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Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things Phil 4:8 |
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| Archived Manna: | |
Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Monday, July 21, 2025
Today's Passage : Today's Passage:Tobit Deals with Birds, a Goat, and His Wife BibleVerse:Tobit 2:9-14(ESV) "After I buried the man, I bathed, and then fell asleep in the courtyard next to the wall. It was too hot to cover my face, but I wish I had covered myself despite the heat; for there were birds on the wall above me I had not noticed. And as I slept, they did their business and it fell into my eyes. The bird droppings gave me cataracts that no doctor could cure, and they got worse and worse until I was utterly blind. For four years I lived without sight. My kinsmen, bless them, were greatly distressed, and my nephew Ahiqar took care of me for two years, until he had to leave because of his duties. Anna had to support us, as best she could, working at weaving cloth. It was piecework; she sent the finished cloth to merchants and they would send her what they owed. In late winter, though, they sent her not only her pay, but also a young goat. I may have been blind, but I could hear the goat bleating. “Where did this goat come from,” I asked her. “Is it stolen? Give it back to its owners. We cannot eat stolen food.” She told me it was a gift from her employers, but what employer gives such a gift? I became angry, and then Anna became angry at me. “Where are your charitable deeds now that your wife needs them?” she said. “See, your true character shows itself now.”" Message:
In today’s passage, we begin to get into the heart of Tobit. If it seems odd for a Bible book, or even slightly humorous at times — it is. At times, Tobit reads like a Greek comedy based on Job. The tale of Tobit is often similar to a fairy tale, and is often called a Jewish “legend.” The first two chapters have little to do with God, at least directly, and although the subject matter is serious — blindness is a hard thing for anyone to bear, and was even worse for a Jew deported to Nineveh, for all of them lived a precarious existence — it is presented in a lighthearted fashion.
At this point in the story, we have seen that Tobit is fundamentally a noble spirit and, in fact, it is his strong character that leads to his difficulties. His blindness comes indirectly from his selfless act of burying the poor dead Jew found strangled in the street; and he was led to the dead Jew because he sent his son out to try to share his dinner with the less fortunate. His difficulties with Anna over the goat stem from his unwillingness to engage in theft, even to eat (although in this case his suspicion is wrong).
Anna, very humanly, takes his complaint as a personal affront rather than as a sign of Tobit’s character. How often, in life, has the spouse of a dedicated charitable worker complained of being involuntarily made a member of the “giving” team rather than the “receiving” team? And how often do married couples have ridiculous fights, in real life, over a misunderstanding?
Tobit Accuses Anna of Stealing the Goat, by Rembrandt van Rijn, ca. 1624.
Tobit Accuses Anna of Stealing the Goat, by Rembrandt van Rijn, ca. 1624
Meditation : Prayer : Finally, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, let me think about these things. What I have learned and received, let me do; and the God of peace be with us all. Amen. |
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