March 5 ▪ Day 64

Scripture Readings

Proverbs 12:16
Hosea 11–12
II Corinthians 3–4
Psalms 64

Verse Focus (Proverbs 12:16)

Fools show their annoyance at once,
     but the prudent overlook an insult.

Meditation

If you haven’t done this yourself, then I’m sure you know someone who has responded to an email in haste only to regret it later on. This is the stuff of office legends! Oh, the trauma, the uproar, the scandal… all because someone responded in the heat of the moment and didn’t take time to wait and reflect.

This is what I think of when I hear today’s proverb. Proverbs 12:16 says, “Fools show their anger at once, but the prudent ignore an insult.” Isn’t that what is going on in these infamous email stories when someone responds too hastily? There can be other emotions, too, but isn’t anger or hurt part of the reason why you shot off that email so quickly?

Of course, our proverb has many more applications than simple office protocol.

I like that different translations use different words. The NIV says that fools are showing their “annoyance” rather than their “anger.” “Vexation,” “wrath,” “irritation,” and “displeasure” are other words that various translations have used — not to mention the more colloquial translations that talk about “losing your temper” or “being easily upset.” The “prudent” are also called the “wise” or the “shrewd” or even the “sane” or the “sensible” (or simply “smart people”). There’s also a fair amount of variety in what the wise person does — some say “overlook an insult,” others “ignore an insult,” but some say that they “conceal contempt,” “conceal dishonor,” or even “cover shame.” I don’t know about you, but each of these slightly different variations gives me another glimpse of what it is we should strive to do.

It’s interesting, too, that this particular proverb says nothing about our speech. It simply says that a fool shows his annoyance at once. Yes, words are one of the ways we show irritation and displeasure. But there are an awful lot of non-verbal ways that we can communicate these things, too. If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably been criticized for frowns or angry scowls — or for simply rolling your eyes. Not to mention folding your arms or tapping your toes!

When a fool expresses that anger or annoyance, the fool is making the entire interaction about him- or herself — about how that person feels and about that same person’s sense of honor or dignity or worth. Basically, the fool is making him- or herself more important than any of the other people involved. The prudent, on the other hand, respects the other people in the relationship and within the interaction. Maybe the other person has said something hurtful, but by not responding to it the wise person is covering the shameful thing that the other has done. In other words, it is an action of love to overlook insults. It is also an action of love not to make your feelings more important than other people. Not to say that you can’t have whatever feelings you might have, but simply that you will be cautious about how — or even if — you choose to respond.

Father God, please help us to be prudent and wise people who respond in love to other people. May your Holy Spirit stop us when our sinful nature wants to express a negative reaction to someone else. May we overlook and ignore insults, and may we at least conceal it when our reactions are less than favorable. By the grace of your Son, Jesus Christ, Amen.

In Matthew 2:13-15, we learn how Jesus and his family went down to Egypt to escape the danger from Herod. The gospel writer tells us that, “This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, ‛Out of Egypt I called my son.’ ” The prophet Matthew is talking about is Hosea, and it is from the very first verse of chapter 11 that he is quoting.

When you read Hosea 11, does your mind shout, “Messianic prophecy!” No? I have to admit, this seems a little more obscure to think that the story the prophet is telling refers to Christ rather than to a recounting of Israel’s history. Of course, the answer is that it’s both. Hosea is telling about when the LORD called the nation of Israel out of Egypt and into the Promised Land; he is also prophesying about some of Jesus’ history.

Verse 4 says, “I led them with cords of human kindness, with bands of love.” Some commentators speak about fathers teaching their children using “leading-strings.” Others speak about the bands of “love” — God does not use compulsion or coercion as we might try to control livestock. He is gentle with us, using kindness and reason. And yet, because the Israelites have “refused” to return to God, he will allow them to go back into slavery — “they shall return to the land of Egypt, and Assyria shall be their king.” (It’s possible that the “return to Egypt” was also very literal in some cases. There are next to no records that exist today to say where Assyria resettled the Israelites. Some of the Israelites could have ended up in Egypt, either in trying to outrun the Assyrians, or afterward when the Assyrians also conquered Egypt — although that wasn’t until some 20 years after the fall of Israel.)

Even as the prophet discusses the upcoming fate of the Israelites, he also laments the pain that Israel will go through. “How can I give you up, Ephraim?” he cries in verse 8. And then, a remarkable promise in verse 9:

I will not execute my fierce anger;
I will not again destroy Ephraim;
     for I am God and no mortal,
     the Holy One in your midst,
     and I will not come in wrath.

However the key word here is “again.” God will not destroy Ephraim again — not after this dispersal by Assyria. He will always preserve a remnant. Even as the chapter concludes, the prophet promises in verse 11 that God will return them to their homes.

Verse 12 has an interesting comment on the fate of Judah when Israel falls. The NRSV, NKJV and ESV says, “But Judah still walks with God.” The CSB says that Judah still “wanders” with God. The NIV, however, says that “Judah is unruly against God.” The final period of the northern kingdom — when Israel was going through king after king and assassination after assassination — was actually a period of revival and stability for the southern kingdom of Judah. Hezekiah was one of the few kings who did “right” in the eyes of the Lord. So to me, the translation of “Judah still walks with God” makes a lot of sense. It actually is part of the comfort of this last section of prophecy — future redemption for Ephraim, and the current faithfulness of Judah. (I’m not sure what the translators of the NIV were thinking, but I know they had reasons for how they have translated the verse.)

Hosea chapter 12 begins with an image of futility: “Ephraim feeds on the wind,” declares the prophet. The verb is rendered as “herds” or “chases” by some translations, but we still get a sense of the vanity and absurdity of Israel’s actions. Hosea continues to recount Israel’s history, mentioning all the stories we know from Genesis: how Jacob grasped the heel of his twin brother at birth, how he supplanted Esau, and strove with God, wrestling with the angel. After reminding the people of Israel who they were — and who God the LORD is — he calls out to them in verse 6:

But as for you, return to your God,
     hold fast to love and justice,
     and wait continually for your God.

This is always the call to repentance. No matter the prophet or the preacher, no matter the era or the age, this is the call we need to heed. Even today, with the advantages and benefits of the Holy Spirit, our hearts are still prone to wander. So if you, like me, saw this verse pop out for you as you read today’s passage, pay attention. Heed the call.

Unfortunately, Hosea tells us that Ephraim does not heed this call. Just like the Spirit tells the angel of the church in Laodicea (Revelation 3:17), they are comfortable in their wealth and blind to their deficiencies.

2 Corinthians 3 and 4 speak about being transformed by the Spirit. Paul tells us that our competence comes from God. All competence comes from God, but we also have a special competence in being ministers of God’s new covenant of grace. God’s Spirit gives us freedom and is changing us from glory into glory. While here on earth, though, we live in “jars of clay” to help us understand that the power seen in us comes from God.

There were a few things that stood out to me today as I read chapter 3. Paul has a throwaway comment that “the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” It’s said as just an aside in verse 6, and yet this is a tremendously important principle for us. How often do we talk about the letter of the law versus the spirit of the law? This one little phrase has influenced all of our Western legal system.

I also noted Paul’s statement in verse 16. The Scripture says, “But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.” I’m not sure why I find this metaphor of the veil so much easier to understand, but it helps me make sense of the disparate reactions to the gospel message.

2 Corinthians 4 has a theme of encouragement throughout. Twice Paul says to us, “We do not lose heart.” Despite the weakness of our bodies, despite trials and discouragements, we have God’s ministry of mercy and we are daily being renewed. Verse 17 is one of those gems as it speaks of the “eternal weight of glory beyond all measure” that awaits us in heaven. The chapter concludes with a reminder to keep our eyes on the “unseen” prize: “for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.”

Paul’s concluding statement is so patently true, and yet also so contrary to our experience. What we see surrounds us and governs our thoughts. The seen world is what we understand of reality. And yet what is unseen — God’s spirit, His redemption, the future to come — this is the reality that will last and the only reality that really matters. Just like the veil that covers the minds of unbelievers, we need to pray that God will enlighten us to understand true value.

One of the things I’ve been realizing in the past few days is how much more we need to understand and how much more we need to grow. I know God loves me. I have experienced His faithfulness. And yet how deeply do I understand God’s love for me? Deep enough to submit my will to Him? Yes, in theory, I make this choice daily. In practice, I don’t understand His love in a way that allows me to fully and completely trust God. Likewise, I understand that the unseen world is eternal. But how deeply do I understand this? Enough to make it a priority in decision-making? Enough to permanently change my focus?

Hence, my deepening conviction that I need to understand more. Over and over again in Paul’s prayers for the churches we hear him saying that he prays for the saints to understand the depth of God’s love and the riches of His grace. I think before I used to read those prayers and think, “Yeah, yeah, I understand that.” Now I’m coming to realize that there’s still so much more that I need to understand.

Psalm 64 is a prayer for protection from the wicked and from our enemies. As I read the psalm, what stood out to me was the word “secret.” The wicked have secret plots against the psalmist (v. 2). In verse 5, the wicked “talk of laying snares secretly.” I don’t think I realized before that secrecy was a tool for the wicked. I am reminded of how the Sanhedrin plotted to take down Jesus. They plotted secretly, and then the arrest happened at night — more or less in secret — so as not to alarm the crowds.

And yet verse 7 begins, “But God….” Even though the wicked believe no one can see them, God will suddenly take them down. The secrecy of the wicked may be an obstacle for the righteous, but there are no secrets from God. When we think of ourselves, we may find God’s omniscience a bit terrifying; however, with respect to the wicked, we can take comfort in His ability to see and know everything.

The psalm ends, fittingly, with a call to rejoice and take refuge in the LORD.

Father God, thank you that you do see all of humanity. You see wicked plots and are able to frustrate them. Thank you that you care for us. Thank you that your Spirit is transforming us into the likeness of your Son. Please help us to understand the depth of your love more and more, and help us to grow in our knowledge and understanding of your Word. Help us to hold fast to love and justice, and to wait upon you. We pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.