March 9 ▪ Day 68

Scripture Readings

Proverbs 12:28
Exodus 5–6
II Corinthians 12–13
Psalms 68

Verse Focus (Proverbs 12:28)

In the way of righteousness there is life;
     along that path is immortality.

Meditation

Today’s proverb speaks of life and even immortality for those who walk in the way of righteousness. It is an impressive promise, but is this guaranteed for us? Certainly, we see that this proved literally true for Jesus Christ (at least in terms of his mortal body, since he already had life before he was incarnated)! But are we being promised immortality? I suppose in Jesus Christ, the answer is yes, of course.

But in terms of how proverbs work — statements of how the world usually works, but not necessarily a specific promise for each individual — then, maybe no. Not a guarantee, but still something that should guide the way we live.

I notice that, actually, this proverb doesn’t say anything about people at all. We infer that, of course. We read this and think first of ourselves as individuals. But suppose the subject of the proverb is meant to be the Church? A corporate body. It may be full of life, even though individual members may pass on. This could also be speaking of a business, a community, or even a nation.

Part of how the Word is living and active is that it does apply to multiple situations and settings. Are you sick? This is a promise for you as an individual — in the way of righteousness, there is life. Yearn for it, strive for it, find yourself renewed. Do you have your own company? Be ethical in your choices, run the business in a manner that reflects your faith, and see the life that follows. Will it be life for your company? We hope so, but it might also be life that springs from the work that your company did. And as members of faith communities and cities and nations, we each have a responsibility to walk in the way of righteousness. The health of the body starts with the individual — with me and my own walk.

Father God, thank you for the blessings that accompany walking in the way of righteousness. Please fill us with your Holy Spirit and enable us to find life and bring life as we walk the path of righteousness. In Jesus’ name and power, Amen.

Our story continues in Exodus 5 and 6. After Moses and Aaron spoke to the people, after they believed, after they worshiped, then Moses and Aaron go to Pharaoh to ask him to let the people go worship in the wilderness. His response is typical. “I do not know the LORD,” he says in verse 2. He has no reason to even desire obeying God. So now Moses and Aaron tell Pharaoh that there might be repercussions if Pharaoh does not let them go. But they say that it might fall on “us,” so Pharaoh surely assumed they were talking about only the Hebrews.

You know how the story goes — Pharaoh increases the burden on the slave population, accusing them of being lazy. He orders that they must continue to make their daily quota of bricks, but he stops supplying what the Israelites need to make the bricks. They must gather supplies for themselves. As a result, the Scripture tells us in verse 12, “the people scattered throughout the land of Egypt” as they looked for stubble to make straw. And, of course, they stopped meeting the daily quotas and the supervisors were beaten for this failure.

When the Hebrews understood the reason for the change in policy, they were naturally quite upset. They turned their anger upon Moses, asking God to judge him for making their situation worse. Moses, of course, turns to God and asks why this is happening. “You have done nothing at all to deliver your people,” he says in verse 23.

God reassures Moses, promising that He will deliver them and that they will all see what mighty things He will do. He reminds Moses that He made a covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and promised to give them the land of Canaan. He promises to rescue the Israelites. In verse 7, God says, “I will take you as my people, and I will be your God.” Previously, the covenant promise had been with Abraham as an individual, although God’s part of the covenant promise was to watch over Abraham’s descendants and to give them the Promised Land. Soon, the covenant will be with the entire population of the Israelites.

However, when Moses tries to tell the people what God has promised, they no longer listen to him “because of their broken spirit and their cruel slavery (v. 9).”

At this point we get a quick recap of the family groups of Israel and the genealogy of Moses and Aaron before we return to the main storyline. As the chapter ends, Moses asks the Lord why Pharaoh would listen to him “since I am a poor speaker” (v. 30).

There were a few things that I noticed as I read these chapters today. It struck me how everything that happened had a purpose. When the Hebrews were scattered across all Egypt in their quest to find stubble for straw, it occurred to me that this was how the Hebrews knew who to ask for silver and gold when they departed from Egypt. They lived in the land of Goshen — they lived separately from the Egyptians. Yet it never occurred to me before to wonder how the Israelites even had “neighbors” to ask for the treasures. And I see that this scattering of the slaves actually helped prepare them for their departure, even though it was a more difficult time for them.

I also wondered a bit at how little Moses and the people remembered of what God had said would happen. God told Moses in advance that Pharaoh’s heart would be hardened and that he would have to be compelled to let the people go. Did Moses forget to tell the people that? At this first resistance, they all got discouraged and lost heart. I doubt I would do any better, but it is curious that God can tell us things in advance and yet somehow when the difficulties come we forget everything God has already told us.

Moses’ final question of God today was also interesting. He asks God, since I’m such a poor speaker, why would Pharaoh even listen to me? With this very question, Moses implies that he thinks it takes human speech and persuasion to move a powerful leader. And that is certainly the ordinary way of things. But Moses has yet to understand that God is on his side — Moses’ ability or lack of ability will be completely immaterial. When God wants to do something, He will accomplish it by means we may not even be able to imagine. Perhaps by making someone unusually persuasive. Perhaps through external circumstances. Or perhaps by great signs and wonders, as he did with the Egyptians.

As we finish up the book of 2 Corinthians today, the theme of boasting reappears. It is matched by another theme, that of weakness turned into power by the strength of God.

Paul continues his boasting, even though he says “nothing is to be gained by it (v. 1).” But rather than boast about himself, he boasts of someone who has had visions and revelations of the Lord. (I can only speculate — is he talking about John, and what later becomes the book of Revelation?) In verse 5 Paul makes it clear that when we boast, we should be boasting about others and the way God is working in and through their lives. Indeed, at the beginning of most of Paul’s letters he mentions his boasting about the faith displayed by the church to whom he is writing. As a spiritual “father,” he is proud of their growth in Christ.

In speaking of boasting as foolish (unless we are boasting about someone else), Paul is upholding Biblical wisdom. Proverbs 27:2 says, “Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips.”

Yet Paul also says in verse 5, “On my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses.” As we learned yesterday, by mentioning his trials and weaknesses, Paul is actually boasting about the Lord in a roundabout way. Here, in chapter 12, Paul boasts about another type of weakness — the “thorn” in his flesh. Three times he pleaded to have this ailment removed, but God’s response was, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

Have you discovered this secret yet? Like Paul, “whenever I am weak, then I am strong (v. 10).” This is the most counterintuitive Biblical principle of them all. When we are weak, we feel that weakness in our very bones. We feel that weakness in our spirit. We are at the end of our own resources.

This is, of course, exactly the position we need to be in in order for us to turn to God and receive His grace for the situation. I think we need to be weak so that we will truly understand that it is God who is doing the heavy lifting. And God will supply what we need.

Unfortunately, this is a lesson I have to learn over and over again. Different arenas, different problems. Same solution: God is my strength. When I was still a fairly young believer, I was struggling to have consistent devotional times. Some times it would be great. I would read Scripture, pray, seek the Lord for months at a time. But then I’d fall away for months. Up and down, up and down. It was like the dieting yo-yo. No progress, no stability. And one day I turned to God. I had reached the end of my resources. And I prayed, “Lord, if you want me to have regular, consistent quiet times, then you’re going to have to do it for me. Because I just don’t have it in me to be faithful.” And that was a real turning point for me. God answered my prayer and He enabled me to have consistent quiet times. But it came from His strength, not my own. I know that my faithfulness even now is a matter of His grace.

We don’t know what kind of thorn Paul had. Scholars have speculated. Some think — from what happened on the road to Damascus and another few indirect comments — that he might have had really poor eyesight. But no one really knows. Nor does it matter. It probably makes it easier for us to identify with Paul because we don’t know the specific details. But meditate on 2 Corinthians 2:9; memorize it if you haven’t already: My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.

I thought verse 19 was particularly interesting. Paul says to the Corinthians, “Have you been thinking all along that we have been defending ourselves before you? We are speaking in Christ before God. Everything we do, beloved, is for the sake of building you up.” It did seem a bit like Paul was defending himself against criticism from the Corinthians. But his comment that everything he has said is “for the sake of building you up” puts even his foolish boasting into a new perspective. Again, Paul mentions his fear that the Corinthians will have stumbled in faith.

In the final chapter, Paul expounds further on the theme of weakness that is the instrument for God’s power. He speaks of Christ crucified as the perfect example of weakness that results in God’s triumph.

“Examine yourselves to see whether you are living in the faith,” Paul says in verse 5. “Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you? — unless, indeed, you fail to meet the test!” I confess this verse gave me some anxiety when I was a younger believer. What if I have failed this test? I wasn’t even entirely sure I knew how to test myself to see if Christ was within me, so how could I know whether or not I passed or failed? However, even though Paul is not explicit with the answer to these questions here, there are answers elsewhere in Scripture. In fact, this is one of the topics that John will deal with tomorrow when we read 1 John, chapters 1 through 3.

Paul’s closing remarks are for the Corinthians to “put things in order (v. 11).” He reminds them to strive for unity and peace, and to encourage one another. The final benediction, 2 Corinthians 13:13, is one of the few places in Scripture where the Trinity is mentioned within the same verse: “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”

Psalm 68 is another wonderful poem of praise and thanksgiving, courtesy, yet again, of David. I love the descriptions this gives of God! “Father of orphans and protector of widows,” it says in verse 5. In the next verse, the psalmist tells us that “God gives the desolate a home to live in.” Or, as the NIV puts it, “God sets the lonely in families.”

David calls for the LORD to “scatter” His enemies. In verse 30 he says again, “Scatter the peoples who delight in war.”

Of all, though, verse 19 is my favorite. It’s the one I highlight over and over again — each time I read this psalm in a new translation. “Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.”

Father God, I do thank you that you bear my burdens daily. I thank you that when I am weak, you are strong. Thank you for giving me the grace to seek you consistently. Thank you today for the strength to write this meditation. Thank you the blessings of community. Thank you that Jesus is my advocate. Thank you for how you taught Moses to trust you, and how you delivered the Hebrews out of Egypt, taking an entire nation to be your own people. Thank you that you shepherded them over centuries, teaching them your ways. And thank you that you planned a redemption that would encompass the whole world. May I walk today and all days in the ways of righteousness, through the power and strength that comes from you. I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.