Isaiah 22:12–13: “And in that day the Lord God of hosts / Called for weeping and for mourning, / For baldness and for girding with sackcloth. / But instead, joy and gladness, / Slaying oxen and killing sheep, / Eating meat and drinking wine: / ‘Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!'”

August 16th, 2024 by Pastor Ed in devotional

Isaiah was telling the people of Jerusalem that God was looking for genuine repentance, but they ignored the Lord. In fact, they responded with self-indulgence and partying. Since they were slaughtering their herds, they were not looking to the future, but were only seeking to fulfill the whims of the moment. The Apostle Paul describes  this view of life in 1 Corinthians 15:32, reasoning that if there is no resurrection from the dead or judgment, then enjoyment in this life is all that really matters. But he goes on to assure them, and us, that there is a resurrection and a judgment awaiting every person who has ever lived. It may sound like foolishness to the atheist, but the promise of Scripture is that all will rise again and stand before God, some for rewards and others for punishment.

In 1838, a sealed vase that had been found in an Egyptian mummy burial pit, by English explorer and Egyptologist  Sir John Gardener Wilkinson, was given to the British Museum. Later, when the vase was accidentally broken, some grains of wheat and a few yellow, shriveled peas, hard as a stone, were found in it. The peas were planted carefully, and after having lain sleeping in the dust of a tomb for almost 3000 years, one sprang to life. One day God will call all of us from the grave, no matter how long we’ve been asleep, and those who have put their trust in Him will not be disappointed.

“LORD, we long for life with You in eternity. Use us now we ask to bring others to You, in Jesus’ name.”