For today, One Year Bible Online links here.
The proverb writer continues his focus on the importance of staying out of relationships with immoral people. He tells us that if we make wisdom and insight members of our family they will protect us from the immoral.
Do we feel as the psalmist, that if God is silent, we may as well give up and die? God is not silent, although we may have to be in order to hear His voice. Let us remember that while part of prayer is taking our concerns, fears, and needs to God, an even bigger part is listening to what He has to say to us. The wicked do not take time to listen to God because they do not care about what He has done. If we listen carefully to God, He will tell us how to make it through whatever troubles we face.
Jesus condemns hypocrites in this passage. He describes the various ways in which people set themselves up as being better than others, without actually holding themselves to a morally superior standard. Jesus gives examples of people focusing on the details of righteous behavior while overlooking the bigger picture. While it is valuable to sacrifice in little things, such as tithing on our vegetable garden, but it is worthless if we allow ourselves to operate selfishly and greedily in the bigger things, such as our business dealings.
When the Israelites camped at the foot of Mt Sinai, God came down upon the top of the mountain. Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God. He had the trumpeters (not the right word, but we don’t really have a word for this) blow on the ram’s horns in a loud call to the people. Moses spoke and God answered. There is a back and forth between God and Moses with the people included in the conversation, but the people were afraid. They stood back and asked Moses to speak for God. They requested that God not speak directly to them.
This is an all too human tendency. We seek someone to place between us and God. We are afraid to talk to God directly.