ESOCS Devotional 13 November 2023 – The Day of the Lord
MEMORY VERSE: “Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.” Isaiah 13:9
TEXT: ISAIAH 13:1-13 (KJV)
The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz did see.
2 Lift ye up a banner upon the high mountain, exalt the voice unto them, shake the hand, that they may go into the gates of the nobles.
3 I have commanded my sanctified ones, I have also called my mighty ones for mine anger, even them that rejoice in my highness.
4 The noise of a multitude in the mountains, like as of a great people; a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together: the Lord of hosts mustereth the host of the battle.
5 They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, even the Lord, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land.
6 Howl ye; for the day of the Lord is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.
7 Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man’s heart shall melt:
8 And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames.
9 Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.
11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
12 I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.
13 Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the Lord of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.
Read Yesterday’s ESOCS Devotional here
The phrase “the day of the Lord” is often used in the scriptures to describe two main events that must take place in the future. One is the full redemption and restoration of those who have been saved through faith in the works of Jesus Christ. Second is the final destruction of this sinful world alongside the unrepentant wicked. Though the scriptures clearly reveal that no man has the knowledge of what day these events will take place but its certainty is never in doubt. Here in our study text, the prophet Isaiah spoke of the coming destruction and judgment of the sinful world and sinners who rejected the gift of salvation. He portrayed the day of the Lord as the day when the righteous anger of God will be revealed against sin.
The holy anger of God: The Bible describes God as love: “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love” (1 John 4:8); and one key attribute of love is what the scriptures revealed in Romans 12:9: “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good” (NIV). True love must abhor evil. So, it is clear that the anger of God is a demonstration of His love. Without understanding the concept of God’s holy anger, it will be difficult for one to appreciate the gift of salvation. The anger of God is described as holy because it is just and righteous. It is not same as human anger which is merely emotional. God’s anger is a response to sin and evil in the world. It is only normal for a holy God to be irritated by sin because sin does not reflect His nature. When we talk about God’s anger, we are not talking about Him having a bad mood, etc. God never wakes up on the wrong side of the bed. God’s anger is indignant in nature i.e., it is a response to injustice, wickedness, heinous acts, evil and anything that corrupts the world. This is why such anger is described as “holy”. God’s anger attacks the sin, the very disease which seeks to destroy mankind. When He sees that sin perverts the mankind and the world which He made, as our Creator who loves truth, justice, and peace, He intervenes to prevent the corruption from wiping out all the inhabitants of the earth. So, God’s anger is presented in the Bible as a protective energy. He is not a volatile angry being who loses his cool every now and then. Someone whose mood cannot be predicted. God does not have mood swing. He is consistent in character.
How God’s Anger Works – How God expresses His anger: In discussing about God’s holy anger, it is important we understand how this anger is expressed. The first thing the scriptures reveal is that God’s anger is slow “The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy” (Psalm 103:8). God is always patient with the wicked and gives him ample time to make a U-turn.
FURTHER READINGS: John 5:24; 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10; 5:1-10
ESOCS Devotional 13 November 2023
