Matthew 12:43-45 The Waterless Places
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: March 28, 2019, Matthew 12:43-45
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.
“When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation.”
(Understanding the Text) This is saying that the Jews that Jesus was speaking with were going to get worse and worse because they were rejecting him and trying to replace Him with their own works. When we get rid of something that possesses us but don’t replace it with Jesus, we are empty and open to being filled by something else.
This is a passage where I have always had difficulties in understanding Jesus’ purpose in saying it in the way that He did. Why does He use the illustration of an unclean spirit? I guess because this conversation started out with Jesus casting out a demon and being criticized that He had accomplished this task with the devil’s help. What are the waterless places? My guess is that since demons can operate outside of controlling the human body and they are spirit as much as physical, the space that they occupy when not physical is a “waterless place”. However, I don’t know why. The Holy Spirit is represented with fire, and cherubim as working with fire. Angels are called stars in the Bible, so there may be a fire as opposed to water aspect to them when they are not in a human but that is all speculation and probably meaningless. The SDA commentary says that waterless places means deserts and that the significance is that there are few to no people to possess in the desert, so the demon goes back to where he knows there is a person open to possession and re-enters that host since he or she is not protected any more than the first time. This would also mean that the demon had already learned which neurons to push to achieve the results it wanted and did not have to learn the physical make-up of a new host.
Just a thought: Are we made to be filled and when we are not filled with God, we strive to fill ourselves with something else which will hurt us?
(Application) My only application at this point is that I need to be filled with Jesus, and that there is no such thing as being free from outside influences. I will look in the commentaries to see if I can find some better ideas.
(Understanding the Text) Barnes relates this passage to the call for a sign. “The Jews had asked a sign from heaven that should decisively prove that he was the Messiah, and satisfy their unbelief. He replies that, though he should give them such a sign a proof conclusive and satisfactory, and though for a time they should profess to believe and apparently reform, yet such was the obstinacy of their unbelief and wickedness, that they would soon return to their former course. and become worse and worse. Infidelity and wickedness, like an evil spirit in a possessed man, were appropriately at ‘home’ in them. ” Barnes also thinks that the waterless places refers to Jewish belief “that evil spirits had their abodes in those desolate, uninhabited regions” and “These desolate and dry regions are represented as uncomfortable habitations; so much so, that the dissatisfied spirit, better pleased with a dwelling in the bosoms of people, as affording an opportunity of doing evil, seeks a return there.” I don’t think Barnes has it all together here, but they are better ideas than I had, especially about the reasons why demons like to possess people. This situation allows them to create the greatest misery among all humans, who they despise and by doing so, hurt God who created humans to be free and rulers of this world. In humbling humans, the demons make themselves feel higher.
The SDA commentary applies this to the conversation before the sign demand about the unforgiveable sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. “Christ had been interrupted (see vs. 38-42) in His line of thought by this demand for a sign, and He now resumes where He left off, after having replied to that demand. The counsel given here (vs 43-45) is particularly applicable to those who have listened to the gospel message gladly but have not yielded to the Holy Spirit.” The commentary suggests that Jesus was warning the ones who had not yet blasphemed against the Holy Spirit and also specifically the man who had just been cleansed of a demon since he was probably still in the audience. It says that the waterless places are considered undesirable locations because there are no humans living there to inhabit. I was not real satisfied with these explanations either, but I did like the last part where it says “The hapless person represented by the ‘house’ failed to take a positive stand for God. His intentions were good. He did not anticipate the return of the evil spirit, and therefore failed to yield the ‘house’ to Christ’s control. Submission to Christ might prevent him from using the ‘house’ as he chose, and he therefore decided, for the time being at least, to live his life as he wanted to. Had he surrendered to Christ, a new power would have been in control (see Rom. 6:16), and the unclean spirit could never have gained an entrance. Our only safety is in whole-hearted surrender to Christ, in order that He may enter in and live out His perfect life within us (Gal. 2:20; Rev. 3:20). This parable is a solemn warning against mere negative improvement; it is not enough to shun the evil, we must actively seek those things which are above’ (Col. 3:1, 2).”
(Revelation of God) When the Spirit lives in us, our situation is the opposite of demon possession. In demon possession, the human is worse off than when empty. However, God’s presence in our lives improves our situation. He provides hope, joy, and love and heals our brokenness. Our enemy humiliates and hurts us, but God lifts us up and heals us.
(Prayer) I pray that You will fill me with Your Spirit to the brim and that I will live my life for You. I want to live in You not in my own selfish ways.