Scripture Readings
Proverbs 22:13
Judges 5–6
I Corinthians 15–16
Psalms 60
Verse Focus (Proverbs 22:13)
The sluggard says, “There’s a lion outside!
I’ll be killed in the public square!”
Meditation
Our verse of the day, Proverbs 22:13, uses a bit of humor to describe the plight of the lazy. “The sluggard says, ‛There’s a lion outside! I’ll be killed in the public square!’ ” The scenario is so outrageous, we can’t help but laugh at the distorted thinking of the sluggard. Yes, lions exist. And, yes, they are dangerous. But the chances of finding one inside the public square of a populated area are remote, indeed.
In this example, we see that the sluggard in his folly is almost completely out of touch with reality. The danger is so exaggerated; it’s completely ludicrous. Now I don’t think that all sluggards fear lions, but if we were to examine a sluggard’s reasons for not working I believe we’d find thinking that is just as distorted as this example.
This brings up the question of whether or not all foolishness involves a degree of self-deception. When I’m tempted not to work — even when I know that my laziness is really at the root of it — I can sometimes convince myself that I’m not well enough to work. “Oh, I’ve been feeling so poorly for the last few days! If only I could rest more. If this gastrointestinal distress would just go away, and if my headache were to subside — then, I could work.”
By definition, folly is a lack of good sense. A fool has poor judgment, and his or her reason is askew. Sluggards are but one category of fool. Whether the sluggard becomes foolish because he or she indulges the temptation to be lazy, or whether a person’s foolishness simply manifests as laziness — it’s kind of a chicken-and-egg conundrum. Who knows which came first? But just as Scripture warns us of the danger of sloth, it also tells us of the solution: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding (Proverbs 9:10).”
Father God, please keep us from folly. Open our eyes to see where our thinking has become distorted. Give us the strength to persevere and to do what is right. Do not let us succumb to the siren call of laziness. Through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
Our reading in the book of Judges today concludes the story of Deborah and Barak, and begins the story of Gideon. Chapter 5 contains the Song of Deborah and Barak. As I mentioned a couple of days ago, this song was probably originally composed soon after the events of this conflict. Even in the English translation, you can see how the wording and syntax in the song’s poetry is very different from the other chapters in Judges.
The song gives praise to God, and also praises several of the tribes for their efforts in subduing the Canaanites who were under King Jabin of Hazor. Ephraim, Benjamin, Makir (Manesseh), Zebulun, Issachar (Deborah’s tribe), and Naphtali (Barak’s tribe) are all lauded. However, the song also chides several of the tribes for their lack of help. Dan stayed with his ships. Reuben (Gilead) only thought about helping but never actually did anything. And Asher also stayed behind. There is no mention of Gad, Judah, or Simeon.
I looked up a map to help understand the conflict better. The pictured image, copyright by ConformingtoJesus.com, and used with permission on this blog (but not permitted to use should this meditation ever be published traditionally), shows that the city of Hazor is in the very northern end of Canaan. The tribes most affected were Naphtali, Zebulun, and Issachur — but Asher’s non-involvement is quite puzzling. However, perhaps it related to the geography… a topographical map shows that there was a mountainous region in Naphtali, so perhaps Asher felt more separated from the conflict.
In Judges 6, it is now the Midianites who are oppressing Israel. In terms of geography, Midian would be off of our pictured map, somewhere below Edom (in modern terms, Midian would be located in northwest Saudi Arabia). For seven years, Israel suffered under raids and invasions, destruction of crops and livestock. The people likely suffered under a man-made famine. And so they cry out to the LORD for help.
Interestingly, the Scripture tells us that the first thing God does is send them a prophet (v. 8). Before He raises up a judge to save them, the LORD wants the people to understand why things have gone wrong — because they have not obeyed God’s voice.
As the story of Gideon begins, we find him hiding inside a winepress to thresh wheat — he does not want the Midianites to swoop in and steal the grain. Gideon’s actions demonstrate the fear that they were all living under. Yet when the angel of the LORD greets Gideon he says, “The LORD is with you, O mighty man of valor (v. 12).”
I’m sure Gideon must have felt a bit like he was being mocked. But this illustrates how God sees us from outside of time. In God’s eyes, Gideon had already saved Israel and had already fought against the Midianites and won. And so the angel commands Gideon to go. “Am I not sending you?” the angel asks in verse 14 — as if that settles everything.
Gideon’s interactions with the angel of the LORD are instructive to us. He asks questions. He is polite. But confused. Like Mary, he asks — how can this be? He is the least in his tribe. The angel reassures him, “I will be with you (v. 16).” And so Gideon prepares an offering for the messenger. When the fire consumes the offering and the angel vanishes, Gideon realizes that he really has been speaking with the LORD God. He is terrified. But God reassures him and communicates with him even though Gideon no longer sees a physical being present. Peace. Do not fear. You shall not die.
Although the promise that he would not die refers to Gideon’s immediate fear of having been in the presence of the LORD, I’m sure he took comfort in those words as he fulfills the other commands — to tear down the altar of Baal and the Asherah pole. It only adds to the drama when we learn that these places of idol worship belong to Gideon’s father. Yet when the townsfolk want to kill Gideon for desecrating the altar of Baal and the Asherah pole, it is his father who defends him. He says that if Baal is truly a god then he can defend himself — and so Gideon gains the nickname Jerubbael, meaning “Let Baal contend with him (v. 32).”
Despite being a “man of valor,” Gideon was actually quite timid. And three times in chapter 6, Gideon asks for a sign from God as proof that the LORD is really there and that He will really go with him in battle. There is the offering to the angel, and two different miraculous episodes with the fleece. But God is patient, and He gives Gideon the signs he needs.
What are we to think about this? We know that Scripture tells us that we are not to test the LORD our God (Deuteronomy 6:16). The Israelites were criticized for putting God to the test in the wilderness by doubting that He could supply them with water; they also craved and demanded meat. But the Israelites had a distinct advantage over Gideon. They had already experienced the greatness of God’s power in the Exodus; God had already shown Himself mighty and faithful. Gideon did not have such experiential knowledge of the LORD’s faithfulness. He knew the stories of how God had worked in the past. He wanted to believe and he was willing to obey — he just wanted to be sure that this was really God.
So I think this chapter tells us that it’s okay to question. If our faith isn’t strong enough, we can ask for God to make it stronger — to provide a sign to help us believe. But we should be asking in humility, rather than in arrogance. And we must be willing to act once God shows us the truth.
We conclude reading 1 Corinthians today. Chapter 15 covers Jesus’ resurrection and how it is the very foundation of our faith. As Paul writes in verse 14, “If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.” When I first became a Christian, I didn’t understand the importance of Jesus being raised from the dead. And I think many believers today don’t understand that the questions of life and death are critical — instead, they think of having faith as being a good or moral person.
Don’t get me wrong. It is good to have a basis for morality. But at some point, every Christian must come to terms with the reality of Jesus’ resurrection. True, faith grows differently for each one of us, and we come to God from different backgrounds and with different needs. But as your faith grows, so must your understanding about what happened when Jesus was on the cross.
Chapter 16 concludes the letter with reminders to pay attention to your finances, to set aside money for charity, and to do everything in love. In verse 9, Paul writes, “A wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.” It strikes me that these two things are often hand in hand — the potential for effective ministry is most often accompanied by equally daunting obstacles. I think we forget this. We imagine that when God opens doors for us, He will also smooth the path and remove anything or anyone who might get in our way. And He does smooth the path for us — but that doesn’t necessarily mean that we won’t face opposition.
I am amused to find out that six months hasn’t made a lot of difference to how I read Psalm 60. As David writes this psalm, he feels like God has rejected them. He feels abandoned in battle. The land is quaking. They have seen desperate times; they are staggering because of current events. He prays that God will restore them. David remembers that God is the one who rules the nations. He knows that man’s efforts are “vain (v. 11).” And he recalls that God is the one who will rescue them; “it is he who will tread down our foes (v. 12).”
And as I read this psalm, I can’t help thinking of the Covid-19 pandemic and how it still plagues our nation and the world. The vaccine, which should have made things better, has not been the cure we had hoped it would be. Our society has only seen more fractures as vaccine mandates are put in place and restaurants and businesses start refusing service to the unvaccinated. And that’s just the pandemic. Racial tension has not gone away. There’s also increasing political differences — the country is split on how best to handle controversial topics such as abortion and same-sex relationships. Yes, we have seen “hard things (v. 3).” We are staggering. And many feel that God has rejected America.
Yet how we feel is not necessarily the truth of the matter. David did disappoint God on more than one occasion. Yet God did not abandon him. God was with David, even when things seemed challenging. And He is with us, too.
Father God, you are the one who is in charge. We don’t understand why things are so difficult, but we trust that you have plans to bring good out of all this chaos. Thank you that your Holy Spirit is moving even now to bring hearts back to you. We pray for your grace to be on all of us. Help us to bring your light and your word to those who are perishing. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
I love the verses where Gideon speaks to the Lord, with such respect, “Pardon me . . .” His attitude of servitude and subservience are unlike what we see from many others who have argued with God about His requests of them, such as Moses and Job. We can’t serve the Lord on our terms. We must worship and serve Him, on His terms.
How true – man’s efforts are in vain without the help and guidance of our God. Who and what are we turning to for our help and our salvation? Is it technology, is it “science”, is it political leaders (good grief I hope not). Once again I pray that a revival within the church is on the horizon and I am convicted knowing that I like all Christians are called to action – to be a part of that.