Scripture Daily

Context No. 1959 of 4322 · Tobit

Context · Reflection

Tobit 1:1-14: in context

1The book of the words of Tobit, the son of Tobiel, the son of Ananiel, the son of Aduel, the son of Gabael, of the seed of Asiel, of the tribe of Naphtali; 2who in the days of Enemessar king of the Assyrians was carried away captive out of Thisbe, which is on the right hand of Kedesh Naphtali in Galilee above Asher. 3I, Tobit walked in the ways of truth and righteousness all the days of my life, and I did many alms deeds to my kindred and my nation, who went with me into the land of the Assyrians, to Nineveh. 4When I was in my own country, in the land of Israel, while I was yet young, all the tribe of Naphtali my father fell away from the house of Jerusalem, which was chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, that all the tribes should sacrifice there, and the temple of the habitation of the Most High was hallowed and built therein for all ages. 5All the tribes which fell away together sacrificed to the heifer Baal, and so did the house of Naphtali my father. 6I alone went often to Jerusalem at the feasts, as it has been ordained to all Israel by an everlasting decree, having the first fruits and the tenths of my increase, and that which was first shorn; and I gave them at the altar to the priests the sons of Aaron. 7I gave a tenth part of all my increase to the sons of Levi, who ministered at Jerusalem. A second tenth part I sold away, and went, and spent it each year at Jerusalem. 8A third tenth I gave to them to whom it was appropriate, as Deborah my father’s mother had commanded me, because I was left an orphan by my father. 9When I became a man, I took as wife Anna of the seed of our own family. With her, I became the father of Tobias. 10When I was carried away captive to Nineveh, all my kindred and my relatives ate of the bread of the Gentiles; 11but I kept myself from eating, 12because I remembered God with all my soul. 13So the Most High gave me grace and favor in the sight of Enemessar, and I was his purchasing agent. 14And I went into Media, and left ten talents of silver in trust with Gabael, the brother of Gabrias, at Rages of Media.

Tobit tells his own story. When his whole tribe fell away from the worship of God at Jerusalem and turned to idols, he alone remained faithful, going up to the feasts, bringing his tithes and firstfruits, giving alms to his kindred. And when he was carried away captive to Nineveh, and all his relatives ate the food of the Gentiles, he kept himself from it, because, he says, I remembered God with all my soul. He stood faithful when everyone around him did not.

What marks Tobit is faithfulness against the tide. His whole tribe fell into idolatry, abandoning the true worship of God; and Tobit alone kept faith, continuing to worship God, to give, to obey, when everyone around him had turned away. And in exile, when all his relatives conformed to the surrounding culture, eating what they should not, Tobit kept himself apart, faithful, because he remembered God with all his soul. He did not follow the crowd away from God; he stood alone in his devotion when the whole community had abandoned it. There is a challenge here that many of us face in a gentler form. It is hard to remain faithful when everyone around us is not, when the culture, the community, even our own family, has drifted from God, and faithfulness means standing alone, against the tide, refusing to follow the crowd. The pressure to conform, to go along, to do what everyone else is doing, is immense; and Tobit resisted it, remaining faithful when he was the only one. His secret was that he remembered God with all his soul; his devotion to God was stronger than the pull of the crowd. This is a summons to a like faithfulness. When those around us abandon God, drift from him, or pressure us to conform to ways that are not his, we are called, like Tobit, to stand faithful even alone, not to follow the crowd away from God but to keep our devotion to him whatever others do. Do not be conformed to this world, Scripture says; and sometimes faithfulness means being the one who does not conform, who stands alone in devotion when everyone else has turned away. Tobit alone remained faithful when his whole tribe fell away, because he remembered God with all his soul; and the same lone faithfulness, standing for God against the tide when others will not, is asked of us. It is hard to be the only one; but Tobit shows it can be done, by those who remember God with all their soul.

When those around me, my culture, my community, even my family, drift from God or pressure me to conform to ways that are not his, do I follow the crowd, or can I stand faithful like Tobit, who alone remained devoted when his whole tribe fell away, keeping my devotion to God whatever others do, because I remember him with all my soul?

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