Passage Read: Matthew 21-22
Meditation Verses: 22:5-7
Thought
The Lord is jealous even for His servants. In the Parable of the Vineyard, slaves are mistreated and killed, then the owner sends his son, and he too is killed. This parable doesn't mention the son, except as the one getting married, but the servants are still mistreated and killed. And that enrages the king, who sends his army to destroy the murderers and set their city on fire. The king is jealous for his servants, not just his son, and he avenges even their mistreatment and deaths. God sends us out like sheep among wolves, and we are helpless before those who are willing to harm us. But God doesn't overlook our suffering; He will avenge us, which is why Steven and so many others plead with God not to hold the sin of their murder against those who kill them.
Application
God protects His servants for a time, but He also allows us to be mistreated and killed. It happens more often than we realize. God is not insensitive to our suffering, but is offended when men do not respect our witness. As His ambassadors, an attack on us is an attack on Him. And when He has been sufficiently provoked, He will avenge the blood of all His servants. I will enjoy His protection until I complete my mission, after that, anything goes. And I need to be prepared. But I can also take comfort in the fact that God will repay any who do not repent—and that should make me fear for those who harm or insult me.