Thus has the Lord of Hosts said, “Dispense true justice, and practice kindness and compassion each to his brother; and do not oppress the widow or the orphan, the stranger or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another. And they made their hearts like flint so that they could not hear the law and the words which the Lord of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets; therefore great wrath came from the Lord of hosts. Zechariah 7: 9, 12 NASB
Israel was stubborn. She’d mourned and danced. Fasted and feasted. Worked and wandered. But was it for the Lord that she’d gone without seventy years? She’d sought the Lord’s favor; but her fasts had become ritualistic and self-serving. She ignored the plight of others. God saw her shenanigans. Her heart was like flint, and habits polluted her view. Her ears had become dull; they weren’t attentive to hear God’s voice. He required loyalty and faithfulness. He sought her undivided heart and obedience.
The Lord calls His people with purpose. He commands us to be diligent in His Way. We’re to be a light where fear and hopelessness has settled. I’ve had to repent many times for the thorn bushes I grow around my heart and time; but I’ve been called to bestow justice, to defend the cause of the weak and oppressed.
Justice is not a one-time decision or declaration. It’s a way of life!
The Lord seeks committed and responsible workers to rebuild His homes and communities. We must practice kindness and compassion. Consider the Hebrew meanings of these words:
True—what is sure, faithful, and right. It is a barometer for our words and actions.
Justice—verdict, sentence, and/or formal decree. Right or privilege. A manner of life.
Practice—to make. Accomplish. Complete. Bear and bruise. Fit and fashion. Trim. Exercise. To commit to . . . gather and connect. Journey. Sacrifice.
Kindness—favor, good deeds, beauty, pity, and mercy.
Flint—stones, thorns, or diamonds.
Compassion—the womb and bowels, the seat of tender emotions. Pity. Mercy. Affection.
Jesus’ steadfast kindness and faithfulness are the foundation of His character and Way. In His kindness, He creates, rescues, delivers, preserves and sustains. He is a covenant keeping God! We are to display the same to each other. We must commit to the journey and walk with our oppressed brothers and sisters. To have compassion like we cherish and protect a vulnerable womb. A care and concern that comes from our sensitive, innermost being. Healthy. Disciplined. Resolute. Or else, we’re easily upset, irritated, angry and unmerciful.
God calls us to listen. To open our hearts and be pliable in His hands. Intimate. Flexible. Usable. We must bow. Choose to be different. Thorns prick and protect. They become our defense. Diamonds stand alone. They are 58x harder than anything found in nature. They form under high temperatures and pressure conditions far beneath the earth’s surface. Dark. Deep. Isolation. One part in a million. One must break through a lot of rock to reach the gem.
Let the justice, kindness, and compassion of Jesus Christ shine in us like a solitaire.
In Him alone,
Lily Mae
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