DCLM Daily Manna 2025: DCLM Daily Manna 28 April 2025: When Celebration Ceases
Text: Isaiah 24:1-15 (KJV)
Behold, the Lord makes the earth empty and makes it waste,
Distorts its surface
And scatters abroad its inhabitants.
2 And it shall be:
As with the people, so with the priest;
As with the servant, so with his master;
As with the maid, so with her mistress;
As with the buyer, so with the seller;
As with the lender, so with the borrower;
As with the creditor, so with the debtor.
3 The land shall be entirely emptied and utterly plundered,
For the Lord has spoken this word.
4 The earth mourns and fades away,
The world languishes and fades away;
The haughty people of the earth languish.
5 The earth is also defiled under its inhabitants,
Because they have transgressed the laws,
Changed the ordinance,
Broken the everlasting covenant.
6 Therefore the curse has devoured the earth,
And those who dwell in it are desolate.
Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned,
And few men are left.
7 The new wine fails, the vine languishes,
All the merry-hearted sigh.
8 The mirth of the tambourine ceases,
The noise of the jubilant ends,
The joy of the harp ceases.
9 They shall not drink wine with a song;
Strong drink is bitter to those who drink it.
10 The city of confusion is broken down;
Every house is shut up, so that none may go in.
11 There is a cry for wine in the streets,
All joy is darkened,
The mirth of the land is gone.
12 In the city desolation is left,
And the gate is stricken with destruction.
13 When it shall be thus in the midst of the land among the people,
It shall be like the shaking of an olive tree,
Like the gleaning of grapes when the vintage is done.
14 They shall lift up their voice, they shall sing;
For the majesty of the Lord
They shall cry aloud from the sea.
15 Therefore glorify the Lord in the dawning light,
The name of the Lord God of Israel in the coastlands of the sea.
KEY VERSE: (Isaiah 24:4)
The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish.
Hurricane Irma hit Puerto Rico on September 6, 2017, as a Category 5 storm, causing widespread devastation. The then-governor imposed a curfew, resulting in the closure of drinking bars during the storm. Despite the temporary halt in nightlife, as soon as the curfew was lifted, people rushed back to bars like La Placita to resume their regular activities. The storm disrupted the city’s usual loud music and night parties, but the community quickly returned to their socializing and revelry once the danger had passed.
When God judges, there is no wine, singing, or celebration. There are no songs and cheer and no parties. The earth will mourn and groan in pain for the severity of God’s wrath poured on it. Prophet Isaiah paints a picture of this in today’s passage. The city is in ruins; the gates, typically closed to protect the city, are now battered. Nothing is left when the olive tree is beaten, and the city is made desolate. The voices of the bride and groom are stunningly silent. The nation’s natural scenery is devastated. We see how God will empty the earth, implying that the earth is full. The hand of God will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants. This is similar to what happened with Noah, the flood, and the ark.
God will judge everyone regardless of their status. Material wealth won’t matter in the end. Our foundations might be wrong, needing a change. Global warming is already taking its toll, with effects including melting ice and rising sea levels. Africa’s climate is overheating, and Europe is facing more intense heat waves. The earth is showing signs of distress, and we need to take action. It’s time to view the world from a different perspective and address the issues at hand. We can already see the impact of human activities on the environment, and it’s essential to make changes now.
It is time to pray to God to have mercy, backed up by a corresponding lifestyle of repentance and humility. We do not approach God to have Him dispense grace like a vending machine. He will heal our land if we repent genuinely and embrace His ways.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Celebrating when we ought to be mourning is a confirmation of a lost mind.
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Joshua 15-18
Daily Manna 30 April 2025
