DCLM Daily Manna 2023: DCLM Daily Manna 13 November 2023: God, Why?
KEY VERSE: “And if thou say in thine heart, Wherefore come these things upon me? For the greatness of thine iniquity are thy skirts discovered, and thy heels made bare.” – (Jeremiah 13:22)
TEXT: Jeremiah 13:15-27 (KJV)
15 Hear ye, and give ear; be not proud: for the Lord hath spoken.
16 Give glory to the Lord your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and, while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness.
17 But if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride; and mine eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because the Lord’s flock is carried away captive.
18 Say unto the king and to the queen, Humble yourselves, sit down: for your principalities shall come down, even the crown of your glory.
19 The cities of the south shall be shut up, and none shall open them: Judah shall be carried away captive all of it, it shall be wholly carried away captive.
20 Lift up your eyes, and behold them that come from the north: where is the flock that was given thee, thy beautiful flock?
21 What wilt thou say when he shall punish thee? for thou hast taught them to be captains, and as chief over thee: shall not sorrows take thee, as a woman in travail?
22 And if thou say in thine heart, Wherefore come these things upon me? For the greatness of thine iniquity are thy skirts discovered, and thy heels made bare.
23 Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.
24 Therefore will I scatter them as the stubble that passeth away by the wind of the wilderness.
25 This is thy lot, the portion of thy measures from me, saith the Lord; because thou hast forgotten me, and trusted in falsehood.
26 Therefore will I discover thy skirts upon thy face, that thy shame may appear.
27 I have seen thine adulteries, and thy neighings, the lewdness of thy whoredom, and thine abominations on the hills in the fields. Woe unto thee, O Jerusalem! wilt thou not be made clean? when shall it once be?
“In God We trust” is the official motto of the United States of America. But on September 11, 2001, successful terrorist attacks in America killed nearly 3,000 people. During a 2016 radio interview, Anne Graham Lotz, the daughter of foremost evangelist, Billy Graham, was asked why God allowed such calamity to befall America. She said, ‘God allows bad things to happen’ like the September 11 attacks ‘to show us that we need Him.’
The Israelites were asking a similar question in our text. Jeremiah told them the reasons for their predicaments and imminent exile to Babylon. He attributed their present woes and the general disgrace the nation was facing to their sins. They had become fixated and adapted to their sins to the extent that Jeremiah compared them to the Ethiopians, who cannot change their colour and to the spots on the leopard’s skin which cannot be removed.
The Israelites were not happy with Jeremiah when he prophesied of their exile to Babylon. How could a loving God allow His people to go into captivity? They thought he was not patriotic; and was, perhaps an agent of their enemies. He was put in prison and treated badly by King Zedekiah; but he insisted that it was God’s judgment not his. Jeremiah also wept for the nation because of her pride and impudence. When bad things happen, the world will look for someone to blame.
In such situations, many people ask: Why do we have accidents, terrorist attacks, with innocent children dying, when we have God as our Father? They forget that God does not force Himself on anyone. If we seek Him sincerely and repent of our sins, He will show up in times of needs and crises and deliver His people.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: God occupies the space you allow Him to have.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ezekiel 6-8
Thank you for studying today’s Daily Manna – God, Why? – by Pastor W.F Kumuyi
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Daily Manna 13 November 2023
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