DCLM Daily Manna Saturday 4 March 2023
TOPIC: Our Defence and Preservation
Text: Isaiah 31:1-9 (KJV)
31 Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the Lord!
2 Yet he also is wise, and will bring evil, and will not call back his words: but will arise against the house of the evildoers, and against the help of them that work iniquity.
3 Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses flesh, and not spirit. When the Lord shall stretch out his hand, both he that helpeth shall fall, and he that is holpen shall fall down, and they all shall fail together.
4 For thus hath the Lord spoken unto me, Like as the lion and the young lion roaring on his prey, when a multitude of shepherds is called forth against him, he will not be afraid of their voice, nor abase himself for the noise of them: so shall the Lord of hosts come down to fight for mount Zion, and for the hill thereof.
5 As birds flying, so will the Lord of hosts defend Jerusalem; defending also he will deliver it; and passing over he will preserve it.
6 Turn ye unto him from whom the children of Israel have deeply revolted.
7 For in that day every man shall cast away his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which your own hands have made unto you for a sin.
8 Then shall the Assyrian fall with the sword, not of a mighty man; and the sword, not of a mean man, shall devour him: but he shall flee from the sword, and his young men shall be discomfited.
9 And he shall pass over to his strong hold for fear, and his princes shall be afraid of the ensign, saith the Lord, whose fire is in Zion, and his furnace in Jerusalem.
KEY VERSE
“As birds flying, so will the LORD of hosts defend Jerusalem; defending also he will deliver it; and passing over he will preserve it.”
(Isaiah 31:5)
DCLM Daily Manna Saturday 4 March 2023 MESSAGE
The story is told of a monastery in Portugal, perched high on a 3,000-foot cliff and accessible only by a terrifying ride in a swaying basket. The basket is pulled with a single rope by several strong men perspiring under the strain of the fully loaded basket. One American tourist who visited the site got nervous halfway up the cliff when he noticed that the rope was old and frayed. Hoping to relieve his fear he asked, “How often do you change the rope?” The monk in charge replied, “Whenever it breaks!”
Our God will not wait until the rope breaks before changing it. The fact that God declared His commitment to defend and preserve Jerusalem in our text, should give the inhabitants rest of mind. Strangely, the children of Israel refused to abide under the best refuge and protection afforded them by God. They looked towards Egypt for help. They trusted in the strength of horses, chariots and horsemen but never in the strength of the Holy One of Israel.
It is paradoxical that while God was there to protect and defend them, their carnal minds tilted towards what the human senses relies upon in times of difficulties. But the way of God relies heavily on faith. The just shall live by their faith, while trusting God for victory in life’s battles. Proper understanding of the person and character of God reinforces our hope and trust in Him. When we put our trust in Him, it is for our good.
If we leave the place where the best protection is guaranteed, the gadgets and gods we turn to will disappoint us. Agents and messengers of Satan are found in every country today, promising protection and security against diseases, poverty and even death. Those who deviate from God and follow them will have themselves to blame for all eternity should they fail to repent.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: In vain do backsliders run to Egypt for help.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Leviticus 18-20
