July 22 ▪ Day 203

Scripture Readings

Proverbs 19:20
Daniel 7–8
Matthew 22
Psalms 19

Verse Focus (Proverbs 19:20)

Listen to advice and accept discipline,
     and at the end you will be counted among the wise.

Meditation

Our verse focus today is Proverbs 19:20. It says, in the ESV, “Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future.” Our proverb is similar to many other verses. We have heard this wisdom before. We know that listening and learning lead to wisdom. But for me, what’s unique about this particular version of this truth, is the final phrase: “in the future.” Wisdom is not instant. It does not happen immediately. It is a process; it develops over time.

The point that wisdom comes “at the end” is especially useful for our generation. We live in a society that values instant results. We want things fast. We do not want to wait. We are in a hurry, it seems, for just about everything. But that is not the way God works. He teaches us to wait. He develops patience in us through the Holy Spirit. We learn that discipline requires perseverance — and only then will we win the prize.

So, “Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise.” Lord, may it be so!

Daniel 7 and 8 record two visions that Daniel has of the end times. The first vision, recorded in Daniel 7, is dated to “the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon.” As noted yesterday, historians quarrel with this phrasing since Belshazzar never actually became “king” of Babylon. But when his father disappeared from the scene for a while, Belshazzar became a co-regent for the empire and had many of the same responsibilities of a king. And the first year of Belshazzar’s co-regency was approximately 550 BC — 11 years before Babylon fell to the Medes and Persians. In 550 BC, Daniel would likely have been in his 70s.

Reading Daniel 7, you can see the parallels to Revelation 13. We have four beasts, symbolizing four different kingdoms. The kingdom represented by the fourth beast devolves into ten separate kingdoms. After the ten kingdoms comes another king who displaces three of the ten kingdoms and who wars against the saints. The saints are given into the hand of this final king “for a time, times, and half a time (v. 25).” We also have a vision of judgment. One “like a son of man (v. 13)” is given everlasting dominion. The saints also receive the kingdom, and they will possess it forever.

Daniel 8 records a vision of the ram and the goat, symbolizing the kingdom of the Medes and Persians which was later defeated by the kingdom of Greece (Alexander the Great) — only to subdivide into four separate kingdoms after Alexander’s death at the age of 33. This vision is dated to the “third year of the reign of King Belshazzar (v. 1),” so likely took place in about 547 BC.

Verse 11 speaks of the “regular burnt offering” being taken away, and the sanctuary being overthrown. Verse 14 then speaks of the sanctuary being restored after “2,300 evenings and mornings.” The original fulfillment of verse 11 of this prophecy was likely in 167 BC when Antiochus IV Epiphanes defiled the temple and set up a statue of Zeus. The Jewish revolt against Antiochus, and the eventual rededication of the temple is recorded in the book of 1 Maccabees (a book in the Apocrypha — not included in the Protestant canon, but may be found in Catholic Bibles).

Although I believe that prophecy usually has more than one application, I have not studied any end-time interpretations of Daniel 8 that refer to modern countries. Most commentators simply refer to the events that happened in the second century BC. However, many people believe that the “little horn (v. 9)” referred to in this chapter refers to the false prophet of Revelation.

The verse that I most relate to in this chapter is verse 27. “And I, Daniel, was overcome and lay sick for some days. Then I rose and went about the king’s business, but I was appalled by the vision and did not understand it.” I understand feeling overwhelmed. And I also understand what it’s like not to grasp Biblical prophecy. If these chapters leave you feeling a bit lost, that’s okay. You’ve made a start today. There’s a lot to absorb in Scripture. Perhaps God intends to speak to you more through one of the other chapters in our reading today. 🙂

In Matthew 22, Jesus’ critics test him. The Pharisees “plotted how to entangle him in his words (v. 15),” so they ask Jesus about paying taxes to Caesar. But Jesus is “aware of their malice (v. 18),” and he avoids their trap. His answer is so clever, the Pharisees marvel. I also marvel at his wisdom and insight. The coin represents all the infrastructure of Rome. Their economics, their trading, and their standard of living rests on the rules and laws of the Roman empire (not to mention the roads and a common language for trade). It’s like we say today — it’s a global world. Yes, we owe things to the governments that manage our infrastructure and well-being. Render unto Caesar.

But then the Sadducees try to trip Jesus up. They ask a question about a woman who ended up marrying seven brothers successively over the course of her lifetime. I think the Sadducees intended to show the absurdity of the idea of life after death, assuming that “life” would be the same in heaven as it is now. But Jesus corrects this faulty notion, saying, in verse 30, “In the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.” But then he goes on to prove from the Scriptures that their ideas about there not being life after death are wrong. And, again, the crowd is astonished. I also admire the cleverness of Jesus’ answer.

Finally, an expert in the law attempts to trip Jesus up by asking him which is the greatest commandment in the law. It’s a trick question, because, of course, God gave them all of the law — so it’s all important. But rather than answering in a way that suggests certain commands are more important (and the others not important), Jesus gives an answer that says all the Law and the Prophets are dependent upon just two commandments: to love God, and to love your neighbor. Again, it’s a brilliant answer.

But then Jesus tests them in return — he asks how the Messiah can be David’s Lord.

The chapter is interesting. The Pharisees, Sadducees, and the legal experts — those who assume they are righteous before God — are testing Jesus. In some respects, this is what God does. He tests us. He gives us trials. He allows things that will refine us and prove our characters. But while the Pharisees, Sadducees, and the legal experts might have thought they were imitating God, the malice in their actions gives the real truth. They weren’t testing Jesus to develop his character or his understanding. They were testing him to prove him wrong. They tested him hoping that he would fail.

When God tests us, it’s for our success rather than our failure. He desires us to grow and develop. Jesus’ question was meant to provoke his listeners to think about who the Messiah really was. If they had really understood the implications of the question, they would have realized that the Messiah could not be an ordinary human being.

As I think about the testing, and how the Jewish leaders’ testing was so vastly different from how God tests us, I realize that motive makes all the difference in our actions. God tests us out of the goodness of His character. The leaders were testing Jesus out of jealousy and a desire to humiliate him. So, too, when we do things that typically honor God — such as giving money, going to church, reading the Bible and praying — it makes a great difference where our heart is when doing these things. Any of our good works or good actions do not please God if we’re just doing them for the sake of doing them. They must instead spring from a transformed heart.

Granted, our heart is not always in the right place. And I don’t suggest not doing something that is right just because your attitude or motivation is wrong. I do, however, suggest that you pray about the condition of your heart. Ask God to give you the right motives and the right attitudes. Plead with God if need be — it’s vitally important that our hearts be filled with the Spirit. Don’t be content to just go through the motions.

Psalm 19 tells us, in verse 7, “The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul.” Reviving the soul. This is what I was just talking about — the need for transformation, the need to have our heart in the right place. This verse hits me because I’ve been struggling with a bad attitude today. I know I’m grumpy and cranky, and I know it’s my fault. But it’s a struggle to focus on God; my mind just keeps worrying about all the tasks and chores that are piling up.

But Psalm 19 is the antidote to the woes of my spirit. First, we look at the heavens. We marvel at the glory of God. The vastness of the sky, the immensity of our world, the stars that cannot be counted — it truly is a testimony to the greatness of our God.

But after looking at how God communicates with us in creation, we look at how God communicates with us in His word. And the first thing we hear is that the law is perfect. Perfect! And it’s a perfection that revives our soul. The law is also “sure, making wise the simple (v. 7).” Oh, how I long for wisdom! But Scripture is dependable. Sure and certain. Thus, so long as I immerse myself in God’s word, I will eventually gain wisdom.

Verse 8 tells us that the law is “right, rejoicing the heart.” It is also “pure, enlightening the eyes.” This is exactly what I want! I want my heart to rejoice. I want my eyes to really see God and what is truly important. I don’t want to be wasting my time on things that will pass away. Indeed, verse 9 says that the law is “clean, enduring forever.” It is “true, and righteous altogether.”

Father God, thank you so much for the ways that you communicate with us. Thank you for the beauty of the heavens, and the beauty of this world. Thank you for the sunshine today. Thank you for the bit of rain that we got. Thank you for all the marvels that surround us. But most of all, thank you for your Scripture. I’m so grateful that your Word can transform my heart. Continue to give me insight and understanding through your Word. Thank you that your Holy Spirit works within us. Thank you that you never leave us. Thank you for your constant love. In Jesus’ name, Amen.