A Verse of Desperation Every Christian Should Adopt!

By David Ettinger

A Vital Verse
This is a dramatic headline, and you may be wondering if the verse I am referring to can live up to it.

Well, if you take the Gospel to heart, you will see just how vital this verse is. If you absolutely believe that the wrath of God clings to those who have not accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior (John 3:36), you will see how appropriate this verse is for you to obey.

If you without a doubt believe that those who die with God’s wrath still on them will spend eternity in the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:14-15), forever separated from God, then you will understand just how crucial this verse is.

And if you are convinced the Bible means precisely what it says, you will see the relevance of this verse of desperation, adopt it, and live in the spirit of it!

The Verse of Desperation
The verse is not one I have ever seen in connection with the Gospel as it is from the Old Testament, and its original meaning was more likely intended for life in this world, with little to no spiritual relevance.

However, this was before Jesus Christ came to Earth and laid down His life for the sins of the world. This was before we were told, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). This was before we were taught, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gracious gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

And this was before it was declared, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:310), and “if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9).

What is this verse?

It is Proverbs 24:11: “Rescue those who are being taken away to death, and those who are staggering to the slaughter. Oh hold them back!”

A Verse with Attitude
Do you see what I mean when I call Proverbs 24:11 a “verse of desperation”? It is a verse which – this side of the Cross – points to the desperate need of humanity for a Savior.

It is a verse with attitude – an attitude of desperation; an attitude of expediency; an attitude of immediacy.

Indeed, those who leave this world without receiving Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior will be taken away to death – eternal death with fully awake and aware souls, and fully conscious of their surroundings.

Indeed, those who deny Christ are staggering to the slaughter – that is, the condemnation of their souls for eternity. They are heading headlong to the Lake of Fire, and only bending the knee to Jesus Christ will stop their spiritually-fatal march.

And indeed, the final appeal of Proverbs 24:11 is to believers in the Lord Jesus: “Oh hold them back!”

We must hold back the unbelievers in our lives by telling them about how all humanity is destined for an eternity of punishment separate from God, but that God sent His son Jesus Christ into the world to save them from their sins.

This is the message of desperation we must tell them, and why this verse of desperation is so important for you and me to adopt!

“Rescue those who are being taken away to death, and those who are staggering to the slaughter. Oh hold them back!”

May God give His people the desperation to share the desperate truth with a lost and dying world!

Tagged: Christianity, Eternal life, Life After Death, Practical, Save the Lost, Share the Gospel, The Book of Proverbs, the New Testament, The Old Testament

Posted in: Application, Bible study, Bible teaching, Christ's Deity, Christian Ethics, Christian Responsibility, Christianity, Commentary, Dedication to Christ, Devotional, Editorial/Blog, Jesus My Savior, Loving God, Making a Point, New Testament, Old Testament, Practical, Sharing the Gospel, The Afterlife, The Gospel