DCLM DAILY MANNA DEVOTIONAL FOR FEBRUARY 3, 2023 (THE WAGES OF REBELLION)

TOPIC : THE WAGES OF REBELLION

Text: Lamentation 1:12-22 (KJV)

12 “Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by?
Look around and see. Is any suffering like my suffering that was inflicted on me, that the Lord brought on me in the day of his fierce anger?

13 “From on high he sent fire, sent it down into my bones. He spread a net for my feet and turned me back. He made me desolate,
faint all the day long.

14 “My sins have been bound into a yoke[a]; by his hands they were woven together. They have been hung on my neck, And the Lord has sapped my strength. He has given me into the hands of those I cannot withstand.

15 “The Lord has rejected all the warriors in my midst; he has summoned an army against me to[b] crush my young men.
In his winepress the Lord has trampled Virgin Daughter Judah.

16 “This is why I weep and my eyes overflow with tears. No one is near to comfort me, no one to restore my spirit. My children are destitute because the enemy has prevailed.”

17 Zion stretches out her hands, but there is no one to comfort her.
The Lord has decreed for Jacob that his neighbors become his foes;
Jerusalem has become an unclean thing among them.

18 “The Lord is righteous, yet I rebelled against his command.
Listen, all you peoples; look on my suffering. My young men and young women have gone into exile.

19 “I called to my allies but they betrayed me. My priests and my elders perished in the city while they searched for food to keep themselves alive.

20 “See, Lord, how distressed I am! I am in torment within, and in my heart I am disturbed, for I have been most rebellious.
Outside, the sword bereaves; inside, there is only death.

21 “People have heard my groaning, but there is no one to comfort me. All my enemies have heard of my distress; they rejoice at what you have done. May you bring the day you have announced so they may become like me.

22 “Let all their wickedness come before you; deal with them as you have dealt with me because of all my sins. My groans are many and my heart is faint.”

KEY VERSE: “The LORD is righteous; for I have rebelled against his commandment: hear, I pray you, all people, and behold my sorrow: my virgins and my young men are gone into captivity.” – (Lamentations 1:18)

MESSAGE

A police van drove recklessly into a court premises and suddenly pulled up.

Two police constables alighted and went to the back of the van to bring out a young man that had been accused of a crime. As the officers were dragging the man into the court with handcuffs on his hands, he was passionately begging and pleading with them to forgive and be merciful unto him.

Unfortunately, one of the prosecuting police officers told him in an unruffled mood that he has not offended them, but rather, his offence was against the state.

So, his pleas should be directed to the court’s judge, the mouthpiece of the state, who alone can pardon or punish him.

The above Bible text which reveals Zion’s fruitless appeal for rescue and comfort is part of the lamentations of Prophet Jeremiah, who wept with a heavy heart over Jerusalem.

The personified city with a desperate cry that people should look at her with pity and compassion because of her untold woes and calamities was Jerusalem. She admitted that the tribulations were occasioned by her sins and rebellion against God’s commandments.

Sin brings sorrow, shame and suffering. It brings reproach and anguish. It is a precursor of failure and defeat. Nevertheless, God provides antidote to this, which is repentance through godly sorrow (Proverbs 28:13).

He does not want the death of any sinner; rather, He delights in heartfelt repentance which brings forgiveness. He alone is the One who can pardon or punish the sinner.

Like the accused boy being taken to court in handcuffs, it is vain to cry to a human priest or preacher for forgiveness. It is only God that can pardon or condemn a sinner.

If you confess and forsake your sins, and accept Him as your personal Lord and Saviour, you will receive pardon.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Sin begets suffering and servitude.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Matthew 12-13

Daily Manna is the daily devotional of the Deeper Christian Life Bible Ministry (DCLM) written by Pastor W. F. Kumuyi. It is an extraction of God’s Word designed to draw the sincere seeker closer to God on a daily basis through an insightful exposition and analysis of God’s Word.