Daily Manna 7 October
KEY VERSE: “But I was like a lamb or an ox that is brought to the slaughter; and I knew not that they had devised devices against me, saying, Let us destroy the tree with the fruit thereof, and let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name may be no more remembered.” – (Jeremiah 11:19)
TEXT: Jeremiah 11:15-23
15 What hath my beloved to do in mine house, seeing she hath wrought lewdness with many, and the holy flesh is passed from thee? when thou doest evil, then thou rejoicest.
16 The Lord called thy name, A green olive tree, fair, and of goodly fruit: with the noise of a great tumult he hath kindled fire upon it, and the branches of it are broken.
17 For the Lord of hosts, that planted thee, hath pronounced evil against thee, for the evil of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah, which they have done against themselves to provoke me to anger in offering incense unto Baal.
18 And the Lord hath given me knowledge of it, and I know it: then thou shewedst me their doings.
19 But I was like a lamb or an ox that is brought to the slaughter; and I knew not that they had devised devices against me, saying, Let us destroy the tree with the fruit thereof, and let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name may be no more remembered.
20 But, O Lord of hosts, that judgest righteously, that triest the reins and the heart, let me see thy vengeance on them: for unto thee have I revealed my cause.
21 Therefore thus saith the Lord of the men of Anathoth, that seek thy life, saying, Prophesy not in the name of the Lord, that thou die not by our hand:
22 Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, Behold, I will punish them: the young men shall die by the sword; their sons and their daughters shall die by famine:
23 And there shall be no remnant of them: for I will bring evil upon the men of Anathoth, even the year of their visitation.
Read yesterday’s Daily Manna here
Pat Tillman joined the US army and was trained as an Army Ranger – an elite force equipped for special operations. Tillman was sent to Afghanistan to fight in the war on terror and was killed on April 22, 2004 by a mortar attack when his platoon was fired upon. He stayed on while under fire, allowing the rest of the platoon to escape alive. He was awarded the purple heart honour posthumously. Within weeks of his death, it was revealed that Tillman was not killed by enemy fire, but by friendly fire.
Jeremiah was a priest in Anathoth, the city of priests in the land of Benjamin, when the Lord called him. But shockingly, his greatest opposition came from fellow priests and ministers in the city of Anathoth. The men of Anathoth took him like a lamb to the slaughter, charging him to stop prophesying in the name of the Lord, lest they kill him. Jeremiah was so pained that he asked the Lord to judge them. The Lord answered and comforted him. He promised to judge the men of Anathoth and bring them down by famine and the sword.
We can only imagine how disappointed and disheartening this experience was for Jeremiah. They reported him to the government and presented a false and exaggerated report about his preaching instead of being there to defend him. They took the lead in recommending the worst punishment for him, including, casting him into a muddy pit one time where he nearly starved to death.
Our worst enemies could be our best friends, and vice versa. When this happens, we should not be surprised because nothing is new under the sun. It happened to Jeremiah and to our Lord Jesus Christ. Just commit your ways into God’s hands who is present with us at all times and He will see you through.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Don’t give up in the face of betrayal.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Isaiah 5-8
Thank you for studying today’s Daily Manna – Friendly Fire – by Pastor Enoch A.
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Daily Manna 7 October 2021
