Mark 12: Hope Like a Widow

Today’s reading is Mark 12.

Jesus was people watching at the temple. He watched many rich people come to the treasury and drop in large sums to the offering box. But then a destitute widow approached. She dropped in two small copper coins which amounted to a penny. As far as the temple costs were concerned, she gave practically nothing. But Jesus directed His disciples’ attention to the widow and declared:

Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.
–Mark 12:43-44 (ESV)

Put yourself in the widow’s shoes. She has two pennies. What can that get her? Who knows? But it can get her more than nothing can get her. As she thinks about what to do with the penny, she comes to a decision. She’s going to give her last two coins to the Lord’s temple. She’s not going to buy a last meal. She’s not even going to give half to the temple and use the other half to buy half of a last meal. She gives it all.

A footnote in my Bible says the “The Greek word [for penny] refers to about 1/64 of a day’s pay for a worker.” Compared to a modern workday and minimum wage, the woman has the equivalent of about $2. It’s all she has. We don’t now how she got it. We don’t know if she has hope of getting more later. We know it’s all she has. She doesn’t eat it, she doesn’t drink it, she gives it to the Lord.

We struggle with this story in the same way we do with the Lord’s instruction to the rich ruler back in Mark 10:21. Do these stories teach God requires His followers to give away all their possessions? Of course, we can work through the rest of Scripture and understand that isn’t the case. But these stories still stand. They still challenge us. But what is the real message of this widow?

May I suggest the real message is not about the church’s collection. The real message is not about giving away money. The real message takes us right back to what Jesus had said when the Pharisees and Herodians asked about paying taxes. It takes us back to giving ourselves to God. The real message is about surrendering our lives to God and trusting Him to care for us. The real message is about where we put our hope. This widow gave herself to the Lord. She surrendered herself and all she had to the Lord.

God had a plan to provide for widows under the Law. According to Deuteronomy 14:28-29; 26:12, the tithes of the people were to be used to provide for widows in need. Additionally, in Deuteronomy 10:18, God Himself executes justice for widows. When the widow gives all she has to the Lord’s temple, she demonstrates her trust in God. God has promised to execute justice for her. She trusts He will.

The sad thing is, we have just read a statement about so many of the religious folks who were donating so much to the temple. Back in vss. 38-40, these men long to demonstrate their own religious fervor, but at the same time, instead of caring for widows, they devour widows’ houses. If the widow only looks at the people around her, she has no reason to believe she’ll be cared for. Those men who dropped so much in the temple treasury could easily care for her, but they likely won’t do so. Even still, she trusts and hopes in God. She places her penny in the temple offering box.

That is hope. She is likely one of those widows who continues night and day in supplications and prayers (see 1 Timothy 5:5). More than that, she puts her money where her mouth is. She has a penny and instead of putting her faith and hope in the money she has, she puts it in God.

Here’s the thing that grabs my attention. We don’t know what happens next. Our television-trained brains expects the woman to leave the temple complex and stumble upon a denarius or even a talent dropped on the roadside. We expect Jesus to send Judas over with the money bag and say, “Here, take enough to get a meal.” We expect Jesus to say she’ll get a windfall in the next day or two. Surely God will do more than simply use this woman as an example of hope. But we have no idea what happened next. The fact is, she may have gone home and starved to death.

And this thought experiment forces us to consider what our hope in God is? Is our hope in God about health and wealth in this life? We repudiate those who promote a health and wealth gospel. But deep down inside, do we expect God to provide us health and wealth for all that we’ve given Him? Is our hope in God long life and prosperous retirement? That isn’t our hope in God. Our hope in God is about eternity. It is about the resurrection. Our greatest command is not self-preservation but loving God and neighbor. The widow loves God. Her hope is completely in Him. Whether that hope brings her a meal and another day of life or leads her on to eternity with the Lord, she knows her hope. She has stored up treasure for herself as a good foundation for the future. Whatever happens next, she’ll be with the Lord in the resurrection. That is her hope.

And that challenges me. What is my hope? What am I expecting God to do? What will I give in exchange for my soul?

Next week’s reading is Mark 13.

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Psalm 114: PATHS-Hope

Today’s reading is Psalm 114.

Too Much Water

At the shore of the Red Sea, Israel had a problem. Too much water.

With Pharaoh’s army hemming them in on one side, an impassable wilderness on the other, the Red Sea made the third wall of an impossible situation for them. So much water lay between them and escape. They had nowhere to run.

However, God told them to sit tight. He had it covered. Moses lifted his staff at God’s command and the waters of the Red Sea parted. God made a path of dry land appear. Israel walked between walls of water to safety on the other side. Then God brought the water down upon Pharaoh’s army.

Not Enough Water

In an incredible irony, Israel went from too much water in Exodus 13-14 to not enough water at the end of Exodus 15. They came into the wilderness of Shur and for three days found no water. The first water they did find was bitter and undrinkable.

What were they to do?

In the case of the Red Sea, God had Moses raise his wooden staff and parted the water. In this case, God has Moses throw a tree or log into the water, and the water is purified and made drinkable. He further promises if Israel will follow Him, He will be their healer and care for them.

The story ends as Israel then finds Elim, a grove of seventy palm trees watered by twelve springs–one for each tribe. God provided.

Hope in God–He Provides

Whether the problem is too much water or too little, God provides. When obstacles lie in the way, God will provide the path. When the journey is too much, God will provide the strength.

Every step of the way, God demonstrated to Israel they could not accomplish the journey on their own. But that was okay. They were not on their own. God was with them. He was their healer. He was their hope.

The same still holds true. I have no hope in myself. If the plan is to pull myself up by my bootstraps and show God how great I can be, I have no hope. That, however, is not the plan. The plan is for me to hope in God and travel another day holding on to His hand. If the Red Sea or the Jordan is between my goal and me, He will make the way. If I am parched and weary, struggling to take another step, I can take it knowing He will water my way and strengthen my feet.

My hope is not me. God is my Hope. Praise the Lord!

Tomorrow’s reading is Psalm 114.

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Revelation 19: Hope

Today’s reading is Revelation 19.

PATHS of Righteousness

If you’ve followed along this week, you already know we are using the meditation prompts from our acronym PATHS of Righteousness to garner insights from Revelation 19. We’ve consider Praise, Admonition, and Trust. Today, we ask how Revelation 19 prompts or improves Hope.

The Beast and the False Prophet

In Revelation 13:1-10, we witnessed a seven-headed monster rise up out of the sea. It was a chimaera, a mixture of incredible creatures all rolled up into one. It was terrifying. It was given authority and allowed to make war on the saints and allowed even to conquer them. As if that wasn’t enough, Revelation 13:11-16 revealed another monster rising up out of the earth. Though it had horns like a lamb, it spoke like a dragon. By his authority, those who refused to worship the the first monster were slain. Those who weren’t slain were starved because they refused to bear the mark of the first monster.

Those two monsters are called The Beast and The False Prophet. And separately, they are each horrific enemies. Together, they are an overwhelmingly formidable foe. Like Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20:12, we beg God to execute judgment on them and the army they have arrayed against us. “For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you” (ESV).

But just like that ancient enemy was destroyed by God’s power before Jehoshaphat and the Judean singers who worshiped Yahweh, the Beast, the False prophet, the kings allied with them, and the hosts who followed them in battle are conquered. The Beast and the False Prophet are thrown into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. The rest are slain by the sword coming from the Lamb’s mouth. And the birds gorge on their flesh.

No matter what the enemy brings against us. No matter how an enemy state governs against us. No matter how false religion attacks us. No matter what forces the dragon arrays against us, we are not hopeless. The hordes seem overwhelming, but our King is stronger.

Sometimes, as I strive to simply survive the days, I can begin to think I have no hope of making it to victory. However, Revelation 19 reminds me I’m not fighting the Beast and the False Prophet. I don’t have to defeat them. I just have to hang on to the King who will.

And that gives me hope to press on one more day. How about you? Can we help you press on? If so, let us know in the comments below.

Tomorrow’s reading is Revelation 19.

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John 5: Resurrection

Today’s reading is John 5.

“Truly, truly,” or, if you are into the old King James, “verily, verily.” Years ago, I met a preacher who would say, “Listen to me now,” whenever he had something important to say. I think “truly, truly” is Jesus’s version of “Listen to me now.” It’s like the professor we all wish we had who made sure to tell us every time, “This one’s going to be on the test. Pay attention.”

Jesus says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.” If I understand Jesus correctly, He is explaining if we listen to His voice, we who are dead in our trespasses and sins will be brought to life by His sacrifice, raised up to sit in heavenly places even while our feet are still walking this earthly plane. He anticipated this statement shocking people. So He follows it up by saying, “Don’t be shocked by this because an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.” Essentially, if we can’t wrap our minds around Jesus giving us spiritual life, how will we wrap our minds around Jesus giving eternal life? We shouldn’t be shocked by either because Jesus does both. The one has been happening since the days He was on earth. The other will happen when He returns.

I cannot stress how important this point is. In fact, when Paul stood trial before Felix he explained his main hope in God was “that there will be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust” (Acts 24:15, ESV). Please, understand, this is the Christian hope. Our hope is not a good job once we graduate college. Our hope is not a great marriage. Our hope is not an enjoyable retirement. Our hope is not winning the lottery. Our hope is resurrection. Our hope is there is something more than what we are experiencing now. Our hope is there is something more than we will ever experience in this present life. Jesus’s own resurrection solidifies the point: death is defeatable. But only if we follow the only one who has ever defeated it. Because if we don’t follow Him, then resurrection is not hopeful at all. Listen to me now, our options are not resurrection to life and just not being resurrected. Our options are resurrection to life or resurrection to judgment. Honestly, I don’t know precisely what either of those will look like. But I know this. You want life, not judgment.

The resurrection is coming. If you wish to one day hear Jesus call you to a resurrection of life instead of judgment, then today listen to Jesus call you to a resurrection to new life. Jesus is calling you to be baptized into His death right now that you may starting walking in newness of life (see Romans 6:4). Give your allegiance to Him. Then put your hand in His and, like Paul, count everything as loss except what will help you attain the resurrection (Philippians 3:7-11). Forget what lies behind, press forward to what lies ahead. Please, put all your eggs in the eternity basket. One day, you’ll wish you had.

Next week’s reading is John 6.

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Psalm 103: Hope

Today’s reading is Psalm 103.

On Thursdays, we meditate on Hope as we walk the PATHS of righteousness. How does Psalm 103 prompt or improve our hope in God?

For me, the entire psalm is one of hope. It reminds me God alone is my hope. All my benefits come from God. The Lord is the one who forgives my iniquities. No one else does that. The Lord is the one who heals my diseases. No one else does that. The Lord is the one who redeems me from the pit. No one else does that. The Lord crowns me with steadfast love and mercy. No one else does that. The Lord satisfies me with good. No one else does that. The Lord renews my strength. No one else does that.

To borrow from yesterday’s post, I may be at the bitter waters of Marah. Nobody else can heal those waters. Only one rules the universe and therefore can solve my every dilemma. As dark as life can get, only God can provide the light. What good does it do to get mad at God and abandon Him just because He hasn’t done everything I want when I want it. If I have any hope at all, it will come from Him. So, I need to turn to Him and hang on to Him.

And He has demonstrated all of this benefit when He delivered Israel from Egypt providing rescue from slavery of Egypt and slavery of sin.

Today, I will meditate on the Lord as my only hope. What will you meditate on?

Tomorrow’s reading is Psalm 103.

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Psalm 92: Hope

Today’s reading is Psalm 92.

On Thursdays, we ask the following meditation question. “How does this reading prompt or improve your hope in God?”

The final stanza of this psalm fills me with all kinds of hope. Not the wishful thinking kind of hope; the confident expectation kind of hope. It’s not wishful thinking because it’s not an empty hope that things might all on their own turn out a certain way. Rather, it is confident expectation because it is the promise of God anchored in His work and grace, not my strength.

Way back in Psalm 1, I read that those who meditate on the Lord’s law and will day and night will be like trees planted by streams of water. They will bear fruit in their season. Their leaves will not whither. In whatever they do, they will prosper. The psalmist comes back to this. The righteous, those who wait on the Lord, faithfully trusting Him, are palm trees and cedars planted in the courts of the Lord’s house.

But here is my blessed hope:

They still bear fruit in old age;
they are ever full of sap and green…

I’m not really old, despite what my kids or Andrew Roberts says. However, I see age creeping up on me. I realize I’ve lived more than half of the life I’m going to get down here. I suffer already with arthritis in my knees, messed up discs in my back, and, believe it or not, cataracts in my eyes. The more I think about this, the more I think my remaining useful and fruitful days are few. But my God is powerful. He strengthens those who are weak and gives might to those who lack power. Those who dwell in Him and wait on Him bear fruit in old age.

Oh sure, I know as we get older the kind of fruit we bear shifts. But we can bear fruit nonetheless. Why? Because we are awesome? No, because God is. God is my hope. His strength is my hope. His empowering grace is my hope for a fruitful future no matter how long I live and no matter what happens to this aging body.

Tomorrow’s reading is Psalm 92.

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How does Psalm 92 prompt or improve your hope in God?

Psalm 62: Don’t Set Your Heart on Money

Today’s reading is Psalm 62.

David declares he will wait on God alone for salvation. But what other options does he have? One option is money. In fact, the Bible presents money as one of God’s biggest competitors for the hearts and minds of His people. Maybe if David could just raise more money, he could find salvation and deliverance. After all, money can build fortresses. Money can hire armies. Money can be gifts to foreign kings who might send armies to support him. Maybe if he could just find more money he could find deliverance from the enemies he faces.

But David addresses this directly. “If riches increase, set not your heart on them.” Don’t misunderstand what David says. He doesn’t say extortion and robbery are bad, so we shouldn’t set our heart on money gained by them. He says we must not set our hope on money. Riches, wealth, money cannot save us. How silly it would be, therefore, to sin to increase riches, wealth, money. How awful it would be to pursue extortion and robbery adding sin to our misplaced hope. If riches increased by lawful and appropriate means cannot save us, why would we think riches gained by sinful means would? Yet, the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. That is, when people set their heart on money, they end up committing all kinds of evil. Those who desire to be rich fall into temptations and snares, into many senseless and harmful desires. They pierce themselves with many pangs.

Money is not the answer. Certainly, God allows money as an instrument of blessing. But we must not set our heart or our hope on riches. They are uncertain. Instead, we must set our hope on God who richly provides us with good gifts and from whom all blessings flow.

Set your heart on God, not money.

Tomorrow’s reading is Psalm 62.

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What in Psalm 62 provides or increases your hope in God?

Psalm 59: That They May Know God Rules

Today’s reading is Psalm 59.

In Psalm 59:11-13, David focuses not on his own safety, but on God’s glory. He pleads for God to awake, not simply to deliver him (though I’m sure he cared about his personal safety and his kingdom’s), but to make people aware Yahweh reigns in Israel. More than that, Yahweh reigns to the ends of the earth. David wanted God to avoid instant destruction of the enemy because he feared Israel would forget God’s work. However, he wanted God to judge the nations so the nations would know Yahweh rules all.

David didn’t simply develop this concern when Saul attempted to kill him. He wanted to prove this to the world from the very beginning. In fact, when David earlier checked on his brothers at the battle with the Philistines, he did not care about battlefield glory. He cared about God’s glory. When Goliath asked, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” David responded:

You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the LORD saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give you into our hand.

1 Samuel 17:45-47 (ESV)

David faced Goliath because he wanted Israel to know about their God. He also wanted the Philistines and all the earth to know about their God. In Psalm 59, when Saul behaves like Goliath, David takes the same approach.

Too often, I focus on me, my glory, my satisfaction, my convenience, my desires. May we all become more like David in this psalm, concerned more with God’s glory and reputation than our own. He deserves it. He is worthy.

Tomorrow’s reading is Psalm 59.

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What in Psalm 59 provides or increases your hope in God?

Psalm 58: How Much Do You Love God?

Today’s reading is Psalm 58.

Question: How much do you love your mom? …your dad? How much do you love your spouse? …your kids? How much do you love your best friend? Would you do anything for them? Would you protect them? …defend them? …stand up for them?

If someone slandered them, would you want something done about that? If someone punched or kicked them, would you want something done about that? If someone killed them, would you want something done about that? If they were on trial, would you testify to the judge regarding the perpetrator’s part in harming your loved one? Okay, I know we’re Christians here, and we know the Bible class answer that if they repented, we’d want them forgiven. Yes, we know that is the right answer. But what if in the trial they demonstrated impenitence? What if they continued to spew vitriol against our loved one? Would we demand forgiveness for them or would we love our parent, spouse, kids, friends enough to demand their reputations be honored, their lives be respected?

When thinking about loved ones we interact with every day, we grasp loving them means standing up for them. We recognize loving them means demanding punishment for those who hurt them, especially if the one who hurts them doubles down and refuses to repent. However, when it comes to God, we struggle with that.

We grapple with imprecatory psalms like Psalm 58 because we do not understand the severity of sin. God created man to be His image bearers, displaying His glory. Sin distorts that image, slanders God. Sin attacks God’s nature and character. It diminishes His glory. When sin further takes on the form of distorting the justice He demands and destroying His people as in Psalm 58, we realize something must be done.

Remember, all imprecation in Psalms is given in the context of Psalm 7:12: “If a man does not repent, God will whet his sword…” (ESV). We obviously want even wicked, evil judges to repent and find life in God’s grace. However, when wicked, evil judges refuse to repent, continue to rebel against God, continue to attack His people, continue to subvert justice, then those who love God will want to see justice against the unjust judges. If we love God, we will not want slights against Him, attacks on Him, rebellion in opposition to Him overlooked. We wouldn’t want that done with our mother, why would we want it done with God? Do not miss in the psalms, loving God, however, does not mean taking vengeance on others for Him. David doesn’t break the teeth of these judges or cause them to disappear like a desert stream. He takes his anguish on God’s behalf to God. We leave our own vengeance to God, let alone His vengeance. But when we love God, we want attacks against Him avenged. We want justice for Him. Knowing He is just, we are glad to leave it to Him to perform. But we want it for Him.

Question: How much do you love God?

Tomorrow’s reading is Psalm 58.

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What in Psalm 58 provides or increases your hope in God?

Psalm 57: Strength to Stand Steadfast

Today’s reading is Psalm 57.

Our Psalm begins, “Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me.” This connects to the previous psalm, beginning “Be gracious to me, O God.” While the ESV translates the words differently, they are the same in Hebrew. Psalm 51 begins similarly, “Have mercy on me, O God.” No doubt, the cry for mercy includes saving mercies: “He will send from heaven and save me.” Certainly, the plea for mercy includes removing the enemies, “He will put to shame him who tramples on me.”

At the same time, David recorded his plea with an interesting construction. Bullock, in the Teach the Text Commentary Series, borrows from Tate calling it a “Pivot Pattern.” Labelling the pattern looks like this: AB C AB. In the verse, it appears:

Have mercy (A) on me (B) O God (C) Have mercy (A) on me (B).

According to those who label it, this pattern gives God the central position of prominence in the request while surrounding it with the voice and plea of the petitioner.

Perhaps. However, I bring this to your attention because David employs the same pattern in vs. 7. In the Hebrew word order, it appears:

Steadfast (A) my heart (B) O God (C) Steadfast (A) my heart (B).

Whatever the structure by itself entails, this repeated pattern seems to provide a call and response. Perhaps the second statement provides a basis for the first. That is, “Have mercy on me, O God, because, O God, my heart is steadfast.” However, he did provide a basis for the request in vs. 1: “for in you my soul takes refuge.” Consider a second possibility. This repeated pattern may demonstrate a prayer and its answer. That is, David asks for mercy; in response, God strengthens and makes steadfast David’s heart. In Psalm 51:10, from a psalm which also began with a plea for God’s mercy, David asked God to “renew a right (steadfast) spirit within me.” In Psalm 10:17, the psalmist expresses faith that God hears the cries of the afflicted and responds by strengthening or making steadfast their heart.

Understand this: God will deliver at the best and most appropriate time. We can bank on that promise. However, we struggle in the interim between God giving the promise and God fulfilling it. In the interim, we need strength to stand steadfast. We are in good company on this. When Jesus prayed in Gethsemane for the cup to pass if possible, but then submitted to God’s will no matter what, an angel from heaven appeared, strengthening Him (Luke 22:43). God’s mercy not only provides the ultimate deliverance on God’s time table, it includes the strength to stand steadfast while we await that ultimate mercy. Psalm 57 demonstrates this very mercy. David begged for mercy; God gave it in strength and steadfastness.

You need the strength stand steadfast between now and the coming deliverance. Seek it from the only one who can give it. Seek it from the merciful and gracious God who abounds in steadfast love and faithfulness. He will provide.

Praise the Lord!

PODCAST!!!

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PATHS:
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What in Psalm 57 increases your hope in God?