Saint Louis, Missouri, United States - Lutheran Hour Ministries 2014 Daily Lenten Devotion "SURROUNDED BY BULLS" by Reverend Wayne Palmer Tuesday, 25 March 2014 - Read Psalm 68:28-35

Saint Louis, Missouri, United States - Lutheran Hour Ministries 2014 Daily Lenten Devotion "SURROUNDED BY BULLS" by Reverend Wayne Palmer Tuesday, 25 March 2014 - Read Psalm 68:28 Your God has commanded your strength.
    Strengthen, God, that which you have done for us.
29 Because of your temple at Jerusalem,
    kings shall bring presents to you.
30 Rebuke the wild animal of the reeds,
    the multitude of the bulls, with the calves of the peoples.
Being humbled, may it bring bars of silver.
    Scatter the nations that delight in war.
31 Princes shall come out of Egypt.
    Ethiopia shall hurry to stretch out her hands to God.
32 Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth!
    Sing praises to the Lord!
Selah.
33 To him who rides on the heaven of heavens, which are of old;
    behold, he utters his voice, a mighty voice.
34 Ascribe strength to God!
    His excellency is over Israel,
    his strength is in the skies.
35 You are awesome, God, in your sanctuaries.
    The God of Israel gives strength and power to his people.
    Praise be to God!
TEXT: Many bulls encompass me; strong bulls of Bashan surround me (Psalm 22:12).
Jesus looks squarely into the face of His persecutors who are many and powerful-like a herd of bulls surrounding Him. They are strong bulls, the kind that grow in the rich meadows of Bashan, a region northeast of Gilead, the land of Israel to the east of the Jordan River. These bulls were well known for their strength, size and fierceness. It is an apt description for the chief priests and elders; they are fierce, savage and violent men who prosecuted Jesus to His death.
What a force for good these leaders could have been had they turned from their sin and trusted Jesus as their Savior. Imagine if they had used their energy, wisdom and influence to lead the Jews to follow God's mighty Son. Instead, they charge against Him. They conduct an illegal night trial; they call for false witnesses and force Pilate to condemn an innocent man through threats. Like bulls they line up with their sharp horns and tell Pilate-we are charging and attacking someone. Shall it be Jesus or you?
We face strong enemies as well: "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12).
Without a doubt Jesus' greatest enemy was the devil who stood behind these Jewish leaders and spurred them on their murderous path. But through His innocent suffering and death, Jesus crushed the serpent's head and set us free forever.
THE PRAYER: Lord Jesus Christ, You faced the brunt of Satan's power and were victorious. Protect us from all our enemies and bring us safely to our heavenly home. Amen.  
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