February 13 ▪ Day 44

Scripture Readings

Proverbs 11:2
Isaiah 37–38
Mark 5
Psalms 44

Verse Focus (Proverbs 11:2)

When pride comes, then comes disgrace,
     but with humility comes wisdom.

Meditation

There is a well-known English proverb that says, “Pride goeth before a fall.” This is likely a corruption of the King James translation of Proverbs 16:18, which says, “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” Today’s proverb is in a similar vein.

In the NRSV, Proverbs 11:2 says, “When pride comes, then comes disgrace; but wisdom is with the humble.” I like how the NIV translates the verse — it’s more or less the same meaning, but the verse is structurally parallel with its opposites: “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.”

We know that humility is a virtue in the Bible, but why is pride seen as so deadly? Isn’t having a sense of your accomplishments and achievements a good thing? If pride is bad, why do teachers strive so hard to instill a sense of self-worth in their students?

Romans 12:3 says, “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought” and goes on to say in verse 16, “Do not be proud… do not be conceited.” NRSV translates the second phrase as “do not claim to be wiser than you are.” And this is the key to pride. Pride is thinking more highly of yourself than you ought to. It’s not that we shouldn’t recognize our strengths, but that we shouldn’t magnify our strengths above God and above other people. Our English language is flawed in that we use the same word “pride” to speak of the kind of self-confidence that is good, as well as to refer to the view of self that is inflated and bad.

Pride gets back to the original sin in the fall of Adam and Eve: the desire to be like God, to have the abilities that only God possesses — the desire to be creator rather than created. And when you start praising yourself more than you praise God, that’s when you’re in really dangerous territory.

Humility as a concept has been corrupted a bit by our society. Most define “humility” as having a low opinion of yourself. In fact, it’s not having a low opinion but a right opinion of yourself — and one that has God on the throne, recognizing that God is the one who has given you gifts and abilities to accomplish things.

Father God, keep us from pride and arrogance and give us instead true humility in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Isaiah 37 and 38 continue with a history of King Hezekiah of Judah. There are parallel passages to these in 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles, and in some passages additional details are given. Isaiah 37 tells the story of how God miraculously rescues Judah from the hands of King Sennacherib of Assyria. After the royal spokesperson delivered his message via the palace administrators, Hezekiah’s first reaction is to go to the temple of the LORD. He sends messengers to the prophet Isaiah, telling how the Assyrians have mocked the living God, and he asks the prophet to pray “for the remnant that is left” (v. 4).

I was struck by Hezekiah’s words here. For the first time, I realized that the entire nation of Judah felt like a remnant. Israel had been conquered and deported by Assyria over 20 years earlier, and just like that 10 tribes of Israel were gone. A few scattered remnants of the other tribes remained in Judah, but mostly it was the descendants of Judah and those Levites that lived among them. (In fact, it is from the tribe of “Judah” that we get our English word for “Jew.”) It hadn’t occurred to me that Judah would feel like a remnant since their kingdom was left more or less intact. But even though the tribes were divided into two nations, they shared a joint heritage in the LORD.

Isaiah replies to King Hezekiah and gives him a message from the LORD not to be afraid. He tells them that the King of Assyria will hear “a certain report” that will cause him to return to Assyria and there he will be cut down.

Meanwhile, the Assyrian forces move from Lachish to Libnah. This move actually brings the army closer to Jerusalem — a siege seems immanent. The Assyrians receive news that the Ethiopians are preparing to fight against them, so King Sennacherib sends messengers to Hezekiah again (probably hoping to frighten them into an easy surrender). He again tells them that they cannot depend upon the LORD to save them — after all, none of the other countries have been saved by their gods.

When Hezekiah receives this message from Sennacherib, he takes it to the temple and “spread it before the LORD” (v. 14). He prays for God to save them and show the world that the LORD is the only God. The LORD hears this prayer, and sends a message through Isaiah the prophet. The King of Assyria is only doing what the LORD has planned: “Have you not heard that I determined it long ago? I planned from days of old what now I bring to pass (v. 26).” Yet because of the king’s “insolence” (v. 29), the LORD will send them back to Assyria. God promises that “The surviving remnant of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward (v. 31).” No siege ramps will be built against Jerusalem; God himself will save them from the Assyrian army. And so He does: overnight, God strikes dead 185,000 soldiers. The Assyrian army withdraws and returns home to Ninevah. King Sennacherib is later struck down and killed by his own sons.

Isaiah 38 tells of a time that Hezekiah was seriously ill. Again, there are parallel passages to this story in 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles. Isaiah tells the king to put his house “in order” because he will soon die. Hezekiah is bitterly grieved at this news. He prays to God, “Remember now, O Lord, I implore you, how I have walked before you in faithfulness with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight (v. 3).” Isaiah is sent back to Hezekiah with a new message: God will add 15 years to Hezekiah’s life. As a sign of this grace, God performs a miracle and makes the sun’s shadow go back ten steps on the dial of Ahaz (v. 8).

Hezekiah writes a psalm of praise to God after this incident. He speaks of God’s initial proclamation in verse 15: “But what can I say? For he has spoken to me, and he himself has done it.” He declares, “Surely it was for my welfare that I had great bitterness (v. 17).” And yet it is the living who praise the LORD. Hezekiah says, “The living, the living, they thank you, as I do this day; fathers make known to children your faithfulness (v. 19).” If we were reading the full histories of the kings of Judah, we would know how ironic this last statement is. Even though King Hezekiah was one of the greatest kings of Judah, his son after him was one of the most evil kings that ever reigned.

But I also ponder Hezekiah’s wisdom: “Surely it was for my welfare that I had great bitterness.” How often are we able to do this? To see the LORD’s hand at work even when we are grieved by circumstances? This is the kind of faith I want to have. To be able to trust even when things are grim.

In Mark chapter 5 we have several stories of healing that Jesus performed. There are small differences between the gospels in these stories. Our first story is of Jesus healing a demoniac in the Gerasenes. Only one man is described. We are given details about how he is able to break shackles and chains. The demons call themselves “Legion” because there are so many of them. When the townsfolk come and see the man “clothed and in his right mind” they are “afraid” (v. 15). In the parallel passage we read in Matthew 8, there were two men mentioned and the region was named the Gadarenes.

Do these kinds of differences matter to you? Does it diminish the authority of Scripture in your eyes? For me, I am not bothered by these small discrepancies. The difference between Gerasenes and Gadarenes is easily understood — one name refers to the small town near where the miracle occurred; the other name refers to the larger city that the entire region was named after. The difference between healing one man versus healing two men? Again, this doesn’t bother me. In the story of two men, we focus on what happened to the pigs and how the town reacted. In the story of the one man, the focus instead falls on how that man begged to go with Jesus and was told to “Go home to your friends, and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and what mercy he has shown you (v. 19).” Just because today’s story only features one demoniac doesn’t mean that another was not also healed.

We also have the story of Jairus’ daughter who was healed, and the woman who had been bleeding for 12 years. In the incident with the woman, we see that Jesus while on earth does not have omniscience like the Father does. He knows that power has gone out of him, but does not know who it was that received that power until she comes forward and confesses. (I think he would have figured it out, but she saved him the trouble. 🙂 )

As I was reading today’s chapter, I was struck by Jesus’ words to Jairus. This is one of those details that differs between the two gospels. In Matthew 9, an unnamed synagogue official comes and tells Jesus that his daughter has just died, and asks Jesus to come heal her. In Mark 5, Jairus tells Jesus that his daughter is near death, and begs him to come heal her. When they are interrupted by the incident of the woman who had been bleeding for 12 years, Jairus receives a message that his daughter has died — why bother Jesus anymore? It is at this point that Jesus tells Jairus: “Do not fear, only believe (v. 36).”

“Do not fear, only believe.” Are you like Jairus? Are you waiting on God to do something for you? It may not be as life-and-death as the illness of a child, but there are many reasons why we might be waiting upon the LORD. And so this is a message for us today. Do not let your fear of what might happen overwhelm you. Instead, trust in the LORD. He is faithful.

Psalm 44 is another psalm written by the Sons of Korah. The NRSV sees this as a “National Lament and Prayer for Help.” Indeed, it does seem to be a prayer on behalf of the entire nation of Israel. The psalmist remembers that their victories were “not by their own sword” or by “their own arm,” but rather by God’s “right hand (v. 3).” Despite past deliverance, however, now God is not saving them. Verse 12 charges, “You have sold your people for a trifle, demanding no high price for them.” I can’t help but think of how Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery, getting below market rate for him.

The psalmist cries in verse 17, “All this has come upon us, yet we have not forgotten you, or been false to your covenant.” He asks in verse 23, “Why do you sleep, O Lord?” This is troubling. There are many times when we know that the Israelites were unfaithful and God allowed them to suffer defeat as a result.

But what about when they encountered defeat when they were faithful? Are they self-deluded? Most are faithful, but a portion is not? I think that is an easy answer, but not necessarily the correct one. Jesus talked about this easy assumption that illness, defeat, or death means guilt and denied that it was true. The man born blind was not born blind as the result of sin, but only so that the glory of God might be revealed. Sometimes God delays in fulfilling his promises, not because the people are guilty, but because He intends to do something even more glorious.

The psalm ends with a wonderful prayer, appealing to God’s very own nature: “Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love.”

Father God, help us to remain steadfast in our hope. Sometimes we must wait for you to hear our prayers. Yet you are the one who brings us victory. Help us not to be afraid, but to believe in you and your goodness. Help us also, if we experience bitterness or trying circumstances, to see that your loving hand is still orchestrating what is happening. We know that you will come through for us so that we will be able to continue to praise you in the land of the living. Thank you for your love and mercy. We pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.