This is what the LORD says: "As when juice is still found in a cluster of grapes and people say, 'Don't destroy it, there is still a blessing in it,' so will I do in behalf of my servants; I will not destroy them all. – Isaiah 65:8

Today's Scripture Reading (October 26, 2023): Isaiah 65

A friend recently dreaded attending a pastoral gathering in which she felt she had to participate. Her problem was that she knew there would be pastors in attendance who disapproved of her presence and would not accept her as an equal. They believed the presence of a Y chromosome was a biblical requirement to be a pastor (translation: pastors had to be male). And so, she dreaded what she anticipated as being another time when she would be forced to stand alone as her colleagues and the very people who should have been her cheerleaders criticized her. She hoped that someone, hopefully, another female, would be attending the meeting to give her some support. Maybe that is a common reaction whenever we enter into the figurative "Lion's Den." Daniel might have been alone, but we would prefer some company when facing our lions.

Elijah felt the same way. In his complaint to God, Elijah makes this complaint.

"I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too" (1 Kings 19:10).

Elijah felt that he was alone and the only true worshipper of God who remained in the country. But that wasn't true. In his response, God tells Elijah, "I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him" (1 Kings 19:18). Elijah felt he was alone when the reality was that there were seven thousand who lived in Israel and honored God in everything that they did.

The same situation existed among the exiles. God was not out to destroy Israel but to reset and restore the nation to its intended form. And God uses an illustration of the day to convey the concept to Isaiah. When a cluster of grapes has not entirely dried up, you don't destroy the entire bunch. It is enough to destroy the shriveled fruit and take the juice of those grapes that still have grape juice hiding inside them. Even the juice that is left is a blessing for those who want to drink. Similarly, God was not about to throw out a nation when there were still godly people among them. These people were the remnants that God planned on using to rebuild the country.

I have a message for my friend. There are a lot of us out here who support and love her and other female pastors. I have been clear that I believe that some of the best pastors of my conference happen to be women. Maybe my commitment needs to be that I, along with the many others who support women in ministry, must be more vocal than we have been. We must let others know that misogyny in the contemporary church is not okay, just as it is not okay anywhere else we might find it.   

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 66