(Dear Lord Jesus, guide me and give me insight as I read and study Your word...)
(Deuteronomy 21:1-23) “If a slain person is found lying in the open country in the land which the Lord your God gives you to possess, and it is not known who has struck him, 2 then your elders and your judges shall go out and measure the distance to the cities which are around the slain one. 3 It shall be that the city which is nearest to the slain man, that is, the elders of that city, shall take a heifer of the herd, which has not been worked and which has not pulled in a yoke; 4 and the elders of that city shall bring the heifer down to a valley with running water, which has not been plowed or sown, and shall break the heifer’s neck there in the valley. 5 Then the priests, the sons of Levi, shall come near, for the Lord your God has chosen them to serve Him and to bless in the name of the Lord; and every dispute and every assault shall be settled by them. 6 All the elders of that city which is nearest to the slain man shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley; 7 and they shall answer and say, ‘Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it. 8 Forgive Your people Israel whom You have redeemed, O Lord, and do not place the guilt of innocent blood in the midst of Your people Israel.’ And the bloodguiltiness shall be forgiven them. 9 So you shall remove the guilt of innocent blood from your midst, when you do what is right in the eyes of the Lord.
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
Digging up history that is bitter, and putting it into the hands of an antagonist is very dangerous. What I see in society right now is an unrest that is spurred on by social media, with a lot of angry accusations and finger pointing. But where are the attempts to bring about reconciliation, resolution, unity and peace. "Both sides" are feeling bullied, yet as they fight for "justice" and their "rights" they only make the situation worse by expressing bitterness.
We cannot fight for MORE equality when the laws and the constitution already proport equal justice for all. How it is often managed, can be questionable, and even criminal. And there may be some community laws that need updating. So each case and situation is unique, with different people involved, and those are the things which should be examined and those are the people who should be held accountable. But society has taken certain incidences and made them into a national issue which has created the monster of disunity.
Who is to blame? Because so many years have past, and so many things have changed, we cannot point to any specific person or group of people. "We" are all to blame. The nation, the communities, the "sides", each individual - we all need to look at our part - our role - and confess our sins.
I've never thought of this before, but I see the value of corporate confession. And this certainly is applicable to church congregations!!! If we as a whole recognize the issue and realize the need for confession and forgiveness, we could heal as a nation or a church. and begin to strive together towards peace and unity.
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