The Beginning of Wisdom

 

 

Good day! I’m Duane Matz and this is Today’s Living Word:

 

Isa 15:6 For the waters of Nimrim will be desolate, For the green grass has withered away; The grass fails, there is nothing green. 7 Therefore the abundance they have gained, And what they have laid up, They will carry away to the Brook of the Willows. 8 For the cry has gone all around the borders of Moab, Its wailing to Eglaim And its wailing to Beer Elim. 9 For the waters of Dimon will be full of blood; Because I will bring more upon Dimon, Lions upon him who escapes from Moab, And on the remnant of the land."

 

Isaiah continues his burden against Moab. In this prophecy we see that the judgement against Moab will be complete and there will be no escaping it. Those who do manage to make it to the river Dimon will be lunch for the lions.

 

Don’t “ho-hum” this passage in the Bible. God can use animals to carry out His work. Remember the infamous talking donkey in  Nu 22:28 Then the LORD opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, "What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?"

 

And it would not be the last time that He would use lions for judgement. When the Assyrians attempted to resettle the conquered land of Samaria, they sent in heathen who had absolutely no “fear of the Lord.” So God sent in lions!

2Ki 17:25 And it was so, at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they did not fear the LORD; therefore the LORD sent lions among them, which killed some of them.  26 So they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, "The nations whom you have removed and placed in the cities of Samaria do not know the rituals of the God of the land; therefore He has sent lions among them, and indeed, they are killing them because they do not know the rituals of the God of the land."

 

God was trying to teach these people a respect for proper fear. (A hungry lion will definitely create fear!) Fear is an important element in our worship of God. Pr 1:7 says “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.

 

And Jesus reminded us in Lu 12:5 "But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!

 

Yes, fear the one who holds life and death, heaven and hell in His hands. Let that fear move you to the repentance, that opens the door to saving faith in Jesus. The very fact that God is able to forgive our sins, ought to cause a holy fear in our souls!

 

Ps 130:4 But there is forgiveness with You, That You may be feared.

 

Oh God, grant us a healthy fear of You. Grant us an awareness of your holiness that causes us to turn to Jesus. It is in placing our trust in Him, that all fear is put in its proper place. It is indeed the beginning of wisdom.

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I’m Duane Matz and that’s Today’s Living Word.