Daily Devotional For Monday - March 21, 2005

The Risen King - Part 1

God is a mysterious God. His very existence is a mystery to His creation since He is both eternal and infinite. All His attributes are infinite. We, as humans created in His image, are finite; we have limitations. Our physical, mental, and spiritual abilities are contained within the borders that God has determined best for us. The Bible teaches us that God is eternal; without beginning or end. How can the human mind comprehend or explain any existence without beginning; existing forever in the past, and forever in the future? The mind must attempt to skip back over eons and eons, far beyond the creation, into the timelessness of empty space (or did space even exist?) to imagine the existence of a perfect, holy, and infinite Spirit who was not created, uncaused, transcending both time and space, and exists forever and ever. I find this impossible. The mind boggles; it cannot comprehend. The Trinity is another mystery of God. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three distinct persons, yet they are One God. Man cannot fully and satisfactorily explain this mystery of God to the finite human mind. Although the word Trinity is not mentioned in the Bible (the written, infallible, God-breathed revelation of God to man,) the evidence is clear in both the Old and New Testaments. Then, there is a third mystery, the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Jesus, Son of God, meaning God in human form, died as a result of crucifixion, was proved dead by a Roman guard, witnessed by His disciples, and buried in a tomb by one of His followers. On the third day after His death, according to the Scriptures, Jesus rose again, alive and well, and is alive forevermore! This mysterious, world changing event will be the subject of our study in the devotions over the next few weeks. We will begin with His betrayal by Judas, one of Jesus’ disciples.

Prophecy Fulfilled

The book of Zechariah was written over a period of about 40 years, 520 BC-480 BC. Its purpose was to give hope to God’s people, the Jews, who had returned to Jerusalem from captivity in Babylon. This hope applies to God’s people everywhere; that the Messiah, our King, is coming. God’s prophets, whose task it was to proclaim the word of the LORD, have never failed to be extremely accurate. They spoke of sin and the consequences of disobedience, and of coming events that would soon take place, and of those events that would take place far in the future. We have the advantage today of looking back into history to see just how accurately the prophets spoke and wrote about Jesus Christ the Messiah. We know that He did come, that He appeared on time, born of a virgin in Bethlehem, that He would ride into Jerusalem on a donkey, that He would be hated, betrayed for exactly 30 pieces of silver, falsely accused, spat upon and cursed, crucified, and that He would rise from the dead on the third day after His death. These are just some of the accurate prophecies about Jesus the Son of God. Zechariah’s prophecy about Jesus’ betrayal is fulfilled in Matthew 26.

Zechariah 11:12-13 I said to them, “If it is good in your sight, give my wages; but if not, never mind!” So they weighed out thirty shekels of silver as my wages. Then the LORD said to me, “Throw it to the potter, that magnificent price at which I was valued by them.” So I took the thirty shekels of silver and threw them to the potter in the house of the LORD.

Luke 22:2-4 The chief priests and the scribes were seeking how they might put Him to death; for they were afraid of the people. And Satan entered into Judas who was called Iscariot, belonging to the number of the twelve. And he went away and discussed with the chief priests and officers how he might betray Him to them.

Matthew 26:14 -16 Then one of the twelve, named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What are you willing to give me to betray Him to you?” And they weighed out thirty pieces of silver to him. From then on he began looking for a good opportunity to betray Jesus.

Matthew 27: 3-10 Then Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us?” See to that yourself!” And he threw the pieces of silver into the temple sanctuary and departed; and he went away and hanged himself. The chief priests tool the pieces of silver and said, “It is not lawful to put them into the temple treasury, since it is the price of blood.” And they conferred together and with the money bought the Potter’s Field as a burial place for strangers. For this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. Then that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: “AND THEY TOOK THE THIRTY PIECES OF SILVER, THE PRICE OF THE ONE WHOSE PRICE HAD BEEN SET by the sons of Israel; AND THEY GAVE THEM FOR THE POTTER’S FIELD, AS THE LORD DIRECTED ME.”

There are several questions we should ask ourselves:

1. Do I have faith in Jesus the Messiah; knowing that I can go to Him, confessing and repenting of my sins and that I will be forgiven according to God’s promise?

2. Have I made money, or some other worldly temptation, a greater value than Jesus, denying Him for my own priorities?

3. Do I believe that, according to the prophecy in God’s word, Jesus Christ is going to return to establish His kingdom, conquer all His enemies, and rule the earth?

4. Do I look forward to eternal life with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords in His heaven, and do I base all my thoughts and deeds upon that belief?

Used With Permission - Copyright © 2005 Partners In Christ International - Bob Gunn