Worship and wrath
Day 713, Saturday, July 25
Revelation Chapter 15
Chapter 15 begins much like chapter 14 ended, with a word of judgment. In verse 1, John sees yet another sign, seven angels with seven plagues that are about to be unleashed.
Like most modern Christians, we tend to be uncomfortable with the whole idea of God’s judgment and his wrath. We like to keep to the “nicer” parts of scripture and just look at God’s love and mercy.
We have that luxury because we live in a time and place where suffering is the exception rather than the rule. We look at people as poor when their job barely pays enough to cover food and rent; for much of human history (and much of the world today), having a job, a place to live and food to eat were out of reach for much of the population.
We may look with envy or resentment at those who have more than we do, but the first readers of Revelation lived in a world of poverty, savagery and brutality we can hardly imagine. The poor and those who professed Christ could be discarded, tortured and killed on a whim. The desire for protection and justice wasn’t a philosophical debate—it was a plea for survival.
Christ’s message for us to forgive and leave vengeance to God wasn’t feel-good advice. It was a way to release us from the prison of anger and hatred while providing assurance that God saw the injustice in the world and would address it in his time and in his way.
For the evil oppressors, justice would mean unimaginable suffering; but for the faithful, it would mean unimaginable blessing. Before John sees the vision of the seven bowls of wrath being poured out, he once again sees a reminder of promise: “And I saw what looked like a sea of glass glowing with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and its image and over the number of its name.”
-Rev. Mark Fleming
Saturday meditation
Song of Solomon 3:6-11
She
Who is this coming up from the wilderness like a column of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and incense made from all the spices of the merchant? Look! It is Solomon’s carriage, escorted by sixty warriors, the noblest of Israel, all of them wearing the sword, all experienced in battle, each with his sword at his side, prepared for the terrors of the night. King Solomon made for himself the carriage; he made it of wood from Lebanon. Its posts he made of silver, its base of gold. Its seat was upholstered with purple, its interior inlaid with love. Daughters of Jerusalem, come out, and look, you daughters of Zion. Look on King Solomon wearing a crown, the crown with which his mother crowned him on the day of his wedding, the day his heart rejoiced.
Prayer focus
May we not be consumed with hatred for our enemies and those who harm us, but trust that you will give both the faithful and the evil their just consequences.