DCLM Daily Manna 17 December 2021 Devotional By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi — Uncommon Mercy
TOPIC: Uncommon Mercy
TEXT: 2 Kings 13:1-9 (KJV)
1 In the three and twentieth year of Joash the son of Ahaziah king of Judah Jehoahaz the son of Jehu began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned seventeen years.
2 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin; he departed not therefrom.
3 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he delivered them into the hand of Hazael king of Syria, and into the hand of Benhadad the son of Hazael, all their days.
4 And Jehoahaz besought the Lord, and the Lord hearkened unto him: for he saw the oppression of Israel, because the king of Syria oppressed them.
5 (And the Lord gave Israel a saviour, so that they went out from under the hand of the Syrians: and the children of Israel dwelt in their tents, as beforetime.
6 Nevertheless they departed not from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, who made Israel sin, but walked therein: and there remained the grove also in Samaria.)
7 Neither did he leave of the people to Jehoahaz but fifty horsemen, and ten chariots, and ten thousand footmen; for the king of Syria had destroyed them, and had made them like the dust by threshing.
8 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoahaz, and all that he did, and his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
9 And Jehoahaz slept with his fathers; and they buried him in Samaria: and Joash his son reigned in his stead.
KEY VERSE: “And the Lord gave Israel a Saviour, so that they went out from under the hand of the Syrians: and the children of Israel dwelt in their tents, as before time.” – (2 Kings 13:5)
MESSAGE:
One night in 1935, Fiorello H. La Guardia, former mayor of New York, showed up at a night court in the poorest ward of the city. He dismissed the judge for the evening and took over the bench. One case involved an elderly woman who was caught stealing bread to feed her grandchildren. La Guardia said “I’ve got to punish you, ten dollars or ten days in jail.” As he spoke, he threw $10 into his hat. He then fined everyone in the courtroom 50 cents for living in a city “where a person has to steal bread so that her grandchildren can eat”. The hat was passed around, and the woman left the courtroom with her fine paid, and an additional $47.50.
The incident in our text took place during the reign of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king over the northern kingdom. As the nation continued in their evil, the Lord’s anger prevailed and this time, they were delivered into the hands of the kings of Syria who oppressed them. But Israel continued in their sins even after the deliverance.
The mercies and compassion of God are a lesson for every one of us, especially as preachers and ministers of the gospel. We sometimes close the doors of our churches to returning prodigals, thinking they have gone too far and done too much to be forgiven. We cannot be more offended than God by the sins of the people. We must leave the doors of mercy and forgiveness open for anyone who desires to return.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
You can’t be angrier at sin than God.
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Zephaniah 1-3
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.
