Matthew 27; Psalm 139:1-12

Matthew 27:1-10
This is a difficult passage to deal with after being away from this for so long. I'm so sorry to have been so neglectful. I can say from experience that the longer we're away from regular feeding on the Word (actually starving ourselves spiritually), the harder it is to get back to it. I hope you have done better than I have in the last few weeks!

Anyway, Matthew 27 begins with Judas's suicide. v. 3 tells us that Judas was filled with remorse and tried to ease his conscience by returning the money to the leading priests and elders. Judas's remorse was apparently not a sorrow for sin that leads to a change of mind and action, but a regret at being caught and a remorse that leads to despair. After all, there is no sin that God cannot and will not forgive if a sinner is truly repentant with a mind to abandon his sin. If Judas had truly repented in that way, his despair would have been lifted. It becomes obvious that the religious leaders were using Judas when after he confesses that he had sinned and betrayed an innocent man, they reply, "What do we care? That's your problem!" At that "Judas threw the silver coins down in the Temple and went out and hanged himself." The chief priests took the tainted money and purchased a potter's field or cemetery for foreigners as Jeremiah had prophesied in the Old Testament. We can learn from this that sin's consequences are ugly indeed. Judas could not undo what he had done, and he did not turn to God for forgiveness and cleansing.

No one has to end up like Judas. He had many chances to trust Jesus while he walked along side Him, listened to His words and witnessed His miracles.

Psalm 139:1-12
We have a wise and merciful God who loves us unconditionally though He knows everything about us. We looked at the first few verses of Psalm 139 last time, but I repeat them here. If we're faithfully trying to please God, we'll find these words comforting. We are never out of the loving presence of our heavenly Father! If we are trying to avoid Him or hide from Him or rebel against Him, we'll find these words troubling! I hope you find them a comfort!

O Lord, you have examined my heart
    and know everything about me.
2 You know when I sit down or stand up.
    You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
3 You see me when I travel
    and when I rest at home.
    You know everything I do.
4 You know what I am going to say
    even before I say it, Lord.
5 You go before me and follow me.
    You place your hand of blessing on my head.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
    too great for me to understand!

7 I can never escape from your Spirit!
    I can never get away from your presence!
8 If I go up to heaven, you are there;
    if I go down to the grave,[a] you are there.
9 If I ride the wings of the morning,
    if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
    and your strength will support me.
11 I could ask the darkness to hide me
    and the light around me to become night—
12     but even in darkness I cannot hide from you.
To you the night shines as bright as day.
    Darkness and light are the same to you.