Turned Back in Shame

November 23

(Psalm 129:5-8 NIV) “May all who hate Zion be turned back in shame. {6} May they be like grass on the roof, which withers before it can grow; {7} with it the reaper cannot fill his hands, nor the one who gathers fill his arms. {8} May those who pass by not say, "The blessing of the Lord be upon you; we bless you in the name of the Lord.”

(Isaiah 29:5-8 NIV) “But your many enemies will become like fine dust, the ruthless hordes like blown chaff. Suddenly, in an instant, {6} the Lord Almighty will come with thunder and earthquake and great noise, with windstorm and tempest and flames of a devouring fire. {7} Then the hordes of all the nations that fight against Ariel, that attack her and her fortress and besiege her, will be as it is with a dream, with a vision in the night-- {8} as when a hungry man dreams that he is eating, but he awakens, and his hunger remains; as when a thirsty man dreams that he is drinking, but he awakens faint, with his thirst unquenched. So will it be with the hordes of all the nations that fight against Mount Zion.”

Many are the enemies of Zion. Some have succeeded at destroying her buildings and taking her people captive. Some have even succeeded at occupying her land. But their success is always temporary. None have ever succeeded at destroying the spirit of Zion, because she belongs to God and is dear to His heart. Even though He may discipline her for a season, His love for her is constant. Those who hate her will always be turned back in shame. It is never safe to bet against that which God loves and has blessed. Zion’s enemies will shrivel like grass on a thatched roof. They will be blown away like chaff in the hot winds of summer. They will be like unrealized dreams, fading away at dawn, never to be remembered. It is not wise to be counted among Zion’s enemies, or to bless those who seek her demise. They will not prosper. They will become like dust in the wind. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day