Way of The Warrior- A Daily Devotional

In those days they shall no longer say: “‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.’- Jeremiah 31:29

Warrior;
Times might change, but somethings never change! Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel where all contemporaries. They were all around the time of the BABYLONIAN Captivity. When the Babylonians invaded Judah, there were three different deportations that created the Diaspora. A diaspora is a scattered population whose origin lies in a separate geographic locale. It is an involuntary mass dispersion of a population from its indigenous territories, most notably the expulsion of Jews from Israel. In 605 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar becomes king of Babylon and invades Judah. First wave of deportation of Jews to Babylon, the prophet Daniel is in this first group. In 597, the Babylonians capture Jerusalem and the second wave of deportations happen, Ezekiel is in this group. In 586 The Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple, and the final wave of deportations take place. Jeremiah prophesied from Judah and Ezekiel from Babylon. They give us a good example of how to use the things of life that seem UNFAIR and use them to the glory of GOD and the good of others!

Leader, the proverb listed above was quoted often, not just in Judah among the exiles’ children born in Babylon, to express that they suffered the evil consequences of their fathers’ sins rather than- they were VICTIMS. At the same time that Jeremiah was prophesying this in Judah, Ezekiel was doing the same in Babylon: “What do you mean by repeating this proverb concerning the land of Israel, ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge’? The proverb among the exiles’ children born in Babylon, was to express that they suffered the evil consequences of their fathers’ sins rather than of their own. But this was not all that was meant by this proverb; the sense of those that used it was, that they themselves were quite clear and innocent, and that they only suffered for their fathers’ faults; which was false, of which they should be convinced, and use the proverb no more, as charging God with injustice. In other words, they were VICTIMS! Job Rebuts this in Job 5:7; No indeed! We bring trouble on ourselves, as surely as sparks fly up from a fire. (Good news translation) You CANNOT be a child of the RISEN KING and be a VICTIM- we must choose! Those 2 identities cannot co-exist, just like you cannot serve GOD and MAMMON! Every God requires a sacrifice!

Conduit, God’s law is clear; Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor children for their fathers; each is to die for his own sin. (Deuteronomy 24:16) We live in a time when everybody wants to play victim, it is everybody else’s fault for our problems. Unfortunately reading the WORD OF GOD tells us 2 things; Life is NOT fair, and LIFE IS HARD. Man, that is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble. (Job 14:1) When we play this VICTIM game we DISTORT the WORD OF GOD and we DISMISS the PURPOSE OF THIS LIFE. Both Ezekiel and Jeremiah felt that the time was come when, even at the risk of a seeming contradiction to words clothed with a Divine authority, the other aspect of God’s government had to be asserted in all its fullness: and therefore they lay stress on the truth that each man is responsible for his own acts, and for those alone, and that the law of the inheritance, leaves untouched the freedom of man’s will. It is time to put on our BIG BOY\GIRL pants and start honoring GOD, no matter the circumstances we find ourselves in. Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. (James 1:2-4) There is no such thing as POINTLESS PAIN in the life of the child of God. We must remember the ROMAN ROAD; We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. (Romans 5:3-4) Today, FOCUS ON GOD- HIS GLORY and HIS WORK that He is doing by using the troubles of this world to prepare us for OUR SERVICE in HIS KINGDOM!