GOD'S WRATH AGAINST HIS OWN PEOPLE

DEVOTIONAL 11/01/2020 2 Kings 21

12 Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Behold I am bringing such evil upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whosoever heareth of it, both his ears shall tingle.

13 And I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria, and the plummet of the house of Ahab: and I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipeth a dish, wiping it, and turning it upside down.

14 And I will forsake the remnant of mine inheritance, and deliver them into the hand of their enemies; and they shall become a prey and a spoil to all their enemies;

15 Because they have done that which was evil in my sight, and have provoked me to anger, since the day their fathers came forth out of Egypt, even unto this day.

When we go through the books of Samuel and the books of Kings, we encounter generations of kings in Israel. Many of the kings, if not majority of them, displayed wickedness, idolatry and rebellions against God's statute.

In chapter 2 Kings 21, we see an example of this tendency through the acts of king Manasseh, the son of king Hezekiah who gained favor from the LORD by doing the right things. Manasseh did not follow his father's footsteps, but mimicked other corrupted kings of Israel and Judah. He built altars of Ba-al, made a grove and graven image of grove, practiced enchantments, and dealt with familiar spirits (2 Kings 21).

2 Kings 21

3 For he built up again the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; and he reared up altars for Ba-al, and made a grove, as did Ahab king of Israel; and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them.

6 And he made his son pass through the fire, and observed times, and used enchantments, and dealt with familiar spirits and wizards: he wrought much wickedness in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.

The sins of Manasseh even exceeded the sins of other nations and he shed innocent blood in Jerusalem, as the Bible told us.

2 Kings 21

9 But they hearkened not: and Manasseh seduced them to more evil than did the nations whom the LORD destroyed before the children of Israel.

16 Moreover Manasseh shed innocent blood very much, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another; beside his sin wherewith he made Judah to sin, in doing that which was evil in the sight of the LORD.

"...and I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipeth a dish, wiping it, and turning it upside down."

2 Kings 21 13

The language in the sentence above is strong to express GOD's anger against Israel and Judah and His determination to punish them: "...wipeth a dish...", "...wiping it...", and "...turning it upside down".

GOD definitely loved His people. He provided them with all the goodness and prosperity. He brought them victory over their enemies. However, He will not contradict His law and will not allow His people to do evil without punishment.

Repent and stop now if you still practice horoscope; zodiac signs; counseling with witches, wizards, and familiar spirits; images or statues of saints, angels, Mary, and Jesus; Christmas celebration and Christmas trees; and worshipping idols.

Repent and ask for forgiveness because you indulge in those activities.

Sam Christian Feel free to share and no attribution required. Vocabulary and grammar checks were done with the help of Collinsdictionary.com, http://www.hemingwayapp.com/, and https://www.grammarcheck.net/editor/.

Last edit was performed on 12/26/2020.