May 17 ▪ Day 137

Scripture Readings

Proverbs 17:20
Ezekiel 25–26
James 1–3
Psalms 137

Verse Focus (Proverbs 17:20)

One whose heart is corrupt does not prosper;
     one whose tongue is perverse falls into trouble.

Meditation

Today’s verse focus, Proverbs 17:20, says, in the NIV, “One whose heart is corrupt does not prosper; one whose tongue is perverse falls into trouble.” The ESV translation says, “A man of crooked heart does not discover good, and one with a dishonest tongue falls into calamity.” Both translations are faithful to the Hebrew wording, but each offers a different perspective on the proverb.

When the NIV says that one with a corrupt heart does not prosper, I think of how God is able to makes one’s path smooth. Those who do not please God do not receive His blessing. Obstacles line their course. The wicked may gain wealth, but their prosperity is not trouble-free. But when the ESV says that one with a crooked heart does not discover good, I think instead of how one with a crooked heart is only able to see crookedness in others. How can they recognize good? Even if they do see it, will they believe it is real? One with a crooked heart is always scheming — it seems obvious to me that they will not be able to find good when they only follow crooked paths.

One with a perverse tongue falls into trouble, says the NIV. This we can believe! If you speak rebellious or malicious words, you are going to stir up strife. One of the first applications I think of is the schoolchild — did you ever get into trouble for back talk? The ESV tells us that it is the person with the dishonest tongue who falls into calamity. This is less obvious to me, although I believe what the Scripture tells us. Perhaps it is a matter of falling victim yourself to others who lie, or perhaps it is simply the nature of dishonesty that it creates chaos and trouble.

Father God, we know that the human heart is desperately evil and wicked. But because of Jesus, you give us new hearts and a new spirit. Thank you for your mercy. Thank you for sanctifying us. We pray for clean hearts and tongues through Jesus Christ. Amen.

Ezekiel 25 and 26 record a number of prophecies against other nations. Indeed, chapters 25 through 32 all contain prophecies against other countries. When Ezekiel was told, in our last chapter, that he would be mute before the Israelites until after the fall of Jerusalem, it is clear from some of the upcoming prophecies that this hiatus refers only to the prophecies for God’s people. Prophecies against other nations were apparently exempt, since a number of the prophecies did occur in the period after Ezekiel’s last prophecy for the Israelites and before the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC. Of course, not all the prophecies are dated, and although prophecies for a particular country are collected together, they do not necessarily appear in chronological order.

Ezekiel 25 begins by giving several prophecies against the nations that surround Israel. First is a prophecy against Ammon. The proverb we looked at on May 9th (Day 129) said, “Whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished.” Indeed, this is exactly the charge God brings against the Ammonites: that they celebrated Judah’s misfortune at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar. The LORD tells them in verses 6 and 7, “Because you have… rejoiced with all the malice within your soul against the land of Israel… I will destroy you. Then you will know that I am the LORD.”

The charge against Moab and Seir (also known as Edom) is that they believe “Judah is like all the other nations (v. 8).” In other words, they did not believe that the Hebrews had a special relationship with the LORD God, nor did they think that the worship of the LORD was any better than their worship of idols. Again, God declares in verse 11, “I will execute judgments upon Moab. Then they will know that I am the LORD.”

There is a further charge against Edom — that they used Nebuchadnezzar’s advance to take vengeance against Israel (v. 12). God promises that Edom will come to know the LORD’s wrath and vengeance. Interestingly, there is no corresponding promise that Edom will come to know that the LORD is God, although I’m not sure how much significance we should attach to this omission.

The Philistines are also accused of taking “vengeance with malice of soul (v. 15).” As verse 17 tells us, “Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I lay my vengeance upon them.”

In Ezekiel 26, the prophet receives a judgment against Tyre in the “eleventh year, on the first day of the month.” The citizens of Tyre were happy that Jerusalem’s gate had been broken, because they saw that as an opportunity for increased trade. (Even though the gate had been broken, Jerusalem had not yet fallen. Jeremiah 39:2 tells us that didn’t happen until “the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month.”)

Although Tyre is only concerned with financial gain and does not have the same “malice of soul” as some of Judah’s other neighbors, the city is doomed to destruction at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar. Ezekiel’s prophecy does not give a clear reason why, other than the implication that they were proud of their status as a center of industry and trade.

Verse 20 strikes me. The verse speaks of Tyre no longer being inhabited, but then says, in the ESV, “but I will set beauty in the land of the living.” The word being translated as “beauty” is translated as “glory” in other contexts. Indeed, there is a long tradition of interpretation in Judaism that the “land of the living” refers to Judah and this phrase is both a reference to the restoration of Judah’s exiles as well as a Messianic prophecy. However, not all translations interpret the verse this way. Some translations interpret both parts of the verse as referring to Tyre: Tyre will no longer be inhabited, nor will it have any beauty within it. I am neither a Hebrew scholar or an expert in Old Testament exegesis, so I don’t know what the verse “should” say. All I know is that the Holy Spirit highlighted this phrase to me: “But I will set beauty in the land of the living.” And it seems a promise that I want to hold close to my heart.

Today we begin reading one of my favorite books in the Bible — the book of James. Although the author only refers to himself as “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ (v. 1),” according to church tradition the book was written by Jesus’ half-brother, James, who had become one of the leaders of the church in Jerusalem. It was written anywhere from 45 AD to 69 AD, primarily to a Jewish Christian audience. Many scholars have pointed out that this is less an epistle than a collection of sayings and short topics. They liken the book of James to the wisdom literature of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes — which just might account for why I like the book so much!

Chapter 1 starts out with a bang, as James tells us to: “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing (v. 2-4).” These verses were likely the first verses I ever highlighted in this book, and the words have only gotten more meaningful as the years have progressed. A friend used to quote these words to me whenever I would complain about some problem or other. Later, I started quoting them to myself, albeit with a healthy amount of disbelief — I should be thankful for this? Rejoicing in tribulation is not our natural response to trouble. But over the years I have seen the growth that has occurred through trying circumstances. I have seen the development of perseverance. And although these lessons have been hard-won, they are extremely valuable. So now I quote these verses with full confidence in the truth of these words. 🙂

There are so many verse treasures in James! I feel inadequate to write about these chapters. Certainly I can quote and summarize, but that won’t add any value beyond what you will read for yourself. In chapter 1, James’ exhortation to be “doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves (v. 22)” always hits home. Verse 17 is a gem.

Today, however, it is a phrase in verse 21 that strikes me. James writes of “the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.” This is the power of Scripture. But James speaks of not just hearing the word, but letting it take root in your heart. The “implanted” word. You might paraphrase this by saying that meditation will save your soul.

Chapter 2 discusses the sin of partiality but then goes on to talk about the relationship of faith to works. Christians can get a little weirded out by James, since he can be misinterpreted to be advocating works righteousness. Far from it! Rather, James is telling us that faith is both belief and action. Just as repentance is not real without fruit in keeping with repentance (Matthew 3:8), so “faith apart from works is dead (v. 26).”

Verse 10 and verse 19 always make an impact on me. But today it is verse 13 that resonates. James tells us, “For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.” It seems like this is a repeating refrain that the Holy Spirit has been highlighting to me this past year. I think of how Jesus used to ask people what it meant when God said, “I desire mercy not sacrifice (Hosea 6:6; Matthew 8:13; Matthew 12:7).” So, how are we to display mercy in our everyday life? How do we become a merciful people?

Of course, I love James chapter 3 with its description of the tongue as a “fire” and a “world of unrighteousness (v. 6).” The power of the tongue is one of the big themes in the book of Proverbs, too. James highlights how twisted things are when he says in verse 10, “From the same mouth come blessing and cursing.” He goes on to give several illustrations to show us that this is not how things should be.

There are so many key topics in James! I have not touched on what James says regarding wisdom, although that is one of the important themes of this book. Nor have I talked about temptation, God’s goodness, the fleetingness of wealth, the need for practical action, or any of a half dozen other important applications. I will simply have to trust that the Holy Spirit will work in your heart as you read these chapters. God will highlight what He wants you to know today and that is more than enough.

Psalm 137:9 is a verse that teenagers take some delight in quoting. “Happy is the man that taketh thy little children and dasheth them against the rocks!” Taken out of context, it is quite shocking — and as a teen I, too, took pleasure in highlighting that the Bible is not all sweetness and light. There are a lot of preconceived notions about what is in the Bible, especially for those who have not actually read the Bible.

Despite my youthful glee at quoting the last verse out of context, Psalm 137 is actually a very sad and poignant psalm. It was written by Jews in exile — forcibly removed from their homeland, they sit and weep next to the rivers of Babylon. Their captors do not recognize the cruelty in their demand for songs of Zion. So this new song laments the loss of home, and remembers how the Edomites rejoiced at their downfall. In their bitterness, the Jews hope and pray that Babylon will one day experience the kinds of hurts that they experienced at the hands of the Babylonians.

What I love about this psalm is that it is raw and honest and real. God is with us in our pain as much as He is with us in joy. And we should never be afraid to let God know what is going on in our hearts. If God wants us to forgive those that have wronged us, surely the first step for healing is in being honest about how we feel. Today’s psalm is only a small part of the conversation.

Father God, thank you that you do care about us and that you are grieved when we are in pain. Thank you that you are able to transform suffering into something beautiful for your glory. Help us always to come to you and share what is in our hearts. May your Holy Spirit renew us day by day. May we save our souls as we meditate on your word. Transform our hearts; enable us to let go of the pain and forgive those who have wronged us. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.