Day 4 – Others deserve
honor.
We know the Christian walk
isn’t simply about ourselves. It’s a community, created and sustained by God
himself. It’s all about us, and very little about me. The idea of honor,
particularly in the Old Testament is a communal concept. Honor exists in
relationship. It’s not something you can give or get for yourself. God bestows
it on us, we bestow it on others, but it’s always between “one anothers.” This
basic facts tells us that it’s meant to be shared. How can we share honor with
others, who should we share this with, how can we let them know that they are
also honored by God, held in high esteem…wanted.
Let’s focus in today on who
we can give honor to, who we can share the honor we ourselves receive from God.
The short answer is –
everyone! Each and every person deserves honor because they are a created child
of God (see Isaiah 43:1-7 from Day 2).
Another answer that is all
over the Bible is – those to whom the world does not naturally give it.
1 Samuel 2:1-8 outlines many
of those whom honor is overlooked, that we can take extra care to bestow honor
towards. Look for the mention of these in the passage found below.
*the feeble v. 4
*the barren v. 5
*the newly born and the dying v. 6
*the poor v. 7
*the needy (whether physically needy or emotionally needy)
v. 8
1 Samuel 2:1-8:
And Hannah prayed and said,
“My heart
exults in the Lord;
my horn is exalted in the Lord.
My mouth derides my enemies,
because I rejoice in your
salvation.
“There is
none holy like the Lord:
for there is none besides
you;
there is no rock like our God.
Talk no more so very proudly,
let not arrogance come from
your mouth;
for the Lord is a God of
knowledge,
and by him actions are
weighed.
The bows of the mighty are broken,
but the feeble bind on
strength.
Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread,
but those who were hungry
have ceased to hunger.
The barren has borne seven,
but she who has many
children is forlorn.
The Lord kills and brings to
life;
he brings down to Sheol and
raises up.
The Lord makes poor and makes
rich;
he brings low and he
exalts.
He raises up the poor from the dust;
he lifts the needy from the
ash heap
to make them sit with princes
and inherit a seat of
honor.
For the pillars of the earth are the Lord's,
and on them he has set the
world.
Who is in your life you can
give honor to? What people in our churches often feel left out? How can we be a
voice for the voiceless and bestow honor on the tiniest of people to the oldest
and frailest?
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| My Dad, who never misses an opportunity to make others feel honored |
