-May 19, 2022-
Good morning, happy Thursday,
“The king of Arad, the Canaanite, who dwelt in the South, heard that Israel was coming on the road to Atharim. Then he fought against Israel and took some of them prisoners. So Israel made a vow to the Lord, and said, ‘If You will indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities. And the Lord listened to the voice of Israel and delivered up the Canaanites, and they utterly destroyed them and their cities. So the name of that place was called Hormah.”
(Numbers 21:1-3).
Even before the Israelites reached the Promised Land they had to fight several tough foes that attacked them with no provocation: the Amalekites, the Sidonians, the Amorites, the Bashanites, and the Canaanites. In all cases the Lord gave them overwhelming victories. In this case, King Arad of the Canaanites even took some of them prisoners. The spiritual lesson for us is to always be on guard against the devil, putting on the whole armor of God. The devil looks for any cracks in our armor to fire his flaming missiles at us. He wants to take us out of the battle. He looks to pounce on us like a roaring lion.
Israel was not trying to provoke a fight or take the land of their enemies east of the Jordan. They were on the way to the Promised Land that God would give them. When they needed to cross national boundaries, they offered to pay for any water they and their animals would drink and to peaceably pass through. They were denied and rebuffed at every turn. They prayed to the Lord and asked for His help, vowing to destroy their cities. God listened to His people and answered their request. They utterly destroyed them and their cities. They named the place Hormah, meaning “utter destruction.”
Sadly, after such a great victory, the people of Israel became discouraged and spoke against God and Moses. This is something that can happen when we experience victory in our lives. The devil will tempt us to be proud, thinking we achieved it on our own. We must rely fully on the Lord, putting no confidence in the flesh. The Lord can defeat our most powerful foes.
Have a blessed day trusting God for the victory. He is able and more than able. Stay safe and healthy.
In His everlasting arms,
Dean
Dean Allen's Daily Devotional 