DCLM Daily Manna 22 May 2026: Ultimate Triumph
KEY VERSE
“The LORD will be terrible unto them: for he will famish all the gods of the earth; and men shall worship him, every one from his place, even all the isles of the heathen” (Zephaniah 2:11).
BIBLE READING: Zephaniah 2:7-15
The seacoast shall belong to the remnant of the house of Judah; they shall pasture their flocks upon it; in the houses of [deserted Philistine] Ashkelon shall they of Judah lie down in the evening. For the Lord their [Judah’s] God shall visit them [for their relief] and restore them from their captivity.
8 I have heard the taunts of Moab and the revilings of the Ammonites by which they have reproached My people, and magnified themselves and made boasts against their territory.
9 Therefore, as I live, says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Moab shall become like Sodom and the Ammonites like Gomorrah, a land possessed by nettles and wild vetches and salt pits, and a perpetual desolation. The remnant of My people shall make a prey of them and what is left of My nation shall possess them.
10 This shall they have for their pride, because they have taunted and boasted against the people of the Lord of hosts.
11 The Lord will be terrible to them, for He will make lean and famish all the gods of the earth; and men shall worship Him, every one from his place, even all the isles and coastlands of the nations.
12 You Ethiopians also, you shall be slain by My sword.
13 And [the Lord] will stretch out His hand against the north and destroy Assyria and will make Nineveh a desolation, dry as the desert.
14 Herds shall lie down in the midst of [Nineveh], all the [wild] beasts of the nations and of every kind; both the pelican and the hedgehog shall lodge on the upper part of her [fallen] pillars; the voice [of the nesting bird] shall sing in the windows; desolation and drought shall be on the thresholds, for her cedar paneling will He lay bare.
15 This is the joyous and exultant city that dwelt carelessly [feeling so secure], that said in her heart, I am and there is none beside me. What a desolation she has become, a lair for [wild] beasts! Everyone who passes by her shall hiss and wave his hand [indicating his gratification].
READ OTHER DCLM DAILY DEVOTIONAL HERE
In the 19th century, cannibalistic tribes in the Pacific region worshipped cruel gods, offering human sacrifices. When missionary John Hunt arrived, he faced extreme danger. Yet, the chief of the tribe turned to Christ in 1854, renouncing his old gods. Soon, entire villages burned their idols and embraced Christianity, leading to a national revival.
Zephaniah foretold in this passage, that even “the isles of the heathen” would worship God. The specific transformation of the Pacific island proves that no culture is beyond God’s reach—He famishes false gods and establishes true worship. Over time, the gospel has faced fierce opposition in many nations and communities in the world. History has, however, recorded that time and time again, beyond the Bible stories like the encounter between Israel’s Ark of God and the Philistines’ Dagon, Prophet Elijah and the worshippers of Baal, idols and the gods of this world will continue to fall before the Almighty God, to buttress the efficacy of the gospel message.
Israel had suffered cruel persecutions from heathen nations as a result of their continual disobedience to God. They had been made to pass under the rods of the Assyrians, the Egyptians, the Babylonians, the Medo-Persians, the Greeks, and the Romans. And of late, antiSemitic sentiments have rocked the world so much with dire consequences. The idolatrous nations have continued to claim their triumph over the elect of God. Some even boast of overrunning the lifesaving and everlasting gospel. But God has always proved them wrong as He remains the only true God. His Church has remained firmly built upon the Rock that is Christ, which no gate of hell has neither the audacity nor capacity to conquer.
The people of God must rejoice and march on confidently knowing that God will yet glorify Himself in His faithful and forthright children who will not cave in at the aggression of opposers of their faith in the true and the living God. The enemies of God will bow to the majesty of the Almighty. And in the regeneration, the ferocious biters today will be bitten by the just retribution of the Omnipotent.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Rejoice! The Church militant will be the Church triumphant!
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ruth 3-4
DCLM Daily Manna 22 May 2026
