Unfortunately, none of us passes through this life without pain and heartache. Some of it is self-inflicted. And some perpetrated by others. Sometimes the pain is small and quickly forgotten. Other times it’s deep and life-changing. What about you? Are you struggling with some pain or heartache? How should we respond when people hurt us?
Today’s Readings:
1 Kings 7 & 8
Psalm 68.28-35
Proverbs 17.16-17
John 11.1-27
When People Hurt Us
John 11.1-27:
Mary, Martha & Lazarus
John 11:
1 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. 3 Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.”
4 When Jesus heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was. 7 Then after this He said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.”
Jesus was about to perform His greatest miracle, raising Lazarus from the dead (vv. 38-44). Many people would be amazed, perhaps one reason for the crowds who would welcome Him on what we call Palm Sunday. Yet, the response of the religious leaders was quite different. But before we talk about that, let’s take a look at verses five and six again.
For God’s Glory
“Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was.”
If He loved them, why didn’t He hurry to get there? What could have been more important? To understand, we have to look back at the last part of verse four, “that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” God is always at work for the good of His children (Rom. 8.28) but He does things in ways that will bring Him the most glory.
When God doesn’t work in our lives in the way we want or expect, we can trust that while He is still working for our good, at times the better good comes by us going through a trial rather than escaping from it. In the process of working through difficulties, sin is exposed in our hearts, we become more like Christ, and God receives the glory. That would be true in this story, as well.
Four Days Later
By the time Jesus arrived in Bethany, Lazarus had been dead for four days (v. 39).
John MacArthur says:
Lazarus’s resurrection is more potent than all those [previous miracles] and even more monumental than the raising of the widow’s son in Nain (Luke 7: 11– 16) or Jairus’s daughter (Luke 8: 40– 56) because those two resurrections occurred immediately after death. Lazarus was raised after four days of being in the grave with the process of decomposition already having started (John 11: 39).*
But this would be the final straw with the religious leaders and cause them to be all the more determined to put Him to death.
45 Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him. 46 But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus did. 47 Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, “What shall we do? For this Man works many signs. 48 If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation.”
All in God’s Plan
Even though these wicked men sought His death for their own selfish reasons, God was sovereignly at work in it all.
49 And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all, 50 nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish.” 51 Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, 52 and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad.
53 Then, from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death.
Yet, just as Joseph told his brothers:
But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive (Gen. 50.20).
When People Hurt Us
So, what about when people plot evil against us or hurt us in some way? Perhaps it’s something as minor as a salesperson who misrepresents a product or service, a rude waitress, or that person who takes the parking place we had been waiting for. Or perhaps it’s something bigger like being passed over for a promotion or hurt by a friend. Or maybe it’s something life-changing like having a spouse commit adultery.
Whatever it is, nothing happens to us that isn’t first filtered through God’s hands. And if God allows it, no matter what the other person’s motive, He allows it for our good (Rom. 8.28-29) and His glory (Is. 43.7).
Our God-ward response should be one of patient trust. And our response to those who do us wrong should be a biblical one: overcoming evil with good (Rom. 12.17-21), praying for those who act like our enemies (Matt. 5.43-48), and when appropriate, lovingly confronting those who sin against us (Matt. 18.15).
And as we do, we’ll grow in grace and maturity (Jas. 1.2-5) and be a light to a dark world (Matt. 5.16).
*MacArthur, John. Holy Bible – ESV MacArthur Study Bible (Kindle Locations 109928-109931). Kindle Edition.
Today’s Other Readings:
1 Kings 7 & 8:
The Last Days
The description of the temple is beautiful and amazing to me. I understand that preparations are being quietly made today to rebuild it, which Scripture tells us will happen as part of the events of the last days. At that time the Jews will resume temple worship.
What an exciting time in which we live. While no one knows the hour or the day, it’s possible that our generation could see the return of Jesus for His church (the Rapture). Even now, we can see many of the events Jesus told us would lead up to that time (Matt. 24.36). But no matter where we are on God’s timeline, we should live each day as if He’ll be here this afternoon.
Psalm 68.28-35:
Because of Your Temple …
As I read verse 29, “Because of Your temple at Jerusalem, kings will bring presents to You,” it reminded me of part of Solomon’s prayer in 1 Kings 8.60-61, “that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God; there is no other. Let your heart therefore be loyal to the LORD our God, to walk in His statutes and keep His commandments, as at this day.”
The “presents” in Psalm 68 represent giving honor to the King, in this case, the “King of kings,” Jesus Christ. Today we are the temple in which the Spirit of God dwells. Just as the magnificence of Solomon’s Temple was to cause people to see the awesome God for whom it was built, so today, others should see and give honor to our King because of our lives.
Proverbs 17.16-17:
A Fool Has No Heart for Wisdom
Why is there in the hand of a fool the purchase price of wisdom, since he has no heart for it” (v. 16)?
People with the ability to “buy” wisdom have always surrounded themselves with advisers. The Pharaoh’s of Egypt had their wise men, as did the Babylonian and other pagan kings. The Jewish kings also had their advisers. In modern times even criminals and kingpins have their lawyers and accountants.
In reality, it’s impossible to “buy” wisdom even if we have the “purchase price.” We may be able to buy information, but we need God’s Spirit and His wisdom to apply it in wise and godly ways.
But the good news is, when we have the Spirit of God residing in us, the wisdom we need is ours for the asking (Jas. 1.5).
Fools, however, are not interested in genuine wisdom, only their own opinions (Prov. 18.2). In fact, Proverbs 23.9 says they despise it. This is the attitude of many in our truth-is-whatever-I-believe-it-is culture.
What About You? Questions to Ponder or Journal:
Do you seek to be wise by studying God’s word and praying for the wisdom to apply it?
Do you live your life in a way that brings honor to the God who lives in you?
And are you growing in your ability to trust God when you go through difficult times?
Coming Up:
In the coming days, we’ll talk about what the Bible says about co-signing loans and the dangers wealth and education can pose.
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Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥
Note about this post:
I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years. Some days I make major changes, other days fewer.
A while ago, I read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”
I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.
Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)
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