Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? (Isaiah 58:6)
Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honour, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed. (1 Timothy 6:1)
This last reference was one I did not notice on the list at first, and it is an interesting one to go with Isaiah 58:6. We must break the yoke of oppression in Isaiah but in 1 Timothy we must teach people to submit to their masters. Why would God teach us to do this through Paul? A hint is in verse 6: But godliness with contentment is great gain. If I am a servant I must learn to be content. If I am not a servant I must still learn to be content. In every situation in life I must learn to be content. To do otherwise leads to wasteful fighting. If I were a slave in the Roman Empire I would have been grateful for the assurance that I did not need to rebel against my master. The punishment for rebellion was cruel, it was crucifixion actually, the thing that Jesus went through.
Jesus suffered the penalty for rebellion so we would not have to, though he was innocent. We can be content with our situation and strive out of love to maximise our usefulness to God and man and not get tangled up in useless infighting.
No comments:
Post a Comment