September 2 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

Who may identify with the people oppressed by Pharaoh and delivered by God?

Exodus isn't the only book of the Bible to describe oppressed people. In the book of Psalms these same oppressed people cry to the Lord. In the prophecies of Isaiah they are promised a helper. In the Sermon on the Mount they are blessed by Jesus. And in these blessings or "beatitudes" they are described most completely.

These people are at the wrong end of the stick in the present world. They are not self-sufficient but poor. They are victims of injustice, but they do not resort to violence. They refuse to accept the status quo—that is, the way things happen to be in the present world. Although well-meaning people have told them that they should try to enjoy life, such as it is, and to "take care of themselves" the way other folks do, they will not conform, and they don't feel at home. They mourn.

They are deeply disturbed by the absence of justice. They love mercy, peace, and righteousness. They are strangers in the present system. They hunger for righteousness and thirst for a new life and a better world.

Jesus came to liberate these people. He became their Messiah. "He himself walked the path of the meek. He was oppressed by evil, but he broke the tyranny of evil by steady faith and unrelenting obedience.

Jesus, the leader of God's oppressed people, gave them this message: "Blessed, seven times blessed are you, people of God. I know that you don't trust in your own power, your cleverness, the strength of your tongue, or the reach of your money. You hope in God. I now pronounce you blessed! Even if you still go hungry, I declare that your hunger for righteousness will be satisfied. Be faithful. Your eyes shall see God. Yours is the kingdom."

REFLECTIONS

If Jesus were to give you his "blessing" today, what might he say to you?

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published by Paideia Press in 1977. This updated edition is copyright 2009 by Faith Alive Christian Resources. You can order a copy of this revised version of the book directly from the publisher.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this updated edition of Daylight are from the Holy Bible: Today's New International Version copyright 2001, 2005 by the International Bible Society.