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Light dawns in the darkness for the upright;

he is gracious, merciful, and righteous.

—Psalm 112:4

And Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the Lord.” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it.

—2 Kings 22:8

Do not put yourself forward in the king's presence

or stand in the place of the great,

for it is better to be told, “Come up here,”

than to be put lower in the presence of a noble.

—Proverbs 25:6-7a

And a leper came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, “If you will, you can make me clean.” Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I will; be clean.”

—Mark 1:40-41

Now [Jesus] told a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him...”

—Luke 14:7-8

When we say that we have "found" something, it usually means that it was lost, or that we were looking for it, or both.

We might call out to family members helping us search for car keys, "Never mind; I found them!" And "found" sometimes implies lack of prior knowledge, as when we tell friends, "I found a really good restaurant!"

Sometimes only a word or two in a verse can give us an opportunity to pause and let it sink in. Hilkiah, the high priest, reported that he had found the scroll of the Law in the temple. How could it have become lost?

My car keys are physically tiny; it is easy to put something on top of them or put them among other small things that disguise their presence. But a Torah scroll isn't little! My car keys are only useful a tiny percent of the time—when I'm leaving the house to go somewhere. But the Word is the light to the pathway of the Lord's people, a blessing to those who meditate on it day and night. It is important!

We know from the book of Kings that the fragmented nation kept losing its way, with leaders that kept chasing everything except shepherding the people in the right paths. But the fact that the Law scroll's presence was unknown even to the high priest says much about the state of the leaders and the people. Reading through the book of Jeremiah is a dismaying wake-up call concerning the power of distraction and forgetting.

Jesus said that He came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets, so it shouldn't be a surprise to find so much of His teaching calling His hearers back to what they had been taught before. They had to rediscover the Lord's instructions before they could understand their completion.

Only then could light dawn in the darkness.

What man is there who desires life

and loves many days, that he may see good?

Keep your tongue from evil

and your lips from speaking deceit.

Turn away from evil and do good;

seek peace and pursue it.

—Psalm 34:12-14

For with you is the fountain of life;

in your light do we see light.

—Psalm 36:9

“I have seen your tears. Behold, I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the Lord...”

—2 Kings 20:5b

After two days he will revive us;

on the third day he will raise us up,

that we may live before him.

—Hosea 6:2

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...In him was life, and the life was the light of men.

—John 1:1, 4

“For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.”

—John 5:26

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

—John 10:10

If Jeremiah were alive today, his opponents would call his message "fake news" and "hate speech". His message was not fake; it was the word of the Lord. His opponents rejected it because it didn't support their agenda. His message was not hate; it was an urgent plea for a divided nation and a corrupt culture to turn from a path of self-inflicted disaster.

Jesus reminded those who challenged Him that when the devil lies, he “speaks out of his own character”.

When the Lord (who identified Himself to Moses as "I AM") gives existence, He gives out of His own existence, because He is existence. When the Lord gives life, He does so out of His own nature, because He has life in Himself. When He speaks truth, He speaks out of His own character, because He is “the way, and the truth and the life”. When He gives love, He gives out of Himself, because “God is love.”

Human voices of anger and contempt and falsehood, human actions of stealing and killing and destruction, speak and act according to the character that motivates them. They, like the Israelites in Judges who did what was right in their own eyes, are following the path that Proverbs describes as seeming right but leading to death. Fake freedom and false life.

Human hearts that humbly seek the Lord, His path, and His peace are seeking to be revived and raised, to live before Him, and to share His life.

Abundant, true life.

Be to me a rock of refuge,

to which I may continually come;

you have given the command to save me,

for you are my rock and my fortress.

Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked,

from the grasp of the unjust and cruel man.

—Psalm 71:3-4

[Apollos] had been instructed in the way of the Lord. And being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John. He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.

—Acts 18:24-26

What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each.

—1 Corinthians 3:5

Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.

—Galatians 6:1

What does it mean to be the body of Christ? Does that include acting on His behalf, addressing needs on His behalf, showing gentleness on His behalf?

It seems easy to use a first-person mind-set when reading Psalms that use first-person language. What if we read them differently?

This doesn't imply the blasphemy of trying to be in the place of God. But it does recall that, after Isaiah was told that his sin had received atonement, he was willing to say, “Here I am! Send me.” And it does recall that the Lord's people are called to reflect His character.

Paul's letter to Galatia contains instructions to be gentle and humble even when dealing with outright “transgression”. That contrasts sharply with the culture that surrounds us today, in which any kind of difference of opinion escalates rapidly into outrage and hostility. (We can think some other time about the role of insecurity in that kind of escalation, and about how Satan uses insecurity to provoke us to bad behavior.)

In addition to instruction, Scripture gives us practical examples, like that of Apollos and Priscilla and Aquila. Apollos used his talents and used what he understood. He was courageous. And when he began, his knowledge was incomplete. Instead of making a public spectacle or shaming Apollos into silence for speaking with less than perfect understanding, they worked with him privately. Their gentle and humble approach reads almost as answering the plea of Psalm 71, as they not only avoided harshness in their conversation, but also helped protect him from future confrontations by people of less Christ-like attitudes.

As members of the body of Christ, they acted on His behalf, addressed a need on His behalf, and showed gentleness on His behalf. They gave gentle refuge to Apollos.

And that gives Him the glory.

Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength!

We will sing and praise your power.

—Psalm 21:13

The Lord is the strength of his people;

he is the saving refuge of his anointed.

—Psalm 28:8

For the Lord has ransomed Jacob

and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him.

—Jeremiah 31:11

For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

—1 Corinthians 1:25

For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

—2 Corinthians 12:10

As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

—1 Peter 4:10-11

Despite the lies of Satan, flesh and blood are not the true source of strength.

When the Lord provided strength to judges and other leaders to defend ancient Israel against attack, it was not to give them glory. It was keeping His covenant to protect His people; they, in turn, were to keep their covenant to honor Him and to be His witnesses before all nations to His glory. And the wise among them knew that it was His strength that saved them, not their own.

Those who think that they are strong do not seek refuge until it is too late. Those who think that they are self-sufficient do not accept their need for ransom and redemption. Jesus reminded the Pharisees that they remained in their guilt because they refused to acknowledge their blindness. But those, like Paul, who saw the truth about themselves, knew their need for redemption and rescue and grace.

Gideon may have been the instrument through whom God rescued Israel from the Midianites, but the tiny size and astonishing equipment of Gideon's final tiny group made it clear that Israel could not boast about the victory. It was by the Lord's hand and the Lord's strength.

Likewise, Paul looked back on his earlier growing prestige and power as a persecutor of the church and declared that all those former accomplishments were worse than worthless. He learned that the grace and strength of the Lord were all he needed and more than he could have attained.

And Peter brings us back to where we started. Whatever the gift—including service in the strength of the Lord—the Father gives it so that it may be used to serve the body and to give Him the glory.

His strength, not ours. His glory, not ours.

But you do see, for you note mischief and vexation,

that you may take it into your hands;

to you the helpless commits himself;

you have been the helper of the fatherless.

—Psalm 10:14

Now the Syrians on one of their raids had carried off a little girl from the land of Israel, and she worked in the service of Naaman's wife...So [Naaman] went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

—2 Kings 5:2, 14

And Jesus said to [the scribes and Pharisees], “I ask you, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?” And after looking around at them all he said to him, “Stretch out your hand.” And he did so, and his hand was restored. But they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.

—Luke 6:9-11

Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

—Revelation 22:15

Sometimes deceit tries to dress itself up as sophistication. But the consequences can be clear, even to a little child.

The “little girl” had been kidnapped from her home and sold into servitude. But with the simplicity of a child, she set an example of the teaching of Jeremiah even before it was written—to seek the welfare of the place of exile. She didn't understand all the ins and outs of power politics and military might, but she could see Naaman's need and she knew the power of God.

When Naaman first received the second-hand instructions from Elisha, he became angry. Perhaps he expected attention and deference because of his rank. Perhaps he expected somebody else to perform a ceremony. Perhaps he expected a more prestigious venue. But when he humbled himself (like a child), he was healed to a child-like condition.

Any child in the synagogue could see the need of the man with the withered hand. And even a child who remained puzzled by the angry reaction of the scribes and Pharisees could see the power of God when the man's hand was healed at the word of Jesus. The same Jesus, who said, “Let the little children come to me” and “to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” The same Jesus, who taught His disciples that they had to “become like children.”

Conventional wisdom holds that children are challenging audience members for illusionists. Children see what they see and are less susceptible to the misleading and misdirection that are essential parts of illusions. While illusions created only for entertainment can be fun, illusions are a tragic way to live.

Even a child knows the difference between inside and outside. When the thunder rolls, the winds blow, and the rain falls, inside is safe and warm. And outside is where those who love and make lies are found.

Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?

And who shall stand in his holy place?

He who has clean hands and a pure heart,

who does not lift up his soul to what is false

and does not swear deceitfully.

—Psalm 24:3-4

Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of falsehood,

who draw sin as with cart ropes

—Isaiah 5:18

You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

—John 8:44

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

—Philippians 4:8

If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.

—1 John 1:6

There's a lot going on as Paul brings his letter to the Philippian believers to a close. But when Paul—who is fond of lists—writes his “Finally...” list of things for them to keep in their minds and practice, he starts with “whatever is true”.

What we keep in our minds, continuing to think about, influences our attitude, speech, and action. Jesus repeatedly taught about the things that proceed “out of the heart”, whether good or evil. He described the devil (and his children) as so completely filled with lies that there is no room for truth in speech or action.

David caught a glimpse of this. One song connected speaking truth in the heart with dwelling in the Lord's presence. Another emphasized not lifting the soul to falsehood. Isaiah uses different imagery that draws to the same conclusion when he speaks of people using lies as ropes to pull carts full of sin.

Do a concordance search for the word “truth” in the gospels, and prepare to be surprised. John's gospel overflows with the word, beginning with the description of the Son as “full of grace and truth”. Teaching after teaching of Jesus emphasizes truth. And John records the cynical question of the politician Pilate, “What is truth?” Pilate's actions (and inactions!) make clear that he used words to manipulate, not to seek and honor truth.

And John's first letter continues the emphasis, as he uses “truth” as more than an attribute of words.

Truth is something to be done.

O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent?

Who shall dwell on your holy hill?

He who walks blamelessly and does what is right

and speaks truth in his heart

...

who swears to his own hurt and does not change

—Psalm 15:1-2, 4b

The sum of your word is truth

—Psalm 119:160a

“Do not trust in these deceptive words: ‘This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.’”

—Jeremiah 7:4

“But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.”

—Luke 6:35

“For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.”

—John 13:15

“Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.”

—John 17:17

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

—Philippians 4:8

Many seemingly-complicated questions come down to a single choice about what to honor, prioritize, and seek: advantage or truth.

The serpent in the garden took advantage of Eve, saying to her words that were not guided by truth, but by the desire to influence her actions. Ahab tried to take advantage of Jehoshaphat's presence against Syria at Ramoth-Gilead. He wanted Jehoshaphat to enter the battle dressed as a king, while he planned to appear only in disguise. The Syrians, who planned to target their attack on the king of Israel, would be deceived into attacking Jehoshaphat instead of Ahab. All manner of deceit and self-serving behavior was in the air, including the false prophets who—unlike Micaiah—said whatever the king wanted to hear.

David pondered poetically who would be acceptable to dwell with the Lord. But the answers in that song are not abstract figures of speech, they are concrete behaviors. And truth appears twice. Speaking truth in the heart implies that it is not mere lip-service, but heart-felt attachment to truth. A few lines later, the song makes clear that this loyalty to truth is even willing to pay a price. Telling the truth even when it costs to do so is exactly the opposite of deception that only seeks advantage.

The great psalm that praises the Lord's instruction anticipated a statement that Jesus prayed in the upper room: the Lord's word is truth. The Word that came to us is Way, Truth, and Life, the truth that provides freedom.

And He calls His children to follow His example.

The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof,

the world and those who dwell therein,

for he has founded it upon the seas

and established it upon the rivers.

Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?

And who shall stand in his holy place?

He who has clean hands and a pure heart,

who does not lift up his soul to what is false

and does not swear deceitfully.

—Psalm 24:1-4

“The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is mine. For you are strangers and sojourners with me.”

—Leviticus 25:23

“The inheritance of the people of Israel shall not be transferred from one tribe to another, for every one of the people of Israel shall hold on to the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers.”

—Numbers 36:7

But Naboth said to Ahab, “The Lord forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers.”

—1 Kings 21:3

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”

—Matthew 5:5

In a short meditation on the Hebrew word for "vineyard", Chad Bird made a connection between the murder of Naboth and the parable Jesus taught about tenants of a vineyard who murdered the owner's son in hopes of seizing the vineyard for themselves. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all record that the religious rulers “perceived” that Jesus was talking about them. It is a tragedy that they weren't as perceptive about themselves and the One who was walking among them!

And the contrast between Ahab's request and Naboth's response points to issues that go much deeper.

Deuteronomy records that Moses had long before warned the Israelites against imagining that “My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.” He instructed them to remember that the Lord was giver of all, in faithfulness to His covenant. But obsession with power and wealth had infected Ahab, magnified by the "might-of-hands" madness of Jezebel. Ahab ignored the Law of Moses; Jezebel opposed and fought against it.

The gospel writers don't state the connection explicitly, nor did Bird, but I suspect that people who knew the Law and Prophets would also recall that Ahab did more evil “in the sight of the Lord...than all who were before him” and then compounded his evils by marrying the murderous Sidonian princess Jezebel and following her lead in worshiping Baal.

In Psalm 37, in addition to singing that “the meek shall inherit the land”, David urges his audience not to fret about or be envious of evildoers. Jesus also taught His followers not to become consumed in anxiety. But He also knew that evildoers can cause great harm (now as then).

And when the Owner of the vineyard returns, He will hold them accountable.

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

be acceptable in your sight,

O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

—Psalm 19:14

A gentle tongue is a tree of life,

but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.

—Proverbs 15:4

He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice,

or make it heard in the street;

a bruised reed he will not break,

and a faintly burning wick he will not quench;

he will faithfully bring forth justice.

—Isaiah 42:2-3

“But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. ”

—Matthew 15:18

For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness. Because of this he is obligated to offer sacrifice for his own sins just as he does for those of the people.

—Hebrews 5:1-3

The Scriptures contain direct instruction to speak kindly and gently. It also offers examples of that behavior. What does it mean to speak kindly and gently?

Gentle speech is healing to spirit, mind, and body; the tree of life brings healing to the whole person. The proverb contrasts it with “perverseness”—vicious speech which distorts the truth and the one who accepts it. In everyday terms, we understand the damaging effects on thinking and the body of stress, including that triggered by lying or hate-filled speech.

Gentle speech builds connections from heart to heart; those connections bring healing to broken or fragile relationships. That is the way that Joseph spoke to rebuild a trusting relationship with his brothers, the way that the Levite spoke to his unfaithful concubine late in the book of Judges, the way that Joab urged David to speak to the faithful who had defended him against Absolom, and the way that Hosea records the Lord speaking to His unfaithful people.

Gentle speech brings good things to the hearer; its words—coupled with action—benefit the recipient instead of the speaker. The books of Kings and Jeremiah both record the king of Babylon speaking kindly to Jehoiachin, extending mercy and grace that Jehoiachin's former actions did not deserve. (It is fascinating to read some of the traditions around the effect of Jehoiachin's imprisonment on his heart.)

Gentle speech shows moderation without evil or quarreling; it de-escalates and attempts to be at peace. Paul's explicit instruction on speech in the letter to Titus, as well as his broader teaching on peacefulness, emphasize this quality of thought, speech, and life.

Gentle speech is carefully measured; it comes from a heart that has learned obedience. The letter of Hebrews pointed to the One and Only perfect High Priest who sympathizes with our weakness and intercedes for us.

If that is what He learned and what He does, then all who would follow Him must do likewise.