In
which the exiles acknowledge the leaders God raises up for the nations among
whom they live, and for God’s own people
Genesis
1:14-19
And
God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the heavens to divide the day
from the night, and they shall be signs for the fixed times and for days and years,
and they shall be lights in the vault of the heavens to light up the earth.”
And so it was. And God made the two great lights, the great light for dominion of
day and the small light for dominion of night, and the stars. And God placed
them in the vault of the heavens to light up the earth and to have dominion
over day and night and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that
it was good. And it was evening and it was morning, fourth day.
Haggai 2:1-9
In
the second year of Darius in the seventh month, on the twenty-first of the
month, the word of the LORD came through Haggai the prophet, saying, “Say, pray
to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel the prefect of Judah and to Joshua son of
Jehozadak the high priest and to the remnant of the people, saying, ‘Who among
you remains who saw this house in its former glory? And how do you see it now?
Is it not as nothing in your eyes?’ And now, be strong, Zerubbabel, said the
LORD, and be strong, Joshua son of Jehozadak the high priest, and be strong,
all the people, said the LORD, and act, for I am with you, said the LORD of
Armies. Remember this word that I sealed with you when you came out of Egypt
and My spirit was standing in your midst. Do not fear. For thus said the LORD
of Armies: Soon I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry
land. And I will shake the nations, and the precious things of all the nations
shall come, and I will fill this house with glory, said the LORD of Armies.
Mine is the silver and mine the gold, said the LORD of Armies. Great shall be
the glory of this house, the latter more than the former, said the LORD of
Armies, and in this place I will bestow peace, said the LORD of Armies.”
Nebuchadnezzar,
Belshazzar, Darius, Cyrus. Ezra, Nehemiah, Zerubbabel, Joshua. Lights to have
dominion of the darkness, the exile (ordained by God, and proclaimed good) and
lights to have dominion over day, the restoration of Judah and Jerusalem.
Those
who declare that God is King of the Universe are also called to see God’s hand
in the ascent, and the giving way, of leaders of the nations, and the Church.
In our time of unprecedented climate crisis, we lift our present leaders to God
asking that they may have courage to do what is right, and pray that God would
raise up future leaders who will exercise their delegated dominion with integrity,
trusting in God’s promises.
Biblical
texts: Robert Alter, The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary
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