Matthew 3:1-6 Make the Road Straight!

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: January 14, 2019, Matthew 3:1-6

Note: 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. 

In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’” Now John wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

(Understanding the Text) Evidence 7:  Jesus’ coming was announced by the voice of one crying in the wilderness.  This comes from Isaiah.  “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins. A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”  (Isaiah 40:1-5).  As usual, this prophecy mixes the first and second comings of Jesus together, but most of it refers to the first coming.  This prophecy was telling of the pardon of our sins.  Again as usual for Isaiah, it is easy to put our own interpretation on how this would happen although the whole sacrificial system should have pointed out how it would happen.  

(Revelation of God) I like the part where it says that God will give double for all our sins.  In other words, we have terrible iniquity, but God’s forgiveness and mercy are double the amount needed to forgive those sins.  Then comes John the Baptist’s part.  In the wilderness, he tells everyone to get ready for the coming of the LORD.  This is a great promise.  The desert is our heart.  It is empty and desolate.  He tells us to open our hearts to God, so He can come in.  When that happens He will start to change us taking our lows and leveling them out and the bumpy ground becomes smooth.  He reveals His glory to us.  John fulfilled this verse by calling the people of Israel to repent and be ready for the Messiah.  Guzik points out that the word picture is preparing a road for a great king to come.  “The passage Mark quotes from (Isa_40:3) has in mind building up a great road for the arrival of a majestic king. The idea is to fill in the holes, and knock down the hills that are in the way.”

(Understanding the Text) John was in the wilderness of Judea.  This seems to be in the general area between Jericho and the Jordan River.  God placed him close enough to Jerusalem to reach them with the message that the Messiah was coming.  Jesus stayed way out in Galilee for the most part, but John was right there in Judea, not in the city, but close enough.  They could not ignore him.  It does not mention the residents of Galilee coming, but I am sure that many did; however, the focus was on Jerusalem and Judea getting the message.

In addition, John the Baptist was of the priestly line and a Nazarite from birth.  His conception and birth was attended by miracles.  His very manner of dress screamed “this is the kind of prophet and prophetic message that you recognize!”  Ultimately, even John’s death by being beheaded by the ruler of Judea fit the prophetic mold.  The people of Judea had no excuse for not recognizing the prophet in their midst and then for not following his directions.

John dressed and ate funny and all the gospels comment on it.  He wore camel’s hair clothes with a leather belt around his waist.  He ate locusts and honey.  Why do the gospels all mention this?  Because this was not just a stereotype of a prophet in general.  This matched the scriptural description of the prophet Elijah.  “He said to them, “What kind of man was he who came to meet you and told you these things?” They answered him, “He wore a garment of hair, with a belt of leather about his waist.” And he said, “It is Elijah the Tishbite.”  (2Kings 1:7-8).  John denied being Elijah, but he was the very picture of Elijah to the people.

I find it interesting that Guzik’s commentary confirms the idea that a friend of mine had previously shared with me about repentance.  I know that my friend got his insight from a different commentator because I had not told him about Guzik at the time he had his insight.  “a. Repent: John’s message was a call to repentance. Some people think that repentance is mostly about feelings, especially feeling sorry for your sin. It is wonderful to feel sorry about your sin, but repent isn’t a “feelings” word. It is an action word. Jesus told us to make a change of the mind, not merely to feel sorry for what we have done. Repentance speaks of a change of direction, not a sorrow in the heart.  i. Is repentance something we must do before we can come to God? Yes and no; repentance does not describe something we must do before we come to God, it describes what coming to God is like. If you are in New York, and I tell you to come to Los Angeles, I don’t really need to say “Leave New York and come to Los Angeles.” To come to Los Angeles is to leave New York, and if I haven’t left New York, I certainly haven’t come to Los Angeles. We can’t come to the kingdom of heaven unless we leave our sin and the self-life.”  I like Guzik’s additional insight that repentance is not something we do before we come to God.  It is the process of coming to God.  It is a description of coming to God.

(Application) My application to myself is that I should be giving the message of John today.  Jesus is coming soon.  I should be telling people to turn from the world and toward God.  I should be telling people to open their hearts and let Jesus make a highway to them that is not obstructed by their barriers of belief and personality.  I should be letting Jesus do this to me also.  I need to turn completely to Jesus and let Him smooth out the rough patches that interfere with His being with me.  The message of John the Baptist is a message for today.  It’s a message that I should be receiving, and it’s a message that I should be giving others.

(Prayer) Take my curvy roads and make them straight so that nothing keeps me from You. I don’t want anything to keep me from You. Please come soon and take Your people home with You.