1Listen now to what Yahweh says:
“Arise, plead your case before the mountains,
and let the hills hear what you have to say.
2Hear, you mountains, Yahweh’s indictment,
and you enduring foundations of the earth;
for Yahweh has a case against his people,
and he will contend with Israel.
3My people, what have I done to you?
How have I burdened you?
Answer me!
4For I brought you up out of the land of Egypt,
and redeemed you out of the house of bondage.
I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.
5My people, remember now what Balak king of Moab devised,
and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him from Shittim to Gilgal,
that you may know the righteous acts of Yahweh.”
6How shall I come before Yahweh,
and bow myself before the exalted God?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
7Will Yahweh be pleased with thousands of rams?
With tens of thousands of rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my disobedience?
The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
8He has shown you, O man, what is good.
What does Yahweh require of you, but to act justly,
to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?
9Yahweh’s voice calls to the city—
and wisdom fears your name—
“Listen to the rod,
and he who appointed it.
10Are there yet treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked,
and a short ephah that is accursed?
11Shall I tolerate dishonest scales,
and a bag of deceitful weights?
12Her rich men are full of violence,
her inhabitants speak lies,
and their tongue is deceitful in their speech.
13Therefore I also have struck you with a grievous wound.
I have made you desolate because of your sins.
14You shall eat, but not be satisfied.
Your hunger will be within you.
You will store up, but not save,
and that which you save I will give up to the sword.
15You will sow, but won’t reap.
You will tread the olives, but won’t anoint yourself with oil;
and crush grapes, but won’t drink the wine.
16For the statutes of Omri are kept,
and all the works of Ahab’s house.
You walk in their counsels,
that I may make you a ruin,
and your inhabitants a hissing.
You will bear the reproach of my people.”
There is No Greater Pleasure
Church Leaders Laying Hands on Barnabas and Saul
God has a call on each of our lives. This scripture highlights God’s call on Barnabas and Saul. The Holy Spirit said, “Separate Barnabas and Saul for me”. We are not told how the Holy Spirit actually communicated this, but all there knew that God had called them for a special work. In response, they fasted and prayed, and laid hands on the two before sending them out. I remember my calling from God to be a pastor. It happened on New Year's Day in 2004. My wife and I had been invited by neighbors to share a New Year’s Breakfast with them at their farm. During breakfast, they shared with us that they had recently come to faith in Jesus, but they had no one to teach and disciple them.
As we left, we pulled out of their long driveway, and before we got onto the county road, we stopped. At the exact moment, God somehow spoke into both of our hearts that he was calling us to a work to pastor these people. My wife turned to me and said, “Faber, I think God is calling us to start a church.” I told her, “I know He is. The same thing just came into my head.” That was the moment of our calling. Shortly thereafter, we opened our home on Sunday afternoons to that family, and to any others who cared to come. We sang, had a teaching, and then ate a meal together. This went on for years, and later, we were called to lead an existing small country church, where we still minister at the time of this writing. We were not hired. It is not a job. It is a calling of God.
God has a calling on your life as well. He may not be calling you to pastor a church, but perhaps He is calling you to shepherd others or do some other work in the Kingdom of God. Be attentive. Be open. Listen. He has a purpose and a place for you. We are given a few directives concerning the will of God. We know from Micah 6:8 that we are to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with Him. That’s a good place to start. Through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, let Him fill in the blanks as to what that looks like in your life. There is no greater pleasure than serving Jesus!