July 27 ▪ Day 208

Scripture Readings

Proverbs 20:5
Deuteronomy 3–4
Matthew 27
Psalms 24

Verse Focus (Proverbs 20:5)

The purposes of a person’s heart are deep waters,
     but one who has insight draws them out.

Meditation

Proverbs 20:5 says, in the NKJV, “Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out.” Or, as it says in the NIV, “The purposes of a person’s heart are deep waters, but one who has insight draws them out.” There are many different layers to this proverb.

To understand what is going on within your own heart, or within someone else’s heart, is difficult. And that’s because — as the proverb says — it is like deep water. Deep water may speak of abundance. There’s a lot going on in someone’s heart. But deep water also speaks of depth, darkness, and secrets. There is a massiveness, and an intensity to the deep waters. Sometimes, there is even danger.

But the wise person has insight. The wise person is able to draw out the plans, purposes, and counsel of the heart. This is crucial for so many reasons. Is a man deceitful? Does he harbor bitter plans? A wise person will be able to discover this. When you are confused by your own actions, when you don’t understand how you feel, or what you want — again, a wise person will be able to draw it out of you. The wise person is also able to search their own heart to draw out the advice that is hidden within, or to discover what purposes may be there — plans and purposes that must be submitted to God. Some of those deep waters will conceal sin. And some of those deep waters will conceal your hopes and dreams. Both must be carefully drawn out by the wise person.

This proverb speaks of the hidden depths that belong to every person. Those who are foolish may interact with people on a superficial level. They do not have insight, nor do they care enough to delve too deeply into who someone else might be. But those who are wise seek to really know people and to understand their hearts.

Father God, we pray for wisdom and insight so that we may be able to understand the deep plans and purposes that reside in our own hearts, and in the hearts of those around us. Give us clarity and perception as we deal with one another in love, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

In Deuteronomy 3, Moses reminds the Israelites of how they recently defeated Og, king of Bashan. His territory included over 60 cities as well as many unwalled villages. Og was one of the giants, and the Scripture tells us that his bed was 13½ feet long by 6 feet wide. Still, the Israelites defeated Og and killed all those in his kingdom — devoting them to destruction. They only kept the livestock, and then that territory was given to the half tribe of Manasseh for their inheritance.

With the defeat of Sihon and Og, Joshua and the Israelites were given a pattern of what they should do in the Promised Land. They were to totally destroy the inhabitants of Canaan, not leaving any survivors who might later become a snare to them. The men of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh would help to subdue the Promised Land before they returned to Gilead and the other side of the Jordan river to be with their wives and children.

Moses tells the Israelites that he had pleaded with the LORD to be allowed to see the Promised Land with his own eyes. But he was only allowed to view the land from a vantage point. God told Moses, in verse 26, “Enough from you; do not speak to me of this matter again.” It is both amusing and sad — amusing, because it reminds us of the way parents react to their children pestering them about something; sad, because we know how much this meant to Moses, and yet — for whatever reasons — God did not grant him this request. Indeed, God’s refusal to let Moses enter the Promised Land is a bit of a mystery to me. I know what God told Moses about this, but I struggle to accept it. The punishment seems unnecessarily harsh to me. I either fail to understand the seriousness of Moses’ failure to uphold God as holy in the eyes of the Israelites, or there is more going on than we are told.

Deuteronomy 4 is a kind of a preamble to the law. Moses first tells them that they must listen to the law, and then keep its statutes and commands, in order to live and take possession of the land. Next he tells them they must not add to the law, nor take anything away from it. Indeed, people from other nations will marvel at the wisdom and understanding displayed in their legal code.

He reminds them of how they as a people stood before God at Horeb and how they heard His voice and received the covenant and the Ten Commandments. He reminds them of how God rescued them from Egypt. The LORD alone is God. Moses warns them against idolatry — as he reminds them in verse 24, “For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.”

Moses tells them what will happen if they anger the LORD by worshiping other gods and doing evil. Moses says in verses 26 and 27, “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that you will soon utterly perish from the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess. You will not live long in it, but will be utterly destroyed. And the LORD will scatter you among the peoples.” But even in these most terrible circumstances, there is hope. When the Israelites are living in foreign lands, Moses promises in verse 29, “You will seek the LORD your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.” Moses tells them that “in the latter days (v. 30)” they will return to the LORD and obey His voice.

Matthew 27 tells how Jesus was condemned, crucified, and buried. As I re-read this chapter today, I kept thinking about Judas and what the Scripture says in verse 3. “When Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he changed his mind.” Judas betrayed Jesus. Did he think that there would be no consequences? And as I think about Judas and how he felt and what he did, I see human nature. I see a kind of mind trick that Judas plays on himself — that we all play on ourselves when we sin. Judas knew perfectly well that there would be consequences from his actions.

From the gospel of John, we know that the disciples were very aware of the threats against Jesus’ life. They had assumed he had stayed away when Lazarus was ill because it was too dangerous for Jesus to go back near Jerusalem. When Jesus went to Lazarus after all, they decided to follow, knowing full well that there was a possibility that Jesus would be killed, and that they might all be killed. So Judas knew there was a real possibility that Jesus might die as a result of this betrayal — but he didn’t let himself think about it. Instead, he focused on his own feelings. Perhaps he felt the other disciples didn’t respect him or his opinions (we know from another gospel that Judas was one who had objected to Mary’s anointing Jesus’ feet with perfume). Perhaps he just wanted the money. 30 pieces of silver was a small fortune. So he thinks about immediate consequences (money, money, money!), and ignores any consequences that might be further along.

We do the same thing. No matter what the sin is, we trick ourselves to focus on the immediate gratification and forget the long-term consequences. That slice of cake — that second slice of cake — it tastes so wonderful. Don’t think about how you’ll feel next week when the scale shows you might have gained some because you weren’t careful with your diet. We know perfectly well we’ll regret the action, but we don’t focus on that and we don’t focus on why we’ll regret it later on. It’s how we’re able to talk ourselves into so many sins. By selective focus.

Oddly enough, this very “mind trick” — the selective focus — is what we need to do the right thing. Only we need to reverse it. We need to see the big picture, and all the consequences. We need to care about the eternal impact, rather than what happens in the here and now. But how to change your mindset from focusing on the immediate and instead focusing on the things of God — well, that’s the real challenge. We can only do that with the help of the Holy Spirit.

The chief priests, scribes, and elders mocked Jesus when he was on the cross. In verse 42 they say, “Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him.” It’s a lie, of course. Even if Jesus had come down from the cross at that moment, they would not have believed in him. But what strikes me about this comment is that they are trying to dictate what kind of “proof” the Messiah must give in order for them to believe in him. He must be able to escape from wicked men. He must be able to thwart Roman justice. He must do something supernatural in order to free his body from the cross. He must be able to save his own life. And yet — all this supposed “proof” is so much less than what God really did. God raised Christ from the grave. He could have let Jesus come down from the cross and wave his hand to send the Roman soldiers away — but He had in mind a much greater purpose.

I suppose this comment shows me just how very small the vision of God and the Messiah held by the chief priests, scribes, and elders was. Even in taunting Jesus, they thought saving his own life was the biggest and best thing he could do. They also thought by killing him they were defeating Jesus.

Verse 63 strikes me as ironic (“Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’ ”). After all the lies the chief priests and Pharisees solicited about Jesus trying to find a way to condemn him to death, they actually remembered something that Jesus said that was true? Not only that, but they remembered something that Jesus’ own disciples didn’t even remember, despite being told about it several times in advance. Still, because Jesus’ enemies remembered these words, they actually made the proof of his resurrection even stronger.

What a view we have of God in Psalm 24! The King of glory. The LORD of hosts. Strong and mighty, mighty in battle. Owner of the world. Creator of all. Holy, pure, and righteous.

We live in a time of relative peace. And so I find it harder to relate to God as a military commander — as the one who leads armies and multitudes. But David was a fighter. He was a soldier for much of his life. And I’m sure this aspect of God’s character was very important to David. But it’s something that I need to learn. Because our current peace is temporary. The war is not over. There is still a great battle to come, as all our end time prophecy makes clear. Thankfully, however, our God is triumphant. He is victorious. He is the King of glory.

Father God, thank you that you are the King of glory and mighty in battle — the LORD of hosts. We are secure in your power and your triumph. Thank you that you had a vision for something so much greater than the Pharisees could imagine — you chose to defeat death and sin and every spiritual force that tries to separate us from you. Thank you for raising Jesus Christ from the grave. Thank you that Jesus lives today, and that he ever intercedes for us. Thank you for your deep and steadfast love. In Jesus’ name, Amen.