July 6 ▪ Day 187

Scripture Readings

Proverbs 18:20
Numbers 11–12
Matthew 6
Psalms 3

Verse Focus (Proverbs 18:20)

From the fruit of their mouth a person’s stomach is filled;
     with the harvest of their lips they are satisfied.

Meditation

Our verse focus today, Proverbs 18:20, is intriguing. The ESV says, “From the fruit of a man’s mouth his stomach is satisfied; he is satisfied by the yield of his lips.” To me, what is interesting about this proverb is that there is no mention of good or harm. Most proverbs about the tongue speak of the power to heal or to hurt. Yet this proverb only says that a person will be satisfied by the harvest of their speech.

You are satisfied if your speech is cutting. But you are also satisfied when your words are gentle and soothing. The Hebrew word being translated as “satisfied” also means to be sated, to be filled or fulfilled, or to be surfeited. So perhaps “satisfy” isn’t quite the right word — but to be full is. If your words are hateful, you may not be satisfied by those words but you will be full. To put it another way, you fill your soul with the stuff that comes out of your own mouth — good or bad, you yourself reap the consequences of your own speech.

Suddenly, praise and thanksgiving becomes even more important. It’s not just that God or another person needs to hear the gratefulness and praise; we need it because we refill our own coffers with what comes out of our mouths.

I am struck by how unusual this proverb is. Most warnings about the tongue discuss the impact of your speech on others — but this is all about the impact to yourself. We consume what we say. (Isn’t that a frightening thought?)

Perhaps you’ve heard the story about the two wolves. It is a tale that has been told many times. The story is sometimes attributed to the Cherokee Indians, or to the Eskimos, or to someone’s grandfather. The grandfather tells his grandson that there are two wolves inside him. One wolf is vicious, angry, and mean. The other wolf is good. But they are always fighting. When the grandson asks which wolf wins, he is told, “The one I feed.”

It strikes me that this proverb is a bit like that story. Do we want to be generous, faithful, helpful, godly people? Or will we be self-serving and self-centered, thoughtless and cruel? One way that we feed one wolf over the other is by the words that we allow to come out of our mouths.

Father God, help us to remember that what we say impacts ourselves as much as it impacts others. May your Holy Spirit put a watch over our tongues; may our speech be edifying and uplifting by the grace of Jesus Christ. In his name, Amen.

Numbers 11 begins with the Israelites complaining. And there is an immediate consequence — fire from the LORD burns; some of the outlying parts of the camp are consumed. When I was younger, I didn’t really understand what was so serious about their complaining. Complaining seems like such a normal part of life. We all complain.

In light of today’s proverb, I understand better that when we complain, we fill ourselves with our discontent. Not only do we lack gratitude, but we reinforce the original unhappiness and make it stronger by consuming the complaints. But it’s not just about that complaining spirit. It’s the whole problem of viewing life from the perspective of your own comfort. Most of all, it’s failing to recognize God’s goodness towards us.

Verse 4 speaks about the “strong craving” that some of the people had, so much that they influenced everyone to cry out for meat. The word being translated as craving could also be translated as covetousness or lust — intense desire. That should have been a warning sign for them. But it only made it easier for them to start complaining.

Moses was exhausted by the people’s dissatisfaction. He felt that the burden of leadership was too much for him. So much so that he said to God, “Kill me at once (v. 15).” And the LORD proposed a solution — He would give Moses 70 elders to help with the leadership. It’s a bit mind-boggling to me to think that “some” of the Spirit that was on Moses is what God used to equip 70 additional people. To God, I’m sure it was a negligible amount. But I’m more amazed that Moses had been able to bear that much of God’s Spirit in him!

Numbers 12 speaks of division between Moses and his siblings. Verse 1 tells us that Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses “because of the Cushite woman whom he had married.” Whoever this woman was, she was not Zipporah because she had been a Midianite. Perhaps Zipporah had died. We don’t really know because the Scripture gives us very few details of Moses’ personal life.

Cush, if you recall, is the name for Ethiopia. Perhaps there was some racial tension. But it seems more likely to me that Miriam and Aaron feared this woman’s influence on Moses. If it was a newer marriage, it would likely have had noticeable impact on their family relations. Moses was busy leading all the time… and now, suddenly, his personal life is taken up with his wife, rather than his siblings. It does not surprise me that they became a bit jealous.

In verse 2, the Scripture tells us that Miriam and Aaron started saying, “Has the LORD indeed spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?” I’m a little surprised at their audacity. Yes, Miriam had prophesied after they crossed through the Red Sea. And Aaron was their high priest. But how could that compare with the kind of relationship that Moses had? Somehow, though, that was hidden from their eyes. Was it jealousy that blinded them? Jealousy not just of losing influence to Moses’ new wife, but jealousy because Moses’ role was more important than theirs?

Of course, this is what God says when He confronts Miriam and Aaron. He speaks of how unique Moses was among humankind. “Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?” He asks in verse 8.

To me, it seems like Miriam was the instigator of this small rebellion. Partly because the Scripture lists her name first when it talks about how the two siblings started to speak against Moses. But also because she was the only one who became leprous. It was a harsh, practical lesson. I’m sure Miriam never took being “clean” for granted again! Likewise, she had plenty of time to recognize the pride in her own spirit and to repent.

Verse 3 is a bit peculiar, especially when you consider that Moses is the author of this book. Did it make any of you laugh? I remember laughing one time when I read this verse. “Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth.” Perhaps someone else inserted this into the text after Moses died. Joshua, perhaps. Or perhaps God told Moses to add this sentence in. If Moses were so meek, it seems out of character for him to write this sentence. And yet I can believe it — anyone who gets that close to God would of necessity have a much lower opinion of his own worth than the view of self that someone who was more distant from God would have.

As Jesus continues the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6, he speaks several times of “your Father who is in secret (v. 6).” Do you think of God the Father as being secret? Or in secret? Hidden? The Greek word here, kruptos (κρυπτός), does mean hidden or secret, although sometimes it refers to the inner character or nature of a person.

It is a curious word choice. Jesus could have said invisible. It’s not like there wasn’t a word for that. But he chose “hidden” over invisible. That implies that God is not invisible, but simply hidden from our eyesight. And so much of spiritual reality is this way. It is hidden from our eyes until the Spirit reveals it to us.

Perhaps you remember the story of Elisha’s servant who was worried because the city was surrounded by enemies. And Elisha prayed that he might be able to see — and once his eyes were opened, the servant was astonished to discover that they were surrounded by a heavenly army (2 Kings 6:15-17). So, too, I believe we have no inkling of the spiritual realities surrounding us. I don’t mean other spiritual beings, necessarily (although that’s part of it). But remember how it feels to see or understand more of how God is moving in and around you? Sometimes when we are closer to God, we can see how He is at work. Not always. But sometimes we can see a sliver of what He does.

I’m not sure why the idea of God being present but hidden means more to me than the idea that God is everywhere, all at once. We know that God is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. But to think of Him being here “in secret” — hidden from my eyes, but present — somehow makes the concept more real.

This chapter also talks about how God dislikes pride and how much he values humility. If you pray in secret, do good works in secret, and fast in secret — your Father who is in secret and who sees in secret will reward you.

Similarly, the chapter speaks about how God knows what you need. As verse 8 says, “Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” Verse 32 also emphasizes this point. God lavishly clothes the grasses and flowers. He is very aware of what we need. Therefore, we should not be anxious. We need only trust Him.

Psalm 3 speaks of God as our refuge and savior. As David says in verse 3, “But you, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.” In verse 5, the psalmist also speaks of how the LORD sustains him.

That God helps us and sustains us and protects us — these are not new ideas to us by now. God is one who protects. God is one who helps. He is compassionate. And strong. And reliable. His love is steadfast.

But I’ve given less thought to what David says about God being his “glory” and the “lifter” of his head. The verb in the Hebrew that is being translated as the “lifter of my head” literally means to exalt, to raise up, or to be high. So God is the one who gives David honor and praise among men. Of course David became very famous, and he became king. So he did have prestige and recognition. But he rightly credits God with giving him this glory. So, we too must recognize that anything praiseworthy we have comes from God.

I love the closing verse to this psalm! “Salvation belongs to the LORD; your blessing be on your people! Selah.”

Father God, thank you for saving us. Thank you shielding us, protecting us, and gifting us with abilities and talents. Thank you that you are always present. Please open our eyes to see you near us. Help us to get to know you better — through Scripture and through how you work in our lives and in our circumstances. Keep us from being jealous of how you might have blessed others. Keep us from complaining about our circumstances. Let us live in gratitude by your Spirit. We pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.