August 4 ▪ Day 216

Scripture Readings

Proverbs 20:22
Deuteronomy 19–20
Romans 13–14
Psalms 32

Verse Focus (Proverbs 20:22)

Do not say, “I’ll pay you back for this wrong!”
     Wait for the LORD, and he will avenge you.

Meditation

Today’s verse focus is Proverbs 20:22, which says, in the ESV, “Do not say, ‘I will repay evil’; wait for the LORD, and he will deliver you.” This reminds me of what we read in Romans just yesterday. Romans 12:19 says, “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ ” Vengeance is mine, I will repay comes from Deuteronomy 32:35.

It’s such a human instinct, the desire to pay someone back for the wrong they have done to you. You hurt me; I’ll hurt you. Tit for tat. It’s so ingrained within us. Is it sin? Possibly not sin to feel that way, but definitely sinful to act upon those feelings.

Jesus talked about this in the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew 5:39-41 says, “But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.”

Do not resist an evil person. Yikes! What Jesus asks us to do in the Sermon on the Mount feels unattainable; however, the proverb is an easier pill to swallow. Here, we don’t have to give up our dreams of vengeance — we only have to wait for the LORD to take care of things. Baby steps.

Father God, we long to be like Jesus. We want to love our enemies and be able to not resist those who are evil. Transform our hearts and minds. Help us not to desire payback. When we are hurt or wronged, may you comfort us and may we be content to let you do what is right. Thank you that you will deliver us — both from ourselves and others. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

In Deuteronomy 19, Moses repeats laws about cities of refuge. This is where someone may go for protection from the avenger of blood if a person is killed accidentally; however, those who kill maliciously will be handed over to the avenger of blood by the city elders. Moses tells them that “if the LORD your God enlarges your territory (v. 8),” then they must add three more cities of refuge.

The principle about needing more than one witness to establish a charge is mentioned again. This time, Moses also speaks about what will happen to someone who is a false witness. The judges shall “inquire diligently (v. 18),” and if they determine that someone has accused his brother falsely, “then you shall do to him as he had meant to do to his brother (v. 19).” Moses concludes this section by remarking in verse 19, “So you shall purge the evil from your midst.” This is becoming a common refrain in Deuteronomy. Laws of punishment are needed to keep the people as a whole from being contaminated.

Deuteronomy 20 covers various laws concerning warfare. When the Israelites go to war, the officers are to speak to the people and release any who have unfinished business at home, as well as release any who are fearful or fainthearted. Moses reminds them that the LORD God will go with them and fight for them.

When the Israelites go to fight against a city that is distant from their own land, they are first to offer terms of peace to the city. If terms are accepted, the Israelites shall subject the people to forced labor — but violence will be avoided. However, if the city does not accept the terms of peace, then the Israelites are to lay siege to the city. As they besiege a city, the Israelites are forbidden from destroying the trees around the city — and only trees that do not give food may be used to build siegeworks. Once they have won the city, the Israelites are to put all the men to death, but may take the women, children, and livestock as plunder.

Moses makes clear that this form of warfare is only for the peoples who are distant to the Israelites. Cities in Canaan are to be completely destroyed — men, women, children, and livestock.

In the past few days, I’ve come to realize that I’ve had some mistaken ideas about what God was doing in Canaan when He brought the Israelites into the Promised Land. Because the Israelites were commanded to completely destroy “the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites (Deuteronomy 7:1)” in battle, I thought that it was God’s intention to completely destroy these nations. But this is not what the Scripture actually says that God is doing.

Deuteronomy 9:4 says, “[It is] because of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD is driving them out before you.” In today’s reading, Deuteronomy 19:1 says “When the LORD your God cuts off the nations whose land the LORD your God is giving you, and you dispossess them and dwell in their cities and in their houses.…” Yes, God is allowing many of the inhabitants to be killed outright. But He is actually driving these nations out of this piece of land. He is dispossessing them — scattering them, not completely destroying them. By removing them from the land where they’ve been living, He disrupts the patterns of cult worship and He mixes them in with other lands and with other peoples — where, as a minority group, they may learn different ways of living. He may be allowing their kingdoms to die, but He is not wiping out all the people. It is, in many ways, similar to what God does later when the Israelites’ sins pile up — God allows another nation to scatter them. The Israelites are humbled, and they turn back to God.

God is still executing judgment on these seven nations. But only some are condemned to death. Others become refugees, and must flee to other lands — but they still live. And that’s okay. Because it wasn’t God’s intention to completely destroy these peoples, but to dispossess them and drive them away from the gods they worshiped in the high places.

Romans 13 teaches us that “there is no authority except from God (v. 1).” Therefore, we should submit to our governing authorities. We should not resist them. For those of us who live in a democracy, we have a bit more control over who our leaders are — but it’s more of an illusion than reality. The truth is, God is still the one who governs who wins and who loses. We may not have voted for the ones currently in office, we may not agree with their intentions and their actions, we may even think that our leaders are ruining our country — but God is still the one who put them in office. Did God make a mistake? If the leader is ungodly, does that free us from our obligation to submit? I don’t think so. I think Paul is pretty clear — God is sovereign, and we should submit to those He places in charge. If we feel that the country is headed in a bad direction, the solution is not to resist our rulers but to petition God to change our country and the hearts of those in it. I truly believe that prayer will have more impact than civil disobedience.

I especially like how Paul simplifies the law for us by telling us that it is all summed up in the one law, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself (v. 9).”

Just like six months ago, verse 11 strikes me: “You know the time — that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep.” I do feel like many believers are sleeping, and only half awake. How can the church as a whole not recognize the urgency of this time? As Paul says in verse 12, “The night is far gone; the day is at hand.” We must put on the Lord Jesus Christ and be ready.

Romans 14, verse 3 says, “Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats.” Although Paul wrote about the topic of eating meat sacrificed to idols, as I read this chapter today I was thinking about the issue of masking during the pandemic. To many people, including myself, it seems ludicrous that this has become a political issue rather than simply a matter of public health. But beyond even politics, it has become an issue that divides Christians. Some, like myself, feel that wearing a mask should be done for several reasons — out of common sense, out of respect for governmental authority, and out of consideration for the health of other people (not necessarily in that order). But others feel that there are issues of freedom and personal choice at stake; if we allow personal freedom to be diminished, religious freedoms may be next. For these people, the restrictions against church gatherings seem less about public health and more like veiled attacks on the Church itself.

The issue of masking has only gotten more complicated and more contentious in this time when many people are vaccinated, but there is a huge surge in cases because of the Delta variant (which is also affecting vaccinated people, if less strongly). Individual health concerns vary widely.

So as I read Paul’s words in verse 3 — “Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats” — I realize that I’ve been guilty of judging some of the Christians on the other side of the masking issue from where I stand myself. This is precisely the kind of situation Paul was talking about. Perhaps the other side are the “weaker” Christians. Or maybe I’m the weaker one. But we each submit ourselves to God, and live the best we can according to the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit. And I know God wants His people on both sides of this issue. He wants godly people to be a witness to other people who are also on both sides of the masking issue.

Psalm 32 is a wonderful psalm about God’s forgiveness. “Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered,” says David in verse 1. Truly, it is a wonderful blessing when God does not count iniquity against you. This is the blessing we receive through Jesus Christ.

David did not receive forgiveness until he confessed his sins to God. When he stopped hiding from God, and stopped trying to conceal his transgressions but instead confessed them to God — that’s when God forgave him. This is what we do, too. We confess Christ as our savior. We confess that we do not have sufficient righteousness on our own to merit salvation. We confess that we are unworthy. But we hold onto the forgiveness and salvation through Jesus Christ. And as we live with the Holy Spirit, we continue to confess our transgressions so that we may be cleansed and renewed.

Verse 6 stood out to me. “Therefore let everyone who is godly,” says David, “offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found.” At a time when God may be found. Obviously, this implies that there are times when God may not be found. Thus, the need for confession is urgent. God offers His grace to us. We must seek Him while we can. Now is the time of salvation; now is the time of grace. One day soon, it will be too late to ask for forgiveness. The day of judgment is coming — if we delay too long, we may lose our opportunity to take advantage of His grace.

Father God, thank you that you are near to us now. Thank you for your grace that you offer us freely through Christ Jesus. Thank you for forgiveness of sins, and for cleansing our hearts and our spirits. May I love you with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. May you help me to love others as myself. Forgive me for judging those who view the issue of masking differently than I do. Give me forbearance and understanding. I also pray that you will raise up godly leaders for our country, and that Christians will honor you and those you have placed in authority over us. Thank you for teaching me new things, and for giving me new understanding about what you were doing with the seven nations in Canaan. Continue to open my eyes to your Word. In Jesus’ name, Amen.