March 7 ▪ Day 66

Scripture Readings

Proverbs 12:22
Exodus 1–2
II Corinthians 7–9
Psalms 66

Verse Focus (Proverbs 12:22)

The LORD detests lying lips,
     but he delights in people who are trustworthy.

Meditation

In the New Revised Standard Version, Proverbs 12:22 says, “Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD, but those who act faithfully are his delight.” The NIV expresses it a little differently, saying, “The LORD detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy.” In fact, this is clearly a case where the Hebrew words convey a broader meaning than our English words — and so there is a fair amount of variety in how this verse gets translated. “Those who tell the truth” is one way of talking about the people God favors. Other translations say, “Those who deal faithfully,” “workers of truth,” “they that deal truly,” “those who keep their word,” “those who act faithfully,” “those who keep their promises,” “those who practice truth,” “those who act in good faith,” or simply “faithful people.”

The interesting thing about this is that God delights in people who not only speak truthfully, but they deal truthfully and act faithfully, and actually are trustworthy and faithful people. Our English language doesn’t seem to have a verb that conveys this totality of being — character, intention, speech, and behavior.

I also find it interesting that God delights in the person whose character, intention, speech, and behavior shows this truthful and faithful integrity. However, what God detests is not the totality of the person, but the specific behavior of deceit: the lying lips. As a modern Christian might say, “God hates the sin, not the sinner.”

From this one proverb, we have a lot to digest about what kind of people we should be. I don’t think I’d realized before how much we split hairs in English. “Telling the truth” is seen as something different than one who “keeps their promises,” even though both might be seen as facets of a person of integrity. But God is concerned about the whole person, the entirety of our thinking, feeling, speaking, and behaving. May we all become people whom the LORD delights in!

Father God, thank you for reminding us that truthfulness is about more than just the words we speak. The same can be said of lying, but I’m grateful that you limit your abhorrence to what it is we say and do rather than to who we are inside. We know that our hearts are deceitful — there isn’t anything more admirable inside us. But you love us anyway, and sent Jesus Christ to make atonement for us. Thank you for your mercy. Please transform us into the image of your Son. Amen.

Today, we begin the book of Exodus, the second book of the Pentateuch (the five books that make up the Torah, or the Law, as the Jews classify this portion of the Old Testament). At last! you may think. We are finally returning to the story that began in Genesis! However, the story picks up a number of generations after Genesis ended with the death of Joseph. And the situation has changed dramatically for the Israelites. Pharaoh died, and “a new king” who “did not know Joseph” has risen into power. This is obviously referring to more than just a new Pharaoh — it is a reference to a completely new dynasty. Whatever turbulence allowed the new dynasty to take power also managed to erase the knowledge about Joseph and what he had done. So, the new ruler did not realize the debt all of Egypt owed to Joseph’s favor with God: protection from the worst famine in recorded history, land and wealth that now resided in the hands of the government, prosperity, and a more prominent international position. And as the numbers of Israelites increased, the Egyptians began to fear the Israelites and the power they might be able to wield. So the Egyptians set out to systematically oppress the Hebrews, setting taskmasters over them and turning them into slaves.

Naturally, as we read this story of the exodus of the Jews from Egypt, their journey of 40 years through the wilderness, and their eventual arrival into the “Promised Land” of Canaan, you might wonder when exactly all this occurred. Bible scholars have two main theories about the chronology — in one view, the exodus dates to about 1446 BC when Amenhotep II was Pharaoh; in another view, the exodus occurred around 1225 BC when Rameses II was the Pharaoh. In regards to the earlier date of 1446 BC, the chronology rests upon a Scripture verse (1 Kings 6:1) that notes that temple construction began in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign, 480 years after the exodus. Since Solomon’s reign and his fourth year can be accurately pinpointed to 996 BC (give or take a year), this leads to the date of 1446 BC for the exodus. The theory that rests on the later view of the exodus points to Exodus 1:11 where it says that the Israelites were compelled to build the cities of Pithom and Rameses. This leads the proponents of this theory to believe that Rameses II was the Pharaoh who is named in Scripture only by his title. In this view, they see the “480 years” in 1 Kings 6:1 as a symbolic rather than as a literal number.

If you are interested in reading further on this topic, I thought this article on the Internet was pretty good: https://www.knowingthebible.net/topical-studies/the-pharaohs-of-the-exodus.

However, now might be a good time to discuss how the modern world views the book of Exodus. Despite all the advances in archeology, scholars have found no historical evidence of “the Exodus” and are unable to date or verify the departure of slaves from Egypt from any other sources. Of course, the traditional Jewish and Christian perspective is that this Scripture is itself the historical evidence. But without finding any archaeological evidence that specifically supports the story of Israelites leaving Egypt, most scholars today doubt its veracity. There is archaeological evidence of when the city of Jericho fell (told in Joshua 6), and there are mentions of the Israelite nation in various documents of other countries, but there just isn’t non-Scriptural evidence of the plagues, or a slaves’ revolt, or of the Hebrews leaving Egypt. Accordingly, modern scholars view the Exodus as an origin myth based on various oral narratives — there might have been some core of truth long ago — but these scholars believe the book was never intended to be taken as a literal and accurate history.

Personally, I do believe that the book of Exodus is a truthful, historical document. But just like how some view the Genesis creation story as a literal history and some view it as a metaphorical story, I believe there is room for divergence among believers as to our opinions about the historical accuracy of this book. Regardless of what you believe — or may eventually come to believe — about the historical reliability of Exodus, there is still a lot of truth and wisdom for us to learn.

So our story today begins in Egypt, several generations after the death of Joseph. The Hebrews have become slaves. Pharaoh and the Egyptians were “ruthless” in their treatment of the Israelites; accordingly, their lives became very “bitter” (v. 13). Yet Scripture tells us something very interesting. Verse 12 says, “But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread.” This is repeated later in the chapter, in verse 20, where we learn that despite the new government policy of killing baby boys, “the people multiplied and became very strong.”

We also learn that the plan to kill baby boys is thwarted by the midwives, who fear God more than they fear what the government might be able to do to them. And so the Scripture tells us in verse 21, “And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families.”

I see that God’s reward to the midwives is the very same consolation the Israelites get during their oppression: they get families. They increase, they multiply, and they are fruitful. Despite the “bitter” situation the Hebrews were in, they were blessed with what most would agree is the most important thing in life anyway. Family. Connection. Community. Whenever we go through difficulty, it helps us to re-evaluate what matters to us. And time and again, this is what we find to be most important: family and relationships.

As we have struggled in 2020 and now 2021 with a worldwide pandemic, these are the same values that we treasure more dearly today. Family, relationships, community, connection, church. How many people have told you that they have cherished the family time created and enforced by the lockdowns? And how often have you heard that the most challenging thing about this pandemic is to not be able to be with other people?

Exodus 2 tells us the story of Moses in brief. He was born during the time when Pharaoh was trying to have all the male children killed. His mother hid him for as long as she could, but eventually his presence could no longer be kept secret. And so she puts him in a basket in the river. He is discovered by none other than the daughter of Pharaoh. She takes “pity” on this infant, and decides to take him as her own son. In a huge irony, Moses’ mother actually gets paid to nurse him (v. 9). And so Moses is raised and given an education that is the best possible education any Egyptian could hope to receive.

As an adult, however, Moses sees the mistreatment of his own people. In his anger at how an Egyptian beat one of the Hebrew slaves, Moses ends up killing that man. He hides the body, but the next day someone mentions it. And Moses worries that his murder has become common knowledge. So, he flees to the land of Midian to escape the wrath of Pharaoh. There he meets a priest who has seven daughters. Moses marries one of the daughters, Zipporah, and together they have a son, Gershom. Moses settles in the land of Midian and lives there for a very long time. Meanwhile, however, the Hebrews groan under their oppression. And Scripture tells us that God hears their groaning, and He remembers His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He takes notice of the Israelites.

There is one verse I want to comment on in this second chapter of Exodus. After Moses kills the Egyptian, the next day he sees two Hebrews fighting and he tries to intervene. Verse 14 says, “He answered, ‛Who made you a ruler and judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?’ ” It is the first question that strikes me. What irony! And a bit of prophecy, too. Moses is, after all, the one who will be the ruler and the leader of the Hebrews. Not yet. But soon.

As we know from chapter 2, Moses was a murderer. However, this is not what people usually remember about Moses. It’s funny how David is often criticized for his murder of Bathsheba’s husband by proxy, and yet Moses himself killed a man in anger directly. Of course, Moses was a young man when this happened — brash, passionate, inexperienced. And David was an older man when he engineered Uriah’s murder. Perhaps the real reason why David is remembered for his sins is because he already had developed a close relationship with God; Moses still has 40 years to go before he will meet God and eventually know Him face to face.

But, again, even though humans judge murder to be a more egregious sin — and, on the level of human relationships, it is — God doesn’t see it that way. To Him, we are all wicked. I’m not sure if God chooses a man like Moses because the sins make no difference to God, or if He actually deliberately chooses someone who has a checkered past in order to show all people that His grace and restoration is truly available for even those whom we would believe are irredeemable.

2 Corinthians 7 continues with some of the themes and ideas we have seen earlier in the letter. Paul pleads again to the Corinthians to “make room in your hearts for us (v. 7).” We talked a bit about open hearts yesterday. The fact that Paul talks about heart transformation feels like something “new” to me. Even though it’s been here in the Scripture all along, it hasn’t been something that I’ve really noticed before these last few days.

I also see the theme of “comfort” is very much a part of this chapter as well. Paul talks about God “who consoles the downcast (v. 6)” and mentions several times how he has been comforted or encouraged — first, by his pride in the Corinthians’ faith, then by Titus’ visit, by the news of the Corinthians’ repentance, and by sharing in Titus’ encouragement at his reception by the Corinthian church. Indeed, even though Paul shares some of the troubles they have undergone, my lasting impression is not of the difficulties but of the comfort and joy that Paul has.

Paul makes an interesting contribution to the topic of suffering when talks about the difference between “godly sorrow” and “worldly sorrow.” Verse 10 is worth meditating on further. I have experienced the godly sorrow that leads to repentance, but I’m not entirely sure what Paul means when he says that worldly sorrow produces death. Perhaps it is a metaphorical death — when your sorrow receives no consolation from repentance, you have no joy — and it kills your spirit.

Two verses stand out to me today in 2 Corinthians 8. The first, verse 9, speaks of the grace (or, as another translation puts it, the “generous act”) of Jesus Christ — “though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.” This is the perfect example of God’s upside down economics. We’ve talked about the topic of generosity before. It is a theme that runs throughout Scripture and was the topic of our featured proverb on February 22nd (Day 53). And it’s the perfect counterpoint to Paul’s earlier theme of encouragement since the two go hand in hand: those who are generous refresh and are refreshed.

I also really like 2 Corinthians 8:12. On the topic of giving, Paul tells us, “For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have.” As someone who has never made a lot of money, I know what it’s like to feel like your giving is paltry and insignificant. Even if it’s a tithe for me, it’s peanuts in comparison to what others give. But Paul doesn’t want us to compare ourselves in this way.

Generosity comes up again in chapter 9. Verse 6: “The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” Indeed, God wants us to be generous givers, but that generosity should not be forced. “God loves a cheerful giver (v. 7).” But it is verse 8 that truly gives me comfort: “And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” The promises just keep going on: God Himself will increase our store and enlarge our harvests; we will be enriched in every way. Such precious promises!

Psalm 66 is another one that is both a melody and a song, although this one is not attributed to David. The entire psalm is a wonderful hymn to God’s goodness. I am always struck by verse 12 whenever I read this psalm: “We went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance.” My spirit remembers the trials I have experienced, but also God’s faithfulness — and so this verse resonates time and again.

Today as I read this psalm, I was struck by the various commands. “Say to God… (v. 3)” “Come and see what God has done… (v. 5)” “Come and hear… (v. 16)” We approach God with mouth, eyes, and ears. The command to “say” to God is especially interesting. Although we are commanded to praise in other verses, sometimes our praise is more about God than to God. And verse 3 makes it clear that we are to talk to God. It’s important that we actually tell Him that we recognize His awesomeness.

Father God, you truly are magnificent. Your power is so great we can barely comprehend it. Thank you for how you love us. Thank you for the generous gift of Jesus Christ. Thank you for the comfort you provide even amidst the greatest trials. Thank you for your Scripture. May your blessing rest upon us and may you transform us into a generous people. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.