Saint Louis, Missouri, United States - 2014 Daily Lenten Devotion "PIERCED HANDS AND FEET" by Reverend Wayne Palmer Wednesday, 2 April 2014 - Read Zechariah 12:1 A revelation, Yahweh’s word concerning Israel. Yahweh, who stretches out the heavens, and lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him says: 2 “Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of reeling to all the surrounding peoples, and it will also be on Judah in the siege against Jerusalem. 3 It will happen in that day, that I will make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all the peoples. All who burden themselves with it will be severely wounded, and all the nations of the earth will be gathered together against it. 4 In that day,” says Yahweh, “I will strike every horse with terror, and his rider with madness; and I will open my eyes on the house of Judah, and will strike every horse of the peoples with blindness. 5 The chieftains of Judah will say in their heart, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength in Yahweh of Armies their God.’ 6 In that day I will make the chieftains of Judah like a pan of fire among wood, and like a flaming torch among sheaves; and they will devour all the surrounding peoples, on the right hand and on the left; and Jerusalem will yet again dwell in their own place, even in Jerusalem. 7 Yahweh also will save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of David’s house and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem not be magnified above Judah. 8 In that day Yahweh will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem. He who is feeble among them at that day will be like David, and David’s house will be like God, like Yahweh’s angel before them. 9 It will happen in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. 10 I will pour on David’s house, and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplication; and they will look to me[a] whom they have pierced; and they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for his only son, and will grieve bitterly for him, as one grieves for his firstborn. 11 In that day there will be a great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon. 12 The land will mourn, every family apart; the family of David’s house apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart; 13 the family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of the Shimeites apart, and their wives apart; 14 all the families who remain, every family apart, and their wives apart.
13:1 “In that day there will be a spring opened to David’s house and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness.
Footnotes:
a. Zechariah 12:10 After “me”, the Hebrew has the two letters “Aleph Tav” (the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet), not as a word, but as a grammatical marker.
TEXT: They have pierced my hands and feet (see Psalm 22:16).
King David knew nothing of crucifixion in his day, but he prophesied it in exacting detail in Psalm 22. In yesterday's devotion he compared Jesus' enemies to a pack of wild dogs, encircling its prey. It paints a vivid picture of Jesus' crucifixion. His hands and feet are pierced as the Roman soldiers nail Him to the cross. His enemies encircle Him to taunt and ridicule Him, as if they were barking loudly against Him. No wonder He cries out, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"
Aside from the Gospel accounts where Jesus is nailed to the cross, this nail piercing of our Savior is mentioned in two other places in Scripture. The first is in the prophet Zechariah, "And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on Me, on Him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over Him, as one weeps over a firstborn" (Zechariah 12:10).
The last book of the New Testament, Revelation, includes these words in its first chapter, "Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of Him. Even so. Amen." (Revelation 1:7).
Today is the day to recognize it was our sins that led Him to the cross, our curse He took upon Himself. Today is the day to weep and mourn for how we contributed to His sufferings. Today is the day to trust in Him and rejoice that He willingly humbled Himself and endured such suffering to save us from eternal death.
THE PRAYER: Lord Jesus Christ, our sins are serious indeed. Thank You for taking their terrible punishment upon Yourself to save us all. Amen.
-------
Lutheran Hour Ministries
660 Mason Ridge Center
St. Louis, MO 63141 United States
-------
No comments:
Post a Comment