April 30 ▪ Day 120

Scripture Readings

Proverbs 16:20
Leviticus 15–16
Acts 17
Psalms 120

Verse Focus (Proverbs 16:20)

Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers
     and blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD.

Meditation

Today’s proverb says, in the NIV of today, “Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers and blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD.” There was a little footnote in the text, however, that said the proverb could also be translated as, “Whoever speaks prudently finds what is good and blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD.” I looked up the proverb in a number of different translations and I did not see any of them that used this alternate version. The NIV doesn’t give any further explanation, but I’m guessing that the alternate translation may come from a different ancient manuscript.

I did, however, find a number of translations that I liked for Proverbs 16:20. The World English Bible (WEB) says, “He who heeds the Word finds prosperity. Whoever trusts in Yahweh is blessed.” The New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE) says, “Whoever ponders a matter will be successful; happy the one who trusts in the LORD!” The ESV translates Proverbs 16:20 as, “Whoever gives thought to the word (or to a matter) will discover good, and blessed is he who trusts in the LORD.”

The second half of the proverb is pretty straightforward — blessed or happy is the one who trusts in the LORD. But the first half of the proverb seems a bit more complex than our English can easily translate. Those who give thought to, those who ponder, those who pay attention, those who heed — instruction, word, speech, utterance, commands, the Word, advice, counsel, report, matter — will find / will attain / will discover / will acquire — good, pleasant, agreeable, beautiful, better, best, bountiful, cheerful, favor. In other words, close attention discovers beauty or favor.

I love this proverb, both for its application to Scripture — those who pay attention will prosper — as well as its application to other things. Listening and pondering brings good. Amen!

Leviticus 15 covers laws about being clean or unclean with regard to bodily discharges for men (including emission of semen), and menstruation for women. I believe it was reading this chapter that gave me an epiphany many years ago. I realized that it would be impossible for a man or a woman to remain clean. It is impossible to avoid uncleanness. And that’s when it dawned on me that this was entirely the point — all of us are unclean. Although this chapter deals specifically with bodily matters, it is through the physical that we begin to understand the spiritual.

The laws regarding uncleanness are extensive. One with a discharge is unclean. His bedding is unclean. What he sits on becomes unclean — both for him and for whomever else might sit in that same place. Those who touch the one who is unclean also become unclean until evening. To become clean again, those who became unclean secondarily will have to wash both themselves and their garments, and they remain in a state of uncleanness until the end of day.

I really wonder why God felt it was necessary to include the rule in verse 8, that if a man who is unclean because of a discharge spits on you, you also become unclean until evening. To spit on someone is and always has been insulting and disrespectful — was such behavior common in ancient Israel? Or is there some type of dementia associated with bodily discharges that might account for this behavior? (Apparently some STDs cause discharges and can also eventually result in dementia. Without antibiotics to treat these kinds of diseases, they could easily progress to behavioral changes.)

At least sexual intercourse was treated as relatively normal — uncleanness only lasts a day. But for men who have another type of discharge, and for women during their menses, they would have to wait for seven days after the cessation of symptoms before they could be purified. Additionally, they would also have to sacrifice two birds — one as sin offering, and one as a burnt offering. (One Bible translation called it a “purification” offering — I guess that seemed better than saying menstruation required a sin offering every month!)

To the feminist in me, it still seems unfair that a woman would have to offer two birds for sacrifice every single month so long as she has her period. On the other hand, for those who were observant of the clean and unclean periods of time for a woman, it is timed such that the woman would be most fertile in that period right after she became clean again (since ovulation usually occurs about seven days after the end of menses).

Leviticus 16 gives the regulations concerning the Day of Atonement, a once a year Sabbath and solemn fast for the people of Israel (v. 29, 31). I find it particularly interesting that the most expensive sacrifice needed for this celebration was the sin offering for the high priest. The priest needs a bull for his own sin offering, but the people have two goats — one that becomes the sin offering, and one that is a scapegoat. The high priest “shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins (v. 21).” Then the scapegoat is led into the wilderness, symbolically carrying these sins far away from the people. The sin offerings for the priest and for the people are also carried outside the camp and burned up with fire. There are also burnt offerings for the priest and for the people, but those are wholly consumed on the altar. Since this is a fast, there are no fellowship offerings.

It is from the priest’s sin offering that atonement is made for the Most Holy Place “because of the uncleannesses of the people of Israel and because of their transgressions, all their sins (v. 16).” The bull also makes atonement for all the priests and their families. These sacrifices of atonement happen every year — including the atonement for the Most Holy Place. The high priest wears special garments just for being in the Most Holy Place. And he also only enters the Most Holy Place on this one day of the year.

In Acts 17, we read of Paul and Silas in Thessalonica and in Berea, as well as Paul’s visit to Athens. As we have seen happened in other cities, the Jews became “jealous (v. 5)” and they stir up a violent mob. When they are unable to find Paul and Silas, they drag a believer named Jason and some others before the authorities, accusing them all of offenses against Rome. Jason and the others get released (after putting up money for security), and the believers send Paul and Silas on their way.

They go to Berea — where the Jews are more “noble (v. 5),” receiving the word with “eagerness.” I especially like how verse 11 tells us that they were “examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” This should be our behavior, too, when we are faced with questions of doctrine, interpretation, or action. But the agitators from Thessalonica come to Berea to stir up trouble. Paul is sent off immediately to Athens, although Silas and Timothy remain in Berea for a while.

I love the story of Paul’s visit to Athens, and his speech in the Areopagus! Verse 16 tells us that Paul was grieved because “the city was full of idols.” Verse 21 is also amusing as the perfect description of Greek culture! “Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new.”

When Paul is invited to speak before the Areopagus, his speech is educated and tailored to his audience. He quotes from two well-known Greek poets in verse 28, and uses these examples of Greek thought as his springboard into the gospel. Paul claims that God “overlooked (v. 30)” the ignorance of the past, but — like Peter’s gospel message in Acts 10 — now God has fixed day of judgment and Christ has been appointed to judge. As Paul says in verse 31, “For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”

Again, I find this a fascinating gospel presentation to the Gentiles. God is going to judge everyone through Christ. The proof of this is that He raised Christ from the dead. Hmmmm. Does this sound like any gospel presentation you have heard given recently? This is not typically how we think we ought to convey the gospel message today. We think we need to explain sin, and Jesus’ sacrifice, and Jesus as the bridge to a holy God. All good things and good ways to explain the gospel — but perhaps we’re missing the fact that unbelievers need to hear first about the day of judgment.

Psalm 120 has the inscription “A Song of Ascents.” This is the first psalm in a small collection of 15 psalms known as the Psalms of Ascent — Psalms 120 to 134. There are other names for the Psalms of Ascent, including Pilgrim Songs, Songs of Degrees (or Psalms of Degrees), Gradual Psalms, or simply, songs for going up to worship.

Jerusalem sat on top of a hill. Scholars don’t really know who exactly sang these songs of ascent, whether it was the pilgrims on their way to the temple in Jerusalem for the thrice yearly festivals, or if it was the Levites and priests who would sing these songs on the steps of the temple. But now, of course, we see these psalms as describing spiritual movement as well as the physical movement up the steps of the temple. These are songs of pilgrimage — for both individuals, and for the nation of Israel.

As Psalm 120 begins, the psalmist is in “distress (v. 1).” Why? Because of “lying lips” and “deceitful tongues (v. 2).” Verse 5 cries, “Woe to me that I dwell in Meshek, that I live among the tents of Kedar!” Both of these geographic references are to distant nomadic tribes — a way of saying, metaphorically, that the psalmist lives among barbarians and savages. The crux of the matter is in verse 7: “I am for peace… but they are for war!”

So what makes this psalm one that is suitable for pilgrimage? In some ways, it perfectly describes our situation today. We live in a godless culture, surrounded by lies and deceit. We are at odds with our neighbors. What we desire is diametrically opposed. And yet… even though we live in this land, we are on pilgrimage, on our way to Zion, on our way to worship the LORD. As verse 2 says, “Save me, LORD!”

Father God, thank you that you do save us through Jesus Christ. Thank you that you have set a day when you will judge the world through Jesus Christ. We pray that your Holy Spirit will save people from their unbelief and their sins, so that when that day comes, they too will stand before your throne giving praise to the Lamb of God.

Thank you also for your Scripture. The physical distance of the scapegoat from the temple area is but a small reminder of how far you remove our sins from us. Thank you for your grace. Thank you for making us permanently clean through Jesus’ blood. Amen.