Daily Devotional For Sunday, June 28, 2026
Good morning and good day Southside!
Our daily devotional reading for today comes from 2 Kings 17 and Isaiah 1. The context of this passage is God is in full destruction of Israel. Assyria has conquered Israel and has replaced thousands of her citizens with their own. As a result, those remaining in Israel will intermarry these Assyrians and eventually be called Samaritans. The Jews in Judah were prejudiced against the Jews in the North (Israel) for intermarrying because this corrupted the Abrahamic line. The Jews in the north (Israel) were considered half-breeds and no longer part of the Abrahamic Covenant.
Isaiah 1:2-4 says this:
“Listen, O heavens! Pay attention, earth! This is what the LORD says: ‘The children I raised and cared for have rebelled against Me. (3) Even an ox knows its owner, and a donkey recognizes its master’s care— but Israel doesn’t know its master. My people don’t recognize my care for them.’ (4) Oh, what a sinful nation they are— loaded down with a burden of guilt. They are evil people, corrupt children who have rejected the LORD. They have despised the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on Him’” (NLT).
When we read the Old Testament this story seems to be similar to a stuck record. In fact, this was a repeated cycle both Israel and Judah perpetuated. They would rebel and sin —> God would warn them → They would refuse to heed God’s warning → God would warn them again → then God would punish them. You would think they would learn the lesson, don’t you? Yet, are we any different from them? No. God may not send in invading armies to take away our freedoms and enslave us, and so we sadly think we are safe.
September 11, 2001 is a day most Americans remember vividly. There are those who believe this was God’s judgment on America for its sins. We proudly murder innocent babies through abortion in the name of a “woman’s choice.” We proudly endorse gay marriage as normal and homosexuality as natural and being tolerant. We promote living together outside of marriage as culturally acceptable when God calls this sin. We tolerate murderers, rapists, pedophiles, thieves in our justice system by giving them a slap on the hand. I am not in a position to make this call if 911 was God’s judgment on America.
I do know these verses are inspired, infallible and inerrant. The first verse is: Psalm 33:12, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, The people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance” (NASB). The second verse is Galatians 6:7, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap” (NASB). The third verse is Psalm 110:6, “He will judge among the nations, He will fill them with corpses, He will shatter the chief men over a broad country” (NASB).
Our Old Testament passages today reveal the nation of Israel totally destroyed and its people enslaved to Assyria. Have you ever watched someone totally self-destruct due to the sin and rebellion in their lives? If you have, it is sad because it did not have to happen. Had they chosen to seek the Lord and His will for their lives, things would have been different. We don’t have to make all the mistakes to learn God’s lessons for us; we can learn from the mistakes of others.
Reflection Assignment: Who have you watched self-destruct? Did you try to intervene? If you did, why did they refuse your help? What mistakes from others have you learned from their lives that have benefited you in your walk with Christ? What is a tough lesson the Lord taught you due to your own sin and rebellion?
Scripture To Meditate On: Romans 8:31b, “If God is for us, who is against us?” (NASB).
Prayer To Pray: “Lord, help me to learn Your lessons and then help me to help others avoid learning lessons of discipline from You. I do not want to mock You Lord. I want to be a godly citizen here and a godly disciple to others. I love You Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”
I love you Southside! – Pastor Kelly