April 14 ▪ Day 104

Scripture Readings

Proverbs 15:17
Jeremiah 37–38
Acts 1
Psalms 104

Verse Focus (Proverbs 15:17)

Better a small serving of vegetables with love
     than a fattened calf with hatred.

Meditation

Today’s verse focus is a companion to the one we read yesterday. Proverbs 15:17 tells us, in the NRSV, “Better is a dinner of vegetables where love is than a fatted ox and hatred with it.” It is a more specific image than yesterday’s proverb that told us that “a little with the fear of the LORD” was better than “great wealth with turmoil.” Here, we have an image almost of poverty — the family that can’t afford meat, fat, or even fruit ends up eating salad. It would be a dismal picture indeed if it weren’t for that all-important ingredient — love.

I like this proverb because it’s a more vivid picture of what it’s like to have “a little.” In America, we have such a disparity between the wealthy and the poor that it’s easy for those in the middle class to feel more impoverished than they actually are. When I look at those who have wealth, I think of myself as having only a little — and yet, I always have plenty of food. The times that I had to live on peanut butter and noodles were pretty rare, and of short duration.

How can one enjoy an expensive meal when there is strife? You either lose your appetite entirely, or end up with indigestion. But in the same way that negative emotions can ruin a meal, positive emotions can make an ordinary dinner into something extraordinary.

Father God, let us never take love for granted. May your love, and the love of family and friends, always be present when we eat. Help us to make love a priority in all that we do. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

With today’s reading in Jeremiah, we jump back to the history of the final days of the kingdom of Judah. The last king, Zedekiah, sends two men to Jeremiah to ask him to pray for them. The Babylonians had just broken off their siege of Jerusalem to go fight the Egyptians. It must have been a time of hope — hope that their Egyptian allies would prevail, hope that this would be the end of the Babylonian threat. But the message the LORD has Jeremiah send back is not encouraging. He tells them that the Babylonians will come back and the city will burn.

As chapter 37 continues, Jeremiah sets out to go see to his property — presumably the property that he purchased from a cousin in Jeremiah 32. If so, he would have been taking a short trip to Anathoth, just three miles away from Jerusalem. It might have seemed safe enough since the Babylonians had retreated. However, one of the guards accuses Jeremiah of defecting to the Babylonians and so Jeremiah is arrested, beaten, and thrown into a dungeon for “many days (v. 16).”

But then Zedekiah sends for Jeremiah again, hoping to hear better news from the LORD. Of course, the word is not better — Jeremiah tells Zedekiah that he will be handed over to the king of Babylon. He more or less says “I told you so,” when he asks the king what happened to all the prophets who were saying that the Babylonians would not come against them (v. 19). But then Jeremiah pleads not to be sent back to the prison to die. Zedekiah gives orders that Jeremiah instead will be confined to the guards’ courtyard; he also orders that he be given bread so long as bread is available.

Chapter 38 continues the history of Jerusalem’s last days. Jeremiah continues prophesying, but what he says angers some of the officials. (Verse 1 mentions two men named Pashhur; however, neither are the same as the priest Passhur who threw Jeremiah into the stocks in Jeremiah 20.) The officials call for Jeremiah to be killed since he is demoralizing the people. King Zedekiah does not stand up against the officials. He tells them to do what they want since “the king is powerless against you (v. 5).” And so they put Jeremiah in the bottom of an empty cistern that is in the guards’ courtyard.

Zedekiah’s comment that he was powerless is curious. Perhaps he is remembering what happened to Jehoiakim, or perhaps he never felt like his throne was secure since he was not in the original line of Davidic succession. At any rate, he does not directly oppose the officials. Later on, however, he does give his Ethiopian servant Ebed-melech permission to rescue Jeremiah — which Ebed-melech does.

As chapter 38 concludes, Zedekiah seeks out Jeremiah for a third time. Jeremiah tells him that if Zedekiah surrenders, he and his house will live — and Jerusalem will not be burned with fire. But if he refuses to surrender, he will not escape the Babylonians and the city will burn. Zedekiah tells Jeremiah that he is afraid, but Jeremiah reassures him that if he obeys the LORD, it will go well for him. Zedekiah then commands Jeremiah on pain of death not to reveal their conversation to anyone else.

Sure enough, the officials come to question Jeremiah about why he was speaking with the king. And Jeremiah lies in accordance with what the king had commanded him (v. 27).

Chapter 38 gives a very different picture of Zedekiah than we saw earlier. Before, he was convinced that Egypt would save them and he believed that Babylon would not be a problem. But Jeremiah’s prophecies are starting to come true. And so Zedekiah repeatedly seeks help from Jeremiah. We no longer see a confident king, but a very weak king — one who is frightened to contradict or go against what the other officials believe. Zedekiah is beginning to believe the word of the LORD, but the leadership is divided.

Today we being reading the book of Acts, a companion volume to the gospel of Luke. Although usually just shortened to Acts, the full title of the book is The Acts of the Apostles. Here we have an account of the early church, from its infancy in Jerusalem to its spread across the continent. The author is the same person who wrote the gospel of Luke — Luke the physician, companion to Paul on his missionary journeys. Most date the writing of this book to about 80 or 90 A.D., although some date it a decade or so later. Like the gospel, this was written more to a Gentile audience than a Jewish one. The book is also addressed to Theophilus, which, as you recall means “lover of God.”

Acts 1 begins by giving Jesus’ final commands — to wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit and afterward to be his witnesses from Jerusalem out to the ends of the earth. As the apostles watch, Jesus is taken up into the skies until a cloud hides him from view. Two “men in white robes (v. 10)” — presumably angels — confirm that Jesus has been taken up into heaven.

Even though Luke skips very quickly over what Jesus did before he ascended into heaven, he does mention that Jesus was there for 40 days preaching about the kingdom of God and giving “many convincing proofs (v. 3)” of his resurrection. I was struck by the question that the apostles ask in verse 6. They are all together, and they ask Jesus, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” They understand that Jesus is the Messiah, they know he was raised from the dead — and yet their vision is still myopic. They do not yet have a clue about how the kingdom of God will grow and expand.

While the disciples wait in Jerusalem for the gift of the Holy Spirit, they were “constantly devoting themselves to prayer (v. 14).” They also decide that they must choose another apostle to replace Judas. Two men are put forward as candidates — “Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also known as Justus, and Matthias (v. 23).” Both of these men had been disciples of Jesus for the past three years, even if they had not been part of the inner circle. The apostles pray over the two men, and then cast lots. Matthias is chosen to replace Judas.

Even though the world no longer waits for the gift of the Holy Spirit, there are many times when we feel like we are in a holding pattern as we wait for direction from God. What the apostles did as they waited serves as a model for us — first, they prayed. Constantly. And then they got themselves ready to act by filling in an open spot in the leadership. They didn’t make plans or go anywhere. But they did pray, and they made sure their team was full. If you are waiting on God, ask God if part of the wait might be because someone needs to join you — perhaps joining you in prayer, if not necessarily for your future ministry.

Psalm 104 begins in the very same way that Psalm 103 ended: “Bless the LORD, O my soul.” I love the synchronicity of these words! It predisposes me to love this psalm. Yet in Psalm 104 the focus is on God as the Creator and Provider. It is a beautiful psalm, poetic and full of images.

Some of my favorite verses are 31 and 33. “Let the glory of the LORD endure forever; let the LORD be glad in His works. I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.” I know a song that is set to these words, so of course that biases me. 🙂

But there are new favorites, too — every reading of the psalm highlights a new image or phrase. Lately I have been captured by the words in verse 2 about how God “wraps himself in light as with a garment.” Amen!

Father God, you are so majestic! I praise you and thank you for all the creatures you have made and how you give life and breath and food to all of us. May I always rejoice at the beauty in nature and praise you for making the heavens and the earth.

Father, I pray for your Holy Spirit to enlighten me. When I think of the apostles asking Jesus about whether this was the time to restore Israel, it makes me wonder in what ways I may be blind to your purposes. Lead me the way you want me to go. May I do those things that you call me to do. In Jesus’ name, Amen.