The Lord Our Inheritance

The thread through these readings is not ease, but obedience under the word of God. Moses speaks of the Prophet whom God will raise up, one to whom all must listen. Jeremiah buys a field while the city is under siege, not because appearances are favorable, but because the Lord has spoken. In Antioch the church fasts, prays, and sends men out; in Pisidian Antioch some receive the word with joy, while others thrust it away and so condemn themselves.

This is the great dividing line: whether we hear and obey. As Irenaeus recalls the covenant word, God says, “Hear My voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be My people;” The promise is not given to the stubborn, but to those who walk in what they have heard. Therefore the priests had no earthly portion like the rest, for, as Irenaeus says elsewhere, “They shall have no inheritance, for the Lord Himself is their inheritance.” The same rule stands for us: if Christ is truly our portion, then we must not cling to gain, honor, or safety as though these were life.

Jeremiah in prison, Barnabas and Saul on the road, Paul before contradicters and revilers: none are ruled by circumstance. They are ruled by the command of God. The Lord who promises restoration can also scatter proud hearers; the Lord who opens the door to the Gentiles can also judge those who refuse His word. So let us not be hearers only. Let us fast and pray, give alms freely, keep our tongue from envy, and hold our goods lightly. If the Lord is our inheritance, we must live as those who expect a kingdom stronger than siege, prison, or death.