CHRIST'S BURIAL
"Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and THAT HE WAS BURIED, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures" - 1 Cor 15:1-4

Devotion 3 of 14

SIGNIFICANT BURIALS
Aaron the High Priest
  Aaron is called "the saint of the Lord" (Psa 106:16). Of his death it is written, "And the children of Israel took their journey from Beeroth of the children of Jaakan to Mosera: there Aaron died, and there he was buried; and Eleazar his son ministered in the priest's office in his stead"  (Deut 10:6). There were other alternatives to burying -- but we will find God's people consistently buried their dead. Such was the case with Aaron, "the saint of the Lord."

King Saul
  Even though Saul and his sons were "burned," their bones were "buried" (1 Sam 31:12-13). The reason for the burning of their bodies was not convenience. "And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. And they told David, saying, That the men of Jabeshgilead were they that buried Saul"  (2 Sam 2:4). David commended the men of Jabeshgilead for burying Saul--an act he termed a "kindness" (2 Sam 2:5). It is on the part of wisdom to think like holy men of old--in spite of changing trends.

David the Patriarch
  Accentuating the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, Peter referred to the burial of king David. "Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulcher is with us unto this day"  (Acts 2:29). Had David been cremated, the content of Peter's message would have been altered. One of his key points, in such a case, would have been meaningless.

Solomon the King
  Like his father, Solomon was also buried. "And Solomon slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David his father: and Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead"  (1 Kgs 11:43).

John the Baptist
  Even though he had been decapitated, the disciples of John the Baptist "buried" his body. "And his disciples came, and took up the body, and buried it, and went and told Jesus"  (Mat 14:12). Thoughtful men must ask why they chose to bury John if it really made no difference what was done to his body.

The Lord Jesus Christ
  The crowning burial is that of our Lord Jesus Christ. "And that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures"  (1 Cor 15:4). Mark it well, this is an aspect of the Gospel!

PRAYER POINT: Father, in the name of Jesus, grant me grace to fellowship with the saints of all ages in the matter of the interment of the body, which belongs to You.

-- TOMORROW: CASES OF CREMATION --