Where John used “the Word”, I think we might today use “the Ideal”, although that does not quite have the right connotation. The Greek word John used had connotations of logic and rationality. To a degree it implied objective truth. Our society has a problem with the thought that there is objective truth. What people forget is that so did the society in which John wrote.
Related to John’s use of “the Word” is his imagery of light. Evil is not a thing any more than dark is a thing. Both are defined by what they are not. The point John is making here is that just as introducing a small amount of light into a dark room completely transforms the darkness, so too does introducing a small amount of good transforms our evil world.
The story of Jephthah represents an interesting contrast to the story of Abimelech. Both men ruled part of Israel for a time and the story of both men surrounded themselves with scoundrels. However, this is where their stories diverge. Abimelech surrounded himself with scoundrels in order to seize power by killing his half brothers. Jephthah attracted a band of scoundrels after his half brothers drove him out of his father’s lands. Jephthah did not seek power, rather the leaders sent for him to command their forces when an enemy began attacking them. These two stories tell us that we need to look deeper than the surface to know who would make a good leader.
This proverb reminds us to remember that just because someone is laughing and appears to be enjoying themselves, it does not mean that their grief is gone. It takes time to work through grief, there are no shortcuts. Continue to offer support to those who have experienced grief, even if they seem to be handling it well.
Those who fail to be faithful will receive their just reward, as will those who are good. Choose your actions accordingly.
The comparison John makes here to God as a source of light reminds me of the comparison of good and evil to light and dark. Neither dark nor evil are things in and of themselves. They are the absence of something else. Dark is the absence of light and evil is the absence of good. As I think about it in this context, I like the alternate translation of verse five, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not understood it.” As the author goes further with this metaphor, I love how he points out that John was not the source of light. Rather John pointed people towards the light. In the same way, we need to point people towards the source of light. Let us reflect the light of God in our lives so that others will wish to experience it first hand. Whatever about me is good is but a poor reflection of the goodness which is God. Let us polish, and clean, our mirrors so that they become ever better reflections of God’s goodness. But let us not be afraid to risk getting dirty, if that is what it takes to reflect God’s light into nooks and crannies.
Jepthah’s half-brothers drove him out, apparently with the approval of the community leaders. Yet when trouble arose and they needed his skills, those same community leaders begged him to come back and rescue them. Despite what they had done to him, Jepthah returned and led the people in defeating their attacker. This story does not tell us about a great man of God who led God’s people to victory. Rather it tells us about a flawed man who was used by God to protect a people who were themselves flawed. Let us recognize that God will make use of us despite our flaws.
I have been using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study for almost a year. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I started writing this blog because the only way I can get myself to read the Bible everyday is to pretend that I am teaching someone about what it says to me. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them. I hope that the Spirit is moving in others through these posts as the Spirit has definitely been convicting me.
Today’s passage tells us how Jephthah became judge over Israel. He was the son of a prostitute. When his half-brothers grew up, they chased him off of their father’s land because they did not want to share their inheritance with the son of a prostitute. Jephthah gathered a band of troublemakers as followers. When the Ammonites attacked Gilead, the elders of Gilead sent for Jephthah to be their commander. They promised to make him their ruler if he would come and lead them against the Ammonites. Jephthah attempted to negotiate a peaceful settlement with the Ammonite king, but was rebuffed.
Jephthah gathered an army to fight the Ammonites and the spirit of God was with him. However, as he prepared for battle, Jephthah made a foolish oath. He promised to sacrifice whatever first came out of his house to greet him when he returned if God gave him victory. He went into battle against the Ammonites and was victorious. When he returned from battle, his daughter, his only child, came out to meet him first. When he told her of the vow he had made, she insisted that he must keep it, but asked for two months to roam the hills with her friends. When she returned, Jephthah fulfilled his vow. Every time I read this passage I wonder at the point of the passage and the only thing that comes to mind is that it is an example of making a foolish vow. One should think through the possible consequences before one makes a promise.
The beginning of the Gospel of John gives some basic theology for Christians. It tells us that “The Word” (Greek “Logos” which is the root of our word “logic”) was from the beginning and was both with God and was God. Everything was made through the Word of God and nothing was made without Him. It is very interesting, and it carried intentional meaning, that the writer uses the word for “him” rather than the word for “it”. The writer is telling us that the Word is a person, although not necessarily a human. The writer goes on to tell us that the Word contains life and that life is light.
Life comes forth from Christ the way that light comes forth from the sun, but there is more to it than that. That light that comes forth from Christ is like life in that just as one living being can give birth to another, so this life/light can enter into us and shine forth from us. Jesus is a beacon of life just like the sun is a beacon of light. When the life from Jesus enters into us, giving us this true life as children of God, we become beacons of life to others. The life that we received from Jesus shines forth from us and can enter into others. We are not the source of that life. One could say that we are mirrors of that life, except that unlike a mirror when that life shines on another, they can bring accept it into themselves and shine forth with life from the source not just a reflection of a reflection. When the life from God shines forth from us, it can enter into others giving them life and causing them to shine forth that same life, not in reflection of the life that is in us, but in reflection of the life from God Himself.
This is a wonderful song which calls us to praise the Lord, but also challenges us (or at least, challenges me!). After declaring that he will praise the Lord, the psalmist declares that he will lead a blameless life with God’s help (that may not be how the psalmist meant it, but I know that is the only way I will ever come close to leading a blameless life). He proclaims that he will lead a life of integrity in his own home. That can serve as good advice, because integrity starts in our private life. If we do not have integrity in our own homes, we will not truly have integrity anywhere else.
The psalmist then promises not to look at anything vile and vulgar (I would have phrased it “vile or vulgar”, but the psalmist is probably correct, because anything that is vile is also vulgar and anything that is vulgar is also vile). He goes on to list behaviors that we should not tolerate in ourselves. However, not only should we not tolerate these behaviors in ourselves, we should have no parts in these behaviors as exercised by others. The psalmist’s list is as follows: crooked dealings, perverse ideas, slandering neighbors, conceit and pride, and every evil. This last is by no means comprehensive (although the “every evil” sort of sums up the rest of the behaviors we should avoid). It is the first part of this I find challenging. Can I really avoid looking at anything vile and vulgar? I don’t mean because it is thrust in front of me, because I don’t think that is what the psalmist meant. But can I choose not to look at anything vile and vulgar and keep to it? That means not watching entertaining TV shows that have vile and vulgar content, or movies. It means not going to websites that contain the same sorts of things. It means not reading books and magazines with such content. What about news stories that contain more vile and vulgar details than necessary to communicate what happened? But I will start with the easy stuff. The stuff that I know that the vulgar and vile is really why I am looking at it, no matter what “redeeming value” it may or may not have. I can work on the things which I genuinely believe that I consume for those “redeeming values”. I am sure that the Spirit will convict me of those in due time as well.
There is one more important part to this psalm. The psalmist tells us that he will search for companions who are faithful and above reproach. He will not employ those who are deceivers and liars in any capacity, especially not as advisers. If we wish to accomplish the first part, live with integrity and avoid anything vile and vulgar, then we need to spend our time with those who are striving to do likewise. However, there is more to it than that. We must also strictly limit the time we spend with those who do not strive to live lives of integrity and to avoid the vile and vulgar. The choices and behaviors of those we spend time with will rub off on us and lead us to behave in a similar manner, whether that be to the good or the bad.
Laughter can ease the burden of grief, but we must remember that the grief will still be there for those around us who are suffering when the laughter ends. It is not enough to lift the spirits of those we know who are grieving, we must be there for them when the laughter ends.
I prefer the NIV translation of the second proverb today. It dovetails nicely with today’s psalm. It tells us that those who consistently fail to live with integrity will suffer for their ways, while those who do live with integrity will be rewarded for theirs.
