February 23 ▪ Day 54

Scripture Readings

Proverbs 11:27
Isaiah 57–58
Mark 15
Psalms 54

Verse Focus (Proverbs 11:27)

Whoever seeks good finds favor,
     but evil comes to one who searches for it.

Meditation

Proverbs 11:27 holds a special place in my heart. It is one of the first proverbs that I remember suddenly gaining a deeper insight into what it was about. As the verse is translated in the NIV from 1973, “He who seeks good finds goodwill, but evil comes to him who searches for it.”

Those who look for evil will find it. Those who look for good, however, don’t find good. Instead, they find goodwill. Good intentions, well-meaning, favor — but not good. This is because we are flawed and sinful people. No one is righteous, no one is good. Scratch the surface of what appears to be good, and that deep vein of selfishness will be revealed.

As I meditate on the proverb today, I wonder why someone would search for evil. Apart from the police, that is. 🙂 And it occurs to me, that just like the search for good reveals goodwill, when you expect to find bad things in someone else, you’ll never be disappointed. Unfortunately, I think that expectation of wrongdoing in another also leads to a deepening or strengthening of the evil within yourself. For example, I have a critical nature. When I criticize, I strengthen that part of me that likes to diminish and tear down. I don’t develop eyes to see the strengths of other people when I’m only looking at what I perceive to be wrong.

Father God, give us eyes and a heart that always searches for good. When we find less than perfection — when we find that goodwill — may we be generous and kind in our assessments. Let us be charitable in our thoughts and opinions of one another through Jesus Christ, Amen.

Isaiah 57 begins by talking about what happens when the righteous perish and the devout are taken away. “No one understands,” says verse 1. “For the righteous are taken away from calamity, and they enter into peace.” Death is always difficult, but a terrible death seems like a travesty of justice. And perhaps it is that, here on earth. In God’s kingdom, though, the righteous who die unjust and terrible deaths are delivered from calamity into peace. Into wholeness, healing, and love — into God’s presence.

As the chapter continues, the prophet condemns the wicked and those who worship idols. Verse 12 is interesting: “I will concede your righteousness and your works, but they will not help you.” The idol-worshipers apparently do have some good deeds, although many of the sins listed are pretty horrific (lust, child sacrifice, occult spiritism).

Fortunately, there is still hope of redemption. Verse 15 is a gem:

For thus says the high and lofty one who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with those who are contrite and humble in spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite.

The LORD promises healing and “peace to the far and near.” The chapter again ends with the stern warning, “There is no peace, says my God, for the wicked.” This is nearly identical the ending of Isaiah 48. The last verse of Isaiah 48 says, “There is no peace, says the LORD, for the wicked.” “Says the LORD” versus “says my God.” Again, in Isaiah 48 it is the proper name for God (Yahweh / the LORD). Here it is the more common and generic word for God, but I think the possessive is important. MY God.

Isaiah 58 is another wonderful chapter in the Bible. It details the difference between true and false worship, as exemplified by differences in fasting. Verses 6 and 7 epitomize the kind of fast God desires:

⁶“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?
⁷Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter —
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

Verse 11 is another gem, while verses 13 and 14 speak of the value and the promise in sabbath-keeping.

I found verse 2’s description of false worshipers very interesting. “They delight to draw near to God.” You would think that those who delight in drawing near to God would be true worshipers. But one’s feelings are not an indicator as to whether or not one is righteous before God. God expects to see actions in keeping with repentance. However, it’s also clear that the false worshipers have outward signs of worship, but lack the inner character. Their pride masquerades as humility: they expect to be noticed and applauded for humbling themselves before God. So true worship is a matter of both character and behavior.

Mark chapter 15 is another somber chapter as we read of Jesus’ crucifixion, death, and burial. After condemning him, the Sanhedrin now sends Jesus to the civil authorities so that they can have him executed. I noticed that in verse 1 Mark tells us that they “bound” Jesus. Since he’d willingly gone with them when he was arrested, it’s curious that the chief priests now think they need to bind him in order to deliver him to Pontius Pilate.

We learn another detail about Barabbas, the man who was released for Passover instead of Jesus. He had taken part in an insurrection, and he was wanted for murder (v. 6). How ironic that Barabbas was exactly the kind of man that the scribes and teachers of the law worried that Jesus might be — they feared that Jesus would promote a rebellion, and cause the Roman authorities to crush them! Of course, this is what the chief priests and scribes told each other — that they feared what the Romans might do because of Jesus. Pilate, as the Scripture reveals, knew that it was envy and jealousy that really caused them to hand Jesus over to be killed (v. 10).

As I was reading about the soldiers who mocked Jesus, I wondered about those who had knelt down to him. Did any of those soldiers meet Jesus’ eyes as they pretended to give him homage? These were the same soldiers who took Jesus and the other criminals to be crucified. The centurion who stood facing Jesus as he died became convinced that Jesus must truly be the Son of God. I wonder how many of those soldiers later became believers. (I suppose it was musings like these that led to the creation of Lloyd C. Douglas’ 1942 classic, The Robe. If you’ve never read the book, I highly recommend it!)

Today’s psalm, Psalm 54, was written by David when he was on the run from Saul. From the history that inspired some of the other psalms of David, we know that King Saul distrusted David and had been trying to kill him — even though David was loyal to Saul’s kingship. So David went into hiding. But now the Ziphites have gone to Saul and betrayed David’s presence. The Ziphites were a tribe in Judah, associated with the town of Ziph, located in the mountains of Judah, about 5 miles southeast of Hebron. One might view the Ziphites as patriots who were loyal to King Saul. However, David was innocent of wrongdoing. And the Scripture makes clear that the Ziphites were not godly men.

The Psalm starts in the present tense. Save me; hear my prayer. I’m being attacked by ruthless and godless men. But even as the psalm cries out with David’s distress and the danger he faces, it shifts to a future tense where David is praising God for his triumph; David has been rescued. This is a remarkable pattern of faith for us. The psalm was written while David was in trouble — even the future verses that foresaw the end of trouble were written while David was still in the midst of it all. And yet David had the confidence to know that God would accomplish His purposes and would protect and establish David. That’s the kind of faith I want for my life!

Father God, thank you for your Scripture and all that it has to teach us. Thank you for David’s example of faith, even in the most trying of circumstances. Thank you for Jesus and for the suffering he endured for my sake. I pray that I might worship you in truth. May I be concerned about the things you care about — justice, oppression, poverty — and may I do all I can to make a difference for those who are suffering and hurting. In Jesus’ name, Amen.