| Day 434: Read today's devotional on Bible Gateway. The Dread of DroughtThen the Lord said to me, "Even if Moses and Samuel stood before me pleading for these people, I wouldn't help them. Away with them! Get them out of my sight! "And if they say to you, 'But where can we go?' tell them, 'This is what the Lord says: "'Those who are destined for death, to death; those who are destined for war, to war; those who are destined for famine, to famine; those who are destined for captivity, to captivity.' "I will send four kinds of destroyers against them," says the Lord. "I will send the sword to kill, the dogs to drag away, the vultures to devour, and the wild animals to finish up what is left. Because of the wicked things Manasseh son of Hezekiah, king of Judah, did in Jerusalem, I will make my people an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth. "Who will feel sorry for you, Jerusalem? Who will weep for you? Who will even bother to ask how you are? You have abandoned me and turned your back on me," says the Lord. "Therefore, I will raise my fist to destroy you. I am tired of always giving you another chance. "I will winnow you like grain at the gates of your cities and take away the children you hold dear. I will destroy my own people, because they refuse to change their evil ways."
(Jeremiah 15:1-7) ReflectDrought is one of the curses listed in Deuteronomy 28:22-24—the result of disobedience. Moses and Samuel were two of God's greatest prophets. Like Jeremiah, both interceded between God and the people (Exodus 32:11; Numbers 14:11-20; 1 Samuel 7:9; 12:17; Psalm 99:6). Intercession is often effective. In this case, however, the people were so wicked and stubborn that God knew they would not turn to him. Consequently, God would send destroyers against them. The goal of these destroyers was to destroy the living and devour the dead. This would happen because of Manasseh's evil reign and the people's sin (2 Kings 21:1-16; 23:26; 24:3), and the destruction would be complete. The people may have argued that they should not be responsible for Manasseh's sins, but they continued what Manasseh began. RespondIf we follow corrupt leaders knowingly, we can't excuse ourselves by blaming their bad example. | 
No comments:
Post a Comment