Morning Devotional 041022 Lift Your Palms

Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room

April 10, 2022

Read 1 Kings 1:32-40

32 King David said, “Bring me Zadok the priest, the prophet Nathan, and Benaiah, Jehoiada’s son.” They came to the king, 33 who said to them, “Take with you the servants of your masters. Put my son Solomon on my mule and bring him down to Gihon. 34 There Zadok the priest and the prophet Nathan will anoint him king over Israel. Blow the ram’s horn and say, ‘Long live King Solomon!’ 35 You will follow him. He will enter and sit on my throne, and so he will succeed me as king. I have appointed him to become ruler over Israel and Judah.” 36 Benaiah, Jehoiada’s son, responded to the king, “Yes, may it happen as the LORD, the God of my king, says. 37 Just as the LORD was with my master the king, so may he be with Solomon. May his throne be even greater than the throne of my master King David.” 38 Zadok the priest, the prophet Nathan, Jehoiada’s son Benaiah, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites went down and put Solomon on King David’s mule. They led him to Gihon. 39 Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from the tent and anointed Solomon. They blew the ram’s horn, and all the people said, “Long live King Solomon!” 40 All the people followed him playing flutes and celebrating. The ground shook at their noise.

Good Morning, Wave your palms with joy!

This passage from 1 Kings reminds us that Jewish kings are welcomed using this long-established protocol. It was again prophesied in Zechariah 9:9 Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Today, Palm Sunday is the beginning of Holy Week. As a part of those who know what comes next, we know that this is a tumultuous week for Jesus and the disciples. Of course, Jesus knew what would come next, and he had tried to prepare his disciples for this moment. Let’s not skip ahead to the next chapter quite yet.

For now, let us focus on the moment at hand, the triumphal entry. Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” - Mark 11:9-10 (NIV)

We must remember that this was not a random act that caught Jesus unaware. When he chose to ride into Jerusalem, it was an intentional announcement that he, Jesus, the new king, had arrived. Among those cries of Hosanna from a desperate people, were those working to stop this man, Jesus. The Pharisees could not see who stood before them and they needed to stop this uprising before the Romans rushed in and took away their power. The Pharisees, leaders of the Jewish people, were granted certain powers during the Roman occupation, as long as they maintained control of their people. Demonstrations of healing, large gatherings, and now this parade, made the Pharisees look bad.

Jesus knew all that was happening and that would happen over the next days. He was fulfilling the prophecies from days past so that all might one day see that this rebel was indeed the son of God. Without the triumphal entry, there would be no crucifixion, and certainly no resurrection! Jesus chose to bear the sins of all God’s children so that we might have eternal life. Thanks be to God!

We, as a community of faith, still struggle with the concept of all. We still have so much work to do to gather all as one body, but with the strength that comes from God, we will achieve this and bring all to glory.

Loving and Gracious God, Thank You for loving us. As we shout Hosanna, may we remember all that you do in our lives. Help us continue the work of your Son and gather the outcasts, the poor, and all who are marginalized in the eyes of the non-believers. Thank You! In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen

Thought for the day: I will honor the Prince of Peace by loving someone who is unlike me today.

Hosanna to the king of kings! Pastor Liz