YouVersion Logo
Search Icon

The Bible with Nicky and Pippa Gumbel, Classic Version, 2015Sample

The Bible with Nicky and Pippa Gumbel, Classic Version, 2015

DAY 20 OF 365

The Art of Steering

Our car has many scratches on both sides. I suspect (although my memory is conveniently vague about this) that I am responsible for most of them. They come as a result of the difficulty of steering through the very narrow entrance on one side of the grounds of our church. The brick walls on either side of the entrance exhibit the evidence of the number of cars that have failed to steer through the narrow gap without a minor collision with one side or other.

Wisdom has been defined as ‘the art of steering’. As we go through life, we come across many tight situations that require great wisdom in order to avoid damaging ourselves or others. The Bible has much to say about wisdom, and each of today’s passages tells us something about the art of steering. 

Proverbs 2:12-22

1. Avoid wrong turns

Unfaithfulness (vv.16–18) is an example of a wrong turn that we need to avoid. Wisdom will ‘keep you from making wrong turns, or following the bad directions’ (v.12, MSG). Wisdom will stop us steering off course. It will stop us ‘travelling paths that go nowhere, wandering in a maze of detours and dead ends’ (v.15, MSG). Evil may look attractive, but it is perverse and leads to darkness. 

Marriage is a ‘covenant … made before God’ (v.17). ‘Covenant’ is an important word describing Israel’s relationship with God – the Old Covenant; and our relationship with him under the New Covenant. A covenant is a binding agreement that should not be broken.

To be involved in an adulterous relationship is wrong for both parties. In this case, it is the woman who has ‘left the partner of her youth’ and thereby ‘ignored the covenant she made before God’ (v.17). The man who commits adultery with her has fallen into the temptation to be seduced off the right path onto a path that ultimately ‘leads down to death’ (v.18).

Wisdom will keep you steering on the right paths (v.16a). It will ‘keep your feet on the tried-and-true paths’ (v.20, MSG). It will keep you walking with those who ‘walk straight’ (v.21, MSG).

Lord, give me wisdom. Help me to steer my life on the straight paths that lead to life. Help me to avoid steering off course into evil or dark ways. Keep me on the paths of the righteous.

Matthew 14:1-21

2. Choose the good path

Difficult times in your life can take you off course in the wrong direction. But if you stay on the right course it can lead to greater compassion and wisdom.

The book of Proverbs presents us with a choice between the way of wisdom and the way of evil. In our New Testament passage we see what these two paths look like in practice, in the lives of Jesus and Herod.

  • The path of evil
    Herod the Tetrarch was Herod Antipas (21 BC – AD 39). This was the man who rejected Jesus to his face when Pilate sent Jesus to Herod, just before Jesus’ death (see Luke 23:8–12). In Herod’s life we see an example of the rejection of wisdom and of just how evil a person can be.

Herod had done what the writer of Proverbs warned against. He had committed adultery with his brother’s wife, Herodias. When confronted by his actions he had John the Baptist ‘bound … and put … in prison’ (Matthew 14:3) because of his own guilty conscience.

Herod’s life seemed to revolve around personal gratification. He had discarded one wife and acquired another. His focus was on his own personal pleasure, rather than the misery that his actions would have caused others – not least his own brother, Philip. Personal pleasure mattered more to him than the needs of others.

He also had a fear of rejection. ‘He was afraid of the people’ (v.5) if he were to have John put to death. And yet he was also afraid of rejection from the guests at his dinner party: ‘The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he ordered that [Herodias’ daughter’s] request be granted’ (v.9). What others thought of him mattered more to Herod than what was right.

Because John the Baptist courageously spoke out, Herod wanted to kill him (v.4). Evil seems to have run in the family because Herodias’ daughter plotted with her to have John beheaded (vv.6–10). They were so hardened to evil that they were not even sickened by the sight of John the Baptist’s head brought in on a platter (v.11).

  • The path of good
    John’s disciples told Jesus the terrible news (v.12). Jesus was clearly deeply shocked by his cousin’s death. His response to bad news was to withdraw ‘privately to a solitary place’ (v.13). He needed to be alone with God.

Yet when his plans were interrupted, Jesus did not get irritated (as we often are). It is good to make plans; but allow God to interrupt your plans. Because of his compassion (v.14), Jesus had the wisdom not only to ‘go with the flow’, but also to respond actively – he ‘healed their sick’ (v.14). Even after all that, he did not take the opportunity to get away from the crowds. Instead, he fed them – or rather, he taught his disciples how to feed them miraculously (vv.16,19–20). He mobilised them.

We see the extraordinary wisdom of Jesus as he steered through this day. It was a day that started very badly. But Jesus managed to heal many sick people and miraculously feed ‘five thousand men, besides women and children’ (v.21). It was a day that would be remembered throughout history and has affected millions of lives.

Lord, thank you for the example of the wisdom of Jesus. Help us to grow in wisdom, as he did. May the difficult times in our lives not lead us off the right paths, but rather lead us to greater compassion and wisdom.

Genesis 40:1-41:40

3. Navigate through the challenges of life

‘Great faith is a product of great fights. Great testimonies are the outcome of great tests. Great triumphs can only come out of great trials’ said Smith Wigglesworth. We see this exemplified in the life of Joseph.

At the age of thirty (41:46), Joseph was put in charge of the entire country of Egypt. Pharaoh was looking for a wise and experienced person and he recognised that there was no one as qualified as Joseph (41:33,39).

But first Joseph went through a very tough time. It was all part of his training. He had been rejected by his brothers, treated unjustly and put in prison. Yet his suffering was still not at an end.

God gave him the interpretation of the dreams of his fellow prisoners, the cupbearer and the baker. He was given a clear and accurate interpretation. The baker was executed but the chief cupbearer was released and restored to his position. All Joseph had asked of him was that when he was released, ‘remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison’ (40:14).

However, the chief cupbearer forgot all about Joseph (v.23). This must have been so difficult and discouraging for him. It is never easy when friends let you down. In Joseph’s case, it meant two more years languishing in a dungeon (41:1).

Prison must have been an extraordinarily frustrating place for a man of Joseph’s talents. He was in his twenties, in the prime of his life. He did not even know whether he would ever be released. I am not a very patient person. I think I would have gone mad with frustration. Yet in fact, God was preparing Joseph for something great. It probably did not feel like that at the time.

Finally, when Pharaoh had dreams that he was unable to interpret, the chief cupbearer said, ‘Today I am reminded of my shortcomings’ (v.9). Joseph was called in to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams.

Joseph said, ‘I cannot do it … but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires’ (v.16). We see how Joseph has grown in wisdom. The self-confidence and swagger of his youth have been replaced by a reliance on God. He acts here with an extraordinary mixture of humility and confidence (two qualities that do not often go together). This is the humility and confidence we need when faced with the challenges of life: ‘I can’t … but God can and will.’ 

Joseph interprets Pharaoh’s dreams (vv.25–32), and tells him how he should respond to them (vv.33–36). Even Pharaoh recognises the great wisdom that has grown in Joseph. So Pharaoh asked his officials, ‘Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?’ (v.38). Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘Since God made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you’ (vv.39–40).

Through all his suffering, trials and tribulations, God had been preparing Joseph. He had grown in wisdom. As a result, he came up with a plan which enabled the people to navigate through a period of great economic recession and turmoil. Many of us face all kinds of economic difficulties at the moment. God’s help and wisdom may not always change the situation, but they will help us to navigate through the struggles we face.

Lord, thank you for the way in which you use the difficult times in my life. Help me, like Joseph, to grow in wisdom, not to lose my confidence in you, but to be able to say like him, ‘I can’t … but God can and will.’  

Pippa Adds

Genesis 40

I’m very impressed by Joseph. Apart from being a little bumptious as a child – his father’s fault for spoiling him – Joseph doesn’t put a foot wrong. Well, maybe a little more tact needed for the baker!

Despite all the wrongs done to him by others, there is not a hint of bitterness or doubting in God. He is respectful to Pharaoh, but he makes it clear that it is God, not Joseph, who interprets dreams. His childhood bragging has gone and all the glory goes to God. He doesn’t even try to bargain for release. No wonder Pharaoh is impressed. Now Joseph stands before him humble, confident and ready to be used by God.

Notes:
Unless otherwise stated, Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version Anglicised, Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 Biblica, formerly International Bible Society. Used by permission of Hodder & Stoughton Publishers, an Hachette UK company. All rights reserved. ‘NIV’ is a registered trademark of Biblica. UK trademark number 1448790.
Scripture quotations marked (AMP) taken from the Amplified® Bible, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)
Scripture marked (MSG) taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. 

About this Plan

The Bible with Nicky and Pippa Gumbel, Classic Version, 2015

Start your day with the Bible in One Year, a Bible reading plan with commentary by Nicky and Pippa Gumbel. Nicky Gumbel is the Vicar of HTB in London and pioneer of Alpha. ‘My favourite way to start the day.’ – Bear Grylls ‘My heart leaps every morning when I see Bible in One Year by @nickygumbel sitting in my inbox.’ – Darlene Zschech, Worship Leader

More

​We’d like to thank HTB for their generosity in providing the Bible in One Year. For more information please visit: www.bibleinoneyear.org