July 17 ▪ Day 198

Scripture Readings

Proverbs 19:15
Numbers 33–34
Matthew 17
Psalms 14

Verse Focus (Proverbs 19:15)

Laziness brings on deep sleep,
     and the shiftless go hungry.

Meditation

Our verse focus today, Proverbs 19:15, speaks of the dangers of sloth. As the NKJV translates the verse, “Laziness casts one into a deep sleep, and an idle person will suffer hunger.” We are not surprised to learn that sluggards will go hungry. It seems an inevitable consequence of one’s inaction.

As I was looking at this verse today, however, I wondered if the “deep sleep” might be a metaphor for death. So I looked the verse up in the Hebrew interlinear text so that I could see what the words mean. To my surprise, there’s a special word meaning “deep sleep” (tardemah) and it is not at all related to the verb for sleep (yashen). When God created Eve out of Adam’s rib, God put Adam into a deep sleep (Genesis 2:21). When God made His covenant with Abraham, Abraham fell into this deep sleep and then God revealed to him that the Israelites would be in Egypt for 400 years (Genesis 15:12-13). When David stole Saul’s jug and spear, none of Saul’s men woke up because God had put them into this sound sleep (1 Samuel 26:12). So the word, rather than meaning sleep, or being a metaphor for death, refers to a kind of trance — a profound insensibility.

So what the Hebrew wording is telling us in this proverb is that laziness alters your mind and your thinking, making you unaware and insensible of your surroundings. You are not able to act and you are not able to respond. You don’t wake up. Now there is a connection between laziness and loving regular sleep (Proverbs 6:9-11), but that’s not what this particular proverb is speaking about.

I actually find this proverb more disturbing now that I know what the deep sleep refers to. To think that laziness makes you stop caring about your responsibilities is kind of frightening. At least with regular sleep, you’ll eventually get up. There’s only so long you can stay in bed. But with this deep sleep, waking up is not inevitable. In fact, it seems to indicate that you will continue in your torpor indefinitely.

Father God, help us to fight against being lazy or idle. Keep us from loving sleep too much. By your grace and the power of the Holy Spirit, may we be productive and effective with the time you give us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Numbers 33 details all the different places the Israelites stayed while they were in the wilderness. The length of time they spent at each place varied. Some were short stays, and other lasted for months and months. After leaving Rameses in Egypt “triumphantly (v. 3)” on the day after Passover, the Israelites camped at 40 different spots in their 40-year sojourn. Of course God gives their journey symmetry. Exactly 40 stages for their 40-year journey. But that’s still a lot of moving! In contrast, I have lived in only 10 different places in the past 50 years (and half of that was the five different dormitories during my college years).

The LORD gives Moses instructions for the Israelites upon entering the Promised Land. They are to drive out the inhabitants of the land, and “destroy all their figured stones and destroy all their metal images and demolish all their high places (v. 52).” They will inherit the land by lot. God warns them, however, that if they do not drive out the inhabitants of the land then the Canaanites will become a snare to the Israelites — “And then I will do to you what I plan to do to them (v. 56.)”

Numbers 34 details the borders of the Promised Land, and the names of the leaders of the different tribes. The fact that God gives specific borders for the Promised Land is in itself a peculiarity. We think of the Promised Land as a place of unlimited bounty. But this chapter shows that there are limits. God rules over the whole world and over all nations.

The plot of land promised to the descendants of Abraham is actually quite small. From top to bottom, it’s about 150 miles. Side to side, it varies from 27 miles to 57 miles — but say it’s an average of 50 miles in breadth. In contrast, Washington state is ten times bigger than the Promised Land (240 miles long and 360 miles wide). But even though the Promised Land was small, it was a very fruitful land with three different geographies — coastal land, mountainous land, and fertile river valleys.

Matthew 17 begins with the story of Jesus’ transfiguration up on the mountain. Only Peter, James, and John are there to witness this event. God speaks about Jesus out of a very bright cloud. “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” God says in verse 5. Yet when the disciples hear God speaking, they are terrified. They fall down and hide their faces. Jesus comes to them. He tells them to rise, to not be afraid. And when they get up, they can only see Jesus.

So think about this for a moment. Peter, James, and John were Jesus’ closest disciples. They believed in him. They knew he was the Son of God. They followed Jesus because he was the Messiah and the Son of God. And yet, here on the mountain, they hear God the Father for themselves. And it terrifies them — just like the Israelites were terrified so many years earlier when they heard God speaking at Mount Sinai (Exodus 20:18-19). So what happens? God hides Himself from them. When Jesus gets them up, they can no longer see or hear the supernatural realities they were privy to just moments earlier.

It gives me new understanding about why we cannot always see or perceive God. God hides Himself out of compassion for us. Because we are frail and easily frightened. And we can only cope with small amounts of direct interaction with the LORD.

Towards the end of chapter 17, we read of a few small miracles regarding the temple tax. In Capernaum, some tax collectors come to Peter and ask him if Jesus pays the tax. And of course Peter says, yes, he does pay the tax. But when he arrives into the house where they are staying, before Peter can say anything at all about that conversation, Jesus asks him if sons are taxed by the king. After they resolve that sons are exempt from the tax, Jesus tells Peter to catch a particular fish — there he will find the money to pay the taxes.

What caught my attention about this story (besides all the little miraculous details), was what Jesus says in verse 27. The sons are free, we learn. Yet Jesus wants to pay the tax even though he shouldn’t have to do so because he does not want “to give offense to them.” That’s kind of remarkable when you think about it. The Israelites did not understand that Jesus was the Son of God. They didn’t know that Jesus should, by all rights, be exempt from the temple tax. But Jesus did not want to offend them. He did not take advantage of his rights. It makes me wonder how many of Jesus’ actions were governed by the desire not to cause offense. It reminds me of what Paul wrote about meat sacrificed to idols — we may have the freedom to eat such meat, but Paul will not use that freedom if it will hurt another believer (1 Corinthians 8:9-13).

Psalm 14 begins by saying in verse 1, “The fool says in his heart, ‛There is no God.’ ” The fool cannot perceive God, and so he concludes that God does not exist. Those who suppose God is not there blind themselves to the small signs of His presence.

It is true that God veils Himself from being seen clearly. As we learned from the transfiguration, one of the reasons why God hides is out of mercy and compassion for us. But God has left signs of Himself in the heavens and in creation.

He searches humanity “to see if there are any who understand (v. 2).” But all are corrupt. “There is no one who does good, not even one (v. 3).”

Thankfully, we live in the age of the Holy Spirit. Israel’s deliverance has come from Zion, and he is also the deliverance for the whole world.

Father God, thank you for sending us Jesus. Thank you for giving us a mediator. Thank you that we can look at Jesus to understand who you are and what you are like. Thank you for saving us from our sins. Continue to speak to us through your Word. May we grow in the knowledge and understanding of you, through Jesus Christ. Amen.