DIRE WARNING TEXT: DEUTERONOMY 18:9-14 Key verse: “When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations” (Deuteronomy 18:9). HMS Sheffield, which was a 3,500-ton Royal Navy destroyer, was sunk by a single missile fired from an Argentine fighter jet during the 1982 war in the Falkland Islands between England and Argentina. This caused a lot of concern, as some people wondered if HMS Sheffield, which was regarded as a modern surface warships, was obsolete. But investigation, conducted later, revealed that HMS Sheffield’s defenses did pick up the incoming missile. Though the ship’s computer correctly identified it as a French-made Exocet, the computer was programmed to ignore Exocets as “friendly.” The conclusion was that HMS Sheffield was sunk by a missile, which it saw coming and could have evaded. The programme error of the ship’s computer was what God did not want the Israelites to experience, according to our text. Although the Israelites were called out from one land to another and they were to dwell close to some strange people, they were given instructions on what not to do. God knew that those who live near them were ungodly and He did not want them to copy the practices of those ungodly people. Today, God still warns believers to desist from the behaviors and lifestyles of those unbelievers around. God condemns, in totality, anything that has to do with horoscopy, fortune telling, use of charms, speaking to the dead, acts of witchcraft, traditional rites that have a tinge of idolatry, or a remote approval of any of these. Since it is easy to indulge in these practices, particularly as we see their preponderance among our sinful neighbours, we are warned not to emulate their practices, as these will earn us the wrath of God. We are to be careful and watchful. We are to keep our children at safe distance from such ungodly influences. May God help us to be fully obedient to divine counsel. THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: He who refuses pertinent warnings is an ally of fools. ____ Pastor Kumuyi
Posted on: Wed, 03 Sep 2014 07:09:08 +0000
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