Passage Read: Zechariah 11-14
Meditation Verses: 11:9-10
Thought
There comes a time when even God walks away from those He desired to bless, because they refuse to listen to Him and walk in His ways. They are stubborn and resistant for so long, that He gives them up to their own evil deeds. They will fall into each other's hands, and even their own rulers will not take care of them, but will take advantage of them. And God will not deliver them. It seems this has happened so many times throughout history, among God's people and among other peoples. Every communist revolution is a perfect example of this, but not the only example. Again and again, men turn on each other and their rulers turn to live for their own pleasures rather than for the good of their people. Time and again, God turns them over to their own wickedness because they refuse to learn from Him how to live. They think they know best, and that's usually "every man for himself." So God let's them pursue their own wisdom and destroy themselves for a time, in hope that a later generation will see through their foolishness, come to their senses, repent and seek the Lord. This is happening even today, in many nations including my own.
Application
I may not be able to change how things go in my country or in any other country, but I can make sure I'm not part of the problem. I don't want to be one of those whom the Lord gives up to their own evil ways. I want to be careful to listen to the Lord and do as He instructs, whether that agrees with my wisdom or not. At the same time, I see that not all people can be helped, no matter how willing I am to help them. Some people just need to eat the fruit of their own foolish ways, in hope that they will come to their senses and repent, but there's no guarantee of that. The worst thing I can do is to enable a person in their sin. It is better to walk away and leave them to their own devices, as the proverb teaches about an angry man.