LEADERS AND FOLLOWERS
Opening Prayer
God of stars and stables, God of angels and shepherds, I praise You for the gift of the Christ child.
Read Isaiah 9:8–17
The Lord’s Anger Against Israel
8 The Lord has sent a message against Jacob;
it will fall on Israel.
9 All the people will know it—
Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria—
who say with pride
and arrogance of heart,
10 “The bricks have fallen down,
but we will rebuild with dressed stone;
the fig trees have been felled,
but we will replace them with cedars.”
11 But the Lord has strengthened Rezin’s foes against them
and has spurred their enemies on.
12 Arameans from the east and Philistines from the west
have devoured Israel with open mouth.
Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,
his hand is still upraised.
13 But the people have not returned to him who struck them,
nor have they sought the Lord Almighty.
14 So the Lord will cut off from Israel both head and tail,
both palm branch and reed in a single day;
15 the elders and dignitaries are the head,
the prophets who teach lies are the tail.
16 Those who guide this people mislead them,
and those who are guided are led astray.
17 Therefore the Lord will take no pleasure in the young men,
nor will he pity the fatherless and widows,
for everyone is ungodly and wicked,
every mouth speaks folly.
Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,
his hand is still upraised.
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
God’s desire is always to draw our wayward hearts to Him. Think about how He has worked to draw you to Him.We tend to be very cynical about leadership these days, and think we are independent freethinkers, but we are all led by the prevailing influencers of culture. Just think about the fashions of the 1970s; they look ridiculous now, but at the time seemed totally normal, even attractive! We are more shaped by our culture and its expectations than we realize.
God will hold our leaders to account for the ways in which they have or have not led us in His righteousness. And He will also hold us to account for how we lived for Him – did we uphold His laws or were we led astray by our bosses, our politicians, or our culture? Each of us is responsible for our own sins; we can’t blame anyone else.
But His desire is always for us to return to Him (13). ‘If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness’ (1 John 1:9).
Apply
Can you think of anyone who is leading you astray in any area of your life? How can you stand firm in what you know is right? Ask God for strength to follow in His ways.
Closing prayer
Dear Father, You are so faithful and patient with me. There is goodness in the world but so much evil as well. If it was not for You and the hope You give, I would be overwhelmed with despair.
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