[NOTE: For those who are continuing the 1-year Bible reading plan we started on April 1, 2018, just go to the end of this entry and you will find the Day 284 – Zechariah 5-8; John 9 summary!]
In our reading from Genesis, Jacob responds to God’s call to return home with his family. But while Jacob responded to God’s call, he relied on his own methods rather than God’s. First, Jacob left without even telling Laban, his father-in-law, he was leaving. When Laban found out what Jacob had done, he took off in pursuit of Jacob. That could have ended quite badly for Jacob, except God intervened and spoke directly to Laban. He told him not to take action against Jacob. The interaction between Jacob and Laban wasn’t healthy, but at least it led to an agreement that they wouldn’t hurt each other in the future. Next, Jacob decided to appease Esau, his brother, by sending gifts ahead of his entourage as they returned. Jacob surely remembered Esau’s promise to end his life after their father died. Thankfully, Jacob’s long absence had given Esau time to cool down, and to recognize God’s hand in his own life. Thus, Jacob and Esau came together as brothers, their long-standing animosity put behind them. Again, Jacob’s plan wasn’t the key. After all, Esau didn’t even want Jacob’s gifts or bribes. He took them at Jacob’s insistence, but Esau had grown significantly during the years Jacob was away. Had Jacob taken time to consult with God about this, Jacob would have saved time, worry and effort.
As we read these passages, we’re reminded of how often God works despite us. He has a plan for our lives, and He has modeled that plan in His word. Yet, all too often, we forge ahead without reading what He has written to us in the Bible, or listening to what He says to us through the Holy Spirit as we pray. Investing time and effort in prayer and Bible reading is so important for us to discern God’s purpose and plan. Then we must step forward in faith. That’s no small feat. Consider what happened with the disciples in Mark 9. They had been with Jesus for nearly three years. They had heard His incredible teaching. He had called each of them to follow Him. They had seen Jesus perform amazing signs and wonders. But nine of them couldn’t cast one demon out of a boy, when Jesus and the remaining three disciples took a few days away.
It’s easy to condemn the nine, because Jesus did. But we are not Jesus! Would we have fared any better when faced with the opportunity to help the boy? Our purpose in reading the Bible from cover-to-cover is so much more than accomplishing that feat–as important as it is. Our purpose is to hear God’s voice in it, and to believe He speaks to us through it, and will use His words to equip us to live His will in our lives. But reading the words will not be enough. We must live them out in the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus told the disciples they failed to heal the boy, because some demons come out only through prayer. (Some manuscripts of Mark 9 read “…prayer and fasting.”) As we go about this day, having read God’s word, having gained some additional understanding of how He works, the key is to let the words build our faith, so we will approach our lives here and now trusting that God is still working today, and will work in our lives as we let Him.
Jacob heard directly from God–and often lived according to His own plan. The disciples lived with Jesus–and often lived according to their own plan. We have both God’s written word and His Holy Spirit speaking into our lives. We don’t need to live according to our own plan. We see God can and does work in and through our plans, broken as they are, but the better course of action is to live out God’s plan in faith and obedience. That is always the best path to take, not the easiest sometimes, but always the best. God’s plan is always better than ours!
Day 284 – Zechariah 5-8; John 9
In Zechariah 5, the visions continue to flow. First, we read of a vision of a flying scroll. The scroll is a scroll of judgment. One side pronounces judgment against stealing, and the other side against swearing falsely. Next, comes the vision of a woman in a basket. The basket represented sin, and the woman wickedness. It was being carried to the land of Shinar. The point of both visions: judgment is coming on the sins of people.
In Zechariah 6, we read of a vision of four horses with chariots. They remind us of the four horsemen in the Book of Revelation. The purpose of the horses was to go out and patrol the earth. They represent both God’s watchful eye and His Spirit. Next, we return to Joshua, being crowned as king. We aren’t sure whether he is the Branch, or whether this will be another king name Joshua–Yeshua–or Jesus!
In Zechariah 7, the LORD calls for justice and mercy. He reminds the priests and the people their fasts were not for the right purposes, and when they ate and drank, they did it for themselves, not in honor of the LORD. He called the people to stop oppressing the poor, the orphan and the widow, and to bring justice and mercy to the land.
In Zechariah 8, the LORD promises Jerusalem’s return to prominence and the people’s return to blessing. Old men and women will again sit in the gates, and children will play in the streets. The remnant will no longer be small, but the people will regain their former greatness–as they remember the LORD and follow in His ways.
As we return to John 9, we remember Jesus being questioned by His disciples about a man born blind. They assumed, as people often still assume today, that someone must have sinned for such a tragedy to occur. Jesus’ responded the man was born blind so God’s glory could be demonstrated. Then He healed the man. Of course, the healing took place on the Sabbath, which provoked the religious leaders. Once again, a heated debate ensues, and the religious leaders ask the man what he thinks about Jesus. He tells them Jesus is a prophet. They refute his position, saying Jesus is a sinner, because he breaks the Sabbath. The man responds with one of the most powerful testimonies ever: I don’t know about that. What I know is I was blind, and now I see! How many of us could say the same thing: I was blind, but now I see. Our blindness might have been purely spiritual, or it might have been emotional or intellectual. Whatever our blindness, Jesus enters in and gives us sight!