Eight Things That Really Matter to God
Introduction
My mother and father were great parents. They had strong values. My sister and I were left in no doubt about what mattered to them.
What mattered most to my father was honesty. I remember how my father used to say, ‘I expect to be believed.’ He regarded honesty as the highest possible value and sometimes went to absurd lengths to retain that standard.
On one occasion, when they were engaged, but not yet married, he and my mother got on the wrong bus. The bus conductor refused to accept any money as they had only travelled a few yards. My father was unhappy to have been unable to pay what he felt he owed. He sent the money for the fare to the bus company. They sent it back. This resulted in a long correspondence, which my mother found very hard to understand (she joked that she almost broke off the engagement).
I remember, in my childhood, many similar incidents. My father may have been a little extreme, but my sister and I were in no doubt about what mattered to him: honesty. In our passages today, we see some of the things that really matter to God.
Psalm 44:1–12
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A maskil.
1 We have heard it with our ears, O God;
our ancestors have told us
what you did in their days,
in days long ago.
2 With your hand you drove out the nations
and planted our ancestors;
you crushed the peoples
and made our ancestors flourish.
3 It was not by their sword that they won the land,
nor did their arm bring them victory;
it was your right hand, your arm,
and the light of your face, for you loved them.
4 You are my King and my God,
who decrees victories for Jacob.
5 Through you we push back our enemies;
through your name we trample our foes.
6 I put no trust in my bow,
my sword does not bring me victory;
7 but you give us victory over our enemies,
you put our adversaries to shame.
8 In God we make our boast all day long,
and we will praise your name forever.
9 But now you have rejected and humbled us;
you no longer go out with our armies.
10 You made us retreat before the enemy,
and our adversaries have plundered us.
11 You gave us up to be devoured like sheep
and have scattered us among the nations.
12 You sold your people for a pittance,
gaining nothing from their sale.
Commentary
1. Trust
What do you place your trust in?
It is vital to put your trust in the right place. Your trust should not ultimately be in your own strength (‘It was not by their sword that they won… I do not trust in my bow’, vv.3,6). Rather, you are to trust the Lord: ‘It’s you, you who saved us’ (v.7, MSG).
The psalmist looks both backwards and forwards. As he looks back he says, ‘It was your right hand, your arm, and the light of your face, for you loved them’ (v.3b). As he looks forwards he says, ‘You are my King and my God… Through you we push back our enemies; through your name we trample our foes… you give us victory over our enemies’ (vv.4–5,7).
Prayer
Lord, as I face the challenges of today and of the future, I thank you for the victories you have given us. I do not rely on my own strength for the future but instead put my trust in you.
Luke 13:31–14:14
Jesus’ Sorrow for Jerusalem
31 At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, “Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you.”
32 He replied, “Go tell that fox, ‘I will keep on driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.’ 33 In any case, I must press on today and tomorrow and the next day—for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem!
34 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. 35 Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”
Jesus at a Pharisee’s House
14 One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched. 2 There in front of him was a man suffering from abnormal swelling of his body. 3 Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?” 4 But they remained silent. So taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him on his way.
5 Then he asked them, “If one of you has a child or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull it out?” 6 And they had nothing to say.
7 When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honour at the table, he told them this parable: 8 “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honour, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. 9 If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. 10 But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honoured in the presence of all the other guests. 11 For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
12 Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbours; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. 13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
Commentary
2. Courage
Do you find that you sometimes take decisions based on fear?
Nelson Mandela said, ‘I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.’
It is not surprising, humanly speaking, that Jesus was crucified after three years of ministry. He was a man of great courage. When Jesus was told ‘run for your life! Herod’s on the hunt. He’s out to kill you!’ (13:31, MSG) he replied, ‘Go tell that fox…’ (v.32). Here, we see that Jesus had the courage to take on one of the most powerful (and evil) men of the day.
Nor was Jesus afraid of confrontation with the scribes and Pharisees. He did not avoid them. He often spent time in their company. It must have been tempting simply ‘to eat’ (14:1) with those who liked him and accepted him rather than with those who were suspicious and critical – those who watched his every move.
He also had the courage to heal the man ‘hugely swollen in his joints’ (v.2, MSG) on the Sabbath and then to confront the Pharisees about their views on this subject.
3. Compassion
Is your heart moved by the people you come across?
Jesus not only had compassion for individuals (for example, healing the sick man, v.4), he also had compassion for the city (Jerusalem). In this passage, he uses maternal imagery to describe his love for God’s city: ‘How often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings’ (13:34). (Interestingly, he quite naturally puts himself in the place of God, to whom both male and female imagery is applied in the Bible.)
Supremely, Jesus showed his compassion in going to his death on the cross for us.
The story is told of a fire in Yellowstone National Park, USA. When a forest ranger went to assess the damage, he discovered a bird that was lying dead, black and carbonised, at the bottom of a tree. It was a rather unnerving sight, so he pushed the bird over with a stick. Suddenly, three little chicks scurried out from under the wing of the dead mother. Because the mother had been willing to die out of compassion for her chicks, the chicks under her wing had lived. So too with Jesus, our mother hen – he died to protect us.
4. Humility
Do you worry about your status compared to others?
Jesus speaks about humility. He tells us to ‘take the lowest place’ (14:10). He says, ‘do not take the place of honour... For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted’ (vv.8,11).
As The Message version puts it, ‘If you walk around with your nose in the air, you’re going to end up flat on your face. But if you’re content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself’ (v.11, MSG).
5. Poverty
Are you tempted to spend time with people of influence and wealth who will be able to pay you back?
Again and again the Scriptures come back to ‘the poor’. We see this in both the New Testament and the Old Testament readings for today. What matters to God is your attitude to the poor.
Jesus said, ‘When you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed’ (vv.13–14). Jesus is encouraging us to seek out those who are poor in our own community. We are to spend our time serving those who ‘won’t be able to return the favour’ (v.14, MSG).
Moses said, ‘There should be no poor among you’ (Deuteronomy 15:4). He also said, ‘There will always be poor people in the land’ (v.11). Jesus said something similar: ‘The poor you will always have with you’ (Matthew 26:11). The fact that the poor will always be with us does not mean that we should not seek to eradicate poverty.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, help me to be more like you – more courageous, more compassionate and more humble. Give me your heart for the poor, your eyes to see them and your heart to serve them.
Deuteronomy 15:1–16:20
The Year for Canceling Debts
15 At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts. 2 This is how it is to be done: every creditor shall cancel any loan they have made to a fellow Israelite. They shall not require payment from anyone among their own people, because the LORD’s time for cancelling debts has been proclaimed. 3 You may require payment from a foreigner, but you must cancel any debt your fellow Israelite owes you. 4 However, there need be no poor people among you, for in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you, 5 if only you fully obey the LORD your God and are careful to follow all these commands I am giving you today. 6 For the LORD your God will bless you as he has promised, and you will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. You will rule over many nations but none will rule over you.
7 If anyone is poor among your fellow Israelites in any of the towns of the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward them. 8 Rather, be openhanded and freely lend them whatever they need. 9 Be careful not to harbour this wicked thought: “The seventh year, the year for canceling debts, is near,” so that you do not show ill will toward the needy among your fellow Israelites and give them nothing. They may then appeal to the LORD against you, and you will be found guilty of sin. 10 Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. 11 There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.
Freeing Servants
12 If any of your people—Hebrew men or women—sell themselves to you and serve you six years, in the seventh year you must let them go free. 13 And when you release them, do not send them away empty-handed. 14 Supply them liberally from your flock, your threshing floor and your winepress. Give to them as the LORD your God has blessed you. 15 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the LORD your God redeemed you. That is why I give you this command today.
16 But if your servant says to you, “I do not want to leave you,” because he loves you and your family and is well off with you, 17 then take an awl and push it through his earlobe into the door, and he will become your servant for life. Do the same for your female servant.
18 Do not consider it a hardship to set your servant free, because their service to you these six years has been worth twice as much as that of a hired hand. And the LORD your God will bless you in everything you do.
The Firstborn Animals
19 Set apart for the LORD your God every firstborn male of your herds and flocks. Do not put the firstborn of your cows to work, and do not shear the firstborn of your sheep. 20 Each year you and your family are to eat them in the presence of the LORD your God at the place he will choose. 21 If an animal has a defect, is lame or blind, or has any serious flaw, you must not sacrifice it to the LORD your God. 22 You are to eat it in your own towns. Both the ceremonially unclean and the clean may eat it, as if it were gazelle or deer. 23 But you must not eat the blood; pour it out on the ground like water.
The Passover
16 Observe the month of Aviv and celebrate the Passover of the LORD your God, because in the month of Aviv he brought you out of Egypt by night. 2 Sacrifice as the Passover to the LORD your God an animal from your flock or herd at the place the Lord will choose as a dwelling for his Name. 3 Do not eat it with bread made with yeast, but for seven days eat unleavened bread, the bread of affliction, because you left Egypt in haste —so that all the days of your life you may remember the time of your departure from Egypt. 4 Let no yeast be found in your possession in all your land for seven days. Do not let any of the meat you sacrifice on the evening of the first day remain until morning.
5 You must not sacrifice the Passover in any town the LORD your God gives you 6 except in the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name. There you must sacrifice the Passover in the evening, when the sun goes down, on the anniversary of your departure from Egypt. 7 Roast it and eat it at the place the LORD your God will choose. Then in the morning return to your tents. 8 For six days eat unleavened bread and on the seventh day hold an assembly to the LORD your God and do no work.
The Festival of Weeks
9 Count off seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain. 10 Then celebrate the Festival of Weeks to the LORD your God by giving a freewill offering in proportion to the blessings the LORD your God has given you. 11 And rejoice before the LORD your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name —you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, the Levites in your towns, and the foreigners, the fatherless and the widows living among you. 12 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt, and follow carefully these decrees.
The Festival of Tabernacles
13 Celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles for seven days after you have gathered the produce of your threshing floor and your winepress. 14 Be joyful at your festival—you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levites, the foreigners, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns. 15 For seven days celebrate the festival to the LORD your God at the place the Lord will choose. For the LORD your God will bless you in all your harvest and in all the work of your hands, and your joy will be complete.
16 Three times a year all your men must appear before the LORD your God at the place he will choose: at the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks and the Festival of Tabernacles. No one should appear before the LORD empty-handed: 17 Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the LORD your God has blessed you.
Judges
18 Appoint judges and officials for each of your tribes in every town the LORD your God is giving you, and they shall judge the people fairly. 19 Do not pervert justice or show partiality. Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the innocent. 20 Follow justice and justice alone, so that you may live and possess the land the LORD your God is giving you.
Commentary
6. Generosity
Do you ever find yourself being a little mean or penny-pinching?
The principle of generosity runs throughout the Bible. Don’t be ‘hard-hearted’ (15:7) when you see poverty and need. Don’t be ‘tight-fisted’ (v.7). Rather be ‘open-handed’ (v.8) – giving to all those who are in need. If people need to borrow from you, you should ‘freely lend’ (v.8) without interest. Always give generously without a grudging heart. We should ‘always be generous, open purse and hands’ (v.11, MSG).
Your giving is a response to God’s generosity to you: ‘Give to them as the Lord your God has blessed you’ (v.14).
7. Remembrance
Do you easily forget what God has done for you?
The people of God were called to ‘Remember that you were slaves in Egypt’ (v.15; 16:12). ‘Remember the time of your departure from Egypt’ (v.3). Part of the great festivals of Passover (vv.1–8), Weeks (vv.9–12) and Tabernacles (vv.13–17) was to do with remembrance (see v.3, ‘Remember...’).
One of the aspects of Holy Communion is that it is a constant reminder of the death and resurrection of Jesus – rescuing you from the slavery of sin and death, and setting you free to know God and to receive life in all its fullness – indeed, eternal life.
8. Justice
Do you care about justice?
Justice is of high value to God. Honesty matters to God (my father was right!). ‘Appoint judges... to judge the people fairly and honestly. Don’t twist the law. Don’t play favourites’ (vv.18–19a, MSG). Follow justice and justice alone’ (v.20).
The rule of law really matters. We see all around the world the terrible injustice and suffering that results in places where either there are no judges or the judges do not judge the people fairly. There are many parts of the world where the police and judges accept bribes. Hence the importance of this command, ‘Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous’ (v.19). Where the rule of law is not strong, the innocent can be arrested and imprisoned simply because someone has been dishonest and taken a bribe.
Prayer
Lord, may my values be more like your values. May my thoughts and my ways become more like your thoughts and your ways. May what matters to me be what matters to you.
Pippa adds
In Luke 13:34 it says:
‘O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing!’
It must still be breaking Jesus’ heart where we see the evil destruction in the Middle East and so many other parts of the world.
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References
Nelson Mandela, The Long Walk to Freedom, (Abacus, 1995) p.748
The Bible with Nicky and Pippa Gumbel (commentary formerly known as Bible in One Year) ©Alpha International 2009. All Rights Reserved.
Compilation of daily Bible readings © Hodder & Stoughton Limited 1988. Published by Hodder & Stoughton Limited as the Bible in One Year.
Unless otherwise stated, Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version Anglicised, Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 Biblica, formerly International Bible Society. Used by permission of Hodder & Stoughton Publishers, an Hachette UK company. All rights reserved. ‘NIV’ is a registered trademark of Biblica. UK trademark number 1448790.
Scripture quotations marked (AMP) taken from the Amplified® Bible, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)
Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from The Message, copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.