it stuck me as i was reading the Old Testament (Ezra, specifically, but there are many examples elsewhere) that the Jews were remarkably good administrators. This is witnessed by the long lists which they made present at various locations in the OT - things like the genealogies, and the complete lists of the people who went to this-and-this location or participated in this-and-this activity... they were meticulous record keepers. it seems that being a documentation clerk is a time-honoured job in the Jewish tradition, somehow. i think i feel honoured.
Several times, when the Jews went into captivity, you read of one of their administrative persons, walking with God, who rose to great power in the enemies kingdom, and gained favour with the king on behalf of Israel. Joseph in Egypt being the prime example. These men served faithfully under a hostile power, doing their jobs with all due diligence, or actually probably doing an outstanding job of it, and were rewarded, and gained favour for Israel through their actions.
and it occured to me that I should have done the same. I am in the employ of an organisation to which i hold no allegiance, a hostile power so to put it, and my service has not exactly been sterling of late. I was discouraged by the faithlessness of the people around me which seemed to go unpunished, but i think that these men of God, serving in a country not their own, must have surely faced the same problems, what with people plotting their downfall etc etc. and they persevered, and won through, and brought glory to God. Ezra records how King Darius of Persia ordered his treasurers to give the Israelites whatever!! they needed in the rebuilding of the temple and the offering of sacrifices.
so i guess what i should have done was pray against the unfair treatment. pray against the skivers. i think David prayed some rather horrible things to happen to his enemies (may his sons be fatherless kind of things), an i'm not sure if that's quite meant to be the right example to follow. but there's nothing wrong in praying for justice to be done, if i have been faithful in doing my work - after all, it is the prayer of a righteous man that avails much.
all in all, it seems rather late to realise this. 32 days left, of which 10 are weekend days, 2 will be given over to medical/dental appointments, and about 7 are leave. not much time left to "curry favour", but i guess it'll be good practice for the future.
"as if you were serving the Lord, not men." Eph 6:7
