April 13 ▪ Day 103

Scripture Readings

Proverbs 15:16
Jeremiah 35–36
Philippians 3–4
Psalms 103

Verse Focus (Proverbs 15:16)

Better a little with the fear of the LORD
     than great wealth with turmoil.

Meditation

Proverbs 15:16 tells us, “Better is a little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble with it.” My experience with “great wealth” is limited to movies and television, but immediately I think of all the storylines that have dealt with the kinds of problems facing the ultra rich. The writers of such shows like to show us that being rich is not as wonderful as we think it might be. Children battle drug addiction with absentee parents, parents battle complex obligations related to their wealth, and everyone wonders whether or not they are valued for themselves or their pocketbooks. On top of that, there is no sympathy or empathy for the kinds of struggles the wealthy face — the rich end up isolated and burdened by the wealth that everyone else thinks is making their life easier.

Ecclesiastes 10:19 tells us that “money is the answer for everything.” It can certainly provide solutions and make things smoother, but money also brings trouble. I would even venture to say that the “turmoil” increases exponentially in relation to how much money you have. I have been a renter, and I have been a homeowner. And as much as I loved having my own property, being a homeowner brings a lot of headaches that one never has to face as a renter. Broken appliances, broken pipes, pressure from the neighbors to keep your lawn and gardens up to a certain standard, property taxes… the list of problems is nearly endless. As a renter, when my refrigerator died, I was able to place a call to the management office and get it replaced the same day. If I were a homeowner, I’d have to be much, much wealthier before I could have similar service for a broken appliance. But I have no doubt that the increase in wealth would bring additional headaches that someone with a moderate income never faces.

This is not to say that wealth is bad or that wealth will inevitably create turmoil. Wealth can and often does create turmoil — but there are problems with poverty, too. The key in either case is the fear of the LORD. Yet those who are poorer in material goods often are richer in spiritual matters. Jesus mentioned how difficult it is for the rich to find God. Perhaps it is the comforts that wealth can provide that make it harder to find God. Or perhaps there’s a stronger temptation to worship wealth when you are surrounded by it; after all, 1 Timothy 6:10 tells us that it is the love of money that is the root of all evil.

Father God, please help us to fear you and to be good stewards of the resources you give us. Let us not desire wealth for its own sake. Keep our hearts from being entangled by riches. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

In Jeremiah 35, the prophet uses a family that has been faithful to their forefather’s commandments to illustrate what it means to follow and obey. The Rechabites did not drink wine, live in houses, or farm because their ancestor Jonadab son of Rechab commanded them not to do so — the prohibition was linked to the promise that they would live in the land “many days” if they did this. And so his descendants were faithful to these commands, refusing the wine that they were offered in the temple. This was, of course, an occasion for Jeremiah to prophesy — God tells the Hebrews in verse 14, “But I myself have spoken to you persistently, and you have not obeyed me.” The LORD commends the Rechabites for their faithfulness and tells them in verse 19 that they “shall not lack a descendant to stand before me for all time.”

Chapter 36, and the incident with the Rechabites in chapter 35, both took place during the reign of King Jehoiakim. So we have backtracked in time about 17 years from the prophecy for Zedekiah recorded in the last chapter. It’s a bit confusing that the book of Jeremiah is not strictly chronological; obviously, the chapters were organized according to some other principle. King Jehoiakim, if you recall, was the second of the last four kings. He reigned 11 years, and died perhaps from being thrown over the wall to the Babylonian invaders.

In chapter 36, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim’s reign, Jeremiah is told to write down all the words he has received from the LORD onto a scroll. The LORD tells Jeremiah in verse 3 that “perhaps” when the people hear of their sins and the coming disaster, they may repent — so that then God might forgive them. Jeremiah gets help from Baruch to write the scroll, and Baruch records everything that Jeremiah tells him. Jeremiah instructs Baruch to go to the temple on a fast day and read aloud all the words of the scroll. Jeremiah mentions in verse 5 that he is “restricted” and cannot go to the temple — this was apparently a time while he was confined to the guards’ courtyard in the royal palace.

When Baruch does read the scroll out loud in the temple on the next fast day, it is now the fifth year and the ninth month of Jehoiakim’s reign. So it has been quite some time since Jeremiah was given the command to write the scroll. I do not believe the delay was because it took them a year or more to write it. My understanding is that, during this period of history, there were no set fast days for the Jews. The Day of Atonement (a once-a-year occurrence) is now celebrated as a fast day, but scholars believe this practice did not begin until after the Babylonian captivity. So, during the last days of the kingdom of Judah, a fast day would have been proclaimed only as they felt it was needed — if some kind of calamity or disaster threatened them.

So Baruch reads the scroll out loud in the temple, and then is invited to read it again to the officials in the temple. The officials — the NRSV calls them “princes” — are alarmed at the prophecies they hear. They decide this must be brought to the attention of the king. So they arrange to have Jeremiah’s scroll read to King Jehoiakim. The king and his servants, however, are not alarmed by God’s words (v. 24). In fact, Jehoiakim burns the scroll, piece by piece, until the whole thing is destroyed.

The Scripture mentions in verse 22 that it was winter-time when the king burned the scroll. This is significant, because war and sieges typically happened in summer. As I review the timeline of the Babylonian invasion, I realize that the fourth year of Jehoiakim’s reign was 605 BC, the year that Nebuchadnezzar defeated Pharaoh Neco — and thus the year that Judah came under the rule of the Babylonian Empire. Judah chafed at having to submit to Babylon, although Jehoiakim didn’t rebel until 601 BC. Since it was wintertime, there was no immediate threat of siege or warfare, but Jehoiakim may already have been considering rebelling from Babylon. If they did rebel, the people in Jerusalem would certainly expect the Babylonians to siege against them as soon as the warmer weather arrived. Indeed, it’s very possible that the fast day was proclaimed because of anxieties about Nebuchadnezzar and the very uneasy alliance they had.

Regardless of how the people felt, the king did not share their concerns about the political situation with Babylon. God directs Jeremiah to create another scroll to replace the one the king burned. And He declares that King Jehoiakim shall “have no one to sit upon the throne of David, and his dead body shall be cast out to the heat by day and the frost by night (v. 30).” The fact that the temple officials were responsive to the word of the LORD while the king was not lends credence to the oral tradition that says Jehoiakim’s own people deposed him and threw him over the wall to appease the Babylonians.

I love the conclusion to Jeremiah 36! The Scripture tells us that Jeremiah did indeed make a replacement scroll repeating all his earlier words, but then mentions that “many similar words were added to them.” The statement is amusing, but also comforting. God continues to try to reach his people by sending more and more prophecies through Jeremiah.

Chapters 3 and 4 of Philippians contain many, many verse gems. One day I’ll have to give up on highlighting, and just go ahead and memorize the chapters. For today, I will try to restrain myself from quoting nearly every verse. 🙂

Paul begins by reminding the Philippians to rejoice — clearly, he has mentioned rejoicing before (and he will mention it again in chapter 4), but he says it is a “safeguard” to repeat such messages.

As the saints worship God by His Spirit, Paul writes about placing “no confidence in the flesh.” This is a multi-layered concept. In one level of meaning, Paul is talking about circumcision and how the Jews’ saw this sign of the covenant — literally in their flesh — as granting them their special status as God’s chosen people. In another layer of meaning, Paul is talking about works righteousness in general. We should not be placing our hope of coming near to God in what we do, but in what Christ has done for us. In yet another layer of meaning, Paul is talking about having confidence in humankind. Do we trust man? Or do we trust God? Not just in terms of salvation, but for how we live while on earth?

Verses 7 through 12 have all been highlighted at one point or another. Verses 13 and 14 remain permanently highlighted. The exhortation to forget the past and to “press on” to win the prize always resonates. It’s particularly important for us to be able to let go of our mistakes and our sins, to accept the forgiveness that God offers through Jesus Christ, and to focus on that eternal future.

Philippians 4 is an encouraging chapter, but also an extremely practical one. Paul exhorts the Philippians to “stand firm” in the first verse, repeating the idea from verse 16 of the previous chapter. He repeats the command about rejoicing, and then repeats it again. In verses 6 and 7, Paul tells us how to deal with worry — through prayer and thanksgiving. The promise of God’s “peace that passes understanding” is one that believers have trusted in for millennia. And verse 8 gives practical directions for submitting your mind to Christ.

As Paul talks about his current situation, he says in verse 11 that he has “learned to be content” with whatever he has. Rich or poor, even well-fed or hungry — Paul is content through the strength Christ provides. Verse 13 is one of those gems that everyone highlights at one point or another. “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” The verse is often interpreted out of context, but I think the Spirit allows that depending on the believer’s circumstances.

Finally, the promise in verse 19 is one that I have relied on many times. “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” From emotional needs, to physical needs, to financial needs and more — God is able to supply us lavishly. Hallelujah!

Psalm 103 is a beloved hymn of thanksgiving and praise for God’s goodness to us. It is the perfect psalm for counting our blessings — remembering that we are forgiven, healed, redeemed, satisfied, and blessed. I always have such a sense of peace whenever I read this psalm! I love how the psalmist describes the greatness of God’s faithful love as like the height of the heavens above the earth. Even better is the description of our sins being removed from us “as far as the east is from the west (v. 12).”

Today as I read the psalm, it was verse 14 that stood out to me: “For he knows how we were made; he remembers that we are dust.”

As the psalm draws to an end, all creation is called to bless the LORD. Starting with the mighty angels and then heavenly host, the list winds down to conclude with the least of God’s creatures — myself. “Bless the LORD, O my soul.”

Father God, thank you for your steadfast love and for the complete redemption you offer us through Christ Jesus. Thank you that my sins are removed as far as the east is from the west. Thank you that whenever we are anxious, we can petition you with our needs. As we remember to give you thanks, you fill our hearts with the peace that surpasses all understanding — a peace that comes directly from you and is not connected to the situation causing us distress. Thank you for that. Help us always to rejoice in you through Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.