March 13 ▪ Day 72

Scripture Readings

Proverbs 13:9
Exodus 13–14
Luke 1
Psalms 72

Verse Focus (Proverbs 13:9)

The light of the righteous shines brightly,
     but the lamp of the wicked is snuffed out.

Meditation

In the New International Version, Proverbs 13:9 says, “The light of the righteous shines brightly, but the lamp of the wicked is snuffed out.” A lovely proverb. And yet, the “shines brightly” is actually a bit of an interpretation for us. What the Hebrew word literally means is “rejoices.” So, as the New King James Version puts this proverb, “The light of the righteous rejoices, but the lamp of the wicked will be put out.”

I like the idea of one’s light rejoicing. Yes, shining brightly. But also exuding joy. Communicating hope and good cheer. Rejoicing.

The other thing I notice about this proverb is that the light of the wicked is actually borrowed light. The righteous have light that seems to be within themselves, but the wicked only have lamps. They must get the light from another source; eventually, it will cease. Although some translations say that the lamp of the wicked “goes out,” the Hebrew transliterated words are “will be put out.” The verb itself means to be extinguished, to dry up, to be made extinct. “Goes out” could be accidental; “will be put out” implies that the light will be extinguished by an outside party — and thus against the will of the wicked person.

I think of what the “light” represents. You could interpret it to be the spirit of a person. “This little light of mine: I’m gonna let it shine!” In this manner, we see the inner being of the righteous as rejoicing in God and His creation. Thus, the righteous are characterized by gratitude, thankfulness, and praise. Or “light” could be a metaphor for life. The wicked will find their lives cut short. “Light” may also be more abstract than referencing specific people. Teaching, for example. The beliefs and ideas of the righteous are cause for rejoicing, whereas as the ideas of the wicked will soon pass away. You could also think about “light” in terms of inspiration or creativity. Or as impact: legacy.

Father God, we are so glad that we have Jesus Christ in our hearts and that we have his righteousness to be our light. Help us rejoice and shine brightly, to live long, and to create lasting legacy for your kingdom. Through your grace and power in Christ Jesus, Amen.

Exodus 13 and 14 mix narrative history with doctrine and practice. The passage begins by God claiming that all the firstborn of humans and animals belong to Him. These are to be consecrated to God, set apart for Him. When the Israelites get to the Promised Land, they will have to either sacrifice or redeem all firstborn male animals to God, and they must redeem all firstborn sons.

We get a quick overview of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and then we return to the narrative of what happened when the Israelites left Egypt. They were led by a cloud during the day, and a pillar of fire at night — indeed, they traveled day and night when they first left Egypt. However, Scripture tells us that they did not go in the direction of the Philistines, even though that was the most direct route (v. 17). God did not want the Israelites to actually engage in war since that might discourage them too much. Nevertheless, they traveled “in orderly ranks” — that is, in battle array, armed and prepared to fight (v. 18).

As chapter 14 begins, God does something a bit sneaky. He actually has the Israelites change directions and turn back so that they will appear confused and wandering to the Egyptians. This is intended to entice the Egyptians into chasing the Hebrews — all so that God may display His power again.

Whether or not Pharaoh actually had a conversation where he discussed the poor, foolish wandering Hebrews or not, the text doesn’t tell us. But Pharaoh did change his mind yet again, deciding it had been a bad idea to let them go. So he gathers his army and he chases after them. He overtakes them fairly easily and seems to have them cornered, unable to escape. Instead, of course, God does this amazing miracle and parts the Red Sea so that the Israelites walk across a dry water bed. When the Egyptians try to follow, they end up drowned.

There are a number of things that struck me in these chapters. First, I wondered about the firstborn, and why God only claimed males out of the firstborn. Obviously, this relates to the tenth plague where God destroyed all the firstborn of Egypt. As the Scripture describes the plague, it does not specify whether or not these “firstborn” who are killed are only sons, or whether it also includes daughters. One might assume that they were only firstborn sons, since God later only requires sons to be redeemed. But I wasn’t sure what the text was actually saying.

So, I did a little investigating. To begin with, I wondered if “firstborn” was in itself a word that referred only to males. And, in the Hebrew, it is a masculine noun. But when the Scripture talks about the firstborn of animals, it is a feminine noun — so it doesn’t relate to some grammatical aspect of the language.

I also looked for rabbinic tradition, to see if I could understand how Jews today interpret “firstborn.” And I discovered that there are two different types of firstborn. As far as inheritance goes, “firstborn” refers specifically to the firstborn male son of the father. He may have had a daughter born before that son, but she is not considered the firstborn (and she is also not eligible to inherit unless there are no sons in that family). The second type of firstborn refers to the child that is firstborn for a woman — usually described the one that “opens the womb.” And it is this second type of firstborn that is being described in Exodus 13.

I read a fascinating short article about Biblical translation and the meaning of the firstborn (read for yourself here: What is the meaning of “firstborn male” in Luke 2:23? | JerusalemPerspective.com Online). According to this, the need to redeem a firstborn male applies only in situations where the woman’s firstborn is a son. If a daughter is born first, and a son comes later, that particular family has no need to redeem that first son who comes later.

I also read an interesting blog article from a woman rabbi who discusses this issue of the firstborn and some of the tensions it creates for feminists. You can read that one here, if you wish: Ladies First, Ladies Fast? | American Jewish University (aju.edu).

As I understand this, firstborn — whether male or female — belong to God. But in Jewish law, males who first open the womb must be redeemed from God. Women who are firstborn have no special requirements, and yet they also have a special consecration to the LORD.

The second thing I wondered about had to do with verse 9 and verse 16. “It shall serve for you as a sign on your hand and as a reminder (v. 9) / emblem (v. 16) on your forehead….” Obviously, this is seen as the origin for the practice of wearing tephillin (or “phylacteries”) where, during prayer, Jews actually do wear Scripture on their left wrist and forehead, in the form of Scripture passages written on small strips of parchment and then enclosed in small boxes that are attached by bands. However, I also noted in one commentary that this was seen as a method of transforming an Egyptian custom into something meaningful. As Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers says, “If the Israelites were addicted to wearing amulets, like the Egyptians, it would have been a wise proviso to substitute for the magic charms of sorcerers the solemn words of the Law, and in this way to turn a current superstition to a good account.”

Regardless of whether or not you interpret these verses as something to do literally, the principle of having reminders to help us remember what God has done for us is very important. Even with the Holy Spirit to help us, we are quick to forget God and all His benefits — salvation, answers to prayer, blessings, and more.

In Exodus 14, when the Israelites were cornered by the Egyptians, they despaired — even though this apparent entrapment had been part of the plan. We hear no cries that it is better to live free or die — no, the Israelites tell Moses that it’s better to be alive and a slave than to be dead (v. 12).

Moses’ reply is one of those verse gems that you just have to highlight. Do not be afraid, stand firm, see what God will do. “The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” It is easy for us to panic when things seem impossible. But this is frequently what God calls us to do: be still. Trust Him. God will fight for you. If there’s something He wants you to do, He’ll let you know.

Today we begin reading the Gospel of Luke. This is the last of the three Synoptic Gospels — so-called because of how similar they are in structure, storyline, and wording. Even though Luke follows much of the same pattern as Matthew and Mark, there are details that are only included here in this gospel. As you likely know, it was written by Luke, who was a physician who traveled with Paul on his missionary journeys. Luke also authored the book of Acts.

The book is addressed to “Theophilus,” whose name means, literally, lover of God. Some believe Theophilus was a Roman official, while others see the name as a pseudonym for all believers. In verse 4 Luke tells us that his reason for writing is “so that you may know the truth concerning the things about which you have been instructed.”

In this first chapter of Luke, we have several examples of poetry in a form very similar to the poetry of the Old Testament. First, verses 14-17, the prophecy about John the Baptist. Next, several verses in the conversation Mary has with Gabriel are poetic: verses 32, 33, and 35. Then we have the Magnificat of Mary (verses 46-55), and the Benedictus, or Song of Zechariah (verses 68-79). These poetic passages have been widely used in church liturgy throughout the ages.

I love the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth! And I really love the poetry in this chapter. As I read the passage today, I noticed lots of little things. Most of these are “old treasures,” but there are a few new things too. The reference to John the Baptist being filled with the Holy Spirit from the womb (v. 15). The prophecy that he would come in the power and spirit of Elijah (v. 17). Gabriel, introducing himself by saying, “I stand in the presence of God (v. 19).” Mary coming from the town of Nazareth (v. 26). Mary going in “haste” to see her cousin Elizabeth (v. 39). Zechariah prophesying about Jesus (v. 69), before he prophesies about his son John the Baptist’s role in the redemption (v. 76).

One thing that struck me as particularly curious today was in verse 17. As I read it this morning, it said that John the Baptist’s role would be to turn the “hearts of parents to their children.” That struck me as odd today. Why do parents need to have their hearts turned to their children? Yes, there are some cases where children are not loved. But the norm is that parents do love their children. So why do parents need their hearts turned? And why not the hearts of children to their parents?

When I looked more closely, I discovered a couple of things. First, the translation I was reading this morning was made to be inclusive by turning “fathers” into “parents.” Second, this verse is a reference to Malachi 4:5-6, where the full quote does say that the prophet will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and children to their fathers. Still, I wondered why Luke only quotes part of the Scripture. Was it just a kind of shorthand? Or is it deliberate?

As I read the quote in Malachi, I realize that it does make a difference to me whether or not I read “fathers” or “parents.” We have many single-parent families in our society today, as well as divorces, and re-marriages — and in all of this, it is all too common for men to ignore their responsibilities with their children, both emotionally and financially. Not to say that women don’t also abandon their children, as well, but it does seem to be more of a problem for men than women. Estimates on families with young children that are absent a father range from 20 to 33% of all families with children (depending on where you get your statistics, and how they calculate things, of course). Statistics regarding so-called “deadbeat dads” are more difficult to determine with reliability, since there are so many different variables; however, the very fact that this term has entered our language shows that it’s become a significant problem in our society.

Another thing about having “fathers” as the terminology used in the Scripture is that it makes me think of God the Father. And perhaps part of what the prophecy is talking about is moving God to remember His children’s plight. If that were the case, perhaps the reason why we don’t get the second half of the quote is because it wasn’t John’s primary role to turn children to God — that was Jesus’ function. John’s function was simply to prepare the way for Jesus.

I realize that I don’t have a good answer yet as to what is going on with this particular quote in the gospel of Luke, especially as to why Luke quotes only part of the Scripture. But this is what I’m mulling over today. I may get some brilliant insight tomorrow, or it may take years before I feel like I understand what this prophecy is really meant to be about. In the meantime, I’ll let you tell me what you think is going on. 🙂

Psalm 72’s inscription simply says, “Of Solomon.” It is not until the final verse of the psalm that we hear about the author — and it’s David, of course. The last verse says, simply, “The prayers of David son of Jesse are ended.” As I think about that, I think about how powerful it is that David’s final prayer and final psalm is one for his successor and his son, Solomon. It is a beautiful prayer, full of hope for the kind of man and kind of king that David hopes his son will be. It is David’s blessing for Solomon.

I love verse 19 with its double amen: “Blessed be His glorious name forever; may His glory fill the whole earth. Amen and Amen.”

Father God, this is also our prayer today. May your name be glorious forever. May your name and your glory fill the whole earth. Thank you for the birth of your Son, Jesus Christ. Thank you for the redemption you made for us. Thank you that, even though we don’t have eyes to see it now, we know that Christ is already fully victorious. We pray for the increase of your kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. Amen and amen.