Psalm 93:4-5 - Mightier than the thunders of many waters, mightier than the waves of the sea, the LORD on high is mighty! Your decrees are very trustworthy; holiness befits Your house, O LORD, forevermore.
The decrees of the Lord "are very trustworthy." What God says, happens. What He promises, He does. By His Word He created all things and set the sun, moon, and stars in the sky to give light and mark the days and years and seasons, seasons that continue by His command: "While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease" (Genesis 8:22). Our world continues until God decrees otherwise. Earthly rulers make decrees too, although their proclamations are not as reliable as those of our Lord. We are aware of many government mandates, but there was once an official decree with which we are very familiar, a decree that had a far greater impact on our lives than anything our current government might say: "In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered" (Luke 2:1).
Caesar Augustus may have believed that the registration, a census of his subjects, would increase his tax revenue and his glory as emperor. There was glory to be gained through his decree, but it would not belong to Caesar. Long before Augustus lived, even before the world was created, there was "a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory" (1 Corinthians 2:7b). Before the world was made, God's plan was in place for our salvation and our future glory in Christ. Augustus' timely decree served the purpose of God as it brought Joseph, his betrothed Mary and her unborn Child to Bethlehem, where Jesus was born. About 33 years later, the Roman Governor Pontius Pilate gave the order for Jesus to be crucified. Later that same day, Pilate would issue another decree, that the tomb of Jesus should be sealed, guarded, and kept secure. That decree failed miserably in its purpose because God had other plans for the third day after Jesus' death. An angel rolled back the stone, breaking the seal and revealing an empty tomb.
As the psalmist proclaimed centuries before, the Lord is "mightier than the thunders of many waters, mightier than the waves of the sea" and, as we now know, mightier than death! The Son of God, brought to Bethlehem by an emperor's proclamation and years later sentenced by another Roman ruling to die on a cross, was raised to life by the decree of God given "before the ages" for His glory and our eternal salvation. Now in faith we await the future glory, the day when our Lord returns. Until then, we cling to the joy and hope we have through our Savior's decree: "I am with you always, to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20b). He will do what He has promised. His decrees are trustworthy!
WE PRAY: Lord, I trust Your Word and place my hope in You. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler.
Reflection Questions:
1. Can you think of any present-day "decrees" we find in society, where we work, on our roads?
2. How did God's Old Testament decrees prove trustworthy in the birth of Jesus?
3. When do you most take comfort in the Savior's decree in Matthew 28:20?
Today's Bible Readings: Ezekiel 8-10 1 Timothy 5
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