DCLM Daily Manna 25 March 2026: Come Thou With Us
Text: Deuteronomy 31:9-13
So Moses wrote this law and delivered it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the elders of Israel. 10 And Moses commanded them, saying: “At the end of every seven years, at the appointed time in the year of release, at the Feast of Tabernacles, 11 when all Israel comes to appear before the Lord your God in the place which He chooses, you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing. 12 Gather the people together, men and women and little ones, and the stranger who is within your gates, that they may hear and that they may learn to fear the Lord your God and carefully observe all the words of this law, 13 and that their children, who have not known it, may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God as long as you live in the land which you cross the Jordan to possess.”
KEY VERSE: (Deuteronomy 31:12)
“Gather the people together, men,and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates,that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the Lord your God, and observe to do all the words of this law”
READ OTHER DCLM DAILY DEVOTIONAL HERE
“Before Jehovah’s awesome throne Ye nations, bow with sacred joy,” wrote the great hymn writer, Isaac Watts. “Know that the Lord is God alone; He can create; and He can destroy.” He alone therefore, is to be served, and to Him should we bow and worship. In today’s passage, Moses received the Law from God and gave it to the priests and the elders of Israel; he instructed them on the need for a convocation at a chosen place at the end of every seven years, during which God’s word would be read to all categories of Israelites, including strangers within their gates. The purpose was clear: to ensure they hear, learn, and fear the Lord for their benefit and that of succeeding generations.
Holy convocations were mandatory for Israel as a nation. Usually, they were avenues for fellowship, reenacting God’s laws, and receiving divine instructions. They provided platforms for reminding Israel of her covenant with God and promised reassurance in their journeys and lives. Forsaking such assemblies was considered an offence punishable by God and detrimental to their corporate existence. The New Testament places no less emphasis on the assembling of brethren. The early Church gathered regularly for fellowship, prayers, intercessions, teachings, and instructions through chosen leaders to build and edify the Body of Christ, preparing her for duties, proper coexistence, and the coming of the Lord.
In specific terms, the Bible instructs that saints must not forsake their assembling together to avoid the heart’s hardness through sin’s deceitfulness. We do not condemn receiving inspiration through social media interface/meetings, as a medium of hearing from God. Yet, they cannot be justifiable replacements for physical gatherings of believers of common faith, except where restrictions are based on the extant laws of nations or countries where such believers are found.
The strength, stability, and progress of families or nations depend on God and His holy Writ. Therefore, the culture of teaching, hearing, and learning God’s word must be imbibed and sustained by all. The Bible cannot be replaced by literature or books on psychology, philosophy, sociology, and other works by men. The value of such effort is time-bound and demands renewed editions. God’s revelation, however, is eternal and relevant to all peoples and cultures, cutting across all geographical and demographic boundaries. It restores, enlightens, empowers, saves, purifies, edifies, sanctifies, guides, heals, reproves and corrects unto righteousness. So read, study, obey, and teach it to your children and everyone under your influence.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Assembling with fellow believers enriches and refreshes
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR
Mark 4-6
DCLM Daily Manna 25 March 2026
