Tuesday: Prophetic Voice – Part 1
“ ‘Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy’ ” (Prov. 31:8-9, NIV).
How do we take the principles here and apply them for today?
Image © Lars Justinen Goodsalt.com
So far this week we have noted that God wants His people to express His characteristics of mercy and justice as part of the ideal behavior of His people. The Hebrew prophets often spoke up on behalf of the needy, calling God’s people to repentance for misrepresenting His concern for the marginalized and oppressed. In fact, God equates selfless redemptive behavior with true worship.
Read Isaiah 1:13-17. What does this pronouncement say about God’s definition of true worship? How can we take what is said here, in this immediate context, and apply it to ourselves today? That is, what should these verses say to us now?
Though, of course, many of the Old Testament prophets pointed to future events beyond their lifetimes, they also heavily focused on spiritual and moral reform and unselfish service in the present. The prophetic voice of God’s servants rang loudest when His people made extravagant efforts to worship but did not reflect God’s compassion for the suffering of those around them. One can’t imagine a worse witness than those who are too busy “worshiping” God that they don’t have time to help those in need. Might not a form of “worship” be revealed by those who are serving the Lord by ministering to the needs of others?
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As prodigious as He is, God never stops caring about the very people that society looks at with little interest. They matter in His eyes, in fact everyone does!. More often than not, our main reason for loving the people around us is based on what they have and not on who they are! As long as a person is a person, they deserve to be loved without any conditions whatsoever. Isaiah points out that there was much focus on special events and ceremonies such that the majority had been wrapped up in formalism to the neglect of plain human needs. He ended up letting them know how God abhors their concern over doing things right and forgetting to be just especially to the needy! What a stern warning directed to us, our love for people should outsmart our love for formalism! May we listen to and obey the prophetic voice. Let us love.
Amen. There seems to be a strong defense for formalism and traditionalism in churches today. Formalism and traditionalism seem to be an anesthesia against the royal law of love. The law of love will change us.
John12:8, Jesus was stating true facts. This is not saying that those in need are not important, nor is Jesus overlooking what is more important to everyone. Our society today in general is out of balance and un-caring. Can we make a difference? Yes, but in many different ways. However it is done I think it must be as Matt 22:37-39 counsels from the words of Jesus.
What you say is true, but it is a good thing. It is a theology thing. Travel with me to the time when Jesus was coming on the stage of Earth. The knowledgeble recognised that His powers had to come from God. So they placed Him in a position to force Him to use that power to erase the Romans and bring in peace. They were distraught that He would just let them kill Him when all he had to do was speak. They could not comprehend that His death and sacrifice at the hands of evil was the whole point from the beginning. So it is today. The world must be positioned so that humans choose for or against Jesus and demonstrate that with their life. Then the end can come.
God's love never perish.That's why Jesus at a certain time said he was not after the health people but the sick and the poor.Adding that a healthy person does not require medication.
The author of this lesson wrote:
"How do we take the principles here and apply them for today?"
I was impressed with the following verses from today's lesson:
"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves" [Prov. 31:8] and
"Even though you make many prayers,I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood." [Isaiah 1:15]
Can we apply these verses to the killing of the unborn that is taking place today in our country?
From official statements: Guidelines SDA Church
Christians acknowledge as first and foremost their accountability to God. They seek balance between the exercise of individual liberty and their accountability to the faith community and the larger society and its laws. They make their choices according to scripture and the laws of God rather than the norms of society. Therefore, any attempts to coerce women either to remain pregnant or to terminate pregnancy should be rejected as infringements of personal freedom.
I think we can, and we can see a wonderful example of what we could do as churches in what these young people are doing by outfitting a van as a mobile sonogram clinic. It would be helping to save lives in a real way, rather than just talking about it:
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/how-some-kids-with-a-van-are-changing-the-pro-life-movement
The last parable in Matthew 25 tells of practical ways to help others through serving them. This will reveal those who serve God and those who serve Him not. (Mal 3:18)
Doesn't this passage in Isaiah fit in perfect agreement with other passages such as Ps 15:1-5, and 29:2?