Daily Manna 18 October
KEY VERSE: “And the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea: for he had sent messengers to So king of Egypt, and brought no present to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year: therefore the king of Assyria shut him up, and bound him in prison.” – 2 Kings 17:4
TEXT: 2 Kings 17:1-8
1. In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah began Hoshea the son of Elah to reign in Samaria over Israel nine years.
2. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, but not as the kings of Israel that were before him.
3. Against him came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria; and Hoshea became his servant, and gave him presents.
4. And the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea; for he had sent messengers to So king of Egypt, and brought no present to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year; therefore the king of Assyria shut him up, and bound him in prison.
5. Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years.
6. In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.
7. For so it was, that the children of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, which had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods,
8. And walked in the statutes of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they had made.
Read yesterday’s Daily Manna here
Many people have been misled into taking wrong decisions with terrible consequences in their lives. It is either because they have sought solutions from wrong and self-serving sources or they are not fully persuaded of the stand they have taken over issues. Unfortunately, such actions do not just affect other people’s lives, but also mortgage their eternity, especially when propelled by pecuniary gains or as a response to external pressure or fear.
From the passage, King Ahaz had died twelve years ago before Hoshea began to reign in Samaria. Had Hoshea studied the activities of the kings before him and the consequences of their actions, he would have known the things to avoid and the things to uphold.
But he continued in the sinful ways of the kings before him. He neither sought divine help nor protection. Knowing that Assyria had always been a terror, Hoshea decided to strike an alliance with the king of Egypt. Although he had been paying tribute to the king of Assyria, Shalmaneser, he wanted to align himself with Egypt but it backfired. When he was forging a new deal with the Egyptians, he stopped paying tribute to the Assyrians. He was arrested and clamped into prison. The Egyptian king he ran to could not help him.
Believers must realise that ultimate help is in God. He is the present help in times of need. Whatever challenges or threats we may be facing, striking a deal with God is the only sure way of escape. It is lack of wisdom to seek help or protection from ungodly sources. As believers, we must always go to God who alone can indeed help us in all situations.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: It is vain to trust in the help of man.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Isaiah 51-55
Thank you for studying today’s Daily Manna – Vanity of Human Wisdom – by Pastor Enoch A.
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Daily Manna 18 October 2021
