January 2 ▪ Day 2

Scripture Readings

Proverbs 2:6
Genesis 3–4
Matthew 2
Psalms 2

Verse Focus (Proverbs 2:6)

For the LORD gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

Meditation

Today’s verse focus from Proverbs says that the Lord gives wisdom and that from his mouth comes knowledge and understanding. This is so very similar to yesterday’s verse! My first reaction upon reading it was to wonder whether or not I could say or learn anything different about today’s verse — other than to say, simply, that wisdom is a prevailing theme in the Scriptures. But then I started thinking about the verb: gives. The Lord gives wisdom. Do we think that wisdom is a gift? Do we ask for it? Or do we assume that it’s something we can achieve by our own merit?

The second half of the verse tells us that knowledge and understanding — surely the foundation for what becomes wisdom — comes from God’s mouth. Clearly this means that we need to pay very close attention to what God actually says. And that means reading and knowing Scripture, as well as getting to know who Jesus really is since one of Christ’s names is the Word of God (John 1:1).

Father God, I ask for the gift of wisdom. Help me to learn and know your Scriptures. Teach me to meditate on your words so that my actions and my life become a reflection of your goodness. Thank you for sending Jesus.

As we continue in the book of Genesis today, we have the story of the fall of humankind. I could write all day about this one chapter — there’s a lot to be mined out of this story! — but I’ll focus on just a few things. First, we know that the serpent tried to make Eve doubt not only what God had said, but also whether or not God is good. The serpent’s first question, asking if it were true that they were not allowed to eat from any tree in the garden, makes it seem like God’s ways are burdensome and overly restrictive. But Eve’s response is interesting. She corrects the serpent’s “misunderstanding,” saying that no, it was just the tree of life they weren’t allowed to eat from. But, Eve also adds that they are not allowed to “touch” the fruit, either. Now, since we just read what God told them in chapter 2, we know that’s not true. So why did Eve add on to God’s commandment? Was she just careless in her memory of what God had told them? Or is there something very human about the desire to add rules to rules?

As we all know, Eve succumbs to temptation and she eats the fruit. She gives some to Adam as well who was “with her” — what?!!! Adam was there the whole time this was going on?! — and they eat, they disobey, they fall from grace, and they are now ashamed of their nakedness. They try to make coverings out of fig leaves and they hide from God. When they do talk with God later on, there’s the whole blame-shifting thing, and then the curse. The serpent is cursed and will be the most despised of all animals. The woman will have pain in child-bearing; her desire will be for her husband, and “he will rule over you.” To Adam, God tells him that the ground is now cursed because of them. Work now becomes toil and labor; we earn food “by the sweat of your brow,” and our lives will end in death — we return to dust.

A few thoughts. I interpret the “he will rule over you” part of the curse as the origin of male dominance. Before the fall, we see Eve taking a role of leadership. Granted, her leadership led them into sin. The point, though, is that it was as natural for the woman to lead as it was and is natural for a man to lead. Personally, I think that this is something that got twisted in the fall. (I also believe that cockroaches are a direct result of the fall, but I won’t go into my reasoning on that. 🙂 )

Did any of you feel a little sorry for the earth? Why does the ground get cursed because of Adam? Did a part of you feel like that was unfair? And maybe it is “unfair” — but the point, here, is that sin has consequences. And those consequences are not limited to just the sinner. There are ripples and ramifications that affect things beyond what we may be able to imagine.

Finally, in the whole story of the fall: do you know what my very favorite part is? Verse 21. God makes clothes and gives them to Adam and Eve. Vastly superior clothes to the fig leaves, too! God’s mercy and kindness here blows my mind. What they felt most acutely was their shame at their nakedness. And so God gives them something to help ease that pain.

I won’t say much about Genesis 4 since I’ve already written a fair amount about chapter 3. But, of course, we have another pivotal story: Cain and Abel and the first murder. Abel pleased God by offering from the best of his flock (“fat portions”), but Cain’s offering was apparently more perfunctory. Disappointment, anger, jealousy, rage, murder. Cain, too, felt that the consequences of his sins were more than he could bear. And, again, we see God does something to mitigate that pain. God’s actions don’t stop the consequences from happening, but He continues to protect Cain even in his exile.

In Matthew chapter 2 we read the story of the magi. They saw Christ’s star when it rose and they have traveled a long distance to come worship him. We learn about the prophecy that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem (just a little bit of proof for y’all that Jesus is the One all Israel had been waiting for). The magi have a conversation with King Herod, who tells them to report back what they learn of the new “king.” And so the magi continue on their journey, presumably heading south from Jerusalem towards Bethlehem. Verse 9 tells us that the star continues to guide them in their journey until it stops over “the place where the child lay.” The Scripture doesn’t actually say that the holy family is still in Bethlehem — for all we know, the star may have led them north again into Galilee. They come to the “house” where Christ is and present their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Using the word “house” here also seems to indicate that the holy family is in a different place now than they were when Christ was born. The only reason I point these things out is because there seems to be a bit of a discrepancy between what Matthew says about Jesus’ upbringing and what Luke says. Luke tells us that Mary was from Nazareth and that Joseph and Mary traveled to Bethlehem because of the census; then, after Jesus was dedicated in the temple in Jerusalem (which would have happened about 8 days after his birth), they returned to Galilee.

Matthew doesn’t tell us that the family came from Nazareth to begin with, but he does talk about Jesus’ lineage as a descendant of the house of David. And here in chapter 2 we learn that the magi are warned not to report back to Herod, and Joseph is further warned that they family must flee to Egypt for a while. And so we learn of yet three more prophecies that Jesus fulfills — the Son is “called out of Egypt,” Rachel’s great “weeping” (also known as Herod’s atrocity) happened because Christ was born, and finally that the Messiah will be called “a Nazarene.”

Interestingly enough, our psalm today is also a Messianic psalm. The words “you are my son; today I have become your father” (v. 7) refer to the Christ, the Anointed one. Hebrews 5:5 talks a little bit about the significance of these words. Now Martin Luther would tell us that the entire psalm is about Christ.

I have to confess, I still have trouble with this psalm. I understand that it’s about Jesus. But “kiss the son lest he be angry” (v. 12) — this does not fit my conception about Christ. So clearly I need to think and meditate about this psalm some more. I see God’s compassion and his love for us demonstrated in Christ Jesus. But Jesus also has a kingly role as ruler of the nations, and I need to also understand this part of his nature.

Father, thank you for all the truths in your Scripture. There is a wealth of wisdom in just the few chapters we are reading today. I know it will take me years to understand it all, but I pray that your Holy Spirit will open my heart to new truths as I read and study your word today. Thank you for the gift of wisdom. Thank you that you care about how we will bear the consequences of our sins. Thank you that you still love us and protect us even when we are foolish or rebellious. Thank you for sending Christ to save us. Thank you for this master plan you have that spans centuries. Thank you for how Jesus fulfilled your prophecies and for how he fulfilled the law for us to become our eternal High Priest. Thank you that one day we will see Christ ruling over all the nations: we will see all creation subject to you. May that day come in in the perfection of your timing. Amen.

4 Replies to “January 2 ▪ Day 2”

  • I found your comment about God’s ever present desire to forgive and “mitigate” His strict disciplinary response to sin helpful. He consistently allows us the opportunity to gain wisdom through the consequences of our actions, and desires that we apply that wisdom through the original gift of “choice” which set man apart. This is all an act of love which defines our God.
    And ………….. I agree about the cockroaches!!

  • Kirsty, you raise so many great perspectives! I never caught that Adam was with her as the serpent spoke. I think he may have wanted to see if Eve would really die, if she ate the fruit. The verses say looked upon the fruit, almost as if she hadn’t even really done so before. The moral I take is to flee temptation at its first presentation and not give it any hold.

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