Wed.’s Devo - Do Your Part

Read: Exodus 35:20-38; Matthew 27:32-66; Psalm 34:1-10a; Proverbs 9:7-8
Everyone who had a heart to give gave what they had and the women who wanted to help, spun the linen. God set apart Bezalel from the tribe of Judah to work in metal and stones and Oholiab from the tribe of Dan work as designer in fabrics. God gave them both the ability to teach others their skill.
The people brought so much that they finally had to tell them to stop giving! What a problem! They constructed the frames and the curtains that would be the temporary wall around the tabernacle. This wall had to be easy to construct and easy to tear down because they would always be moving. Everything about the tabernacle was to make it look like heaven on earth.
In Matthew, Jesus was on his way to be crucified. They met a man named Simon and the guard forced him to carry Jesus’ cross. When they got to Golgotha they offered Jesus gall to deaden his pain but he refused to take it. Jesus refused to deaden the pain of sin and death he was carrying. He was hung between two thieves with a sign that read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews”. They mocked Jesus telling him to save himself.
The sky went dark for three hours till the hour of the last sacrifice in the temple. When the light came back on, Jesus quoted from Psalm 22. He was not saying that God had deserted him but was referring them to that Psalm because that hour it was being fulfilled. In Psalm 22 it describes Jesus’ crucifixion.
At that moment the earth shook and the veil was torn and God made a way for everyone to enter into his presence through the blood of his son. Graves were opened because death was defeated. Holy people were raised to life and after Jesus rose, they came out of their graves and went into Jerusalem and appeared to many. The Roman guard who was attending Jesus saw all of this happening and became a believer.
That evening, Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the Sanhedrin who had become a secret follower of Jesus came and took the body of Jesus, wrapped him in a clean linen sheet and laid him in his own tomb that had been cut out of a rock. He rolled a huge rock over the entrance and left.
The next day, the head of the priests reminded the others that Jesus had predicted that he would rise from the dead after three days. He was afraid that Jesus’ disciples would take his body and say that he was resurrected so they placed a guard at his tomb.
It is amazing to see how every player had his role from Simon who carried Jesus cross, to Joseph of Arimathea who placed him in his rock tomb. Interesting that Arimathea is Ramah in the Old Testament. Samuel was from Ramah who was sent to anoint Saul and David as king. Joseph gave up his final resting place for the King of Kings.
Lord, we all have our skills and destinies in your kingdom, help us to be about your business of bringing heaven to earth.