The LORD's curse is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the home of the righteous. – Proverbs 3:33

Today's Scripture Reading (October 31, 2022): Proverbs 3

All Hallows Eve is upon us again. The night is inhabited by all kinds of ghosts and goblins, superheroes and important fictional characters, and some non-fictional characters. It is always an important question about how we, as Christians, should react to this pagan festival. I know some Christians who try hard to ignore it and are almost insulted if anyone should bring up the concept of Halloween within their hearing. As a youth Pastor, I was part of a counter-cultural event on this night called Neewollah, Halloween spelled backward. It was an all-night activity-filled event that kept everyone awake by going from one action-packed event to another.

Tonight, I will be attending a "Trunk or Treat" event, an evening when a group of people will dress up in costumes and hand out candy to the kids who will visit the field beside the church. There will be a fire going so the kids can warm up and free hot chocolate and hot dogs to warm the inside of our costumed visitors. And every year, I field the complaints. How can a Christian organization do anything to embrace Halloween? And often, my answer is, how can we not? How can we not bring something good into a night filled with evil, even if the evil is pretend? How can we not do good, regardless of what the world might be doing?

But then, of course, I travel back to my teen days and remember turning the church I attended as a kid into a haunted house for Halloween night. The church became a place of artificial horrors for one evening. And on that night, I was ushered into rooms I didn't even know existed, all in the name of fun.

Maybe part of the problem is that I have never taken Halloween too seriously. The curses pronounced on Halloween are fake, along with all the ghosts and goblins that go house to house, and trunk to trunk, looking for candy. Is it a stepping stone to something more serious? I don't know. It wasn't for me, and to be honest, I don't know anyone who celebrated Halloween with me as a kid who moved on to develop a serious fascination with the occult. But it is possible if someone is bent that way. But the only curse that really bothers me is the one God pronounces on the wicked. I want to be the one God blesses because, with the strength of God inside of us, we try to do what is good. And hopefully, we can be blessed because we have shown love to our communities, even if a portion of that good is just handing out candy to the children of our neighborhoods on All Hallows Eve.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Proverbs 4

 

My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you … - Proverbs 2:1

Today's Scripture Reading (October 30, 2022): Proverbs 2

I believe that one of the most important phrases we will ever utter is "I don't know." Which begs the question, why are we so reluctant to speak the phrase? Why is it that we feel that we need to know everything? I am not sure I know the answer, but I recognize the result. As long as we think we know something, we are not likely to hear anything that contradicts what we believe, even if what we believe cannot be proven or even turns out not to be true. A friend of mine had a theory about the creation of the human race. He was a nurse and had a medically influenced image of that moment of creation. In his mind, God formed the body of Adam out of mud and dust. When God had completed his work of molding the body out of the dust, he thumped his chest to get the heart beating. Admittedly, it is a very graphic image, but there is no biblical evidence that this was how Adam was created. And yet, for my friend, this was the way it happened, and there could be no other way. My friend knew this was what happened; therefore, no discussion was needed.

When anyone tries to talk to us, our first choice is whether or not we are willing to hear what they have to say. And hearing is not always easy, especially if it violates what we think we know. Solomon begins with this plea to his son. I know that you think you understand life, but if you will accept my words into your life, if you will hear me, there is something important that I want to tell you. But if my words are going to make any impact on your life, you have to accept them; my son, you have to hear me.

But not everything that we hear is for immediate use. Some of it must be put away, stored, and remembered at the appropriate time. It is a caution that I give to couples who come to me for pre-marriage counseling. In our sessions, we are going to talk about a lot of things. Some of the things we will discuss won't make any sense because you're not there yet. The moment when you will need to understand this piece of advice is still years down the road. But the moment will come, and when it does, this is what I want you to remember. Store this up in your brain until the time when it makes sense.

The wisdom of Solomon and others has been placed in this book. Nothing Solomon says to us will make a difference in our lives unless we are willing to hear the advice and then store it up until the appropriate time. And that is our choice; are we ready to listen?

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Proverbs 3

… cast lots with us; we will all share the loot"— Proverbs 1:14

Today's Scripture Reading (October 29, 2022): Proverbs 1

"All the other kids are doing it." Do you remember using that excuse with your parents? I do. I remember leaving to deliver my papers in a snowstorm one afternoon, and all I was wearing was my jean jacket. Of course, my mother stopped me at the door, demanding I put on my winter jacket. My response? "Mom, no one else is wearing their winter coats. I will look like an idiot!" I think the most often offered response to "all the other kids are doing it" is the precious retort, "if all your other friends decided to jump off a bridge would you jump too?" Of course, both the assertion about all the other kids and the response about jumping off a bridge are overly simplified. "All" is an overgeneralization, and as far as I know, there have been no mass incidents of kids jumping off bridges. I admit that, on that day, I delivered my papers in my jean jacket, but I wasn't far into the task when I began to wish I had listened to mom and put on something warmer.

But something is encouraging about being with others. Even as an introvert, I believe we are built for at least some community. And the call to community is enticing on some level to all of us. Southern Baptist theologian, Duane Garrett, adds this thought.  "Apparently in ancient Israel, no less than in the modern world, the comradeship, easy money, and feeling of empowerment offered by gangs was a strong temptation to the young man who felt overwhelmed by the difficulties of the life he confronted every day" (David A. Garrett).

Solomon's purpose for his Proverbs was that he would give us the defense that we need to meet the daily challenges of life. Solomon writes in this book that we should be forewarned and able to resist the temptation to do wrong. We must decide who we are and what we will do when temptation strikes before that moment of temptation arrives.

Regardless of how old we are, the lure of "all the other kids are doing it" is a great temptation. We live in a time when we tend to live in echo chambers of people who agree with us, so now, more than ever, "all of the other kids/people are doing it" is a very real possibility from the place where we are living. It seems that we are never even exposed to that lone voice.

A voice of one calling:
"In the wilderness prepare
    the way for the Lord;
make straight in the desert
    a highway for our God (Isaiah 40:3).

And often, it is that voice we need to hear rather than the cacophony of voices urging us to join them in doing something easy but very wrong.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Proverbs 2

In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat—for he grants sleep to those he loves. – Psalm 127:2

Today's Scripture Reading (October 28, 2022): Psalms 127 & 128

I am a night owl, which means I really don't like mornings. But it is a choice, and I recognize that. So, I suffer through my mornings. Not that I can actually sleep even if I did go to bed early. For me, going to bed early seems to be the recipe for a sleepless night. I believe that we are all wired differently, so our sleep schedules are naturally different. And those differences were exemplified by my grandparents. My mom's parents were the "early to bed, early to rise" kind of people. They would often be in bed by 9:30 or 10:00 at night but were up by 6:00 in the morning. My dad's parents were seldom in bed before midnight and slept a couple of hours later into the morning. (I remember going to my paternal grandparent's house during Christmas break when I was in college and having my Grandmother stay up with me until one in the morning watching old reruns of "MacGyver" with Richard Dean Anderson. Then we would both go to bed, but while I tended to sleep until mid-morning, Grandma was up at about six a.m. making breakfast for all of the people who went to bed at an appropriate time.)

But Solomon isn't talking about my Grandmother or me. He is talking about those who go to bed late and get up early, all in an effort to get ahead. The NIV translation of the verse seems to indicate that these people are toiling to make ends meet. But that is not the intention of Solomon's words. He is not pointing out people who work hard to put food on the table. And he is not saying that we shouldn't work hard. Consider the following instruction also from Proverbs.

Consider the ant, you lazy bum.
    Watch its ways, and become wise.
 Although it has no overseer, officer, or ruler,
in summertime it stores its food supply.
    At harvest time it gathers its food.

How long will you lie there, you lazy bum?
    When will you get up from your sleep?
"Just a little sleep,
    just a little slumber,
    just a little nap."
Then your poverty will come to you like a drifter,
    and your need will come to you like a bandit (Proverbs 6:6-11).

What bothers Solomon is the attitude of those who trust things rather than God. They chase after material advances rather than being content with what they have. They jealously compare themselves with their neighbors rather than being thankful for what God has given them. It isn't just that they are toiling for food; they are eating the bread of sorrow because no matter how much they have, it is never enough. To these people, Solomon argues that part of the gift that God gives us every night is sleep so that we can be ready for the next day. When God has supplied our needs, we have enough, and we need to be content with that. Efforts spent continually trying to get more is against God's intentions, who expects us to work but also understands that we also need a rest from working.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Proverbs 1

Solomon then went to Hamath Zobah and captured it. – 2 Chronicles 8:3

Today's Scripture Reading (October 27, 2022): 2 Chronicles 8

The Skit Guys, trying to save Christian Drama one skit at a time, have a script where there is a conversation between a father and his younger son. In the skit, the son is trying to convince his Dad to let him go to a movie he wants to go to with his friends. And then, he tries to describe the film. It has some violence, but just a little violence. It is really not a problem because it is such a small amount. It has some nudity, but it is just a little nudity. And again, it isn't a problem because there isn't much nudity. Other than that, it was a good movie. (My sister and I just said that every movie in the theater that we wanted to see was a Disney movie, Like, Hey Mom, can we see the Texas Chainsaw Massacre? It's a Disney movie. Sometimes it even worked.)

Dad responds that his son can go to the movie, but before he leaves for the film, Dad has a surprise for his son. Dad has made some of his son's favorite brownies, and the son eagerly accepts his Dad's brownies and proceeds to start eating them. But Dad had changed the recipe just a little. The son carefully savors the taste trying to figure out what Dad's new ingredient is. He knows that there is something different about the brownies, but he can't quite put his finger on what the ingredient might be. Can his son guess the new ingredient?

Finally, Dad breaks the suspense. The secret ingredient in the brownies is … dog poo. The son reacts with horror, but Dad insists it is just a little, a hardly even noticeable amount of poo. Finally, the son realizes the point of Dad's little story and says, "I'm not going to the movie, am I?"

Just a little is one of the horrible temptations of life. There are so many things that we would never consider doing, but we are enticed to do just a little bit. We would never lie, but maybe once in a while, we might shade the truth. We would never kill someone, but when we are angry, we might tell a story about someone that should never have been related. But it's not a problem because it is just a little bit.

Solomon seems to believe that he was the one to build the Temple for God at least partially because he had not been the King of War that his father David had been.

"You know that because of the wars waged against my father David from all sides, he could not build a temple for the Name of the Lord his God until the Lord put his enemies under his feet. But now the Lord my God has given me rest on every side, and there is no adversary or disaster. I intend, therefore, to build a temple for the Name of the Lord my God, as the Lord told my father David, when he said, 'Your son whom I will put on the throne in your place will build the temple for my Name' (1 Kings 5:3-5).

Solomon had been a man of peace. The only war we know of was when he went to the town of Hamath-Zobah and captured it. We have no reason for the war, just that King Solomon won the conflict. It was just a little war, not much at all. But the battle seems to be a symptom of a King who was in conflict with himself and whose personality was changing. It was just a little war, but it disqualified Solomon from being the King of Peace that he took pride in being.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Psalms 127 & 128

… to him who divided the Red Sea asunder His love endures forever. – Psalm 136:13

Today's Scripture Reading (October 26, 2022): Psalm 136

In 1983, Canadian rocker Bryan Adams released his hit, "Cuts Like a Knife." Adams admits that he is a world champion mumbler, and as he and his songwriting partner, Jim Vallance, were working through the chord progression for the song, Adams was mumbling through the as-of-yet unwritten lyrics. When they played the track back, Adams remarked that it sounded like he was saying, "cuts like a knife." As a result of the mumbling, they started to go with the lyrics.

A knife can be a useful instrument if something needs to be cut. Or if the item that needs to be split is larger, maybe we need to use an ax or a sword. But if something needs to be divided, there are instruments that can cut things in two. The Bible often uses this idea of "cutting" or "dividing" things in two. And often, the word it uses in these situations is "gazar (gawzar)." In 1 Kings 3:25, it is the word used when Solomon commands that the child be split in two, with half a child given to each of the mothers contesting the baby's parentage. In 2 Kings, the word is used when an order is given to cut down some trees. And in Psalm 136, it is the word that is used when the Psalmist talks about dividing the Red Sea. But the problem is that it seems to be an unusual choice when we are talking about water.

But there is also a reason for the choice that we shouldn't miss. Whenever a covenant was made, it was customary to kill an animal and then have the adherents to the covenant pass between the halves of the calf or whatever the animal was that was sacrificed. Similarly, the Psalmist indicates that God took his sword and cut the water in two. Then he allowed Israel to pass between the halves of the divided sea. Afterward, God stitched the halves of the sea back together and simultaneously swallowed the soldiers of Egypt's Pharaoh. For a moment, God's sword could cut through the water of the Red Sea as if it was a sword or knife cutting through the carcass of a cow, and another covenant was made between Israel and the God who had called them. Israel passed through the divided sections of the Red Sea confirming the covenant, and that covenant, solemnized in this way, was more proof that "His love endures forever."

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 2 Chronicles 8

Your name, LORD, endures forever, your renown, LORD, through all generations. – Psalm 135:13

Today's Scripture Reading (October 25, 2022): Psalm 135

The Bible often gives us definitions for the various names it uses because it believes that the names we have been given often reflect our character, or more likely, the character to which we would aspire. The name Jacob, given to the Jewish patriarch, means "heel" and was given to him because he was seen grasping at his twin brother's, Esau, heel. "Grasping the heel" was a literary way of describing someone who was deceptive in his relationship with other people. And if you know Jacob's story, you know that Jacob lived up to his name. But after wrestling with the angel of the east side of the Jordan River, a place located in modern-day Jordan, God changes his name from Jacob to Israel, which means "Struggles with God." Jacob seems to have lived up to both of his names.

God's name is important to him. It is the subject of the third commandment, commonly understood as "thou shalt not take the Lord's name in vain." Traditionally, this is understood to mean that we shouldn't say the word "God" in normal conversation or without the proper respect. But that understanding actually misses the point. The third commandment is not just being broken by responding with "Oh my God" to the latest football scores. It is broken whenever we do anything that causes dirt to fall on the name of God. Christians engaged in gossip within the community are taking the Lord's name in vain. So are those who spread slander with their conversations. Anything done in the name of Christ that allows dirt to fall on the name of God is taking his name in vain. Saying "Oh my God" might be the least of the possible infractions.

God's name, at least as we know him, comes from Moses's experience at the burning bush. Moses asks God if he will tell him his name, and God replies that his name is "I am that I am" or "I will be what I will be." In Hebrew, God's response was "haya haya." Over time, that name changed to Yahweh. But it is a mistake to focus on the literal name of God. The meaning we should take from the name is that He is the God who exists. Whatever it is that we might call him, God's name is important, and we should be careful to do nothing that would allow dirt to fall on God's name.

The Psalmist says that God's name is forever. And there is a truth in that statement. Historically there have been many actions that should never have been taken in the name of God. Wars have been fought in His name, and the crusades to Jerusalem were created in His name. Popes and religious leaders, who should have known better, have done evil in his name and caused dirt to fall on God's reputation. Yet, the next generation has always been able to restore the glory of God's name, allowing the fame of God to flow through the ages.

And today, that is precisely the job in front of us. We are the ones who get to not only refrain from using the name of God in vain, but we also get to restore God's name by repairing any damage caused to his name by others, restoring the name of God in our community.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Psalm 136