“For to the Lord belongs the capital of Aram, as do all the tribes of Israel” (Zech. 9:1 NRSV).
I am not a Hebrew scholar, so I cannot say with certainty which translation of Zechariah 9:1 is most literally correct; but I get the impression that the translation given above does a good job of getting the intended point across. Every nation belongs to the Lord. Everyone matters to God. Everyone answers to God. Just as Israel belongs to the Lord, so do the Arameans of Damascus. I hope that you believe that. It is the teaching of scripture (see also Acts 10:34-35 & Rom 3:29-30).
This fact should bring us comfort. The kings of Damascus did not see themselves as being under the Lord’s authority. They were doing their own will; but the Lord so worked things out that they ended up accomplishing the Lord’s will in the end. So it is today. We do not have good political leadership in this nation, or anywhere that I know of on earth. But the capital of America (Canada, Britain …) belongs to the Lord just much as the tribes of Israel do. He can accomplish his will through them. I do not know how he does it; I do not know when he does it; but know that he has done it and will do it again.
This fact should also motivate us to our task. We have a commission to fulfill (Mt 28:19-20). That commission is not to get a certain leader elected, but to get a particular message proclaimed, and we are to proclaim it to all. The Arameans, the Africans, the Asians all belong to the Lord just as much as the Americans. J.M. McCaleb was right when he penned the words, “Of one the Lord has made the race, through one has come the fall. Where sin has gone must go his grace, the gospel is for all.”
This fact should also sober us regarding our responsibilities. We are all going to stand before the judgment seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10). It does not matter if we are rich or poor, male or female, black or white, Asian, African, or American. Someday we will answer to him. Are we ready for that day?
[From my book More Notes for Daily Living
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