July 1 ▪ Day 182

Scripture Readings

Psalms 72:19
Numbers 1–2
Matthew 1
Habakkuk 1

Verse Focus (Psalms 72:19)

Praise be to his glorious name forever;
     may the whole earth be filled with his glory.
AMEN AND AMEN.

Meditation

Today, as we begin reading the New Testament again, some of you may be wondering why we’re doing so. If you read “About this Plan,” then you will remember that I told you from the beginning that we’d be reading through the New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs twice. But now that we’re actually doing it — well, it’s no longer theoretical. And you might be wondering why. (Wouldn’t it be much easier simply to have fewer readings? Well, yes. That would be easier. 🙂 )

There are two main reasons for doing some of the readings twice. The first reason is that, as Christians, we understand Jesus to be the fulfillment of the law. And thus to properly understand the Old Testament, we need to understand it within the context of the New Testament. So we read the New Testament to continue giving us the perspective that we need as we continue reading the Old Testament.

The second reason we’re reading the New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs again is because the Bible is not meant to be read only once. It’s meant to be our mainstay. We need to read it multiple times. And as we go through the New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs again, you may see new things that you didn’t see the first time around. I hope you’ll see new things! I fully expect that the Holy Spirit will continue to reveal things to you. In fact, as you read, you’ll probably wonder how you managed to miss some of this stuff on the first pass!

As the devotional writer, I’ve been praying about how to handle the passages that we’ll have read previously. Obviously, there’s always more to find and more that I can write about. (It may not have seemed like it, but I did actually restrain myself from commenting on every single thing I thought about in connection to the chapters we’ve already done.)

But as we read the Bible, or as we continue to read the Bible, there are some basic questions that we should be asking as we read the text. Obviously, the first questions involve the who, what, when, where, and sometimes the why of these passages. And I think we’ve done that. Not, as I mentioned, that there isn’t more to discover. But we should also be asking, “What does this passage teach me about God?” And I will try to use that lens as we go through the New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs again.

Other questions to ask concern what we learn about human nature. And then there are the application questions: Is there an example to emulate? Is there something I should avoid? Is there a command for me to follow? Is there a promise for me to claim? You may not ask all of these questions every time you read a passage in Scripture, but try to get into the habit of beginning to ask these questions as you read the New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs again.

Our verse focus today is Psalms 72:19. As it says in the ESV, “Blessed be his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory! Amen and Amen!” This, to me, is the perfect verse as we start on the second half of our year together. It is our purpose in life, according to the first question of the Westminster Shorter Catechism.

I don’t think I really understood the concept of God’s glory when I was younger. It seemed abstract to me. It was something I knew we were supposed to desire, but not something that really occurred to me to want. But the more God proves His faithfulness to me, the more I want to praise Him for His goodness. And the more I understand how good He is, the more I want His glory to be manifest everywhere.

I read this verse late last night after I’d finished writing yesterday’s meditation. And it seemed like the perfect praise for how I felt. I was so grateful for God helping me to write the meditation on a day when I was particularly weary. He carried my burdens. He poured out His grace. And I was thankful. And then I read this verse. “Praise be to his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory. AMEN AND AMEN.” The double amen also perfectly expresses the praise. Yes, and yes! Hallelujah!

Father God, may your name be ever praised. May your glory be over the entire earth. May people understand your goodness, and the depth of your love for them. May they be transformed by your Son, coming out of darkness into your beautiful light. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Today we return to history and to the Torah as we begin reading the book of Numbers. This is the fourth out of the five books of the Torah, also known as the Pentateuch. According to tradition, Moses authored all the books in the Pentateuch. Numbers gets its name from the censuses that are taken — the first one in the beginning of the book, and another one towards the end.

The story continues where we left off in Leviticus. The people are encamped in front of Mount Sinai, but they are preparing to leave. It has been a year since they left Egypt. The Tabernacle has been constructed, and the Law has been given. Numbers tells the story of what happened when the Israelites tried to enter the Promised Land, and why they ended up spending a generation wandering through the wilderness.

As Numbers begins, God tells Moses, “Take a census of the whole Israelite community by their clans and families, listing every man by name, one by one (v. 2).” Only men of fighting age are to be counted, and the tribe of Levi is exempt from the census. When they are all numbered, it totals up to 603,550 men (v. 46). This implies an enormous number of people. Considering that there will be men too young or too old to fight, not to mention women and children, and the tribe of Levi — well, conservative estimates are between 1.5 to 2 million people.

Numbers 2 lists the order of the tribes — how they are to camp, and how they are to organize themselves when they move out from camp. Verse 2 tells us, “They shall camp facing the tent of meeting on every side.” I don’t think I noticed this detail before, but I like how the sanctuary literally becomes the focus and center of their community. We are so used to the mishmash of urban life — it’s a little mind-boggling to consider a different kind of living arrangement, where the opening of your tent always faces what is most important.

Judah gets the first position, as is befitting of the tribe that will later produce the kings of Israel and Judah. This also matches with Jacob’s prophecies about the tribe in Genesis 49. Reuben, who was actually the firstborn, leads the second grouping. All the tribes descended from the children of Rachel are on the west side. Dan, the second largest tribe, leads the final grouping of tribes. So the largest tribe leads, and the second largest tribe brings up the rear. Smaller tribes are in the middle, as are the Levites.

As we re-read Matthew 1 today, I’ve been asking the question about what we learn of God in this chapter. Verse 17 strikes me. Matthew tells us, “So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.” There is symmetry and forethought that went into the timing of Christ’s arrival on earth.

We learn that God’s plans span millennia. He has a view of history and events that is much greater than just our individual lifespans. But He is also very involved in the lives of the people in each of these generations. He knows and loves every single person in Jesus’ genealogy. How else would we have learned so many of these stories? We learned the story of Tamar in Genesis 38. We will learn Rahab’s story when we read Joshua. And there’s a whole book about Ruth. Not to mention all the stories of David and Solomon and Hezekiah and the other kings.

Verse 14 also teaches me that God likes patterns. He likes anniversaries. He likes to make things match. I’ve always liked number patterns, but it’s never occurred to me before that this is something that is a reflection of our Maker.

When Joseph realizes that Mary is pregnant, he wants to divorce her quietly. But God sends an angel to Joseph to tell him not to worry. Of course, God could have arranged things so that Jesus grew up as the son of a single mother — and a somewhat disgraced figure, at that. But He gives Jesus a family unit — mother and father. And He ensures that Joseph learns what he needs to in order to support Mary. From this, we learn that God cares about how we feel about things. He cared that Joseph was distressed. He intervened to ensure the family stayed together.

And, of course, let’s not forget what kind of family God chose for His Son. He chooses a very ordinary family. They don’t live in the center of religious life and culture. They don’t even live near Jerusalem and what might have seemed to be the sophisticated life. They were not wealthy. They were simply average, and perhaps on the poor side. Humble.

Finally, we have the mention of the prophecy that is fulfilled in verses 22 and 23. From this we understand that God wants his plans to be understood. He tells us in advance what He is going to do. It may take hindsight before we fully understand God’s plans, but then we catch a glimpse of a glorious purpose that He is continuing to work out. And because God gives us prophecies, I understand that God wants to communicate with us. That’s pretty extraordinary, when you stop to think about it.

If you read Psalms and Proverbs twice, you end up with three extra days in the year. So today we start reading the book of Habakkuk. At three chapters long, it is the perfect fit for the gap between our two readings of Psalms and Proverbs. And it just so happens to be one of my favorite books. 🙂

Habakkuk is one of the minor prophets in the Old Testament. Very little is known about this prophet, although he likely lived in the late seventh century BC. Some Biblical scholars date Habakkuk to about 625 BC. His oracle in chapter 1 concerns the rise of the Babylonian Army as an instrument to punish Judah, so this vision likely occurred either before or soon after the Babylonian defeat of the Egyptians at the famous Battle of Carchemish in 605 BC. Judah, as you recall, fell to the Babylonian Empire in 586 BC.

Habakkuk was likely a Levite, possibly a temple singer. This understanding comes from the reference to stringed instruments in the third chapter since only Levites were allowed to play music in the temple. His name may come from the Hebrew word for embrace (khavak); others, however, think his name comes from the Akkadian word hambakuku, which refers to a type of plant. Curiously, according to Rabbinic tradition, Habakkuk is said to be the son of the Shunammite woman that Elisha restored to life in 2 Kings 4:16 — although this dating would place him nearly two centuries before the Babylonian rise to power.

What is unusual about the book of Habakkuk is that, like the book of Job, the prophet considers the question of divine justice, particularly with respect to God’s rule over nations and governments. Habakkuk’s challenge comes in the form of a dialogue with God. Habakkuk forms a short complaint, or lament. God replies, and this then sparks another short lament. Through the book we move from doubt and confusion to trust and understanding. The book ends with a beautiful hymn of praise to God.

Chapter 1 begins with Habakkuk asking God how long He will allow evil to triumph. God’s response is a bit shocking. “For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told,” He says in verse 5. He tells Habakkuk that He intends to raise up the Chaldeans (the Babylonians). Although God doesn’t say that He intends the Babylonians to punish the wicked of Judah, Habakkuk understand this implication as he makes clear in verse 12. “O LORD, you have ordained them as a judgment, and you, O Rock, have established them for reproof.”

But this leads to Habakkuk’s second complaint. He asks God why He punishes the wicked by using people who are even more wicked. As Habakkuk asks in verse 13, “Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves?” Habakkuk concludes his second complaint by asking, in verse 17, if the Chaldeans will just continue “mercilessly killing nations forever?”

Father God, thank you for Habakkuk. We learn that we can come to you with our questions and with the things that confuse and trouble us. Thank you for what we learn from Matthew, that you long to communicate with us and that you care for us as individuals. Thank you that you have a plan for us and for our future. Thank you especially for bringing us through half a year of devotions. Help us to draw closer to you each day. Help us to live in ways that will bring glory to you. We pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.