Daily Manna 9 April
KEY VERSE: “And they took it on that day, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls that were therein he utterly destroyed that day, according to all that he had done to Lachish.” – (Joshua 10:35)
READ: Joshua 10:28-37 (KJV)
28. And that day Joshua took Makkedah, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and the king thereof he utterly destroyed, them, and all the souls that were therein; he let none remain; and he did to the king of Makkedah as he did unto the king of Jericho.
29. Then Joshua passed from Makkedah, and all Israel with him, unto Libnah, and fought against Libnah;
30. And the LORD delivered it also, and the king thereof, into the hand of Israel; and he smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls that were therein; he let none remain in it; but did unto the king thereof as he did unto the king of Jericho.
31. And Joshua passed from Libnah, and all Israel with him, unto Lachish, and encamped against it, and fought against it;
32. And the LORD delivered Lachish into the hand of Israel, which took it on the second day, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls that were therein, according to all that he had done to Libnah.
33. Then Horam king of Gezer came up to help Lachish; and Joshua smote him and his people, until he had left him none remaining.
34. And from Lachish Joshua passed unto Eglon, and all Israel with him; and they encamped against it, and fought against it;
35. And they took it on that day, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls that were therein he utterly destroyed that day, according to all that he had done to Lachish.
36. And Joshua went up from Eglon, and all Israel with him, unto Hebron; and they fought against it;
37. And they took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and the king thereof, and all the cities thereof, and all the souls that were therein; he left none remaining, according to all that he had done to Eglon; but destroyed it utterly, and all the souls that were therein.
Read yesterday’s Daily Manna here
One of the talking points of atheists comes from today’s passage. How can a loving God authorise the killing of everyone in these towns? How can we reconcile that with the supposed goodness and mercifulness of God when women, children and noncombatants are killed? Such narrow and ill-conceived remarks fail to accommodate the righteous justice system of God. These nations had ignored Him for centuries, burning their children for strange gods and engaging in wanton brutality against other nations without pity.
They accompanied their perverted worship with music, dancing and immoral orgies while continuing in their denunciation of the true God. Through many generations, their children continued in the sins of their fathers, forgetting that the Lord is angry with sinners every day and He would punish sin wherever it is found, no matter the generation.
In the passage, the cup of the seven heathen nations was now full. God, in righteousness, judged them by visiting their iniquities upon them. Joshua and his men were commanded to completely destroy their cities together with the gods they worshiped so that the evil people would perish with their evil deeds. As they moved from city to city, the army of young men under Joshua’s command encountered no real opposition from the large armies assembled by these heathen nations, because the Lord was with them.
The lesson here is very clear: you cannot do wrong and get away with it, no matter how hard you may try. In God’s justice system, there are no sacred cows. Those who do evil should expect retribution from the long arm of the law. And if the laws of the nations fail, the Lord knows how to punish the guilty and deliver the innocent.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Iniquity always attracts God’s wrath.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Acts 3-4
Thank you for studying today’s Daily Manna – Severe Judgement – by Pastor Enoch A.
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Daily Manna 9 April 2021
