DCLM Daily Manna – 8th August 2025 Devotional Message Written By Pastor W.F Kumuyi
Read DCLM Daily Manna – 8th August 2025, Thursday Devotional Message.
TOPIC: No Refuge For Wilful Sinners
SCRIPTURE READING:
1 Kings 2:26-35 (KJV)
KEY VERSE:
“And the king said unto him, Do as he hath said, and fall upon him, and bury him; that thou mayest take away the innocent blood, which Joab shed, from me, and from the house of my father.” – (1 Kings 2:31).
DCLM Daily Manna – 8th August 2025 MESSAGE:
The Book of Blunders (1980), contains a story of a burglar who robbed a house in Antwerp, Belgium. The thief fled out the back door, clambered over a nine-foot wall, dropped down the other side, and found himself in the city prison.
Today’s passage serves as a reminder of the consequences of wickedness and sin. Abiathar and Joab faced repercussions for their roles in a failed plot by Adonijah. King Solomon removed them from positions of power to strengthen his kingdom, replacing Abiathar with Zadok as Priest. This fulfilled a prediction made by God about the priesthood. Abiathar was spared due to his past loyalty to David, but Joab was executed for selfish political reasons. Benaiah took over as the army commander. The passage highlights the importance of sowing good deeds and avoiding wilful sinning to prevent negative consequences.
After learning about the punishment of Adonijah and Abiathar, Joab sought refuge by grabbing hold of the altar’s horns in God’s sanctuary. Despite being a wilful murderer, Joab tried to exploit the sanctuary’s protection meant for those who sinned unintentionally. However, God’s command stated that those who sinned wilfully should be removed from the altar and executed.
In a plea for divine mercy, Joab attempted to escape his deserved punishment. Nevertheless, Solomon ordered Joab’s execution, fulfilling his father’s dying wish and cleansing the nation from blood guilt. Joab’s story serves as a warning that the altar cannot provide refuge for those who disobey God’s laws without repentance. Those who serve in God’s sanctuary but continue to live in sin are like Joab clinging to the altar’s horns, destined to face divine judgment.
Today, many people play the religion card to cover up their atrocities. After embezzling public funds, some culprits go to build places of worship or give large sums to fund religious programmes. Meanwhile, they continue sinning. Others embark on social services and philanthropy with stolen funds. These are improper ways of dealing with past sins. The right thing to do is to repent, confess, make amends, and receive God’s forgiveness through Jesus’ vicarious death on the cross. That is how to avoid ultimate condemnation.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
There is no asylum for unrepentant sinners in God’s sanctuary.
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR
Nehemiah 11-13
About Author – Pastor W.F. Kumuyi
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.