Mon.’s Devo - Making the Shift

The prophecy to Moab was probably delivered in the first years of Hezekiah's reign and fulfilled in the fourth when Shalmaneser, on his way to invade Israel, attacked Moab. Moab must have allied with Israel in a league against Assyria, incurring the vengeance of Assyria. Reading about the attack of the Assyrians on Moab, you can hear the cry of despair and see the destruction of death. All joy and laughter is gone. Their false gods could not save them or give them any relief. In three years, Moab will have gone from a teeming metropolis to a few feeble survivors. Damascus in Syria would become a heap of ruins and the animals will roam freely in the deserted cities. Their fate would be the same as in Israel. The land of Syria, Israel and Moab will become desolate with very few survivors. They will be the remnant and they will start looking up to the God of heaven, their true father who alone can save them. Their idols have proved useless. Isaiah made a proclamation to the whole earth that nothing would grow until God was finished plowing the earth and pruning it. When he finishes, His very enemies will bring their gifts to Jerusalem where God’s army will be dwelling. Paul wrote to the Church in Galatia. Galatia was not a city but a region in Asia Minor which included many towns like Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe. Legalists, called Judaizers had crept into the church and taught that certain of the Old Testament laws still needed to be followed to be a Christian. This totally went against Paul’s teaching of grace and challenge his authority. The Judaizers charged Paul as being a secondhand apostle and a compromiser of the law to make the gospel appealing to the Gentiles. Paul wrote his letter to rebuke the people for listening to their propaganda and to defend the truth. He defended his teaching saying that he didn’t figure it out with his head but received it directly by revelation from Jesus Christ. Lord, I pray for discernment for the Body of Christ that we will be able to make the shift into what you are doing next and not be like the Judaizers who could not make the shift from law to grace.