April 21 ▪ Day 111

Scripture Readings

Proverbs 15:33
Jeremiah 51–52
Acts 8
Psalms 111

Verse Focus (Proverbs 15:33)

Wisdom’s instruction is to fear the LORD,
     and humility comes before honor.

Meditation

Proverbs 15:33 tells us, “Wisdom’s instruction is to fear the LORD, and humility comes before honor.” In this translation, from the NIV, wisdom teaches us to fear the LORD. However, in other translations it is the other way around — fear of the LORD teaches us wisdom. As the NRSV says, “The fear of the LORD is instruction in wisdom, and humility goes before honor.”

Whether it is the fear of God that teaches us wisdom, or wisdom that teaches us to fear God — or whether both are true, this is a very familiar concept by now. The very first proverb we looked at in the beginning of the year talked about this principle, and there have been many others on a similar theme.

I like what today’s proverb is telling us about humility and honor. Humility comes first. You do not receive honor without first having been humbled, or by remaining humble. In this, Christ is the perfect example. Philippians 2 tells us that Christ did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but he humbled himself to become a man, and an obedient servant. It was because of this humility and obedience that God exalted him to give him the name above all other names.

Father God, thank you again for the wisdom in your proverbs. May we seek you, and fear you, as we should. Give us humble hearts by your grace. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Today we finish up with the book of Jeremiah. Chapter 51 gives the conclusion of the prophecy against Babylon, and chapter 52 gives some concluding historical details.

Near the end of chapter 51, we learn that Jeremiah gave a copy of his prophecies against Babylon to the quartermaster Seraiah, son of Neriah (and brother to Jeremiah’s assistant Baruch). Seraiah was accompanying King Zedekiah on a trip to Babylon in the fourth year of Zedekiah’s reign, which would have been in 593 BC. This was, of course, five years before Zedekiah rebelled against Babylon, and seven years before the Fall of Jerusalem. Seraiah was instructed to read aloud the prophecy once he arrived in Babylon; after he finished reading all the prophecies on the scroll, he was to tie the scroll to a stone and throw it into the Euphrates River, proclaiming, “Thus shall Babylon sink, to rise no more, because of the disasters that I am bringing on her (v. 64).” With a bit of dramatic flair, this action would ensure that the prophecies would remain memorable.

Although Seraiah would be reading the prophecies against Babylon, some of those who would hear him speak would be Jews who had previously been exiled to Babylon — most of them would have been exiled four years earlier when King Jeconiah (Jehoiachin) and the bulk of his court were carried away, but some were exiled even earlier than that, during the reign of Jehoiakim. And Jeremiah 51 has words of encouragement for these exiles. Verse 5 tells them, “Israel and Judah have not been forsaken by their God, the LORD of hosts, though their land is full of guilt before the Holy One of Israel.” In verse 24, the LORD promises, “I will repay Babylon and all the inhabitants of Chaldea before your very eyes for all the wrong that they have done in Zion.”

As Jeremiah prophesies of the destruction of Babylon, he also speaks of the restoration of Judah and Israel. “Come out of her, my people!” he says in verse 45. In the next verse, the LORD tells them not to be worried about the rumors they will hear — of violence and clashes between rulers. It is necessary for Babylon to fall. “For the LORD is a God of recompense,” says verse 56, “He will repay in full.”

When the chapter begins, it seems like there might be hope for Babylon. The prophet speaks of how Babylon has fallen, but says, in verse 8, “Perhaps she may be healed.” But the very next verse dashes this hope, saying that she cannot be healed — she will be forsaken because “her judgment has reached up to heaven and has been lifted up even to the skies.” Verse 11 declares that God’s “purpose concerning Babylon is to destroy it. … vengeance for his temple.” Verse 13 cries, poignantly, “The thread of your life is cut.”

Jeremiah 52 repeats some of the history we read earlier in Jeremiah; some of this chapter also comes from the book of 2 Kings. Zedekiah’s reign, his rebellion, the fall of Jerusalem, the attempt to flee, his capture and punishment, the burning of the temple — these are all things we know. But then we get some new details — articles of the temple that were taken to Babylon. Verse 24 begins telling us that Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, took the priests of the temple, the king’s council and other men in the city to Riblah, where they were all executed by King Nebuchadnezzar. One of these men was the chief priest Seraiah — even though his first name is the same, this is a different man than Seraiah the quartermaster in the previous chapter. Notably, the chief priest Seraiah who was put to death at Riblah was the father of Ezra the scribe — the same Ezra whose memoirs are included in the Bible.

As the chapter concludes, we learn the fate of King Jeconiah (Jehoiachin), the king who ruled for all of three months in Jerusalem before being deposed and led into exile. He was imprisoned in Babylon for 37 years before finally being released when King Evil-merodach (also known as Amel-Marduk), son of Nebuchadnezzar, came onto the throne.

The last words in chapter 51 are “Thus far are the words of Jeremiah.” Even though Jeremiah is considered the author of this book, it is clear from this notation that chapter 52 was added by someone else — perhaps Baruch, or perhaps another scribe. It is presumed that Jeremiah died in Egypt, although there are no historical records of his death. There is a tradition — unconfirmed — that he was assassinated by his own people while in exile in Egypt.

In Acts 8, we read that a “severe persecution began against the church in Jerusalem (v. 1).” As a consequence of this persecution, the believers — all except for the apostles — were scattered across Judea and Samaria. And everywhere they went, they proclaimed the word of God’s kingdom. Christ’s promise in Acts 1:8 that they would be his witnesses “in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” is now beginning to be fulfilled.

In verse 5 we read that Philip went to Samaria. The Philip mentioned here is the Philip who was one of the seven deacons ordained to oversee the food ministry in Acts 6:5, not the Philip who was one of the 12 apostles. Philip the Evangelist, as some call him (as opposed to Philip the Apostle). So Philip goes to Samaria and begins preaching the gospel. And people believe.

This is the first spread of the gospel — even though the Samaritans were related to the Jews, there was a lot of animosity between them on religious, ethnic, and cultural grounds. The Samaritans were mixed races descended from Israelites as well as from nations that Assyria had brought in and re-settled in Samaria. In Jewish eyes, the Samaritans were no longer of God’s chosen people. It is perhaps significant that it was Philip who brought the good news to Samaria. His name is considered a Greek one; perhaps Philip was one of the Hellenistic Jews, and thus he may not have had the same cultural biases against the Samaritans.

At any rate, the people of Samaria received the good news gladly. Philip healed their sick and cast out demons. When the church leadership in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. I’m sure most of their motive in going to Samaria was to ensure that the new believers were well-taught, but as it happened, none of them had yet received the Holy Spirit. So Peter and John prayed for the Samaritans to receive the Holy Spirit, and after Peter and John laid their hands on them, they did.

Simon the Sorcerer (also known as Simon Magus or Simon the Magician) offers Peter and John money in exchange for teaching him how to bestow the gift of the Holy Spirit. Of course we, and they, are scandalized at this attempt to “buy” God. Simon responds meekly to Peter’s rebuke, imploring Peter and John to pray for him. There is no further record of Simon in the Bible. However, he appears in many non-canonical texts and in apocryphal literature as a heretical figure. In some, he is considered a founder of the Gnostic heresy; in Irish Christian traditions, he is associated with Druidism.

Of course, we don’t really know what happened to Simon. Even though we are somewhat shocked by his actions, we also understand the sin that led to it. He had been a powerful and an important man in Samaria; he was enthralled with the occult. Yet he became a believer, we are told. But clearly Simon was very early in the process of sanctification — many of his attitudes were of “the flesh.” So, he is a warning to us that intellectual assent to the gospel is not enough for salvation. There must be ongoing transformation by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 8 also tells us of how Philip converts and baptizes an Ethiopian eunuch, thus planting the seeds for the church in Ethiopia. This eunuch was likely a Jew, since the text tells us he came to worship in Jerusalem. Philip was directed by an angel of the LORD to go to the road between Jerusalem and Gaza — a “wilderness road” — and he of course obeys. Then the Spirit directs him to go close to a passing chariot that is carrying the Ethiopian eunuch. Verse 30 tells us that Philip “heard him reading the prophet Isaiah.” This may seem strange to you, when you think about it. Heard him reading? How on earth does that happen? But, actually, this is one of those cultural things. Up until about 200 years ago, people would read out loud, not silently. This was considered good form, especially since many people could not read. It was courteous to read out loud — to share. So as the eunuch was reading, he read out loud. Which was, of course, how Philip was able to engage him in conversation and to share the gospel message of Christ. Did you recognize the passage the eunuch was reading? It was one of the Suffering Servant songs of Isaiah. 🙂

As the chapter closes, we learn that Philip was literally spirited away by the Holy Spirit. This kind of translocation or teleportation does happen occasionally in Scripture, but it is rare. For some reason, it always makes me smile.

Psalm 111 is a short, sweet song of praise to the LORD. In the Hebrew, it is an acrostic poem, with each phrase starting with a different letter of the alphabet.

On different readings of the psalm, different verses stand out to me. One time it is the first verse that I highlight: “I will praise the LORD with all my heart.” Another time, verse 3 speaks to me: “All that he does is splendid and majestic; his righteousness endures forever.”

Of course, because I love Proverbs, my perennial favorite is verse 10. The first phrase is identical to the opening phrases of Proverbs 1:7 and Proverbs 9:10:

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;
     all who follow his precepts have good understanding.
To him belongs eternal praise.

Father God, three times you tell us that the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. Help us to fear you; help us to follow your precepts. May we always praise you for your compassion and your wonderful deeds. Thank you that you accomplish marvelous things even out of things that are challenging or difficult. It was because the church was persecuted that the gospel spread to Samaria, to Ethiopia, and later to the entire continent. You work in our lives through difficulties, too. Help us to trust you when the world fights against us. Keep us growing in Christ Jesus and being transformed by your Scripture and by the work of the Spirit. We pray these things because of our adoption into your family through Christ Jesus. Amen.