August 19 ▪ Day 231

Scripture Readings

Proverbs 21:23
Joshua 3–4
Mark 11
Psalms 47

Verse Focus (Proverbs 21:23)

Those who guard their mouths and their tongues
     keep themselves from calamity.

Meditation

Proverbs 21:23 says, in the NKJV, “Whoever guards his mouth and his tongue keeps his soul from troubles.” Short, sweet, and to the point.

It’s curious, though, that we have both “mouth” and “tongue” that should be guarded. Perhaps the mouth indicates both appetite as well as speech. Metaphorically, the mouth can refer to what we consume — whether that is food, or entertainment, or our values.

I like what the Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament says about this verse. “He guardeth his mouth who does not speak when he does better to be silent; and he guardeth his tongue who says no more than is right and fitting.” They interpret the mouth as speech itself, and the tongue as the content of that speech.

The NIV uses the word “calamity” instead of “troubles.” The Hebrew word, tsarah, is often translated as “distress.” It can also mean adversity, affliction, anguish, tribulation, or even adversary. One presumes that what you say is what gets you into this trouble. Your words must spark something in other people; trouble is the result. I suppose it might even be God who is responding to your words. If your words are particularly arrogant or foolish, He may decide to arrange circumstances to humble you.

Jesus said in Matthew 15:10-15 that it is what is inside your heart that comes out of your mouth that causes you to be defiled. He cited evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander as things that defile us when they come out of our mouths — it is no wonder that trouble is the result!

Father God, help us to keep a guard on our mouths and tongues. May your Holy Spirit cleanse our hearts and keep us from being defiled by what comes out in our speech. May we speak encouraging and edifying words by your grace. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Joshua 3 and 4 tells the story of the Israelites’ journey into Canaan. Just as God parted the Red Sea to allow them to escape from the Egyptians, so He parted the Jordan River for them to enter into the Promised Land. A new generation gets to see and experience the terrifying power of the LORD God of Israel. There is symmetry to these miracles.

The parting of the Jordan River not only exalts Joshua in the eyes of the Israelites, but it is proof positive of the greatness of the LORD and the rightness of their mission. Entering into Canaan clearly has divine sanction. After all, the waters started piling up when the Ark of the Covenant began to enter the river. Although this generation had grown up with the stories of the Exodus, many of the miraculous events of those days had been witnessed by their parents rather than by themselves. So this miracle would sustain their spirits in all the days to come.

It was as I was reading these chapters today that I realized — for perhaps the first time — that the Jordan River was actually flooding when this miracle occurred. It wasn’t like the water was running low. If anything, it was more torrential and dangerous and probably seemed even more impossible for an event like this to occur. The water heaped up at Adam, which commentators believe was about 30 miles upriver from Jericho.

Joshua 4:19 tells us that they came across the riverbed on the tenth day of the first month. This is almost an exact anniversary of the Exodus from Egypt. God timed things so that they would be able to celebrate Passover — the actual exact anniversary — in the Promised Land within just a few days of their arrival.

The LORD tells Joshua to have a man from each tribe bring out a memorial stone from the middle of the Jordan River. The stones are set up at Gilgal. It strikes me how significant this will be for future generations. Even though all Israel crossed the riverbed, those who come later will be able to point to the stone carried by their tribesman and they will feel a connection to the events of this day.

As I was reading the familiar stories in Mark chapter 11, I noticed a verse that had never stood out to me before. The verse occurs as the chapter tells us how Jesus cleaned out the temple of the money changers and those who were selling livestock. Verse 16 says, “And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple.” This puzzled me. What? My first rather confused thought had to do with the Sabbath injunctions against carrying things. But this was not the Sabbath day. So what was going on? A few commentators pointed out the obvious. The temple was large. And ordinary work folk were using the temple as a shortcut through the city. It took much more effort to go around the temple, and so the priests allowed servants and other laborers laden with heavy items to go through the temple. Jesus stopped them from doing this since the workmen were treating the sacred temple as if it were common and ordinary.

Since we don’t have a temple like the Pharisees did, I don’t think I’ve given a lot of thought to this particular incident and its implications for us today. Of course, our churches do not often have bazaars going on during a Sunday service, so the problem of buying and selling isn’t one that we typically face. But as I think about the workmen being stopped from traversing the temple, I think about the sacredness of that place. And I think it honors God if the places we go to meet him are protected from the ordinary business of making a living.

I’ve heard Christians recommend having a special spot for your quiet times, but haven’t considered why this might be important. And I don’t think it’s necessary, per se, to have a place that is only reserved for your quiet times. But if we did do that, maybe it’s something that will help us. If I have my quiet time at the same desk where I handle my bills and other paperwork, would it be any surprise if my mind got distracted while praying? I’m not talking about bringing your financial concerns to the LORD in prayer. Obviously, one wants to do this. But if your environment tempts you to do things other than read, meditate, and pray, perhaps you need to find a more hallowed spot.

The other thing verse 16 brings to mind is that the workmen had no sense of the sacred in what they were doing. The temple wasn’t God’s house; it was just a thoroughfare as far as they were concerned. Yet God’s temple is now inside of us. So maybe the point isn’t that we need to separate ourselves from daily activities when we meet with God, so much that we need to be aware that God is present in everything that we do.

Recently I commented a bit on the mixture of faith and doubt that exists within all of us. Jesus speaks about this very topic with the disciples after they see how the fig tree has withered. In verses 22 to 24, Jesus tells them to have faith in God. Those who have faith without doubt may tell a mountain to move into the sea, and it will happen for them. In verse 24, Jesus says, “Whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

In some ways, this passage only confirms that we lack sufficient faith. We imagine being able to have the kind of faith without doubt that can move mountains, and our hearts quail. When I think about moving a mountain into the sea, I believe that God can do that. My head knows that He has the power and the ability to do miraculous things. But my heart isn’t fully convinced. And even my head isn’t fully convinced because I doubt that God would want to throw the mountain into the sea. Certainly not for what amounts to a petty test on my part (since I have no real desire for the mountain to be moved, either).

But the real problem about faith and doubt is, I think, because we misinterpret these verses. We think that it is our faith in the event or item that needs to be without doubt. Rather, it is our faith in God that is critical. The strength doesn’t come from our faith or from our lack of doubt; it comes from God. Always the belief is in God. When you believe that you have received something you have asked for in prayer, you believe not in receiving the item but in God who gives the item.

Psalm 47 exhorts us to clap, shout, and sing praises to God who rules over all the nations. Verse 2 tells us, “For the LORD, the Most High, is to be feared.” Scripture frequently commands us to fear the LORD, but we’re not always sure what that means. Does it simply mean to feel reverence for God? To be in awe of Him? Certainly that is a big part of what it means to fear God, although I believe there’s more to it than that.

Today, however, I had an insight as I read this psalm. To fear God means to celebrate Him for His power and His sovereignty. The psalm commands us to sing praises, to clap and shout loud songs of joy — this is how we fear the LORD Most High!

Father God, thank you that you are the living God. Thank you that you are sovereign. Thank you that you are in control. May we celebrate your holiness and greatness; may we worship you in song. Thank you for the miracles you performed as you brought the Israelites into the Promised Land. Thank you for the miracles you performed through Jesus. Help us to have more and more faith in you. Remove our doubts. Work in our lives what is pleasing to you, through Jesus Christ. Amen.