The Daily Lectionary with Commentary
Wednesday, September 27, 2023
Psalm 119:97-104; Numbers 11:18-23, 31-32; Matthew 18:1-5
(Revised Common Lectionary Year A)
(Semi-continuous Reading Plan)
A Psalm and A Prayer
Responsive Readings from the Psalms and Prayers
for Public Worship and Private Devotions
Psalm 119:97-104
God’s word sweeter than honey
Wednesday, September 27, 2023
Psalm 119:97-104; Numbers 11:18-23, 31-32; Matthew 18:1-5
(Revised Common Lectionary Year A)
(Semi-continuous Reading Plan)
A Psalm and A Prayer
Responsive Readings from the Psalms and Prayers
for Public Worship and Private Devotions
Psalm 119:97-104
God’s word sweeter than honey
The Bible's Psalm 119 is a poetic masterpiece devoted to extolling the virtues of God's law and instruction. The psalm is an acrostic, divided into sections each starting with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and it's the longest chapter in the Book of Psalms. The verses from 97 to 104 provide a window into the psalmist's love for God's law.Oh, how I love your law! *
all the day long it is in my mind.
Your commandment has made me wiser than my enemies, *
and it is always with me.
I have more understanding than all my teachers, *
for your decrees are my study.
I am wiser than the elders, *
because I observe your commandments.
I restrain my feet from every evil way, *
that I may keep your word.
I do not shrink from your judgments, *
because you yourself have taught me.
How sweet are your words to my taste! *
they are sweeter than honey to my mouth.
Through your commandments I gain understanding; *
therefore I hate every lying way.
Gracious and Loving God, I come before You in gratitude and awe, for Your law is perfect and Your wisdom unmatched. Lord, I declare my love for Your Word, for it is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. In the quiet moments and the busy hours, may my thoughts continually meditate on Your law.
Father, I thank You for the wisdom that Your commands impart, wisdom that surpasses worldly understanding. They equip me in times of trials, elevate me above my enemies, and provide insights that are more valuable than any teachings of this world.
I am grateful, Lord, for the guidance Your statutes provide. Through them, I gain not just knowledge, but understanding and discernment that equip me to walk rightly in Your ways. Help me to always obey Your precepts, keeping my feet from straying onto evil paths.
I praise You, God, for being my Teacher, for instructing me through Your Word. May Your words remain sweet to my taste, sweeter than honey, nourishing my soul and enriching my life.
Grant me the strength to continue to gain understanding through Your precepts. By Your Spirit, instill in me an aversion to every wrong path and any form of wickedness. May my life be a living testament to Your wisdom and goodness, as I walk daily in Your Word.
Be with us today and every day in Jesus Christ, Who taught us to pray:
“Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.”
The passages of Numbers 11:18-23, 31-32, the Israelites are journeying through the wilderness toward the Promised Land but find themselves dissatisfied with the manna that God has provided as their daily sustenance. They crave meat and complain about their situation, reminiscing about the variety of foods they had in Egypt. Moses, burdened by the weight of leading a complaining people, cries out to God for help. God responds by promising to provide meat for the Israelites. He even challenges the limitations of human belief by asking, "Is the Lord's arm too short?"“Tell the people: ‘Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow, when you will eat meat. The Lord heard you when you wailed, “If only we had meat to eat! We were better off in Egypt!” Now the Lord will give you meat, and you will eat it. You will not eat it for just one day, or two days, or five, ten or twenty days, but for a whole month—until it comes out of your nostrils and you loathe it—because you have rejected the Lord, who is among you, and have wailed before him, saying, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?”’”
Later, in verses 31-32, God delivers on His promise. A wind drives quails from the sea and scatters them around the Israelite camp, providing the meat they have been craving. However, this provision also serves as a lesson on the dangers of greed and complaining against God's provision.
But Moses said, “Here I am among six hundred thousand men on foot, and you say, ‘I will give them meat to eat for a whole month!’ Would they have enough if flocks and herds were slaughtered for them? Would they have enough if all the fish in the sea were caught for them?”
The Lord answered Moses, “Is the Lord’s arm too short? Now you will see whether or not what I say will come true for you.”
Now a wind went out from the Lord and drove quail in from the sea. It scattered them up to two cubits deep all around the camp, as far as a day’s walk in any direction. All that day and night and all the next day the people went out and gathered quail. No one gathered less than ten homers. Then they spread them out all around the camp.
Commentary
Numbers 11:18-23
- Announcement of Meat: God tells Moses to inform the people that they will have meat to eat. Not just for one or two days, but for an entire month, until it "comes out of your nostrils and you loathe it." This indicates both a provision and a warning, serving as a lesson on the consequences of their grumbling.
- Moses' Doubt: Moses finds the promise almost incredulous. He calculates based on the number of people (six hundred thousand on foot, apart from women and children) and wonders how it would be possible to provide such a massive quantity of meat.
- God's Challenge: In response to Moses' doubt, God asks, "Is the Lord’s arm too short?" This rhetorical question serves as a reminder of God's omnipotence and the limitation of human understanding. If God could perform miracles like parting the Red Sea, providing meat for a month is well within His capability.
- Quails from the Sea: The narrative fast-forwards to the fulfillment of God's promise. A wind drives quails in from the sea, layering them around the camp. The least anyone gathers is about ten homers (a homer is a unit of dry measure, roughly equivalent to 6 bushels or 220 liters).
- A Lesson in Greed: While these verses showcase God's miraculous provision, they are also a preamble to an unfortunate outcome (which is covered in the verses immediately following this selection). The people's craving turns into greed, and that greed results in a plague that strikes down those who had complained.
1. Limitation of Human Understanding: The passage challenges us to recognize the limitations of human understanding and reasoning when compared to divine wisdom and capability.
2. Consequences of Ingratitude: The Israelites' complaints and subsequent overindulgence serve as a cautionary tale about the consequences of being ungrateful for God's provision.
3. God's Faithfulness: Despite their grumbling, God remains faithful to His promise, revealing both His power and His commitment to care for His people, albeit with a lesson attached.
4. Leadership Burden: Moses' interaction with God also provides a glimpse into the challenges of spiritual leadership and the need for divine guidance and provision.
In summary, Numbers 11:18-23, 31-32 is a complex narrative that combines themes of divine provision, human limitation, the pitfalls of ingratitude, and the challenges of leadership. It serves both as a cautionary tale and a testament to God's miraculous power.
Matthew 18:1-5 focuses on the qualities that are valued in the kingdom of heaven. Here, the disciples ask Jesus a question that reflects a common human concern about status: "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" Jesus' response is counter-cultural and instructive. He places a child in their midst and says that unless they change and become like little children, they won't even enter the kingdom of heaven. The greatest, He says, is the one who takes a humble, child-like posture.At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.
Commentary
Who is the Greatest?
- The disciples' question about greatness reveals a concern for hierarchical ranking, which is often how worldly kingdoms operate. They want to know what it takes to be considered 'great' in the eyes of God.
- Jesus uses a child to illustrate His point. In the ancient world, children had little to no status and were dependent on adults for everything. They symbolize humility, vulnerability, and dependence—qualities that are generally not associated with greatness in a worldly sense.
- The phrase "unless you change and become like little children" indicates a transformative process. Jesus is calling His followers to a paradigm shift—to abandon their preconceived notions about what constitutes greatness and to adopt a radically different mindset.
- Jesus subverts the typical understanding of greatness by equating it with humility. He says the one who takes a "lowly position," like that of a child, is considered the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
- Finally, Jesus extends the teaching by stating that whoever welcomes a child in His name welcomes Him. This statement highlights the value Jesus places on humility and vulnerability, not just as qualities to be cultivated but also as virtues to be honored in others.
1. Paradigm Shift: This passage challenges believers to rethink what they consider 'great' or 'important,' advocating for a shift from status-seeking behaviors to a focus on humility and vulnerability.
2. Spiritual Transformation: To enter the kingdom of heaven requires a change—essentially a conversion or transformation—that involves becoming like a child in terms of humility and dependence on God.
3. Community Responsibility: The call to welcome the 'lowly' is not just an individual mandate but also a communal one. It challenges communities to be places of inclusion where the least are welcomed and valued.
4. Counter-Cultural: This teaching is counter-intuitive and counter-cultural, challenging many societal norms around success, importance, and what it means to be 'great.'
In summary, Matthew 18:1-5 turns conventional wisdom on its head, teaching that true greatness in the kingdom of heaven is not found in status, power, or authority, but in humility, vulnerability, and a child-like dependence on God.
Optional parts of the readings are set off in [square brackets.]
The Bible texts of the Old Testament, Epistle, and Gospel lessons are from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Responsive Readings from the Common Book of Prayer (1789). Commentaries are by Rev. Kenny Sallee, ThM.
The Daily Lectionary is a three year cyclical lectionary. We are currently in Year A. Beginning with the first Sunday of Advent in 2023, we will be in Year B. The year which ended at Advent 2022 was Year A. These readings complement the Sunday and festival readings: Thursday through Saturday readings help prepare the reader for the Sunday ahead; Monday through Wednesday readings help the reader reflect and digest on what they heard in worship. Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, copyright © 2005 Consultation on Common Texts. www.commontexts.org
The Daily Lectionary with Commentary for Wednesday, September 27, 2023
Psalm 119:97-104; Numbers 11:18-23, 31-32; Matthew 18:1-5
The Bible's Psalm 119 is a poetic masterpiece devoted to extolling the virtues of God's law and instruction. The psalm is an acrostic, divided into sections each starting with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and it's the longest chapter in the Book of Psalms. The verses from 97 to 104 provide a window into the psalmist's love for God's law.
In the passages of Numbers, the Israelites are journeying through the wilderness toward the Promised Land but find themselves dissatisfied with the manna that God has provided as their daily sustenance. They crave meat and complain about their situation, reminiscing about the variety of foods they had in Egypt.
The passage in Matthew focuses on the qualities that are valued in the kingdom of heaven. Here, the disciples ask Jesus a question that reflects a common human concern about status: "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" Jesus' response is counter-cultural and instructive.
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