Today's readings are 2 Chronicles 36.1-23 and Colossians 4.1-18.
Our Old Testament reading today brings us through a very difficult time in the life of the people of Judah. Their kings are unfaithful, they are being replaced at the whim of the tyrant invaders, the things of the temple are being taken away, and the people are being enslaved, starved, and killed. The city is finally sacked and rendered uninhabitable.
Notice that God's prophets continue to stand against these abuses throughout the entire time period? Jeremiah and some others are telling the truth, provoking the invaders to wrath.
When the going gets rough, God's prophets must stand up for their Lord, no matter the cost. And that's what they have a history of doing. How many people have chosen to serve God faithfully in pastoral ministry, proclaiming the truth of God, despite times of persecution? How many people have been willing to put their lives on the line so as to tell the truth of God's Law and Gospel to the people who so desperately need to hear it? This great cloud of witnesses who have borne the testimony to the death and resurrection of their Lord Jesus Christ has gone before us. Until the return of our Lord in glory, the cloud of witnesses will continue to grow.
It's quite a job description. Yet God's people need faithful witnesses to proclaim the truth and administer the means of grace. May the Lord ever provide us with his faithful prophets, pastors and teachers, serving him despite all dangers.
Our Old Testament reading today brings us through a very difficult time in the life of the people of Judah. Their kings are unfaithful, they are being replaced at the whim of the tyrant invaders, the things of the temple are being taken away, and the people are being enslaved, starved, and killed. The city is finally sacked and rendered uninhabitable.
Notice that God's prophets continue to stand against these abuses throughout the entire time period? Jeremiah and some others are telling the truth, provoking the invaders to wrath.
When the going gets rough, God's prophets must stand up for their Lord, no matter the cost. And that's what they have a history of doing. How many people have chosen to serve God faithfully in pastoral ministry, proclaiming the truth of God, despite times of persecution? How many people have been willing to put their lives on the line so as to tell the truth of God's Law and Gospel to the people who so desperately need to hear it? This great cloud of witnesses who have borne the testimony to the death and resurrection of their Lord Jesus Christ has gone before us. Until the return of our Lord in glory, the cloud of witnesses will continue to grow.
It's quite a job description. Yet God's people need faithful witnesses to proclaim the truth and administer the means of grace. May the Lord ever provide us with his faithful prophets, pastors and teachers, serving him despite all dangers.
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Dave Spotts
blogging at http://capnsaltyslongvoyage.blogspot.com
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