“May they be like grass on the roof, which withers before it can grow; with it the reaper cannot fill his hands, nor the one who gathers fill his arms. May those who pass by not say, “The blessing of the LORD be upon you; we bless you in the name of the LORD.”” (Psalms 129:6–8 NIV)
Empty
The tomb of Jesus is empty. Satan’s apparent victory of the Son of God dying on the cross has been proved hollow. His victory is as empty as the tomb.
This feeling of a hollow victory is in the mind of the Psalmist. The top roof of homes in Israel were made of beams laid across the walls and stuffed with reeds and grasses. The roof was then plastered with mud to fill in the gaps and keep out the rain. The mud contained a few grass seeds and these would quickly sprout but die because they had no roots or on-going nutrients.
Grass
Before we get arrogant, we should remember that all of us are like grass in one sense,
“A voice says, “Cry out.” And I said, “What shall I cry?” “All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the LORD blows on them. Surely the people are grass. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.”” (Isaiah 40:6–8)
But God has done something exceptional to us through His word,
“For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For, “All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever.” And this is the word that was preached to you.” (1 Peter 1:23–25)
As a result of God’s work in us we realise that our lives matter. As John writes,
“The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.” (1 John 2:17)
We Christians take ourselves seriously not because we are more special than anyone else in ourselves, but because God has changed our state from perishable to imperishable. This is why we decisively reject the world and its values. We want the devil to be empty and lonely.
Lonely
Satan is lonely because hatred has no friends. He hates you and all you love. Therefore we are called to leave him alone – he cares not for you! Let us have no partnership with him. Because of what Jesus has done the devil is shamed, empty and lonely. Let us tell the world about this great victory and rejoice in our freedom – never returning to the slavery from which we escaped. Who would want to go back to an experience where our best friend was the devil?
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? … No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:35–39 NIV)
What are your thoughts on this topic? Are there any scriptures that help you remember the victory we have in Christ? Share them with me if you like.