April 8 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Psalm 69:13-21:

¹³But as for me, my prayer is unto thee, O LORD, in an acceptable time: O God, in the multitude of thy mercy hear me, in the truth of thy salvation.
¹⁴Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink: let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the deep waters.
¹⁵Let not the waterflood overflow me, neither let the deep swallow me up, and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me.
¹⁶Hear me, O LORD; for thy lovingkindness is good: turn unto me according to the multitude of thy tender mercies.
¹⁷And hide not thy face from thy servant; for I am in trouble: hear me speedily.
¹⁸Draw nigh unto my soul, and redeem it: deliver me because of mine enemies.
¹⁹Thou hast known my reproach, and my shame, and my dishonour: mine adversaries are all before thee.
²⁰Reproach hath broken my heart; and I am full of heaviness: and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none.
²¹They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.

Devotional

"And when they (the Roman soldiers with Jesus) were come unto a place called Golgatha, that is to say, a place of a skull, they gave him vinegar to drink, mingled with gall (evidently a stupefying drink): and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink." His sensibilities must not be dulled. He is willing and ready to endure the full measure of punishment for our sin. For hours He hung on the cross, suffering excruciating pain; not only the pain of his wounds, but also intense thirst, and what is much worse than either of these, his suffering in soul. He endured all this to save us from the pains of hell, from a thirst that can never be quenched.

"After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accom­plished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst." The Scripture referred to here is the word of the psalmist: "They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink."

That word was literally fulfilled. We read: "Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a sponge with vinegar, and put it upon a hyssop, and put it to his mouth. When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost."

Jesus suffered this thirst, that for us might be opened a foun­tain of living waters. "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters." They that were before the throne of God, shall thirst no more. "For the Lamb that is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters."

Prayer

We thank Thee, our heavenly Father, that in Christ all of our needs are met. We thank Thee, that we may draw water out of the wells of salvation with joy; and that Thy people are satisfied with Thy goodness. Let such as love Thy salvation say continually, Let God be magnified. Amen.

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Scripture in Devotional: Matt. 27:34; Luke 16:24, 26; Ps. 69:21; John 19:29, 30; Zech. 13:1; Isa. 55:1; Rev. 7:16.

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