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Gen. 32
After wrestling with a man all night, Jacob said, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been preserved.” (Gen. 32:30b). This is one of several instances in the Bible that suggest to me that the mere sight of God makes us keenly aware of our unworthiness. That is why there will come a day when all men will acknowledge Him as God. When He reveals Himself to all mankind, they will know in an instant. And I suspect those of us who acknowledge and submit ourselves to that truth before that day will feel the same awe that Jacob expressed here. When we see God face to face, though we deserve to die, yet will we live. How grateful I am for God’s unspeakable mercy!
Mark 3
Jesus knew that the Jewish religious leaders would reject Him. God worked that rejection into His great plan, using it for His glory and for the good of those who love Him. Even so, their hardness of heart grieved Jesus. Did He grieve because their blindness caused so many others to stumble? Or did He grieve because they didn’t even know how lost they were? Maybe it was all of that and more. Whatever the case, it makes me think that Jesus genuinely loved even His enemies.
Est. 8
As I read the first few verses of this chapter this morning, my mind went to Jesus’ temptation after His 40 days in the wilderness. More specifically, it went to Satan’s attempt to get Jesus to fall down and worship him. In exchange, Satan offered to give Jesus all the kingdoms of the world. Jesus, however, knew that none of it was his to give. Any claim Satan had to any of it had been given to him by One who had the authority to take it away and give it to another.
So it was with all that Haman had. Haman did not truly serve the king; Haman served Haman. So in the end, the king took away all that he had and gave it to Esther and Mordecai, who served him faithfully. In the same way, God will one day strip away all that Satan has. He will give it all to those who remain faithful to Him through Jesus Christ until the end. So don’t be deceived by what Satan offers, because none of it is his to give. Worship instead the One to whom all things truly belong.