DCLM Daily Manna 19 March 2022 Devotional By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi — Doom For Boasters
TOPIC: Doom For Boasters
TEXT: Isaiah 10:1-19 (KJV)
1 Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness which they have prescribed;
2 To turn aside the needy from judgment, and to take away the right from the poor of my people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless!
3 And what will ye do in the day of visitation, and in the desolation which shall come from far? to whom will ye flee for help? and where will ye leave your glory?
4 Without me they shall bow down under the prisoners, and they shall fall under the slain. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.
5 O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation.
6 I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.
7 Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy and cut off nations not a few.
8 For he saith, Are not my princes altogether kings?
9 Is not Calno as Carchemish? is not Hamath as Arpad? is not Samaria as Damascus?
10 As my hand hath found the kingdoms of the idols, and whose graven images did excel them of Jerusalem and of Samaria;
11 Shall I not, as I have done unto Samaria and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and her idols?
12 Wherefore it shall come to pass, that when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks.
13 For he saith, By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom; for I am prudent: and I have removed the bounds of the people, and have robbed their treasures, and I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man:
14 And my hand hath found as a nest the riches of the people: and as one gathereth eggs that are left, have I gathered all the earth; and there was none that moved the wing, or opened the mouth, or peeped.
15 Shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith? or shall the saw magnify itself against him that shaketh it? as if the rod should shake itself against them that lift it up, or as if the staff should lift up itself, as if it were no wood.
16 Therefore shall the Lord, the Lord of hosts, send among his fat ones leanness; and under his glory he shall kindle a burning like the burning of a fire.
17 And the light of Israel shall be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame: and it shall burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day;
18 And shall consume the glory of his forest, and of his fruitful field, both soul and body: and they shall be as when a standard-bearer fainteth.
19 And the rest of the trees of his forest shall be few, that a child may write them.
KEY VERSE: “Shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith? or shall the saw magnify itself against him that shaketh it? as if the rod should shake itself against them that lift it up, or as if the staff should lift up itself, as if it were no wood.” – (Isaiah 10:15)
MESSAGE:
Several years ago, two believers were wondering why the Lord, in the book of Jeremiah, would refer to the heathen king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, as “my servant”. How would the righteous Judge of the world call an ungodly monarch His servant? They failed to observe a significant aspect of the ways of God who can reach out to all – the godly and the godless – to fulfil His will.
But when He gave power to the Assyrian Empire to punish His people, Israel, for their transgressions, they became boastful of the might of their military in the victory over Israel. They were ignorant of the fact that God was displeased with the corrupt and unjust system prevalent in Israel in those days and decided to use a godless kingdom to chastise them.
The bane of degenerate man is to overestimate his achievements and successes, and undermine God’s input in his affairs. He relegates his Maker to the background and brings damnation upon himself as the devil and his agents take over in the absence of the Lord. Boastful man chanting the singsong of self-sufficiency heads for doom if he does not repent.
God’s expectation after He has used us for His purpose is to appreciate Him while recognising our limitations. We must be thankful that among the billions in the world, He chooses to redeem and make us fully active in His service. True Christians would not let Satan deceive them that their success in ministry or secular exploits is the outcome of their personal effort or ingenuity. Believers are yielded instruments of great exploits in God’s hands.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
The Lord demands humility from believers.
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Jeremiah 43-45
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.