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PAIN OF CAPTIVITY
LORD’S DAY, DECEMBER 5
Deuteronomy 28:47-55

Ezekiel14:1-11

 

“…Thus saith the Lord GOD; Repent,

and turn yourselves from your idols…”

 

PAIN OF CAPTIVITY
 
The full picture of exile in a foreign land is horrifying. Moses said these words to Israel as a warning. Captivity is a painful condition as one is deprived of all freedom and is subjected to the will and whims of a cruel authority. When this came to Israel, it was because they disobeyed the commandments of the Lord. All who disobey the Lord will face some form of punishment. Sin makes one a slave unto death. This was the subsequent picture painted in the history of God’s chosen people. The description of the nation in exile was horrible. They added to their pain by further rejecting the Lord and saddening consequences followed.
 
The Israelites were prisoners of war and they found themselves in inhuman circumstances. In death there would be no one to bury the other. Corpses became meat for the vultures. Moses warned against disobedience to prevent all these, but sadly they came to pass. As it happened, the people and their king would be taken into captivity and forced to act against their will. As slaves, they had no home nor freedom, and were subjected to the dictates of their foreign masters.
 
Reading the words of Moses was like reading the history of Israel in advance. In divided Israel, the northern kingdom adopted idolatry as their religion and worshipped idols. Every king that came after Jeroboam walked in his own ways and some even did worse. This transgression of the commandment of the Lord was in effect the rejection of God. Prophets were sent to warn the kings, but none listened to them. Subsequently, the ten tribes that constituted the northern kingdom were taken captives to Assyria. The two tribes that constituted the southern kingdom of Judah also later faced the same fate and were taken captive to Babylon. However, because of God’s covenant with Abraham, their captivity lasted for seventy years and after that they were restored to their land, though not with full authority. All the words of the Lord by Moses came true.
 
THOUGHT: God restores dignity to those who humbly repent.

PRAYER: Father, may the truth of Thy word lead me to repentance.

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