November 10, Reading Notes

Ezekiel 21-22

As you read this, keep underlining, "… shall know that I am the Lord." It is behind all of what God is doing. Also, just think about this very intense judgment of Israel and others. If God is this focused on cleansing and judging His own people, what is it going to be like for those who deny Christ and for the generation on the earth who rebel against God during the tribulation?

Ezekiel 21

Vs. 1-5 As a result of the people ridiculing or criticizing Ezekiel because of his cryptic visions, God "sharpens" the focus. Now it is a sword brought against Jerusalem and the land.

Vs. 6-7 Ezekiel was to add public groaning to this message. Apparently he walked around the market making noise, causing the parents once again to find their children.

Vs. 8-13 Somehow I think this must have been a very loud prophesy.

Vs. 15-17 I think Ezekiel acted this out publicly with a sword, sending parents scrambling again to save their children. Imagine the shock of seeing Ezekiel just walking down the street, wondering what insane thing he would do next.

Vs. 18-23 I'm not sure how Ezekiel acted this one out, but it looks like it was visual.

Vs. 24-27 The prince of Israel is Zedekiah.

Vs. 28-32 The Ammonites were in the alliance with Egypt and Israel to fight against Babylon. When Nebuchadnezzar chose to go to Jerusalem first and destroy the city, these allies were very happy. Also, when Babylon did take Jerusalem and appointed Gedaliah to be governor of Judah, the Ammonites sent Ishmael to kill Gedaliah. That is the reason for this "honorable" mention of judgment for the Ammonites.

Ezekiel 22

Vs. 1-16 These pronouncements of judgment must have been ringing in people's ears. Here, once again, the nation is shown to be totally corrupt, not just because of idolatry or neglecting the things of God, but because of the spilling of innocent blood. Notice how often you find blood in this section.

Vs. 17-22 So what do you do if your "ore" is so impure? You burn it out. Note that this isn't just for punishment, but also for redeeming some who will know that He is the Lord and will acknowledge why God has brought this on them.

Vs. 23-31 The point of this cleansing is seen in the punishment of different groups of people. Find and circle them.

Verse 30 is very famous. Now, there was a remnant and there were men like Jeremiah still in Jerusalem. So what does it mean that there was no one who would stand in the gap? I think it means there was no leader who was willing to lead and fight against the corruption of the nation to lead them back to God. Moses would have been this kind of man. Jeremiah was not, although he was courageous, yet he only moved as God moved him. It seems that all of those kind of men had had their blood spilled in the city. This then was a judgment not only on their murders, but in murdering them, the people had removed the protection these vocal leaders could have provided.

When I think of standing in the gap, I don't think it is courage as much as love for Christ and conviction that gets the job done. You come to the point of saying, "If this stuff is really true, then somebody's gotta do something." And you know that that somebody is you. It's time to live dangerously in the hands of God.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vbmsq1soVio

Hebrews 10:1-17

Vs. 1-4 This is a brilliant argument. The very fact that the sacrifices had to be repeated year after year meant they could not bring a person to lasting forgiveness. They were only an image of what was to come in Christ.

V. 4 is a rather famous and important verse and declaration.

Vs. 5-7 Laura and I have Psalm 40:1-10 memorized, and these verses are from that psalm. Verse 5 in the Hebrew says "but you have given me an open ear." The translators of the Septuagint (Greek OT) understood this verse as being figurative for a body. The Septuagint would have been the Bible that Jesus and His generation read from. The fact that this verse is stated here shows that this is a proper rendering and understanding. Jesus was given a body and was given understanding of His mission.

Vs. 10-14 These verses say it all. Notice how the author brings verse fourteen back together with verse one.

Vs. 15-17 These, again, are the spiritual promises to Israel from Jeremiah 31. Israel receives both the spiritual and physical promises for the Millennial Kingdom. The church partakes of the spiritual promise now as the bride of Christ.

Psalm 108

Vs. 1-4 Most of the psalms begin with a declaration of confidence, but this one seems to stand out. This was probably during the early days of David being king. He knew of God's faithful provision through all the years of running and through all of the uncertainty. I've never seen before how David declared the steadfast love of the Lord so often.

Vs. 5-6 I think that when David knew how God had saved him so many times, it gave him a vision of God making His glory known in all the earth.

Vs. 7-9 David's confidence in the Word.

Vs. 10-13 David knew to pray, yet he was confident in God's care.

I used this video for Psalm 36, but the key words of the song sound like verse five of this psalm.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OBRvxrzhqs&list=PL8F3FC504C539471B&index=67&feature=plpp_video

Proverbs 27:12

Compromise is one thing, prudence is another. Jesus told his disciples to beware of men, and therefore, to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Paul told Timothy to beware and avoid Alexander the coppersmith.

On the other hand, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to bow to Nebuchadnezzar, willing to die if necessary; and God brought an incredible blessing for all of Israel in exile. Wisdom must be in knowing the difference in these situations.

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 comment or feedback to dgkachikis@gmail.com.