March 7, Reading Notes

Numbers 8-9

Most of what is happening here is in retrospect; that is, it happened before the census that begins the book. It is looking back to the order of service and the servants of the Tabernacle and then to the first Passover in the Tabernacle. If you look at the date notation of Numbers 9:1-5, you'll notice it is about 15 days earlier than the date given for the census in Numbers 1:1. Apparently God doesn't know North Americans always like to read things in chronological order. Actually, when this was written, who were the North Americans? Maybe they wouldn't have minded.

Num. 8:1-4

These were the lampstands inside the Tabernacle, but not the one lampstand in the Holy Place. This was an instruction not given earlier.

Num. 8:5-26

This cleansing of the Levites actually took place before the Passover feast in chapter 9. Logistically, this would have taken a few days, and it was important to get the Levites cleansed so they could serve in the Passover preparation and following feast.

So, the Levites were cleansed outside and in. I don't know how to read verse 7. I mean, they didn't have to be bald, so does this mean shaving everything (armpits, etc,.) or was it just some kind of trimming? It wasn't required for Aaron or his sons, and from this point on was never required of any priest or any Levite.

My understanding of this is that it was a very visual, one-time cleansing, and that they shaved all the hair off their bodies, head to toe, like making them newborns, showing they were born for the service of Israel. The people actually laid hands on them to set them apart for the service. Read what it says about the Levites taking the place of the firstborns and the link to the Passover night when the firstborns were killed.

Notice that it mentions a couple of times that Aaron offered the Levites as a wave offering. Usually the priest waved sheaves of barley or wheat in thanks to God for the harvest and then this offering belonged to the priests. This meant that whatever symbolism was present for Pentecost and the Feast of the First Fruits was present here also. The wave offering was a thanks for the provision and blessing of God, there represented in His provision of food, and here in His provision of service for the people. This tribe was given to serve and protect (v.19).

Take your time reading this and do a lot of underlining. There is a lot of interesting stuff and lots of symbolism.

Symbolically, I think that this is what the church is meant to be to the world.

Romans 12:1 I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

Romans 15:15 But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God 16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, that you may declare the wonderful deeds of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Num. 9:1-14

This Passover means that the people have been out of Egypt for one year. God has done some incredible work in a year, making them a nation with laws, and giving them a central place for worship.

Notice in v. 6 there are actually guys who understood the laws and realized they were out of step and came to Moses and Aaron. What this tells me, is that even though they were more than 2 million people, they were really obeying. I can't think of any group of two million people anywhere who all obey anything. It says in the text that it happened here. Too bad it wouldn't last very long.

Num. 9:15-23

This is a summary of what happened when they moved. The Tabernacle has just been set up, and the order of Priests and Levites and the plan for taking down and setting up the Tabernacle has just been given. Israel, organized as they are now, has never marched. That will happen tomorrow. Get ready.

There are so many things in this section that are amazing. God's grace to them. The detail of His organization. The absolute certainty of His blessing. That they had a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. How much more secure and blessed and confident as a nation could you be. And with all of that, in a couple of chapters you'll want to cry.

We, of course, are no better. Given the absolute blessing of the Father. Secure eternally in Christ. Indwelt by the Holy Spirit. This is exactly why we need the church, if the church is comprised of disciples following Christ into the harvest to glorify the Father by bearing fruit and so proving to be disciples of the Lord. We need each other to keep us encouraged and focused and in the truth and in the harvest and aflame in His love. We need each other. None of us is always up and always feeling great about ourselves or our walk with the Lord. This whole thing is very serious, full of joy and purpose and mission to be sure, but we get tired and we forget the stakes are grave and that people without Christ, from every race and nation and language are, in some sense, our responsibility. We are to be those consecrated people, set apart by God, to give our lives, in service to Christ, to reach them, that they might be saved. This is the love and joy of Christ. To exist for the purpose of worship services and pot lucks has nothing to do with the true love of Christ, and it's not a lot of fun. It only gets us the kind of temporary devotion we see all over today, and what we'll see in Israel in the next week.

Mark 13:14-37

Mark 13:14-23

Jesus is now issuing a future warning to the believing Jews who will be in Jerusalem during the tribulation at the close of the age. The judgment of the Lord on the earth will last 7 years. The first 3.5 years will take their toll in natural disasters, but Israel will enjoy peace from the attack of its neighbors. During this time there will be a revival of faith among the Jews, not only in a return to orthodoxy, bringing about the rebuilding of the temple, but many will come to faith in Jesus as their Messiah. These followers of Christ will become the greatest missions movement in history and blanket the earth. The hour of the Nation as a witness to the world will come. People from every nation will believe. In Jerusalem there will be 2 witnesses, like Moses and Aaron, who will be calling down all of this trouble. The book of Revelation shows us the "heavenly" side of what is happening (broken seals, etc…) but they will be the human side of the story.

At the midway point in these 7 years, there will be a judgment in heaven. Satan will be cast out and everything will become much darker. The witnesses will be slain. Satan's human governor, the "anti-Christ," will finally be fed up with the Jews and the spread of faith (resistance to his rule); and he will launch a campaign of extermination, both against the Jews and against all believers in Christ. At this middle point, He will break the peace agreement with Israel, enter the temple and defile it, making it unholy by setting up an image of some kind of abomination, and declare himself to be god or like god, a kind of Christ. At this point, when those living in that generation who are in Jerusalem, hear of this guy entering the temple, they are to fly into the hills.

Verse 19 means that things will get exponentially worse. The tribulation will kick into afterburner. Both Jews and Christians will be sought and killed worldwide, and yet, they will be hidden by some of the people on the planet. Let's call them the sheep. Not everyone will be blind to how the Word of God is playing out. There will be a minority from every nation who will have faith. Yet the time will be so intense that it would lead to the human race exterminating itself. The Jews as a people will cry out, somewhere, somehow, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord," and, as Jesus promised when He wept over Jerusalem before His crucifixion, He will come, in the clouds, returning to the Mt. of Olives where He left His disciples.

All of this will make sense for the people going through it. Verse 23 is Jesus' encouragement and warning to them.

Mark 13:24-31

This all is a summary of Jesus' coming, short and sweet. In the parables, Jesus describes this as "the close of the age." A new age will begin. He will reign 1000 years on the earth.

The generation mentioned in v. 30 is the generation that sees the temple defiled by the abomination that makes desolate.

Mark 13:32-37

The hour of verse 32 is the initial time of the beginning of the 7 years. Nothing will ever be normal again after the start, just like in the days of Noah. Things seemed fine up until the first drop.

When this all begins is not for us to know. So, to make a cool transition and to figure out what we are supposed to stay awake for and what we're supposed to be doing, let's go to the disciples asking this question to Jesus.

Acts 1:6 So when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" 7 He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth." 9 And when he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11 and said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven."

Psalm 50

So my question is, did you read 50 Psalms last year? If not, congratulations! What an amazing thing, and it's only March.

Your observations here are more valuable than anything I have to say.

This is the first Psalm we've read by Asaph, the chief of David's singers. Asaph was present when David brought the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem, and the sons of Asaph were present in temple worship throughout Israel's history.

Jesus just talked about the tribulation. Look at verse 3, in fact, you can almost read the entire Psalm in terms of God refining His people and preparing them for the final day of judgment on the earth.

Proverbs 10:29-30

What is interesting in this stronghold, is that it is relational. Knowing God and loving Him, following His way, is not dependent on education or wealth or race. The Lord protects those who love Him and follow Him, yet the reaction of those who resist Him ruin them.

The sin within us is still the number one killer of mankind. That is why we follow Him in the harvest, abiding in the vine, bringing the salvation that only He can bring.

If you’re reading along and don’t have a One Year Bible, click on this link Every Day in the Word. If that doesn't work, go to http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/devotions/ and click on “Every Day in the Word.” 

I'm writing these comments to and for those who are following a One Year Bible and interested in growing deeper as a disciple, following Jesus in the harvest. My hope is to see the growth of a discipleship culture in the church. Groups of 3-4 disciples, meeting weekly, encouraging each other to follow Christ and work to reach out and make disciples who make disciples. The Bible itself is the most universal manual we have and key to our growth and service in Christ. Nothing keeps us more focused on why we are here or what we are to be doing. My comments are only meant to provide some explanation of the events or to show the flow of God's plan of redemption. My comments are in no way exhaustive, but are designed to keep us focused on Christ and our role in His harvest. My hope is that the people in these groups will grow in Christ and be willing, after a year, to find 3 others to meet with and encourage in their growth as disciples, disciples making disciples in the harvest.

If you would like a more descriptive commentary that is still readable and concise, I'd recommend the Bible Knowledge Commentary. It's keyed to the NIV, so the result is, the commentators are constantly telling you what the Greek or Hebrew is. That never hurts.

I am not endorsing any particular One Year Bible; in fact, I read something you don't, die revidierte Lutherbibel 1984.

Anyone reading along with us is welcome to do so and is encouraged to take their own notes and make their own observations. If the comments made do not agree with your particular tradition or understanding, that's OK. Nothing I've written is meant to criticize any point of view, but only to express the truth of what God has written to us, as I understand it.

March 6, Reading Notes

Numbers 6-7

Num. 6:1-21

The Nazirite vow was taken by a person wanting to dedicate themselves to the Lord for some special task or perhaps in seeking some answer from the Lord. There is no time limit determined. The two notable things in this vow are that the person couldn't eat or drink anything having to do with a grape (the symbol of pleasure and prosperity) and they had to let their hair grow long, making them stand out socially. In spite of all the depictions of men's hairstyles in ancient days so that the guys looked like Chip & Dale (sp?), I think short hair was the rule. Long hair, like the Nazirite would have, stood out.

The two notable men in the Bible who were Nazirites were Samson and John the Baptist. Samson, it should be noted, broke all the rules of a Nazirite but one, and you know what happened there. Of all men born, Jesus was the most dedicated to God. When it says in Matthew, "He shall be called a Nazarene," it is either referring to where He grew up, or it could be referring to His name in Isaiah 11:1, Branch (Nazareth means branch). Although Matthew is referring to something in the OT, we'll have to ask him and God what it was when we get to Heaven, because there are no obvious references. If "Nazirite" is meant, it is a very special category because Jesus drank wine and touched dead things (Ok, He did make them alive again). Also, Jesus probably had short hair, otherwise Paul maligned Him when he wrote in 1 Corinthians 11:14, "Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him,…"

There is a very interesting reference to Nazirites in Amos if you're up for looking for it.

Num. 6:22-27

There was intentionality in everything God did. Even in the blessing of the people, He didn't leave it up to Aaron to come up with one. What would it sound like if you changed out some of the words and it went like, "Lord, I need you to bless me and keep me….I need you to make your face…." You get the idea. It all has to do with our need for the Lord.

Num. 7:1-9

Apparently this is looking back to the dedication of the Tabernacle and the altar. In preparation for the moving of the Tabernacle toward the promised land, the tribes brought an offering of oxen and carts for the service of the Levites and then offerings to dedicate the altar.

Notice verse 9. David should have read this, or rather, he should have been advised by the priests and Levites. These guys didn't need any oxen, because all of this holy furniture was to be carried on their shoulders.

Num. 7:10-89

It is significant that Judah is the first tribe to offer their sacrifice. They will be the "alpha" tribe for the rest of Israel's history.

2.5 shekels was about an ounce. If you're curious, you can figure out the value of the metals by Googling the exchange rates for today.

Mark 12:38-13:13

Mark 12:38-44

In Mark, these are Jesus' last publicly spoken words in His public ministry. The rest will be for the disciples.

Funny that the last thing He said was to beware of the scribes. The scribes figured out and taught the laws that issued down to the people. Apparently, some of the "laws" they made either took widows' houses from them or persuaded the widows to give their houses to the temple and the scribes lived in them.

Oddly enough, the next, and last, story of Jesus' public ministry has to do with a widow who gave everything she had, in contrast to those who gave much more, but out of their abundance.

For us as disciples, we need to think about this. We tire quickly of giving out of our abundance. Most of us have reserves that are undreamed of by other people on this planet. The Lord has a special place in His heart for sacrifice that shows absolute desire to give everything to Him.

Mark 13:1-13

We've already had something like this in Matthew. What does it make you think of? I see two things happening. First, things will get a lot worse. Second, there will be persecution of those who follow Christ. What Jesus is saying here has a near and a far fulfillment. The near fulfillment will be the judgment of that particular generation, climaxing in the destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD. The far fulfillment will be in the Tribulation.

For us as disciples, we know that things will only get worse, so the work we need to do is in the harvest, not trying to make heaven on earth (or complaining about the lack thereof).

Psalm 49

The part of this Psalm that struck me was verse 14, "death shall be their shepherd." I know there is a sense in which the arrogant and unbelieving get what they deserve, but we still need to try and flag them down as they go speeding by, to warn them the bridge is out.

Proverbs 10:27-28

Amen again! The fear of the Lord molds our view of life and expectations, leading us to joy. Those who disregard the Lord have no clue. This is what leads them to a tragic end.

If you’re reading along and don’t have a One Year Bible, click on this link Every Day in the Word. If that doesn't work, go to http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/devotions/ and click on “Every Day in the Word.” 

I'm writing these comments to and for those who are following a One Year Bible and interested in growing deeper as a disciple, following Jesus in the harvest. My hope is to see the growth of a discipleship culture in the church. Groups of 3-4 disciples, meeting weekly, encouraging each other to follow Christ and work to reach out and make disciples who make disciples. The Bible itself is the most universal manual we have and key to our growth and service in Christ. Nothing keeps us more focused on why we are here or what we are to be doing. My comments are only meant to provide some explanation of the events or to show the flow of God's plan of redemption. My comments are in no way exhaustive, but are designed to keep us focused on Christ and our role in His harvest. My hope is that the people in these groups will grow in Christ and be willing, after a year, to find 3 others to meet with and encourage in their growth as disciples, disciples making disciples in the harvest.

If you would like a more descriptive commentary that is still readable and concise, I'd recommend the Bible Knowledge Commentary. It's keyed to the NIV, so the result is, the commentators are constantly telling you what the Greek or Hebrew is. That never hurts.

I am not endorsing any particular One Year Bible; in fact, I read something you don't, die revidierte Lutherbibel 1984.

Anyone reading along with us is welcome to do so and is encouraged to take their own notes and make their own observations. If the comments made do not agree with your particular tradition or understanding, that's OK. Nothing I've written is meant to criticize any point of view, but only to express the truth of what God has written to us, as I understand it.

March 5, Reading Notes

Numbers 4-5

Num. 4:1-49

What I find interesting in all of this is the amount of organization the Lord put into founding the nation. Especially because of His holiness, and also because He was making a symbolic point regarding approaching Him, God took great care in putting the worship and logistics of marching and moving and packing up, etc., into a form that the people could follow.

Often they say in leadership to give people responsibility but not to prescribe how they have to get the job done. More often than not, people need direction at the beginning of anything and slowly they become competent and independent. God is creating a nation here, so He is giving very specific detail in very important things.

Take note of what each of the 4 groups were to do. This will become more interesting when the Lord gives them their order of marching. If you made a chart with the tabernacle in the middle and the tribes around it, it will make sense later.

The sons of Kohath had a great honor and great danger. What is interesting is that Aaron and his sons went in first and prepared everything in the Holy Place and packed it and covered it until it was just goatskins and poles. Then, when everything was properly concealed, they went and got the sons of Kohath. If they saw any of the furniture, they died. Aaron and his sons had the responsibility to protect them.

As a very real object lesson, God underscores His holiness by forbidding the people to even look upon the items in the Holy Place and Holy of Holies that represent His presence and His provision to them. Later in 1&2 Samuel 6 (what a coincidence), we'll see what happens when well-intentioned people disregard God's holiness and commands regarding the Ark of the Covenant. All of these restrictions would also look forward to the time when the veil would be torn and we, as disciples of our Lord, could stand before His throne and know His grace.

Isn't it cool that the Levites could "retire" at 50?

Num 5:1-4

Now we are easing back into laws for governing the nation of Israel.

Since, for the first time, the "camp" has now been defined, they were to enact the regulations for lepers and those who were unclean. There was to be some area of housing, "outside the camp," where those who were defiled could stay. Notice, particularly with the lepers, they didn't send them away. They had to remain out of the "city limits," but were still a part of Israel.

Num 5:5-10

This is a slant on a law we saw earlier in Leviticus. If a person realized they had done something wrong and restitution had to be made (restoring money or life stock), but the person they were to make restitution to was dead, it would be given to God, specifically to the priest. No statute of limitations here. This would be used for the financial provision for the priests.

Num. 5:11-31

Well, this is a strange one. The general idea is that if a man was overcome by "the spirit of jealousy," he was to go to the priest and there would be a supernatural way of figuring out if his wife had been unfaithful. The entire thing was spiritually instigated. It seems that God is singling out the adulterous woman and not the man, but if a woman was caught, the man she committed adultery with would also be caught. There was a law for dealing with adulterers. This provision deals with the detection of marital defilement, and it works off the idea that the man, being the head of the family, would be roused by this supernatural impulse.

Whatever it was that would happen to the woman was awful and also visual. It wasn't a "scarlet letter," but instead a life-long disability that would not look very appealing. It would be a visual warning to the entire people not to be unfaithful, either to each other, or to God. Just as a note, later in Numbers, the people will be enticed to worship Baal sexually. At the end of Joshua (22:17), Phinehas mentions that there was still evidence of that sin among the people. That suggests to me, that God allowed some physical disability to be associated with that sin to keep it as a warning before the people.

Don't ask me why I think verse 28 is funny. So what if you're an innocent 50-year-old woman. As a result of your husband's jealousy and this ritual, you're going to be rewarded! And get pregnant!

I'm not sure what your impressions and observations will be, but I'll make a couple of general ones.

First, note the large amount of text and attention given to this.

Second, to take it to the priest, once they were in the land, meant a "road trip." So this was a serious thing and this was the only valid way to work through this sort of a problem. The man had to do the right thing and take her to the Tabernacle to the priest.

Third, inherent in this entire law, was the image of God being the husband and Israel being His wife. What is clear in this law is that any unfaithfulness will be found out and punishment will follow. When God says, "I am a jealous God," it brings the symbol of marriage to mind.

As disciples it is easy to slip. God understands, but staying close to Christ, in His Word, in the company of other disciples, helps us to stay focused and faithful to the One who loves us and commissions us to share His love.

Mark 12:18-37

Mark 12:18-27

We know this story. What stands out to me is that they knew neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. How many Christians is this true of? When Jesus said they didn't know the Scriptures, He wasn't saying they didn't know any of it, but they didn't have the relationship with God that made sense of it all, that makes the Word alive and unified. So many Christians don't know enough of the Bible to get beneath the surface and find the living pulse of God, much less be led by the Spirit though the day. Many others know the verses, but there is no love of Christ that makes the Word a light for their lives and to a lost world.

So where do we need to see the power of God? If it is not in the harvest, seeing the lost saved and becoming fully devoted followers of Christ, I'm afraid all we're looking for is a carnival show, like the people mentioned in Matthew 7:21-29.

Mark 12:28-37

Although Luke (Lk 20:39) alludes to this scribe, Mark gives us "the rest of the story." It shows that there were some men of spiritual understanding who had open hearts.

The two commandments are really a summary of the 10 commandments. The first four have to do with God and the last 6 with our neighbor. Paul uses this teaching in Romans.

When all the rabid people around Jesus and this scribe saw that they were both having a reasonable conversation and that Jesus actually complimented the scribe, they had nothing more to say. The scribes/lawyers were the actual teachers of the people and seem to have been in the party of the Pharisees.

Psalm 48

Another of the Psalms of the sons of Korah.

None of us likes hard times. I really, really don't like them. But think of this. If it is true that they wrote in and around the dangerous and stressful times of the Assyrian threat to Jerusalem under Hezekiah, look at the praise that came out of that dark time. Even the Psalms of David reflect the joy and wonder of being delivered by God from threat, danger and death.

You can understand that this kind of great deliverance not only was an amazing thing to Jerusalem, but if the Assyrian army just lost 185,000 men, especially during a time they were making a play to become the world empire of the day, all other nations would not only notice, but they would be afraid to approach Jerusalem, even for a visit. Israel was in the news all over that world. When the ambassadors from Babylon visited Hezekiah after his illness in 2 Kings 20, I'm sure they approached Jerusalem with awe. You can sense some of this awe of the nations in this Psalm.

Imagine what God will produce in us if we are in the harvest with Christ, battling for the souls of the lost, ourselves in danger, following in faith, relying on God, living to bring Him glory by bearing much fruit and so proving to be disciples of our Lord.

Proverbs 10:26

1 Timothy 3:10 And let them also be tested first; then if they prove themselves blameless let them serve as deacons.

If you’re reading along and don’t have a One Year Bible, click on this link Every Day in the Word. If that doesn't work, go to http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/devotions/ and click on “Every Day in the Word.” 

I'm writing these comments to and for those who are following a One Year Bible and interested in growing deeper as a disciple, following Jesus in the harvest. My hope is to see the growth of a discipleship culture in the church. Groups of 3-4 disciples, meeting weekly, encouraging each other to follow Christ and work to reach out and make disciples who make disciples. The Bible itself is the most universal manual we have and key to our growth and service in Christ. Nothing keeps us more focused on why we are here or what we are to be doing. My comments are only meant to provide some explanation of the events or to show the flow of God's plan of redemption. My comments are in no way exhaustive, but are designed to keep us focused on Christ and our role in His harvest. My hope is that the people in these groups will grow in Christ and be willing, after a year, to find 3 others to meet with and encourage in their growth as disciples, disciples making disciples in the harvest.

If you would like a more descriptive commentary that is still readable and concise, I'd recommend the Bible Knowledge Commentary. It's keyed to the NIV, so the result is, the commentators are constantly telling you what the Greek or Hebrew is. That never hurts.

I am not endorsing any particular One Year Bible, in fact, I read something you don't, die revidierte Lutherbibel 1984.

Anyone reading along with us is welcome to do so and is encouraged to take their own notes and make their own observations. If the comments made do not agree with your particular tradition or understanding, that's OK. Nothing I've written is meant to criticize any point of view, but only to express the truth of what God has written to us, as I understand it.

The Recent Confusion: Some explanation

You already noticed that I published the wrong post yesterday for the One Year Bible.  I usually try to put out the posts a day ahead, not only for your convenience, but there is someone reading with us for whom it is already tomorrow.  Also, these entries take me a lot of time to write.  In Genesis, it was taking me 3-5 hours to write a post.  Things are “quicker” now in the OT and with the repetition of the events in the Gospels, but eventually we’ll be back into new narrative texts (Judges and John) and it will get time consuming again.  All this to say, that I have to work ahead and I got mixed up yesterday.

These posts serve several purposes and I’d appreciate your input.  The reason I’m doing this is to develop a plan for discipleship groups to read through the Bible, encouraging and strengthening one another according to what the Spirit is giving them each day, not according to some “contrived” curriculum.  These posts will become the basis for a manual or guide to help the people in the groups grow in the Word and sharpen one another.   Discussing the reading as it applies to us as disciples is just one part of what the groups will do, but it is a big part.

My experience as a pastor has shown me that few people really feel at home in the Bible.  They feed themselves mostly from many secondary sources.  A disciple cannot afford to do that.  Our true strength and focus is from the Spirit as He uses the Word in us.  As Timothy in 2Tim. 2:2 was told to do, we entrust the truth.  The Word is our most basic and necessary manual.  As a missionary, I know that tools vary in any culture in any language, but the Word is the only constant and essential tool and the Word works.  We don’t need to wait for books by any popular authors, we have the Bible.

The “lessons” are not formal as in some discipleship manuals, but are geared as a companion to the reading to focus us on discipleship and understanding, even enjoying, the Word.  Rather than have a lesson on “stewardship,” stewardship comes out in the reading as the Spirit leads or gets emphasized by someone in the group.  The goal is to teach the leaders of these groups to ask the Spirit to focus them on following Christ, feeding their heart through the Word, so that they can encourage and strengthen the others in the group to follow Christ in the harvest. Since everyone is reading and is focused, the “lessons” and applications will be what the Spirit brings to each person for that day and in their particular setting.  They actually can be encouraging one another and learning, themselves, to lead another group of 2-3 disciples.  That’s the goal.

This pursuit of making disciples is a passion for me, so I’d be doing this if no one was reading, but since you are reading, I want to thank you because it is an encouragement to see that some people are following along, even throughout Europe and Asia.

If you have comments or suggestions to make the entries more discipleship focused or if you just want to trade observations, either write a comment, or just email me at dgkachikis@gmail.com.

Laura and I are transitioning out of the church plant we were hoping would gain some traction and are searching for a church.  During the transition, I plan on posting everyday, therefore I really need to get ahead (or do I mean, “get a head?”).  If you don’t mind, pray for us, for a church where we can grow together in unity in Christ, following Him into the harvest to see lost people saved and disciples made who will make disciples who make disciples.  Oh, yeah, and if you know of a church, let me know.

March 4, Reading Notes

Numbers 2-3

Numbers 2-3:38

So, before you "Google" a chart or a map or revert to some other source, get some paper and some colored markers or pencils or steal your kids crayons (or use your own) and read through this section and map it out yourself. If you do, you will gain great confidence in your ability to figure stuff out. If you Google it, well, you already know how to use a search engine. Do it yourself. Make sure if you draw the Tabernacle first and then do the tribes in their orders to leave room between the tribes and the Tabernacle for the families of the Levites in chapter 3.

The only thing I would bring to your attention is the major tribe of Israel, and the family that was placed opposite the entrance of the Tabernacle. This was a great honor and is a shadow of what is to come for that tribe.

Just sort of as an application, regardless of who we are, that we somehow have come to know Christ is an amazing honor. We feel tired and beaten up and depressed, but it is only because of the toxic atmosphere of this place and this body of death we lug with us. Ephesians 1-3 gives you a lift, and so does Romans 5:1-6.

Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in our hope of sharing the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us. While we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.

So, how do you figure out how many people were in the camp of Israel? If there were 603,550 men from 20 years old and up (who could fight) from all the tribes but Levi, and if there were 22,000 total men from Levi, we have about 655,550 men. There were probably more women, but for simplicity, let's just double the men. Now we're up to 1,311,100. Now, there were at least this many kids because the people were very "fruitful," but if we only added another 655,550, we're up to about 2 million people.

Numbers like this are important to think about. When it says Jesus fed 5000, it says in Matthew 14:21 "And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children." The likelihood is that Jesus actually fed over 10,000 people.

Num. 3:39-51

I think this whole thing is kind of cool and I'm always impressed when the math works out. There is always redemption going on somewhere.

Mark 11:27-12:17

It's amazing that the leaders were so set on killing Jesus. When you see irrationality working at this level, you know it is of a deep sick spiritual origin. There are situations I have been in, where at one point or another it became clear that "rationality" wasn't the issue. Things had gone deeply spiritual and personal. In those cases, "one more" illustration or attempt to bring sense to things, doesn't help unless the spiritual root is addressed.

This morning I was going over these verses, 1 Corinthians 15:47-49, "The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so are those who are of the dust; and as is the man of heaven, so are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven."

When our work for Christ in the harvest is done, we shall bear His image and be like Him. That is something we can look forward to.

Psalm 47

This was written by the sons of Korah, and with the tone of this Psalm, it might also have been composed after Jerusalem's adventures with the Assyrians.

Note the call to all peoples to rejoice.

The Assyrians were making a push to become the first world empire and threatened all the surrounding nations. Because of the amazing deliverance at Jerusalem and the destruction of the Assyrian army, the world was now looking to the God of Israel.

Proverbs 10:24-25

Amen!

If you’re reading along and don’t have a One Year Bible, click on this link Every Day in the Word. If that doesn't work, go to http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/devotions/ and click on “Every Day in the Word.” 

I'm writing these comments to and for those who are following a One Year Bible and interested in growing deeper as a disciple, following Jesus in the harvest. My hope is to see the growth of a discipleship culture in the church. Groups of 3-4 disciples, meeting weekly, encouraging each other to follow Christ and work to reach out and make disciples who make disciples. The Bible itself is the most universal manual we have and key to our growth and service in Christ. Nothing keeps us more focused on why we are here or what we are to be doing. My comments are only meant to provide some explanation of the events or to show the flow of God's plan of redemption. My comments are in no way exhaustive, but are designed to keep us focused on Christ and our role in His harvest. My hope is that the people in these groups will grow in Christ and be willing, after a year, to find 3 others to meet with and encourage in their growth as disciples, disciples making disciples in the harvest.

If you would like a more descriptive commentary that is still readable and concise, I'd recommend the Bible Knowledge Commentary. It's keyed to the NIV, so the result is, the commentators are constantly telling you what the Greek or Hebrew is. That never hurts.

I am not endorsing any particular One Year Bible, in fact, I read something you don't, die revidierte Lutherbibel 1984.

Anyone reading along with us is welcome to do so and is encouraged to take their own notes and make their own observations. If the comments made do not agree with your particular tradition or understanding, that's OK. Nothing I've written is meant to criticize any point of view, but only to express the truth of what God has written to us, as I understand it.

March 3, Reading Notes

Leviticus 27:14-34

Not much to say here other than congratulations on finishing Leviticus. One of the first blog entries I wrote last February was titled "Who needs Leviticus?" We do. Because of the relational nature of Christianity today, we are tempted to treat God as common, like a buddy, and we forget how awesomely Holy and separate He is. We imagine Him as just a big, mighty version of ourselves, who will even occasionally laugh at our crassness and bad habits. Not so. The fact that He loves us and helps us should be beyond our comprehension, considering how holy and majestic He is.

Numbers 1:1-54

I wonder how they came up with the name for this book?

Some notes here:

First, notice the size of the tribes. Which tribe is the biggest? How does this relate back to Jacob's parting words in Genesis?

Second, and this is a trick question, who is the second largest? This also relates back to Jacob.

In Jacob's parting words, Joseph receives a huge portion. Although Ephraim is given the firstborn designation, both tribes are counted here as the people of Joseph.

In one very important event in Numbers, the tribes of Judah and Ephraim will shine, represented by two men.

Third, note that the Levites are given a great honor. Though they receive no inheritance in the land, they are given a special position in the nation, literally and figuratively, as mediators between God and the people.

Mark 11:1-25

There are two things that have always puzzled me about this passage.

First, when Jesus curses the fig tree, why does Mark mention that it wasn't the season for figs? That sort of makes Jesus' expectation unrealistic and the curse senseless.

What I understand is this. If it had been fig season, Jesus could have seen the fruit, or lack thereof, from a distance. This explains why he went to the tree to look. It wasn't fig season. It was, however, common food for people to eat the buds where the figs would grow. These came out first and then were covered by the leaves, making them invisible. People ate these buds. Jesus assumed there would be buds but couldn't see them. He could have seen the figs. He had to go and look, because it wasn't fig season, so he couldn't see that there were no buds to eat. The absence of the buds meant no figs later in the year and that the tree was unfruitful.

Second, when they come back later and see the fruitless tree, why does Jesus give the disciples, what appears to be, a lesson on faith that can curse trees and move mountains?

I think the lesson is regarding fruitlessness vs. fruitfulness. If you have faith as a mustard seed, you will never be fruitless. And if you are praying and nothing is happening, one place to look is to see if you have failed to forgive someone and that this lack of forgiveness is causing a blockage between you and God.

My take on this.

Psalm 46

When I read this, I had this "it's all coming back to me now" experience.

I wrote a sermon on this Psalm 100 years ago in seminary. Some of what I say here will correct/answer some questions I expressed earlier about the sons of Korah and when they wrote. Once David appointed the sons of Korah during his reign, they continued throughout all of the kings of Judah and reappeared when a king restored and organized the temple worship.

A probable time for Psalm 46, and the historical period for the other Psalms written by the sons of Korah, is the reign of Hezekiah. Psalm 46 was probably written after the events recorded in 2 Kings 18-19.

Verse 1 is the declaration, after the fact. What God did was amazing. One night, there was no hope. In the morning, there was no enemy.

Verses 2 and 3 compare the threat of the Assyrian army to the poetic threat of the raging seas, shaking the earth to its foundations, waiting with its mouth wide open, devouring mountains. The Assyrians had "defeated" all the other gods, and thus "devoured" all the other mountains or hopes or refuges of the surrounding nations. Now they made a mistake. They came to the wrong mountain, the wrong, actually the real, God.

Verses 4-5, contrast the situation in the middle of God's city on top of His mountain. A stream flows out from His throne, spreading throughout the city, bringing peace and an intoxicating joy. God is the cause, because of His presence. Deliverance will come in the morning, usually seen as the time of worship and prayers to God.

Verses 6-7. The nations have to rage to make kingdoms totter, but God only needs to say a word. Verse 7 is God's victory and Israel's declaration, which will be repeated again.

Verses 8-9 tell the people to look and see what God did with a word. In 2 Kings 19 it says in very few words, almost anticlimactically, God sent out an angel, 185,000 soldiers were slain in their sleep, the Assyrians awoke and the camp was full of dead bodies, they went home.

Verses 10-11 tell us what to do when we have no place to find refuge or help or hope. Amen.

Proverbs 10:23

Basically this Proverb is a meter to see if we are a fools or people of understanding. A fool gets "a kick" out of doing stupid stuff. It feeds his heart to frustrate a boss or get some silliness going. It's like telling a good joke.

For a person of understanding the same is true, it feeds his heart to find wisdom and to put it into practice, seeing it work through his family or group of friends.

It may be that we can say of ourselves that we are not fools, but that we haven't yet learned to be persons of understanding. If finding and using wisdom doesn't yet feed our hearts, it needs to.

If you’re reading along and don’t have a One Year Bible, click on this link Every Day in the Word. If that doesn't work, go to http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/devotions/ and click on “Every Day in the Word.” 

I'm writing these comments to and for those who are following a One Year Bible and interested in growing deeper as a disciple, following Jesus in the harvest. My hope is to see the growth of a discipleship culture in the church. Groups of 3-4 disciples, meeting weekly, encouraging each other to follow Christ and work to reach out and make disciples who make disciples. The Bible itself is the most universal manual we have and key to our growth and service in Christ. Nothing keeps us more focused on why we are here or what we are to be doing. My comments are only meant to provide some explanation of the events or to show the flow of God's plan of redemption. My comments are in no way exhaustive, but are designed to keep us focused on Christ and our role in His harvest. My hope is that the people in these groups will grow in Christ and be willing, after a year, to find 3 others to meet with and encourage in their growth as disciples, disciples making disciples in the harvest.

If you would like a more descriptive commentary that is still readable and concise, I'd recommend the Bible Knowledge Commentary. It's keyed to the NIV, so the result is, the commentators are constantly telling you what the Greek or Hebrew is. That never hurts.

I am not endorsing any particular One Year Bible, in fact, I read something you don't, die revidierte Lutherbibel 1984.

Anyone reading along with us is welcome to do so and is encouraged to take their own notes and make their own observations. If the comments made do not agree with your particular tradition or understanding, that's OK. Nothing I've written is meant to criticize any point of view, but only to express the truth of what God has written to us, as I understand it.

March 2, Reading Notes

Leviticus 25:47-27:13

Lev. 25:47-55

This is a continuation of yesterday. God gave the general commands earlier in the chapter regarding the year of Jubilee and setting people and property free. Now, He was giving some "what if" situations that the people could use to make judgments on other unexpected situations.

Leviticus 26 is a very interesting chapter. The book is almost at an end. Much has been laid out as a foundation to understanding what is "holy and common" and "clean and unclean." There will be many more laws to come to govern different situations, but God is saying in Leviticus that the people should behave differently because they know God's care and love and power.

Now the Lord is giving them the positives of walking as they have been told to walk and negatives of not walking as they have been told to walk.

In terms of Bible study, a guy named Traina came up with a "law of proportion." What he means is that it is good to notice the proportion of text given to something. For example, in Genesis, in the last words to his sons, Jacob gives much bigger blessings to Judah and Joseph. You notice the size or proportion of text given to them in comparison to the other brothers. (In Numbers, you will see a surprising event that you can link back to Jacob's words to Judah and Joseph.) In this case, in chapter 26, we have the blessings given for obedience and curses given for disobedience. Notice the proportion.

Notice in v.34 that God is already anticipating that they will not honor the sabbatical year and that this Sabbath for the land will have something to do with their punishment. In fact, the 70 years of exile were because of the number of sabbatical years they had missed.

Notice in v. 40 that God is already making provision for Israel to return from exile. When you read Daniel's prayer in Daniel 10, it is obvious, for a couple of reasons, that he had read verse 40 and the rest of this section.

Lev. 27:1-13

I don't know if we want to try this in church, but who knows, it could be a hit.

People could dedicate other people or animals to the service of the temple. For example, Samuel's mother dedicated him to the Lord. People could be given to the Lord for service. This is also how some of us try to get Jephthah off the hook in Judges 11, when he says he will dedicate or sacrifice the first person who runs out to meet him when he comes home. He was hoping it would be a servant, but it was his only child, his daughter. Since human sacrifice was forbidden, it is hard to imagine he sacrificed his daughter. But in this chapter, it is saying that those "given" to the Lord, could be redeemed, bought back. He could have gotten his daughter back for a mere 10 shekels, pocket change. If she wasn't sacrificed, it means that the strength of his vow was, in his own eyes, irrevocable.

Regarding the animals, the Levites still needed to eat something more than the sacrifices. The Levities also farmed the land around the cities they lived in and needed animals to bear burdens and plow fields. People could donate or vow an animal to their use. If it was vowed, they could "redeem" it, unless it was for sacrifice.

Mark 10:32-52

Note in this section that Jesus was always aware of His disciples and ready to give them His time. When He saw they were terrified about what was waiting for them in Jerusalem, He took them aside and told them again of His coming death and resurrection.

In the request of James and John, notice that Mark fails to mention that their mother was with them when this request was made. Tradition has it that Mark's mother was related to the mother of James and John.

Notice here that when Jesus sees that the other disciples are upset, He teaches the disciples. There is no rebuke, but positive, forward teaching. And out of this we get one of the greatest verses in the NT for the disciple, Mark 10:45 "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

Here we have the story of Bartimaeus again. Remember that there was an old and new Jericho connected by a two mile road filled with beggars and merchants.

Notice that the blind man throws off his cloak. A cloak was a very important possession to a beggar. In fact, in Deuteronomy, God will give official legislation regarding the cloak of a poor man. For Bartimaeus to cast off his cloak was risky business, unless he fully believed he was about to talk with the Son of David, who would rule Israel and heal its poor.

Psalm 45

I've got to admit that I do better with "crying out" psalms than I do with this one. Is this one of David's marriages or is it one of Solomon's? No clue.

If you are given to typology, that is, an event or person in the past, suggesting another event or person in the future, you could imagine this might have something to do with Christ and His bride, the church. I say this because if you read the first chapter of Hebrews, where the Son is being described as the ultimate message from God, right in the middle of this, you find Psalm 45:6. (Heb 1:8). I don't know how many lines of correspondence you can draw, but I do know this, when we disciples are done with our work in the harvest, there will be this huge party called the marriage supper of the Lamb, where the church, the bride of Christ, will be eternally joined to Christ. I'll be a great party and feast and I'll be off my diet on that day.

Proverbs 10:22

There seems to be something bad or stressful to be found in everything. I take the idea here as learning to be totally immersed in God as our love and our life. In those brief moments I've had where I've understood this, there was no sorrow and I felt rich. I think our closeness to the Lord is the goal, not absence of irritants.

Now just for fun, the German Bible has a variant reading, hinted at in the ESV. In German it says:

LUT Proverbs 10:22 Der Segen des HERRN allein macht reich, und nichts tut eigene Mühe hinzu.

Isn't that interesting? Oh, sorry - The blessing of the Lord alone makes one rich, and nothing you do yourself brings this or adds to it.

If you’re reading along and don’t have a One Year Bible, click on this link Every Day in the Word. If that doesn't work, go to http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/devotions/ and click on “Every Day in the Word.” 

I'm writing these comments to and for those who are following a One Year Bible and interested in growing deeper as a disciple, following Jesus in the harvest. My hope is to see the growth of a discipleship culture in the church. Groups of 3-4 disciples, meeting weekly, encouraging each other to follow Christ and work to reach out and make disciples who make disciples. The Bible itself is the most universal manual we have and key to our growth and service in Christ. Nothing keeps us more focused on why we are here or what we are to be doing. My comments are only meant to provide some explanation of the events or to show the flow of God's plan of redemption. My comments are in no way exhaustive, but are designed to keep us focused on Christ and our role in His harvest. My hope is that the people in these groups will grow in Christ and be willing, after a year, to find 3 others to meet with and encourage in their growth as disciples, disciples making disciples in the harvest.

If you would like a more descriptive commentary that is still readable and concise, I'd recommend the Bible Knowledge Commentary. It's keyed to the NIV, so the result is, the commentators are constantly telling you what the Greek or Hebrew is. That never hurts.

I am not endorsing any particular One Year Bible, in fact, I read something you don't, die revidierte Lutherbibel 1984.

Anyone reading along with us is welcome to do so and is encouraged to take their own notes and make their own observations. If the comments made do not agree with your particular tradition or understanding, that's OK. Nothing I've written is meant to criticize any point of view, but only to express the truth of what God has written to us, as I understand it.