Today in Psalm 119:57-64, we see the Psalmist’s commitment to obey the LORD and to “seek His face with all his heart” (verses 57-58). In verse 59, the Psalmist tells us that he has “considered” God’s ways and “turned his steps” to God’s statutes. No doubt, the Psalmist took the time necessary to evaluate his own behavior, and then he concluded that his own ways were inferior; the ways of the LORD were clearly better. Hence, we learn from today’s reading that trusting and obeying God is reasonable – most definitely an act of faith – but it is not a frivolous, foolish, or flighty faith. God says, “Come now, let us reason together” (cf., Isaiah 1:18). He does not call us to a faith that is blind, but one that is judicious. Exercising faith in God is worthy of our consideration, and it requires an informed decision. It doesn’t just happen randomly or by accident. God provides the propositional information (i.e., the truth) that we need about faith, and He is faithful, reliable, and trustworthy about it. He accomplishes what He says He will do, and we can trust Him. Recently, I had to have my #-5 upper tooth extracted - a process that required reasonable faith. By faith, I sat down in the dentist’s chair, and two nurses prepped me for surgery. Then they administered anesthesia. I was completely out cold, and I had no knowledge of anything. The nurses could have done whatever to me, and I wouldn’t have known it. I felt nothing. All I know is that, when I woke up, my #-5 upper tooth was gone. In fact, I never even saw the dentist, but it is reasonable for me to conclude and to believe that my dentist - not the nurses – pulled that tooth! That’s what he said he would do, and he is worthy of my trust. This is how the Psalmist could say, “according to Your promise, I will hasten to obey Your commands” (verses 58-60). God is reasonable, and He is worthy of our trust.
In Jeremiah 38:1-40:6, again we read about the prophet’s faithfulness to God in light of his continuing struggles with unbelieving Jews who simply did not want to hear his proclamation of the truth. God told Jeremiah to tell them that they would die if they remained in Jerusalem, but “they would live if they escaped to Babylon” (verse 38:2). The “officials” didn’t like or want to hear this truth, so they attempted to kill Jeremiah (verse 4). They “took Jeremiah and put him into the cistern of Malkijah” (verse 6). It amazes me how easily and dangerously masses of unrighteous people can overpower righteousness and truth – something we now see every day in our culture. Thankfully, Ebed-Melek was compassionate toward Jeremiah and saved his life. Chapter 39 details the fall of Jerusalem – one of the saddest chapters in all of Scripture. In Jeremiah 40:1-6, we see that Jeremiah was released “from the chains on his wrists” by the commander of the Babylonian guard (verses 40:1-4).
In 1 Timothy 3, we see Paul’s instructions about church formation and development. He wants Timothy to know and to apply in his ministry the qualifications, selection, and training of elders and deacons. These church leaders have the God–ordained responsibility to direct and manage the affairs of the church and move it toward God’s ultimate purposes for believers – personal godliness and corporate holiness. Paul was careful to indicate that “the wives of these leaders also should be worthy of respect, temperate, and trustworthy in everything” (verse 11). The church is to be “the pillar and foundation of the truth” (verse 15), so that it might properly express “beyond all question the great mystery of godliness” (verse 16). We notice that all of these instructions and requirements are reasonable - not frivolous, foolish, or flighty.
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