Devotional Notes Psalm 117+John 5

10 Apr 20

MORNING

Psalm 117

B1 What does this mean?

C1 All people are to praise Yahweh.

D1 God is not just God of Israel but all the universe and beyond.

D2 Nations are Gentiles.

E1 The Hebrew word for nations is גּוֹי gôwy. It means people who are not Jews, that is, the heathen.

D3 The people is a parallelism for all humans (nations as in the first part of verse 1).

C2 We are to praise Him in who He is (His attributes) and what He does (creation, laws, decisions).

C3 Verse 2 gives 2 specific reasons—His mercy and His faithfulness (the word has the ideas of truth, faithful, right, and sure).

C4 Adam Clarke comments: And the truth of the Lord endureth for ever - Whatsoever he has promised, that he will most infallibly fulfill. He has promised to send his Son into the world, and thus he has done. He his promised that he should die for transgressors, and this he did. He has promised to receive all who come unto him through Christ Jesus, and this he invariably does. He has promised that his Gospel shall be preached in every nation, and this he is doing; the truth of the Lord remaineth for ever. Therefore, Praise ye the Lord!

C5 The Old Testament Biblical Illustrator has: In God's worship it is not always necessary to be long; few words sometimes say what is sufficient, as this short psalm giveth us to understand.

B2 How do I apply this to my life? I need to do it. I need to make it a priority.

EVENING

John 5

B1 What does this mean?

C1 Jesus Heals the Man at Bethesda Pool

D1 It is not known which feast this is but most accept that it is the Passover.

D2 In John Lightfoot’s commentary, he writes: The other evangelists speak but sparingly of Christ's acts in Judea; this of ours something more copiously. They mention nothing of the Passovers from his baptism to his death, excepting the very last; but St. John points at them all. The first he speaks of chapter 2:13; the third, chapter 6:4; the fourth, chapter 13:1; and the second, in this place. It is true he does not call it by the name of the Passover here, but only a feast in general. However, the words of our Saviour mentioned above, chapter 4:35, do give some kind of light into this matter.

D3 Verse 6 seems like a dumb question.

E1 But I have taken care of patients who did not want to get well, for they used their sickness for sympathy.

E2 Lightfoot considers it an appropriate question being that it is the Sabbath.

E3 Perhaps the sick man may have become discouraged and simply gave up hope.

E4 Jesus may have wanted him to focus his attention on Himself (JFB).

D4 After the man answers, Jesus commands him to get up, pick up his mat, and walk. All of these things are considered work under the interpretations of the Scribes of Jesus’s time.

D5 Verse 10-12, immediately the man is healed and the Jewish teachers criticize Jesus.

D5 Verse 14, the man goes to the Temple probably to pray, thanking God for his healing. Jesus warns the man to not sin any more. Good advice for anyone.

C2 Jewish Leaders Start to Persecute Jesus

D1 Verse 17, Jesus teaches 2 things. One is that God is His father (see verse 18) and that since His Father is working, so will He. The Father may have finished creation in 6 days, but He has never stopped governing creation.

D2 Jesus teaches that as the Father has life and can give life, so Jesus can do also. We have been given life but cannot give life ourselves.

D3 Jesus is THE judge. See Daniel 7:10 and Revelation 20:12. So we must respect and fear this judge. Psalm 2:12 NLT Submit to God's royal son, or he will become angry, and you will be destroyed in the midst of all your activities--for his anger flares up in an instant. But what joy for all who take refuge in him!

D4 Verse 23, if you Jews do not honor me now, you don’t honor the Father either.

D5 Verse 24 emphasizes faith and trust (believing) Jesus for salvation, not human effort as the Jews taught. The dead might be those dead in sins. I think if refers to 2 resurrections (see verse 29), the first for believers and the second for nonbelievers. Daniel 12:2 CSB Many who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake, some to eternal life, and some to disgrace and eternal contempt.

D6 Jesus does not seek His own will, but the Father’s will. So should we.

C3 Jesus Has Witnesses to His Identity

D1 The witnesses are Scripture (prophecies), John the Baptist, God the Father, and what He does (miracles authenticating that He is The Messiah).

D2 Verse 38, Jesus warns the listeners that they are not believers. It is a time of repentance and believing God. Note again, how Jesus deals differently with individuals. He wants all to believe the Gospel.

D3 Verse 40, it is not God who prevents them from believing (which would tend to be a Calvinist idea), rather it is people themselves.

E1 Numbers 14:11 NIV The LORD said to Moses, "How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the signs I have performed among them?

E2 1 John 5:10 NKJV He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son.

E3 Isaiah 53:3 NIV He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.

D4 John 5:44 WEL How is it possible for you to believe when you get praise from one another and are not seeking praise from the only God? We learn

E1 If we praise ourselves (compare Luke 18:9-14), we cannot praise and believe God.

E2 If we are seeking praise for ourselves, we cannot believe either, for we think we are good enough for God.

D5 Verse 45, the Jews did not believe Moses, that is, take him at his word. We see this in what the Jews do. They add to God’s law their own commandments. Matthew 15:9 LEB and they worship me in vain, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.

D6 We are to read and study the Scriptures in its plain, normal sense.

B2 How do I apply this to my life? As above.

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.

A Few Thoughts About Good Friday

Good Friday is when we remember the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus.

What day did He die?

B1 Those who teach Friday, here is one example.

B2 Those who teach Thursday, here is one example.

B3 Those who teach Wednesday, here is one example.

B4 Personally, I don’t care. I am thankful that Jesus is the Passover Lamb.

C1 John the Baptist testifies: John 1:29 NIV The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

C2 Isaiah the prophet: Isaiah 53:7 NIV He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.

C3 Philip, the evangelist, and the Ethiopian eunuch: Acts 8:32 NIV The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture: "He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so He did not open His mouth.

C4 John the Apostle: Revelation 5:6 NIV Then I saw a Lamb who appeared to have been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which represent the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth.

C5 Peter the Apostle: 1 Peter 1:19 NIV But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

C6 Paul the Apostle: 1 Corinthians 5:7 ESV Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.

Isaiah 53:7 A few references) GW He was despised and rejected by people. He was a man of sorrows, familiar with suffering. He was despised like one from whom people turn their faces, and we didn't consider him to be worth anything.

B1 Physical suffering: Isaiah 50:6 GW I will offer my back to those who whip me and my cheeks to those who pluck hairs out of my beard. I will not turn my face away from those who humiliate me and spit on me.

B2 Societal suffering: Psalms 22:6 GW Yet, I am a worm and not a man. I am scorned by humanity and despised by people.

B3 Emotional suffering:

C1 Psalms 69:19-20 GW You know that I have been insulted, put to shame, and humiliated. All my opponents are in front of you 20 Insults have broken my heart, and I am sick. I looked for sympathy, but there was none. I looked for people to comfort me, but I found no one.

C2 Matthew 27:39-44 GW Those who passed by insulted him. They shook their heads 40 and said, "You were going to tear down God's temple and build it again in three days. Save yourself! If you're the Son of God, come down from the cross." 41 The chief priests together with the scribes and the leaders made fun of him in the same way. They said, 42 "He saved others, but he can't save himself. So he's Israel's king! Let him come down from the cross now, and we'll believe him. 43 He trusted God. Let God rescue him now if he wants. After all, this man said, 'I am the Son of God.'" 44 Even the criminals crucified with him were insulting him the same way.

B4 Spiritual suffering: Matthew 27:46 ESV And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" that is, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

A few other verses:

B1 Sins forgiven because Jesus took the penalty for our sins: Acts 13:39 NIV Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses.

B2 Jesus died for our sins: 1 Corinthians 15:3 NIV For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,

B3 Jesus was sinless. God made Him to be sin for us: 2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

B4 Jesus was a willingly, eligible volunteer to be the Passover Lamb for us: Galatians 1:4 NIV who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,

B5 Jesus became a curse for us: Galatians 3:13 NIV Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole."

B6 Jesus gave Himself as a ransom for all people. He paid and suffered for our sins, becoming the ransom, that is, either we are to be punished or by meeting God’s conditions, Jesus took the punishment: 1 Timothy 2:6 NIV who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time.

B7 Because of Jesus we are redeemed from all wickedness and are purified to serve God: Titus 2:14 NIV who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

Hebrews 13:15 ESV Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.

Devotional Notes Psalm 116+John 4

9 Apr 20

MORNING

Psalm 116

B1 What does this mean?

C1 The Psalmist praises God because God helped him.

D1 Heard his prayer asking for mercy and deliverance.

D2 He felt that he was going to die.

D3 He experienced pain and agony. This is probably emotional pain. Certainly, emotional can bring on physical pain because of stress.

D4 Notice verse 4, that the Psalmist kept on praying. It was not one prayer it was often. God does not become angry if we pray thus. He is the Counselor of all counselors, perfect in love, compassion, and wisdom.

D5 This deliverance had awesome results: more dedication, more prayer, more love and respect (fear) for God. God still answers prayer and hopefully, we still give God the credit for His help and thank Him.

C2 The Psalmist kept the faith

D1 Even in extreme trials, he remained steadfast and true. This is surely God’s grace in strengthening us.

D2 He was overcome with panic. Can we relate to this?

D3 Another result (beyond giving God the credit and being thankful), was to call on God’s name forever and to keep his vows. Vows are for a specific time, a specific result, with specific conditions, and God expects us to keep our word. Let us be careful with our vows.

D4 If and when we die, God will remain with us. We must remember. God help us.

D5 Thanksgiving is a sacrifice (verse 17).

E1 Psalms 50:14 GW Bring your thanks to God as a sacrifice, and keep your vows to the Most High.

E2 Hebrews 13:15 GW Through Jesus we should always bring God a sacrifice of praise, that is, words that acknowledge him

D6 The Psalmist kept his vows, so should we. Compare Hannah:

E1 Promise made: 1 Samuel 1:11 GW She made this vow, "LORD of Armies, if you will look at my misery, remember me, and give me a boy, then I will give him to you for as long as he lives. A razor will never be used on his head."

E2 Promise kept: 1 Samuel 1:25-28 GW Then the parents butchered the bull and brought the child to Eli. 26 "Sir," Hannah said, "as sure as you live, I'm the woman who stood here next to you and prayed to the LORD. 27 I prayed for this child, and the LORD granted my request. 28 In return, I am giving him to the LORD. He will be dedicated to the LORD for his whole life." And they worshiped the LORD there.

B2 How do I apply this to my life? As above.

EVENING

John 4

B1 What does this mean?

C1 Jesus and the Samaritan Woman

D1 Note verse 4, necessary to go to Samaritan village named Sychar.

E1 The Greek word for necessary/necessity/had to is δεῖ deî. It means must, necessary, has to, etc.

E2 Vine writes: an impersonal verb, signifying "it is necessary" or "one must," "one ought," is found most frequently in the Gospels, Acts and the Apocalypse, and is used...(b) of necessity brought about by circumstances, e.g., Matthew 26:35, RV, "must," AV, "should;" John 4:4; Acts 27:21, "should;" 2 Corinthians 11:30; in the case of Christ, by reason of the Father's will, e.g., Luke 2:49; 19:5;

E3 Why necessary? Jews usually traveled around Samaria. Perhaps to seek that which is lost (Luke 19:10 NIV For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost).

D2 Jesus’s humanity is seen in verse 6—He is tired. If we’re tired from service, sickness, or whatever, Jesus knows this. He is compassionate. We must be patient.

D3 Notice again the many ways Jesus dealt with people in preaching the Gospel. We can learn that it is not necessary to use the same method as if there is magic formula. We can use the weather or current events or needs or whatever the person is at.

D4 Note in verses 13-14, how Jesus strokes her curiosity.

D5 In verse 16, the Lord Jesus knows and exposes her past. She confesses that He is correct. This is important. God is light and exposes sins and convicts of sin to which we must respond not in pride (“I am a good person”) nor make excuses.

D6 In verse 20 we see the wrong teaching she has received. She questions Jesus about the correct place to worship. Jesus then teaches her.

D7 Robertson comments on the phrase “from the Jews” in verse 22: For salvation is from the Jews (οτ η σωτηρια εκ των Ιουδαιων εστιν). "The salvation," the Messianic salvation which had long been the hope and guiding star of the chosen people (Lu 1:69, 71, 77; Ac 13:26, 47). It was for the whole world (Joh 3:17), but it comes "out of" (εκ) the Jews. This tremendous fact should never be forgotten, however unworthy the Jews may have proved of their privilege. The Messiah, God's Son, was a Jew.

D8 Verse 23:

E1 Seek is to desire for oneself and/to look for/search. It is the Greek word ζητέω zētéō. The Father wants (seeks) this type of worshipper.

E2 True worshipers, that is, genuine. They are not doing the rituals, they with a true heart do worship, that is, recognize, believe, and are thankful for God, His ways, and His kingdom.

D9 Jesus confesses that He is THE Messiah.

D10 That the woman believes is seen in her action of evangelism in verse 29. She asks a question, not because she is not sure that He is Messiah, but to arouse their curiosity.

D11 Would that we all had the attitude of the Lord Jesus: John 4:34 NIV "My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.

D12 In verse 37 we see that the work of evangelism and the Christian life is one of a family, not separate individuals. We are a family.

C2 Jesus Heals Religious Leader’s Son

D1 After staying in Sychar for 2 days teaching the people, he leaves for Galilee.

D2 In verse 48, Jesus is considered to only be a miracle worker, not Messiah. The people of Sychar believed he was the Messiah from His teaching.

D3 Compare the differences:

E1 The centurion: Matthew 8:8 NIV The centurion replied, "Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.

E2 The people of Galilee: John 4:49 NIV The royal official said, "Sir, come down before my child dies."

D4 Notices how Jesus tests this man, and the man believes Jesus because he left for home. We have the words of Jesus today in the Scriptures. Do we believe it or explain them away by twisting their meaning?

D5 The account ends well: John 4:53 WEL Then the father knew that it was at that very hour when Jesus said to him, “Your son lives.” So, he believed, along with his whole family.

B2 How do I apply this to my life? As noted above.

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.

Devotional Notes Psalm 115+John 3

8 Apr 20

MORNING

Psalm 115

B1 What does this mean?

C1 Among many reasons to praise God are His love and faithfulness.

C2 Note the difference between “gods” and Yahweh.

C3 God is living, thinks, acts, talks, decides, moves, etc.

C4 Verses 9-11 speak to those who should praise God: Jews, Priests, and everyone else.

C5 The opposite of praising God is seen in Romans 1:

D1 Romans 1:21 NET For although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or give him thanks, but they became futile in their thoughts and their senseless hearts were darkened.

D2 Most often people do not give God the credit for what He has done, is doing, and will do.

D3 Not only that, but they are not thankful either.

C6 The fear of God is

D1 Recognizing that He is the Judge.

D2 Thanking Him for forgiveness and salvation, for perfect love cancels fear. 1 John 4:18 GNB92 There is no fear in love; perfect love drives out all fear. So then, love has not been made perfect in anyone who is afraid, because fear has to do with punishment.

C7 Verse 17

D1 The dead refers to those who cannot praise God in the flesh, because the flesh has composted.

D2 Others

E1 Adam Clarke: The dead praise not the Lord - המתים hammethim, those dead men who worshipped as gods dumb idols, dying in their sins, worship not Jehovah; nor can any of those who go down into silence praise thee: earth is the place in which to praise the Lord for his mercies, and get a preparation for his glory.

E2 Dake (exercise discernment):

dead praise not the LORD The dead-those who are dead physically. Only the body dies at physical death (James 2:26). It returns to dust at death and can't praise the Lord (Gen 2:7; 3:19; Eccl 3:19-21). This doesn't refer to soul-sleep (see No Soul-Sleep Taught in Scripture). This could also refer to the spiritually dead-the idolaters of Psa 115:8 who don't worship God in life or praise Him after death. One must meet God's terms of salvation in this life if he expects to be saved, for there will be no opportunity in the intermediate state or after the resurrection. After this, the judgment (Heb 9:27).

go down into silence This refers to physical death, not spiritual (Psa 94:17). In Sheol/Hades there is no silence (see Hell).

E3 J. I. Packer on Why Annihilationism Is Wrong

E4 Yes, Hell Is Real and It Is Eternal (Roman Catholic)

E5 Will the Unbelieving Dead Become Non-Existent? (Annihilationism)

D3 Scripture never teaches the temporary existence of humans.

D4 Death is not extinction, it is living in a different mode (earth versus hades and finally heaven versus lake of fire (hell)).

D5 Most who believe in annihilationism/conditional mortality redefine eternal, soul, justice, punishment, etc. We must believe God and interpret the Bible in its plain, normal sense.

B2 How do I apply this to my life? Read and study the Bible in its plain, normal sense. Praise God. Give God credit.

EVENING

John 3

B1 What does this mean?

C1 Nicodemus

D1 A respected leader of the Sanhedrin. See John 7:50-52.

D2 He was a Pharisee. William Barclay (exercise discernment) describes the Pharisees, their devotion to the Law of Moses, and examples of how they changed the law by adding their ideas. Keeping their definition did not and could bring citizenship in the Kingdom of God.

D3 Along with Joseph of Arimathaea, he did not vote to condemn Jesus. See John 19:38-39.

D4 Didn’t understand exactly who Jesus was.

E1 He acknowledged that he did miracles and that he could not have done so unless God was the source.

E2 That’s better understanding than the others who claimed the source of miracles was the devil (Matthew 9:34).

E3 There were others also who acknowledged Jesus as being from God (John 9:16-17).

C2 Born again

D1 Physical birth (especially as a Jew) does not guarantee a place in the Kingdom of God.

D2 The Kingdom of God is where God reigns. The Jews of that day expected a warrior messiah who would overthrow the Romans and re-establish the Kingdom of Israel.

D3 Verse 5 is explained by verse 6. There is a physical birth and there needs to be a spiritual birth as well.

D4 2 Corinthians 5:17 CSB Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!

D5 Verse 8: The new birth from above (God) is from the Holy Spirit.

C3 Jesus begins to describe the importance of belief in God. We have the Scriptures (to be understood in it plain, normal sense) which teach us God’s ways, His standards, He desires, His decisions, He deeds, etc. We must be God. Jesus is God, and we must believe Him. Nicodemus struggled with the idea here.

C4 Verse 13 is questioned by many people, so they teach that this was teaching that Jesus is not in heaven and earth at the same but after His ascension, He was in heaven. Wilbur Pickering writes in his Bible translation:

About 1% of the Greek manuscripts, of inferior quality, omit "who is in Heaven" (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.). Presumably those copyists couldn't figure out how Jesus could be on earth and in Heaven at the same time, so they altered the Text. But let's stop and think about what this verse says—Jehovah the Son came down out of Heaven all right, but when did He go up? If "the Angel of Jehovah" in the O.T. was Jehovah the Son, as I believe, then He had been back and forth many times. In Joh 5:19 Jesus said that He could only do what He saw the Father do—so when and how could Jesus see the Father? Even though Jehovah the Son was in the human body of Jesus Christ, evidently there was some sense in which He was also in Heaven; He existed there. Well, that's what 1:18 says, "who exists in the bosom of the Father."

C5 Verse 14. Believing God when they were bitten by serpents would mean those who looked at the bronze snake would be healed. Those who didn’t would die. One believed; the other did not. See Numbers 21. As the bronze snake needed to be lifted up, so Jesus would be lifted up on the cross. Those who believe are saved; those who refuse are not.

C6 Verse 21: we have to acknowledge we are sinners, we are not good in God’s sight, and we need God’s salvation because we cannot do it ourselves.

C7 Jesus and John the Baptist baptizing.

D1 John’s disciples had a question about Jesus and His baptizing.

D2 John explained that he had testified that Jesus was the one who is greater, so we should expect these things.

D3 Verse 32: those who believe Jesus’s testimony affirms that God (Jesus) is true.

D4 Verse 34: God (the Father) sent God (the Son), who is Jesus. Jesus teaches the words of God. Those who believe have everlasting life and those who do not have God’s fierce anger. We have been warned.

B2 How do I apply this to my life? We have not reason to not believe, so I believe. Jesus’s existence, teaching, deeds, etc. are a reasonable faith.

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.