April 5 ▪ Day 95

Scripture Readings

Proverbs 14:30
Jeremiah 19–20
Luke 24
Psalms 95

Verse Focus (Proverbs 14:30)

A heart at peace gives life to the body,
     but envy rots the bones.

Meditation

Happy Easter Monday (again, for those of us reading in 2021)! 🙂

Proverbs 14:30 gets translated into English a number of different ways. The NIV is straightforward enough, saying, “A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.” The NRSV differs slightly, saying, “A tranquil mind gives life to the flesh, but passion makes the bones rot.” So we have heart versus mind, and envy versus passion. Other translations use words other than envy or passion. Many say that jealousy rots the bones. I like how the Amplified Bible Classic Edition (AMPC) translates the verse, saying, “A calm and undisturbed mind and heart are the life and health of the body, but envy, jealousy, and wrath are like rottenness of the bones.”

In this case, I think the AMPC is closest to what the Hebrew words mean. The word being translated as “heart” or “mind” is leb, a word that is most often translated as “heart,” although it also means the “inner person” or the “will.” Depending on the context, leb could also be translated as “soul” or “spirit.” The word that is being translated as “envy” or “passion” or “jealousy” is qinah, one that comes from the same word root as the word for jealousy (qanah); qinah can also mean jealousy and is usually translated that way, but the word may also be translated as ardor or zeal.

So. If the inner man is at peace, then the body has life and health; but jealousy or envy or anger or wrath or passion makes you ill. That sounds reasonable enough. There have been times in my life when tranquility has given me a great a sense of well-being, even when I happened to be fighting off a cold or flu. I have no doubt that I got well much sooner than I did at times when my heart was more troubled. I also have no doubt that negative passions such as jealousy, envy, and anger will make you literally sick.

Even in our modern times, we believe this. Those who suffer from stomach ulcers are usually people in high-stress jobs. For a very long time, doctors thought the ulcers were a reaction to the worry and the anxiety — a mental condition causing a physical reaction. More recently, doctors have discovered that it’s actually caused by a bacteria; but I have no doubt that this is a case of the inner person’s turmoil making the bones rot — that is, making them susceptible to the bacteria that causes ulcers.

I also want to point out that while being at peace leads to life and health, not being at peace doesn’t lead to sickness. It’s okay to be confused. It’s okay to question. Rather, it’s the dissatisfaction with your current conditions — the jealousy and the envy — that leads to ill health.

Father God, thank you that we can always have peace if we turn to you. Help us to lean on your understanding, and to find wholeness as we draw closer to you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

In Jeremiah 19, the LORD directs Jeremiah to take an earthenware jug and prophesy to some of the priests and the elders of the people in the valley of Ben Hinnom, also known as Topheth. Jeremiah is to speak of the coming disaster because of the people’s sins and their failure to repent. This valley is to become a valley of slaughter because there will be so many dead there. Jeremiah breaks the jug, and tells them, just so will the LORD break and smash Judah and Jerusalem “so that it can never be mended (v. 10).”

After he leaves Topheth, Jeremiah continues prophesying in the temple of LORD in Jerusalem. As we find out in Jeremiah 20, one of the priests, a man named Pashhur who was the official in charge of the temple, assaults Jeremiah and has him thrown into stocks. When Pashhur releases Jeremiah from the stocks the next day, the prophet has a prophecy just for Pashhur — the LORD has renamed him Magor-missabib (meaning terror on every side), and he and his family will all become captives and be sent to Babylon where they will die.

The rest of Jeremiah 20 is a poetic reflection on the prophet’s own life. He speaks of being compelled to prophesy for the LORD only to face persecution. But he presents his case (v. 12) to the LORD and praises Him because He rescues the needy from evil people. Then, however, Jeremiah begins a lament, cursing the day he was born and asking why he was born only to see toil and sorrow. Jeremiah 20:14-18 strongly echoes Job’s lament in Job 3. Jeremiah is not quoting Job, but perhaps paraphrasing him. He models his own lament on Job’s lament — perhaps as it was an example of how one can express great distress and yet remain sinless.

I have no brilliant insights today on these chapters in Jeremiah. As always, however, certain verses just resonate. Verse 9, where Jeremiah describes what it was like when he tried not to prophesy — the words bottled up inside became “like a burning fire shut up in my bones” so that Jeremiah concludes, “I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot.”

Verse 18 also resonates. Anyone who has experienced trouble, grief, or distress can recognize the power of this lament: “Why did I come forth from the womb to see toil and sorrow, and spend my days in shame?”

The Gospel of Luke concludes today with chapter 24. We read of the resurrection of Jesus and the disciples who walked with Jesus on the road to Emmaus. Later, Jesus meets with the Eleven and other disciples, eating a piece of broiled fish to prove he was not a ghost. Finally, Jesus ascends into heaven.

What strikes me today is this whole theme of having one’s eyes and mind opened. As Cleopas and the other disciple walked to Emmaus, Scripture tells us in verse 16 that “their eyes were kept from recognizing” Jesus. They had hoped Jesus would be the one to redeem Israel (v. 21), but as they walked Jesus revealed to them that it was “necessary” for the Christ to suffer these things before entering into his glory (v. 26). Their hearts “burned” within them as Jesus explained the Scriptures to them, but it wasn’t until they sat down to a meal together that “their eyes were opened, and they recognized him (v. 31).”

Even with the Eleven and the other disciples who had followed Jesus for several years, Christ needed to grant them special revelation. Verse 45 says, “Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures.” The Scriptures had been present all their lives, and yet they did not understand what the Scriptures taught them about the Messiah and his purpose. But Jesus opened their minds.

Perhaps it was a simple matter of explaining things to them — making the connections that they hadn’t yet understood. Or perhaps this opening of their minds was something that happened on a spiritual level. I think it’s both. You do need to understand Scripture with your mind; you need to hear the arguments and have it explained. But I also think God needs to open your eyes and your heart and your mind in order for you to really see and understand.

That’s what strikes me about the story on the road to Emmaus. Cleopas and the other disciple were very familiar with all the events that had been happening in the past week. They knew Jesus and had hoped that he might be “the one.” They knew him well enough that they should have been able to recognize Jesus. Yet they could not recognize him until later on. In fact, I think it’s significant that their eyes weren’t opened until the “breaking of the bread (v. 35).” By inviting Jesus to stay with them, by sharing hospitality, they showed that they were open to hearing more and learning more. And a shared meal is often the beginning of a relationship. So, as Cleopas and the other disciple entered into a relationship with the man on the road, that’s when their eyes were opened to recognize Jesus.

I believe that we need to pray for God to open our minds and our hearts to Scripture. It helps to have a basic understanding of what the Scripture says. But to gain deeper truths, to gain deeper insight, we must ask for that. All of the disciples knew that Scripture promised a Messiah for them. Some of the Eleven even knew that Jesus was that Messiah. But, like Cleopas, they all had distorted ideas of what the Messiah would do — they thought purely in terms of the present world. But the scope was much grander than they imagined.

As I think about the disciples, I wonder if my mind is just as dull as theirs were. The disciples followed Jesus for three years. They ate with him, slept with him, worshiped in the synagogue with him. Likely they even studied Scripture together. And in three years, they barely had a clue about what was going on. Peter recognized that Jesus was the Messiah — but he didn’t understand that the crucifixion would be necessary; he didn’t understand the scope of what Christ would do.

So maybe we’ve got a bit better theology today. We understand why the Messiah came and why he had to die to make atonement for our sins. But do we understand this in our bones? Do we understand the Word of God so deeply that we can’t help but serve him with our every waking moment? I know that I need to know God more fully and more deeply. I need my mind and my heart to be opened. I pray for this today for myself, and for all of you.

Psalm 95 is a wonderful call to worship and obedience. At a church that I used to go to near Philadelphia, we would sing a Scripture Song set to verses 6 and 7 each Sunday morning: “Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.” The invitation to worship — to worship in community — is intoxicating.

But the second half of the psalm is a bit more sober. The psalmist reminds us that we sometimes choose to harden our hearts. It is so important to obey when you hear God’s voice! I think it’s when we hear but don’t respond immediately that we start to harden our hearts.

Today I noticed what the psalm says in verse 9. The ancient Israelites tested God in the wilderness. The verse says that they “put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.” This seems very significant to me. It wasn’t just that they tested God, but that they continued to test Him even though they already had proof of His power. God had brought them out of Egypt with mighty acts — they had seen and experienced that power. To go on testing God, to see if He would jump through hoops and care for them in whatever situation they were currently facing — it shows such a lack of faith. If God has already proved Himself, why can you not believe that? Why do you need to continue to test Him?

The sad thing is that this kind of sinfulness is all too easy to fall into. God has provided for me countless times over the past few years — giving me work, and extended employment month after month after month. Currently, however, I don’t have work. And the temptation is there to doubt Him — to wonder if He can still provide for my needs. That’s why it’s so important to remember what God has done for us. Not just as a community, but as individuals. How has God helped you? How has He shown His faithfulness to you in the past? We each have a story and we need to be very intentional about recalling God’s kindnesses to us.

Father God, thank you for how you have provided for me in the past few years especially. When I moved up to Everett, I didn’t have a permanent job and I didn’t know where the money would come from to be able to pay my rent after my very short-term job ran out. But that short-term job got extended, over and over again, and you provided for me. Even now, you continue to provide for me. Thank you for your past care. Thank you also because I know that you will continue to support me in the year to come, even though I don’t know what will happen.

Thank you also for Jesus. Thank you that your plan for redemption was so much bigger than what anyone understood. Thank you that the Gentiles were included in your plan for salvation. Thank you for Jesus’ willingness to die for me. Please open my mind to understand your Word and to know you better. As Paul prayed, may I truly know the depth of the love that you have for me.

Father, I pray for your Holy Spirit to bring consolation to any of your children who are suffering like Jeremiah suffered — those that grieve deeply and find life intolerable. You are the one who sets the prisoners free. Please help those who are in darkness and depression. In Jesus’ name, Amen.