For a description of the (Y2) reading plan, see the “About” page..
Matt. 9
Look at v. 13. What does it mean when God says, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice”? When Jesus was asked why His disciples did not fast, part of His answer involved the analogies of patching old garments with new, unshrunk cloth and putting new wine into old wineskins. Like so much of scripture, it is easy to breeze over such verses, accepting a basic, surface understanding of what they say. But I want more these days. I want to stop and ask the question, “What is He really saying?” I want that deeper understanding.
So what is it about these analogies that makes them an answer to the fasting question? What comes to my mind is that the fasting was done in keeping with the Mosaic Law. The Law, of course, was part of the old covenant God made with His people, the covenant that both revealed our unrighteousness and showed us our inability to be righteous on our own. Then came Jesus – something new. With His answer, then, I believe that Jesus was declaring Himself God’s new covenant. Per the analogies, this new covenant does not fit into the old structure of the Law. Why? Because it is a covenant of mercy, not sacrifice. To rest God’s mercy on our obedience to the law would waste His mercy and leave us just as ruined as we previously were.
Num. 35-36
What was God’s purpose in setting aside cities of refuge? What does that tell you about God? About humans? I was seeing a little bit of a correlation reading through this passage this morning. I have no idea if what I am seeing was actually God’s intent with how He set things up, but it is interesting to me no less. I see the Levites as representing us as God’s redeemed. The Levites were given towns to live in, but received no inheritance in the land because their inheritance is in God. It is the same with us. We are given places to live, dispersed throughout this world, but our inheritance is in the Kingdom of God.
Additionally, the six cities of refuge were chosen from among those given to the Levites. These were towns where unintentional murderers could find mercy from their avengers. This made me think that we, God’s children, should offer refuge and mercy to the lost. Not ours, of course, but God’s. There are those who very intentionally defy God and reject His truth. God will render judgment on them in time. But there are many who simply don’t understand. They are misguided; they are lost. Just as He used the towns of the Levites, God uses us to bring such as these under His mercy to give them refuge from the Avenger.
Ps. 33
After a call to praise God, the psalmist lists reasons to praise. Find three reasons to praise God that resonate with you. Hope is an interesting word. In looking up the definition, I see its association with words and ideas such as expectation, desire, little certainty, and reasonable confidence. None of these things are sure. There is a saying among traders, “hope is not a strategy”. Though hope often gives people a reason to hang on, it isn’t something we can bank on, especially when our “reasonable confidence” is something less than reasonable. So what are we really saying when we say that our hope is in God?
Wikipedia gives three basic definitions of hope, one as a noun and two as verbs. As a noun, “hope is an optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes…”. As a verb, to hope means to, “expect with confidence” and to, “cherish a desire with anticipation”. So here’s the thing – hope, whether as a basis for our state of mind or as an expectation or desire within us, is only as good as that which it is based on. The reason hope does not imply certainty is because of the things we hope in and for. When we put our hope in God, however, we have every reason to confidently expect a positive outcome and to optimistically anticipate that all of our Godly desires will one day be fulfilled.
As the Psalm says, “We wait in hope for the LORD; He is our help and our shield. In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His holy name. May your unfailing love be with us, LORD, even as we put our hope in You.” (Ps. 33:20-22).