Daily Devotional For Monday, August 17, 2026
Good morning Southside! Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords. Thank you for taking time today to meditate on this devotional. Our devotional for today comes from Ezekiel 7:2-4:
“The end is here! Wherever you look— east, west, north, or south—your land is finished. (3) No hope remains, for I will unleash my anger against you. I will call you to account for all your detestable sins. (4) I will turn My eyes away and show no pity. I will repay you for all your detestable sins. Then you will know that I am the LORD” (NLT).
As we have seen in several of our past devotionals, God’s patience has elapsed and time for Judah’s destruction has come. Nothing will stop this, not even Judah’s attempt to appease the Babylonians. There comes a time with our sin, rebellion and disobedience that the Lord says to us, “I’ve had enough.” It is then His hand of discipline comes on us. For the nation of Judah, this meant total annihilation and destruction. It meant thousands being slaughtered and thousands forced to cross the desert to serve as slaves in Babylon.
As God had spoken through the prophet Jeremiah, they would remain in Babylon for 70 years. Several generations were born and died until God worked in the heart of the king of Persia in 537 BC to allow them to return home to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem (Nehemiah), be instructed by the word of God (Ezra) and start rebuilding the Temple. In 539 BC, Persia conquered Babylon and thus God’s prophecy about all of this was fulfilled.
Jeremiah had not picked the random number of “70” because it worked for him. This was the number of years God said His people would remain in Babylon as exiles (Jer. 25:11-12). In fact, God told His people to build homes, have families and get used to being there because they were going to be there a long time (Jer. 29:5-7).
God tells us in His word this in Galatians 6:7 that we cannot mock God. We will reap what we sow. This is why the Apostle Paul tells us what he does in Romans 6:1-4 and Romans 6:12-17. We are not to keep on sinning so God can continue to give us His grace. To intentionally and habitually sin against the Lord may reveal we are not genuinely saved. And if this is true, then on Judgment Day, we will experience the full force of Jesus’ words in Matthew 7:21-23. It can also indicate we have no gratitude for what God had done for us through Christ.
We see this in God’s judgment against Judah. God had made Israel a powerful nation through David and Solomon. God had given them one of the most famous buildings in history – the Temple. Through David and Solomon, God had given them books of the Bible such as 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles, Psalms, Proverbs, Song of Solomon and Ecclesiastes. That is a huge part of the Old Testament. God had given them freedom, a place to worship, a nation to be feared, food on every table and how did they respond? – With rebellion, sin, and idolatry. So, God broke them, destroyed them and had them enslaved by a nation who had some of the same false idols they had been worshipping.
Reflection Assignment: What is the proof of your gratitude to the Lord for all He has done for you? Does your life to the Lord show gratitude, obedience and worship? If not, what changes do you need to make now?
Scripture To Meditate On: Ephesians 5:6, “Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey Him” (NLT).
Prayer To Pray: “Dear Lord, I do not want to live a life of ingratitude to You for all You have done for me. I do not want to choose sin nor the gods of my culture instead of You. Please forgive me when I have in the past and please help me seek Your kingdom and Your righteousness only. I love You Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”
I love you Southside! – Pastor Kelly