June 16 ▪ Day 167

Scripture Readings

Psalms 28:7
Job 29–30
Hebrews 5–6
Proverbs 17

Verse Focus (Psalms 28:7)

The LORD is my strength and my shield;
     my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.
My heart leaps for joy,
     and with my song I praise him.

Meditation

Today’s verse focus is a wonderful prayer to guide you throughout the day. Psalms 28:7 says, “The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.” What better way to begin the day than by remembering the faithfulness of the LORD? He is our Rock.

Notice what the verse says, though. He is “my strength and my shield.” This is not a corporate prayer, but a personal prayer. A personal statement of faith. Today, Father God, be my strength and my shield. I trust you. Thank you for how you help me.

The second part of the verse says “my heart leaps for joy.” The ESV says, “My heart exults.” And then the verse speaks of praising God through song. In other words, the knowledge of God’s faithfulness — the knowledge that He is my personal strength, my personal shield — should evoke a response within us. If your heart does not quicken at this realization, help it along by singing some praises anyway. Sometimes our hearts are cold — but music can help to awaken our emotions and to enliven our spirits.

Remember, too, what we learned the other day about Hebrew verbs and their lack of tenses. The NIV puts this verse in present tense. Depending on what translation you read, you may find past tense or future tense. Or both. As the Darby Literal Translation says, “Jehovah is my strength and my shield; my heart confided in him, and I was helped: therefore my heart exulteth, and with my song will I praise him.” In this understanding, it is remembering God’s past faithfulness that gives you the desire to praise God in the future. So as you begin your day — or as you continue through your day — remember how God has been your strength and shield in the past. Remember how you trusted Him previously, and how He helped you. Use that memory to strengthen your faith and to say, in the present, right now, I trust in God. He helps me. And join with me in singing a song of praise.

Who is like unto thee, O LORD among gods? Who is like unto thee, glorious in holiness? Fearful in praises, doing wonders, who is like unto thee?

After speaking of the value of wisdom yesterday, today in chapters 29 and 30 Job turns to his final defense. He begins with a lament. “Oh, that I were as in the months of old, as in the days when God watched over me,” he cries in verse 2. Indeed, all of chapter 29 speaks of Job’s previous blessings. He was in his prime. He had his children about him. He was respected in the city gate. He helped those who needed help — the poor, the fatherless, widows, and others in need. People waited for his counsel. He was clothed in righteousness. He expected to die in peace and with honor. Indeed, Job was like a king surrounded by loyal troops; he was like “like one who comforts mourners (v. 25).”

But, as Job describes in chapter 30, none of that is true anymore. Now, Job is laughed at. He is ridiculed even by men living on the edge of humanity. “God has loosed my cord and humbled me,” Job says in verse 11. He is troubled by the rabble. Job describes his current condition in verse 15, saying,“Terrors are turned upon me; my honor is pursued as by the wind, and my prosperity has passed away like a cloud.”

“Days of affliction have seized me,” says Job in verse 16. God has cast Job “into the mire (v. 19).” Even Job’s friends have become cruel. He cries for help, but receives nothing. “When I hoped for good, evil came,” Job says in verse 26, “and when I waited for light, darkness came.”

Job’s situation is inexplicable by our usual standards. He was respected and honored — and rightly so. He feared God, and he helped those who needed help. God watched over him. And, now, even though Job and his practices have not changed, all his circumstances have changed. He no longer has children. He no longer has respect; rather, he has become a laughingstock to everyone. He recognizes that only God can have brought about these changes, but he does not understand why. Nothing Job has done has warranted such treatment. Why is good returned with such injustice?

Most of us cannot lay claim to the level of integrity that Job had. Nor have most of us experienced a blessed life suddenly changing due to calamity after calamity. And yet we can identify with Job’s feelings. We have experienced times of alienation, and times when we have felt forgotten by God. Some of us may have feared that we were under His wrath. We do not understand how or why God rules on earth, while leaving terrible injustices uncorrected. We see the apparent triumph of evil. We know that God exists. We know that wisdom exists. But we do not understand.

Hebrews 5 continues to speak about Jesus as our high priest. The writer first explains what the high priests did for the people of Israel, before going on to illustrate how Jesus is not only better, but a perfect high priest for us. The high priests of Jewish law had to offer a sacrifice for their own sins before they could even offer sacrifices for the people (v. 3). These high priests were human; they understood weakness and therefore could deal gently with the ignorant and those going astray (v. 2). To become a high priest, however, is not something one chooses for himself; one must be called by God.

Jesus was called by God to become a priest “in the order of Melchizedek (v. 6).” Verse 8 teaches us that Jesus “learned obedience through what he suffered” even though he was the Son of God. The writer tells us in verse 9 that once Jesus was “made perfect” (presumably referring to when God raised Jesus from the dead), he “became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him.”

In chapter 5, verse 12, the writer criticizes his readers for needing “milk, not solid food.” Those who live on milk are “unskilled in the word of righteousness (v. 13),” lacking the discernment that comes from distinguishing between good and evil. It is a sobering accusation, to consider that our faith might be immature and childish. Even thinking of the Word as needing “skill” to handle properly is a completely different way of thinking about Scripture and the gospel than how we usually think.

As chapter 6 begins, the writer speaks of the doctrinal “foundation (v. 2)” of faith in Christ Jesus. As verse 2 articulates these foundational beliefs, it includes “repentance from dead works,” “faith toward God,” baptism, “the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.” The list of what the writer considers basic and foundational tenets — the “milk” of our faith in Christ Jesus — is somewhat shocking. If this is the milk, I can understand why the author of Hebrews is so upset that so many are lacking in a mature faith! But this book is all about some of the teaching that the more mature need to learn and understand.

As chapter 6 continues, the writer of Hebrews warns his readers against apostasy — that is, against falling away or rejecting faith in Jesus. The warning against apostasy is rather frightening. Verses 4 through 6 tell us that it is “impossible” for one who has “tasted the goodness of the word of God” to be brought back to repentance. The writer tells us that this is because the one who has fallen away is, by doing so, “crucifying once again the Son of God… holding him up to contempt.” Even as the writer gives this warning, he hastens to assure us that he expects better things for us. After all, “God is not unjust (v. 10)” — He will remember the work and the love we have shown Him. For our part, verse 12 tells us that we should be diligent — not “sluggish” or “lazy” — to “inherit the promises through faith and patience.”

Despite the writer’s assurance that he does not expect us to be burned up or discarded as useless, the idea that we could — by falling away — lose our salvation in Christ Jesus is terrifying. But before we are overcome with fear, I want to make clear that what the writer of the Hebrews means by “falling away” is likely very different than what we, in our modern parlance, mean by “falling away.” Although the term “falling away” likely did have this passage as its original source, I believe the understanding of what this means has changed from the original Biblical meaning. As this passage is talking about falling away, it is talking about the deliberate rejection of salvation through Jesus Christ. In the context of Judaism, the writer is likely speaking of those who returned to the Mosaic law and tried to find their righteousness through temple sacrifices and a strict observance of rules and regulations. When we talk about falling away today, we are speaking more of a “prodigal son” type of rebellion. It may be small, or it may be a matter of years, but, basically, we fail to live as we believe we should (most likely because we were trying to do so in our own strength). Even though this type of falling away is succumbing to sin, it can still be dealt with through confession and repentance. One may be restored. It is not the kind of falling away where we are attempting to replace one means of salvation with another method.

Of course, what I think “falling away” means — now, and in this Bible passage — is just part of my own interpretation. While we should have a healthy respect for God and the possibility of damnation, I do not believe God wants us to be gripped by the emotion of fear. If you do feel some fear when reading this chapter, my best suggestion is to pray for God to give you wisdom, insight, and most of all — assurance. God longs to give us wisdom and insight, and so you can be sure that God will answer this prayer. Arriving at assurance may not be easy. It might involve some wrestling — but that’s how our faith grows.

Chapter 6 concludes with a discussion of the certainty of God’s promises to us. Since God cannot lie, God’s promises are certain. However, when God made the covenant with Abraham, He swore by Himself — He confirmed the promise with an oath. In the same way, Jesus is confirmed as God’s Son and as a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek, by these “two unchangeable things (v. 18).”

Proverbs 17 continues to enumerate proverbs of Solomon. How are you finding it reading chapters of proverbs? Do you find it difficult, as I used to? Or do you find yourself enjoying this portion of the readings? I certainly enjoy it when I come across a proverb that God has highlighted to me in the past. Verse 22 is a perennial favorite for me now. Verse 17 is another one that makes me smile. It reminds me to be grateful for the relationships God has given me. God brings people into our lives that we can rely on — friends, brothers and sisters in Christ — not to mention our birth families.

Today as I read this chapter, I particularly noted verse 8. It says, “A bribe is like a magic stone in the eyes of the one who gives it; wherever he turns he prospers.” This is a somewhat strange proverb since conventional wisdom tells us that bribes are very bad things. In fact, in verse 23, Solomon tells us, “The wicked accepts a bribe in secret to pervert the ways of justice.” So what is verse 8 talking about, then?

I think it’s a lot like the proverb that talked about gossip being choice morsels that go down to our inmost parts. It’s not saying that gossip is good, but that we find it delectable. In this respect, we are being told that bribes work like magic — they smooth the path. Perhaps this proverb gives permission for believers to use bribes in countries that are hopelessly corrupt. Or perhaps it’s simply saying that those who use bribes place their hope in such things. It works like “magic” — and in some ways it becomes an idol to the person who uses bribes. Either way you interpret this verse, it bears further meditation.

Father God, thank you for your Word, which is living and active. Thank you that it is here to teach us. Help us to learn and gain insight. Help us to move beyond “milk” and into deeper understanding of salvation through Jesus Christ. Help us learn how to become “skillful” in the word of righteousness. Help us to distinguish good from evil, and to grow in discernment. Most of all, help us to understand who you are. Give us the assurance and the certainty of your love for us in Christ Jesus. We pray in his name, Amen.