Friday 03 December 2021
- Bible Book:
- 1 Samuel
Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, 'I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.' ( v. 18)
Background
Yesterday we read about God’s warning to the Israelites of the trouble that would come if they have a king, but they would not listen. Today we hear of God reminding them of all that God has done for them. It is often said that those who do not know the past are doomed to repeat it, and it seems that this is the case for the Israelites. God reminds them of their rescue from slavery in Egypt, but they are calling for a new form of leadership that God has warned will lead to their children becoming slaves.
For Jews the festival of Pesach (Passover) and the Seder meal remembers the rescue of Israel from slavery in Egypt. I have been fortunate to attend a Freedom Seder at the Council of Christians and Jews which used the commemoration of Pesach to raise awareness about modern slavery, and for many Jews this connection with the past provides a tool to challenge the wrongs of the present.
As Christians I think we can learn from our Jewish siblings and their commitment to remembering. We share some of the same scripture and yet we can focus so much on the New Testament that we ignore the context of Jesus and the work of God from the start of creation. Passages such as this from 1 Samuel still provide a vital warning to us not to ignore all that God has done and to think carefully about who we appoint as leaders over us.
We need to remember who God is and how God’s model of leadership puts people’s welfare first. And we need to remember the times when we have got things wrong or suffered ourselves. Only when we remember can we commit to building God’s kingdom on earth.
To Ponder:
- Which parts of the Bible need more attention?
- How can we encourage our leaders to put people’s wellbeing first?
Prayer
Ruler God, we thank you for all you have done since the dawn of time. May we use the example of your leadership to remember our past and build a world where leaders put their people first. Amen.