"Thy shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria: thy nobles shall dwell in the dust: thy people is scattered upon the mountains, and no man gathereth them."
Nahum 3:18
The image here of the downfall of a people who have no shepherd to gather them (apparently because they are asleep) stands in stark contrast to the idea of being God's people, with the Lord as our Shepherd. One of the differences in the verse is the connection between shepherds and political leaders. Kings and nobles aren't doing their jobs of unifying and helping the people they have authority over. That contrast remains today, and in our lives, we need to make sure that we are putting faith in our true shepherd, Jesus Christ.
This doesn't mean, of course, that we should fail to respect earthly authority or laws. God still asks us to do things "decently and in order" (1 Corinthians 14:40). It does mean though that God comes first, as with everything, and when God's commandments conflict with the will or authority of any person, we should respect God's commandments before men's. Hopefully it goes without saying that any conflict of this manner should be resolved as peacefully and kindly as possible.
Today, let's make sure that if we have any authority over people that we are awake and doing our duty to them and to God. And let's also make sure that we are looking for our true shepherd and not just wandering around lost, as we unfortunately tend to do sometimes. Let's work for unity and peace and not disharmony and conflict. Let's look to the Lord, and be humble enough to accept his leadership, guidance, and deliverance.
Nahum 3:18
The image here of the downfall of a people who have no shepherd to gather them (apparently because they are asleep) stands in stark contrast to the idea of being God's people, with the Lord as our Shepherd. One of the differences in the verse is the connection between shepherds and political leaders. Kings and nobles aren't doing their jobs of unifying and helping the people they have authority over. That contrast remains today, and in our lives, we need to make sure that we are putting faith in our true shepherd, Jesus Christ.
This doesn't mean, of course, that we should fail to respect earthly authority or laws. God still asks us to do things "decently and in order" (1 Corinthians 14:40). It does mean though that God comes first, as with everything, and when God's commandments conflict with the will or authority of any person, we should respect God's commandments before men's. Hopefully it goes without saying that any conflict of this manner should be resolved as peacefully and kindly as possible.
Today, let's make sure that if we have any authority over people that we are awake and doing our duty to them and to God. And let's also make sure that we are looking for our true shepherd and not just wandering around lost, as we unfortunately tend to do sometimes. Let's work for unity and peace and not disharmony and conflict. Let's look to the Lord, and be humble enough to accept his leadership, guidance, and deliverance.
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