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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. Wednesday, August 6, 2025
Today's Passage : Today's PassageTobias Begins a Journey BibleVerse:Tobit 5:1-22 (DP Bible) "Tobias said, “Father, I will do as you have said; but how can I get the money, since Gabael does not know me? And I do not even know the roads to Rages, in Media.” But Tobit had a handwritten receipt; he gave this to Tobias and said, “Find someone trustworthy to go with you to Rages, in Media, where Gabael lives. We will pay him a salary.” So Tobias went looking for someone who knew the roads to Media; he immediately came upon the angel Raphael standing in the street and asked him who he was, and whether he knew the route to Rages. “I am an Israelite,” the man replied, “and yes, I know the way to Rages well, for I have spent much time in Media with our kinsman Gabael.” Tobias took him to meet Tobit, who said, “Brother, show me what tribe and family you are.” “I am Azarias, son of Ananias the Great, one of your family,” Raphael replied, which pleased Tobit greatly. Tobit had travelled to Jerusalem with Ananias and his brother, to worship and to offer up firstborn and tenths of the fruits; they had not been seduced by the error of their fellow Israelites. “What wages will you take?” Tobit asked. “ I will pay you a drachm per day, plus necessities, and if you return safe, a bonus.” And all were well-pleased. When Tobias had prepared all things for the journey, his father told him, “Go with this man, and may God who dwells in heaven prosper your journey, and the angel of God keep you company.” And when Tobias had kissed his mother and father, they departed, and Tobias' dog with them. Anna was not happy to see him go and began to weep. “Why have you sent away our son?” she wailed. “Is he not the staff of our hand, going in and out before us? Adding money to money is greedy, and it is refuse compared to our child. What the Lord has given us is sufficient.” Tobit comforted her, saying, “Take no care, my sister; he will return in safety, and your eyes will see him again. For the good angel will keep him company, and his journey will be prosperous, and he will return safe. ” And at his words, she made an end of weeping." Message:
Chapter 5 of Tobit is a straightforward narrative, not difficult to follow. We see a slice of life, as Tobias' deal with “Azarias” includes a daily wage, expenses, and a completion bonus, just as it would today.
There are two interesting Hebrew idioms in the passage. The oft-encountered expression, “my coming out and my going in” (e.g. Deut. 28:6; Psalm 121:8), is given a new twist in relation to the good a son does for his parents, going in and coming out before them. He helps them at home, and helps them deal with the world outside. “Money is garbage compared to our son,” Anna says, a timeless truth for aging parents.
King Midas|Walter Crane
King Midas
She also informs us that “adding money to money is greedy”; that is, if you have enough money, there is something unsavory about wanting more. We once again see a growing pre-Christian attitude, this time towards wealth, for Anna seems to understand the actual meaning of Matthew 6 better than most modern theologians:
“Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?” (Matthew 6:25)
Underneath the surface narrative, a rather commonplace story about a man sending his son out to retrieve money, runs an odd thread involving Tobit and Raphael. Does it not seem odd that Raphael creates a false identity for himself? Angels are not in the habit of doing this. They might identify themselves, as Gabriel did to Zacharias and Mary, or they might simply say nothing — the three men who visited Abraham come immediately to mind. (Genesis 18) But Raphael appears incognito.
Even more remarkable, however, is the irony of Tobit referring twice to “the angel of God” keeping Tobias company. The statement is literally true. But, does Tobit realize who Raphael actually is? (Perhaps his blindness allows him to see through Raphael’s disguise?) Or is he simply speaking a generic blessing?
Then we get a second ambiguity with three possibilities. When Tobit comforts Anna, he predicts a safe return in declarative language —“he will return safe.” We might think that this is just a way of speaking comforting words; people often predict positive outcomes with declarative language today, even though it is just wishful thinking, e.g. “he will be all right.” But it is also possible that Tobit says this because he knows an angel is travelling with Tobias, especially since he says “the good angel will keep him company.”
And there is a third possibility: Tobias has been given a prophetic vision. Really, this is what his words sound like: prophecy. We must keep in mind that Tobit actually knows that Tobias will return safely. He has all the earmarks of a prophet, from his constant faith in God to his selfless service of others, e.g. when he buries dead strangers at risk to his life. We might even imagine that his physical blindness is related to his spiritual sight.
Meditation : “The resurrection is at the core of our beliefs as Christians. Without it, our faith is meaningless.” ~ Joseph B. Wirthlin Prayer : Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead, our Lord Jesus Christ, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant equip us with every good thing that we may do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight; through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. |
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