Mark 14:26 Singing Together

Format for Your Devotions

Instructions: Do not read my example devotion until you have completed your own devotional time in the scriptures. Reading my thoughts first may limit your own understanding. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you alone before looking to see what anyone else has to say, whether it is me, a Bible commentary, or a friend. Let God speak to you before you let another person speak to you. I have provided a format, but modify it to fit your needs. For example, I usually combine my application and prayer together talking to God about the application to my own life. You can go through this devotion process mentally, speaking out loud, or in writing as you wish. Don’t worry if you are not following this process exactly. Sometimes, I add extra information and sometimes I emphasize one part more than others. However, you should always think about what you learn about God from this passage.

Step 1: Pray–Ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance first of all and that God may reveal the lessons that He wants you to have that day. Request that God protect you from Satan’s distractions (and the devil will try to distract you whether it is pinching the baby or putting you to sleep). Ask to see God more clearly as you read and think about the passage.

Step 2: Read the passage–Read to get an overview of the information first. Then start looking at specific parts after the first reading. You may read a larger or smaller section than I have here because you do not have to follow my organization at all.

Step 3: Understand the passage–You can summarize, ask and answer your own questions about the passage, visualize the story, analyze the characters, and relate this passage to other scriptures and personal experiences.

Step 4: What does this reveal about God?–What do you learn about the Father, Son, and/or Holy Spirit from this passage?

Step 5: Apply this to your own life.

Step 6: Prayer

My Example Devotion: April 11, 2018, Mark 14:26

Note 1: In the devotion examples, I leave my questions and thought processes in the text because I am trying to demonstrate that a devotional time is a dialogue with God about what you are reading from His word. As such, any questions or ideas that you have should be explored by talking it out with God. These example devotions are not my attempts to teach you what the meaning of a particular scripture is. They are an attempt to teach you the process of devotions, which is a combination of prayer and Bible study where you explore ideas with God as you read His word.

Note 2: This devotion is an example of how a single verse can lead to reading multiple chapters in other books of the Bible. Sometimes, our devotions can lead us far away from our original starting point as the Spirit guides us.

After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

(Understanding the Text) What hymn did they sing?  The Cambridge Bible Commentary says “In all probability the concluding portion of the Hallel.”  This was Psalms 115-118.

“Not to us, LORD, not to us, but to your name be given glory on account of your gracious love and faithfulness. Why should the nations ask “Where now is their God?” when our God is in the heavens and he does whatever he desires? Their idols are silver and gold, crafted by human hands. They have mouths, but cannot speak; they have eyes, but cannot see. They have ears, but cannot hear; they have noses, but cannot smell; They have hands, but cannot touch; feet, but cannot walk; they cannot even groan with their throats. Those who craft them will become like them, as will all those who trust in them. Israel, trust in the LORD! He is their helper and shield. House of Aaron, trust in the LORD! He is their helper and shield. You who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD! He is their helper and shield. The LORD remembers and blesses us. He will indeed bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron. He will bless those who fear the LORD, both the important and the insignificant together. May the LORD add to your numbers—to you and to your descendants. May you be blessed by the LORD, who made the heavens and the earth. The highest heavens belong to the LORD, but he gave the earth to human beings. Neither can the dead praise the LORD, nor those who go down into the silence of death. But we will bless the LORD from now to eternity. Hallelujah!” (Psalm 115:1-18)

The part that says “Those who craft them will become like them, as will all those who trust in them.” struck me as I read it.  We become like the God/god we worship.  If we worship evil, we will become evil.  This is part of the transformational process.  This is why the more we know God, the more we become like Him.  Another part that jumped out at me was “Neither can the dead praise the LORD, nor those who go down into the silence of death.” This is a proof text of the state of the dead.  There is also a promise at the end.  “But we will bless the LORD from now to eternity.”

“I love the LORD because he has heard my prayer for mercy; for he listens to me whenever I call. The ropes of death were wound around me and the anguish of Sheol came upon me; I encountered distress and sorrow. Then I called on the name of the LORD, “LORD, please deliver me!” The LORD is gracious and righteous; our God is compassionate; the LORD watches over the innocent; I was brought low, and he delivered me. Return to your resting place, My soul, for the LORD treated you generously. Indeed, you delivered my soul from death, my eyes from crying, and my feet from stumbling. I will walk in the LORD’s presence in the lands of the living. I will continue to believe, even when I say, “I am greatly afflicted” and speak hastily, “All people are liars!” What will I return to the LORD for all his benefits to me? I will raise my cup of deliverance and invoke the LORD’s name. I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people. In the sight of the LORD, the death of his faithful ones is valued. LORD, I am indeed your servant. I am your servant. I am the son of your handmaid. You have released my bonds. I will bring you a thanksgiving offering and call on the name of the LORD! I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people, in the courts of the LORD’s house, in your midst, Jerusalem. Hallelujah!” (Psalm 116:1-19)

(Application) In this Psalm, I liked the part where it says that I will walk with the Lord even when I feel afflicted and the people around me are liars.  ” I will walk in the LORD’s presence in the lands of the living. I will continue to believe, even when I say, “I am greatly afflicted” and speak hastily, “All people are liars!”

(Understanding the Text) This is a description of our world today and an encouragement that God’s presence can be with me even when others do not know Him and act badly.  I also like the part that says “LORD, I am indeed your servant. I am your servant. I am the son of your handmaid. You have released my bonds.”  This is the paradox of faith.  At the same time that we are servants, we are free of bonds.

“Praise the LORD, all you nations! Exalt him, all you peoples! For great is his gracious love toward us, and the LORD’s faithfulness is eternal. Hallelujah!” (Psalm 117:1-2)

“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his gracious love is eternal. Let Israel now say, “His gracious love is eternal.” Let the house of Aaron now say, “His gracious love is eternal.” Let those who fear the LORD now say, “His gracious love is eternal.” I called on the LORD in my distress; the LORD answered me openly. The LORD is with me. I will not be afraid. What can people do to me? With the LORD beside me as my helper, I will triumph over those who hate me. It is better to take shelter in the LORD than to trust in people. It is better to take shelter in the LORD than to trust in princes. All the nations surrounded me; but in the name of the LORD I will defeat them. They surrounded me, they are around me; but in the name of the LORD I will defeat them. They surrounded me like bees; but they will be extinguished like burning thorns. In the name of the LORD I will defeat them. Indeed, you oppressed me so much that I nearly fell, but the LORD helped me. The LORD is my strength and protector, for he has become my deliverer. There’s exultation for deliverance in the tents of the righteous: “The right hand of the LORD is victorious! The right hand of the LORD is exalted! The right hand of the LORD is victorious!” I will not die, but I will live to recount the deeds of the LORD. The LORD will discipline me severely, but he won’t hand me over to die. Open for me the righteous gates so I may enter through them to give thanks to the LORD. This is the LORD’s gate—The righteous will enter through it. I will praise you because you have answered me and have become my deliverer. The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is from the LORD—it is awesome in our sight. This is the day that the LORD has made; let’s rejoice and be glad in it. Please LORD, deliver us! Please LORD, hurry and bring success now! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD! Let us bless you from the LORD’s house. The LORD is God—he will be our light! Bind the festival sacrifice with ropes to the horn at the altar. You are my God, and I will praise you; my God, and I will exalt you. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good and his gracious love is eternal” (Psalm 118:1-29).

(Revelation of God) Psalm 118 would have been the last song that they sang before going to the Garden.  I think it’s interesting that this song finishes with Messianic prophesies.  The first part is encouragement that the Father loves us and is with us even when we are surrounded by enemies who attack.  This must have been an encouragement to Jesus as He looked forward to what was about to happen.  It was a promise that Jesus Himself would defeat His enemies.  Maybe the whole Psalm was a message to Jesus for this last evening in the hours before the sacrifice started.  “Indeed, you oppressed me so much that I nearly fell, but the LORD helped me.”  In the garden of Gethsemane this happened to Jesus.  Then there is the promise of victory for mankind through Jesus’ sacrifice.  “The LORD is my strength and protector, for he has become my deliverer. There’s exultation for deliverance in the tents of the righteous: “The right hand of the LORD is victorious! The right hand of the LORD is exalted! The right hand of the LORD is victorious!” I will not die, but I will live to recount the deeds of the LORD. The LORD will discipline me severely, but he won’t hand me over to die.”  I think that Jesus is the right hand of God.

From here on this is definitely Messianic prophesy.  “This is the LORD’s gate—The righteous will enter through it. I will praise you because you have answered me and have become my deliverer.”  Jesus declared earlier that He was the way.  Jesus is the gate that the righteous enter the kingdom through.  Jesus is the deliverer.  The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is from the LORD—it is awesome in our sight.”  Jesus is the stone that was rejected and yet became the foundation, or cornerstone, of the temple.  Then there is an appeal from humans to Jesus.  “Please LORD, deliver us! Please LORD, hurry and bring success now! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD! Let us bless you from the LORD’s house.”  Basically, it is encouragement that the sacrifice that Jesus was about to make was worth it.  He would be delivering us. 

At first sight the next verses do not seem related.  “The LORD is God—he will be our light! Bind the festival sacrifice with ropes to the horn at the altar.”  But in the light of what Jesus was about to do, they make sense.  Jesus was about to become the sacrifice for humanity’s sin and in the process He would become humanity’s light in the darkness.

The final verses “You are my God, and I will praise you; my God, and I will exalt you. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good and his gracious love is eternal.”  Once again the verses go back to the Father.

(Application / Revelation of God) The LORD is my strength and protector, for he has become my deliverer.   It is a sad commentary of the choices of humanity that our worthy God, who should have only needed to be our King and Friend, had to drag Himself in the muck to prove His love for us.  Instead of living in peaceful joy, we needed God to become one of us so that He could deliver us from death.  We are in a war zone, so we needed Him to give us strength to survive and live.  We needed Him to protect us from His enemies and ours.  Jesus knew that we needed Him to be more than a king, so He chose to be what we needed.  This part of the Psalm would have reminded Him of the reasons for what He was about to do.

(Prayer) Dear God, You created us in order to be in communion with us, yet we spit on Your friendship. You didn’t leave us to die alone. Instead, You descended into our hell and elevated us back to Your paradise. Teach me what it means to have You as my light. Give me faith in You as my strength, my protector, and my deliverer. Transform me into a person who loves You and my fellow humans instead of a selfish creature whose love is tainted with indifference and even cruelty. Make me like You.