Daily Topic for October 23, 2008
So ends the book of Judges. This period in Israel’s history was filled with shame, evil and selfishness. The Lord Himself was supposed to be the king of this kingdom of priests. But the people given this high calling repeatedly dishonored His Name by worshiping false gods and doing what they saw fit to do rather than obeying their king’s laws. It is easy to judge them for their disobedience when we read Judges. But don’t we do the same today when we do as we see fit rather than to obey the clear command of Scriptures to glorify God’s Name among every nation?
Pray for hearts that obey His will, rather than succumbing to the bondage of selfishly doing as we see fit.
Ajay, the young male tour guide, led the Western visitor through the Gaddi village in Himachal Pradesh. He pointed to an altar where a sheep was about to be sacrificed by a Hindu priest. “You’re about to witness a sacrifice to Shiva.” The visitor tilted his head in puzzlement. “But I thought Shiva was the god of destruction?” “Yes.” “Then why do you worship him?” Ajay thought for a moment, not having a good answer for that question. Gaddi Hindus have always worshipped Shiva. He never thought about why they did it.
The Gaddis live in the high mountains of Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh. They farm part of the year and herd sheep during the rest of the year. Gaddi shepherds are always on the move. This people group lives near the sensitive India/Pakistan border. The majority are Hindu, but some practice Islam. Excessive drinking and illiteracy are serious problems among this people group. Less than 20 percent of the Gaddis can read.Learn more at joshuaproject.net
Ask God to raise up faithful workers who will preach the gospel to the Gaddis. There is an open door for teachers and counselors to work among this people group. Pray that God would break the hold that Hinduism and Islam have on the Gaddi people when they meet the risen Christ.-WK