Saturday, October 22, 2011

Don't Forward Their Affliction

Zechariah 1:1-2 KJV
In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying,
The LORD hath been sore displeased with your fathers.

The way I understand this passage is that God's displeasure toward the heathen is such that, though He used them to chasten Israel, they took their oppression too far, they "helped forward the affliction."

The phrase is an intriguing one to me. How often do we forward another's affliction?
• Sometimes we might forward it through thoughtless means, maybe not intending to hurt, but not considering how our words or actions could hurt.
• Sometimes we might forward affliction through "omissive" means not taking the time to pray for or otherwise minister to the afflicted
• Too often we help forward the affliction through callous means seeing another in affliction and taking advantage to hurt them all the more.

The sore displeasure was upon the heathen for this. And while we who are the children of God live in His pleasure through Christ, we still battle the failings of the old man. God help us recognize this evil within us and put it to death.

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