February 1, 2012 Reading Notes

February 1, 2012 Reading Notes

http://www.esvbible.org/devotions/every-day-in-the-word/

Exodus 13:17-15:18

Exodus 13:17-22

Vs. 17-18 The Lord led Israel, and in a way that made no sense to the Egyptians.

What we should think about as disciples is when God leads us in a way that makes no sense to others, He has His reasons. Our confidence should be in following Him, not in knowing why or being able to explain why He seems to be leading us into a dead-end.

Vs. 21-22 Introduced here is the cloud and the pillar of fire which will be with them for another 40 years. Reading about these signs is so easy, but their significance defies our imaginations in several ways. First, how incredible to have these every day and night. They must have been huge. Second, how incredible to see these every day and not to trust God. It makes the rebellion of the people very strange. God might be right. There might be something very wrong with all of us that defies all reason. Sin is incredible in its depth and power in us.

Exodus 14

Vs. 1-4 Notice how God is still coaching Moses. He is explaining, step by step, what is going to happen.

This map might help to understand how God led them.

http://www.books.google.com/books?id=tSJWE-sR5HkC&pg=PA253&dq

Beginning at Rameses, they went south and then up north. You can see the city of Migdol mentioned in verse two. The Red Sea, apparently was really the Reed Sea, that is Lake Ballah. I guess the words for "red" and "reed" are as similar in Hebrew as they are in English. The people were encamped facing across Lake Ballah toward Migdol. This must have given Pharaoh the confidence to act rashly, thinking the people were sheep lost in the wilderness.

Vs. 5-9 Pharaoh and his boys are mad. With a hardened heart, his foolishness is intensified to the point of complete irrationality. If they haven’t beaten God yet, why do they think this is a good move? But now, the final step to Israel being without threat in the wilderness will be accomplished. With this next defeat, the Egyptian military will be reduced to a national police force just trying to rebuild and protect a ruined country.

Vs. 10-14 It is incredible to read these words from the people to Moses in light of all the acts of God's power they have seen. And then, there is that pillar of fire standing near them.

God says He will get glory from Pharaoh. When you read Romans chapter 11, the issue of God “using” Pharaoh (and the unbelieving in general) comes up. And just to be fair, we all have a hard time imagining God twisting someone’s mind to do His will without giving them a chance to believe. In all of what we understand and do not understand, all the conflicting thoughts of God’s election, foreknowledge and our freewill will come together and will prove, as Paul says, “God’s righteousness.” In the angelic world God is in court and the accuser searches God’s actions to see if He is playing according to the rules. I think this is why the angels attest to God’s holiness. It’s not because they’re assigned this duty for our sake, (for great verses and great songs), but for them, and the issues at play in the angelic conflict, God’s holiness and righteousness are important to them.

A key verse on this is Romans 9:22 “What if God, desiring to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction?” So here is my thought. What if God, in His foreknowledge, knew that a child to be born would never accept Him in faith and would always be in rebellion? In God’s vast wisdom and planning and foreknowledge, He could surely move events around that person and even use that person’s responses to His purposes. Paul’s point is that God would have a price to pay also, that is, enduring the rebellion of this person for 70 years. God could just “snuff him out.” If you’ve been a school teacher or had a horrible tenant in a rental house, you’ll know enduring this kind of rebellious person is not a delight. We think God can just “put this out of His mind,” because He’s in outer space or someplace, but I don’t think so. God is here and I think sin seriously grieves God. We’re just used to it.

Also, regarding freewill and God’s ability to “direct” us, you wonder what rights we really have. For example, in the last election, they did surveys on how different groups voted. There were the ethnic groups, and then gender groups and religious groups, but I never found one on how the prison population voted. I’m sure that would have been a substantial block of people, and it would be interesting to see what issues were important to them and, so, how they voted. Oh, that’s right, they can’t vote. They lost the right to vote because of their crimes. In all societies, those guilty of crimes lose rights and often their freedom. They have the basic rights (basic defined by the culture) but many freedoms are removed. We’re “guilty” too, right?

Now, if you look at the entire scope of things biblically, that is, “in reality,” our biggest foe is Satan, standing before God and proving, by what we do, that we deserve judgment and death. Whatever role Satan was supposed to have for good has been used by him for evil, giving him power when we mess up, like giving the board of directors the right to run the company because the true owner is in jail (and they put him there). Along with this, God had to save us, not violating any rules of righteousness and justice. Satan watches this. Yet God does have the right, since we are guilty before Him, to direct us and manage us just like you would direct people in prison who have lost their rights because of their crimes. For those who will never trust or obey Him, He is perfectly free to direct as He pleases. Look at Pharaoh, the wealthiest and most powerful man on earth at that time. All of that privilege was also from God. He hardened his own heart against God. He was already in rebellion, and that being the case, God made it worse and engineered Pharaoh’s actions, as a guilty man, to lead to God’s glory. Anyway, that’s just my take on things.

Again, I wonder how the people of Israel could doubt God when there was a pillar of cloud/fire right with them. Miracles do not make people believe. Sometimes they only expose the heart of unbelief.

Note that instead of crying out to the Lord, they go after Moses.

Vs. 15-18 This is an amazing event, and the lesson for us as disciples is to follow the Lord no matter what. God can deliver.

Notice again how God coaches Moses and assures him.

Vs. 19-20 Here the Angel of the Lord, in the cloud, went between the Egyptians and Israel. Notice too that it was dark on one side and gave light on the other. For an interesting note on the pillar and the Angel of the Lord, look at 1 Cor. 10:4.

Vs. 21-31 People make a lot of the wind and the role it played as if to explain this by the wind. This was just a flat out miracle. God provided a wide path in the sea for 2 million people to cross (600,000 men plus women and children). The wind may have dried the surface, but if it was strong enough to push back the sea, it would have been strong enough to blow the people away.

Pharaoh was totally irrational in following. Not one of the soldiers survived. Egypt was ruined.

Exodus 15:1-18

If the people had had hearts of devotion to God, this would have been very meaningful. In that it was inspired by the Spirit, it shows great things about God. In many respects, this looks a lot like the kind of praise David expressed toward God.

V. 13 Notice the mention of God's steadfast love. That is much like David.

Vs. 14-16 The effect of this and everything that had happened in Egypt is that the nations feared the Lord. When the people get to Jericho forty years from now, that fear will still be present in Jericho.

Vs. 17-18 Again, in David's praise there is often the mention of God's presence and sanctuary and the Lord reigning forever.

This song is very heartfelt, I’m sure, but the people will soon forget all this and complain. Emotion is never the measure of true devotion and commitment to God. Being a disciple means giving up your life to follow Christ in the harvest. Following Christ has less to do with emotion than raw devotion, love and faith. I love emotion, but seeing this reaction of the people and seeing how much the church loves worship and is allergic to reaching lost people, I don’t put any weight on great bands and worship in church. I think we are conditioned to think that feeling gushy toward Jesus is the goal. Jesus says, “why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say?” And below, there is a parable to this effect.

Matthew 21:23-46

Vs. 23-27 I remember reading this the first time and identifying with the irrational hardness of heart of the Pharisees. They were afraid to give a straight answer, weighing the options.

Vs. 28-32 This parable underscores Jesus’ first principle of discipleship: obedience - not emotion, following - not talking. This was very true and you can imagine that the Pharisees were not happy with what Jesus said here.

Vs. 33-41 I’ve often thought that this entire scenario is irrational on the part of the people running the vineyard. Why would they get the land if they killed the heir? There is no rational reason. In the same way, when suppressing the truth is the goal, there is no rationality. We might see this on the part of unchurched people where it is pitiable and understandable. Where it hits us the hardest, as disciples, is when you see this kind of suppression and irrationality on the part of believers, churches and leaders. I have been in churches where there was no fruit, but rather a rigid, self-righteous guarding of the truth and church tradition. It was as if they knew nothing of the love of Christ and true mission of the bride. If Jesus had shown up, they probably would have opposed Him and thrown Him out.

V. 41 It is interesting to see that the Pharisees were totally engaged in the story and wanted to judge those tenants too.

Vs. 42-46 They realized that Jesus had spoken this against them. They were the tenants and were also fulfilling a part of the Old Testament prophesies. Interestingly, they didn't arrest Jesus because they, again, were weighing the options.

Psalm 26

As disciples, following our savior in the harvest, can we bow our heads and say these words to Him with this sincerity and meaning?

Vs. 1-5 Isn't it interesting how similar this sounds to Psalm 1?

Vs. 6-8 These verses mention something important to David and to us, praising God and being close to Him. Whether we find it in a room or in a chair in a corner, I think it needs to be the constant yearning of a disciple to be close, confined, connected to Christ, quiet and alone, to enjoy His presence. As important as the harvest is, the strength of our hearts, what gives us the ability to withstand the conflict and pressure of this earth, is quietness with the Lord, with His Word, in prayer in that place where we meet Him.

Vs. 9-12 Again, David is crying out and sees his hope and confidence in the Lord.

Proverbs 6:16-19

So, as a disciple, which of these do you need to avoid? I found a couple.

If you’re reading along and don’t have a One Year Bible, click on this link http://www.esvbible.org/devotions/every-day-in-the-word/. If that doesn't work, go to http://www.esvbible.org/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.

January 31, 2012 Reading Notes

January 31, 2012 Reading Notes

http://www.esvbible.org/devotions/every-day-in-the-word/

If you have been reading with us for the month of January, congratulations are in order! You’ve read through Genesis and you’re into Exodus; you’ve almost finished Matthew; you’ve read 24 Psalms and you’re six chapters wiser than…well, I don’t know, a door knob. For some of you, this is a major achievement and it will only get better. You’ll discover a lot of great things about the mind and heart of God. Most importantly, you’ll grow in your love for Jesus and your commitment as a disciple in the harvest. And next year, if you do this, you’ll be surprised how much you’ve remembered and how much more you’ll see as the Spirit weaves His Word into your life and heart as a disciple.

Exodus 12:14-13:16

Exodus 12:14-51

Vs. 14-20 Oddly enough, in Matthew, Jesus is entering the Passover week. He won’t be cleaning out the leaven, but maybe cleansing the temple was dealing with a kind of “leaven” that had permeated the people and their minds. Jesus’ ministry spanned four Passover feasts and culminates at a Passover. Anyway, back to the OT.

Some notes:

First, the Passover is the major identity symbol, festival, event of the nation of Israel from this point on. Sure, there were other things, the land, the temple, circumcision, the Sabbath; but this was now the beginning of their year and God built a memorial of redemption into the beginning of the year. What is interesting is that it points to their spiritual identity born out of redemption. Circumcision and the Sabbath show that the people are separated (holy) for God, but the Passover shows that they were saved by God.

From this point on God is making a nation and giving them ceremonial and cultural laws, many of which will only apply to Israel as God’s nation. This will be important to remember, since some of these laws are very binding on them and very narrow. The laws are meant to highlight God’s holiness, the reality of sin and their need for forgiveness/being close to God. For now, this is just to say that while the laws and rituals were binding in them, they are not binding on us. Yet there is something, some aspect of understanding God and His plan or His holiness, which we can learn from. The following law on leaven is a case in point.

Note that if anyone violated this law to have no leaven in the house or to eat what was leavened, they would be expelled from the nation. That’s pretty hard. It applied to them and not to us; but the question is, “What was the point, and what can we understand about God?”

In the NT, leaven is sometimes referred to as something bad, that slowly works its way into a church or teaching or a person and eventually dominates them. In one instance, leaven is used positively regarding the “invisible,” growing kingdom of God in this world. So, this custom regarding leaven is an “object lesson” that God uses to teach us, and it would be woven into the culture and ceremony of Israel as a warning.

In the immediate context, the lack of leaven has something to do with their being ready for action, and putting aside comfort in order to obey God. Think about this, because I think this really applies to us as disciples. We are not often ready for action and it hurts us. We might enjoy "leaven" too much.

Because of haste, the women were to make bread without taking the time to knead in yeast. This fits with them eating the lamb while fully clothed for travel with their knapsacks on their backs. The unleavened bread dough, was to be taken with them, wrapped into the shawl on a woman’s shoulder. The point of all of this was the real-time need for them to be ready to roll.

I’ve seen reenactments of Passover feasts, but I’ve never seen one where everyone was standing, eating in a state of readiness, clothed for action and ready for an emergency. I guess we missed that. The next notable time you see the Passover in the OT is in another state of emergency as Joshua is ready to go into the land. The last two times you see the Passover in the OT (and two of the best) the southern kingdom is in desperate need of redemption. When Jesus celebrates the Passover with His disciples and redefines it to symbolize the new covenant in His blood, it was a night of emergency and readiness and redemption.

Redemption and readiness is the context of the Passover and that is all in the larger context of emergency. There is an emergency going on right now, bigger than AIDS, bigger than the climate, bigger than terrorism, bigger than getting “supersized” at McDonalds. God’s people are to be ready, and for this time of redemption and grace, we need to be willing to do away with “leaven,” to be willing to live wholly for God and even put away some comforts and exercise restraint, to be focused and ready to work in the harvest, reaching the lost, making disciples who make disciples.

Vs. 21-28 How humbling and moving…when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and they worshiped and obeyed. We need to do likewise and to obey, meaning serving Christ in the harvest. Never be ashamed to say, “The blood of Christ.” Explain it, but don’t be ashamed to say it. On account of the blood of the Lamb of God, we are saved.

By ignoring God, the Egyptians, though not all the Egyptians, came under God's judgment. All humans are under His judgment. Later, when Israel is about to enter the land I'll mention something about God's right to judge and bring death. Now is probably a good time to think about this too. God is loving, yet thousands of children died on this night. The most natural place for a person to stand would be before God. That is what we were made for, a relationship with Him. We are separated from Him because of sin and that separation is spiritual death. Death is separation. Because of sin and spiritual death, our bodies are frail and our spirits eventually separate from the body. This is physical death. When our spirit separates from the body we stand before God, entering His presence. That shouldn't be a bad thing, but it is if we are also separated from God spiritually. God has the right to call any of us into His presence at anytime. We should be ready. For those who know God, that is the beginning of blessing. For those who have ignored God, that is the beginning of judgment.

In my understanding here, the children who were under the age of accountability, were brought into God's presence and blessed. Those firstborn who were older and could have followed and accepted the God of the Hebrews, but didn't, were called into God's presence and judged. Death, for now, is how we enter God's presence. It doesn't have to mean judgment and doesn't have to scare those redeemed by Christ. Without sin, there would be no separation. With Christ, there is no judgment and only blessing.

Vs. 29-39 Moses said Pharaoh would never see his face again. Here, either it was just a message sent, or Pharaoh, being in mourning, never looked up or unveiled his face.

A lot of the stuff they were given by the Egyptians was jewelry, used later, unfortunately, for the golden calf, and then to make the tabernacle and the priests' clothing. Remember, they were slaves with no credit cards or other resources.

Vs. 40-42 This is an historical summary, recapping and adding to some of what was said to Moses before the Passover. Notice that from the time Jacob stepped into Egypt until now was exactly 430 years to the day.

Vs. 43-51 Note that future Passovers could be celebrated by any foreigner with one stipulation: those males had to be circumcised. The male represents the head of his family, so the women and children were covered.

Circumcision was the symbol of being separated to the promise to Abraham, of making a nation through which all the nations would be blessed. Again, for the heart of faith, circumcision was linked to the plan of redemption.

You’ve noted that many Egyptians moved out with Israel in the Exodus. It might have been that the men were required to be circumcised first. For an Egyptian to be circumcised would have been a big deal, hopefully symbolizing their faith in the redeeming God of the Hebrews.

Exodus 13:1-16

It could very well be that as the people were gathering for the exodus out of Egypt, God had Moses give this information to the elders and people. Moses left Egypt with over a million people. The logistics of this would not have been easy. There must have been some structure for gathering and there must have been some responsibility by the elders and tribes/families to hang together and direct themselves.

V. 1 This law of the firstborn is mentioned here because the Passover lamb had to be a firstborn. God, again, as a good educator is establishing some cultural and ceremonial things into the life of Israel that He will use later referring to Christ. Luke refers to this law when Joseph and Mary take Jesus into the temple and meet Simeon.

V. 8 mentions something we’ll see a lot more of in Deuteronomy. The people were to teach these things to their children. Just like us, the kids would naturally say, “Hey, how come we have such strange customs?” The parents’ answers would all be linked to redemption and God’s mercy and power and love. In Deuteronomy, God says that parents should always be talking to their kids about the Lord and what He has done. It should be as natural as air, weaving it into all kinds of things. After quoting Deuteronomy 6:7, “and you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise,” Howard Hendricks would say, “so, when else do you live?”

Vs. 9 & 16 were taken literally and perverted by Israel in the phylacteries. Properly understood, what God had done was to be on their hand, controlling all they did, and as frontlets on their eyes (like horses,) focusing their vision, all of this keeping their redemption and mission as a nation controlling their hearts and lives.

Again, I can still hear Hendricks’ Philadelphia brogue after reading Deuteronomy 6:8-9 And you shall bind them as a sign upon your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. "This was to control all that you did and all that you thought, the doorpost of your house being the most intimate areas of your life, to the city gates, being the most social areas of your life."

God is a great teacher. As disciples in the harvest, investing in the lives of others, this teaching is definitely for us. God’s love and redemption is to be the topic of our passion, controlling all we do, see and think from the intimacy of our homes, to our presence in our communities.

Tomorrow we’ll be back to the real-time adventure and Pharaoh gets mad and the Lord intensifies his hardness which makes him really, really irrational, with a cherry on top.

Matthew 20:29-21:22

Matt. 20:29-34

A couple of notes:

There were two cities of Jericho, an old one and a new one. To leave one Jericho was to enter the other. A road filled with beggars and merchants went between the two. Matthew says, “leaving,” and Luke says, “entering,” and this is the explanation. Also, Matthew says there were two beggars, but Luke only names the spokesman, Bartimaeus.

It is significant that they were told it was Jesus (Lk., "Jesus of Nazareth") but they cry out “Son of David.” Remember, the widow in Sidon said the same to Jesus. Again, the emphasis here is on the “promised one,” signifying that these blind men saw something in the reports that those with sight were blind to.

Very cool that they kept crying out when everyone told them to shut up. They knew their chance was passing and they had to act now. What faith. I wish more lost people were this “blind.”

Matt. 21:1-22

Vs. 1-11 This is a very sad portion of Scripture for me. Luke says Jesus weeps here. They are visited by their maker, the author of life, their King and their redeemer, and even with all the religiousness of their response at His entrance, in a couple of days they will be yelling to crucify Him. The power of sin is beyond comprehension. They missed the day of their visitation.

V. 9 Many of the people in this crowd would be shouting for Jesus' crucifixion in a few days. Emotion doesn't mean knowing Christ.

V. 11 Notice that unlike the blind men, the crowds are calling Him Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.

Vs. 12-13 Jesus cleansed the temple on the first Passover during His ministry (Jn.2:13) and when confronted, foretold His death. This time, Jesus will die.

Vs. 14-16 So who do you really identify here as “blind and lame?”

Vs. 17-22 Obviously the lesson was not to show His disciples how to show off power. The tree symbolized “faithless” and “fruitless” Israel. The curse was made as they passed it, going into Jerusalem for the day, and they saw the effect when they were on their way back to Bethany that evening. “Immediately” means that, though not cut down, it was totally withered when they returned. That didn’t normally happen to a tree.

So, is the lesson here on the power of faith to make things wither or fly into the ocean, or the power of faith to bring life and fruitfulness? In another place Jesus uses this same illustration to tell about the power of prayer; but here, since the tree represents a faithless, fruitless generation, it might also signify that even a small amount of faith can bring life and the blessing of God.

On the other hand, Jesus has told His disciples that they will have authority on earth in the harvest. They will be able to bind and to loose, which probably involves judging and releasing. This authority would be dependent on their faith.

Psalm 25:16-22

This is a continuation from yesterday. Notice that in the beauty of this expression, David really was afflicted and distressed. But this is what drove him to God and gave the beauty to his words.

Notice the cries for help, the waiting on God and the desire not to be put to shame. Amen!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Dg55eP4zw8

Proverbs 6:12-15

Interesting here that God is warning us that “secret” communication is a sign of insincerity, dishonesty and a bad heart. Since reading this, I’m careful about what is going on in my heart when I “wink” at someone behind another person’s back. Is it for non-verbal affirmation in a tough situation, or am I being a dipstick? People who are not honest will eventually be dealt with by the Lord.

If you’re reading along and don’t have a One Year Bible, click on this link http://www.esvbible.org/devotions/every-day-in-the-word/. If that doesn't work, go to http://www.esvbible.org/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.

January 30, 2012 Reading Notes

January 30, 2012 Reading Notes

http://www.esvbible.org/devotions/every-day-in-the-word/

What’s great about doing this reading with other people, like in a discipleship cell, is that you can discuss and hear other observations and try out some of your own and have people tell you that you might have overlooked something. For example, I was talking about this stuff with my wife, who told me that the comment I made about the magicians not being able to “create life,” had a problem because they were able to turn their sticks into snakes. I objected because I don’t consider snakes a valid life form, just like I don’t consider cauliflower a valid food unless you smother it in a cheese sauce, whereas I still wouldn’t like snakes even in cheese sauce. Anyway, where was I, oh yeah, she made a good point. Talking this stuff out in a group makes it fun and the Spirit leads you to other insights.

One other thing. This morning I read my German One Year Bible. In the German, the word they use for “fly,” means “biting fly.” That kind of puts a different curve on the curse of flies. Being a city boy, I automatically think of the common housefly, or in Latin, “buzzio obnoxyous.” If it was, in fact, a biting fly, that adds, as the Germans would say, a little “music” to that plague.

Exodus 10:1-12:13

Exodus 10

Vs. 1-20 Note that God does a great job of “coaching” Moses through all of this. He encourages Moses and lets him know what’s going to happen, even up to Pharaoh’s negative reaction. When we read this, it is very “one dimensional.” We don’t feel the emotion or see what was happening. Moses had to have been under tremendous pressure. Imagine walking into the White House or the capital of Tehran and delivering this message. God is being very good to Moses and Aaron in this very pressurized and deadly situation.

Also, this is the second time the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart. That’s 2 out of 8, meaning that Pharaoh is winning in the “who can harden my heart more times” contest.

Egypt is now totally ruined economically. If something like this happened to the USA, it would knock us out of “superpower” standing and the country would be laid waste. What we don’t see, regardless of what country we call home, is that nationally and personally, we owe God a lot more than we think.

Egypt would never return to its former glory or strength, economically or militarily; and, interestingly, in this “superpower” vacuum, Israel would be able to grow, unhindered, as a nation. I guess God knew what He was doing.

Vs. 21-29 Obviously it must have been a supernatural darkness if lamps wouldn’t work.

God hardens Pharaoh’s heart (3 out of 9) and Pharaoh, rather than repentant and open, is angry and bitter. This is sort of like getting into a fight and you know you should have stopped but you didn’t and now the other guy has inflicted such damage on you that your pride won’t let you stop even though you know you should.

V. 28 Although Pharaoh and Moses would meet again, it would have nothing to do with the conflict and petition we have seen. To "see his face," probably meant to petition him to let Israel leave. The next time they see each other, Pharaoh will plead with Moses to leave.

Exodus 11

Vs. 1-10 Apparently before Moses left Pharaoh, he warned him of what was to come and, since Pharaoh wouldn’t listen, Moses left angry with his hardness of heart. When Jesus healed the man with the withered hand, the same thing happens. Jesus asks the Pharisees a question and they won’t answer and it says, “Jesus looked around Him in anger, grieved at their hardness of heart.” Interesting parallel.

Exodus 12

Vs. 1-13 Lots to say here.

First, if you don’t know already, figure out what month this “first month” of their year is on our calendar.

Second, God is laying in place a national/cultural/personal tradition that will prepare them for the coming of the Christ. Talk about long-range planning. Think about the different parts of this preparation that connect to Jesus, salvation, and our redemption.

As disciples, our life and our call to follow Christ into the harvest, to reach out to dying people, begins with our appreciation and love for Him saving us. The Passover is a great picture of all of this.

When I read that they were to eat the meal fully ready to leave, it makes me think of how we, as disciples, are supposed to live on this planet. We are to be ready to work, to help, to share with others, to encourage and make disciples. Down here, we are always in the harvest.

Matthew 20:1-28

The connection of these two stories is in the last sentence from our reading yesterday about the first being last and the last being first. Jesus will now explain what that means. It will have a meaning regarding time, and God's grace and purpose and how a person views himself and his service.

Vs. 1-16 It looks like the time factor and the kindness of the master are at question here. Unfortunately, I probably would have been one of the guys complaining at the end of the story. So, what was the proper mindset?

First, each servant should have appreciation for even getting hired (saved). I find it easy to take my salvation for granted and think that I deserved it. The wonder of Him saving me is something that I should never “get over.”

Second, a focus on the harvest. In Germany we had a yard with two cherry trees. Since it was rainy in Germany, the cherries would get ripe and then you’d have to “mach schnell” to get everything off the trees before the birds ate them or the cherries rotted. They’d rot right before your eyes. Everyone was busy with other things, and I was busy, too; but I remember being out there alone, working as quickly as I could, wishing anyone would help. I think, with an eye on the harvest, we don’t care who comes in the last hour and how much they are paid if we have a heart like our Savior, not wanting any to perish.

Vs. 17-19 I don’t know if it’s just me, but doesn’t it seem like Jesus is “coaching” His disciples just like God was “coaching” Moses? He’s telling them, again, what is going to happen so that when it happens they can remain strong, not “freak” too badly, and hold on to their faith.

With regard to the "first and last" teaching, the direction they were going in following Jesus didn't look too glorious. This "vineyard" looked different than the vineyard in the story Jesus told.

Vs. 20-28

I’m not sure of all that was going on in the head of James and John’s mother. Did she believe Jesus was about to die? Did she think there would be a showdown in Jerusalem, with the boys emerging victorious? We’ll have to ask her.

Jesus was related to James and John and maybe they thought they would be given positions of honor because of their connection. Jesus would tell them that those places were only given by the Father, and then, they would be given according to service and suffering.

Vs. 26-27 These words not only helped defuse the anger of the other disciples, but they brought the discussion back to the "first and last" teaching Jesus had given. I'm sure they had as hard a time understanding this as we do. So who really is the "first?" Only God knows. We know that God's goal for us is to be servants of all as we serve in the harvest, uninterested in that position.

There is a lot of amazing stuff here for us as disciples. Are we willing to drink the cup? Are we willing to die as He died for the sake of saving lost people? Are we willing to be the servants of all? Read 1 Cor. 9:19ff. Let this section sink into you. Verse 28 is worth a million dollars if we could ever internalize it and live it. As disciples of Jesus, we are to do the same thing He did and live the same way He lived in the harvest.

Psalm 25:1-15

I know I’ve been maimed forever. I just can’t read these psalms of David without my own heart being pulled at because of some of the terrain the Lord has taken me through. And, I believe, I hope, I’m closer and more useful to the Lord as a result of it.

Notice the call to waiting.

Also, verse three is quoted by Paul in Romans 9 and 10. Paul was not ashamed of the gospel.

David calls upon God to remember His steadfast love and he expresses his desire to be taught and know the ways of the Lord. David valued friendship with the Lord.

We get the second half of this psalm tomorrow. I wonder what it sounded like as a song. This song is good but I doubt if David would have given it a southern twang.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHVioeJU0g8

Proverbs 6:6-11

Ok, grasshopper, look at the ant. (an old “kung-fu” joke)

For me, two thoughts help this “parable” apply to me.

First, this illustration has to do with anything that requires preparation, not simply getting ready for winter.

This could be anything from training for a career to preparing to meet God. The winter part intensifies the need; that is, “if you don’t do it now, you’ll die later.” I often think this is what made the northern Europeans a very organized and serious people. If you didn’t prepare, you died. And thanks to that, we have IKEA!

Second, I qualify as this fool. And don’t be so smug, you do too. We all do at some point, in some area of our lives. And as if the deadening power of our own sin weren’t bad enough, we have Satan telling us to sit back, relax, and not sweat, God is in control, “hey, flip over to that channel,” or “hey, go and see what’s on youtube.”

Especially in the western world, our lives become overwhelmed with distraction and drifting, personally and in our churches. As disciples, God gives us purpose and focus in Christ and in the harvest, and it rounds out our lives with love and family and meaning. We have Jesus as a model, who came to seek and to save that which is lost. Like David says above, we need to cry out and learn His ways and seek His friendship. And then you have Jesus saying that to follow Him you have to lose your life. But then you receive it back again in Him.

What God is asking us, as disciples, to do here, now, on earth, in the middle of this desperate tragedy, requires focus and work and sacrifice. What we get in return is secondary (although great). But, it is still work. We’re yoked to Jesus, but it is still work. But, love gives you wings.

A quote I like from Oswald Sanders’ Spiritual Leadership: “The heights by great men, reached and kept, were not attained by sudden flight, but they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night.”

Great disciples are great leaders/servants, reaching out and making disciples, because they make and take the time now, to get closer to their Lord, instead of getting lulled to sleep by distraction.

If you’re reading along and don’t have a One Year Bible, click on this link http://www.esvbible.org/devotions/every-day-in-the-word/. If that doesn't work, go to http://www.esvbible.org/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.

January 29, 2012 Reading Notes

January 29, 2012 Reading Notes

http://www.esvbible.org/devotions/every-day-in-the-word/

Exodus 7:25-9:35

The link below is to the Bible Knowledge Commentary. If you want more information on the plagues, or on anything, you could refer to the BKC.

http://books.google.com/books?id=tSJWE-sR5HkC&pg=PA119&lpg=PA119&dq=warning,+usages+of+staffs,+and+Pharaoh&source=bl&ots=S89TjRqJ4i&sig=gjlXC43apXezf0BkqXq_KMyHTB8&hl=en&sa=X&ei=yUMkT4-DGK71sQLR2fWMAg&sqi=2&ved=0CCAQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=warning%2C%20usages%20of%20staffs%2C%20and%20Pharaoh&f=false

On page 110 of the BKC it mentions that the time frame of the plagues was probably from July to April.

Exodus 7:25 Just for reference we are told the plague of blood in the Nile lasted for seven days. You can imagine that after each plague, there would have been lots of clean up from the devastation.

Exodus 8

Vs. 1-15 This is the second plague of frogs. How harmful could this be? Along with this the Egyptians had a god with a frog's head and it was against the law to kill frogs.

V. 7 Notice that the magicians did the same thing. But they didn't make them go away, so Pharaoh had to ask for Moses' help.

V. 15 Notice that Pharaoh hardened his own heart. He must have thought this was a cute trick, to lie and get a reprieve. What we don't see in this is that God was slowly destroying the economy of Egypt and weakening the nation.

Vs. 16-19 This is the third plague of gnats. These were probably the biting kind.

Some say that the reason the magicians couldn’t imitate this miracle was that Satan’s power does not extend to the creation of life. I’m not sure that the frog “event” just involved rounding up all the all ready existent frogs, but I can see that. To take dust, and turn it into living things is definitely a “class A” miracle, and I guess it shows us something about the spiritual world.

Note the repeated phrase regarding Pharaoh’s hardness, “as the Lord had said.” God was encouraging Moses and Aaron in this conflict by already telling them what would happen, and thereby, to expect this and to be strong and go forward. For us as disciples, this is why it is important to live in the Word. God tells us stuff like this all the time. A case in point is what Jesus tells His disciples in John 13-17. We are to expect opposition; God says so. But in opposition, we also can expect God’s presence and working to bear fruit.

Vs. 20-32 This is the fourth plague of biting flies.

Notice that with the 4^th plague, God makes a division between the people of Israel and the people of Egypt. This means that Israel had also experienced the other stuff. God is a good teacher. Why do you think God let them experience the first three and now will keep them separate? In a way He does the same with us. He allows us to experience tough times so we’ll appreciate His blessing and the privilege of being able to follow Him as disciples in the harvest. I know I can take a lot for granted unless He teaches me to value it.

Isn’t it interesting that God could “ruin the land” by something as simple as frogs, gnats and flies? We have all this technology and think we’re so strong, and God can humble us with things we don’t even think about. I’ll bet the Egyptian FEMA was completely unprepared.

V. 32 Notice who hardened Pharaoh's heart.

Exodus 9

Vs. 1-7 This is the fifth plague of death to the livestock.

So, pausing at the 5^th plague, overlooking the fields of dead animals, what do you think “Joe” Egyptian was thinking? Does it seem to you that things are escalating? It seems interesting that we don’t hear anything of the Egyptians themselves crying out to God. FYI, in Revelation, when similar things are happening, people don’t cry out to God either; they just keep getting madder at Him and kill His people.

After the shock of losing all their animals, they noticed that the animals in Goshen were living. I'm sure Pharaoh thought he was clever going up there and taking the livestock.

Vs. 8-12 This is the sixth plague of boils. Goshen was spared but even the magicians couldn't be clever now.

Finally God hardens Pharaoh’s heart. I’ll throw out something here we’ll see later with others, especially King Ahab, that when people have their hearts set to be stubborn or disobedient or stupid, God intensifies their bent. That means, they would naturally have done it anyway, and so God intensifies their stubbornness to the point that their sin is visible to everyone. I don’t think Pharaoh would have changed his mind here and that God forced him to resist. I think God intensified his hardness to the degree that it had no semblance of rationality. The effect will be that Pharaoh’s own people will start yelling at him.

Vs. 13-35 This is the seventh plague of hail. Note that God gave fair warning. There were Egyptians who feared the Lord; and, as we will read later, many Egyptians went with the people of Israel when they left Egypt.

Vs. 14-17 This is a very powerful passage that Paul quotes in Romans 9:17. It gives us an explanation of why God doesn't remove the wicked who He knows will not repent. He uses them for His glory.

V. 27 So how do you view this admission? The land was ruined by now and I'm sure many officials were doubting Pharaoh's divinity and his sanity. I don't think there is sincere repentance here. I think this is like a drunk driver who wrecks his car and goes back to drinking. The sorrow is for a moment.

V. 35 Pharaoh hardens his own heart.

Notice that we are reminded that it was all going as God said it would. As disciples we need to remember, too, that Jesus has promised both joy and opposition as we work to bear fruit in the harvest. In our work, as we're seeing here with Moses, God will win.

Matthew 19:13-30

Vs. 13-15 The disciples were repeat offenders regarding stiff-arming children. Children have a God-given ability to believe and trust. Anyone who has worked with children knows, that properly taught, kids can make a valid, strong, saving commitment to Christ at a very young age. To ignore this openness allows sin to grow in their lives, and allows their hearts to become distrustful and complicated like this next guy.

Vs. 16-22 This guy was a nice guy and Mark says that Jesus loved him. Loving him meant extending the offer to follow, but, in love, Jesus had to put His finger on the idol in this person’s life. If you look at this challenge Jesus gave him, you can see a couple different areas where there would have been conflict; but the real answer was in really believing in Jesus and wanting to follow Him. Jesus told the twelve they couldn't serve two masters. Here was proof.

So many of the verses dealing with following Christ end with the idea that He must be our passion, our Lord, and the most important thing/person in our life. If this is so, following is natural. If this isn’t the case, following becomes doing religious things, like going to church and giving money, to convince ourselves and others that we are followers.

Vs. 23-30 Lots of good stuff here, so just a few notes.

Almost all who live in the western world are rich according to biblical standards. How hard is it to depend on Christ and follow Him when we can buy comfort and convenience? I think we fool ourselves thinking it is easy to follow Christ in the land of milk and honey. We end up living lives that are only shadows of what it means to follow Christ in this dying world. I’m challenging myself on this one all the time.

Lots of people “wax elephants” regarding the “eye of the needle.” Just to simplify, Luke, the doctor, uses the word for “surgical” or "sewing" needle. No kneeling camel would have gotten through there.

V. 25 The disciples understood what Jesus was saying and were "greatly astonished." We go, "null problemo." And therefore, our lives as disciples have lots of problemoes. We need to take this seriously.

Vs. 27-30 Once again Jesus confirms that there are rewards in following Him. The twelve would receive something that no other believers would receive because of their sacrificial following. The rewards are meant to encourage us and we are encouraged and commanded to seek them.

The crux of the matter in following Christ in the harvest, bearing fruit, making disciples who make disciples, is what are we willing to give up and sacrifice. Jesus sacrificed and we are to follow Him in this. But we are scared silly thinking of what we’ll have to give up. I’m amazed, given the deadly gravity of the situation on earth and the dying people around us, that God decides to give us anything. God could just command it without any mention of reward. I watched “Band of Brothers” and “The Pacific.” When you see what these guys had to endure in battle, not only the conditions of heat or cold but the maggoty rice, you think that God could expect the same from us. But instead He “richly bestows on us everything to enjoy.” The real paradox here, and what separates the men from the boys, is that the true closeness to Jesus and the true riches of his blessings and joy are found in the middle of the harvest field. Those who dwell on the outskirts only know the blessings of the outskirts.

Psalm 24

Once again a beautiful psalm. When we read psalms like this we need to appreciate that God wrote this in David's heart through hardship and longing. But look what came out. The Lord does this with us too.

Note that verses 7-10 were used by Handel in the “Messiah.” In fact, one of my favorite German Christmas songs comes from these verses.

First, here is an English adaptation of that hymn and those verses.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eq5wV1EPS3k&feature=related

And here are the Sons of Korah doing the entire psalm.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pO77-m4SS3M

Proverbs 6:1-5

The thing to look at here, which will come up again, is the warning about being deeply connected to others who have different values. Many preachers will use these verses to say that God is against co-signing for a loan for your kids or a relative. There might be some wisdom even there, but still, I think the force here is against making yourself responsible or liable for someone with very different values. This would be along the lines of what God says via Paul about being unequally yoked to unbelievers. Actually, I’ve met some believers I wouldn’t go into business with. The principle and warning is here. We need to bring this before the Lord before we make a tight connection with anyone.

As disciples, we need to be understanding, and ask God about everything. In our desire to help the lost and needy, we don’t need to be God for them. God will take care of people without us having to take a second mortgage out on the house. In the same way, when we hook up with other Christians in the harvest, who are different enough to keep us from doing God’s work, it can also lead to malfunctions. There is a good reason for different churches and different confessions. Sadly, if we all had to work together, we’d probably never get anything done.

If you’re reading along and don’t have a One Year Bible, click on this link http://www.esvbible.org/devotions/every-day-in-the-word/. If that doesn't work, go to http://www.esvbible.org/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.

January 28, 2012 Reading Notes

January 28, 2012 Reading Notes

http://www.esvbible.org/devotions/every-day-in-the-word/

Exodus 5:22-7:24

Ex. 5:22-23

If you think about it, Moses was getting a crash course on who God is and how He works. Most of us have far more information about God than Moses did. We have the entire record in the Bible of who He is and what He does. And even so, if we had been in Moses' sandals, we'd have been freaking out worse than he was.

One of the challenges we have as disciples is telling and showing people from God's Word, what they are to do, and then listening to them and watching them endure hardship for their actions. We encourage them from the Word to tell the truth.  So, they don't lie at work and get fired. We tell them to pray, but it seems like things get worse. We tell them to live for Christ, and they get laughed at by their spouses or friends. Learning through patience and hardship is not the exception; it is the rule. This is why many people give up as disciples. Jesus did not say the way was easy. He said being yoked to Him made it easier. Following Jesus is the key. His love being poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit is what gives us hope to endure and persevere.

Moses has over a million people mad at him and this turn of events is killing him. This was supposed to lead to an easy victory with no stops in between. In Moses' thinking, every play would be a touchdown or at least a first down. He never thought they'd lose yards or get hit at the line of scrimmage.

Moses was learning, as all true disciples must, that when you are following, there has to be absolute, strong, patient confidence in the Lord. You never assume you know the path He will take. You just follow. You learn that God uses all the malfunctions of men and of happenstance to accomplish His will. You learn that sometimes the blown play or the "sack" is setting you up for the touchdown. As the bumper sticker says, "With Christ, the only way to lose is to quit." And even here, He might let you get to the place of quitting, to lift you up and renew your heart in a way that makes you stronger in Christ than you ever would have been if you hadn't been defeated.

Here, Israel has doubted God and Moses. Pharaoh has grown super arrogant, and Moses has grown humbler than ever. The stage is set.

Exodus 6

Vs. 1-9 This is part of the educational process for Moses and the people.

V. 1 Notice that God says, "Now…" It seems that Pharaoh's actions and the peoples' response were a part of God's plan.

Vs. 2-8 Take time to look through what God says here. This is a great declaration by the Lord. Notice how often He says "I," and what is attached to it.

V. 3 God is doing something new and special here that He has never done with any who have followed Him. This was not to be taken lightly.

God confirmed the promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, pointed to the land promised, and the absolute certainty of redeeming the people out of slavery. These promises were not contingent on their faith but would have been the content of their faith in God. Within that coming year God would give them the sacrificial system to show them the reality of sin and their need for forgiveness, but the prime object of faith would always be the covenant keeping God. Salvation would be through faith in His promises. These people had the account of history, even as Moses is writing it here, that goes back to the promise of redemption at the fall, the saving of Noah and the promise to Abraham.  Since they had this history, the person of faith would understand that the God of the Covenant had a greater plan than just giving a couple million people a homestead.

I say all of this because the unfolding of the plan of redemption was progressive. They didn't know about Jesus, but there was Yahweh who chose them and made promises of redemption. Here and there, there is a hint at the future, for example, the dying words Jacob spoke to Judah; but it would take faith to see beyond those vague references to the redemption God was working for all of mankind. What kind of faith was necessary? Faith focused on Yahweh, who promises and keeps covenants. With that faith they would sense the scope of God's work. The heart of flesh would only understand their needs as immediate, and the promises as nationalistic.

V. 9 I'm sure Moses was encouraged as he spoke to the people, but this heartbroken people rejected him and his message. Maybe God gave Moses that strong encouragement to help him withstand the rejection of this bitter people? For a disciple, God's encouragement doesn't always signal success, but perhaps rather, that God is preparing us to endure what's coming. Encouraging thought, huh?

Vs. 10-13 God is now telling the discouraged Moses what to do in command form. Moses' words in v.12 are explained by what happened in v. 9. God charges, commands and orders Moses and Aaron to "just do it."

Vs. 14-27 This partial genealogy begins with Reuben in order to show the tribe of Levi in its proper place in the sons of Jacob. The genealogy of Levi is the only real focus here and therefore doesn't go beyond Levi. The purpose is to show where Moses and Aaron came from. This is like a formal introduction, I suppose.

Interesting that Moses named his son after the first born of Levi.

In this list there is a cast of characters who will have the stage for bad and for good in the next 2 books. The greatest of these is Phinehas, who is referred to as a hero throughout all of Israel's history and is alluded to in the last OT book, Malachi. Cool dude.

By the way, this last thought comes from reading the Bible every year and making little connections year after year until, like doing a puzzle, you slowly see the picture. For me, this is another thing that makes it fun to read through the Bible every year.

Vs. 28-29 This is one of those places where they put the chapter break in the wrong place. In the original Hebrew and Greek there are no chapter designations or verse designations. That was all done years later, and the chapter / verse divisions we have are from Stephen Langton, the Archbishop of Canterbury in 1220.

It is interesting to see that Moses is still objecting to God using him for this. Once Moses gets his mojo going, Aaron never speaks for him again.

Exodus 7:1-24

Vs. 1-7 Notice that God reaffirms what is going to happen. It won't be easy, but they will win.

Notice the ages given for Moses and Aaron. Most people wouldn't go back and re-read the story of Moses, but with his age in mind, you will begin reading next year and see what he does when he is 40 and you'll read the next sections, understanding that Moses was prepared by God for 40 years in the wilderness.  This will help you understand Moses and God in a deeper way.

One note of trivia here is the three-year difference between Aaron and Moses. It gives you the idea that the policy of having the baby boys killed might have been instituted between the births of Aaron and Moses.

I don't want to say much about the hardening of Pharaoh's heart. We've seen that Pharaoh already had a hard heart without God's help. As you read, make a note in your Bible when Pharaoh hardens his own heart and when it says God hardens Pharaoh's heart. There might be a lesson in that. Also, since we know the Lord would never reject a sincere, seeking heart, I doubt that Pharaoh ever had that. It might be that there was a time when Pharaoh would have given in through bitterness and compliance, but not through faith. At the end we'll see this happen and in bitterness Pharaoh releases the people, but since it wasn't done willingly or in faith, Pharaoh "repents" of his decision and goes out to kill the people. God would not have kept Pharaoh from true faith and repentance.

Vs. 8-13 The battle begins.

Note that Pharaoh's boys were good at magic…tapping into Satan's power. This should blow your mind, but not scare you. For all the power of the unseen spiritual forces, God doesn’t draw our attention to them that often, meaning, God thinks we know enough. If we know they're there and we follow Christ in the Spirit and in the Word, we'll be OK. The effect was that these signs by his magicians hardened Pharaoh's heart, even though the magicians had to go out and get new sticks. God did not harden Pharaoh's heart.

Vs. 14-24 This is the first official plague. Your observations are better than anything I have to say. Just a couple of notes. The "ministry" of Moses and Aaron here is what the "ministry" of the two witnesses in Rev. 11:3 will look like. When they declare a judgment on earth, a seal is broken in heaven, and all "hell" breaks loose on the hard of heart.

The Nile was thought to be a god. That Moses and Aaron had power to do this should have shown something to Pharaoh. But again, the magicians duplicated this plague, maybe by turning a bowl of water into blood. Who knows? But notice, God didn't harden Pharaoh's heart.

V. 23 Pharaoh didn't take this to heart, but some of the people did. Pharaoh wasn't the guy who had to go and fish or find drinkable water. The people were beginning to suffer for Pharaoh's stubborn heart.

Also, since it is mentioned later that those plagues didn't affect Goshen, where the Israelites lived, I assume that some of the delta area of the Nile was also turned to blood. This wouldn't have been to punish Israel, but to encourage them by showing them what God was doing down yonder at Casa de Pharaoh.

Matthew 18:23-19:12

Matthew 18:23-35

This story is an answer to Peter's question from yesterday regarding forgiveness.

For the disciple, true biblical forgiveness rests in, and is empowered by, our own forgiveness from God. The ability to forgive others springs from a heart that has received mercy. It is a heart that is grounded in a biblical/spiritual perspective of reality. We all are dead; we all are hopeless debtors. This is the reality of our salvation and the context of the grace given to us on this planet. It allows a disciple to live an "other worldly" life, full of understanding of what is happening on earth and in heaven. Why Matt. 5:39-48 seems so unreachable to people is because we are grasping a view of life that is false. Life on earth is not good. We are all sinners. We are all in trouble.

As disciples we are commanded to forgive others, based on the forgiveness we have received from God. Life is complicated. This doesn't say we need to trust others, or accept their version of reality, or go on vacation with them. Forgiveness in this context means showing mercy as we've received mercy. It is placing the right to demand justice or payment in God's hands.

In my experience, any person and even a disciple, who arrogantly withholds forgiveness of this kind and cannot do good for an enemy, will not be released from the penalty and punishment for his own ongoing sins. God takes even his disciples to task in those areas of failure we walk through on a daily basis, until we learn to forgive from the heart as He forgives us. This kind of situation always has more to do with God and us, than some other person and us. Christ loves us too much, to let us get away with this misunderstanding of His sacrifice and grace.

Matt. 19:1-12

Vs. 3-9 The test here involved two different rabbis teaching two very different views of divorce in Israel. One view was very liberal, allowing for divorce under any circumstances, and the other view was conservative, saying divorce was only allowed because of adultery. The attempt was to get Jesus to agree with one or the other rabbi. Jesus avoided this by summarizing God's intent in marriage and how God works with the hardness of man's sin in the meantime.

Vs. 4-6 are very clear teaching on marriage. It is a union first, and then a sexual “one flesh” union. It is between a male and a female. “Male and Female” is the only way to be "one flesh" in God’s eyes.  It is how God created us and it is what God wants.

All other variations are wrong. God is not open to discussion, but will forgive the variations if people will agree to His way and repent.  Sex outside of marriage is sin.  Adultery is sin.  Homosexuality is sin.  And it is God who says so and He loves us and will forgive and restore us if there is agreement with Him and if we repent.  He is not going to change this order of creation anymore than He’ll change the direction of the rotation of the earth because we demand it of Him.  He is the creator.  He knows what is best for us, and yet, He will forgive us.

V. 6 Jesus is teaching that God never intended people to divorce. God joins together and means it to be forever. That's a pretty heavy thought. It is a spiritual union whether we agree with Him or not.

Vs. 7-9 The Pharisees caught this. Jesus was saying something different than both of the conflicting views in Israel. Both allowed for divorce. Jesus' answer showed that God allowed divorce and remarriage because of our unwillingness to listen to Him, just like Pharaoh. He has built the need for completeness so deeply in us, as the essence of us, that it is irresistible to us. We may not understand it and just relegate it to hormones and sexual behavior, but "oneness" is a very deep spiritual need and will drive us whether we understand it or not.

In adultery the "covenant" is broken. This is inevitable in divorce and remarriage. Somehow, in all of this dysfunctional humanity, God allows for restoration and forgiveness and order and renewal, but it always has a price.  Grace can overcome the effects.

Vs. 10-12 The disciples are shocked because marriages back then always had an escape clause, just like today. To think of marriage being "permanent" was scary to them.

Jesus says that for the sake of the kingdom, some people make the decision (and Paul calls it a gift) to live without marriage for the purpose of serving God. They are figurative, not literal, eunuchs. I have only met a couple of people in my life who have this gift. It is the exception, not the rule. It is the grace of God to them, either for a life-time or for a period of time, as they are totally focused on serving Christ as a disciple in the harvest, that the need for completion is satisfied, or held in check, without marriage and oneness.  For most of us, a few hours is all we can stand.  That is not the gift.  In fact, some of us don’t understand this “gift” as a “gift.”  Sorry, Paul.

Notice that this teaching is for the one who can receive it. Obviously then not everyone will "hear" or be able to do this. Of all the things certain groups have enforced on their clergy, abstinence from marriage has been one of the most damaging and the most unbiblical. And they've used these verses to enforce or prove their teaching. In 1 Tim. 4:1-3 Paul says that forbidding marriage comes from lies and the doctrines of demons. Satan knows we need marriage too, and saying we shouldn’t do it is a good way to warp us.

Psalm 23

Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhpypRkV47w

Proverbs 5:22-23

These verses conclude the warnings about sexual adventure and the command to be completely absorbed in passion for your spouse. Specific to this teaching is a studied obedience to keep our passions and relationships in control.

But generally speaking, in all areas, a lack of discipline will always catch us, as disciples, in the keester. God's warnings and instructions are given for us to heed and to follow. It means we need to marshal our energy and alertness and do what he says. That involves some discipline and effort.

Especially where sin is involved, we need discipline, and we need to allow God to use events and people and responsibilities to help us as He prunes us to make us fulfilled and fruitful in the harvest. Read Hebrews 12:1-13 for some motivation on this point.

If you’re reading along and don’t have a One Year Bible, click on this link http://www.esvbible.org/devotions/every-day-in-the-word/. If that doesn't work, go to http://www.esvbible.org/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.

January 27, 2012 Reading Notes

January 27, 2012 Reading Notes

http://www.esvbible.org/devotions/every-day-in-the-word/

Exodus 4:1-5:21

Exodus 4

I wasn't there, but my feeling from this whole exchange is that Moses is trying to get out of following God due to self pity. He was ready when he was 40, but now he's an old man and just throwing up excuses. God is merciful and patient with him, but even God gets ticked off.

Vs. 1-9 When you look at these two signs, what point do you think God was trying to make? It seems to me that both things were feared. Moses ran from the snake and leprosy was a visible, incurable disease. God had control over these.

The water turning into blood would actually be the first of the plagues.

Vs. 10-17 Moses was a highly educated man and was being groomed to be the Pharaoh of Egypt. I think this is a little self pity and poor self esteem shining through here.

V. 11 This is a very famous and very provocative verse. The Lord actually takes the responsibility for disabilities and birth defects. It is interesting that we have the book of Job so that we can grapple with this. I think of Paul's disability. It was caused by one party and allowed by another. And then there are Jesus' words to His disciples in John 9:1-3, As he passed by, he saw a man blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus answered, "It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him."

Vs. 13-14 Moses objects and God gets mad.

Vs. 15-17 Aaron was not "plan B." Aaron was already on his way to meet Moses. Apparently they knew each other even though Moses was raised in the palace. It appears that it was always God's plan to bring them together and have them face the Pharaoh together. For Moses' sake, God would let Aaron do the talking, but that really didn't last long. As we'll see later, it wasn't that God was mad at Moses for his fears or feelings of inferiority, but rather for his rebellion and resistance to God's plan. I think Moses is still feeling that God should have gone with his plan back when he was 40.

As disciples we talk ourselves out of working in the harvest because of our fear or sense of inadequacy. We knock on a door and hope no one is home. We drive out to the place where we're doing our work, looking for excuses to get out of making contacts. I hate it when I do that. I recognize it for what it is and go back and knock on a few doors just to spite myself.

Vs. 18-20

It is probably good to have a map of the area to get an idea of what is happening here.

http://www.bible-history.com/maps/route_exodus.html

When Moses ran from Egypt, he traveled west, completely across the Sinai Peninsula, west of the northern point of the Gulf of Aqaba into the land of Midian. No wonder the Egyptians never found him. God is speaking to Moses at Mt. Sinai (Mt. Horeb, same place). After talking to God, Moses leaves Mt. Sinai and goes back north along the gulf and then west into Midian. There he says good bye to his father-in-law. He gathers the wife and son and heads back to Mt. Sinai. Jethro is a nice guy. We'll see him again.

V. 19 Notice how gentle and encouraging God is being with Moses. Do some of the words here ring a bell? Read Matthew 2:20.

Vs. 21-23 Isn't it interesting that God keeps encouraging Moses, telling him what is going to happen and that in the end He will win. This was to keep Moses going when it began to get rough. Isn't this exactly what the Lord does for us if we live close to Him in His Word? It shouldn't be news to us that there is opposition and that things will keep getting worse in the world. But we know that working in the harvest, following Jesus, is going to pay off and that God is going to win.

God has already spoken to Aaron, and he is on the way to meet Moses at Sinai.

Vs. 24-26 Back at the motel there is this strange thing going on. My take on it is that Moses told Zipporah that Gershom had to be circumcised. She put her foot down and said no son of hers would be turned into a "girlie-man." Moses didn't press the issue until he got a deep and hard sickness in the inn. It was obvious to both Moses and Zipporah that God was doing this to Moses and that it was because of the circumcision issue. In God's ironic sense of humor, Moses is now too sick to do the cutting, so this very, very mad mother grabs the knife and goes after Gershom, who has never seen his mother this crazy, with a knife in her hand, made out of sharp stone. How sharp does stone get? I can't imagine it gets sharp enough for this purpose. She doesn't care. She'd use a car key if she had one. Anyway, she finishes and expresses words of adoration to Moses as she wipes the bloody foreskin against his feet. Although the operation had nothing to do with his vocal chords, Gershom is unable to speak for weeks. (I wasn't there so some of this might not be completely accurate.)

By the way, how old do you think Gershom was? At any age no one would want anyone to do this to them, especially not your mother. Moses fled Egypt when he was 40 and probably met Zipporah and married in the next year. Now, Moses is 80. Gershom is somewhere in his mid to late 30s. Poor guy.

Interestingly, this means that the Levites were exempt from God's punishment later, when He had all the men of Israel over 20 die in the wilderness. The Levites were not included in the spies and it isn't mentioned that any Levites, or Gershom, died because of the rebellion at Kadesh Barnea.

Vs. 27-31 The meeting with Aaron and Moses seems to indicate that they had had a close relationship before Moses left Egypt. In a very abbreviated form, their meeting with the elders of Israel is mentioned and for now all was well. It is interesting that we see them worshiping God here and thanking God for His answer to their prayer. That will be short lived. This should teach us something.

Exodus 5:1-21

Vs. 1-5 This is Moses' initial meeting with Pharaoh. Moses would have been known in the palace, even after a 40-year absence. Notice that Pharaoh already has a hard heart. This isn't God's doing. It is Pharaoh's natural arrogance. They had plenty of gods in Egypt.

Vs. 6-19 Pharaoh knocked the worship right out of the people.

Vs. 20-12 There is nothing worshipful about this.

There are lots of interesting things in these verses, but for me vs. 20-21 are important for us as disciples. Following Jesus in the harvest means going against the flow. Leading people to trust Christ or to live as disciples will create opposition. A disciple is not better than his master. If men persecuted Jesus, they will persecute us too. When opposition comes and life gets hard, it tests our devotion to Christ, simply to follow and trust His working and care. That is exactly what is happening here. Even with the signs they had seen from Moses, their hardship stripped away their faith. They would rather be silent and live like slaves, although they are God's people, than deal with the wrath of unbelieving men.

A disciple is devoted to Jesus. Jesus' salvation and love and grace overwhelm our vision and our desire for life on earth. His truth frees our hearts to give our lives as He did, to make disciples in a lost, dying world.

Matthew 18:1-22

One note in this entire section is that you see Jesus using two illustrations that He has used or will use in a different context. This adds a fuller sense of Jesus as a teacher. As Jesus taught, He preached the same sermons from town to town and He probably had some stories or illustrations that He used again and again. Here, for the second time in Matthew, He uses the "eye-hand" illustration in a slightly different way. Also, He uses the lost sheep story in this context.

So, how do you connect these paragraphs? Don't give yourself a headache, but do try to make sense of how these four paragraphs flow together in Jesus' thought.

There is a jumble of thoughts in the context that might help thinking about the paragraphs: the truth-suppressing teaching of the Pharisees, the thought that one disciple is better than another (comparison and degrees of worth), humility, pride, etc.

Vs. 1-4 Notice what launches Jesus into this lesson to His disciples. In using the child as an example, He told the disciples that they would need to turn (change, repent) and become like a child in terms of humility.

Vs. 5-9 The statement of vs. 5-6 moves Jesus to give the caution of vs. 7-9. For their mission in the harvest, the disciples could not tolerate pride. They had to extend God's love and respect to the lowest of the low. If anything kept them proud, they were to get rid of it. The work in the harvest, taking Jesus' love and work to the lost is that important. And, if we are proud, we'll make proud disciples.

Vs. 10-14 This definitely puts a priority on reaching children.

Jesus is saying that humility and simplicity of faith are the goal. Anything that complicates us, our motives, our focus, our purpose in life, gets in the way of faith. Faith in following Christ must be first. Age, intelligence and education are not factors if a person has true faith. So, what is the warning all about? What causes one of these little ones to stumble or sin? Pharisaic expectations applied to faith? Unbiblical religious requirements? These beliefs hamstrung the faith of a lot of people in Israel. And the same happens today. Some groups call a lot of things "sin" that are not sin and make obtaining God's love something that is based on our performance.

But loose or liberal teaching does the same thing. God does care if we follow His Word and it really does have an effect on our lives. Look at the life of Jacob. Then there is very loose theology that says you'd have to be a fool to think that God created in 24-hour days or that He did it all without evolution.

These are all crazy arguments on both the conservative and the liberal sides, and those with very simple faith stumble when all of this is laid on them as "truth."

Earlier, the "eye-hand" warning was applied to doing something we like, that is doing us harm. It was personal. Here, it has something to do with our influence, or modeling, or leadership toward others. In the New Testament letters you find the writers fighting against two extremes that cause stumbling: traditionalism (Galatians and Hebrews) and liberty (1 Corinthians and Rom. 14). In both cases, faith in following Christ in the harvest is destroyed. Paul had the right approach in 1 Cor. 9:19ff. Jesus says that if what you are doing causes someone to stumble in their faith or growth in Christ as a disciple, get rid of it.

Funny how Jesus brings this section back to the focus on salvation. In the immediate context you would have to say that it is important to God that we work to save children, whereas most ministry is focused on adults. It is still true that most people come to Christ between ages 5-16. Go Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF)!

Vs. 15-20 Jesus has mentioned "sinning" and "offense," so it is logical that He would answer the question, "What do we do if we find a brother doing stuff that is wrong?" Having given a warning about making others sin or stumble, Jesus is now going to give a warning about how to confront sin.

V. 15 This process is for personal offense between individuals. For an offense against a group, the confrontation should begin with representatives of that group.

Vs. 16-17 Notice that this is a command. We should use this order. Obviously, as with anything, there are exceptions to the rule; for example, a rape victim is not required to have a personal meeting with her attacker before calling the cops.

Vs. 18-20 The church has spiritual authority. People might not agree with it and just leave to go to another church, but Jesus is saying that this particular group of believers has the authority to make a judgment and God will consider it binding. Look at 1 Cor. 5.

Vs. 21-22 This question by Peter will be completely answered tomorrow in the parable that Jesus tells. What Jesus is saying here is a command. I'd add this qualifier. First, repentance is necessary in what Jesus is saying. Second, although we are to forgive 70x7 when they ask for forgiveness, if someone has sexually abused a child, or stolen $10,000 dollars from you, forgiving doesn't mean entrusting them with the care of children or giving them another $10,000. There is a difference between forgiveness, and restitution, rebuilding trust and restoring a relationship. I've learned to be cautious around people who try to push forgiveness too far too quickly. In that case, it is usually for them to save face. It is not meant to take away the burden they have placed on someone else by sinning against them.

Psalm 22:19-31

There's a lot of "salvation" and declaration going on in this portion of the psalm. What a great way to end a psalm that begins with the foreshadowing of the afflictions that Jesus suffered. From those afflictions came deliverance and the declaration to the world that the Lord is to be sought and praised.

In a sense it is the same for us as disciples. When we value our salvation, and when we see how He saves us from danger as we work in the harvest, it moves us to give greater and more confident declaration of salvation and praise of God to others.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dr6FNQGzLBo&feature=related

Proverbs 5:15-21

Ok, who says obeying God is all work!?

There is a lot of wisdom here and safety for the married man. Do this with the intensity of verses 18 & 19, and the other verses of warning will be just that, warnings. How else do you say it? Men should make their relationship with their wife their greatest passion and hobby. If men will lead and take the time necessary, there is a satisfaction here for both that goes to the soul and makes that thing that happens at the end seem trivial and anticlimactic. But that's all I'll say or I'll lose my PG-13 rating.

But here too, Solomon, like us, got distracted with all his work and hobbies, became attracted to sensuality in other women, many of them, I'm sure, putting on a wild show so they could become part of his city of wives. But that one woman who really loved him, with whom the need of his soul would be satisfied, the one he wrote about in Song of Solomon, got lost….and so did he. Obeying God is the way to life and health.

If you’re reading along and don’t have a One Year Bible, click on this link http://www.esvbible.org/devotions/every-day-in-the-word/. If that doesn't work, go to http://www.esvbible.org/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.