Calamity upon calamity will come,
and rumour upon rumour.
They will go searching for a vision from the prophet,
priestly instruction in the law will cease,
the counsel of the elders will come to an end. (v.26)
What immediately came to mind is how sad it must have been that God withdrew his presence and 'voice' from his people. It seems a hard thing to do, but the people were not listening in any case, so God silenced the prophets, withheld inspiration from the priests and stopped the counsel of the elders. The people were left to their own means, which is what they had in effect chosen for themselves.
This leads us to reflect on how blessed we are to live in places where we are able to read the Word out in public meetings, worship services and small groups. There are some places in the world, where there is still massive persecution for anyone who claims to be a Christian.
So let us give thanks for this privilege today.
27 The king will mourn,
the prince will be clothed with despair,
and the hands of the people of the land will tremble.
I will deal with them according to their conduct,
and by their own standards I will judge them.
“‘Then they will know that I am the Lord.’”
This last verse of today's chapter sounds a lot like Jesus' words in the Gospel of Matthew, where he challenged his disciples about judging other people.
"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
Lent is a time of reflection and honest appraisal of who we are in the light of Christ. Let us be wary of judging others, as the measure we use will be used to judge us too.
Living in Grace
D3LM3
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