For a full description of the (Y4) reading plan, see the “About” page.
Lev. 9
I love it – because there was an acceptable offering present, God was able to appear to the people. His righteous fire consumed that offering instead of the people. How blessed we are to have Jesus’ permanent offering present for us so that God can not just appear, but stay with and in us forever.
Ps. 10
Reading this Psalm impresses on me the importance of understanding our limited perspective. The circumstances of this life are rarely what they seem. This Psalm describes the attitude of the wicked. “He says to himself, ‘I will not be moved; throughout all generations I will not be in adversity.’” (Ps. 10:6). On what do the wicked base such a claim? It certainly isn’t based on God, whom the wicked deny. Verse 5 tells us what it is. “His ways prosper at all times”. The wicked base their confidence on their short-term circumstances, naively believing those circumstances will never change. Or at least won’t change for the worse. What a foolish lie! It can be just as easy for us to look at their prosperity and think the same thing. Or to look at our own hardship and wonder, “What’s the point?”.
Thus, the questions at the beginning of this Psalm make a lot of sense to us. Where is God and why doesn’t He do something? At their heart, all such questions are the same as the accusations Job hurled at what He thought was a distant and uncaring God. So the same answer God gave Job applies. We don’t know what God knows and can’t see or do what He does. We aren’t the ones with the power, the wisdom, and the big picture. But He has given us enough to know that our puny perspective is a big lie. And that’s where trust and faith step in. We have to believe that there is something more than what we can see and understand, and live like we know it’s true.
Prov. 24
When we understand our limited perspective and trust in the One who knows all things, we obtain wisdom. Then we can look from our hardship to the prosperity of the wicked and know the truth. Thus, we will, “not fret because of evildoers or be envious of the wicked; for there will be no future for the evil man; the lamp of the wicked will be put out.” (Pr. 24:29-20). And when we cling to that wisdom, “then there will be a future, and your hope will not be cut off.” (Pr. 24:14b).