May the mumbling commence!
When we rise to power, we have responsibilities toward
those we have power over. Read some of
the rules for royalty contained within Ezekiel chapters forty-five and
forty-six:
"My
princes will no longer oppress
and rob my people; they will assign the rest of the land to the
people, giving an allotment to each
tribe. For this is what
the Sovereign Lord says: Enough, you princes
of Israel! Stop all your violence and oppression and do what is just and right. Quit robbing and cheating my people out
of their land! Stop expelling them from their homes! You must use only honest weights and scales, honest dry volume measures, and honest liquid volume measures.”
(45:8b-10)
Having land is a justice issue. When we dole out the land God gives us, we
must be sure to do it fairly. We must
not give preferential treatment to our family or our friends.
Why this emphasis on land? Land is equal to food. Crops are raised on that land. We must make sure that food is properly
distributed so that everyone has enough.
When we refuse to act in this way with our power, we
commit violence and oppression on other people.
We may not see it, but it’s there nevertheless. We cannot sustain a nation of any kind when
violence and oppression are the ways of life… where robbery and cheating are
seen as fair practice. You know, let the
buyer beware.
For this reason, we must make certain that honest and
standardized measures for products are given.
Makes me think of how companies will decrease the amount of food in
their package instead of increasing the price.
They decrease the amount of product and keep the price the same. The price has actually risen, but that price
hike is hidden from many eyes.
May those who have power and wealth be careful how they
wield them. Read further in Ezekiel:
"This is what the Sovereign Lord says: If the prince gives a gift of land to one of his sons, it will belong to him and his descendants forever. But if he gives a gift of land to one of his servants, the servant may keep it only until the Year of Jubilee,
which comes every fiftieth year. At that time the servant will be set free, and the land will return to the prince.
Only the gifts given to the prince's sons will be permanent. And the
prince may never take anyone's property by force. If he gives
property to his sons, it must be from his own land, for I do not
want any of my people unjustly evicted from their property."
(46:16-18)
In case we missed it, land is essential to
equality. Kings are not to take someone’s
land by force. There was a reason why
King Ahab was loath to take Naboth’s vineyard by force (First Kings 21).
May we see that we never strong arm anyone out of their
source of livelihood. May we use our
power to bring people to faith in the Lord God Almighty – just as Jesus
does. Read from John chapter eleven:
Jesus responded, "Didn't I tell you that you will see God's glory if you believe?"
So they rolled the stone aside.
Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, "Father, thank
you for hearing me. You always hear me,
but I said it out loud for the sake of
all these people standing here, so they will believe you sent me." Then Jesus shouted, "Lazarus,
come out!" And
Lazarus came out, bound in grave clothes, his face wrapped in a head cloth.
Jesus told them, "Unwrap
him and let him go!"
Many of the people who were with Mary believed in Jesus
when they saw this happen. (Verses 40-45)
Jesus used his power to raise a man from the dead. Jesus called him by name – Lazarus, come out. If Jesus would have said only “come out” then
who knows how many people would have exited that tomb! Jesus did this miracle so that people might
believe. May we go and do likewise.
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
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