March 12 ▪ Day 71

Scripture Readings

Proverbs 13:6
Exodus 11–12
II John
III John
Psalms 71

Verse Focus (Proverbs 13:6)

Righteousness guards the person of integrity,
     but wickedness overthrows the sinner.

Meditation

Today’s proverb says, in the NRSV, “Righteousness guards one whose way is upright, but sin overthrows the wicked.” It’s a comforting proverb, to know that righteousness protects the saints. But it also makes it very hard for me to understand why anyone would choose sinful paths if you really understood how you would get betrayed by that same sin. Of course, that’s the whole problem with sin. It’s seductive, and very much concerned about the present moment and not with what will happen in the future. In our instant society, where we want instant results, a way of slow discipline is the last thing we want — so I can see the attractiveness of a sinful path that promises instant gratification.

When I think of this proverb, and of how righteousness can protect you, I remember a story that I read many, many years ago. I no longer recall whether it was a book, or a devotional meditation, or anything about who wrote the story. But the author was telling about his father, who was scrupulous about being honest in all his dealings. One day, he discovered — after he had gone on his way — that he had inadvertently been given too much change at the newstand. It was only a dime, and he was tempted to just ignore it. But he didn’t feel that that would be right or honest. So he made a special trip to go back to the newstand to return the dime. I think the owner of the newstand thought he was crazy to do that, but he was thanked for his efforts and life went on as usual. Still, every day he would stop at the newstand to pick up a paper. Some time later — months, years, who knows? — there was some kind of burglary that happened at the newstand. The author’s father and another man were suspects because of the timing of this theft. However, once the newstand owner knew that the author’s father was under suspicion, he vouched for him, saying, it can’t possibly be this man! And he told the story about the dime. The police arrested the other man, or took him in for questioning — I don’t really know what happened there. But the point of the story is that the man’s honesty and integrity was what had protected him when circumstances looked bad.

Father God, thank you that righteousness will protect a person who walks in an upright manner. Please keep us on the right path. When we are tempted to do the easy thing, or the quick thing, help us to really evaluate the consequences of our choices instead of what seems like an instant solution. Keep us from sinning and being overthrown by sin, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Yesterday, we had Pharaoh telling Moses to get out of his sight, warning him that he would die if he ever saw Pharaoh’s face again. Moses replied to Pharaoh, “Just as you say!” And that was the end of the chapter. Today, as the story continues, we find that God apparently gave Moses a last-minute instruction to prophesy to Pharaoh before he left the palace. And so Moses gives Pharaoh warning about the tenth plague — at midnight, the LORD will kill the firstborn in every family in Egypt, from nobles to slaves to even all of the animals. However, he will spare the Hebrews so that Pharaoh “may know that the LORD makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel (v. 7).” And then Moses leaves Pharaoh’s presence, in a great anger.

God tells Moses that Pharaoh will not listen, “in order that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt (v. 9).”

Exodus chapter 12 departs from the narrative a bit to give us background on the first Passover meal as well as to give the commandments for the Israelites to celebrate this event in perpetuity. This month will now become the first month of the Hebrew Biblical calendar. On the tenth day of the month, families are to choose a lamb for the Passover sacrifice. The lamb must be “without blemish.”

(We haven’t gotten to the laws on offerings and sacrifices, yet, but I do want to clarify something about the sacrificial system that confused me. Burnt offerings were entirely burnt up on the altar as an offering given to God. That’s what I thought happened with all offerings and sacrifices. However, what makes a sacrifice different than an offering is that it was only partially burnt — the bulk of the sacrifice was intended to be eaten in communion with others at a sacrificial meal.)

On the 14th day of the month, the lambs are slaughtered at twilight by the assembled congregation. Some of the blood of the lamb is put on the lintels and doorposts of all of the houses where the sacrificial meal is eaten. The Passover sacrifice must be eaten that same day; anything left over must be completely burnt. Scripture even tells us that the lamb must be roasted over the fire — it cannot be eaten raw or boiled (v. 9). It is also noted that the Israelites are not to break any of the bones of the sacrificial lamb (v. 46). The meal must be eaten in haste; they may only eat unleavened bread. At the end of the chapter when Moses talks about Passover celebrations in future, he makes it clear that no one with males in their family who are not circumcised may eat the Passover sacrifice.

Passover is to be a yearly celebration, a “day of remembrance (v. 14).” It also kicks off the Feast of Unleavened Bread, a festival that lasts for seven days, during which no yeast or leaven of any kind is allowed to be in Jewish homes. The name for Passover comes because God literally has his destroyer “pass over” the Israelite homes on the night that all the firstborn are killed in Egypt. As verse 13 says, “The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live: when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague shall destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.”

Scripture also tells us that this first Passover occurred 430 years after the Israelites had gone down to Egypt, “on that very day (v. 41).” God can be very specific at times! And His delight in creating seasons and celebrations was even mentioned in the Genesis creation story (Genesis 1:14).

So the Israelites do as Moses and Aaron instruct them. They slaughter the lambs at twilight on the 14th. They mark their doors with blood. They eat in haste. No one is to go outside the doors of their homes until morning.

And God does his final wonder, sending the destroyer to kill all the firstborn. Scripture tells us that there was not one single house without a death (v. 30). In the middle of the night, Pharaoh summons Moses and Aaron in the night to tell them to go, with all their family, flocks, and herds. (I wondered if Moses and Aaron got a special dispensation to leave their houses during the night, or if they waited for morning light to see Pharaoh. Or, possibly, if this directive from Pharaoh was sent only as a message.) The Israelites had asked for gold and silver jewelry, so when they left in haste, they did not go “empty-handed.” Scripture tells us that 600,000 men departed Egypt that night — although there were uncounted numbers of women, children, and livestock.

Verse 39 tells us that the Israelites had not “prepared any provisions for themselves.” This is not something I recall ever noticing before. Imagine going on a journey without making preparations! Yes, they now had silver and gold jewelry — nicely portable wealth. But they left in extreme haste, no time even for the bread to rise — what is that, two hours at most? I don’t think I fully appreciated how dependent the Israelites were on God for everything about that rescue. Not just the salvation and the direction as to where to go, but even their food and water was supplied by His grace.

As Christians, we know that Christ’s death on the cross is the final Passover sacrifice. With his blood, the destroyer passes over us and so we will not die. There are many details in this chapter that are important. That the lamb be “without blemish.” That none of the bones are broken (just like Jesus had no bones broken when he died on the cross, even though that was contrary to how most Roman crucifixions went). The sacrifice, the blood, the remembrance — it is all important. (The need for males to be circumcised in order to eat the Passover sacrifice also sheds additional light on the incident with Zipporah a few chapters ago.)

The letters of 2 John and 3 John are both quite brief. Not quite so woo-woo, either. 🙂 They come across as surprisingly intimate, even though Biblical scholars interpret the “elect lady and her children” in 2 John 1 as a reference to a particular church and its members, rather than as a letter to a specific individual. The issues that John dealt with in his first letter are present here as well, although in a much more condensed form. There is a warning against deceivers or antichrists — those that do not acknowledge that Jesus has come in the flesh.

2 John 9 echoes John’s gospel when it talks about abiding in Christ and his teachings, although there is an additional warning about those who go “beyond” Christ’s teachings (and now we have an echo of what John wrote in Revelation about not adding to the Word). In perhaps a surprising statement, John warns the church in verse 11 not to even welcome someone who does not bring the teaching that Christ comes in the flesh with the command to love one another, “for to welcome is to participate in the evil deeds of such a person.”

2 John 12 and 3 John 13-14 were some of my favorite verses when I was in college — this was back in the days before email when we did write letters with “pen and ink.” And I could completely agree with the sentiment that it would be so much better to see my loved ones face to face. There is also something very down-to-earth and human about these verses — John seems very accessible.

3 John was written to an individual, a man named Gaius, who had put up missionaries sent from John in contradiction to what the local church had done under the leadership of Diotrephes. Diotrephes — “who loves to be first” — is apparently becoming a bit of a problem, so John intends to deal with him when he next visits. John writes of the importance of local church support for missionaries, as they do not receive support from pagans (or non-believers).

John exhorts us in verse 11, “Beloved, do not imitate what is evil but imitate what is good.” To me, this is the stand-out verse of the chapter. It is also reminiscent of Paul’s entreaty in 1 Corinthians 11:1 to imitate Paul as he imitates Christ.

Psalm 71 is a prayer for refuge and protection from God. There is no inscription to say who wrote this particular psalm, although its style is very reminiscent of David.

The psalmist writes of trusting God from “youth (v. 5)” and also prays that God help him “even to old age and gray hairs (v. 18).” Like David, the psalmist also prays for God to “make haste.” However, my favorite in this psalm is verse 20 — a confident if a bit veiled reference to resurrection:

You who have made me see many troubles and calamities
     will revive me again;
from the depths of the earth
     you will bring me up again.

Father God, thank you that you are with us from birth. Thank you for allowing me, like the psalmist, to trust you from my youth. I do pray that you will be with me through to old age and gray hairs (some of which I have already!). I thank you that because of Christ Jesus, our Passover Lamb, I do have confidence in a future, bodily life in heaven.

Please help us to know your Scripture well and to always walk in the truth. Keep us safe from deceivers. Enable us to imitate what is good, and to be obedient to your command to love one another. I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.