DCLM Daily Manna 19 October 2021 Devotional By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi — When Grace Is Spurned

TOPIC: When Grace Is Spurned

TEXT: 2 Kings 17:9-23

9 And the children of Israel did secretly those things that were not right against the Lord their God, and they built them high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city.

10 And they set them up images and groves in every high hill, and under every green tree:

11 And there they burnt incense in all the high places, as did the heathen whom the Lord carried away before them; and wrought wicked things to provoke the Lord to anger:

12 For they served idols, whereof the Lord had said unto them, Ye shall not do this thing.

13 Yet the Lord testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, and by all the seers, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets.

14 Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the Lord their God.

15 And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the heathen that were round about them, concerning whom the Lord had charged them, that they should not do like them.

16 And they left all the commandments of the Lord their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made a grove, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal.

17 And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger.

18 Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight: there was none left but the tribe of Judah only.

19 Also Judah kept not the commandments of the Lord their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made.

20 And the Lord rejected all the seed of Israel, and afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of spoilers, until he had cast them out of his sight.

21 For he rent Israel from the house of David; and they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king: and Jeroboam drave Israel from following the Lord, and made them sin a great sin.

22 For the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they departed not from them;

23 Until the Lord removed Israel out of his sight, as he had said by all his servants the prophets. So was Israel carried away out of their own land to Assyria unto this day.

KEY VERSE: “Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the LORD their God.” – (2 Kings 17:14)

MESSAGE:

Life’s experiences have shown that there is no privilege one may have in life or a cherished position that one may attain that cannot be lost or forfeited if one becomes careless about it.

The passage under consideration recounts how the children of Israel lost their privileged position with God. No other nation in the world enjoyed such a privilege and position. But they took undue advantage of God’s promises to their fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and abused the privilege of being God’s choice as a nation. Probably, they thought that since God had made a covenant promise to Abraham to bless him and his seed forever, they would always enjoy that promise no matter what they did. They committed abominable atrocitiesand followed the examples of the heathen nations around them. Consequently, God had to bring judgment on them. He sent the Assyrian king who conquered and carried them away to strange lands.

Anyone who misuses the great opportunity God has given him and abuses His grace is sure to face the consequences. There is nothing like a permanent, eternally secured position. It is wrong to believe, like some people do, that “once a son, always a son” irrespective of what one does.

If we do not want to suffer a rejection like the nation of Israel did, then we must ensure that we do not abuse the grace of God. It is true that He wants us to be saved and has the power to keep us so; we must however realise that this is only on the condition that we hear His voice and obey His word. Anyone who has truly received the grace of God will surely live a life that pleased God.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
If you spurn and spite the grace of God, you will be spanked and scourged by Him!

THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Isaiah 56-60

DCLM Daily Manna was written by Pastor W. F. Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.

DCLM Daily Manna 18 October 2021 Devotional By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi — Vanity Of Human Wisdom

TOPIC: Vanity Of Human Wisdom

TEXT: 2 Kings 17:1-8

1 In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah began Hoshea the son of Elah to reign in Samaria over Israel nine years.

2 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, but not as the kings of Israel that were before him.

3 Against him came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria; and Hoshea became his servant, and gave him presents.

4 And the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea: for he had sent messengers to So king of Egypt, and brought no present to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year: therefore the king of Assyria shut him up, and bound him in prison.

5 Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years.

6 In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.

7 For so it was, that the children of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, which had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods,

8 And walked in the statutes of the heathen, whom the Lord cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they had made.

KEY VERSE: “And the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea: for he had sent messengers to So king of Egypt, and brought no present to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year: therefore the king of Assyria shut him up, and bound him in prison.” – (2 Kings 17:4)

MESSAGE:

Many people have been misled into taking wrong decisions with terrible consequences in their lives. It is either because they have sought solutions from wrong and self-serving sources or they are not fully persuaded of the stand they have taken over issues. Unfortunately, such actions do not just affect other people’s lives, but also mortgage their eternity, especially when propelled by pecuniary gains or as a response to external pressure or fear.

From the passage, King Ahaz had died twelve years ago before Hoshea began to reign in Samaria. Had Hoshea studied the activities of the kings before him and the consequences of their actions, he would have known the things to avoid and the things to uphold.

But he continued in the sinful ways of the kings before him. He neither sought divine help nor protection. Knowing that Assyria had always been a terror, Hoshea decided to strike an alliance with the king of Egypt. Although he had been paying tribute to the king of Assyria, Shalmaneser, he wanted to align himself with Egypt but it backfired. When he was forging a new deal with the Egyptians, he stopped paying tribute to the Assyrians. He was arrested and clamped into prison. The Egyptian king he ran to could not help him.

Believers must realise that ultimate help is in God. He is the present help in times of need. Whatever challenges or threats we may be facing, striking a deal with God is the only sure way of escape. It is lack of wisdom to seek help or protection from ungodly sources. As believers, we must always go to God who alone can indeed help us in all situations.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
It is vain to trust in the help of man.

THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Isaiah 51-55

DCLM Daily Manna was written by Pastor W. F. Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.