The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) - Day 195: Tobias and Sarah Pray (2023)

Episode Date: July 14, 2023

Fr. Mike highlights the purity of Tobias and Sarah's love, and the power of their prayer as a married couple. Today we read Isaiah 7-8, Tobit 7-9, and Proverbs 10:5-8. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/bibleinayear. Please note: The Bible contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.

Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of Scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension. Using the Great Adventure Bible timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today. It is day 195. Gosh, you guys, five more days until day 200, which is phenomenal. Well done. Go you. We're reading Isaiah chapters seven and eight, also three chapters from Tobit

chapters seven, eight, and nine. We're also reading Proverbs chapter 10 verses five, six, seven, and eight. As always, the Bible translation that I'm reading from is the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition. I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension. If you want to download your own Bible in a year reading plan, you can visit ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a year. You can also subscribe to this podcast by clicking on subscribe. As I said, it is day 195.

We're reading Isaiah 7 and 8, Tobit 7 through 9, and Proverbs chapter 10, verses 5 through 8. The book of the prophet Isaiah, chapter seven. Isaiah reassures King Ahaz. In the days of Ahaz, the son of Jotham, son of Uzziah, king of Judah, Rezin, the king of Syria, and Pekah, the son of Ramaliah, the king of Israel, came up to Jerusalem to wage war against it, but they could not conquer it. When the house of David was told Syria is in league with Ephraim, his heart and the heart of his people shook as the trees of David was told Syria is in league with Ephraim, his heart and the heart of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind. And the Lord

said to Isaiah, Go forth to meet Ahaz, you and Shear-Jeshub, your son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the fuller's field, and say to him, Take heed, be quiet, do not fear, and do not let your heart be faint because of these two smoldering stumps of firebrands at the fierce anger of Rezan and Syria and the son of Ramaliah. Because Syria with Ephraim and the son of Ramaliah has devised evil against you, saying, Let us go up against Judah and terrify it, and let us conquer it for ourselves, and set up the son of Tabeel as king in the midst of it. Thus says the Lord God, it shall not stand and it shall not come to pass. For the head of Syria is Damascus and the head of

Damascus is Rezin. Within 65 years, Ephraim will be broken to pieces so that it will no longer be a people. And the head of Ephraim is Samaria and the head of Samaria is the son of Ramalia. and the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is the son of Ramalia. If you will not believe, surely you shall not be established. The sign of Emmanuel. Again, the Lord spoke to Ahaz,

ask a sign of the Lord your God, let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven. But Ahaz said, I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test. And he said, Here then, O house of David, is it too little for you to weary men that you weary my God also? Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and you shall call his name Emmanuel. He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. For before the child knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good.

For before the child knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land before whose two kings you are in dread will be deserted. The Lord will bring upon you and upon your people and upon your father's house such days as have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah, the king of Assyria. In that day, the Lord will whistle for the fly which is at the sources of the streams of Egypt, and for the bee which is in the land of Assyria, and they will all come and settle in the steep ravines, and in the clefts of the rocks, and on all the thorn bushes, and on all the pastures. In that day, the Lord will shave with a razor which is hired beyond the river, with the king of Assyria, the head and the hair of the feet, and it will sweep away the

beard also. In that day a man will keep alive a young cow and two sheep, and because of the abundance of milk which they give, he will eat curds, for everyone that is left in the land will eat curds and honey. In that day every place where there used to be a thousand vines worth a thousand shekels of silver will become briars and thorns. With bow and arrows men will come there, for all the land will be briars and thorns, and as for all the hills which used to be hoed with a hoe, you will not come there for fear of briars and thorns, but they will become a place where cattle are let loose and where sheep tread. Chapter 8 Isaiah's Son, a sign of Assyrian invasion. Then the Lord said to me, take a large tablet and write upon it in common characters belonging to Maharshalal Hashbaz.

And I got reliable witnesses, Uriah the priest and Zechariah, the son of Jeberakiah to attest for me. And I went to the prophetess and she conceived and bore a son. Then the Lord said to me, Call his name Maharshal al-Hashbaz. For before the child knows how to cry my father or my mother, the wealth of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria will be carried away before the king of Assyria. The Lord spoke to me again. Because this people have refused the waters of Shaloha that flow gently and melt in fear before Rezan and the son of Ramalia, therefore, behold, the Lord is bringing up against them the waters of the river,

mighty and many, the king of Assyria and all his glory. And it will rise over all its channels and go over all its banks, and it will sweep on into Judah. It will overflow and pass on, reaching even to the neck, and its outspread wings will fill the breadth of your land, O Emmanuel. Be broken, you peoples, and be dismayed. Give ear, all you far countries, gird yourselves, and be dismayed, gird yourselves, and be dismayed. Take counsel together, but it will come to naught. Speak a word, but it will not stand, for God is with us. For the Lord spoke thus to me with his strong hand upon me

and warned me not to walk in the way of this people saying, do not call conspiracy all that this people call conspiracy and do not fear what they fear nor be in dread. But the Lord of hosts, him, you shall regard as holy. Let him be your fear and let him be your dread. And he will become a sanctuary and a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And many shall stumble thereon. They shall fall and be broken. They

shall be snared and taken. Disciples of Isaiah, bind up the testimony, seal the teaching among my disciples. I will wait for the Lord who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in him. Behold, I and the children whom the Lord has given me are signs and portents in Israel from the Lord of hosts who dwells on Mount Zion. And when they say to you, consult the mediums and the wizards who chirp and mutter, should not a people consult their God? Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living? To the teaching and to the testimony, surely for this word which they speak, there is no dawn.

They will pass through the land greatly distressed and hungry. And when they are hungry, they will be enraged and will curse their king and their God and turn their faces upward and they will look to the earth. But behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish, and they will be thrust into thick darkness. The book of Tobit, chapter 7, arrival at Raguel's home and a marriage contract. Now, when they reached Ekbatana, Tobias said to him, brother Azariah, take me straight to our brother Raguel's home and a marriage contract. Now, when they reached Ekbatana, Tobias said to him, brother Azariah, take me straight to our brother Raguel.

So he took him to the house of Raguel and they found Raguel sitting beside the courtyard door. They greeted him first and he replied, joyous greetings, brothers, welcome and good health. Then he brought them into his house. Then Raguel said to his wife, Edna, how much the young man resembles my cousin Tobit. And Reguel asked them, where are you from, brethren?

They answered him, we belong to the sons of Naphtali, who are captives in Nineveh. So he said to them, do you know our brother Tobit? And they said, yes, we do. And he asked them, is he in good health? They replied, he is alive and in good health. And Tobias said, he is my father. Then Reguel sprang up and kissed him and wept.

And he blessed him and exclaimed, Son of that good and noble man. When he heard that Tobit had lost his sight, he was stricken with grief and wept. And his wife Edna and his daughter Sarah wept. Then Reguil killed a ram from the flock and received them very warmly. When they had bathed and washed themselves and had reclined to dine, Tobias said to Raphael, Brother Azarias, ask Raguel to give me my kinswoman Sarah. But Raguel overheard it and said to Tobias, Eat, drink, and be merry, for no one except you, brother, has the right to marry my daughter Sarah. Likewise, I am not at liberty to give her to any other man than yourself, because you are my nearest relative.

But let me explain the true situation to you. I have given my daughter to seven men of our kinsmen, and when each came to her, he died in the night. But for the present, my child, eat and drink, and the Lord will act on behalf of you both. But Tobias said, I will eat nothing here unless you make a binding agreement with me. So Raguel said, I will do so.

She is given to you in accordance with the decree in the book of Moses, and it has been decreed from heaven that she be given to you. Take your kinswoman. From now on, you are her brother and she is your sister. She is given to you from today and forever. May the Lord of heaven, my child, guide and prosper you both this night and grant you mercy and peace. Then he called his daughter Sarah, and taking her by the hand, he gave her to Tobias to be his wife, saying, Here she is. Take her to be your wife in accordance with the law

and the decree written in the book of Moses. Take her and bring her safely to your father, and may the God of heaven prosper your journey with his peace. Then he called her mother and told her to bring writing material, and he wrote out a copy of the marriage contract to the effect that he gave her to him as wife according to the law of Moses. Then they began to eat and drink. And Raguel called his wife Edna and said to her, Sister, make up the other room and take her into it. So she did as he said and took her there. And the girl began to weep. But the mother comforted her daughter in her tears and said to her, Be brave, my child. The Lord of heaven and earth grant you joy in place of this sorrow of yours. Be brave, my daughter.

Chapter 8. Tobias Routes the Demon and Prays with Sarah. When they had finished eating and drinking, they wanted to retire, so they took the young man and brought him into the bedroom. As he went, he remembered the words of Raphael, and he took the live ashes of incense and put the heart and the liver of the fish upon them and made a smoke. And when the demon smelled the odor, he fled to the remotest parts of Egypt, and the angel bound him. And now, O Lord, I am not taking this sister of mine because of lust, but with sincerity. Grant that I may find mercy and may grow old together with her. And they both said, Amen, Amen. Then they both went to sleep for the night.

But Raguel arose and went and dug a grave with the thought, perhaps he too will die. Then Raguel went into his house and said to his wife Edna, send one of the maids to see whether he is alive, and if he is not, let us bury him without anyone knowing about it. So the maid opened the door and went in, and found them both asleep. And she came out and told them that he was alive. Then Reguel blessed God and said, Blessed are you, O God, with every pure and holy blessing. Let your saints and all your creatures bless you. Let all your angels and your chosen people bless you forever. Blessed are you because you have made me glad.

It has not happened to me as I expected, but you have treated us according to your great mercy. Blessed are you because you have had compassion on two only children. Show them mercy, O Lord, and bring their lives to fulfillment in health and happiness and mercy. Then he ordered his servants to fill in the grave. The Wedding Feast After this he gave a wedding feast for them, which lasted fourteen days.

And before the days of the feast were over, Reguel declared by oath to Tobias that he should not leave until the fourteen days of the wedding feast were ended, that then he should take half of Reguel's property and return in safety to his father, and that the rest would be his when my wife and I die. Chapter 9. The Money Recovered from Gabael Then Tobias called Raphael and said to him, Brother Azarias, take a servant and two camels with you, and go to Gabael and Rages in Medea and get the money for me and bring him

to the wedding feast. For Raguel has sworn that I should not leave, but my father is counting the days and if I delay long, he will be greatly distressed. So Raphael made the journey and stayed overnight with Gabael. He gave him the receipt and Gabael brought out the money bags with their seals intact and gave them to him. In the morning they both got up early and came to the wedding feast, and Gabal blessed Tobias and his wife. The Book of Proverbs chapter 10 verses 5 through 8. A son who gathers in summer is prudent, but a son who sleeps in harvest brings shame. Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

The memory of the righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot. The wise of heart will heed commandments, but a pratting fool will come to ruin. Lord God, we give you praise and thank you so much. Thank you for your wisdom and thank you for continuing to reveal your heart to us. Thank you for calling us to be images of your love in this world. We ask that you please help us to trust in you above all things, in everything.

Lord God, we ask you, help us to trust you in absolutely everything. In Jesus' name we pray. In the name of the Father, Son, Holy Spirit, Amen. Gosh, you guys, this is ridiculous. Not only do we have the longest name in the entire Bible, Maharshal al-Hashbaz is the name of Isaiah's son. We're going to get to that in just a second. We also have just this lesson of trust, this lesson of expectation, this lesson of in both readings and Isaiah. What do we have?

We have Isaiah chapter seven and eight, and this is just what a gift. Because why? Because in the midst of chapter seven, we have this promise that Matthew goes on in the gospel of Matthew. He talks about Jesus and he says, this is basically a foreshadowing of who Jesus is. Emmanuel, God with us. We're going to get to that in just a second, but let's give it the context. Okay. So this is Ahaz is now the king of Judah, right? So son of Uzziah, son of Jotham, grandson of Uzziah. And Ahaz, not a good king, not a good

king at all. But what happens is Rezin, the king of Syria, and Pekah, the king of Israel, have made an alliance and they're coming down to Judah. Whenever we talk about Jerusalem, we always go up to Jerusalem, even if you're coming from the north. Why? Because Jerusalem is built on a mountain, right? Built on Mount Zion, essentially that whole region. And so you go up to Jerusalem anyways. So here is Rezin and Pekah and they're coming up to Jerusalem to wage war against it. And here is Ahaz. Isaiah goes to Ahaz and says, okay, here's the deal. God wants to fight for you. God wants to defeat your enemies before you because he has promised he's going to protect you. And so ask for a sign. Now, Ahaz, it sounds like he's being super humble. I'm not going to ask for

a sign. I'm not going to tempt the Lord, but he's not because Ahaz already knows that he's going to enter into an alliance with the king of Assyria. And so he's like, yeah, I don't really need God. I've got the Assyrians. So like, no big deal, whatever kind of a situation. That's why Isaiah's response is, is it not enough for you to weary men? Will you weary my God also? And this is his response. Again, for us, if we don't know the context, we think, well, maybe that's Ahaz just, you know, being humble.

But it's not. It's Ahaz not trusting in the Lord. And that's why Isaiah gives this incredible prophecy. He says, therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which means God is with us. Okay. When it comes to prophecies and prophets, sometimes we have this image in our minds that prophets have like a crystal ball, right? They're foretelling the future. That can happen. But the main job of the prophet is to, the way people will often say it is, rather than foretelling, it's forth telling, right? They're speaking truth into the moment. Now, when they do foretell the future, it's both close up and sometimes it's also close up and in the distance.

But it has to be close enough to be able to do what Moses had mentioned. We have to do this. You have to be able to prove a prophet true. So if a prophet is going to say, yes, sometime after my death, such and such is going to happen. Well, you can't prove or disprove that. So the prophecy has to actually happen sooner than later in order to verify whether this is a true prophet or a false prophet. So like many prophecies, this is one that is both close up and far away. So what do I mean? Well, it's close up in terms of the next chapter,

chapter eight. It says that here is Isaiah and he has relations with his wife, the prophetess. See, he was a prophet. She was a prophetess, a little family business going on there. And they have a son. Verse three says, I went to the prophetess. She conceived and bore a son. And the Lord said to me, call his name Maharshal al-Hashbaz. And basically Maharshal al-Hashbaz is every, you know, everyone's name means something. And Maharshalal Hashbaz, his name means speed to the spoil, hurry to the plunder. Basically, bad things are going down. And this guy, the presence of this person, Maharshalal Hashbaz, again, fun to say, you guys, everyone just try it.

If you're driving to work, if you're praying right now, even if you're in a room with other people, just out loud, you're listening to the earbuds, Mahars Shalal Hashbaz, fun, fun, fun name to say. Basically, here is the fulfillment of this prophecy that before Mahar Shalal Hashbaz reaches the age of reason, Ephraim, Ephraim is another name for the kingdom of Israel, Ephraim will be destroyed. And this is what happens. This is what happens. And so this is God's demonstrating through Isaiah to Ahaz this call back, this recognition of here's what's going to happen to the northern kingdom of Israel, also known as Ephraim.

What's going to happen there is going to be destroyed. And here's the sign. Maharshal al-Hashbaz is going to be born. And before he reaches the age of reason, the kingdom will be destroyed. And that is what happens. The wealth of Damascus, the soil of Samaria will be carried away before the king of Assyria. And this is meant to be a warning to the people of Judah, to the king of King Ahaz, king of Judah. But we'll see what happens. We'll see if he repents. Spoiler alert, but we'll see what happens. We'll see if he repents. Spoiler alert, might not happen.

But if we go back, okay, so that's Isaiah chapters seven and eight. Now let's look at Tobit chapters seven, eight, and nine. Just what a gift. What we have is here is the marriage contract between Tobias and Raguel, the father of Sarah. He even kind of lays it out there. He's like, I gotta let you know this, that Sarah has been married seven times and each night her husbands have been killed before they could consummate the relationship by this demon Asmodeus. And thanks be to God, God had already sent Azarias slash Raphael in disguise

and given him the fish heart and liver to be able to put on the incense. And what happens? The demon Asmode to be able to put on the incense. And what happens? The demon Asmodeus gets chased away, essentially, by this incense. And what happens? The angel binds him in the far, remote corners of Egypt. So this is the reality that highlights for us just the reality of angels, the reality of demons, that angels are real,

and fallen angels, aka demons, are incredibly real as well. And the power of God and the power of prayer over those demons by the power of God, God has given authority and dominion in so many ways to his people over those demons that can come against us. More on that maybe some other time. But one of my favorite sections in this entire book of Tobit is chapter eight. They're married, right? And they go into their wedding chamber. And this is a reading that happens. So many of my students, they choose this reading for their wedding reading. And it just is packed with beauty. It's packed with love. It says, when the door was shut and two were alone, Tobias got up from the bed and said,

sister, get up. Let us pray and implore our Lord that he grant us mercy and safety. Just remember back in the Song of Songs or Song of Solomon, and it's my sister, my bride, that here is Tobias. He's speaking to his wife, Sarah, who he desires her. He loves her. You know, love at first sight kind of situation. But he first sees her as his sister. Again, not to be used, not for his sake, but for her own sake. My sister, get up. Let us pray and implore our Lord that he grant us mercy and safety. And they began to say, this is so good, so important for husbands and wives to pray with each other. Now it's good for husbands and wives to pray individually,

but it is so, so vitally crucial and important that husbands and wives pray out loud with each other at least once a day, such a blessing. And they pray, blessed are you, O God of our fathers. Blessed be your holy and glorious name forever. Let the heavens and all your creatures bless you. You made Adam and gave him Eve, his wife, as a helper and support.

From them, the race of mankind has sprung. You said it is not good that the man should be alone. Let us make a helper for him like himself. And this is just the recap, right? God just praising God for what he's done. And then they say, and now, O Lord, I am not taking this sister of mine because of lust, but with sincerity, out of love, not out of lust, but out of love. Grant that I may find mercy and may grow old

together with her. And they both said, amen, amen. And they went to sleep. And this is just, gosh, you guys, that's the reading in so many people's weddings that I get the chance to be a part of because they realize, yeah, our lives are underneath God's mercy, right? Underneath his justice, underneath his protection. So we have to come before him because, in fact, John Paul II, he had said that the whole battle between good and evil, the whole battle between good and evil, this cosmic battle between good and evil, finds one of its meeting points in a relationship between man and wife, in the relationship between husband and wives. In fact, that battleground oftentimes

is in the sexual relationship and just the way in which men and women are tempted to use each other, to dominate each other in the sexual relationship, tempted to manipulate each other in that, or tempted to even just act out for pleasure rather than for God's good intentions. And here is this incredible moment where Tobias and Sarah have the opportunity

to pray and say, God, untwist whatever's twisted in my heart. Meanwhile, outside, Raguel's digging a grave for Tobias, but they don't need it. So they fill it in before the end of the day, which is before the sun comes up the next day, it's already filled in. And lastly, lastly, there's this note where Reguil has this prayer and he is praising God. I love this. In verse 16 of chapter eight, he says, blessed are you because you have made me glad. It has not happened to me as I expected, but you have treated us according to your great mercy. And just wow, right? How often is that? Lord, it has not happened to me as I expected.

Not happened to me as I expected. But here you are. Here you are again. And that's just what a gift this day. Wherever you're at right now, I just invite you to receive the gift. Your life may not have turned out as you expected, but it's not over yet. This chapter, this page, this section of your story, it may not have turned out the way you expected, but here we are. Here we are today, getting to hear the Lord's voice in our ears

and be able to see his words with our eyes if you're following along with your Bibles. And it is a gift. It is day 195 and we've got a few days left to go. But I am praying for you. Please, please pray for me and pray for each other. My name is Father Mike. I cannot wait to see you tomorrow. God bless.