Daily Manna 9 May
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
READ: 1 Samuel 7:1-11 (KJV)
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.
Read yesterday’s Daily Manna here
The passage reveals the helplessness and hopelessness of man alienated from his Creator. He is defenseless 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 where 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 now 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.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 Corinthians 1-4
Thank you for studying today’s Daily Manna – Man Without God – by Pastor Enoch A.
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Daily Manna 9 May 2021
