Daily Lesson for Wednesday 17th of December 2025

Israel already has experienced the Lord’s anger during the wilderness wanderings (Numbers 11:33, Numbers 12:9) as well as in the Promised Land (Joshua 7:1) and was fully aware of the consequences of provoking Yahweh’s anger by flagrantly breaking the covenant.

Image © Darrel Tank at Goodsalt.com

These verses represent the climax of the severity of Joshua’s rhetoric. It is shocking to hear that the Lord will destroy Israel, as the same term has been previously used to refer to the annihilation of the Canaanites. As surely as the promises of the Lord have been faithfully fulfilled concerning Israel’s blessing, the curses of the covenant (Leviticus 26:1-46, Deuteronomy 28:1-68) also will become true if the Israelites reject the covenant. In light of the dispossession and destruction of the Canaanites, these verses demonstrate once again that Yahweh is ultimately the judge of all the earth. He declares war against sin, irrespective of where it is found. Israel was not sanctified, and did not acquire special merits, through participation in holy war any more than pagan nations did when they later became the means of Yahweh’s judgment against the chosen nation.

It lies within Israel’s power of choice to make the glorious certainties of the past the foundation for facing the future.

At first glance, the biblical teaching on God’s anger seems to be incompatible with the affirmation that God is love (John 3:16, 1 John 4:8). Yet, it is exactly in the light of God’s wrath that the biblical doctrine of God’s love becomes even more relevant. First, the Bible presents God as loving, patient, long-suffering, and ready to forgive (Exodus 34:6, Micah 7:18). However, in the context of a world affected by sin, the wrath of the Lord is the attitude of His holiness and righteousness when confronted by sin and evil. His wrath is never an emotional, revengeful, unpredictable overreaction. The New Testament teaches that Christ became sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21), and through His death we have been reconciled with God (Romans 5:10). Whoever believes in Him will not have to face God’s wrath (John 3:36, Ephesians 2:3, 1 Thessalonians 1:10). The concept of the wrath of God presents God as the righteous judge of the universe and the One who upholds the cause of justice (Psalms 7:11, Psalms 50:6, 2 Timothy 4:8).

<–Tuesday Thursday–>

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/25d-12-the-anger-of-the-lord/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=25d-12-the-anger-of-the-lord

Monday’s Sabbath School lesson asks, “With so many wonderful promises before us, why do we still find it so easy to sin?” 

Personally, I am increasingly aware of the reality of that old hymn: “I Need Thee Every Hour.” When I was younger, I would sing this song without appreciating the gravity of my need for Christ moment by moment. I would read my Bible and pray in the morning, and later I would be surprised at what I would find myself saying or doing. I felt like a hypocrite. How could I read my Bible and pray and then, just a couple of hours later, find myself in such a mess? I have now concluded that I am not a hypocrite. I need  Jesus every hour of my life, moment by moment, and not just one hour in the morning. I realized I was trying to be a golf cart when in reality I am a trolley car. A golf cart can charge its batteries in the morning and then run all over the golf course on its own power the rest of the day. Not me. I am a trolley car. A trolley car must remain connected to the cable throughout the day; otherwise, it cannot move a single inch. Likewise, I need to be connected to Jesus moment by moment, or I will fall into trouble. 

Of course this does not mean studying the Bible in my office all day long. What it does mean is this.

1. I keep my Bible with me, and as I have opportunity I can read a passage and mediate on it. This is easier than ever now with Bible apps on our cell phones and tablets. I have learned it is not enough for me to be in the Word often. I must be in the Word always. 
2. Prayer. Becky, my girlfriend and I have a running text all day long where we are sharing our day and thoughts about what is going on around us. The text never ends. It just continues. Likewise I can be in prayer with Jesus throughout the day. This does not mean that I retire from the world. I take Jesus with me into the world. I talk to Him during my Bible studies and my golf game. And if I start to engage in an activity that makes me uncomfortable talking to Jesus, then I have to make a conscious choice. Abandon Jesus or abandon the activity. 1 John 3:9 tells me that if I am in the Spirit, I cannot sin. I have found that in order to sin, I must consciously hang up my “prayer phone” with Jesus. I have been in church board meetings where we all found it was not enough to pray before and after the meeting. There have been times my board has stopped in the middle of the meeting to pray. Often when I sin, and the Holy Spirit brings me back to repentance, I see my mistake was not realizing that “I Need Thee Every Hour” is not just a cute phrase to sing. They are the desperate and anguished cry of my soul. 
3. Cultivating thoughts on spiritual or lofty themes. Again, I can’t be in my office studying the Bible all day, but as I go about my business, the songs on my car radio can lead me to lofty themes for contemplation. My conversations and the meditations of my heart can be pleasing to God. I can do away with bitter thoughts by contemplating the good in people and remembering what Jesus has accomplished for all of us on the cross. I can remind myself to change the channel in my mind when needed. 
4. I need to avoid idle moments by being intentional with my time. Many years ago, one night, I googled “The 1888 Righteousness by Faith Message.” Well, guess what else happened in 1888 that turned up in my search? Apparently, Jack the Ripper was doing his thing back in 1888. Intrigued by mysteries, I found myself reading some pretty dark articles, and it all started with an innocent search. I am seeking to become more disciplined and intentional with my time, including my leisure hours. If I do not find an agenda for every moment of the day, Satan will find an agenda for me. 
5. I need to be intentional when spending time with those who do not know Jesus. Jesus ate with sinners, but not just for the sake of eating. He had an agenda. If I am not leading people to Jesus, they will lead me somewhere else. 
6. I need to close the door to the tempter whenever possible. On a mission trip years ago, a chaperone took some youth to the mall to do some shopping. The chaparone followed a group of young people into a certain store. When they realized this was a very immodest clothing store, before the chaperone could say anything, a young person in the group said, “I don’t think I belong here,” and started walking out. Years later, I have found myself following the example of this young person. Again, if I feel awkward talking to Jesus here, then what am I doing here? 

There is another song I am thinking about now, that we sang way back in Cradle Roll. “Oh, be careful, little feet, where you go. Oh, be careful, little ears, what you hear. Oh, be careful, little eyes, what you see. For the Father up above is looking down in love, oh be careful little eyes what you see.” Do you remember that song? We sang it as little children in Cradle Roll. I don’t know why we don’t still sing it as adults. “We need Thee Every Hour,” so we can be careful what we see, what we hear and where we go. 

“I Need Thee Every Hour” is not a cute song. It’s the desperate, anguished cry of my soul. 

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/i-need-thee-every-hour/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=i-need-thee-every-hour