TOPIC: Spiritual Suicide. TEXT: EZEKIEL 4:1-8 KEY VERSE: “Lie thou also upon thy left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it: according to the number of the days that thou shalt lie upon it thou shalt bear their iniquity” (Ezekiel 4:4). “From whence shall we expect the approach of danger? Shall some trans-Atlantic military giant step the earth and crush us at a blow? Never. All the armies of Europe and Asia... could not by force take a drink from the Ohio River or make a track on the Blue Ridge in the trial of a thousand years. No, if destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of free men we will live forever or die by suicide.” That was Abraham Lincoln’s submission on the American Civil War. Lincoln’s observation implies that America could only be conquered through self- destruction. Those who are conversant with the history of the Jews will agree that this observation equally applies to them. Israel had the privilege of being a chosen race whose destiny was directly in the hand of God. Jerusalem, in particular, was regarded as the City of God (Psalm 46:4). Its inhabitants therefore needed not to be afraid of being crushed by any invader. As proven by scriptural accounts, the only thing that could predispose them to defeat was sin – rebellion against God. One of such situations is found in today’s text. Prophet Ezekiel was instructed by God to demonstrate the impending siege of Jerusalem by the Chaldean army and the consequent depression the Jews would suffer. This was done by a series of prophetic actions which included his laying siege to the portrait of Jerusalem and lying before it first on one side for 390 days, and then on the other side for 40 days. It served to douse the pride of rebellious and presumptuous Jews many of whom were already in captivity, who relied on mere strength of the city. Similarly, true Christians are more than conquerors. The devil, his demons and human agents cannot overcome them. This is in so far as the Christian is in right standing with God. Indulging in sin is akin to a suicide attempt and renders the Christian vulnerable. THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: The surest path to spiritual defeat is sin.
Posted on: Mon, 22 Jul 2013 06:34:24 +0000
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