Today’s meditation is taken from Matthew 21:42, Jesus said to them, "Haven't you ever read what the Scriptures say? 'The stone which the builders rejected as worthless turned out to be the most important of all. This was done by the Lord; what a wonderful sight it is!' (GNB)
There are two important parts of this verse that I wish to highlight. The first one is ‘what was considered worthless or rejected by men’ and the second part is ‘made important by God.’
Anyone who places their faith in Jesus Christ has the assurance that his or her sins are forgiven and they become children of God. Their lives are filled with joy, and they presume that now that they are children of God everyone will accept them. Contrarily, everyone who chooses to walk with integrity on this journey of faith will experience rejection by people.
Paul was initially rejected by the disciples
We read about Saul in the New Testament whose only aim was to trouble and persecute all those who believed in the Lord Jesus. Saul made it a point to find out all who were followers of Jesus, got to their gatherings, and made sure that they were tortured and imprisoned. This was how Saul chose to establish his self-righteousness as an ardent Jew. However, when Saul met the risen Lord Jesus on the road to Damascus, there was a great transformation in Saul, who was renamed as Paul, as he began to follow Jesus, and boldly preached the gospel of the Lord Jesus to everyone.
This was what happened to Paul as we read in Acts 9:26, “Saul went to Jerusalem and tried to join the disciples. But they would not believe that he was a disciple, and they were all afraid of him.” (GNB)
As one who had become a believer, Paul was eager to be accepted in the company of those who believed in Jesus. Sadly, at that time the disciples of Jesus rejected Paul, as they were afraid of him, and also doubted his conversion.
Remember that when people reject you, the Lord is aware of it, and He knows the pain and anguish that you go through, because Jesus Himself was rejected by many people in various situations. Wistfully, one major group that rejected Jesus were the religious leaders of His day, who were the ones who were teaching the scriptures to others. If we put our faith in the Lord Jesus and patiently run the race set before us, we will in due time be lifted up, and this is for certain.
Jephthah was rejected by his own family
We read about Jephthah in Judges 11:1-2, Jephthah, a brave soldier from Gilead, was the son of a prostitute. His father Gilead had other sons by his wife, and when they grew up, they forced Jephthah to leave home. They told him, "You will not inherit anything from our father; you are the son of another woman." (GNB)
Jephthah was a valiant soldier from Gilead, but sadly since he was born to a prostitute, he was disinherited from the family. We all know that a child is not responsible for the mistakes that their parents have made, but Jephthah was rejected by his brothers because of the wrong his father had committed in going to a prostitute. Think about the heartache that Jephthah must have gone through.
It is one thing to be shunned by outsiders, but to be rejected by one’s own family is by far the most painful situation. As you take a stand to walk this journey of faith you may be jilted by people, even those close to you, but do not lose heart for at the right time the Lord will lift you up.
Jephthah was recognized as a leader
This is what happened to Jephthah as we read in Judges 11:3, “So Jephthah went away because of his brothers and lived in the land of Tob. In the land of Tob, some rough men began to follow Jephthah.” (ERV)
Jephthah was a mighty warrior, but when his brothers opposed him, he did not fight back. Sometimes we quarrel with those who shun us, and try to restore that relationship, but we read that Jephthah ran away to the land of Tob, and this is what happened.
We read in Judges 11:4-6, “After a time the Ammonites fought with the Israelites. The Ammonites were fighting against Israel, so the elders in Gilead went to Jephthah. They wanted Jephthah to leave the land of Tob and come back to Gilead. The elders said to Jephthah, "Come and be our leader so that we can fight the Ammonites." (ERV)
Look at the turn of events as the elders of Gilead got back to Jephthah, and beckoned him to come back to be their leader to fight against the Ammonites. Jephthah was shunned, and had to relinquish his position as son in the family, but God brought him back to the same place to be the leader of the people of Gilead. That was the Lord’s doing.
Whenever we are being rejected by men, if we will continue to lean on the Lord, we will find that the very ones who shunned us will come back to us for favors. God is mindful of His children, and takes note every time we are hurt, when evil is spoken against us, and people gather together against us. The Lord sees everything, and His ears are attentive to all that is being said, and plotted against us. If we stand firm in our faith, the Lord will turn everything that is evil for our own good.
David was despised by his own family
At one point the Prophet Samuel was instructed by God to go to the house of Jesse.
We read about this in 1 Samuel 16:1, “The LORD said to Samuel, "How long will you feel sorry for Saul? I have rejected him as king of Israel. Fill your horn with oil and go to Bethlehem. I am sending you to Jesse who lives in Bethlehem, because I have chosen one of his sons to be the new king." (ERV)
When King Saul disobeyed God, the Lord rejected him from being king over Israel. However, God had planned to ordain one of the sons of Jesse to be king in the place of Saul. The family of Jesse as well as the Prophet Samuel had no clue as to who among the sons of Jesse was chosen by God for this esteemed position.
We read this account in 1 Samuel 16:6, When Jesse and his sons arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, “Surely this is the man who the LORD has chosen.” (ESV)
1 Samuel 16:8, Then Jesse called his second son, Abinadab. Abinadab walked by Samuel. But Samuel said, “No, this is not the man who the LORD chose.” (ESV)
1 Samuel 16:10-11, Jesse showed seven of his sons to Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, “The LORD has not chosen any of these men.” Then he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?” Jesse answered, “No, I have another son—my youngest, but he is out taking care of the sheep.” Samuel said, “Send for him. Bring him here. We won’t sit down to eat until he arrives.” (ESV)
As Samuel saw Eliab the eldest son of Jesse, he presumed that God must have chosen him based on his height and appearance. Then Jesse paraded all of his other sons in order, but the Lord told Samuel that none of them were chosen by Him. God reminded Samuel that when man looked on the outward appearance, God perceived the heart of all men. All seven sons of Jesse went past Samuel the prophet, but the Lord declared that none of them were ordained by him to be king over Israel. It was at this point that Samuel had a doubt if these were all the sons whom Jesse had. Only when Samuel asked his question, Jesse made mention of his youngest son David who was tending sheep.
Interesting that when Jesse knew that Samuel had come to anoint one of his sons as king, it never even occurred to him that David could be an eligible candidate for this position. When Samuel knew this he instructed that David be brought in immediately, and he wouldn’t even sit down to eat until David arrived. The one who was forgotten was now the esteemed one for whose arrival everyone had to wait eagerly. Think about it that the renowned Prophet Samuel would actually not even sit down until David came from home from the fields.
Not only was David ignored for being the youngest, in comparison to his brothers David did not have the personality to match with his brothers, most of whom were also serving in Saul’s army. It seemed that Jesse too disregarded his youngest whom he thought was only fit to tend sheep. Though his family had forgotten about David, the Lord observed the young man’s faithfulness in what was entrusted to him, and God intervened to change his position from shepherd to king. All over the world even today people may not know who Jesse was, but everyone knows who King David was. Jesus too was referred to as the Son of David, so you can think about the eminence that God gave to David who was once a forgotten son of his father Jesse.
Every time we are forgotten by men, hated by others, maligned by those who scheme against us, and spread rumors about us, we can be sure that God sees and hears all of it. In due time God will make your name famous, and the ones who rose against you will be forgotten, but your name will always be remembered. This the God whom we worship.
Joseph was rejected by his brothers
There was another young man Joseph who was also hated and scorned at by his own brothers. Their hatred was so intense that we read about this in Genesis 37:19, They said to one another, "Here comes that dreamer.” (GNB)
The brothers of Joseph were tending sheep in a distant place, and Joseph’s father Jacob sent Joseph to enquire about their well-being, and also to give them some food. However, when the brothers saw Joseph from afar, they jeered at him, and referred to him as a ‘dreamer.’
In these days there are many who take much pleasure in making fun of others, and the social media has become a convenient platform for many. The speeches of prominent people are taken, ridiculed and derided. Let us keep in mind that God detests such practices, because every human being is made in the image of God. Every person has faults, and it is not respectable to satirize them on a public platform. Those who do such things, and those who watch them are equally guilty as we become accomplices of such banters, and also waste the precious time that God has given to us.
The brothers of Joseph plotted against him
They went further on and planned such atrocities as is recorded in Genesis 37:20, “Come on now, let's kill him and throw his body into one of the dry wells. We can say that a wild animal killed him. Then we will see what becomes of his dreams." (GNB)
God had a wonderful plan for Joseph, and his brothers were plotting to kill him, not realizing what God had in store for their brother.
When God has a great plan to accomplish through somebody, we can be certain that many will rise against them. If someone says that they have a problem free life, with no issues at all, most often it is because they are not really fulfilling God’s purpose for their lives. Anyone who wants to accomplish God’s plan in their lives will all too often be faced with hardships, oppositions and animosity from people around them. What God has purposed to fulfill though the ones whom He has chosen can never be thwarted by any human being, and be sure that God will overthrow and overrule all the evil schemes of men. If you are in the midst of such hardships be encouraged and assured to know that what God has planned for your life can never be hindered by anyone.
The Lord was mindful of Joseph
The brothers of Joseph sold him into slavery, and Joseph was carried away to the land of Egypt and his brothers forgot about him. They thought that they had done away with their brother, and that they had destroyed all his plans and dreams. Thirteen years passed on, and though Joseph had to go through untold hardships, the Lord intervened, and raised him to become second in line to Pharaoh King of Egypt. If the brothers of Joseph had not sold him into slavery, he would not have ended up in this high position in Egypt. Though Joseph was mistreated by his brothers, and had to suffer the separation from his beloved father and family for many long years, the Lord was with Joseph.
Sometimes the troubles and hindrances that our enemies bring against us, are used by God to become stepping stones for our elevation. The crucial questions we need to ask ourselves is, ‘Are we sure that God is with us?’‘ Are we pleasing Him in all our ways?’ and ‘Does God approve of what we do?’ If we continue in this way, irrespective of what others say or the plots that they scheme against us, none of their plans will prevail.
There was a severe famine which affected Joseph’s family and the only place where there was grain was in Egypt. The brothers of Joseph went to Egypt and this is what transpired.
God elevated Joseph
We read in Genesis 42:6, Joseph, as governor of the land of Egypt, was selling grain to people from all over the world. So Joseph's brothers came and bowed down before him with their faces to the ground. (GNB)
Joseph was the governor in Egypt, and he was the one selling grain to all those who came from near and far. This was possible because for seven years there was bountiful harvest which was stored up in advance to help them cope for the next seven years of severe famine. God revealed these plans to Joseph who advised Pharaoh, which not only saved Egypt, but also proved to be a blessing to all other countries around Egypt who were struck with sever famine.
The brothers of Joseph were unable to recognize their brother Joseph who was the governor, and they bowed down with their faces to the ground. These were the same brothers who threw Joseph into a pit, and had plotted to have him killed. The Lord intervened, changed the state of rejection that Joseph was thrown into, and made Joseph the esteemed one to save his brothers and their families.
As children of God whatever be the tough path that you are treading right now, be assured that God is mindful of what you are going through. God will send help, and deliver you from all that you are challenged with. There will be a period of waiting from the time we are rejected to the time when we will be honored by God. During that time we have to wait patiently, be firm in our faith in God, and keep walking in His ways. At the appropriate time, God will raise us up, He will anoint our head with oil and will fill our cups to full and overflowing. The Lord will also prepare a table for us in the very presence of our enemies, and goodness and mercy will follow us all the days of our lives.
Let me conclude with this verse that I commenced this message with from Matthew 21:42, Jesus said to them, "Haven't you ever read what the Scriptures say?' The stone which the builders rejected as worthless turned out to be the most important of all. This was done by the Lord; what a wonderful sight it is!' (GNB)
Rejection is a painful experience, but in His time God will most certainly honor, and bless and restore those who belong to Him.
Rev. F. Andrew Dixon
www.goodnewsfriends.net
Transcribed by: Sis. Esther Collins
