Behold God’s Severity
Friday, February 10, 2023Download the dailymanna app here
Key Verse
“He hath bent his bow like an enemy: he stood with his right hand as an adversary, and slew all that were pleasant to the eye in the tabernacle of the daughter of Zion: he poured out his fury like fire” (Lamentations 2:4).
Text: Lamentations 2:1-10
God does not condone sin of any type. For this reason, He warned the people of Israel through His servant, Moses, to beware of going back into idolatry and sin, saying that He would set His face against the nation and they would be slain before their enemies; who would reign over them, and they would flee when none “pursueth”. The Lord equally warned the people through Joshua that if they forsook Him and served strange gods, then, He would turn and do them hurt, and consume them after that He had done them good.
The Bible passage of today talks about Jerusalem, the once beautiful and busy commercial city now devastated and desolate. The city was now like a widow lamenting her woes. This was the consequence of the sin of the nation of Israel which God loved, cared for and preferred above all other nations in the world. Now, because of her perpetual backsliding, God bent His bow against them like an enemy. The nation is destroyed and plundered. The men were either killed or taken into Babylonian captivity while the temple, which was her pride and religious symbol, was destroyed and the precious vessels were taken away.
This is a lesson to believers and unbelievers alike that God’s continual favour and blessings are not permanent. He pours His holy indignation on those who fail to abide by His laws and statutes. “Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness…” (Romans 11:22).
Believers should abstain from sin, lest they lose the blessing of God they are enjoying. Sinners and backsliders should repent and run to Christ for pardon and cleansing so they can become beneficiaries of God’s goodness.
Thought for the day
He that sets himself against God has turned everything against himself.
MATTHEW 27 - 28
About Author - Pastor W.F. Kumuyi
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
