Scripture Readings
Proverbs 22:3
Joshua 15–16
I Corinthians 1–2
Psalms 53
Verse Focus (Proverbs 22:3)
The prudent see danger and take refuge,
but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.
Meditation
Our verse focus today is Proverbs 22:3, which says, in the NIV, “The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.” Last year I was reading this proverb at a point when we were more than six months into the COVID-19 pandemic. I couldn’t help but interpret this proverb from within that context. So I think of the prudent — those who wear masks and avoid large gatherings — and I think of the simple — those who take no precautions and who consequently get ill — and I shake my head at the painful truth of this proverb. I have probably read this proverb more than a dozen times since then, but each time I think about the pandemic and consider the need for wisdom in public health.
Of course, this is merely one illustration of the proverb — but the beauty of Proverbs and the beauty of this verse is that it holds wisdom for many situations, not just my own particular circumstances. Charles John Ellicott (1819-1905) is known for his Bible commentary; it has become another public-domain resource for believers. As Ellicott interprets this proverb, he sees Noah and the ark, the Israelites on that first Passover, as well as the Christians who escaped to Pella before the fall of Jerusalem as examples of the prudent finding refuge.
Lord, please make us wise and prudent; keep us from being foolish or simple in our actions. Help us to recognize approaching danger and take refuge in you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Joshua chapter 15 details the inheritance given to the tribe of Judah. If you recall from the second census that was done just before the Israelites entered the Promised Land (Numbers 26), Judah was the largest of all the tribes. So, of course, even though the land distribution was by lot, they ended up with a very large portion of land.
Personally, I find this type of chapter very difficult to read. The place names mean almost nothing to me. I’m sure if I was familiar with the territory I’d find it much more interesting. For example, if it was describing places in the Pacific Northwest I’d feel some sense of recognition and kinship to what was being described. For reading through these later chapters in the book of Joshua, it can be helpful to dig up a Bible map of the different tribes’ territories. (But I must confess that sometimes that just feels like too much effort!)
Chapter 15 again mentions the inheritance given to Caleb. And there is a curious little story here about how Caleb fights against the giants and the Canaanites in his territory. As part of his efforts to claim the land, he promises his daughter in marriage to whoever is able to capture the city of Debir (formerly known as Kiriath-sepher). Caleb’s nephew Othniel is the one who is victorious. And when Caleb’s daughter Achsah is given to her cousin in marriage, she urges her new husband to ask for land from Caleb. It’s not clear if he was meant to ask for land in addition to the land from Achsah’s dowry or not; the text also does not tell us what Othniel chose to do. However, we do learn that Achsah asks for a “blessing (v. 19)” — a gift of land that includes fresh water springs. Caleb grants her request, and the young couple receive the “upper springs and the lower springs (v. 19).”
This story is the kind of oddity that bears further thought. At its simplest, we see a daughter asking for a boon from a father who loves her. And she receives the boon, simply by asking. I think that is part of what is so significant about this story. She received because she asked. Although the land from her dowry was in dry, desert land and would likely need to be irrigated, the text doesn’t show her trying to persuade her father as to why they needed the springs. She just asks. It makes me wonder how many blessings the Father is waiting to bestow on us, waiting for us to simply ask Him.
Chapter 16 details the inheritance for the sons of Joseph — Ephraim and the half tribe of Manasseh. (As you recall, the first half of the tribe of Manasseh received their inheritance on the eastern side of the Jordan River.)
Both chapters also detail the failure of the Israelites to fully drive out the Canaanites in their territories. The tribe of Judah was not able to drive out the Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and verse 15:63 tells us that “the Jebusites dwell with the people of Judah at Jerusalem to this day.” Some commentators believe this simply means that the book of Joshua was written before David took over Jerusalem; however, 1 Kings 9:20 indicates that there were still some Jebusites that become slaves during Solomon’s reign. Verse 10 in chapter 16 also notes that the tribe of Ephraim was not able to drive out the Canaanites from Gezer.
Today we begin reading the book of 1 Corinthians again. There is always so much to grasp in Paul’s letters! But just like Philemon, which we read yesterday, I appreciate how Paul begins his letter by giving thanks for the Corinthian believers.
In chapter 1, as Paul discusses the difference between earthly wisdom and godly wisdom, and as he addresses the divisions in the church at Corinth, I am struck particularly by what he says in verse 7. He says, “You are not lacking in any gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Of course he says a lot of other things, too — it’s all one huge run-on sentence in verses 4 through 8 (at least in how the Greek was written — some of the modern translations break it up into more sentences to make it easier for us to read). Paul concludes this train of thought with the words in verse 9, saying, “God is faithful.”
The point, for me, is that the Corinthians need have no fear that those who have followed different leaders might somehow be missing out on essential matters of faith. Nor do they need to fear that they possess the wrong type of wisdom. Here, even before doubts might set in, Paul makes it very clear that God has already gifted them with all that they need. And God is faithful. Jesus is the one who will sustain us “to the end (v. 8).” Our salvation and our faith are secure in the power of God.
Chapter 1 discusses how most of us were quite ordinary people when we were called. God uses the weak, the lowly, and the despised to shame those who pride themselves in their wisdom, nobility, or strength. Ultimately, no human being will be able to boast of his or her own merit in the presence of God. Those who boast should boast of the Lord, and His greatness.
Even though from the perspective of history, Paul seems like quite an extraordinary person, that is not the way he viewed himself. As chapter 2 makes clear, he attributes his success in preaching to the power of God. By his own estimation, he did not preach “with lofty speech or wisdom (v. 1).” Instead, he appeared “in weakness and in fear and much trembling (v. 3).” As Paul confesses his own weakness, it gives him an opportunity to explain how the Spirit gives us what we need to be effective in ministry and to understand spiritual things.
Psalm 53, by virtue of its close repetition of Psalm 14, reinforces the message that there is no one righteous before God. In some ways, it is another way of looking at what Paul was talking about in 1 Corinthians 1:29 — there is no basis for humans to boast of themselves before God because there is nothing worthy in unredeemed humanity.
As I read the psalm today, I am struck by the first part of verse 6. The psalmist cries, “Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!” This is the plea for God’s Messiah to come. And it is the only solution to the corruption the psalmist sees everywhere. No one seeks God. No one does good. There is none righteous. There is only a desperate need of the Savior. Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
Father God, I’m so thankful that Jesus came to save us from our sins. In Jesus, I have everything necessary. I am not lacking in any gifts for salvation. But the story about Achsah suggests that we might receive additional blessings from you if we ask for them. Achsah’s request was also very specific. Help us to bring our hopes and our concerns to you, and do not let us be afraid to be specific. We long for the Holy Spirit to fill us with streams of water in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Today’s verses from Joshua are out of the ordinary, as they describe an independent and shrewd woman, Caleb’s daughter. It seems rather Neanderthal that Caleb’s daughter is promised, in marriage, to whomever conquers the town noted. But, I suppose Caleb’s decision assured his daughter of some level of security. Her husband would be strong, healthy, courageous, a leader, and able to carry out a plan, envisioning pitfalls. Caleb’s daughter and her husband appear to be successful, at least as a team, with him asking for land and her, for stream rights. That she comes to Caleb on a donkey, suggests respect for her father, yet she is a strong, hard-working woman, herself, not hanging back with her maids and leaving all of the business dealings to her husband. By gaining land, and water rights, she secures hope for her family and security for her children and theirs. It remi ds me of Jesus’s words, I recently read in another devotional; Jesus says, “you ask, but you don’t have.”