September 27, Reading Notes

Isaiah 51-53

When we read this section today, it is easy to see how the people in Jesus' day thought the Messiah would bring the eternal deliverance and kingdom at His first coming. They didn't understand that the purpose of His first coming was to make Himself an offering for sin. They didn't understand the Scriptures, that they would reject Him. They didn't see the church age, but then no one did. The church was hidden.

We will read today that God will deliver the people by the hand of the Messiah. There was a shadow of that final deliverance after the Babylonian captivity, but the way this deliverance is described, it is certainly focused on the second advent of Christ, when He comes to reign in Zion for a thousand years.

Isaiah 51

As you read this, circle the commands to listen or awake. Try to understand what unique thing God is saying in each of these sections.

Vs. 1-3 The people of promise are really from the promise of Abraham, not from the demand of the law. They were born in the redemptive plan of God.

Vs. 4-11 This clearly is the return of God's people to Jerusalem when the Messiah comes. There will be a shadow of this when the people return from the exile.

V. 5 Notice the mention of God's arms. When Mary praises God in Luke, she says, "He has shown strength with His arm and has scattered the proud in the imaginations of their hearts." She and the Spirit clearly saw the coming of the Messiah in this show of power and regard for the weak.

V. 11 In Isaiah, there has been a continual focus on Zion.

Vs. 12-16 This section seems to be God declaring that it is He who comforts the people. He says to Zion, "You are my people." This is interesting when you think that Jesus wept over Jerusalem.

Vs. 17-23 Here it seems, prophetically speaking, judgment has passed on Israel and God again will redeem and restore His people.

Isaiah 52

Vs. 1-6 Jerusalem is to rejoice in its restoration from captivity.

Vs. 7-10 This is definitely when Jesus comes again to Jerusalem.

Verse 10 is pretty cool. CNN will probably carry this live.

Vs. 11-12 This is safety for those who trust God in those final hours.

Vs. 13-15 When the world sees the Messiah come, there will be some surprises and some shut mouths. I wonder what the ACLU and those voices for religious pluralism and tolerance will say?

Isaiah 53

These verses answer the shock of the past few verses. They should have believed but didn't. This chapter is spoken from the perspective of Israel, the failed servant, speaking in repentance about its Lord, the suffering servant and savior of man. At the end, the voice is from the Father.

V. 1 The initial question is regarding who has believed and why they should have believed.

V. 2 There was a contrast. Those who regarded the Lord saw Him. For the others, Jesus had as much desirability as looking a root of a tree exposed above the surface of the ground.

V. 3 Humanly speaking, Jesus was jobless man from a poor background with nothing going for Him.

V. 4 Some may have sensed that He was bearing our sin, but it looked like God was against Him.

V. 5 But the reality was this.

V. 6 This is their confession of sin.

V.7 This was true at His death, and even when you read what Jesus said in conflict with the Pharisees, He could have said so much more.

V. 8 At the point of Jesus' death, not even His disciples understood.

V. 9 This is the Servant as commissioned by the Father. Notice that Jesus not only had to submit, but also had to actively make himself an offering for sin. And look what happened after He did this.

V. 10 By His knowledge. As His disciples, what do we know? Do we live by it?

V. 11 As a man, Jesus is the greatest man who ever lived. No one has ever accomplished for mankind what Jesus has.

Notice that He divides the spoil with the strong. I tend to associate this sharing of spoil not as giving eternal life to believers, but in the harvest, sharing richly with those who labor with Him. You see this in Eph. 4, but also Jesus said to His disciples, "He who endures to the end will be saved." That "saved" isn't salvation, it is preservation from damage and a victorious attitude. In the song that Paul quoted to Timothy in 2 Timothy he says, "If we die with Him we shall also live with Him, if we endure, we shall also reign with Him." I think there is a special sharing of strength and blessing with those who are working strongly in the harvest.

This is my favorite hymn, and he does all four verses.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3sJsl0t9dc

Ephesians 5

Vs. 1-2 This is like striking the tuning fork to focus us again on the correct tone. That tone is the love of Christ and the example of Jesus for the church.

Vs. 3-6 Our lives are to be different, following the example of Christ; that is, that this is a dying world with all sorts of people being deceived and needing the truth.

Vs. 7-14 Our lives, if lived for Christ in the harvest, making friends with our neighbors, will cast enough light to be used by God in His purpose for us. But, we need to live for Christ. We need to allow His change in us, following Him, praising Him, to make us distinctly His. If we lie and complain and do what everyone else does, what good is that? Jesus told His disciples to be salt and light. If you read these commands by Jesus you see that they are very, very strongly stated.

Vs. 15-21 This is the nature of our walk with Christ.

Notice that we are to be alert, walking like a super spy, observing everything. That is why this is linked to not being foolish (walking unaware) but instead understanding what is the will of God. This is like in John 5, Jesus observing what the Father was doing and doing it. We are to walk observant and expectant that the Lord is around us working, and once observed, we should join in.

Vs. 19-20 This sounds like a worship service but this is still our walk. So, how do you define being filled with the Spirit? Here it is.

Addressing one another to strengthen and build them up for their walk as disciples.

Having your life focused in the reality of your salvation (chapters 1-3) as you walk in the harvest.

Always and for everything giving thanks.

Vs. 22-33 Funny, that when God points to us being salt and light, following the Spirit, He addresses marriage first.

Vs. 22-24 I didn't write this, but it is still in force.

Vs. 25-33 Husbands are to love their wives in two ways.

Vs. 25-27 First, showing the love and leadership of Christ to their wives. This is a test of a man's understanding of this spiritual truth. If you know how Christ loved the church, it will be visible in your marriage.

Vs. 28-33 Second, showing His understanding of the physical and spiritual unity of man and woman, which reflects the unity of Christ and the church. There is something extremely spiritual about the bond of a man and a woman, and if a man ignores this, he ignores it to his own harm.

The marriage relationship is not only salt and light in a dying world, but I think too, it comes under the command to be very careful how we walk on this dying planet following Christ in the harvest.

This is a great wedding song and also hits the point of these verses. If you get on YouTube and type in "Pat Terry That's the Way," you'll find Pat Terry doing this years later. The younger version, I think is better. But the version by Alan Jackson is strong and smooth. The story is that Jackson sang this at his wedding.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZnoOTf102E&feature=BFa&list=PL8F3FC504C539471B

Psalm 69:19-36

It really is interesting to read this psalm and to also be reading about the Messiah in Isaiah.

V. 21 is quoted when they offered Jesus vinegar on the cross to keep Him alive long enough to see if Elijah would come and rescue Him.

Vs. 22-23 are quoted by Paul in Romans 11:10 describing God's judgment on Israel for their self-imposed blindness and rebellion.

V. 26 Think of this in terms of what you just read in Isaiah 53.

Vs. 29-36 These are not only the blessings on the Messiah for giving Himself, but the redeemed will share this blessing with Him in Zion.

And it all works together in praise to God.

Proverbs 24:7

"In the gate" is referring to the place of the judges and the elders of the people. It is not that the fool is suddenly wise and knows to keep his mouth closed, it is that he is not invited in, to give his "wisdom." Because it mentions the "gates" here, I automatically think of the elders of a church. There is some wisdom necessary and some dues to be paid in order to lead a church to work in the harvest, making disciples who make disciples. Too many of the wrong men are often invited into the gates, having neither reaped or sowed in the harvest, having made no disciples and therefore, really having nothing to model or say, regarding the church and its mission and making disciples.

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. Send feedback and comments to dgkachikis@gmail.com.