Devotional Thoughts for Today
“Something Worse than Death”
Jeremiah 8:1-3
1 “At that time,” declares the Lord, “they will bring out the bones of the kings of Judah and the bones of its princes, and the bones of the priests and the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem from their graves. 2 They will spread them out to the sun, the moon and to all the host of heaven, which they have loved and which they have served, and which they have gone after and which they have sought, and which they have worshiped. They will not be gathered or buried; they will be as dung on the face of the ground. 3 And death will be chosen rather than life by all the remnant that remains of this evil family, that remains in all the places to which I have driven them,” declares the Lord of hosts.
The past couple of weeks, my wife’s nephew and her family were in town. He’s only 4 years old and still trying to wrap his mind around what it means that I am his aunt’s husband. First he had to understand my wife’s relationship to his grandmother, and then from there, my wife’s relationship to me. He then turned to my father in-law and asked him who his mother was, to which he responded,
“She passed away.”
“Why did she pass away?”
“She was really old.”
“Oh, but I don’t want to die.”
It’s pretty cute when you think about a 4 year-old’s concept of life and death, but in reality, all of us can probably relate to his sentiment—I don’t want to die. And I think that’s a natural thing.
In today’s passage, we continue to see the consequences of Judah’s outright disobedience to the Lord. The section we read today can be portioned off with 7:32-34, as it talks about incoming Chaldean destruction upon Judah, where the voice of joy and the voice of gladness will be made to cease. Jeremiah goes on to describe the scenes where those who are killed but not be buried (a great tragedy in Jewish culture); not only that, in verses 1-2, he describes how the bones of even the most revered of Judah will be dug up—a great sign of disrespect and dishonor. In other words, the people of Judah, because of their sins, will face such tragedies that death will be chosen rather than life by all the remnant. And despite this human tendency to fear death, the suffering they face will be so great that they would rather choose death than life.
If we can take a step back on what is happening, there is a greater spiritual principle being laid out here. There is, what some commentators say, a shifting of the position of death in this passage. Death is no longer the end. What is at the end is the judgment of God.
When death is no longer ultimate, we begin to see a greater spiritual reality in which we live. When our finitude is no longer the edge of our reality, we start to see that there is the Divine. In other words, confronting death in a way where it is no longer the ultimate end to our lives, causes us to see that there is more to life than this. And this is why Christ came to die on the cross for us. This is what has been revealed to us when Christ defeated death.
For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain is the correct posture in which those who are walking in a relationship with God are called… are blessed to have.
Prayer: Father, thank You that You are greater than death. For us who make death the ultimate end, You have revealed to us that there is something beyond death. And You have revealed to us through Your Son what it means to be with You for throughout eternity. Help us to walk in a manner worthy of that calling. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Bible Reading for Today: Ezekiel 5
Lunch Break Study
Read Matthew 10:26-33
26 “Therefore do not fear them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 27 What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops. 28 Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.
Questions to Consider
- Take a moment to skim the passage before this section. What is the context in which Jesus is teaching these things?
- What do you think Jesus is saying in verse 28? How does this relate to verses 29-31?
- In light of today’s devotion and study, what is your perspective on death and does it align to the kind of perspective God wants us to have about death?
Notes
- The context of this passage is in the middle of Jesus’ warning to the disciples of what they are to face if they follow Him, as sheep in the midst of wolves. And despite the persecution they will face, Jesus is calling them to be faithful to their testimony and promises that the Holy Spirit will be with them.
- Jesus is pushing the disciples to see a greater reality than what is before them and their present sufferings. It is in some ways minimizing the gravity of death for there is something greater: obedience to the One who can destroy both body and soul. And if we walk in obedience, God, who values us more than sparrows, will protect and keep you.
- Personal reflection.
Evening Reflection
I understand that thinking about death throughout the day isn’t the most enjoyable topic to think about. However, as you close off this day, think about the things that you do that makes death the ultimate in our lives. But more than that, take a moment to also reflect upon the hope that we have, knowing that death is not the ultimate—our eternal relationship with the Father is the ultimate.
It seems as if we can’t go very long without hearing about another shooting at a school. It seems like everyday we turn on the news, we hear about tragedies overseas as well as right here in our own backyards. Every time I see a new headline, a heaviness comes upon me, wondering how much longer such things will continue.
At our last Encounter (a weekend retreat for men and women separately, which presents the foundational truths of the gospel through a series of talks given by a fellow brother/sister) this past March, I was again reminded of the importance of forgiveness in our lives. Our speakers often emphasized that unforgiveness is like drinking poison in the hope of hurting the other person. We think that by withholding forgiveness from others, we have some kind of power over them; in reality, we poison our own souls as we are separated from the presence of God.
Do you remember (or maybe it was only my friends and me) when we were younger, we would have this silly rule on the playground, where we could make outlandish claims and get off scot-free, as long as we did one thing: crossies? Perhaps you called it something different, but it’s this thing where you take your middle finger and twist it around your index finger, forming an “x” shape, usually held in secret behind your back. And this simple hand gesture would negate any bold-faced lies or empty promises we may have made. And no matter how unfair it may be, the rule of the playground was that you must respect the crossies.
The AMI QT Devotionals from May 28-June 2 are provided by Pastor Joshua Kim of Church of Southland. Joshua, a graduate of Emory University and Columbia Theological Seminary (M.Div.), serves as the pastor of Access (singles) Community at the Church of Southland. He is married to Christina. 
Growing up in Salt Lake City, UT, I had the unique experience of getting to know Mormons in close proximity. They are some of the nicest people I have ever met. But many of my friends who grew up in the Mormon church participated simply because that’s what they were supposed to do. I was talking to a high school friend of mine who was getting ready to go on his 2-year mission trip with the LDS church. I was curious because I knew his negative feelings toward the religion he grew up in, which showed in his lifestyle choices. But despite these feelings, he told me, “I don’t know if I really believe in this stuff, but this is what I’m supposed to do.”
When my parents sold our family home of 16 years, I tried to convince myself that it was not a sad parting. While I loved our family home— and it was certainly God’s provision to give us such space—my primary concern was more for my parents. It wasn’t until I visited our home one last time to surrender my keys, when I found myself in a flood of tears. Seeing our home that had been filled with memories, keepsakes, and valuables completely empty for someone else to move their things in, hit me with the reality that I would never live in this house again. I realized at that moment that I needed to grieve this transition properly for me to walk into the new season that God had in store for myself and my family.
The first year that I started as the youth pastor at Catalyst, I was enthusiastic, excited, and filled with idea upon ideas of all the ways I would lead our youth to love and serve the Lord. Sermon prepping, event planning, and discipleship was a complete joy, and I instantly fell in love with my kids. It was about two years into my stint when I was bombarded with certain life circumstances that began to take a toll on my physical body, as well as spiritual and emotional health. What used to be exciting became a drudge, and it was about that same time when I saw my youth kids begin to struggle with complacency and lack of excitement for our youth events. I had my wakeup call when I was preaching a message about Jesus as the true King, and each one of my students— even the active participants—seemed disengaged. I knew at that moment that my actions, attitude, and spiritual life was seeping into the very lives that God had entrusted me with; and I needed to do everything I could to get well, not only for myself, but also for my students.
In 2014, after living apart from my family for five years, the Lord convicted me to move back in with my parents. It was an extremely difficult decision because of my long family history, but upon hearing from the Lord that this was my next mission field, I went in faith. It wasn’t long into my move when I started experiencing the same tensions that had originally made me believe I would never live at home again. I began to react to my old ways and I felt I was being everything but the beacon of light to my family that God had called me to. It was during this time when I had one of the most vivid dreams — my mother was nearing the end of her life, and during her last moments all I could say and feel was the remorse and regret for not treating her right and spending more time with her. Upon waking up, I knew the Lord was warning me of the regret I would feel if I did not mend my relationship with my mother.
Sometime last summer, I was at our church office working especially late preparing for three large events, when I heard our church doorbell ring. Assuming it was a fellow staff member who might have forgotten their keys, I unassumingly opened the door to find a homeless man covered in soot. Startled, but concerned, I asked the man if he needed food or water. He politely declined and simply asked if I had socks in the building. Upon looking at his feet, I noticed that he was bleeding on his foot; yet not having any clothes at our office, the man asked if I could call an ambulance for him. Soon after, the paramedics and police arrived; and upon seeing the man, they began to interrogate him without ever asking if he was hurt. Their first words were, “Why are you so dirty?” It was an absolutely heartbreaking experience to see the people who took an oath to serve and protect the community marginalize this man without a concern for his health—simply because of his state.
Growing up my mother was the epitome of the Asian tiger mom: authoritative, controlling, and all about her rules. Truth be told, I grew up fearing my mother out of apprehension of how she would dictate my life if I went against her ways. And thus, I got good grades in fear that she’d send me to more after school programs, I never argued back in fear that she would scold me, and I stayed home when asked in fear that she would never let me hang out with my friends. While it would take me years to understand that it was my mother’s love for me that compelled her, my fear certainly instilled in me the need to do what was right.