Thurs., 1/30/14 Devotion (Esth. 7:10)

Today's encouragement comes from Esther 7:10, where we read these words:

"So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king’s wrath subsided."

Our Lord Jesus was hung on a cross, paying for the sins of all God's elect church. The cross (death and hell) was what *we* deserved for our sins. The perfect and pristine Son of God took our place on the cross (even as Haman died where he had designed the gallows for Mordecai). Through the Messi-ah's death, "The King's [God's] wrath subsided” totally against us, the regen-erate church.

The redemptive benefits of Jesus' sacrifice of His life on the cross only affect those who are atoned for by Him. In this sense, it is believers *especially* who put Jesus on the cross--because He died for *our* sins (and not for the reprobate). Let us marvel at God's grace and love to us, in Christ!

[Puritan quote of the day: "What is it to enjoy good health, a brave estate, and not to enjoy God?" --Thomas Watson, in, "A Body of Divinity"]