rise again.
When I read this passage, I can see how the United States could easily fit into the role of Babylon in this passage. For certainly many of the rulers throughout the world owe their power and position to the patronage of the United Sates. In addition, the economies (and thus the merchants) of the world will suffer greatly if the U.S. were to fall. This is a frightening prospect since I live within the United States. On the other hand, I know from reading commentaries on the Book of Revelation and studying the book from time to time that the writer of Revelation believed that the Babylon he was writing about was Rome. So, I will not pretend that I have a greater understanding of this passage than the man who wrote it. I believe that the message to be taken from it is not that the United States will be destroyed as part of the end times (although that may indeed be part of what this passage is prophesying), rather the message (at least for me today) is that we should separate ourselves from the sins of the nations and societies that we live in. We should not get caught up in identifying ourselves with our country and its interests. Rather we must pursue doing the Lord’s will and preaching the Gospel to all of those that we can reach. We must seek to help the suffering and those in need. I know that I have a problem here. I read many forums and sites that discuss political issues. All too often, I present arguments about what is best for the nation, rather than arguments about what God desires us to do. I do this because I am more confident in judging the pragmatic course for the country than I am in judging what God’s will for our actions (and I am less afraid of ridicule when I argue the former than when I present the latter–I need to lose my fear of ridicule for speaking what I believe is God’s will>
Let all that is in me praise the Lord. This psalm is a great follow on to the message I found today in Revelation. It tells me not to put my confidence in powerful people. The NIV says do not put your trust in prince (in other words, government officials). The psalm tells us that people will die and when they do all of their plans and power will come to nothing. Rather than trusting in men we are to rely on God. He keeps His promises for eternity. He gives justice to the oppressed and fees the poor. I will strive to follow this instruction and neither trust in men, nor fear them. Rather I will strive to place all of my trust in God and the knowledge that He can care for me no matter what men may do or say.
Today’s proverb seems obvious, if you stir up anger in people they will fight and quarrel. Yet all too many times people attempt to further their positions by stirring up anger against others, then cannot understand why they are unable to reach a compromise among the quarreling parties.
