Old Testament reading: Jeremiah 15-16
“Even if Moses and Samuel stood before Me, My mind would not be favorable toward this people” (15:1). What a stinging indictment against God’s people! Moses and Samuel were two of the greatest intercessors in Israel’s history. Moses’ intercession and pleading in Exodus 32:11-14, 30-32 is perhaps the greatest ever recorded in Scripture. Samuel’s call to return to the Lord, his offering and his ceaseless prayer on Israel’s behalf was heard and answered by God in the deliverance from the Philistines (1 Sam 7:2-14). But as great as these two men were, their righteous pleadings would not be enough to persuade the Lord to relent from the evil He intended to do to Israel for her sin. Specifically, the Lord identified the sins of Manasseh as the cause of this calamity. I find this interesting as 2 Chronicles 33:10-17 records Manasseh’s repentance as the cause of this calamity. I find this interesting as 2 Chronicles 33:10-17 records Manasseh’s repentance following a period of captivity in Assyria. Even though he was able to save his soul, the damage to the nation had already been done. We should remember that though we might be saved from sin, there may still be serious consequences to be paid.
New Testament reading: Mark 7-8
“It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” This is one of the most perplexing statements recorded from the mouth of the Lord. At first, it appears as though the Lord is insulting the woman by not only referring to her as a dog, a despicable animal in the eyes of the people of that day, but as a “little dog.” Of course, our Lord never committed a sin, and it would have been a sin to so insult her in this way. The Lord is here testing the sincerity of the woman’s faith. The woman responds with a beautiful statement, revealing both her wit and sincerity. Her wit is seen in her immediate acceptance of the Lord’s label and her sincerity with her ready retort that implies her understanding of her station in life and society: ‘If I must be a dog, I shall accept it as even dogs are satisfied with the Master’s crumbs.’ Her persistent faith was rewarded as the Master spoke the words of healing for the woman’s daughter. She epitomizes the Lord’s parable concerning prayer in Luke 18:1-5.
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