February 26 ▪ Day 57

Scripture Readings

Proverbs 12:1
Isaiah 63–64
I Corinthians 3–5
Psalms 57

Verse Focus (Proverbs 12:1)

Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,
     but whoever hates correction is stupid.

Meditation

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! (1 Corinthians 1:3)

God has been teaching me to love discipline. I often see my life in terms of my struggles with self-discipline: developing healthy habits for eating, sleeping, and exercise; maintaining spiritual disciplines; and trying to have a good balance between priorities so that I don’t go overboard in only one direction. So I naturally gravitate to the truth in today’s proverb: “Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but those who hate to be rebuked are stupid.”

However, because of my focus on self-discipline and developing habits of godliness, it took me a while to remember that there are other forms of discipline. And I think the type of discipline that our Scripture is talking about today is primarily the discipline that we receive from God and from others. In other words, correction and rebuke. (Ouch!)

Discipline is painful. Even Scripture acknowledges that (Hebrews 12:11). But discipline is also temporary. We know that God disciplines those He loves, just as parents discipline their children to teach them how to succeed in life. And that’s the point of discipline, of course — that we might succeed in life and reap that “harvest of righteousness and peace.”

Father God, please keep me from being stupid about discipline simply because it’s painful or uncomfortable. Give me the ability to accept correction (and to do so gracefully). May you develop in me the disciplines that will lead to righteousness and peace. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Isaiah 63 begins with a description of God — or the Redeemer — dealing out judgment to His enemies (metaphorically identified as “Edom”). “It is I, announcing vindication, mighty to save,” He says. I imagine that the image of the powerful savior and victorious hero, robed in splendor but stained in blood, would have been comforting to the Israelites. I, on the other hand, just find it a bit disturbing. Even if these enemies deserve judgment, I’d rather not see the evidence of their blood.

It’s even a bit jarring when the chapter suddenly begins recounting the “kindnesses” of God. This is always the tension we have in understanding God. There’s one side of justice, of holiness, purity, judgment, and even anger. And there’s the other side of tenderness and compassion. Abba, Father.

When I first started reading the Old Testament, I had a very difficult time understanding the God I saw in the Old Testament as being the same God that I saw in the New Testament. As I grew to know the Bible better, and as the Holy Spirit worked in my life, it stopped being such a problem. Now, while I can remember that I used to have trouble reconciling these different view of God, it rarely bothers me at all anymore. Occasionally, though, some of that old discomfort resurfaces. Today, with a chapter that is a bit enigmatic and that has both visions of God — it’s a little bumpy.

There are still beautiful passages and memorable verses in this chapter. God saves, the people rebel, God then fights against His people for a time until they start to remember Him. The people pray. Verse 17 is particularly poignant: “Why, O LORD, do you make us stray from your ways and harden our heart, so that we do not fear you?”

Verse 16 is comforting, but also intriguing. It has quite a range of interpretations. The verse says, “For you are our father, though Abraham does not know us and Israel does not acknowledge us.” As a Gentile believer, I can’t help thinking that this verse is suddenly talking about me — a person that neither Abraham nor Israel would acknowledge. But there are other views. One commentator sees this as the Israelites in exile finally recognizing that they can’t depend on their earthly ancestry, but must rather rely solely on God. Others interpret Abraham and Israel as literally unable to acknowledge or help their progeny because they are dead.

Isaiah 64 begins with the plea, “O that you would tear open the heavens and come down!” I think of Jesus being born in Bethlehem and know that no one could have foreseen this answer, despite all the prophecies that predicted his coming.

Verse 3 is one of those gems, highlighted time and time again: “Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.” And yet, despite the people’s desire to do right, they continue to sin. God then continues to get angry at them. “How then can we be saved?” the prophet asks (v. 5). He laments in verse 6, “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy cloth.”

Again, verse 8, in humility, pleas, “Yet, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.” As verse 11 speaks of the temple that has been “burned by fire,” I think of the future exiles of Judah. It will be over 100 years still before Judah falls to Babylon and gets exiled. But Isaiah pictures them humbling themselves before the LORD, and praying for redemption.

Today as we read 1 Corinthians, chapters 3 through 5, you will see that, as usual, Paul’s writing is dense with spiritual truths. You will notice different things at different times — that’s part of the Holy Spirit’s ministry to you, and how the word is living and active. I feel torn, with part of me wanting to comment on all these different things that Paul brings up, but with the other part recognizing that — not only can I not do that — it’s also not what I’m trying to accomplish with these meditations. So, taking a deep breath: here is what strikes me today.

First, Paul talks about immature believers who require “milk” rather than solid food. Ouch! Does that sting?

Humility also takes center stage as Paul reminds his listeners that it is not who does what that is important; it is what God does that matters. After all, what do you have that you did not receive?

Paul also talks about Christ as our one true foundation. Using the metaphor of construction, Paul cautions us that we should pay attention to how we build upon this foundation. When the Day of Judgment comes, if your building materials are worthless, they will be consumed and you will be left with only your salvation. (Did you chase after fame or material possessions?) But if your building materials have value, you will have that gain on top of your salvation. It’s worth spending some time meditating on how we build with good materials on top of the foundation of Christ. Through service? Through encouragement? How about through humility?

In chapter 4 Paul talks about how we have been given a trust and must prove ourselves faithful. He talks about how the “wisdom of the world” is foolishness in God’s eyes. As you know, this theme of worldly wisdom versus Biblical, godly wisdom is one that runs throughout Scripture. If we are in a right relationship with God — if we are truly humble before our Creator — it will affect everything we do.

Another “ouch” is Paul’s assertion that the kingdom of God is “not a matter of talk, but of power.” I feel a bit of conviction almost every time I read this verse because I’m a talker. I’m wordy. And I’d much rather talk than act. But the hope for redemption is built right into the same verse: the kingdom of God is a matter of power. And we can claim that power through the Holy Spirit and by God’s grace.

In 1 Corinthians 5, Paul confronts an issue of sexual immorality within the Corinthian church. Perhaps worse than the man and his sinful behavior is the reaction of the church: Paul accuses them of being proud or arrogant. I wonder about this pride. Was it pride in the man? Perhaps he was wealthy or influential? Or were they proud of themselves? Did they congratulate themselves for their tolerance of his misbehavior? Or was it even worse than that — were the Corinthians so proud of their salvation that they were unable to see the impurity? Since Paul suggests that they should have excluded this man from fellowship, I lean towards the second possible interpretation of the Corinthians’ pride.

Verse 5 talks about handing over the sinful man to Satan for the “destruction of the flesh.” This is a bit of a troubling verse. What does it mean, exactly? I suppose in some fanciful imaginations, you could envision a mystical ceremony where in some manner the man’s salvation is taken back and he is then delivered into hell. But, no. Nothing like that. I don’t believe the man’s salvation is in jeopardy at all — that’s part of the distinction between “spirit” and “flesh.” And only his “flesh” is being delivered to Satan.

I believe Paul means that the church will cut off fellowship with him (recognizing that fellowship is one of the primary means of healing and grace) and instead allow him to suffer the consequences of his sinful behavior. This may mean an early death, possibly before he would have otherwise died. However, it also might allow the man to come to his senses. He could repent, and then be restored to the church.

Verses 6 through 8 are significant. Paul speaks of how quickly yeast spreads through the dough and he counsels getting rid of the old yeast to instead become unleavened bread. Paul compares the yeast to malice and wickedness — to use an old English proverb, one rotten apple can spoil the barrel. But Paul’s metaphor is especially appropriate for the Jews because of the connection between Passover (the celebration of God’s deliverance of the Israelites from the Egyptians) and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. As part of the celebration of God’s deliverance in Exodus, Jews will remove all yeast from their houses before Passover. The metaphor also works for Christians because Christ became the Passover sacrifice for all of us, allowing us to be protected from the power of death and granting us eternal life.

As Paul concludes this chapter, he begins to discuss how judgment should function within a believer’s life. First, we are not called to judge those outside the church. But we are to exercise some judgment on those inside the church. Paul will elaborate on this more in the next chapter. But it’s also worth remembering that what Jesus said about judging others in the gospels (judge not lest you be judged) and what Paul wrote about judging others in Romans (judges condemn others for the very flaws they have themselves) are still things that apply. Paul certainly would have expected his hearers to remember and be familiar with other Scriptural principles about judgment.

Psalm 57 is one of my all-time favorite psalms. I know you’re smiling at my comment because I have so many favorites, but, really, truly — this is one of my favorites. I came to love this psalm when I was in college. I read it a lot back then, but in particular I would read it before exams and before papers were due. It seemed to express my predicament perfectly.

Verse 1 begins, in the NIV of 1978, “Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed.” I saw myself crying for God’s mercy. And it was mercy I was asking for, because I did not deserve this grace. The “disaster” to come was the upcoming paper or exam. It was a disaster because I had not done what I should have done. I had not studied or prepared as I should have, and so there I was, the night before. Panicked and regretting my folly, I would cry out for God’s mercy, knowing that I could take shelter in the shadow of His wings “until the disaster has passed.” The lions and ravenous beasts seemed the perfect metaphor for the anxious pit in my stomach. Verse 8, “I will awaken the dawn,” was oftentimes quite literal in these situations.

Even now as I remember reading this psalm in my college years, the memory comes alive — I can feel that dread and remember the shame of being caught by my own stupidity and lack of self-discipline. But I also remember the peace and comfort this psalm would give me. So I might tank on the exam. You do reap what you sow. But God is merciful. And even more than that, God is in heaven and He is exalted. It is His glory that matters more than anything else.

Father God, I thank you for your love and mercy. Looking back at my college years, you were far more merciful to me than I could have anticipated. And certainly I did not deserve that mercy. Funny how failing to prepare for an exam is an easier flaw to admit than some of my other sins! Thank you that you are merciful and gracious to me always.

Father, please continue to give us wisdom as we read your Word. May your Holy Spirit give us enlightenment, and may we get rid of the old yeast of malice and wickedness. Thank you for Jesus Christ, our Passover Lamb. Thank you that Jesus is the Redeemer and the solution to the constant cycle of rebellion and restoration that marks the history of your people. I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.