June 15 ▪ Day 166

Scripture Readings

Psalms 27:14
Job 27–28
Hebrews 3–4
Proverbs 16

Verse Focus (Psalms 27:14)

Wait for the LORD;
     be strong and take heart
     and wait for the LORD.

Meditation

Psalms 27:14 has long been a favorite verse of mine. As it says in the NIV, “Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.” The LORD is our rock, our fortress, and our defender. He is also our guide and our hope. So, why do we need to wait for Him? And why do we need courage in order to do so?

In some ways, the answers to these questions are obvious. God is the one who defends us. If we are in trouble, if we need help — God is the one, often the only one, who will give us the help we need. But He doesn’t act on our timeline. And when we face danger, it takes courage to wait for God to rescue us.

There are probably a million reasons why we wait on God. Safety is one reason. As is the universal — “I’m in a pickle — in a huge mess — my life needs to be straightened out.” We wait on God for direction, for the answers to prayer, for things to happen in our lives. We wait on particular blessings — a spouse, a baby, a new job. We wait to hear what God wants us to do. And sometimes we wait because we can no longer perceive God near us.

But no matter the reason why we are waiting, it is not something that we find easy to do. God is working for us, though, even when we think we are waiting. Perhaps He is developing patience in us. Or trust. Perhaps a longer wait will result in greater glory for Him. We may never learn what God’s reasons are for making us wait; on the other hand, in hindsight we’re often able to understand what some of those reasons were. The psalmist encourages us to wait in hope and wait with courage. And to wait expectantly — we recognize that we might be stuck, but we have faith that God will resolve things once He acts.

Father God, thank you for your steadfast love. Thank you for your help. Give us strength, patience, hope, and determination when we’re waiting on you. Increase our faith by your grace. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

In Job 27 and 28, Job continues his discourse. Yesterday, as we read in chapter 26, Job first used sarcasm to ridicule the “wisdom” of his friends since they were unable to advise or console Job in his troubles. But then Job began to speak of God’s unsearchable majesty. In realms beyond human experience, God sets limits and boundaries and directs the course of events. In chapter 27, Job declares that — so long as he continues to have breath from God — he will maintain his integrity.

Even though Job says that God has denied him justice and that the Almighty has made his life bitter (v. 2), he says, in verse 6, “I will maintain my innocence and never let go of it; my conscience will not reproach me as long as I live.” He wishes that his enemies might be like the godless or the unjust, for when God cuts them off they have no hope. Although he doesn’t come out and say this, Job implies that — even though he himself has been cut off — he still does have hope.

But not the wicked. The chapter turns to consider what kind of inheritance God gives to the wicked. Their children will die violently from the sword; any survivors will die of plague. Any wealth the wicked have will go to the righteous. Indeed, it sounds very much like what Job’s friends had said — with two small differences. First, Job’s friends had considered that Job himself was among the wicked and this was why misfortune had haunted him. The second difference is whether or not the wicked will experience the wrath of God in life or in death. Here, Job says that they will suddenly be “gone (v. 21).” It is not clear whether or not this refers to death, although in an earlier chapter Job had spoken about how some of the wicked go down to the grave in peace and security. Still, in this chapter Job makes clear that the wicked have no lasting legacy on earth.

Chapter 28 is a wonderful hymn to wisdom. Job says that with all man’s cleverness, mining precious metals and searching jewels out of the depths of the earth, he still does not know where wisdom may be found. Birds and animals do not know where wisdom is to be found. As verse 14 notes, “The deep says, ‘It is not in me,’ and the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’ ”

In fact, as precious as wisdom is, Job says in verse 13, “Man does not know its worth, and it is not found in the land of the living.” Wisdom cannot be bought or valued by currency or treasures. “Where then does wisdom come from? Where does understanding dwell?” Job asks in verse 20. Only God knows and understands.

As the chapter ends, in a verse reminiscent of Proverbs 1:7, God tells mankind in verse 28, “Behold, the fear of the LORD, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.”

In Hebrews 3, the writer begins by telling us that Jesus — “our apostle and high priest (v. 1)” — is far greater than Moses. Jesus has greater glory “as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself (v. 3).” Moses was faithful as a servant, the writer tells us, but Jesus was faithful as a Son (v. 6).

In the second half of the chapter, the writer warns us against the danger of unbelief. Using the quote from Psalm 95 (“Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion”), the writer speaks of the urgent need to hold fast to our faith in Christ Jesus. Verse 13 is pivotal. “But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called ‘Today,’ so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” As the chapter closes, the writer speaks of the Jews in the wilderness who were unable to enter the Promised Land “because of unbelief (v. 19).”

In Hebrews 4, the writer continues to warn believers against failing to enter into God’s rest. Indeed, the writer speaks of the Sabbath rest in the same way that we would speak of heaven. But Jesus is our high priest — one who is fully able to sympathize with our weaknesses — and as he is sinless, he is able to be our perfect mediator. The chapter ends with the verse 16 jewel, “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

There is a lot packed into these two chapters in Hebrews. The writer expounds a little bit more on the difference it makes because Jesus is God’s Son — he has more glory, and he is the perfect apostle. As God’s messenger, Jesus is able to communicate with us and show us the way to salvation. As high priest, he is perfectly and fully able to intercede for us.

The writer speaks of two distinct time periods — “Today” and the “Sabbath rest.” “Today” covers all of human history to date — the period where God is working through people and time to call us into obedience. But calling it “Today” is significant. Although it may not seem like it, the time period is brief. We don’t know when it will end and we only have this moment — today — to respond. The Sabbath rest will be in the future — it will be after judgment, after God sets all things under Jesus’ feet. Again, using the metaphor of the Sabbath to explain what the hereafter will be like is genius. For the Jewish people, trained in Sabbath observance from the giving of the law, it is a much better way to explain what it will be like to enter heaven. Plus, bundled in with the metaphor are a whole host of other associations — the fact that it takes obedience to the law to rest each week, and the understanding that Sabbath is all about one’s relationship to God.

As the writer of Hebrews speaks about faith and unbelief, we have an understanding of faith as choice and will. Those who hear the message must combine it with faith in order to be saved. In the warning to respond to God’s message while it is today, the writer speaks about our hearts becoming hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. This, again, is why we have Jesus — our high priest, one to whom we can confess our sins and through whom we have forgiveness of sins.

Finally, let’s not forget chapter 4, verse 12. A favorite verse long before I really understood the book of Hebrews, it speaks of the power of Scripture — and the power of Jesus. “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

Proverbs 16 has some favorite verses. I always end up highlighting verse 3, no matter what translation I happen to be reading. “Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established.” There is the rather infamous verse 19: “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” And verse 24 is another personal favorite: “Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.”

Today as I read through the chapter, two other verses caught my attention. Verse 4 says, in the ESV, “The LORD has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble.” I love this reminder in how purposeful creation is. God has plans for everyone and everything.

Verse 26 says, in the CSB, “A worker’s appetite works for him because his hunger urges him on.” I interpret this both literally and figuratively. Literally, the need to put food on the table can keep you working when you find your job tedious or boring or otherwise trying. Figuratively, it is our dreams and the things we hope for that enable us to persevere in our jobs and in a career. In the moment, things may not always be rosy with a particular job. But our “appetite” will help us to keep moving forward.

Father God, thank you that you have plans for everyone and everything. Thank you for sending us Jesus, your messenger, and our perfect high priest. Thank you that he is always able to intercede for us, and that we have the confidence through him to approach the throne of grace. Keep our hearts soft. Keep us close to you. Protect us from sin’s deceitfulness, and from others who would do us harm. Thank you for wisdom, and for the ability to find wisdom when we seek you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.