May 3 ▪ Day 123

Scripture Readings

Proverbs 16:28
Leviticus 21–23
Acts 20
Psalms 123

Verse Focus (Proverbs 16:28)

A perverse person stirs up conflict,
     and a gossip separates close friends.

Meditation

Proverbs 16:28 says, in the NIV, “A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends.” The ESV translation is similar, saying, “A dishonest man spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends.” I looked at the Hebrew words to see if I could gain additional insight. To my surprise, the word being translated as “perverse” in the NIV and “dishonest” in the ESV is actually pretty narrowly translated. Perverse or perversity is the primary way this word is translated. The only other word that gets used is archaic — froward, which means difficult, contrary, or stubborn. However, given that “perversity” is often understood these days only in terms of sexual deviance, I can see why the ESV chose to use a different word.

On April 15th (Day 105), we talked about how hot-tempered people stir up conflict when we looked at Proverbs 15:18. And we know there are types of fools who do cause strife by their behavior. It’s no surprise to learn that a contrary person — a stubborn, willful, perverse fool — will cause dissension. Part of perversity is that willful disregard of others. It is a personality that insists on their own way — thus a contrary person is also a very prideful person. As you might recall, we discussed how pride is at the root of strife on March 14th (Day 73) when we looked at Proverbs 13:10.

But what haunts me about this proverb is the second half: a gossip separates close friends. Perhaps you’ve had this happen to you. I remember very clearly an incident a year or two ago. A friend at work told me about how another person — a friend of hers — had mistreated her, publicly berating her for something that was not her fault. The disrespect and the injustice of what this other person had done was galling. It was so tempting to think about stepping in to say something about that situation. Perhaps a quiet word to that person’s supervisor? Yet it was this proverb that stopped me. Yes, the other person had misbehaved. There was a genuine breach. But if I or any other person had stepped in to repeat that matter, the breach would have become permanent. And formerly close friends would never make up, would never forgive the hurt — the friendship would just end.

Gossip has a very negative connotation in English — and deservedly so, since gossip causes all kinds of mischief, even when no ill will was intended. The Hebrew word being translated as “gossip” by the NIV and as “whisperer” by the ESV is one which means a talebearer, whisperer, or slanderer. A secret-teller, you might say. Not just a tattle-tale, but any kind of talking about the concerns of others.

Father God, keep us from being stubborn and prideful in our actions and speech. Let us make peace and not cause conflicts. May we also refrain from gossip, and not tell tales about other people and the problems they might have. Let us protect the privacy of relationships and allow them to heal on their own, without interference. By the grace of your Son, Jesus Christ, Amen.

Leviticus 21 and 22 covers the topic of holiness with regard to the priests. Because of their role as mediators for the people, they are held to a higher standard of ceremonial cleanliness. We learn that priests were not to become unclean because of the death of anyone except their very close family members — and the high priest had to adhere to an even higher standard. In fact, the high priest was not allowed to become unclean through a dead body at all, even if it was his own parent who had died.

Similarly, priests had to marry women of good standing — virgins and widows. No prostitutes or divorcées. The high priest, adhering to the higher standard, was not allowed to marry widows.

The ceremonial purity of the priests also had to do with their physical appearance. No one who was blemished in any way — either permanently or temporarily — was allowed to serve as a priest. So long as they remained clean, they could eat of “the holy things” — that is, they could eat the priests’ portions of the grain offerings, sin offerings, and fellowship offerings — but they could not serve inside the Most Holy Place or at the altar. No one blind, deaf, lame, mutilated, scarred, injured, sick, or diseased could serve as a priest — any blemish at all would disqualify you.

Although a blemished priest could eat “the holy things,” this was another way that the priestly families kept separate and sanctified. No one was allowed to eat the consecrated meat unless they were ceremonially clean. No lay persons (no Levites!), no hired workers, no foreigners, and no guests were ever allowed to eat “the holy things.” Only slaves and members of a priest’s household were allowed to eat this food. If a daughter of a priestly family married into a non-priestly family, she would no longer be allowed to eat the food — but should she become widowed and move back into her father’s household, then and only then would she regain the right to eat the holy things.

Just as the priests were to be without blemish, so too were the offerings to be without blemish. Additionally, there is a law about how soon a young animal could be sacrificed, and a law about not sacrificing a mother and her young on the same day. I assumed this latter law had to do with distinguishing the Israelites from the practices of the surrounding nations, but the commentators seem to agree that this law has more to do with understanding the sacred nature of the relationship between parent and child (as well as being a practice that avoids a type of cruelty to animals).

Leviticus 23 outlines the various feasts of the LORD. In addition to keeping the Sabbath, there are seven annual festivals to the LORD. Although this chapter does not mention this, three of these feasts (Passover, Weeks, Booths) are known as pilgrimage festivals because the men were required to come to Jerusalem to celebrate these feasts.

Passover, or Pesach, celebrates how the LORD rescued the Israelites in Egypt. The very next day the Feast of Unleavened Bread begins, so the first two festivals are lumped together. These would eventually be celebrated in Jerusalem.

The Feast of Firstfruits was an offering from the first of the spring harvests, and — although this is not the procedure discussed in Leviticus 23 — it was usually was celebrated in conjunction with the Feast of Weeks, or Shavuot, also known as Pentecost. “Pentecost” is a Greek word meaning the 50th day. Shavuot occurs 50 days after Passover, and also coincides with Israel’s arrival at Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:1-3). So it celebrates the late spring harvests, as well as the giving of the Law at Sinai. Although the Jews sometimes call this Pentecost (in the strict meaning of 50th day), they take offense at the Christian idea of Pentecost, saying that they are not the same thing at all. Although, actually, they did occur at the same time — the Holy Spirit was given to the disciples during the Jewish Festival of Weeks, at Pentecost, 50 days after the Passover.

In the fall come the last three festivals or holy days: the Feast of Trumpets (also known as Yom Teruah or Rosh Hashanah), followed 10 days later by the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), and five days after that by the Feast of Booths or Sukkot (also known as the Feast of Tabernacles or the Feast of Tents). The Feast of Booths celebrates the autumn harvests but also commemorates the time that the Israelites wandered in the wilderness for 40 years.

I was struck by some of the language that was used in Leviticus 23. Several times throughout the chapter the Scripture talks about celebrating these festivals “in all your dwelling places (v. 3).” Similarly, the phrase “it is a statute forever throughout your generations (v. 14)” also gets repeated. God wants no misunderstandings. Whether they lived in the Promised Land or in another country, if they were on holiday or traveling, they were to celebrate the Sabbath and all these holy days.

Acts 20 tells of the final stages of Paul’s third missionary journey. He spends time in Macedonia, giving the disciples there “much encouragement (v. 2),” and then spends three months in Greece. I noted all the different people that Paul had traveling with him — quite an international group of people that he was mentoring!

As the chapter continues, we learn that Paul is in a hurry, hastening to get to Jerusalem before the Day of Pentecost. As we now know, this was both an important Christian festival as well as a historic Jewish festival. Because of this haste, Paul bypasses stopping at Ephesus and goes directly to Miletus (v. 15-16). But he calls the elders of Ephesus together to meet him there at Miletus so that he can speak with them one last time before he leaves for Jerusalem.

I was struck by the knowledge Paul had from the Holy Spirit. Paul says, in verse 23, “The Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me.” The prospect of trouble did not deter Paul from his course; however, he realized that whatever lay ahead for him, this would be his last time in Asia Minor. He told the elders from Ephesus that he would not see their faces again.

The finality of his time in Asia Minor can be seen in what happened earlier at Troas, too, when the young man Eutychus fell from the third story window. Paul was desperately speaking his last words to the people there. He wanted to be sure he did not leave anything unsaid, so he spoke late into the night.

Knowing that this is his last opportunity to speak in person with the elders from Ephesus, what does Paul say? Of course he speaks of completing his mission. But his words for the Ephesians in verse 28 are to “pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock.” He warns of “fierce wolves” that will come among them, and cautions them to “be alert (v. 31).” He commends them to God and “to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified (v. 32).” His final exhortation is for them to work hard, to help the weak, and to remember that Christ taught them “it is more blessed to give than to receive.”

How do you distill three years of teaching into just a few final words? There is a lot of depth to these instructions. I feel the need to meditate further on these concluding words from Paul. But off the top of my head I am struck by his reference to the “word of his grace” — this is referring to Christ as God’s Word, but also to Scripture, as well as to the grace we receive from God through Christ Jesus. Christ / Scripture / grace — this will build us up and give us our inheritance in heaven. It is this we must cleave to, that we must pay attention to, and that we must take care that those we shepherd also should cling to.

The pilgrimage song of Psalm 123 has the worshipers looking to the LORD. We are supplicants. Only God gives us mercy; only God gives us relief. I find it curious, however, that what most bothers the psalmist is the “contempt of the proud” and the “scorn of those who are at ease.” In other words, it is those who do not recognize the gratitude they owe to the LORD. The proud and those who live at ease have a false sense of their own security. But we know that we are bound to the LORD as a servant to his master, as a handmaid to her mistress.

Father God, keep us from the sins of ingratitude. We do live by your mercy and grace. Thank you that through your grace you transform us and grant us the inheritance of the sanctified. Thank you for showing us some of the deeper meanings of your holy days, and the need to be purified and consecrated. May we serve you in truth with all our hearts and actions. In Jesus’ name, Amen.