April 24 ▪ Day 114

Scripture Readings

Proverbs 16:4
Leviticus 4–5
Acts 11
Psalms 114

Verse Focus (Proverbs 16:4)

The LORD works out everything to its proper end —
     even the wicked for a day of disaster.

Meditation

Today’s proverb contains one of those truths that we find a bit uncomfortable. Proverbs 16:4 tells us, “The LORD has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble.” That a person or people could be created simply to be destroyed is horrifying to us.

In Exodus 9:16 God tells Pharaoh through Moses, “But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” This is also what God did with the Babylonians — he raised them up, brought them to power, and used them to punish some of the nations. In this manner, the wicked were raised up for a day of disaster for Judah; but the Babylonians also would have a day of disaster when the Medes and Persians came against them fifty years later.

That God is sovereign we cannot dispute. That He is the Potter and we are the clay is also something we cannot argue. But I think part of our discomfort with God’s sovereign choices comes from fear — fear that we might be the ones discarded or destroyed.

When I look at the first half of the proverb, that the LORD “works out everything to its proper end” — that gives me comfort, because then I remember that God is good. Everything has a purpose. Trials and troubles have purpose — they help us grow and they teach us to cling more tightly to the LORD. And this is the whole point — even the wicked are used for God’s sovereign purposes. And we have the promise of Scripture that God works all things together for the good of those who love the LORD and nothing can separate us from His love (Romans 8). So we need not fear the plans and purposes of the LORD; everything will reach its proper end.

Father God, thank you that you love us more deeply than we can comprehend. Thank you that you desire and plan good things for our lives and for eternity. Thank you also for your Scripture and what it teaches us. Amen.

Leviticus 4 and 5 speak about sin offerings, and guilt offerings. Like a burnt offering, the entire animal will be consumed — a memorial portion is burnt on the altar, but the bulk of it is burned outside the camp. The sin offering makes atonement; and the people are forgiven. The fact that the animal is burnt outside the camp is very symbolic — the sins are literally and physically removed a distance from where God and the people dwell.

What is most striking about all of the descriptions of the sin offerings in chapter 4 is that these offerings are all for sin that has been committed unintentionally. In our modern culture, when we talk about sin, we’re usually talking about deliberate and willful sins. So the idea that you can sin against God without intending to do so is somewhat shocking. The chapter first speaks of the priest who commits an unintentional sin. Remarkably, when the priest sins, the entire people suffer from the guilt of that priest’s unintentional sin (v. 3). But all will be forgiven when the priest offers a sin offering. The chapter goes on to detail the process for when the entire congregation sins unintentionally, when a ruler sins unintentionally, and when an ordinary person sins unintentionally. When you sin unintentionally, you incur guilt. The sin offering provides atonement.

Chapter 5 speaks of specific situations when someone might sin. Not all of these are unintentional sins, although most are. The first example is of failing to be a witness. Even though the context is of a public call to testify on a particular matter, I wonder if the reason why this specific sin is listed first isn’t because of how we might apply this sin today. We are called to be witnesses for Christ. If we fail to testify, we may be incurring guilt. (That guilt is covered by Christ’s sacrifice, of course; we are forgiven — but that doesn’t mean it’s not wrong of us to fail to be a witness.)

There are examples of touching unclean things. Even if you didn’t realize you erred in this way, you incur guilt. But once you realize that you have sinned, then you must confess the sin, and make the appropriate sin offering. There are provisions for those who are financially struggling to make sin offerings out of birds rather than a lamb or a goat; the truly impoverished can offer choice flour.

Towards the end of chapter 5, the Scripture starts talking about “guilt offerings.” This happens when someone sins unintentionally regarding “any of the holy things of the Lord (v. 15).” In these cases, restitution must be made. What the Scripture is talking about here is things — animals, for example — that are dedicated to the LORD. Say, for example, you intended to give a specific animal to God as an offering, but the wrong animal got offered instead — you would offer a guilt offering, with something extra for restitution.

Those who break God’s laws unintentionally also incur guilt and are required to make a guilt offering.

The line between what is a “sin offering” and what is a “guilt offering” is somewhat difficult to understand. As a general rule, sin offerings relate to unintentional offenses against God; whereas guilt offerings relate to offenses against other people (whether intentional or unintentional). The guilt offering was intended as a way to make reparations for the offense to the offended party. In today’s chapter, the offended party is God, but in later chapters we’ll see guilt offerings being required for sins against others in the community.

It’s not clear to me if one would offer both a sin offering and a guilt offering, or if it’s just one or the other. But we’ll learn more as we read the rest of Leviticus.

In Acts chapter 11, the church in Jerusalem reacts to the fact that Gentiles have become believers. Peter is criticized by “the circumcised” for associating with these Gentiles. So, Peter gives his report of what happened in Caesarea, beginning by explaining the vision he received from God while he was in Joppa. “This happened three times,” Peter tells them in verse 10. Indeed, chapter 10 also told us that this happened three times, but it wasn’t until I read that today that I realized the significance of the repetition.

Peter tells them how the Gentiles were given the gift of the Holy Spirit, commenting in verse 17, “If, then, God gave them the same gift that he also gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, how could I possibly hinder God?” This, of course, settled the matter for the church in Jerusalem. Although they were shocked and surprised by this turn of events, they rejoiced in how God had extended salvation even to the Gentiles.

As the chapter continues, we learn that those who had been scattered from Jerusalem during the persecution of the church went to other countries. And initially, these people only gave the gospel message to the Jews. But some of the Hellenized Jews from these other countries also went out and shared the good news in Antioch, and they started sharing the gospel message with Greeks. So the church in Jerusalem sent Barnabas to Antioch, and Barnabas went to get Saul from Tarsus to have him to help establish the church in Antioch. As the Scripture tells us, it was in Antioch that the believers were first called “Christians.”

Psalm 114 gives us a poetic look at the Exodus from Egypt. Verses 3 and 4 say, “The sea looked and fled; the Jordan turned back. The mountains skipped like rams, the hills, like lambs.” I would never think to use these words to describe how God parted the Red Sea, and heaped up the Jordan river to allow the Israelites to cross into the Promised Land! When it speaks of the mountains skipping like rams, the psalmist refers to when the people met God at the base of Mount Sinai. Exodus 19:18 tells us that the whole mountain shook violently.

But, of course, part of the psalmist’s intention is to describe how God created and rules over the entire world. Seas, rivers, and mountains obey Him. “Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the LORD,” says verse 7. Hallelujah!

Father God, thank you for how this psalm describes your majesty. Thank you that you do rule over the physical world and all who dwell therein. Thank you for your sovereignty. Thank you for choosing Israel and thank you for sending Christ Jesus to save not only Israel, but the Gentiles as well. Please help us to honor you in all that we say and do. Thank you that in Christ Jesus you have already provided the sin offering for us — when we sin against you unintentionally, Christ removes the guilt from us. Please keep us also from willful sins. In Jesus’ name, Amen.