An Outcast No More

Daily Devotional – Monday, February 15, 2021

‘But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,’ declares the LORD, ‘because you are called an outcast, Zion for whom no one cares.’

Jeremiah 30:17 (NIV)

Lepers were some of the most despised and disliked people in Israel. No one dared come near these ‘outcasts’ because the disease was infectious. Some notable lepers in the Bible include King Uzziah, Naaman and the ten that Jesus healed.

Being a leper meant a lifetime of stigmatization, hopelessness and helplessness. God’s people were once like lepers. They were called ‘outcasts.’ God had allowed surrounding nations to conquer them because of sustained disobedience to His laws.

They were labeled, “Zion for whom no one cares.” God, in His abundant mercy, promised His people, “…I will restore you to health and heal your wounds.” In other words, He would heal their ‘leprosy’ and restore them to health and dignity.

The Pharisees once asked the disciples of Jesus, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” Matthew 9:11 (NIV). The New Living Translation (NLT) uses the word ‘scum’ for the outcasts of that time. Christ loved and identified with societal rejects.

Today, people may treat you as scum. They will use economic or social class, sickness, education level, race, ethnicity and perceived level of commitment to God to discriminate against you.

Stop worrying. The God of the outcast will heal your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual diseases. He is the God of sinners, sick people, the poor, orphans, widows, widowers and all who are rejected by human beings.

No longer will you be called an outcast, but God’s beloved child.

Prayer

God of the outcast, thank you for accepting me just as I am.