DCLM Daily Manna 2023: DCLM Daily Manna 15 May 2023: No Time For Complacency
Key Verse: “It is sharpened to make a sore slaughter; it is furbished that it may glitter: should we then make mirth? it contemneth the rod of my son, as every tree.” – (Ezekiel 21:10)
TEXT: Ezekiel 21:1-17
And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, set thy face toward Jerusalem, and drop thy word toward the holy places, and prophesy against the land of Israel,
3 And say to the land of Israel, Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I am against thee, and will draw forth my sword out of his sheath, and will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked.
4 Seeing then that I will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked, therefore shall my sword go forth out of his sheath against all flesh from the south to the north:
5 That all flesh may know that I the Lord have drawn forth my sword out of his sheath: it shall not return any more.
6 Sigh therefore, thou son of man, with the breaking of thy loins; and with bitterness sigh before their eyes.
7 And it shall be, when they say unto thee, Wherefore sighest thou? that thou shalt answer, For the tidings; because it cometh: and every heart shall melt, and all hands shall be feeble, and every spirit shall faint, and all knees shall be weak as water: behold, it cometh, and shall be brought to pass, saith the Lord God.
8 Again the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
9 Son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus saith the Lord; Say, A sword, a sword is sharpened, and also furbished:
10 It is sharpened to make a sore slaughter; it is furbished that it may glitter: should we then make mirth? it contemneth the rod of my son, as every tree.
11 And he hath given it to be furbished, that it may be handled: this sword is sharpened, and it is furbished, to give it into the hand of the slayer.
12 Cry and howl, son of man: for it shall be upon my people, it shall be upon all the princes of Israel: terrors by reason of the sword shall be upon my people: smite therefore upon thy thigh.
13 Because it is a trial, and what if the sword contemn even the rod? it shall be no more, saith the Lord God.
14 Thou therefore, son of man, prophesy, and smite thine hands together. and let the sword be doubled the third time, the sword of the slain: it is the sword of the great men that are slain, which entereth into their privy chambers.
15 I have set the point of the sword against all their gates, that their heart may faint, and their ruins be multiplied: ah! it is made bright, it is wrapped up for the slaughter.
16 Go thee one way or other, either on the right hand, or on the left, whithersoever thy face is set.
17 I will also smite mine hands together, and I will cause my fury to rest: I the Lord have said it.
Read yesterday’s Daily Manna here
With the assault of pandemics, recession and terrorism on mankind, is this the right time for believers worldwide to be complacent and indifferent? Or is it a time for deep reflection about the fulfilment of the end-time prophecies? These questions require all believers across the world to solemnly reexamine themselves and warn unbelievers and backsliders to repent.
Our text reveals how God commanded Prophet Ezekiel to prophesy against the land and people of Israel. In this prophecy, God revealed His plan to cut off the righteous and wicked. He equally commanded Ezekiel to tell the Israelites that His sword “is already sharpened to make a sore slaughter…” As a consequence, the terror of the sword shall descend upon the people and princes of Israel without separating the self-righteous from the wicked for both would face the wrath of God together.
This prophecy does not in any way contradict God’s verdict in Ezekiel 18:20, which deals with the final judgment. However, today’s passage concentrates on what shall happen before the final judgment. It emphasises temporal judgment, which shall not spare the self-righteous. By implication, both groups would face the sword of the Lord.
Already, the world has started to witness the anger of the Lord. This is evident in the cases of famine, pandemics, terrorism and war that have claimed both the righteous and the wicked worldwide. This places an urgent call on genuine believers to be committed to fervent prayers and evangelism to draw the unsaved to the way of the Lord before it is too late.
THOUGHT OF THE DAY: To do nothing when action is needed is risky.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2 Corinthians 5-9
Thank you for studying today’s Daily Manna – No Time For Complacency – by Pastor W.F Kumuyi
Don’t forget to Follow Elanhub on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.
Daily Manna 15 May 2023
