May 15 ▪ Day 135

Scripture Readings

Proverbs 17:17
Ezekiel 21–22
I Thessalonians 4–5
Psalms 135

Verse Focus (Proverbs 17:17)

A friend loves at all times,
     and a brother is born for a time of adversity.

Meditation

Proverbs 17:17 says, in the ESV, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” I love this verse, and — having five brothers myself, I especially love the ambiguity of the second half of the proverb. Is the brother born to help you through adversity, or is your brother the cause of your adversity? Of course, with the way I tend to interpret Scripture, I think the answer is both.

I discovered that there’s a third interpretation of this verse which I was unaware of previously. As some interpret the Hebrew, the friend who loves at all times becomes your brother in times of adversity. This, also, seems in perfect keeping with the intent of the proverb.

I am encouraged, too, but the how the Scripture tells us, “A friend loves at all times.” Certainly we have all had friends that we have relied on for their affection and support. But we also have had friendships that have faltered. And the recipe for a struggling relationship is love. If you have a friendship that is strained, consider how you might demonstrate love. These are our marching orders, after all: a friend loves at all times.

Father God, thank you for giving me brothers — those from my birth family, and those from my adopted family in Christ. Thank you also for giving me friends. Please help me to BE a friend. Help me to truly love those you have placed in my life. In Jesus’ name, and by your grace, Amen.

“Groan; with breaking heart and bitter grief,” the LORD directs Ezekiel in chapter 21, verse 6. God’s sword of judgment is coming against Jerusalem and the land of Israel. Indeed, God will cut off “both righteous and wicked (v. 3)” and “all flesh shall know that I am the LORD (v. 5).” A couple of verses capture my attention — verse 10 and verse 13 — because they seem to indicate that God has no choice but to bring this judgment. It is not a test or a trial meant to refine us, but is instead a verdict. But the Hebrew is apparently obscure, and other English translations have very different wording, leading to a different interpretation.

God tells Ezekiel that even now King Nebuchadnezzar stands at a crossroads, intending to use divination to choose which path to take. But the signs will point to Jerusalem, and thus the day of reckoning comes for King Zedekiah.

I was struck by verse 26. “Exalt that which is low, and bring low that which is exalted.” We have heard this refrain repeated throughout Scripture — just the other day, in Ezekiel 17:24, we saw how God completely reverses the state of things. And we heard this refrain when Isaiah prophesied about the coming of the Messiah (Isaiah 40:4). Jesus taught us this principle in Luke 18:14 when discussing the kind of prayer that pleases God. Indeed, God delights in shaking things up. He delights in humbling the proud and exalting the low.

Verse 27 is a Messianic prophecy, although there are other meanings too. The one to come may refer to Nebuchadnezzar as well as to a ruler who will come after Zedekiah. The different English translations each read a bit differently — perhaps less an example of obscure wording in the Hebrew than a matter of how the context of the entire prophecy and its interpretation affects how the verse gets translated into English.

Ezekiel 22 is a recitation of the sins that Israel has committed. Verses 6 through 12 detail a seemingly endless list of crimes: abusing power, shedding blood, dishonoring parents, extorting visitors, disdaining religious duties, profaning the Sabbath, worshiping idols, engaging in all kinds of sexual immorality, accepting bribes, chasing greed, and forgetting the LORD.

Indeed, the LORD tells Ezekiel that the house of Israel has become as “dross (v. 17)” to Him. Therefore He will put them all into “the fire of my wrath (v. 21).” I was struck by how He describes the prophets, the priests, the rulers, and the people in verses 25 through 29. Lions and wolves. All corrupt.

1 Thessalonians 4 and 5 give practical instructions as well as a reminder of what will happen in the end times. As I read chapter 4 today, I was struck by a phrase in verse 1. “Do so more and more,” Paul says. The Thessalonians are doing what they should be doing. But Paul encourages them to keep on doing what they have been doing and to “do so more and more.” It strikes me that this is exactly what most of us need to hear today. Keep on doing the things you know Christ wants you to do — love one another, encourage one another, carry each other’s burdens, be kind and considerate, be devoted to the word and to prayer — and do so more and more.

Indeed, Paul repeats this advice is verse 10: “Do this more and more.” Love one another more and more. He adds some additional practical advice, saying in verse 11 and 12, “Aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands… so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.”

I was also struck by what Paul says at the close of chapter 4. Verse 18 says, “Therefore encourage one another with these words.” In the immediate context, Paul is speaking about how Christ will certainly raise the dead first before he calls the living to him. Christ will return with “the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God (v. 16).” The Thessalonians need not worry if anyone “falls asleep” before Christ returns. In the larger context, however, Paul’s command to “encourage one another with these words” refers to all of Scripture and all the details of living the godly life. And there is power in Scripture. Power in reading, power in speaking, power in hearing — power for our encouragement, power that we need so that we may continue to “do so more and more.”

In 1 Thessalonians 5, Paul reminds the believers that Christ will come “like a thief in the night (v. 2).” But, he adds in verse 4, “you are not in darkness… for that day to surprise you.”

Again, I note the command in verse 11, “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.”

The second half of 1 Thessalonians 5 is chock full of verse gems. Words that I have highlighted many times over the years. Verses 14 and 15 resonate more the older I get. Verses 16 through 18 always sparkle: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” And verse 24 always gives comfort: “He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.”

Today, however, I note verse 19. Not a verse that usually stands out to me. But verse 19 says, “Do not quench the Spirit.” It’s actually kind of mind-blowing to think that we are able to do that in the first place! We can quench the Spirit of God? But, yes, we can ignore that small voice. We can stop listening, stop expecting to hear, stop acting on what we believe God wants us to do. Stop trying. It doesn’t take much before it becomes a pattern. And I wonder if this is why there are so many lukewarm Christians. Did believers become ineffective because they started to quench the Spirit? Is there fruit in your life? Or have you also trained yourself not to hear?

Psalm 135 is a beloved psalm. It is used in the liturgy of Judaism, with verses recited in daily prayers and the whole psalm recited on special days.

It is also an interesting psalm, partly because it references a number of other Biblical texts. The first two verses echo the previous psalm of ascent (Psalm 134), although here the verb used is actually “praise” and not “bless.” Praise ye the LORD, all ye servants of the LORD, who do stand by night in the house of the LORD. I realize I know a song that has been set to these first two verses. 🙂

Other verses carry echoes, too, and some verses are near repeats. Verse 6 echoes Psalm 115:3, while verse 7 is a near repeat of Jeremiah 10:13b. Verse 13 echoes Exodus 3:15, while verse 14 is a near repeat of Deuteronomy 32:36.

Verse 8a and verses 10 through 12 also appear in Psalm 136:10 and 136:17-22, although whether Psalm 135 borrowed them from Psalm 136 or vice versa is unknown.

The psalm borrows most heavily from Psalm 115. Indeed, verses 15 through 18 are a very near repeat of Psalm 115, verses 4 through 8. Verses 19 and 20 echo Psalm 115:9-11, although there are differences — Psalm 115 calls for the houses of Israel and Aaron to trust in the LORD, while Psalm 135 calls for them to bless the LORD.

Whoever compiled Psalm 135 from its component bits, it is an altogether pleasing whole. Hallelujah!

Father God, we do praise you for your greatness and power. Thank you for your name, which endures forever. Help us always to rejoice in you, to pray without ceasing, and to give thanks. Keep us from quenching your Spirit. Renew our minds and give us soft hearts. We pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.