Other comments on this day's readings can be found here.
Reading 1 - Deu 10:18
"He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and
loves the alien, giving him food and clothing" (Deu 10:18).
"This wide compassion is part of our understanding of God. He
giveth His rain to the good and evil, and causeth His sun to shine on the just
and unjust. So the Israelite must love the Israelite and the stranger, having
compassion on every man who was oppressed. In this Jesus our Lord excelled: his
words to the Samaritan woman at the well, to the Syrophoenician woman whose
child was sick, to the woman who was a sinner, were all examples of his
extensive mercy on those in need. If we would capture this spirit our lives
would be enriched. It would increase our understanding of men, invigorate our
preaching, and free us from the sin of 'respect of persons' which besets us in a
variety of forms" (Harry Tennant, "Moses My Servant" 176,177).
Reading 2 - Ecc 4:1-8
"Again I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking
place under the sun: I saw the tears of the oppressed -- and they have no
comforter; power was on the side of their oppressors -- and they have no
comforter. And I declared that the dead, who had already died, are happier than
the living, who are still alive. But better than both is he who has not yet
been, who has not seen the evil that is done under the sun. And I saw that all
labor and all achievement spring from man's envy of his neighbor. This too is
meaningless, a chasing after the wind. The fool folds his hands and ruins
himself. Better one handful with tranquillity than two handfuls with toil and
chasing after the wind. Again I saw something meaningless under the sun: There
was a man all alone; he had neither son nor brother. There was no end to his
toil, yet his eyes were not content with his wealth. "For whom am I toiling," he
asked, "and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?" This too is meaningless-- a
miserable business!" (Ecc 4:1-8).
These verses describes the emptiness of many who make it to
"the top". This is not a plea for mediocrity in and of itself: it IS possible to
be successful and happy -- but it is difficult. The problem with the people
described here soon becomes clear; they have no fear of the Lord. They have lost
sight of God, and for all practical purposes they have no God (Psa 14:1; 53:1)
-- because, whatever faith they might profess to others, it is a sham, and they
act as though God does not exist!
For people like this, indifference to others -- and finally
tyranny and abuse of others -- may become a way of life. Since they view people
as pawns, or rungs in the ladder of success, it's easy for the powerful to
become abusive.
Sadly, those whom they oppress often have no one to help or
comfort them (v 1). Their lot is so painful that the observer concludes that the
dead or unborn are better off than the oppressed. If all of this sounds
familiar, it's because these verses capture much of the history of the human
race.
That's why those who strive for success must also strive for
compassion. "Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery
that is coming upon you... Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who
mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have
reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. You have lived on earth in luxury and
self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter" (Jam
5:1,4,5): remember your Maker, and listen to Him before it's too late!
Another reason many successful people feel empty is that their
success has been driven by "envy" of others (v 4); they see others as
competitors to be beaten rather than as companions to be embraced. It isn't easy
to make friends under those conditions. That's why those who strive for success
must also strive for companionship.
The overachiever can also feel empty because success may bring
with it a pack of problems he hadn't expected. For these people, the advice in v
6 is worth heeding: "Better one handful with tranquillity than two handfuls with
toil and chasing after the wind." That's why those who strive for success must
also strive for contentment. Pause along the way to smell the flowers. Look
around you; look up. Put things in perspective. Remember the One who has truly
given you all your blessings!
So the final picture in this section (vv 7,8) is a sad one: a
"successful" person -- like the fabled Scrooge -- alone with his money. Yet his
loneliness and frustration drive him even harder: "There was no end to his toil,
yet his eyes were not content with his wealth. 'For whom am I toiling,' he
asked, 'and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?' This too is meaningless --
a miserable business!" A person like that needs help! That's why those who
strive for success must also strive for cessation -- knowing when enough is
enough... and knowing that "a man's life does not consist in the abundance of
his possessions" (Luke 12:15). As Charles Dickens saw and expressed so
profoundly, the wealth hoarded for self-indulgence turns at last into chains
that bind and imprison!
Lord, deliver us from the miserable business of
money-grubbing; teach us how to trust in You alone.
Reading 3 - Acts 1:11
"Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking
into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will
come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven." [Acts
1:11]
For what purpose would he come? Num 14:21 (to fill the earth
with glory); Isa 45:18 / Psa 115:16 (to inhabit the earth); Gen 1:26,27 (to have
dominion); 2Sa 7:12,13 / Isa 9:6,7 / Luk 1:32,33 (to rule on throne of David,
forever).
"They had learned their lesson; they knew that although the
heavens had received him, he was with them still. With great joy in their hearts
they returned to Jerusalem to offer their lives in his service. Two thousand
years later we find ourselves in their place, the disciples of Jesus: loving the
Lord they loved, serving the Lord they served. The world has changed strangely
since their time, but the Gospel has not changed, nor has the commission. Where
they failed, we find ourselves slipping. In the fountain of their strength we
find the source of ours: the words of love that sustained and comforted them
bring us peace and joy. As throughout their troubled lives they looked beyond to
the final glory, so we echo their words, 'Even so, come, Lord Jesus' " (M
Purkis, Life of Jesus p 360).