April 3 ▪ Day 93

Scripture Readings

Proverbs 14:26
Jeremiah 15–16
Luke 22
Psalms 93

Verse Focus (Proverbs 14:26)

Whoever fears the LORD has a secure fortress,
     and for their children it will be a refuge.

Meditation

Proverbs 14:26 tells us, “Whoever fears the LORD has a secure fortress, and for their children it will be a refuge.” This is such a comforting verse! Not only do we have strength and protection for ourselves, but we are promised the next generation will also have that refuge. This is how most modern translations interpret this verse.

However, when I dig a bit deeper, I realize that the Hebrew is a bit more enigmatic. The words for the second half say, “and his children will have a [place] of refuge.” Whether “his” refers to the one who fears the LORD or the LORD himself is a matter of debate. Many commentators interpret this verse as saying that it is the true children of the LORD who have the refuge.

Of course, I think it’s both.

We also remember that proverbs are not specific “promises” per se, but a truth about how the world usually works. So, is this an ironclad guarantee that your children will find refuge in God? No, of course not. But there is a strong possibility that they will find refuge because you find refuge, and this is also something that you can pray about.

I also think that part of how the refuge is passed from one generation to the next is in the living out of that refuge. If you turn to God when difficulties arise, if prayer is your “go to” response — your family will see that. And when difficulties arise for them, they may be tempted to try it for themselves, even if they’re not convinced that there is anything to this faith business.

Father God, thank you that you are our refuge and fortress. Help me to rely on you in all circumstances and help me also to model what fear of the LORD looks like for others who may not yet know you. I thank you for how you are able to make my faith a witness to others, and I ask that you will ensure that my witness brings you glory and not dishonor. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

In Jeremiah 15:6, the LORD says, “I am weary of relenting.” The LORD has extended compassion and comfort too many times in response to Judah’s backsliding; now, His people are now destined for pestilence, the sword, famine, or captivity. He appoints “four kinds of destroyers (v. 3)” because of King Manasseh’s wickedness in Jerusalem.

In the second half of the chapter, Jeremiah has a conversation with God. He is discouraged, and complains that he regrets being born since all the people are cursing him (v. 10). But the LORD responds, “Surely I have intervened in your life for good.” Jeremiah prays that God will remember him and bring vengeance upon his persecutors. He acknowledges that he “ate” the LORD’s words: they were a joy to him. But God has filled Jeremiah with His wrath and indignation — it is an unceasing pain and an incurable wound. Jeremiah concludes in verse 18, “Truly, you are to me like a deceitful brook, like waters that fail.” But God reassures Jeremiah. First, Jeremiah must “turn back” to the LORD. And God promises that Jeremiah will serve as his mouth; his persecutors will not prevail over him.

I was struck by all of verse 19. The first phrase, “If you turn back, I will take you back” shocked me because I hadn’t seen Jeremiah as turning away from the LORD. But when Jeremiah called God a “deceitful brook,” he was letting bitterness at the persecution and the difficulties of being a prophet turn him away from believing in God’s goodness. So Jeremiah must repent of his loss of faith in God. Then, as the verse continues, God says, “If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless, you shall serve as my mouth.” And it seems to me that this is a call for all believers. When we speak what is precious — what matters to God — we are able to speak on God’s behalf.

In Jeremiah 16, the prophet is directed not to take a wife or to have children in Judah for the children will perish — the disaster that the LORD is bringing will be coming very soon. The LORD further tells Jeremiah not to lament or go into a house of mourning “for I have taken away my peace from this people (v. 5).” Verses 11 through 13 give a very clear picture of how and why the LORD is punishing his people: because their ancestors have forsaken Him and have disobeyed His laws, and because the people themselves have done the same and even worse. The chapter concludes with the phrase “and they shall know that my name is the LORD.”

Many Biblical principles are counterintuitive to how we think things ought to work. And it seems counterintuitive to me that punishment will bring about the knowledge of God. So when God declares that “they shall know that my name is the LORD,” part of me finds that difficult to believe. And yet we have seen this pattern throughout the Bible — sin, consequences (punishment), repentance, and restoration. I have even seen it in my own life. So I need to rebuke that part of me that doubts when I read the final verse. I need to remember that God uses painful and “bad” things to bring about something much better. Even in this chapter of Jeremiah God promises that He will restore the people. Even though He tells them he will hurl them out (v. 13), He also promises that He will bring them back again (v. 15).

In Luke 22, Jesus sends some disciples ahead to set up and prepare for their Passover meal. They are to go into town, follow a man carrying water until he enters a house, and then ask the owner of that house where the guest room is. It’s funny how different people interpret this incident. I always viewed it as miraculous knowledge — that Jesus just knew what to tell them and that these things would just work out serendipitously. I read a devotional essay a few years ago, however, and the author, commenting on this incident, simply assumed that Jesus had made prior arrangements with the owner of the house. There was no miracle here. We simply weren’t told about details that happened “off-camera,” as it were.

As I think about it now, I imagine sort of a combination of my former view and the view that Jesus had made prior arrangements. I can see that homeowner in the crowds, possibly bringing someone to Jesus to be healed. In gratitude for the healing, he says, the next time you come to Jerusalem for Passover, please use my house for your Seder Supper. Perhaps it was even the servant — the man carrying water — that Jesus healed. And so the homeowner tells him that everyday at this time, his servant will be collecting water from the well near the town center. So I see Jesus calling in a favor, without necessarily having confirmed in advance that this is what he was going to do.

We do have other stories of miraculous knowledge — like how Jesus directed Peter to go fishing and then look in the mouth of the first fish he found, where he would find enough money to pay the temple tax for the both of them. So it likely makes no difference whether you view the arrangements for the Passover meal as a miraculous occurrence or not. But, clearly, from the way Luke tells the story, the disciples found it both mysterious and providential.

As I read the chapter today, I am struck by Jesus’ comment in verse 27, “I am among you as one who serves.” The God who created the heavens and the earth becomes incarnate in human form. And he shows up as an ordinary carpenter. Other than the one incident of the Transformation, Jesus doesn’t glow or otherwise appear as a commanding figure. Even after the resurrection, Jesus could have revealed his glory for everyone to see, but instead, Mary mistakes him for a gardener. Jesus came to serve. That’s actually pretty mind-blowing when you consider who he is. Yet Jesus’ humility is central to his character.

The other Scripture that stood out to me today was Jesus’ comment to Peter in verse 32. Jesus knows that Peter will deny him three times. Of course Peter doesn’t believe it, but Jesus is proven correct. But Jesus tells him in advance, “Once you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” This seems key to me today. We all stumble and fall. But when we do get back up and start following again, we are wiser and perhaps even a bit stronger than we were before. And we can use the knowledge we’ve gained in our own trials to strengthen our brothers and sisters in Christ.

It’s interesting, too, that Jesus is the one that directs Peter to strengthen his brothers. Knowing Peter, he would have said — well, I’m clearly not worthy since I denied the Messiah; I don’t have anything to give or to teach others. And that’s how we feel when we fall. We think what we have to offer can’t be of value because if it had had value, then we wouldn’t have fallen in the first place. But perhaps the fall gives enough humility that we are less likely to be hypocrites when we do teach. Because we recognize how easy it is to stumble, and know that it’s only by the grace of God that we are disciples again.

My attention was also caught by Jesus’ response to the chief priests and others in the Sanhedrin. When asked point blank if he were the Son of God, Jesus replies in verse 70, “You say that I am.” They are incensed at this answer and say, “What further testimony do we need? We have heard it ourselves from his own lips!” In some ways, it is a peculiar response. I know that by saying “I am” Jesus is speaking the name of God, and yet — he doesn’t say “Yes, I am,” he says, “You say that I am.” Jesus only called himself the Son of Man, never the Son of God. I can’t make up my mind if this is yet another instance of the lies that the Sanhedrin told about Jesus (lying that he claimed to be the Son of God), or if I’m truly not getting how significant it was that Jesus used the words “I am.” After all, in the gospel of John, when the soldiers come to arrest Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane (John 18:3-6), they fall to the ground when Jesus simply identifies himself, saying “I am.”

Psalm 93 is a short, sweet hymn of praise to God’s majesty. Verse 1 says that God is robed in majesty. Something about the language catches my attention. The LORD is robed. I am reminded of Joseph’s robe of many colors. I also think of Jesus’ robe that was lovely and seamless so that the soldiers cast lots to see who would get it. We identify people by their garments. And God’s garment is majesty.

Verse 4 says that God is “more majestic than the thunders of mighty waters.” As a city dweller, I don’t often get out into nature. But I have visited waterfalls and have heard the deafening roar of water. It drowns out all other sound with its presence. Even so, God’s might takes up all the space, leaving no room for anything other than His glory.

I love the conclusion of the psalm and have often highlighted this phrase: “Holiness adorns your house for endless days.”

Father God, you are mighty and holy and majestic. Thank you for your Scriptures. Thank you for sending Jesus. Thank you for the Holy Spirit. Thank you for providing a perfect Passover Lamb for us so that our sins may be washed away and so that we may enter into your presence. Thank you for adopting us into your family. We pray for your kingdom to grow and for your will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. In Jesus’ name, Amen.