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.