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DCLM Daily Manna 25 April 2023 Devotional by Pastor W. F. Kumuyi — Divine Judgement Against Sin
TOPIC: Divine Judgement Against Sin (DCLM Daily Manna 25 April 2023)
KEY VERSE: “For the LORD had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham’s wife” (Genesis 20:18).
TEXT: Genesis 20:1-18 (KJV)
1 And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the south country, and dwelled between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned in Gerar.
2 And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.
3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man’s wife.
4 But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, Lord, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation?
5 Said he not unto me, She is my sister? and she, even she herself said, He is my brother: in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this.
6 And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her.
7 Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine.
8 Therefore Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his servants, and told all these things in their ears: and the men were sore afraid.
9 Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said unto him, What hast thou done unto us? and what have I offended thee, that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done.
10 And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What sawest thou, that thou hast done this thing?
11 And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will slay me for my wife’s sake.
12 And yet indeed she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.
13 And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said unto her, This is thy kindness which thou shalt shew unto me; at every place whither we shall come, say of me, He is my brother.
14 And Abimelech took sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and womenservants, and gave them unto Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife.
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15 And Abimelech said, Behold, my land is before thee: dwell where it pleaseth thee.
16 And unto Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver: behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes, unto all that are with thee, and with all other: thus she was reproved.
17 So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children.
18 For the Lord had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham’s wife.
DCLM Daily Manna For Today MESSAGE:
The late Southern Baptist evangelist, R.G. Lee, had a message he often preached entitled “Pay-day some-day”. The thrust of the message was that you might live a life of sin and appear to be getting away with it but judgment is sure to come, whether in this life or in eternity.
In our text, there is a new dimension to God’s judgment for erring sinners. Even when sin is committed ignorantly, there is a need to make amends immediately after one comes under conviction. Failure to repent attracts the judgment of God. Abimelech, king of Gerar took Sarah, Abraham’s wife when it was thought she was Abraham’s sister. However, in a dream, God demanded that she be returned to her husband.
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Abimelech justified his actions based on the apparent lie Abraham and Sarah had told him; which now turned out to have been done out of his fear of losing his life over his beautiful wife. By this time, God had already sealed up the wombs of all the women in Abimelech’s household as part of the initial judgment for his actions. Abraham and Sarah were then summoned by Abimelech and the truth of their actions was revealed.
Abimelech reproved them and restored Sarah to Abraham with handsome compensation. On the surface, it appears Abimelech dealt with innocence, but God still found some grounds to condemn his actions. This was the second time Sarah was being taken and restored by a king. Generally, kings used their authority to deny the rights of the innocent.
Abimelech’s inquiries and investigation appeared not detailed enough in his desire for Sarah. We may justify our actions a thousand times, but God who knows the hearts of men knows whether we are guilty or not. In any case, when we come to realize our sins, it is required us to repent and make amends.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
There is no justification for sin; only justification by faith in Christ.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Romans 13-16
Deeper Life Daily Manna For Today 2023 was written by Pastor W. F. Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.
