Theme: The Vice of Slander
Text: “And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.” – Revelation 12:10.
Comment: The name devil from the Greek word diabolos, means “a slanderer or false accuser”. In the text for today he is called “the accuser of our brethren” (that is of the true servants of God on earth). Smith’s Bible Commentary says that Satan slanders “God to man and man to God”. This is true. For instance, in Job 1:6 it is written that “the fire of God” fell from heaven, and burnt up the sheep, and the servants. Of course it was the devil that caused the fire to come from the sky, which made people believe it was from God. The devil has also boasted that no one can remain faithful to God under adversity. He brought afflictions on Job so that he would sin against God and be punished. – Job 2:3, 4.
Many people today are afflicted by demons and by chronic ailments. The devil created these situations to make the people feel their problems are from God. In the days of our Saviour on earth and in the time of the prophets and apostles a number of such people were healed to show that the devil is the cause of their troubles. (Mark 5:2-13; Luke 9:38-42; Matthew 11:4, 5) Believers should pray to stand firm on the side of God and thereby prove the devil a liar. – Hebrew 6:4-6; Ephesians 6:10-17.
Theme: COMMENTARY ON HEBREWS 11:32 - 40
Text:“For Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up, saying, Wherefore dost thou prophesy, and say, Thus saith Jehovah, Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it.” – Jeremiah 32:3.
Comment: Because the king and people of Judah had given themselves to the worship of the devil, God Almighty used Jeremiah the prophet to warn them, telling them that if they would not repent, He would make Jerusalem and the temple they took pride in to suffer the fate of Shiloh, where the name of God was in earlier times before it was destroyed and abandoned. (Joshua 18:1; 19:51; 1Kings 14:2.) For warning the people against sin the leaders determined that Jeremiah must die. (Jeremiah 26:1-10) However, some of the elders, together with Ahikam, an officer of the king, intervened to prevent them from their wicked plot.
Again, when the Chaldeans besieged Jerusalem, Jeremiah was instructed by God to tell them to submit to their rule to avoid death and destruction. This was seen as treason for which the leaders of the people convinced King Zedekiah to cast Jeremiah into.a well. But God also delivered him. When we stand up for the truth, even in the face of danger, God will give us victory in the end. St. Paul in his writings recalled God delivered them “from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us” (2 Corinthians 1:10).. He added that God Almighty shall deliver him “from every evil work, and will preserve him unto his heavenly kingdom. – 2 Timothy 4:18