July 7 ▪ Day 188

Scripture Readings

Proverbs 18:21
Numbers 13–14
Matthew 7
Psalms 4

Verse Focus (Proverbs 18:21)

The tongue has the power of life and death,
     and those who love it will eat its fruit.

Meditation

Our verse focus today, Proverbs 18:21, says, in the NKJV, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” As the NIV says, “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” I have always loved this verse. Such impact! Like a one-two punch, the verse collides with my heart. This is the kind of proverb about the power of the tongue that I’m familiar with — one that speaks of both the constructive and the destructive potential of our words. Life and death. That’s pretty serious.

When I was reading this proverb recently, however, it was in a different translation. And I was surprised to see it phrased as “death and life” as opposed to “life and death,” which is the construction that I am more familiar with. And so I looked it up in the Hebrew. Sure enough, the verse actually starts with the word “death.” The NKJV is a very close translation to the Hebrew wording, although I think the NIV is a bit more natural-sounding for an English translation. But does it make any difference?

I think we assume precedence is somewhat related to importance. So if death comes first, then death might be more powerful or more important. We usually say “life and death” — because, of course, as humans life is more important than death. But if the proverb is actually saying “death and life” it may be because it’s implying that there’s a stronger power of death in the tongue than there is the power of life. And that would make sense, especially when you consider sin as part of the equation.

You might wonder if today’s proverb is contradicting yesterday’s proverb. Yesterday, the implication was that whatever you said, good or bad, you would reap the consequences by filling up your soul on those words. Today it seems to be saying that if you love speaking, then you will reap the consequences. But I think the “fruit” that the proverb is speaking about is life and death — and if you love the tongue, if you love to talk, you will either boost life or die a little by what you say. I don’t think that negates yesterday’s point that you will fill up your soul with praise or complaining or whatever it is that comes out of your mouth.

One final thing about this verse is that those who love the tongue — well, this speaks of impact regardless of who is speaking. So if you love the tongue and are reading good things (such as the Bible 🙂 ), then you are consuming life. But if you are reading horrible things, then you are consuming death. Just something to think about….

Father God, language and speech is so much more powerful than we realize. Help us to speak with care. Let our words bring life to others, and not death. Help us also to pay more attention to the things we read or listen to so that we may ensure that we are consuming life and not death. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

In Numbers 13, the LORD tells Moses to send some men to spy out the Promised Land. So Moses sends 12 spies into Canaan to bring back a report about the land. A leader from each tribe goes, including Caleb the son of Jephunneh from Judah and Hoshea (Joshua) son of Nun from Ephraim. In verse 20, Moses tells them, “Be of good courage and bring some of the fruit of the land.” After 40 days of exploring, the men return. The spies bring back a cluster of grapes so large that it takes two men to carry it. They also bring back some figs and pomegranates.

But despite how fruitful the land is, most of the spies are overcome with fear. Some of the men of Canaan are giants, descendants of the Nephilim. And so the spies spread a bad report about the Promised Land, saying that the cities were large and well-fortified. “The land… is a land that devours its inhabitants,” they say in verse 32. Of the spies, only Caleb and Joshua believe that the LORD can give them victory over the inhabitants of Canaan.

In Numbers 14, the people react to the disturbing news of the spies. Verse 1 tells us that “the people wept that night.” They are so dispirited they actually start talking about finding a new leader who will take them back to Egypt (v. 4).

Caleb and Joshua try to persuade the people of how “exceedingly good (v. 7)” the Promised Land is. Despite their assurance that the LORD is able to bring them into the land and that the inhabitants of the land have had their protection removed, the people are overcome with fear at the prospect. They want to stone Moses, Aaron, Caleb, and Joshua. But before the mob can actually turn to violence, the glory of the LORD appears at the entrance to the Tabernacle.

The LORD asks, in verse 11, “How long will this people despise me? And how long will they not believe in me, in spite of all the signs that I have done among them?” God intends to destroy the people and build a new nation through Moses.

But Moses intercedes on behalf of the Israelites. He argues that the Egyptians and others will say that the people were destroyed because the LORD was too weak to bring them into the Promised Land. And Moses brings up the Scripture that God had given them earlier, reminding God of His very nature. Quoting from Exodus 34:6-7 in verse 18, Moses reminds God, “The LORD is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression.” Moses pleads for God to forgive the Israelites.

And God hears Moses’ prayer. He relents from destroying the Israelites. He pardons their iniquity. But He decrees that none of the men who had despised the LORD’s plans will be able to enter into the Promised Land. Instead, for 40 years — “a year for each day (v. 34)” that they had explored the Promised Land — the Israelites will wander through the wilderness. During that time, their children will “suffer” for the Israelites’ “faithlessness” (v. 33). Once all that generation has died (except for Caleb and Joshua), only then will God bring the Israelites into the Promised Land.

The spies who had gone to explore Canaan are now struck dead by a plague — all except Caleb and Joshua.

Of course, hearing God’s judgment upon them causes the Israelites to feel remorse. So now they are willing to fight. And they propose going in to start taking the land from the Canaanites. Moses tries to persuade them not to go, but they ignore him. The people go into the hill country of Canaan, but are soundly defeated.

There are many fruitful lessons for us in these two chapters. From our perspective, it seems incredible that the Israelites didn’t have more faith in God after witnessing the multiple miracles He had done to bring them out of Egypt. But they were ruled by fear. And that fear made slavery seem like a good option. It made them reject the LORD, despite the daily proof of His faithfulness. But then comes along another fear — that they won’t get to see the Promised Land after all — and they are blown in another direction. The vast majority did not know how to cling to the Rock. They had no stability.

We have the advantage of being born a free people. So we aren’t traumatized or frightened of our own shadows as the Israelites were. But we can also let fear keep us from believing God and the promises of Scripture. And most of us aren’t very good at clinging to the Rock, either. It takes trial before we learn how to hang onto God. We have to have our own wilderness moments to help build up our faith.

Jesus concludes the Sermon on the Mount in chapter 7. In this chapter, we learn about God indirectly by how He responds to us. In verse 8, Jesus tells us, “For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” Thus, God is the one who gives. God is the one who is found. God is the one who opens the door. Jesus talks about us giving good gifts to our children to illustrate how much more the Father of all goodness will give good things to those who ask Him. And we again learn that God is our Father and that He delights to give good gifts to His children.

Jesus paints a remarkable view of our access to the Father. Anyone who seeks God may find Him. Those who ask will receive. God opens the door to us. He will give good things to us when we ask Him to do so. Does this sound like the God of the Universe? Well, it sounds like the God that Jesus introduces us to — but it certainly doesn’t sound like deities in other religions, or even the view of God that most in the Old Testament have. This view of God is very personal. Does it surprise you to learn that God is personal? That God desires your intimacy?

Later in Matthew 7, however, Jesus talks about how not everyone who calls him “Lord” will be able to enter into heaven. Some will even be able to do miracles in Jesus’ name — prophesy and cast out demons — but that does not guarantee a spot in heaven. No, those who enter into heaven are limited to those who do the Father’s will. Jesus tells another parable to get across this message. Those who build their house upon the rock are those who hear Jesus’ words and do them; those who do not do Jesus’ words are like the fools who build their houses upon the sand.

So even though there is open access to God, we must be changed by our encounter with Him. We must honor and obey God. We must do His will.

In some ways, it is very puzzling. Isn’t casting out demons and prophesying something that God desires? Aren’t mighty works honoring to God? And I think they can be. But they are also flashy things that can tempt a person’s heart, so that you care more about being the one who does these great things than you care about God’s name. And even though God uses flashy things sometimes, I think He cares more about obedience to His commands — to love God, to love one another, to help the poor and those who are oppressed, to seek justice. So far as I can recall, there are no commands anywhere in the Bible about casting out demons and doing works of power.

According to Tim Keller, “Psalm 4 is an evening prayer, oriented toward accepting what has happened that day and reflecting on it in light of God.” He goes on to say, “The purpose of evening prayer is seen in the phrase ‛in peace.’ Evening prayer aims to give the soul the same peace spiritually that a night’s sleep gives the body physically.” Until Tim had mentioned it, I had never viewed Psalm 4 in these terms before. But now I see what he means. I see the psalmist’s desire to ponder the events of the day — including things that make you angry — and then to be silent before the LORD (v. 4). And the closing verse is the epitome of a fruitful prayer before bedtime.

As I view the psalm from the lens of what I learn about God, however, I see verse 2. God asks, “How long will you love vain words and seek after lies?” God does not want excuses from us. Nor does He want lies. He desires truthfulness, since He Himself is Truth. It is an invitation to confession.

In verse 7 David says, “You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.” God gives more joy than feasting and celebration. Not that He can’t also give joy through such celebrations. But David is saying that God is the source of joy. And that’s an important thing for us to remember about God.

Finally, the closing verse. In verse 8 David says that God makes him “dwell in safety.” And this is also true for us. God is our security. Because of wickedness and sin, our world can be a very dangerous place. But God can protect us from all harm. Sometimes, as Job learned, God may allow harm to come our way — but He will be with us when calamity strikes and will walk with us through the valley of the shadow of death. We may not be able to see or feel His presence during such calamitous times, but He is still there. And we can still turn to Him and rely on Him.

Father God, I’m grateful that you are the one who loves us and who desires intimacy with us. Thank you that you give good gifts to us. You know our paths. You know when we are walking in the wilderness, and you also gives us times of respite. Help us to see you and to recognize your Presence, even when we are going through dark times. May we be obedient to your Word, and be faithful by the power of your Holy Spirit. Thank you for sending us Jesus. We pray in his name, Amen.