April 12 ▪ Day 102

Scripture Readings

Proverbs 15:15
Jeremiah 33–34
Philippians 1–2
Psalms 102

Verse Focus (Proverbs 15:15)

All the days of the oppressed are wretched,
     but the cheerful heart has a continual feast.

Meditation

Today’s verse focus is Proverbs 15:15, saying, in the NRSV, “All the days of the poor are hard, but a cheerful heart has a continual feast.” Yesterday we talked a little bit about creating a cheerful heart though gratitude and rejoicing. Here, we are told that the cheerful heart has a “continual feast.” In one meaning, I understand the feast to refer to the source of the cheerfulness — the reasons for gratitude and joy are endless. In another meaning, I see that the continual feast is the result of the cheerful heart — regardless of wealth or income, the cheerful heart has what it needs to perceive life as a feast even in times of famine. In this way, cheerfulness’ continual feast is self-sustaining.

The first half of the proverb says that the days of the poor or oppressed are hard, even wretched. This is a truth that seems self-evident. And yet, as the proverb continues, we see that the cheerful heart can mitigate even the suffering experienced by the poor and oppressed.

Father God, today’s proverb highlights how important it is to have a cheerful heart. We need your Holy Spirit to renew our hearts every day. We ask for the emotions to help us rejoice; we also ask that you teach us how to shape our hearts and our emotions by the choices we make. Help us to practice gratitude and to rejoice in you. We pray especially for those of your children who struggle with depression or other mood disorders. Do not let them be ruled by negative feelings. Surround them with your light and joy. We pray these things in Jesus’ name, Amen.

In Jeremiah 33, the word of the LORD comes to the prophet a “second time” while he is confined to the guards’ courtyard in the royal palace. In verse 3, after announcing who He is, the first thing God tells Jeremiah is, “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” The rest of the prophecy is similar to the word Jeremiah had received earlier: in the conflict with the Babylonians, the city will end up filled with dead bodies because of God’s wrath against their wickedness. However, God also promises to bring “recovery and healing,” and to “cleanse” and “forgive” the people (v. 6, v. 8).

I believe the reason the Scripture mentions this prophecy came a “second time” is just like Pharaoh’s second dream of the coming famine in Genesis 41. As Joseph told Pharaoh in Genesis 41:32, “The reason the dream was given to Pharaoh in two forms is that the matter has been firmly decided by God, and God will do it soon.” God had firmly decided upon punishing Judah and Jerusalem through the Babylonian captivity, and it would happen very soon — within a year.

We also have a repeat of the Messianic prophecy concerning the “righteous branch” that will spring up for David. The LORD promises in verses 17 and 18, “David will never fail to have a man to sit on the throne of Israel, nor will the Levitical priests ever fail to have a man to stand before me continually to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings and to present sacrifices.” Of course, we are very familiar with the idea that Jesus fulfilled the prophecy of a Davidic king. Not only is Jesus descended from the royal line, but since he now lives forever Jesus will forever sit upon the throne of Israel.

But the second half of the promise — that there will always be Levitical priests to stand before God to present offerings and sacrifices — is much less familiar to Christian audiences. The book of Hebrews teaches us that, in addition to being King, Jesus is also our forever Priest. However, as Hebrews 6:20 tells us, he is a priest “in the order of Melchizedek.” Hebrews 7 makes a special point about the Levitical priesthood passing away because it was unable to bring perfection.

Most Christian theologians simply interpret that the promise for Levitical priests to serve before God forever has been fulfilled by Christ. One theologian argues that the reason all the details of this prophecy are not being fulfilled is because God needed to use language that would be understood. In this sense, Christ fulfills the spirit of the prophecy rather than the actual letter of the prophecy. This argument seems a bit flawed to me, however, since we still do think it’s important that Christ is of David’s line — and thus the first half the prophecy is being fulfilled in the “letter” and not just in the spirit.

I don’t know how God intends to fulfill the prophecy in verse 18, but I have my own personal theory: I believe Christ will turn out to also be descended from Aaron through a maternal line. The Bible records people as belonging to a particular tribe primarily based on their paternal lineage. Both genealogies in the gospels show a lineage through the tribe of Judah — one is presumed to be Joseph’s lineage (even though God was Jesus’ biological father, Jesus gets his identity and tribal affiliation from his earthly father), and the other is presumed to be Mary’s father’s lineage. However, we also know that Mary’s cousin was Elizabeth. Elizabeth’s husband Zechariah was a priest; Luke 1:5 tells us that Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. This implies that Mary’s mother was a descendant of a priestly family; although, of course, she would have joined the tribe of her husband upon her marriage.

To me, the idea that Jesus descended from a priestly family on his maternal side fulfills the prophecy detail about Levitical priests. Of course, Jesus wouldn’t have been able to serve in the priesthood in his own time since maternal lineage was discounted; additionally, as Hebrews makes clear, the law needed to be superseded by a new sacrificial system that could fully and permanently cleanse the people and thus Christ needed to be a priest in the order of Melchizedek.

As Jeremiah 33 continues, the LORD promises that his covenant with David and the Levitical priests can only be broken if we are able to break God’s covenant with “day and night and the ordinances of heaven and earth (v. 25).”

In Jeremiah 34, the prophet has a message specifically for King Zedekiah. He tells the king that Jerusalem will fall into Babylon’s hands. Zedekiah will go to Babylon and die there “in peace (v. 5).” It seems a remarkably merciful fate for the king, considering how he constantly rebelled against the LORD’s directions. From Matthew’s genealogy, we know that Jesus descends from Jeconiah, the king that had been deported to Babylon prior to Zedekiah’s reign. However, perhaps the mercy was for the exiles, rather than for Zedekiah. Having two royal kings survive in Babylon would have encouraged the exiles in their hope for Israel’s restoration.

In the second half of Jeremiah 34, God denounces the people for going back on their covenant to set the Hebrew slaves free. According to the law, Hebrew slaves were to be set free every seven years. But the Israelites did not do this as they were supposed to do. In 621 BC — 24 years before King Zedekiah began his reign — King Josiah and all the people renewed their covenant with the LORD. Zedekiah apparently initially upheld the law about setting the Hebrew slaves free. It is unclear to me whether or not verse 8 refers to Zedekiah making a specific covenant to set the slaves free, or whether this refers to the nation’s reaffirmation of God’s covenant in 621 BC. In any case, during Zedekiah’s reign, the people re-enslaved those who had previously been set free.

In the final two verses of chapter 34, we have a reference to Babylon’s army being “withdrawn,” and God’s declaration that He will “bring them back.” After Nebuchadnezzar began the siege of Jerusalem, the Egyptian army came in support of their Judean allies. So the Babylonians broke off their siege of Jerusalem to engage the Egyptians. Once the Egyptians were defeated, the Babylonians then resumed their siege of Jerusalem.

One final note about Jeremiah 34. Some readers might find verse 18 a little bit puzzling. The LORD speaks against those who broke the covenant by re-enslaving their Hebrew brethren, saying, “As for those who disobeyed my covenant, not keeping the terms of the covenant they made before me, I will treat them like the calf they cut in two in order to pass between its pieces.” The calf that was cut in two refers to the process of making a covenant for many ancient Near Eastern cultures. Cutting the animal in half was a symbol of the ratification of the covenant between two parties; however, it also implied that those who violated the covenant would themselves be cut in two as a penalty for their failure. Understanding this bit of historical background adds perspective as to what was going on in the story of Abraham’s covenant with God in Genesis 15:8-21. It also helps us make sense of God’s comment in verse 18. For those who would like to learn more about this topic, here are two links for you, one to read: The God Who Walks Alone (intouch.org); and one to skim: Cutting Covenants | Religious Studies Center (byu.edu).

Today we begin reading Paul’s letter to the Philippians. It is short but sweet — probably my favorite Pauline epistle. The letter exudes joy! I think I may have highlighted more passages in this little book than in any other (especially in chapter 4).

Paul visited Philippi about 49 A.D. after receiving a vision on his second missionary journey — a story told in Acts 16. Philippi is a city in Greece, but was formerly part of the kingdom of Macedonia. During New Testament times, Philippi was a Roman colony, the leading city of the Macedonian region of Greece. It had a large settlement of retired Roman soldiers. After establishing the church in Philippi, Paul preached the gospel to other Greek cities. The Philippians supported Paul’s missionary work and later, when they heard he’d been imprisoned, they sent him a gift. This letter was written about 62 A.D. while Paul was under house arrest in Rome, partially in response to the Philippians’ gift of support.

As Paul begins Philippians 1, he tells the church there that he thanks God every time he remembers them (v. 3). They have been partners in the gospel since the beginning. It’s interesting — Paul doesn’t say that they are partners in the gospel message or gospel work, but partners in the gospel itself. The Philippians themselves by their membership in the kingdom of God and their union with Christ are now the gospel too. Their lives bear evidence to this fact.

Verse 6 is a much-highlighted Scripture for its comfort and assurance of salvation. Paul says that he prays with joy, “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Paul’s prayer in verses 9 through 11 are highlighted, too — a model of prayer that I am beginning to incorporate within my own prayers.

Paul reassures the church in Philippi, that despite his imprisonment, what has happened to him has “actually helped to spread the gospel (v. 12).” People are speaking with greater boldness (v. 14), and Paul rejoices at how the Word is being multiplied. He is confident, also, that his imprisonment in Rome will turn out for his “deliverance (v. 19)” — his vindication and his salvation — regardless of whether he ends up living or dying. In a famous quote in verse 21, Paul says, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”

He exhorts the Philippians to live worthy lives, standing firm in the Spirit. As the chapter closes, Paul talks about having the privilege to suffer for Christ (v. 29). Since I have been a Christian for many years now, the idea that we participate in the sufferings of Christ is not a new one. But I was recently struck by the word “privilege” that is used in verse 29 in the NRSV translation. We understand that our adoption into the family of God is by grace — it is a wonderful gift. Here in Philippians 1:29, Paul talks about this same grace from the perspective of the privilege we’ve been granted to believe in Christ. We have both a privilege of faith, and a privilege of suffering. Kind of mind-blowing, isn’t it?

Philippians 2 calls the saints to humility — the same kind of humility that Christ showed in his incarnation and crucifixion. Starting at verse 5, the chapter slips from prose into poetry. Indeed, verses 5 through 11 are believed to be a quote from a hymn sung by the early church. At verse 12, the chapter returns to prose.

The hymn is beautiful! I am especially taken with the idea that Christ, as the NRSV says, “did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited (v. 6).” I am more familiar with the wording from the NIV of 1978, which says that Christ “did not consider equality with God something to be grasped.” The NIV today says that Christ “did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage.” Whichever wording you prefer, it’s an amazing statement about Jesus Christ. Very God, God Incarnate, Holy, Pure — and yet he does not want to use this advantage he has. He does not use the power and the privilege that he has. He becomes a servant. Again, mind-blowing.

In verse 12, Paul writes to the Philippians to work out their salvation “with fear and trembling.” Why? Because, as he continues in verse 13, “It is God who is at work in you.” I believe this is another way of talking about the fear of the LORD. God works in and through us by the Holy Spirit — yet in our familiarity with Him, I think we have lost some of the respect we should have for the God of the universe.

Verse 14 strikes me today, as it always does. “Do everything without grumbling or arguing.” It seems like grumbling is the human condition — I know I have a problem with this! But God takes this sin very seriously, as we will see when we read the book of Numbers.

Psalm 102 has an inscription telling us that this is a prayer of one who is afflicted and overwhelmed. As such, the psalm is a model of how we might pray when we are feeling weak or faint-hearted.

The psalmist begins by calling out to God to hear him. He describes his pain and distress. The psalmist’s life is fleeting: he withers as grass. Yet he recognizes that God is the one who remains, who is enthroned forever.

I love verse 18! The psalmist cries, “Let this be recorded for a generation to come, so that a people yet unborn may praise the Lord.” The psalmist will pass away, but his praises will echo through the generations to come. Indeed, heaven and earth will pass away — but God endures (v. 26). Today as I read this psalm, I, too, find comfort in God’s eternal nature. As verse 27 says, “You are the same, and your years have no end.”

Father God, you endure forever. You are from everlasting to everlasting. I praise you for that. Thank you that you still care for us deeply, as fleeting as our lives may be while here on earth. Thank you that through Christ Jesus, we have an inheritance in heaven with you. Thank you for Paul and for the book of Philippians. Fill us with your joy and strength. Transform us into the image of your Son, Christ Jesus. Amen.