October 28

Graves

And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.  ––1 Peter 5:4

When I was young I assumed the phrase, “He’s digging his own grave,” came from an old crime novel or gangster film. You know, like when a rival mobster is caught and his enemies make him (literally) dig his own grave before shooting him and burying him in the Nevada desert. However, the roots of the phrase are much older than that—David actually uses its variation in Psalm 7:

Whoever digs a hole and scoops it out falls into the pit they have made. ––Psalm 7:14

David is saying that one bad decision can lead to another, and before you know it you are in way over your head. The other implication is that when we dig ourselves into a hole, the result is dirt pouring down on our heads. It’s an apt analogy for what happens when we allow the world, the flesh, or the devil to influence the decisions we make. Conversely, David provides a picture of how God designed us:

What is mankind that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them?

You have made them a little lower than the angels
and crowned them with glory and honor.
You made them rulers over the works of your hands;
you put everything under their feet ….  ––Psalm 8:4-6

The contrast in these two psalms is striking: A head heaped with dirt or a crown of glory and honor. And we know David experienced them both. David was one of the most infamous sinners in the Bible (murderer, adulterer), while also being a passionate worshipper and a man after God’s own heart. We can gain comfort from examining David’s life—warts and all—and seeing that, despite his terrible transgressions, the Father forgave him and restored him.

Brother, you have the choice to either heap dirt upon your head, or have a crown of glory and honor placed on it. The difference between us and David, however, is that Jesus already went into the pit for us so we don’t have to. He took on our sins, was heaped with the dirt of indignity, and then resurrected our hopes by overcoming the grave. We don’t have to live in dirt—we don’t have to suffer the consequences when we dig our own graves through bad decisions (which we all make). 

Jesus went down to the grave for our sins so we don’t have to remain there. As we walk in Christ, we are assured that we receive the crown of glory that does not fade away. How much sense does it make, then, to remain living in pits of despair and hopelessness? None. Shake off the dirt that Satan wants to bury you under and walk in the hard-fought position that Jesus secured for you. He wore a crown of thorns so we can wear crowns of glory and honor. That’s something to truly get excited about!

Father, thank You for taking on the darkness of the grave so I might live with You in Heaven. I am forever grateful.