Shining Like the Sun

 DEVOTION

JUDGES

SHINING LIKE THE SUN

Judges 5:28-31

28 "Through the window peered Sisera's mother; behind the lattice she cried out, 'Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why is the clatter of his chariots delayed?' 29 The wisest of her ladies answer her; indeed, she keeps saying to herself, 30'Are they not finding and dividing the spoils: a girl or two for each man, colorful garments as plunder for Sisera, colorful garments embroidered, highly embroidered garments for my neck — all this as plunder?' 31 "So may all your enemies perish, O LORD! But may they who love you be like the sun when it rises in its strength." Then the land had peace forty years.

NIV

It just does not seem right that a mother should see her son die, as that appears not to be the natural order of life. However, it also does not seem right that a mother should expect her son to be victorious by killing so many and taking the women to be given to men to do with as they desire. And yet that is what this mother is looking to happen. How selfish this woman was as she wanted colorful garments embroidered for her neck, because another woman was either killed or taken as plunder. This is the world they knew, and it may not be too different from our world. Sure, we may not go to war as a normal course of life, and yet war is more common than it should be. We may not take plunder, but we do go to war with the intent of killing our enemies. Our rules of engagement are different then what happened in those days, as normally we do not kill everyone, warriors, women, and children, or take them as wives or servants. But our story is not about war or plunder, but about the fact that we do have one enemy; the Lord will make sure he and his followers will perish. The world, or the people who hate God or refuse to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, are, in fact, at war with God. They are enemies of God, and all His enemies will perish. But we who love the Lord will be like the sun when it rises in its strength. We will be shining like the bright noonday sun, full of glory. We see this in two ways. First, we will be a light in a dark world, shining our light with strength. In the parable of the man who sowed good seed in his field, and the weeds came up, Jesus said that after all the weeds, are pulled up, that is those of the world, are thrown into the fire, then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. That is us, we will shine like the sun, bright, brilliant as the noonday sun. What a glorious day that will be when we our Jesus we will see, and when we are full of light, living brightly in the kingdom of our Father. In the meantime, because we have the Spirit living or dwelling within us, we have the light of our Father inside of us, and we would think it would be bursting forth from within, so we are already a light shining forth, giving light to anyone near us, so they can see Jesus. Yet, all too often, we fail to shine because we are too invested in our own feelings, looking inward instead of outward, thinking more about our feelings than we should. Let us be aware of who we are and who dwells within, and let us shine like the sun in the kingdom of our Father.