meditations for an everyday relationship with Jesus

Why some of the good die young

Isaiah 57:1 The righteous one perishes, and no one takes it to heart; faithful men are swept away, with no one realizing that the righteous one is swept away from the presence of evil.

Rarely can we find the right words to speak into tragedy and pain. And yet, this passage from Isaiah contains possibly the only Biblical reference to the question we all have regarding why certain people are taken, especially children, before their time. It doesn’t tell us why the innocent and the righteous are taken from us, but it does give us a glimpse into God’s mercy.

The understanding is that though taken too soon, those taken in this manner are swept out of the realm of greater evil and sadness. Our God is a protector God. We must trust Him even when we do not understand Him.

One tenth

Genesis 14:18 –20 Then Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine; he was a priest to God Most High. He blessed him and said: Abram is blessed by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, and give praise to God Most High who has handed over your enemies to you. And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

I am pretty sure that most folks do not know where the notion of “ten percent” originated. It did not come from support of Temple priests or through an imposition by preachers to fund local churches. It was a way of honor, and was an established practice.

The High Priest Melchizedek, King of Salem (which means Prince of Peace), blessed Abram in his defeat of the King of Sodom; and as a sign of reverenceAbram kept nothing for himself but gave ten percent of the “booty” to the High Priest as was customary even in pagan religions of the time. Abram was simply following local tradition.

Interestingly, this ten percent was captured and not earned so we may need to rethink what it means to give our “tithe.”