Luke 20:41-44 A Lesson from a Song
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: November 10, 2018 Luke 20:41-44
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.
But he said to them, “How can they say that the Christ is David’s son? For David himself says in the Book of Psalms, “‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.”’ David thus calls him Lord, so how is he his son?”
(Understanding the Text / Revelation of God) Jesus poses a question here but does not answer it. He is trying to open people’s minds to the fact that He is more than a man. He is saying that the Messiah was not just a human leader but something higher than the most powerful king that Israel had ever had. He was the king’s lord. Who was more powerful and higher ranking than the highest ranking king? In Israel, that was only God or His angels.
This reference comes from Psalm 110. This is the TSK cross reference comment about it: “am 2962, B.C. 1042 (Title), This Psalm was probably composed by David after Nathan’s prophetic address; and, from the grandeur of the subject and the sublimity of the expressions, it is evident that it can only refer, as the ancient Jews fully acknowledged, to the royal dignity, priesthood, victories, and triumphs of the MESSIAH.”
“A Psalm of David. The LORD says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.” The LORD sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your enemies! Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power, in holy garments; from the womb of the morning, the dew of your youth will be yours. The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.” The Lord is at your right hand; he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath. He will execute judgment among the nations, filling them with corpses; he will shatter chiefs over the wide earth. He will drink from the brook by the way; therefore he will lift up his head.” (Psa 110:1-7) I think the writer of Hebrews got a lot of information from this psalm. This seems to be after the resurrection. Jesus is sitting at the right hand of the Father. Time passes with the enemies of God still on earth, but the day will come when Jesus’ triumph is complete in human lives. I don’t understand the next part: “The LORD sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your enemies!” What does it mean that the Father would send forth a mighty scepter? Maybe Jesus is the scepter that was sent forth to claim His throne in the middle of enemy territory?
The next section has to refer to the events in Revelation where the saints in white garments are. In Genesis, it says “And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed” (Genesis 2:25). Then it says “Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths” (Genesis 3:7). This is contrasted with Psalm 110 where it says “Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power, in holy garments” and Revelation “I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.” (Revelation 3:18) and “it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints” (Revelation 19:8). My thoughts are that Adam and Eve did not recognize that they were not wearing clothes in Eden because they were clothed in God’s glory. When that glory left them, they had no protection from the elements and tried to cover themselves. Thus, God’s emphasis on when we will again be connected with Him and clothed in His glory. Revelation says to buy the clothing from Jesus and calls it the righteous deeds of the saints. In Psalm 110 the garments seem to be God’s glory because they are holy. I love the part where God emphasizes that we will offer ourselves up freely to Him. He values our free choice of Him.
I don’t understand the next part. “from the womb of the morning, the dew of your youth will be yours.” I think the womb of the morning is the east, but it might be something else. I have no idea what the dew of your youth is.
The part about being a priest is explained in detail in Hebrews, so I know that it means that Jesus is both priest and king of the human race for eternity. He has become our representative to the universe. The next part is obviously the day when the second death comes upon the earth when God finally lets His abhorrence of sin loose and evil is destroyed. However, I haven’t got a clue about the last line. “He will drink from the brook by the way; therefore he will lift up his head.” The only thing that I can figure out is that there is refreshment and new energy.
I assume that Jesus said the words in these verses to get His followers to go back to Psalm 110 and study it. Evidently, they did because it forms the basis of Hebrews where we get a lot of our understanding about what has been happening in heaven since Jesus’ ascension.
(Application / Prayer) My application for myself is that there is still much in the Bible and about Jesus that I do not understand, and I need to focus on learning more. I need to understand that He is Lord of all humans and not just a man. He is God of the universe and yet a man in every sense. It is a paradox that Jesus pointed out to us. Jesus is the Son of David, and yet He is the Son of God. He was never created and yet He was born of a created mother, Mary. Jesus is a paradox whose existence is impossible and not understandable, and yet He is. Maybe that is why He chose the name “I am that I am” because describing Himself is impossible. I want to know You as much as I can with my human limitations. You have promised that if we seek You, we will find You. I claim that promise.