Sun.’s Devo - Death and Resurrection

Read: Lamentations 4:1-5:22; Hebrews 2:1-18; Psalm 103:1-22; Proverbs 26:23 Jeremiah speaks of God’s people as gold that has lost its luster and gemstones scattered in the streets. They are now treated like common pots instead. There is no food because of the siege and everyone is starving. The once rich and healthy are now desolate and dying of hunger. The kindest of women have cooked their own children to eat them. No one would have believed that this could happen to Jerusalem, the light of the world. They realize that this happened because of the sins of the false prophets and the sins of the false priests. They shed innocent blood as they sacrificed babies on their altar of Molech. Now the people want nothing to do with them. Even the nations they ran to don’t want them. They no longer are respected and sought after. They are hated and rejected. Jerusalem had waited for one of her allies to help her like Egypt, but no one came. They had thought that their God would save them but he didn’t either. Jerusalem was about to be destroyed and Edom would be next. Jeremiah cries out to God to remember them. Slaves have become masters, they live in fear of their lives, their women are being raped, their princes hanged. They elders are treated with contempt and their young men given to hard labor. No one judges or dances any more. Everything has changed in Jerusalem, but God has not changed. He is the same forever and his throne continues from generation to generation. He cries out for restoration. Hebrews explains that even the angels that sinned when they left heaven to come to earth and have sex with the women of the earth were punished. So what makes us think we can escape punishment if we ignore God’s salvation through Jesus. God’s salvation was confirmed to us when Jesus came to earth and did signs and wonders and miracles. Psalm 8:4-6 says that while God made mortals a little lower than angels, he crowned them with glory and honor and gave them authority over all things. We saw this happen through Jesus who was made a human (lower than the angels) and raised to sit at the right side of God when he resurrected. When he died, Jesus broke the power of the devil who had the power of death and set us free from the fear of death. Since Jesus went through suffering and testing, he is able to help us go through the same. Lord, thank you for being our advocate and our salvation. Thank you for freeing us from the fear of death.