Devotional notes Psalm 123+John 11

Blogging will be rather sporadic as we are selling the house and moving.

MORNING

Psalm 123

B1 What does this mean?

C1 We look to Yahweh for help and guidance first.

C2 We watch for His answer (waiting).

C3 Many do not love God, His ways, His rules, His lifestyle, or His worldview, so they persecute our brothers and sisters for their faith.

B2 How do I apply this to my life? Seek God’s help first, wait for answer to prayer, love God supremely and that being the highest priority, and pray for my brothers and sisters.

EVENING

John 11

B1 What does this mean?

C1 Lazarus Dies

D1 It is not written why Lazarus died. It seems that he was a young man as he and his sisters were not married yet.

D2 While some sickness may be caused as punishment from God and by foolish choices, most sickness is the result of the curse of the universe. Romans 8:20 NLT Against its will, all creation was subjected to God's curse. But with eager hope.

D3 Verse 4, Jesus is teaching that Lazarus is not permanently dead.

D4 Verse 11 reveals the knowledge Jesus had of events even if not present. Hebrews 4:13 NLT Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.

D5 Verse 13, John would know this, because he heard Jesus say this.

C2 Jesus Teaches Lazarus’s Sisters

D1 Martha went to meet Jesus, while Mary stayed home. Many have suggested this was due to their character. See Luke 10:38-42.

D2 Verse 23, Jesus asks questions in order to teach and reveal what a person believes. He knows what we believe, but often we do not. Martha shows that she knows Jesus can do miracles and that there is a resurrection.

D3 Note Martha’s sorrow at Jesus not coming to heal her brother. Jesus does not rebuke her. He is the great counselor and listens, then teaches. We should do the same. 21 Then Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died,

D5 Note Jesus’s emphasis concerning the length of life to those who believe. This is both a statement of fact and a promise. 26 “And all who live and believe in me will never, ever die forever. Do you believe this?”

D6 Jesus emphasis that He is God, is life, and is the life giver. He wants Martha to understand this. Apparently, she only believed that Jesus was a prophet.

D7 She confesses her faith that Jesus is Messiah: 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord, I have believed that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”

D8 Verse 33, God does have emotions. Note Jesus’s sorrow.

C3 Jesus Raises Lazarus From Death

D1 Verse 39, Jesus had taught, and now it is time to test, as all good teachers do. Jesus knew what would happen, but we need testing for us to know. We need to learn what we believe and put into practice what we have been taught.

D2 Why 4 days? Some have suggested that the Jews of that time believed that after death, the person’s spirit leaves the body but stays in the area for 3 days, then leaves. Lazarus’ spirit would have left by now. See Gill’s commentary.

D3 Verse 41-42, It is interesting to note Jesus mentioning almost apologetically of the reason for thanking God for answering His prayer request. This is a testimony to those present and a witness of Jesus’s faith.

C4 As a Result, the Jewish Leaders Plot to Kill Jesus

D1 One would think everyone would fall on their knees, thank God, and believe that Jesus is the Son of God, the Messiah. Some did not. It was from their hard hearts. John 11:45-46 NLT Many of the people who were with Mary believed in Jesus when they saw this happen. 46 But some went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done.

E1 Mark 3:5 NLT He looked around at them angrily and was deeply saddened by their hard hearts. Then he said to the man, "Hold out your hand." So the man held out his hand, and it was restored!

E2 Psalm 78:8 NLT Then they will not be like their ancestors—stubborn, rebellious, and unfaithful, refusing to give their hearts to God.

D2 Verse 48 reveals the Jewish leaders’ jealousy and wanting to continue their position of privilege and power.

D3 Verse 56, the greatest desire of these Jewish leaders should be towards the celebration and seriousness of Passover, instead it was to find Jesus and kill him as soon as possible.

B2 How do I apply this to my life? Help mine unbelief.

I hope to have a devotional every day on John’s Gospel starting with the last chapter of Luke’s Gospel. This is the way I do my devotions. You may notice grammatical and spelling errors. It is my hope you will also start or continue in your daily reading and thinking about the Scriptures. I do this Monday through Friday. It is a 3 year plan of reading and thinking on 1 chapter in the Old Testament, which takes 3 years, and reading and thinking on 1 chapter in the New Testament once a year for a total of 3 times. So, I read through the Old Testament 1 time and the New Testament 3 times over a period of 3 years. I do this Monday through Friday and use Saturday and Sunday for other devotions.