{"id":20902,"date":"2023-05-23T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-05-23T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailchi.mp\/urc\/urc-daily-devotion-tuesday-23rd-may-2023"},"modified":"2023-05-23T06:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-05-23T05:00:00","slug":"urc-daily-devotion-tuesday-23rd-may-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.trinitywimbledon.org\/index.php\/urc-daily-devotion-tuesday-23rd-may-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"URC Daily Devotion Tuesday 23rd May 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"

Zechariah 1:18-21<\/strong><\/p>\n

Then I looked up, and there before me were four horns.  I asked the angel who was speaking to me, \u201cWhat are these?\u201d He answered me, \u201cThese are the horns that scattered Judah, Israel and Jerusalem.\u201d Then the Lord showed me four craftsmen.  I asked, \u201cWhat are these coming to do?\u201d He answered, \u201cThese are the horns that scattered Judah so that no one could raise their head, but the craftsmen have come to terrify them and throw down these horns of the nations who lifted up their horns against the land of Judah to scatter its people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reflection<\/strong><\/p>\n

This short vision is about judgment on those who had been responsible for the scattering of God\u2019s people in the past and the downfall of Jerusalem nearly seventy years earlier.  Horns are symbolic of power and frequently represent Israel\u2019s enemies in poetic or visionary texts.  The number four probably signifies totality rather than being a reference to specific nations; but the vision looks back to the downfall of the northern kingdom of Israel to Assyria two hundred years ago, as well as the defeat of Judah by Babylon.  The blacksmiths, skilled artisans, represent God\u2019s agents who will subdue any warring forces and restore God\u2019s sovereign rule. <\/p>\n

The point is being made that God is interested in the past as well as the present and future.  If past wrongs are unresolved, if resentments are allowed to fester, if threatening forces remain unchecked, if justice isn\u2019t administered, there is little likelihood that peaceful co-existence will become a reality.  God is ensuring that the community re-establishing itself in Jerusalem will have the best chance of flourishing alongside its neighbours.
It can be tempting to say \u2018let bygones be bygones\u2019 as we focus on plans for the future.  Sometimes we say that we have forgiven whomever hurt us and so the matter can be forgotten.  However, unless the issue\u2019s been addressed by both parties there can be no reconciliation and there will always be the danger that it resurfaces and causes yet more harm.<\/p>\n

Churches often suffer because of incidents in the past; and the same can apply in a family or community.  Congregations and communities have long memories and the truth of what happened is often lost, or embellished, over the years.  Is there anything in your past that needs addressing and resolving before you can move forward confidently with those around you?<\/p>\n

Prayer <\/strong><\/p>\n

Eternal God, we pray for communities and nations 
in our world that continue to be destabilized 
by the consequences of historic conflicts;
for churches where divisions of the past 
still haunt attempts to work for unity as Christ\u2019s people; 
for families that remain fractured 
because of problems in a previous generation.
Grant us wisdom to identify the key issues 
and to tackle them, that your kingdom might come.  Amen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Zechariah 1:18-21 Then I looked up, and there before me were four horns.  I asked the angel who was speaking to me, \u201cWhat are these?\u201d He answered me, \u201cThese are the horns that scattered Judah, Israel and Jerusalem.\u201d Then the Lord showed me four craftsmen.  I asked, \u201cWhat are these coming to do?\u201d He answered, … <\/p>\n

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