Putting Under the Ban Part 1

# 200 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 15:2,3 "Thus says the LORD of hosts: 'I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt. 3 'Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.'" (1 Sam 15:2,3) This is one of those verses that atheists love to pounce on to justify their rejection and hatred of God. In the next couple of days, Lord willing and with the help of the Holy Spirit, I will try to clarify this difficult biblical concept of what is literally called “putting to the ban.” We read of this “ban” in Le 27:29 'No person under the ban, who may become doomed to destruction among men, shall be redeemed, but shall surely be put to death.” The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord , often by totally (as in this case) destroying them. Don't miss the term, “irrevocable.” This destruction cannot be overturned. This destruction was sometimes commanded in the Old Testament because those who were singled out for destruction had crossed a line. In God's sovereignty view of the situation, they were unredeemable. This destruction serves as an example for us today. Jude 1:5,6 speaks of this as well, “But I want to remind you, though you once knew this, that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed (put to the ban) those who did not believe. 6 And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains (put to the ban) under darkness for the judgment of the great day;” The devil and his angels were “put to the ban” they had crossed a line just as the idolatrous Canaanites had crossed and were “put to the ban,” Rather than question God's right to put “people to the ban” perhaps we should be more concerned about our own standing with the Lord. The only escape from being put under the ban, (read that going to hell,) is faith in Jesus Christ. As Jesus said, “fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Mt 11:28) In other words fear the only One who is able to put you under the ban.