DCLM DAILY MANNA 9 MAY 2021 — MAN WITHOUT GOD
TOPIC: Man Without God (DCLM Daily Manna 9 May 2021)
TEXT: 1 Samuel 7:1-11
1 And the men of Kirjathjearim came, and fetched up the ark of the LORD, and brought it into the house of Abinadab in the hill, and sanctified Eleazar his son to keep the ark of the LORD.
2 And it came to pass, while the ark abode in Kirjathjearim, that the time was long; for it was twenty years: and all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD.
3 And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the LORD, and serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.
4 Then the children of Israel did put away Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served the LORD only.
5 And Samuel said, Gather all Israel to Mizpeh, and I will pray for you unto the LORD.
6 And they gathered together to Mizpeh, and drew water, and poured it out before the LORD, and fasted on that day, and said there, We have sinned against the LORD. And Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpeh.
7 And when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel were gathered together to Mizpeh, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines.
8 And the children of Israel said to Samuel, Cease not to cry unto the LORD our God for us, that he will save us out of the hand of the Philistines.
9 And Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered it for a burnt offering wholly unto the LORD: and Samuel cried unto the LORD for Israel; and the LORD heard him.
10 And as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel: but the LORD thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomfited them; and they were smitten before Israel.
11 And the men of Israel went out of Mizpeh, and pursued the Philistines, and smote them, until they came under Bethcar.
KEY VERSE: “And as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel: but the LORD thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomfited them…” (1 SAMUEL 7:10).
MESSAGE:
The passage reveals the helplessness and hopelessness of man alienated from his Creator. He is defenceless and open to ruthless attacks by the enemy who is aware of his condition. He is like a scantily clothed person in the open during a wild stormy night, with no shelter in sight. He becomes easy prey for the battering elements of rain and wind.
That was the state in which Israel found itself following twenty years of alienation from God. The ark of the Lord that signified the presence and protection of heaven over Israel that ought to be in the tabernacle was left in the house of a man. That implied the absence of God in worship. By the time Samuel showed up on the scene to pray for the nation, he met a people given to idolatry. This made them vulnerable to the Philistines, their perennial enemies.
Samuel knew were the problem was and promptly asked them to abandon their idols and return to the Lord. They heeded his counsel in genuine penitence. Then they approached him for his intercession in the face of the enemy’s threat. The Lord heard Samuel and sent a great thunder that disorganised their enemy. Eventually, these enemies were subdued and driven away.
Today, the state of the apostate world is akin to Israel in our passage before they repented. The scientific and technological inventions man idolises as the panacea for our lingering global challenges are weak ‘gods’. They cannot deliver him. Man must return to God and His laws through faith in His Son Jesus Christ to secure lasting victory over his defiant dilemmas.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Flight from God is a painful descent into the waiting arms of the devil.
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
1 CORINTHIANS 1-4
DCLM Daily Manna was written by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.
1. Admit that you are a sinner. "For all [humans] have sinned, and comes short of the glory of God....[and] the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 3:23)
2. Repent now. "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out ...[for] if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness " (Acts 3:19, 1 John 1:9)
3. Believe that God loves you and Jesus died for you. "God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet Sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8)
4. Invite Jesus into your life through prayer of faith. Jesus says, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me" (Revelation 3:20)
