1 Corinthians 14:26-40 Stop honking over each other.
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 30, 2020 1 Corinthians 14:26-40
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.
What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up. If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn, and let someone interpret. But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God. Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said. If a revelation is made to another sitting there, let the first be silent. For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged, and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints, the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says. If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church. Or was it from you that the word of God came? Or are you the only ones it has reached? If anyone thinks that he is a prophet, or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord. If anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized. So, my brothers, earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. But all things should be done decently and in order.
(Understanding the Text) Paul says that when the Corinthians met together, they all had something to contribute. Were they all trying to push their own idea without listening to other people’s ideas? Paul says that each can participate but in order. He says to take turns and limit the numbers of people who participate. He says that if someone has a revelation from God and wants to speak, then others should stop talking and listen. He says that any message of prophesy should be judged by others who have that gift as to whether it is from God.
Then Paul gives one of his problematic passages about women not speaking in church. He says that this is the same in all the churches. He said that they should ask their husbands at home if they desire to learn something. Then he gives the logic that asks if the word of God came from them, and if they are the only ones who received the gospel. This implies that the women were not taking turns, but the way this passage reads really sounds like women are not supposed to be part of the worship service as it was in Paul’s day. This worship service is not like it is today, so that is one reason to say that it is irrelevant, but there must be other stuff that I am not seeing. The SDA commentary says that when Paul says that it was shameful for a woman to speak in church, he was referring to the shame within the cultural context of Greek, Roman, and Jewish society of the time. It also says that Paul is referring to the established situation in other churches and that the Corinthian church needed to conform to the same procedures as other churches rather than going rogue. Paul seems to have four reasons here: 1. It was not the societal norm. 2. It went against established procedure. 3. It created disorder in the service. And 4. women should be subject to their husbands. We no longer have the same societal norms and procedures, so reasons 1 and 2 are no longer valid. The way the established procedure is now, it does not cause disorder, so reason 3 is no longer valid. That just leaves wives in subjection to husbands, which I need to study more to see if it applies, but what about women who are not wives, or whose husbands do not attend? I need to get a more modern commentary to understand this better because I think that they have thought this through more nowadays. The SDA commentary does point out that not only does a strict interpretation of Paul’s words conflict with present societal norms, it also conflicts with procedures in other parts of the Bible and with Paul’s own words in other places. Paul commended female gospel workers, so this must have had to do specifically with maintaining order in worship. It may have had something to do with the way women acted when they spoke in church in that society, but I don’t know.
(Revelation of God / Application) God wants us to build each other up. He wants us to come together and put others first, just as He put us above His own ego, comfort, and life. I have a hard time doing that, but at least, I can begin by not pushing my own ideas over other people’s thoughts. I can listen to hear what they are saying and show them that I appreciate their ideas.
(Application / Prayer) My application for myself is to be humble putting others before myself when we are together speaking of You. I pray to never talk over someone else in an attempt to force my message on anyone. I pray to humbly learn from You and pass Your message on humbly to others at the appropriate time, not the time of my excited choosing.