THE REFUGE DEVOTIONAL

After the prophet finishes speaking God’s final warning to his people in the book of Malachi concerning their love for Him, he said, “Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me.” After 400 years of silence, God once again speaks, and His perfect plan for the salvation of man begins to unfold.

God would interrupt this silence and begin to speak through a man named John, who was the son of Zacharias, of the priestly descent of Aaron. John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist, and his diet was locusts and wild honey. He came preaching, commanding all peoples to repent from their evil ways and to turn back to The Lord of Heaven.

This was a time of great darkness for God’s people. Herod the Great had ascended to the throne, becoming the king of Judea. This is the same king, with anger raging in his heart, who would order the execution of all the young male children two years old and under in the vicinity of Bethlehem. Herod the Great also appointed his son Herod Antipas to be the governor over Galilee, who was very wicked and lived a sexually immoral life. It is in the midst of this corruption that The Lord of Heaven sent His servant John to prepare the pathway of Jesus Christ.

When John entered into his public ministry, he was like a flaming sword. He confronted the religious leaders in their hypocrisy crying, “The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; so every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” He was a voice crying in the wilderness, “Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him and all people will see God’s salvation.”

John was a light that was burning and shining in the midst of sheer darkness; he would lose his life for standing boldly for truth and calling Herod Antipas to repent from his sexually immoral life.

O, may the Lord Himself give His beloved children the boldness of His servant John. John was a metal that didn’t bend easily when the heat was applied. He stood firmly upon the commands of God, confronting sin, though it would cost him his own life.

We live in a day where an absolute truth concerning morality is tossed to the wind. We have a generation of people who only live by a form of religion and are driven by ungodly passions. They are like Balaam of old, who conspired against the men of Israel, leading them into sexual sin for his own self gain. Just as Balaam fell by the sword by God’s decree, so will all who live to gratify their unbridled passions. May the Lord give His children the courage to stand and be a lamp that is burning and is shining in this generation.

Rodney Nantz

“He was the lamp that was burning and was shining and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light.” John 5:35 NASBS