DCLM Daily Manna 21 June 2023 Devotional By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi — Sin Kills
TOPIC: Sin Kills (DCLM Daily Manna 21 June 2023)
KEY VERSE: “So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the LORD, even against the word of the LORD, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to enquire of it” (1 Chronicles 10:13).
TEXT: 1 Chronicles 10:1-14 (KJV)
1 Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain in mount Gilboa.
2 And the Philistines followed hard after Saul, and after his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchishua, the sons of Saul.
3 And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him, and he was wounded of the archers.
4 Then said Saul to his armourbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and abuse me. But his armourbearer would not; for he was sore afraid. So Saul took a sword, and fell upon it.
5 And when his armourbearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise on the sword, and died.
6 So Saul died, and his three sons, and all his house died together.
7 And when all the men of Israel that were in the valley saw that they fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, then they forsook their cities, and fled: and the Philistines came and dwelt in them.
8 And it came to pass on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his sons fallen in mount Gilboa.
9 And when they had stripped him, they took his head, and his armour, and sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to carry tidings unto their idols, and to the people.
10 And they put his armour in the house of their gods, and fastened his head in the temple of Dagon.
11 And when all Jabeshgilead heard all that the Philistines had done to Saul,
12 They arose, all the valiant men, and took away the body of Saul, and the bodies of his sons, and brought them to Jabesh, and buried their bones under the oak in Jabesh, and fasted seven days.
13 So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the Lord, even against the word of the Lord, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to enquire of it;
14 And enquired not of the Lord: therefore he slew him, and turned the kingdom unto David the son of Jesse.
MESSAGE:
Some people have the habit of taking God for granted. They assume that since He does not always mete out instant judgment on offenders, He does not care about their transgressions, or somehow, He would forget their offences. Worse still, this leads them to continue in their sinful lifestyle, as if they would never be called to account for their actions.
Israel’s first king, Saul, was a perfect example of disobedience and rebellion against God. He did not take God’s instructions to heart but carried them out half-heartedly. He preferred acting out his plots rather than asking God for direction and guidance. It was such that when he needed God to show him the way towards the end of his life, the Lord neither listened nor spoke to him.
As he prepared for battle in this last chapter of his life, he turned to a witch for help. In battle, he was accidentally struck by an enemy arrow and had to complete his demise by committing suicide. His dead body was abused by the Philistines. His head was cut off and paraded round the enemy nation, ending up in the shrine of Dagon. It took only a group of brave Israelites to forcefully retrieve his headless body and those of his three sons for burial.
Disobedience is not just to do wrong, but also to refuse to do what is right. The disobedient never go to God unless there is nowhere else to seek help. Even at that, they come with a sense of entitlement as if God must do what they seek. Those who persist in evil while hoping that they would get away with it, should learn from the life of Saul that irrespective of how long it takes, God will never overlook sin.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Be warned: “The wages of sin is death”.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
1 Kings 3-4
Deeper Life 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.
