I Have Engraved You

Week 50

One of the most moving scriptures I have ever read is Isaiah 49:16. God is speaking through Isaiah, he is speaking about a time that will come and what he will have to do for us. “See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.” Centuries before he would walk on the earth and die for us, he had our names engraved on his palms. He knew that he would one day have his hands pierced for us and he still went through with it. That to me is amazing love.

If we knew what the future held, if we could see that we would have to give our lives to save someone would we willingly and lovingly choose to be born for that purpose? I doubt that I would. It seems so painful and hard. Yet Jesus did that for us. Over and over again in the old testament we read about his first coming.

We know that he would be born of a virgin, that he would be the son of God, a descendent of Abraham, from the tribe of Judah, the family of Jesse, the house of David. Scripture tells us that he would be born in Bethlehem, that he would be called Lord, Immanuel, that he would be a prophet like Moses, a priest, a judge, a king. 

I read once that we can find Jesus in every chapter in the Bible. I haven’t actually tried to do this, but when I consciously think about it, it is entirely possible.

Whenever the Word of the Lord is spoken in scripture, it is Jesus. Whenever a rock is mentioned in the Bible, it is Jesus. Whenever creation is brought up in scripture, there is Jesus. He is in each breath, each heartbeat and every time we awake it is because he has given us life and created a new day for us.

I guess if we mean that much to him, it wasn’t hard for him to die for us. Hebrews 12:2 puts it this way. “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” He knew what was coming and considered it joy. That is a loving, merciful, gracious God who would do that for us.

In Philippians 2:5 we are told that our attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus. Listen to this:

“Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

He didn’t die on the cross to be elevated or exalted, but to save human kind. But God chose to exalt him for taking on the servant nature. One day everyone will bow to him – everyone.

I guess we have the option of bowing the knee to him now or later. It is awesome to think that those who do not serve him on earth, those who choose to serve Satan will also bow the knee to Jesus at the end of the age. Everyone will see him in all his splendor when he comes back to the earth the second time. 

He will not return as a servant, no one will spit on him, ridicule him or nail him to a cross when he comes back as the sovereign ruler of the universe. He will come back as a conquering king!

I am so anxious to see him return. The earth is anxious for this also. “The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole of creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.” Romans 8:19-22

If your name has been engraved on the palm of his hand, you will be spending eternity with him, Jesus the king of the universe. We cannot even begin to fathom what that will be like. I don’t think that we will ever have boring days with nothing to do, I don’t envision a lazy afterlife, but one that is full of new things to see, do and experience.

With God, a thousand years are but a day and we will get an opportunity to experience that first hand when Jesus comes back to the earth a second time. That is if our names are written in the lambs book of life. 

Revelation 20:11-15 describes the day of judgement. Listen carefully to these words. 

“Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them and each person was judged according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of  life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”

How can we be guaranteed that our name will be written in the book of life? 

When Jesus was nailed to the cross, it was for everyone who had ever been born or would be born, no one is exempt from the grace and love he showed. Each and every name of every person in the world was engraved on his palms. But there is a stipulation. We have to accept the gift, it is up to each one of us to believe that he was who he said he was and have faith that the blood he shed was for our sins. God has made it very clear that it is by faith in the blood of Jesus that we are saved.

Jesus told us that he is the way, the truth and the life no one comes to the father except through him. It may sound harsh that those who reject Jesus will not be written in the book, but we hear this from Jesus himself in Matthew 7:13-14. “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life and only a few find it.”

Is your name engraved on the palm of Jesus hand? It is if you accept his gift. He died for you, for me, for everyone. Our sin debt has been paid in full. But we have to acknowledge that gift, we have to embrace it and be thankful for it. We have to give our allegiance to Jesus for what he has done for us. There is a song that I have been singing a lot lately. It kind of sums up this devotion. Hear the words to “Amazing Love.”

I’m forgiven because you were forsaken. I’m accepted you were condemned. I’m alive and well, your spirit is within me, because you died and rose again. 

Amazing love how can it be, that you my king should die for me? Amazing love I know it’s true, and it’s my joy to honor you, in all I do, to honor you. 

You are my king. You are my king. You are my king, Jesus you are my king.

Amazing love how can it be, that you my king should die for me? Amazing love I know it’s true, and it’s my joy to honor you, in all I do, let me honor you.