March 13, Reading Notes

Numbers 19-20

Num. 19:1-22

So what is this chapter doing here? This law or formula or recipe was for the cleansing of people who had touched dead things or were in the tent of a dead person. There is all sorts of symbolism going on here. You can have fun here finding it, too. For example, they are made clean by the ashes of an animal that was killed for their sin and cleansing. The hyssop was used to apply the blood to the door posts on the Passover. Also, the people are being reminded that death itself is because of sin. Not necessarily personal sin, but it is the result of the fall, and sin is that spiritual sickness that controls our hearts and drives us from God.

Why is God doing this now? It is because the camp of Israel is a camp of death. They just lost over 14,000 people and there will be hundreds of funerals every day for the next 38 years. Cleansing from sin required the death of something. Sin brings death and is to be feared and avoided. The best way to do this was not to focus on sin, but to love the Lord thy God with all your heart and mind and soul and strength.

Num. 20:1-29

Between chapters 19 and 20, thirty-eight years pass. Here's how you know this. In chapter 20 Miriam and Aaron die. The events of the chapter appear to be in close order and make sense together. Miriam dies in the first month but we don't find out when Aaron dies until Num. 33:38. Aaron dies in the fifth month of the 40th year after leaving Egypt. In Num 33:36 it mentions the wilderness of Zin just before Aaron's death. That's where Miriam dies.

What this means is that Israel is on the brink, again, of entering the land.

In verses 2-13 a very tragic event takes place. The people complain of not having water and go after Moses. He and Aaron do the right thing; they go and fall on their faces before the Lord. God tells them what to do, and then in anger, Moses reacts to the people and rather than speaking to the rock as he was told, gets dramatic and shows his stuff and strikes the rock twice, as if he is giving them water. God judges Moses and Aaron for this.

Now, I wonder if verse one had anything to do with Moses and Aaron being completely mad at the people?

I'm sure God didn't want Moses to take the people into the land. But he used Moses' anger and disobedience to show the people that He doesn't play favorites. All in all, Moses and Aaron have clean records, and Moses ranks as one of the greatest men who ever walked the earth, but they are still men, and the best thing to do at any time is to honor God.

Num. 20:14-21

God wouldn't let Israel fight against the Edomites anyway, because they were, as a nation, related to Abraham. But this does show something that will become more obvious. All nations were aware of this big, bulky mass of people in the wilderness. Forty years is a long time. By this time, all the caravans knew them. And, of course, the word had gotten out regarding the promise of God to Abraham concerning Canaan. When the spies enter Jericho, they will hear what the nations know and what they are thinking. For now, the nations feel confident and aggressive toward this big, lumbering, defenseless, nomadic nation.

Num. 20:22-29

Again, this was an object lesson to the people. As great as Aaron was, he was not above obedience to God. Notice in verse 24, the prominent roll his rebellion played at his death. The people who mourned would also know they pushed Moses and Aaron into judgment.

As disciples, our strength is not in past accomplishment or in how people view us. It is in loving and honoring Christ. The further we follow Christ in the harvest, the more we realize how much we owe everything to Him, including "our" successes. To model this kind of humility is like gold, because "every disciple, when he is fully taught will be like his teacher." This doesn't just mean that we will be good models for those we disciple, but that we as disciples are becoming more and more like Him.

Luke 1:1-25

I don't think we're supposed to have a "favorite" Gospel or writer, but I've got to admit I really like Luke. It is going to be hard for me to write notes to spark interest rather than writing sermons. I'll give it my best shot to only give you what you need.

Luke was from Troas, a Gentile, in fact, the only Gentile writer in the Bible. His Gospel and Acts make up about 28% of the Greek NT. Not bad for a Gentile. He might have been a ship's physician. No one knows when Luke came to Christ. He met Paul in Troas and traveled with him (the "we" chapters of Acts) from time to time. Even here, there are gaps. Luke appears to have been with Paul during the 2 years he was imprisoned in Caesarea. It looks like Luke could have written his Gospel either during the 7-8 year gap between Acts 16 and Acts 20, or during Paul's time in Caesarea. It would have taken Luke lots of time to have contacted eye witnesses and done interviews. Unlike the other Gospel writers who knew Jesus or were related to Him, Luke would have had to do lots of original research. Caesarea would have been a good base of operations for that. It was a transportation hub and a place where many Christians were and had to pass through. Also, it wasn't far from Jerusalem.

There are a couple things that make Luke's writing unique that stand out to me and could be the influence of Paul, or simply the influence of being a disciple of Jesus. First, more than any other writer, Luke mentions Jesus praying; in fact, during events the other writers mention but do not mention that He was praying. Also, Luke mentions the Holy Spirit a lot, leading Jesus and others. Finally, Luke seems to be the most chronological, event after event, account of Jesus.

Your observations are important for you to get the "taste" of discovery. I'll just write some things that stand out to me.

V. 1, Apparently lots of people were writing "narratives." We know about Matthew, Mark and John. I wouldn't consider those as "many."

V.4, The RSV says, "that you may know the truth concerning the things of which you have been informed." You get the idea that there were not only many reports, but some of them were not accurate.

Vs. 8-10, I have a sermon on this called, "It happened at a prayer meeting." This is no accident and it is interesting that Luke picked up on this. Not only is it the hour of prayer, but Gabriel is standing next to the altar of incense, the incense representing the prayers constantly going up to God in the Holy Place.

Notice also that Gabriel says he has come to answer Zechariah's prayer, but we know he is also there in answer to a lot of other prayers, going back to Adam and Eve.

Notice that John will be a Nazarite from birth, but also filled with the Spirit from the womb.

I think this is interesting that Gabriel was hard on Zechariah. Zechariah, as a priest, in spite of the miracle promised here, should have believed. Not only was there biblical precedent for the fulfillment of this promise, but there was a very special angel standing before him. There is only ever one angel named in the OT who is sent from God to speak to a man, and it is Gabriel who was sent to Daniel to reveal God's destiny of the Nation of Israel. Anyway, in typical OT fashion, God is going to use Zechariah as an object lesson and as part of the wonder of this event.

It is impossible for us to imagine how stunned Zechariah was, especially hearing that the prayer he and Elizabeth had prayed so long and then given up on, would be answered. Not to mention that it is coupled together with the fulfillment of all the law and prophets.

Vs. 24-25 show that Elizabeth had faced reproach without any vindication. She had lived in it, she suffered in it, she had wept through it and she had finally accepted it. All of that, as unfair as it was, was designed by God to intensify the personal and public wonder of what was happening now. She hid herself for 5 months, but now she couldn't hide anymore. The word was getting out and creating news all over the place. In fact, the news might have just reached a poor teenage girl in an obscure village in Galilee. If it hadn't yet, it will tomorrow via special delivery.

Psalm 56

The note in the ESV says, "when the Philistines seized him in Gath." That is misleading. Read 1 Samuel 21:10-15. David himself was seized with fear and didn't know where to run. Finally, he calmed down and regained his composure before the Lord. It was a terrifying time in David's life and he almost lost his way.

Proverbs 11:8

The meaning is that there is this hole in the road. One man avoids it, but the other falls into it. The difference in the two men is their willingness to be led by God. Sometimes our understanding of "righteousness" gets us into trouble. There is no righteousness on our part that is not ours through God's help and mercy and grace and Word and Spirit, and ultimately through the love and sacrifice of Christ. To be proud and "self righteous" is of the enemy and has nothing to do with Christ. Disciples need to watch themselves here and stay in the harvest. Working with Christ, trying to reach lost people is a good way to remember that, without His grace, we would never have known. You learn to appreciate the miracle of your own salvation.

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.