Solomon, the author of Psalm 127, shares his wisdom here, and he tells us that, apart from the LORD’s superintendence over all our various endeavors, our “labors are in vain” (expressed three times in verses 1-2). In this life, we have the freedom and the responsibility to make wise choices – we can choose to live a life of vanity (i.e., “meaninglessness”), or we can decide to make our lives count for all eternity by including God in all our decision-making. Children also figure prominently into this equation because “children are a heritage from the LORD and a reward.” Solomon says that children are like “arrows in the hands of a warrior” (verses 3-4). In the same way that a wise warrior depends on more than one arrow, parents who can rear and count on several children are “blessed” (verse 5) and equally wise – especially when they may be required to “contend with their enemies in the gate” (verse 5). Children are meaningful and purposeful gifts from God, and as archers, parents have the responsibility to point their children like arrows in a decisive and resolute direction toward the goal of eternity. Consider the height of absurdity by a vain archer who would rely only on one arrow for the ensuing battle or waste his arrows on meaningless targets – who would do that?
In Ezekiel 32-33:1-20, we see God’s lament over Pharaoh and Egypt. His lament for Egypt does not minimize the truth about Egypt, for here, God again refers the second time to Egypt as “a monster” (verse 2; cf., Ezekiel 29:3). This shows us that God unequivocally maintains the truth even as He expresses His special concern toward His enemies – He does not waste either the truth or His love on anyone. If He cares enough to demonstrate his love for His enemies through His “lament” and His rebuke over them, then how much more does He truly care for all His children? God can never be held responsible for our human decisions, and He makes clear to us that “He takes no pleasure in the death” of anyone (cf., Ezekiel 33:11), but mankind’s absurd, irrational rejection of Him also never minimizes His love and care for them. He offers all men and women the meaningful opportunity to make wise choices and to repent from foolish ones, but people must “turn away from their wickedness and do what is just and right” (verse 33:19). God only desires what is best for us; to attain His best, we must submit ourselves to His will which is good.
Today we come to the book of James in our readings. In James 1, the author begins this meaningful book with the word “Consider” (verse 3). This word means to “engage your mind,” which is another way of saying, “Think about this.” James admonishes us to recognize that we are to live the Christian life properly, practically, realistically, and responsibly – a life that is characterized by “trials, testings, and temptations” (verses 2-3; 12-13). These awful words simply refer to a process whereby God is refining gold by removing its impurities. We can counteract these difficulties with “joy, wisdom, perseverance, and humiliation” (verses 2-10). To do so, we must guard ourselves against “deception” (verse 16), which is especially rampant in our world today. We need to develop the meaningful graces of “quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.” We need to “do what the Word of God says – including looking after widows and orphans” (verses 19-28).
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