February 2 ▪ Day 33

Scripture Readings

Proverbs 10:11
Isaiah 15–16
Romans 9–10
Psalms 33

Verse Focus (Proverbs 10:11)

The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,
     but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

Meditation

The book of Proverbs pays a lot of attention to our speech. The power of words, for good or evil, is a recurrent theme. We see it at work in today’s proverb from chapter 10, verse 11: “The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.” In this proverb, we see the life-giving impact of the words of the godly as contrasted against words that hide the wicked person’s true nature.

Sometimes you can get more insight on a proverb if you look at a variety of translations. But there is very little variation for this proverb. Those that do say something slightly different are from versions of the Bible that rely more heavily on paraphrasing than on an exact and literal translation. The Contemporary English Version (CEV) says, “The words of good people are a source of life, but evil hides behind the words of the wicked.” The Passion Translation (TPT) writes, “The teachings of the lovers of God are like living truth flowing from the fountain of life, but the words of the wicked hide an ulterior motive.” It’s interesting that The Passion Translation interprets the “mouth” as teachings. Certainly, that is part of speech, but there’s a lot of good in other forms of speaking that this does not mention. Consider encouragement: I wouldn’t consider that “teaching,” but we clearly understand just how life-giving that form of speech may be. I do, however, like TPT’s phrasing that “the words of the wicked hide an ulterior motive.”

Do you ever think about your speech as a fountain of life? Certainly, the content of our speech may be one way that our words give life — literally, in the case of the gospel. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 admonishes us to “encourage one another and build each other up.” Surely one of the primary ways we do this is via our speech. Parents also know that when they correct and rebuke their children, they do so to bring about a more fruitful life for their children. Whatever we say, we always have the ability to promote life and healing. Think of sin and selfishness like the rocks and leaves that clog up your fountain, and do the work necessary to clear the way.

I think it’s pretty interesting that this proverb doesn’t tell us that the speech of the wicked brings death (the opposite of the life coming from the speech of the righteous), but rather that their words conceal the violence that is within their hearts. If you don’t know the character of the speaker, it doesn’t seem like you can easily tell from their speech whether or not that person is wicked (unless, of course, they happen to be spewing hate). However, if you already know from someone’s behavior that he or she is ungodly, then this proverb is a reminder for you not to trust what that person says.

Father God, I thank you that there is life and healing in the speech of the righteous. May the Holy Spirit help me to remember this so that my words may bring life to everyone in my path today. Help me to encourage, and help me to also boldly share your gospel message, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Isaiah chapters 15 and 16 continue with the prophet’s international prophecies. Both of today’s chapters deal with a prophecy for Moab, one of the kingdoms that descended from Lot. In the very first verse of chapter 15, the prophet tells us that Moab will be “undone” when the two main cities of Moab, Ar and Kir, are destroyed in a single night. Note the double repetition of the words in this first verse. Perhaps, like Joseph said was the case in Pharaoh’s dream, the doubling indicates that God has fully decided upon this path and it will happen soon. The chapter concludes by saying that the waters of Dibon will be “full of blood” — yet even the remnant that manages to escape the slaughter of enemies will find themselves overtaken by natural disaster: a lion will ravage them.

As chapter 16 continues the prophecy for Moab, Isaiah calls for the Israelites to shelter the refugees from Moab. Suddenly, as verse 4 turns into verse 5, we recognize that this is a Messianic prophecy: “When the oppressor is no more, and destruction has ceased, and marauders have vanished from the land, then a throne shall be established in steadfast love in the tent of David, and on it shall sit in faithfulness a ruler who seeks justice and is swift to do what is right.”

But the chapter pivots again, and we are back in the prophecy against Moab. Their pride will be crushed; their fields, abandoned, and their harvests, uncollected. I was particularly struck by the image in verse 10: joy and gladness will be gone and no songs will be sung.

The chapter concludes with Isaiah saying that this prophecy, which was given at an earlier date, now has a specific date in which it will be fulfilled. In three years, destruction will fall upon Moab. Isaiah’s last words are that “those who survive will be very few and feeble.”

In our reading from Romans today, chapters 9 and 10, Paul speaks about the relationship between the Jews and the Gentiles, in terms of God’s plan for salvation. In a shocking statement, Paul tells us in verses 6 and 7 that “not all Israelites truly belong to Israel, and not all of Abraham’s children are his true descendants.” It is not children of the flesh who are Abraham’s children, but children of the promise. He cites the example of Esau, Abraham’s grandson, who is a descendant according to the flesh but not the promise.

In a difficult passage, Paul speaks of God’s election — those he has chosen for salvation. This is in contrast to those who are not saved. God declares, “I will have mercy on those I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” Paul tells us in verse 18 that God “has mercy on whomever he chooses, and he hardens the heart of whomever he chooses.” That God might allow some to exist only to display His power and goodness to others troubles our human hearts. Paul’s answer to this isn’t exactly comforting, even if it is true: we are human: created beings; we are not the Creator.

Paul goes on to speak of how the Gentiles have been called by God to become His people. Although the Gentiles were not seeking righteousness, they have obtained it through faith; in contrast, the Jews, who were seeking righteousness, have not obtained it because they were trying to do so on the basis of works. Paul says that the Jews have stumbled over the stone of Christ: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense, and whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” (Romans 9:33, quoting parts of Isaiah 8:14 and Isaiah 28:16).

Paul continues writing in chapter 10 how his heart’s desire is for the Jews to be saved. The Jews, he says, “have a zeal for God, but it is not enlightened (v. 2).” Enlightenment is understanding that God’s righteousness comes through faith in Jesus Christ. Again, he assures readers that those who believe in Christ will not be put to shame — “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved (v. 13).” Paul then writes of the necessity of sharing the good news. How can people be saved unless they first hear of Jesus Christ? He concludes the chapter by saying that the salvation of the Gentiles is part of a plan to make the Israelites jealous.

It seems fitting that today’s psalm should be Psalm 33: a hymn of praise to God. Romans 9 reminded us of some hard truths concerning God’s sovereign will; here, we remember and praise God for His faithfulness and His love of justice, as well as for His power and majesty. I particularly loved verse 5: “The earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD.” Verse 9 also gives me the shivers: “For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.”

The psalm reminds us how lofty God is: he sees all of humankind, and oversees all nations. We are reminded that a “king is not saved by his great army (v. 16).” We prosper because the eye of the LORD is on us and not because of our own efforts. The psalm concludes with a petition for God to prosper us: “Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us, even as we hope in you.”

Father God, our hope is in you. Our faith is in your son, Jesus Christ. We thank you for your mercy in drawing us to you, and thank you that our election is sure because it depends on you and your faithfulness. We pray for your steadfast love to be displayed in our lives. Help us to share the good news, so that more people may call upon Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray, Amen.