DCLM Daily Manna 3 March 2019 Devotional by Pastor W.F Kumuyi
TOPIC: Peace Like A River
TEXT: Genesis 26:26-35
26. Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar, and Ahuzzath one of his friends, and Phichol the chief captain of his army.
27. And Isaac said unto them, Wherefore come ye to me, seeing ye hate me, and have sent me away from you?
28. And they said, We saw certainly that the LORD was with thee; and we said, Let there be now an oath betwixt us, even betwixt us and thee, and let us make a covenant with thee;
29. That thou wilt do us no hurt, as we have not touched thee, and as we have done unto thee nothing but good, and have sent thee away in peace; thou art now the blessed of the LORD.
30. And he made them a feast, and they did eat and drink.
31. And they rose up betimes in the morning, and sware one to another; and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace.
32. And it came to pass the same day, that Isaac’s servants came, and told him concerning the well which they had digged, and said unto him, We have found water.
33. And he called it Shebah; therefore the name of the city is Beersheba unto this day.
34. And Esau was forty years old when he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite;
35. Which were a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah.
KEY VERSE:
“That thou wilt do us no hurt, as we have not touched thee, and as we have done unto thee nothing but good, and have sent thee away in peace: thou art now the blessed of the LORD” – (Genesis 26:29)
DCLM DAILY MANNA 3 MARCH 2019 MESSAGE:
Imagine how the world would have been if every human inhabitant of it were peaceable and would go the extra mile to secure it. In such a state, there probably would be no need for the police. All the defense mechanisms and security measures that men have surrounded themselves with would have been needless. But such a world exists only in our imagination until the millennium reign of the Prince of Peace. In reality, peace is a scarce commodity all over the world.
The wickedness and contradictions of the world notwithstanding, the Christian is expected to “follow peace with all men” and as much as possible to live peaceably with all men. The Lord has so designed it that the man of peace attracts peace. “When a man’s way please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him (Proverbs 16:7). This was the case of Isaac in our text.
The visit of Abimelech the king of Gerar and his friends, whether borne out of feeling of guilt or feeling of fear of repercussion, was a peace mission. The result of that meeting was a covenant of peace between Isaac and the people which was sealed with a feast that Isaac made for them. Observe how Isaac readily forgave the people and was willing to forge a peaceful and neighbourly relationship with them. He did not continue to nurse the injustice earlier meted out to him. It was more than a coincidence that the same day Isaac entered a peace treaty with Abimelech and his company, he was rewarded with a new well.
No less an attitude is expected of a Christian. As you step out today, make up your mind to chart a course of peace. Be willing to pay a reasonable price to secure peace. If Abimelech, a pagan king, took the initiative to make peace with a wronged Isaac, you should have more grace to initiate peace overtures to anyone whose way you have crossed.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
We may not hope to achieve world peace, but we can achieve peace around us.
THE BIBLE IN A YEAR:
Leviticus 15-17
DCLM Daily Manna 3 March 2019 Devotional was written by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.
