January 3 ▪ Day 3

Scripture Readings

Proverbs 3:1–2
Genesis 5–6
Matthew 3
Psalms 3

Verse Focus (Proverbs 3:1–2)

¹My son, do not forget my teaching,
but keep my commands in your heart,
²for they will prolong your life many years
and bring you peace and prosperity.

Meditation

Our verse focus today is an important command with a tantalizing promise: if you remember God’s word and keep his commands in your heart, then your life with be prolonged in peace and prosperity. This is quite a promise! It’s what we all long for, isn’t it? I find I actually have a greater longing for peace and prosperity the older I get. Perhaps when I was young I didn’t really understand why it was so important. Or maybe I took it for granted.

“Do not forget.” We need to be warned because we do forget easily. And it’s yet another reason why reading Scripture is so crucial, and why it’s worth the struggle to develop consistency. Memorization helps. Singing helps — we find it easier to remember the words of a song we’ve sung than words we’ve read. Make up your own song for the words you want to remember. 🙂

Father God, please help us to live by this principle of remembering your commands and storing them in our hearts. May your Holy Spirit help us remember, help us to seek you daily, and help us to store your Scriptures deep within our hearts. Thank you that we have the grace and strength of Jesus Christ — although memorization might be challenging, it is not an impossible task.

In Genesis 5 and 6 we see mankind spreading and proliferating over the face of the earth. Yesterday we learned of some of the descendants of Cain. Today, we learn of the descendants of Seth, Adam and Eve’s third child. Although there was a Lamech yesterday who celebrated his own wickedness (boasting that he had killed men and was so important that he would be avenged even more than his forefather Cain), the Lamech in chapter 5 — father of Noah — is from a different line.

Of course, we are somewhat shocked at how long people lived back then — it’s certainly one reason people might doubt the veracity of the Scriptures. But we learn in chapter 6 that God eventually sets a limit on how long people will live (v. 3).

Of special note is Enoch, who “walked faithfully with God” and who did not die (Gen. 5:24). He was spared death and taken away to heaven while still in his prime. It’s interesting that Enoch was one of the youngest when he became a father; it’s also significant that his total number of years on earth was 365. The parallel to 365 days in a year is important, although what the symbolism all means I can’t say. Similarly, I think it’s also significant that Enoch’s son, Methuselah, is the person who lived the longest of anyone else in the Bible.

Noah’s story is very interesting — more interesting than just the story of the flood. To begin with, his name means “comfort.” His father Lamech believed that Noah would comfort them in their suffering — specifically, the “painful toil” they endured because of the curse of the ground. I’m not sure if his name is ironic or prophetic considering what will happen with the flood! It’s also interesting that Noah didn’t become a father until he was 500 years old. This was considerably later than most of the other men mentioned. The Bible doesn’t give us any details, but we can certainly imagine that his childlessness was likely a source of great grief to Noah for many years.

In chapter 6 we learn of the wickedness of mankind. The LORD is grieved to the point that he regrets ever creating humans because “every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time” (v. 5). So God decides to wipe all life off the face of the earth except for Noah and a few select others. God tells Noah that He will establish a covenant with him and his descendants.

In Matthew chapter 3 we read of John the Baptist’s ministry in the wilderness of Judah. Matthew makes a point of telling us that this is yet another fulfillment of prophecy (v. 3). I love what John tells those who flocked to him: “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance” (v. 8). Repentance is more than just a sorrowful heart. It is a sorrowful heart that causes you to change what you do.

Here we also have the story of Jesus’ own baptism by John the Baptist. John resists at first, because he recognizes who Jesus really is (in fact, in another gospel John points out Jesus as the Lamb of God to some of his own disciples who later become disciples of Christ). But Jesus argues that it is necessary to do this to “fulfill all righteousness.”

After he is baptized, the heavens are opened, the Spirit descends on Jesus like a dove, and God speaks from heaven audibly, praising the Son as beloved and well-pleasing. The chapter ends here, but this baptism and anointing is significant because this signals the start of Jesus’ ministry in Galilee and all Israel.

The psalm we read today, Psalm 3, was written by David when he was on the run from his son, Absalom. If you remember the story, Absalom was trying to stage a coup — endeavoring to take over the kingdom by force. In the psalm, David speaks of his enemies, his foes, and all his troubles. But he also speaks of his reliance on God. God is David’s shield and because of that, David does not need to fear going to sleep.

Verse 7 is interesting, especially when compared to other psalms. In those, David will often pray for the death and the destruction of his enemies. But he does not pray for that here. In fact, his request is quite mild. He only asks that God would strike their jaws and break their teeth. When you remember that David’s enemy here is his son, suddenly the restraint makes a lot more sense.

As you read the Scriptures today, don’t forget to ask God to open your eyes. These may be familiar stories, but the Holy Spirit can always give you new insight. You have only to ask.

Father God, I do ask you to make these Scriptures come alive to us. Teach us from your Word. Spark our hearts into repentance, and enable us to bring forth the fruit of that repentance. Thank you that Jesus did all things well. We pray in His name, Amen.