July 1, 2014

JULY 1

Today's Reading in the ESV One-Year Bible

This looks like a good day to celebrate. You've completed six months of reading your one-year Bible. Sounds like a good day for a Frappuccino© or a Chiller. Keeping up on the Bible is the goal, not these reading notes. The Lord will bless your effort and the Spirit will give you what you need to follow the Lord in the harvest.

2 Kings 18:13-19:37

These are two great chapters of the Bible. As disciples we need to be inspired by these. We need to be inspired by King Hezekiah, a great lover of God, leading his nation in the darkest of times facing an unstoppable world power. There are probably a million ways to apply what we have here, but there is one application that is going to repeat again and again: When God allows us to be pushed into a corner where there is no hope, He might be on the verge of giving a deliverance that is not only for us, but is also a sign for everyone else. Hezekiah is facing total annihilation by Assyria. Unknown to him, soon all nations would be praising the God of Israel and sending Hezekiah "Thank-you" notes.

2 Kings 18:13-37

Vs. 13-16 Notice that Hezekiah tried to avoid a fight. The reason Hezekiah said he had sinned is that the local nations, including Judah, had banded together to resist Assyria. Now, all of these nations were either conquered or they had withdrawn. Egypt was a weaker world power and unreliable. Hezekiah and Jerusalem were standing alone.

Vs. 17-18 Apparently the Assyrians were not happy with the tons of precious metals they had just received. They wanted everything and were ready for a long siege of Jerusalem. Hezekiah and his leaders had already anticipated this.

Vs. 19-25 This is the intimidation part of Rabshakeh's speech. As you read, notice how often the Rabshakeh tries to use a religious argument to defeat the morale of the people. It will happen three more times.

Vs. 26-27 I'll bet they wished afterward that they hadn't asked Rabshakeh not to speak in Hebrew.

Vs. 28-35 But now that he was excited, Rabshakeh revealed more of his disdain for Hezekiah and for the Lord.

This morning I was reading over the temptation of Jesus and realized for the first time that the temptation to throw Himself off the temple was really based on God's promise of help to Jesus. Satan was trying to get Jesus not to wait for the Father to help Him, but to force the promise and get help "now." In essence Satan was telling Jesus not to wait, but to press the "easy" button. Now that is a temptation I can relate to. One of the hardest things we do as disciples is to hope in God and wait on Him in the harvest. And the temptation to "give up" doesn't come from the lost, but from believers. It might come from believers who are not living for Christ in the harvest, telling us that we're being impractical or whatever sounds like it might be from God, but has nothing to do with living to glorify the Father by bearing much fruit and so proving to be His disciples. It might also be coming from disciples who don't understand the irregular way God is leading us in the harvest. This is what will happen to Paul today in Acts. No one will be expecting the Lord to lead a choice servant like Paul into such grave trouble.

I'll bet Hezekiah was tempted too. That offer of "a chicken in every pot" that the Rabshakeh was making must have sounded good. Instead, against all reason, they hoped in God and waited.

Vs. 36-37 Notice the obedience.

2 Kings 19

Vs. 1-4 This is a godly man leading the people in worship and fasting and crying out. This is how the northern kingdom and its kings and people should have come to the Lord. That's what all those miracles were meant to encourage.

Vs. 5-7 Isaiah said that God did indeed hear. The faith here is incredible. They are still surrounded, but they understood Isaiah to be a prophet of God and his words were the Word of God. Imagine the contrast here to what happened in Israel for years during the ministries of Elijah and Elisha.

Vs. 8-13 Rabshakeh should have left well enough alone. This turn of events must have made him think he would lose face and that the people in Jerusalem "might think" this was from God. So he decided to put his arrogance and ignorance in writing, just to make sure everyone knew.

Vs. 14-19 We haven't seen this kind of faith and godliness since David. Close your eyes and try to visualize what this might have looked like, the king coming before the Holy Place dressed in sackcloth, spreading the letter out on the ground, himself lying on the ground before that Holy Place that held the bread of God's provision, the lamp of God's presence and leading, and the incense of prayers constantly being heard by God. Hezekiah realized that just beyond the veil were two golden cherubim, and between them was the ark of the covenant, but that this only represented the reality of God upon His throne, carefully listening to every word that Hezekiah was saying.

V. 19 This is amazing and inspiring. Hezekiah, in this darkness, had a glimpse of God's redemptive purpose.

V. 20 God hears prayer.

Vs. 21-28 Much of this sounds like the book of Isaiah, obviously. It also sounds like what God said to Pharaoh, But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth. (Ex. 9:16) This is how God uses the arrogant.

Notice God's commitment to Zion and to Jerusalem. In 100 years God would have these places destroyed because of Judah's disobedience, but God promised Solomon that His eyes would always look there and that His name would someday dwell there forever.

V. 28 This reference to hooks is referring to how the Assyrians used hooks to lead away their captives.

Vs. 29-31 After this, this small remnant of Judah would prosper. Even though the people hadn't been able to work the fields, God would supply what they needed. He would make the land produce enough food all by itself. That was the sign, and really, that would be nothing compared to providing manna for forty years.

Vs. 32-34 God is still responding to His promise to David.

Vs. 35-37 Assyria was no longer a world power. In a moment, God broke them. Years earlier He had done this to Egypt, and they never recovered. There is rejoicing among nations; there is freedom; there is a vacuum of power in the world. All eyes are on Israel and their God. And people of all nations are beginning to send boxes of chocolates to Hezekiah.

Being moved to the brink of despair spiritually and emotionally is not fun, but God does that for His glory and to teach us what we could not learn in any other way. As disciples following Christ in the harvest, we need to bear the weight of faith, showing to others what it means to have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and who saves those who believe.

Acts 21:1-16

Vs. 1-6 Verses like v. 4 have led people to believe that it wasn't God's will for Paul to go to Jerusalem. Assuming for now that it was in fact God's will for Paul to go (we'll find proof positive in Ch. 23), why do you think the Spirit was telling people to tell Paul that trouble was before him? I don't think the Spirit was telling them Paul shouldn't go, but the Spirit was telling them that Paul was facing some very hard times. This reminds me of the sons of the prophets telling Elisha that he was about to lose Elijah.

Vs. 8-9 So we meet Philip again. Notice the words that Luke uses. Philip was one of the seven. In the background you can almost hear the theme song of the "Magnificent Seven."

It is interesting that Paul was a part of the mob that killed one of the seven.

Vs. 10-11 What I learn here is that if a guy named Agabus comes into the room, I'll definitely tell him to stay away from my stuff.

What's interesting here is that the Holy Spirit is saying this will happen. It is not an "if-then" proposition. Paul was definitely going; this was definitely happening. It was God's will. So why is the Holy Spirit doing this?

Vs. 12-15 Paul was used greatly by God. Knowing Paul, because of what the grace of God made him, Paul was actually a great man. Imagine the shock to the church to have one of your heroes put on ice, in jail, for over three years on some silly technicality of the law and some political corruption. You could imagine that people would be discouraged and churches would be shocked. Paul's opponents would say, "See, we told you." But the Spirit is warning the spiritually perceptive, that His plan in using Paul is about to change. I think the Spirit is getting everyone ready. This is not Paul's mistake. It is God's will and plan.

V. 15 This guy, Mnason (whose name appears to be missing an important vowel), is from Cyprus, just like Barnabas. It was the believers from Cyprus who first began to share the gospel with Gentiles. This would be someone in Jerusalem with whom Paul could feel at home. As we'll see, Paul even had relatives in Jerusalem, but they might not have been believers or sympathetic to how Paul had "thrown his life away."

As disciples, sometimes I think we second guess what happens to others, as if we are God and know better. God's will doesn't always look smooth and straight. His will for us, for a week, a year or a decade of our lives, doesn't necessarily have to follow our plan or have to make sense to everyone else. We only need to follow Christ in the harvest, wherever that harvest is, whatever the field might look like. We draw near to God every day bearing our cross. If that's all we know of His will, that's a plan and all we need to do.

Psalm 149

I know it is easy to identify with the "praising" part of this psalm and not really endorse the "judgment" part of the psalm. I wonder if the people in Jerusalem who heard the "Rabshakeh Rant"© would have understood both parts of this psalm?

Vs. 1-4 With the reference to a new song and to Zion rejoicing in its king, you could imagine this being the day when Jesus walks into Jerusalem in the Millennial Kingdom to reign forever.

Vs. 5-9 Notice that the godly are mentioned three times in this psalm. The reference to the two-edged swords does sound like the judgment of God at the end of the age.

I would say that vs. 7-9 give this psalm a very prophetic, forward look to the judgment of the nations at the coming of Christ.

As disciples, we need to remember that a part of the gospel is judgment. It is not only love's privilege to make an offer of redemption, but it is also love's duty to warn of impending judgment. And judgment will come and we will not only welcome it when it does, but we will be a part of that judgment.

1 Corinthians 6:2-3 Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? ³Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life!

Proverbs 18:8

The words of the Rabshakeh were meant to divide and go deep. He said that God had sent him. He said God didn't care. He said life could be good by following him. As a pastor and disciple, after all these years, being on both sides of whispers and gossip, I think it is always a bad thing when this happens in a church. If you can't talk openly, sin is around the corner. If I feel I need to whisper, I might need to leave. We are here to follow Christ in the harvest and see the lost reached and disciples made. Focusing on being a disciple who makes disciples can, itself, take away a lot of reasons to whisper. For the sake of Christ and His work through us, we are told to be eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. If we are whispering at church, there might be something wrong that needs to be addressed. If it can't be addressed and the Lord has made it important to us, we might need to leave before we cause upset and division.

If you’re reading along and don’t have a One Year Bible, click on this linkhttp://www.esvbible.org/devotions/every-day-in-the-word/. If that doesn't work, go tohttp://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 comments or feedback todgkachikis@gmail.com.

If you would like documents containing an entire month of the Reading Notes, go tohttps://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes. You can download these to use on your computer or to print.

June 30, 2014

JUNE 30

Today's Reading in the ESV One-Year Bible

2 Kings 17:1-18:12

2 Kings 17

This is a very sad chapter of the Bible and is entirely about Israel being taken out of its land. We've read about God's redemptive plan since almost the first day of the year. We've read about the long years with Abraham, how God made a covenant with him, and how the nation of Israel was formed, and began to see the fulfillment of that promise. Yet it seems that the nation never really responded to God, not in the wilderness, nor as a nation with its own land.

We have seen the power of sin. This spiritual sickness is the strongest force on earth, except for the amazing grace of God. His patience and kindness in these last chapters, working with Israel, has truly been a testimony to His love. The summary of this chapter shows that unless the heart of man is changed by the new life of the Spirit, there is no hope for mankind.

Notice in this chapter that it mentions worship and the fear of the Lord, yet vs. 34-35 make it clear that to worship any other god, in addition to God, is not to fear Him at all. That would be true today, too.

This chapter introduces the origin of the "race" of the Samaritans of the New Testament, whom the Jews hated. They were a mixed people, both of race and of religion - doubly despised and hated in the NT.

It should be mentioned here that to take a people into exile was to "exterminate" a race of people by forcing them into another culture to intermarry and lose their cultural identity. Living in another land meant they would be forced to serve and worship other gods, learn new customs and speak another language. This effectively happened to the northern kingdom. But then, they had already lost their identity through their worship of foreign gods, long before they were taken into captivity. Israel survived through the southern kingdom. People from all 12 tribes were represented in Judah and we'll see that there will be something very different about Judah's exile in Babylon.

What things do you find interesting in this chapter? What does this say to you as a disciple in the harvest?

Vs. 1-6 At this point everyone was either paying tribute to Assyria or paying the price of not paying. Hoshea has the distinction of being the last king of Israel, the northern kingdom.

Vs. 7-18 This explanation is for the northern kingdom. You can see this by v. 19, which refers to the kingdom of Judah and their sin. But the people were idolatrous from the death of Joshua to the judgeship of Samuel. Then with Solomon, idolatry was reintroduced into the nation. We have witnessed God's mercy, patience and His outstretched hand over hundreds of years. Remember that what we are seeing is not how bad Israel was, but how deep and irresistible sin is in each of us. Israel is being used as a visual aid for us to learn from. In the future God will restore and bless them for this "ministry" and because of His promise to Abraham. For now, as Paul said in 1 Corinthians 10:11-12, Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.

Vs. 19-20 When we get into Jeremiah and Ezekiel, we'll see that Judah really gets blasted because they saw all that God did to Israel and still didn't follow the Lord.

Notice that since this is mentioning Judah going into exile, this had to have been written after they went into exile.

Vs. 21-23 This short summary covers a couple of hundred years of God reaching out to Israel.

Vs. 24-28 The king of Assyria brought in his own people once he had removed most of the people of Israel. These people from Babylon, Cuthah, etc., were part of what Assyria controlled. As these people mixed with the Jews who were left in Samaria, these mixed people became the hated Samaritans we hear of in the New Testament. It is interesting that God made sure that these people still respected Him. What God will do later in Babylon will be very direct and will actually save Judah/Israel.

Vs. 29-33 This is all to say that those who occupied Samaria were not worshipers of the Lord. They were pagans who worshiped everything. Yahweh was just one of many.

Vs. 34-41 If Kings was written after the return from Babylon, it is explaining why the Jews would not allow the Samaritans to help them with the temple, and why they would not join the Samaritans as "brothers" or in worship. These people called themselves Israelites and they claimed to worship Yahweh, but they were totally lost and embraced all gods. The exiles who returned from Babylon never worshiped idols, and most of them were very strong in the culture of Judaism. When we get into the book of Daniel, we can do some speculating as to why this was.

2 Kings 18:1-12

Vs. 1-8 We will hear more about Hezekiah in this section, in 2 Chronicles and in Isaiah, than any other king besides David and Solomon. You wonder why Hezekiah was a better man than his father. It might have been that he was influenced by Isaiah and Micah the prophets and that he learned from God's judgment against the northern kingdom.

V. 3 Hezekiah walked in the way of David. How? Not in being perfect, but in worshiping no other God but Yahweh. That then is the deciding mark of having the heart of David.

V. 4 Did you even know that thing was still around? Imagine the guts it must have taken for Hezekiah to have destroyed this old relic. I can imagine all the cultural initiatives to have this put into the Smithsonian, and all the rallies with people carrying signs that said, "Save Nehushtan." Apparently no other king, not even David, had objected to people "honoring" that bronze snake.

Notice the beginning of vs. 5, 6 & 7.

V. 5 When it says there was no king like Hezekiah, before or after him, that is a very high honor and it needs to be seen in the full context of what he did. We'll see that full context tomorrow.

Vs. 9-12 Whereas the king of Assyria took Samaria, he would break his back on Jerusalem. The difference was the godliness of the king and the presence of the Lord.

Acts 20

This is the conclusion of the third missionary journey. After the night of fun in Ephesus, Paul was on his way back to Jerusalem.

Vs. 1-2 Paul apparently stopped in Corinth to pick up the aid that was collected for the church in Jerusalem, as per 1 Corinthians 16. This would have been after Paul had written 1 and 2 Corinthians. Paul spent three months there to settle the church and to write Romans.

Vs. 3-6 Apparently Paul had planned to sail directly back to Antioch, but when he learned of the plan to kill him, he went back through Macedonia by foot to Philippi. Paul sent these fellow workers ahead to Troas, maybe to throw his persecutors off of his scent, and then sailed from Philippi to Troas. Notice that Luke is again with Paul.

Vs. 7-12 Paul preached long sermons too!

Vs. 13-16 So, why did Paul avoid Ephesus? It might have been because of Alexander the coppersmith. It may also have been to get to Jerusalem before Pentecost.

Vs. 18-38 Notice the amount of space given to this meeting with the elders from Ephesus. For some reason, this talk Paul has with them is very important.

Vs. 23-24 Notice that Paul did have some foreboding regarding Jerusalem. You can also see this in Romans 15:30-31 (written in Corinth, vs. 1-2), I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf, ³¹that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints…

Vs. 29-31 Notice Paul's warning. The church in Ephesus survived and is mentioned in Revelation, written probably 25 years after Paul's death. But in 1 Timothy, written after Acts and after Paul's first imprisonment in Rome, Paul was rushing off to Macedonia, while Timothy was trying to rebuild the church in Ephesus. Something happened that almost destroyed that church. Paul is saying here where the main threat will arise. Also, if you look at the problems Paul warns Timothy that he will face, in 1 Timothy, you can also see how that "threat from within" worked to sidetrack and ruin that church. They became very defensive and doctrinal and lost their first love and their effectiveness in the harvest.

Vs. 33-35 This sounds like Moses and Samuel saying that they never took anyone's donkey, meaning that they never took advantage of the people they served. During those 14 years of silence in Paul's life, when he learned the trade of tent manufacturing, God impressed on him working to make the gospel free of charge. This may have been from the fact that as a Pharisee he was rich. But in all of Paul's work, he worked with his hands and expressed this conviction in 1 Corinthians 9.

V. 35 Sounds like what Paul says in Ephesians 4:28, Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.

As disciples, keeping the church on track to make disciples and follow Christ in the harvest is not an easy task. The harvest is challenging enough, but when different influences and "missions" come into the church, we need a lot of wisdom and all of God's help. If you read 1 Timothy, notice how often Paul warns about "discussions," and how often he tries to refocus on the mission. The love of Christ and His mission is the key to discipleship and our walk with Christ. Once we lose the mission, we overcompensate by becoming "theological geniuses;" and then we lose everything, and making disciples cannot take place. You follow Christ in the harvest, not in debates about theological issues and purity. Disciples are for the harvest and are made in the harvest, not in discussions. As Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:14-21, For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; ¹⁵and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. ¹⁶From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. ¹⁷Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. ¹⁸All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; ¹⁹that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. ²⁰Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. ²¹For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Psalm 148

Obviously some of this is poetic and some is hyperbolic and some is metaphoric, but we all get the point. We should praise the Lord.

Vs. 1-2 I take this to mean that all created beings should worship and praise God.

Vs. 3-4 This would be the vast creation of the universe and earth.

Vs. 5-6 All of these beings and things mentioned represent the majesty of God's power and He deserves praise for all of this.

Vs. 7-10 All of the animals God created should give praise to God.

Vs. 11-12 Everything created in His image on earth should praise Him.

Vs. 13-14 God deserves praise for all of His greatness and majesty, but v. 14 goes further. In God raising up a horn, it is talking about a ruler. Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist said it like this in Luke 1:68-69, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people, and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David.

Proverbs 18:6-7

Notice the art in this. You have lips in the first and last clause and two mouths in the middle. It's amazing how that hole in our face can get us into so much trouble. But Jesus said, all these evil things come from within, and they defile a person, and out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. So the problem is really a heart problem, and the Lord knows how to take care of that, but do we?

If you’re reading along and don’t have a One Year Bible, click on this linkhttp://www.esvbible.org/devotions/every-day-in-the-word/. If that doesn't work, go tohttp://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 comments or feedback todgkachikis@gmail.com.

If you would like documents containing an entire month of the Reading Notes, go tohttps://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes. You can download these to use on your computer or to print.

June 29, 2014

JUNE 29

Today's Reading in the ESV One-Year Bible

2 Kings 15-16

2 Kings 15

Vs. 1-7 Azariah is also King Uzziah, well known in Isaiah 6. Notice that he reigned 52 years. You can imagine the sadness of the event when this king died. It's interesting here that it mentions that God made him a leper, but never says why. We'll get to that in 2 Chronicles 26, but Uzziah was another godly king who was great in his youth; however, later in life, when he became (fill in the blank), he fell.

V. 3 Notice that his devotion to the Lord was measured in comparison to his father, not in comparison to David. Only three kings were devoted to the Lord at David's level. Jehoshaphat was one of them and we'll meet the second today.

V. 5 Most of these kings allowed their sons to reign with them, co-regents, until their deaths. Azariah (Uzziah) was forced to let Jotham reign with him, since Uzziah was no longer allowed to live in the palace because of his leprosy.

Vs. 8-12 This fulfills the promise to Jehu. Zechariah was the fourth generation, but only reigned six months.

Vs. 13-15 Believe it or not, Shallum wasn't the shortest reigning king. Zimri was king for seven days, in 1 Kings 16.

Vs. 14-22 Menahem murdered the other murderer to become king. In v. 16 Menahem began his reign by sending a very clear message to all of Israel. Imagine having this guy as your king for ten years. In addition, Menahem was very much into taxation. His name should have been "Mayhem."

Vs. 23-26 It's interesting that there was so much killing and so many bloody takeovers in the northern kingdom. We go from Pekahiah to Pekah.

Vs. 27-28 Notice that we are still rolling though lots of years. God's patience is pretty amazing.

Vs. 29-31 Pekah lost most of Israel to Assyria, and that was probably the reason Hoshea wanted to remove him and prove he could do a better job as king. "Here, let me try!"

Vs. 32-38 We have very little information about Jotham. He was a godly king, measured against his father. All of 2 Chronicles 27 is devoted to him, but the chapter is only nine verses long.

The king of Syria and Israel fought with Jotham to persuade him to fight with them against Assyria. But God protected Jotham because he ordered his way before the Lord. He must have been a good guy.

Another interesting thing in this chapter of musical kings is the name of Tiglath-pileser (Tiggy) of Assyria. Assyria would be the country that would take the northern kingdom into exile. They were a brutal, fear-inspiring people. They often led people into captivity by marching them along with a hook through the muscle of the captive's chest or some other body part, attached by rope to a wagon or a horse. You wouldn't want to fall. Assyria was poised to become the first world empire, but in the middle of their conquests, they lost 185,000 men in a single night. That weakened them enough to eventually tip the scales to the side of Babylon.

2 Kings 16

The importance of this story is that it is Ahaz, an evil king of Judah, who gets the ball rolling against Israel. These were a very destructive 16 years for both kingdoms. In Jerusalem, Ahaz modified the worship in the temple to be more reflective of Assyria. Verse 18 gives the idea that the modifications were actually seen by Tiggy when he visited Jerusalem.

Vs. 1-4 It is hard to imagine that two good kings could be followed by a king like this. It is also hard to imagine that God allowed him to reign for sixteen years. He sacrificed his son, but so did Solomon. Still, Solomon, in some funny way, was partly devoted to the Lord. Ahaz was not devoted to the Lord. Although he kept the "culture" of Yahweh worship, he introduced other worship into the veins of the nation.

Vs. 5-9 While Jotham was protected from Syria and Israel, because he lived his life before the Lord, Ahaz had a better idea. He courted the Assyrians. This "courting" will be described later in Jeremiah and Ezekiel. God didn't approve.

Vs. 10-19 Apparently Ahaz didn't abandon the worship of Yahweh, but he did copy the altar in Damascus. There was a thought back then that if an army won, their God was bigger. Ahaz became a puppet of Assyria culling their favor and aping their worship. He did anything he could to show he belonged to them.

V. 17 I think this describes how poor he had become by paying off Assyria. The stands and the oxen were made of bronze and he probably needed it. He replaced the bronze with stone.

V. 20 Hezekiah would be a welcome change for Judah and, thankfully, nothing like his father. He was one of the great kings of Judah and compared to David.

As disciples witnessing all of this lostness, we need to trust the Lord so that regardless of our situation or circumstances, we honor Him. As The Psalms are saying, God helps those who cry out to Him and seek His help. There is a lot of help to be sought and lots of help to be found in our world, but it doesn't always lead us in the right direction. Paul said in Romans 5:3-5, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, ⁴and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, ⁵and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. As we've seen with David, he became overwhelmed with the steadfast love of the Lord by seeking God while enduring his trials. He was not only helped, but he also fell incurably in love with the Lord and knew he could trust Him in everything. There is a price to seeking God's help, but there is also an incredible reward. Who would want it any other way?

Acts 19:13-41

Vs. 13-20 These two events are a part of the atmosphere of wonder that God had created in Ephesus to get the church there up and running.

It is interesting that the demon said he knew Jesus. He'd only heard about Paul, but he knew Jesus.

Notice that the people burned their books of their own accord. There were no Baptists back then. This was done by the newly saved. Verse 19 is sort of tipping us off to what is about to happen. The word for the money is unknown, so it is hard to say what the actual value was, but it looks like it topped $50,000.

V. 17 It is interesting that this story became known to all and led to the next event.

Vs. 21-22 seem to have the first part of 1 Corinthians 16 in view. Paul was ready to leave Ephesus to go to Corinth and pick up the contribution for the believers in Jerusalem. Unknown to him, God was ready for him to leave also.

Vs. 23-34 Here we meet Demetrius, a silversmith, who led this riot of other makers of statues and other craftsmen. Later there will be another of these guys, Alexander the coppersmith, in 2 Timothy 4, who will be responsible for Paul's final arrest and imprisonment. Paul tells Timothy to beware of him because of his violence toward Christianity.

The real issue here was their idol-making business. There were other cities that worshipped Artemis, so her worship was safe. The temple of Artemis in Ephesus was one of the seven wonders of the world. If the city had become believing and idols were rejected, they would lose a ton of money.

Apparently this was a loud, hysterical assembly, but no one was hurt. In v. 34 the Jew, Alexander, tried to calm the crowd, but Jews were also against idols. The people went nuts.

As disciples, there is some wisdom in staying out of harm's way. Not because we're afraid or embarrassed, but because our focus is on the harvest, not the barking dog. When Jesus says not to throw what is holy to the dogs or throw pearls before swine, it has nothing to do with fear, but rather not wasting our time on the hard of heart.

V. 34 Can you imagine people in a stadium yelling this for two hours? I'll bet the neighbors were mad. They probably called the cops.

Vs. 35-41 This guy was like the mayor of the city, not just a clerk. Notice that Luke is showing here that Christianity was being pronounced "not guilty" again. This would have gone into the official records of Ephesus.

Knowing that we are put here as disciples to abide in our Lord in the harvest, following His lead, we need to remember that there are no random events. This was not a random event. God is working, and our job at times is to be observant and see what the Lord is doing. Even in a chaotic situation like this, God was working a purpose for His harvest. Imagine all of the conversations that must have taken place in Ephesus the next morning.

Psalm 147

If I had to choose a verse from this psalm that speaks to me, it would be v. 11. Which verses stand out to you?

Vs. 1-6 In praising God, the writer is focused on how God cares for the outcasts and brokenhearted. Verse 4 sounds like Jesus saying, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. I find it encouraging to remember this.

Notice too, the emphasis on building up Jerusalem. This would either be David establishing the city, or it could be written after the exile, after Nehemiah rebuilt the city. I would vote for David.

Vs. 7-11 Notice the pattern in this section. The first verse says to praise the Lord, and the rest of the verses tell why He should be praised. Make a list. This is true of vs. 1-6 also.

With God's great creative power, our true hope should be in Him. We are saved by Him being our heart's desire.

Vs. 12-20 God is to be praised because true peace and prosperity come from Him. Not only does He bring the blessing of children, but He brings the blessing of nature. All of this, for Israel, was because of God's promise to Abraham, as seen in making a nation out of Jacob and giving Israel His Word.

Proverbs 18:4-5

Amen.

If you’re reading along and don’t have a One Year Bible, click on this linkhttp://www.esvbible.org/devotions/every-day-in-the-word/. If that doesn't work, go tohttp://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 comments or feedback todgkachikis@gmail.com.

If you would like documents containing an entire month of the Reading Notes, go tohttps://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes. You can download these to use on your computer or to print.

June 28, 2014

JUNE 28

Today's Reading in the ESV One-Year Bible

2 Kings 13-14

We are seeing the last days of the northern kingdom of Israel. On June 30 they will be taken into exile, and only Judah will be left. I say "last days," but years are still passing by. Again, never let anyone say that God doesn't show grace and patience in the Old Testament. God's redemptive purpose is submerged in the muddle of all of these kings and all of their sin, worshiping the wrong things, holding on to some degree of "religion" regarding Yahweh, yet ignoring His outstretched hand. God said through Isaiah, I spread out my hands all the day to a rebellious people. Not just all day long, but all day long for decades of decades.

2 Kings 13

V. 1 Notice that Jehu's son Jehoahaz reigned for 17 years. That is still a long time. In the US you'd get 3-5 presidents out of that length of time.

V. 3 Hazael of Syria named his son for the king he himself murdered. How touching. This now is the third Ben-hadad to rule Syria.

Vs. 4-9 Jehoahaz became so desperate that he began to seek the Lord. He didn't give up worshiping the other stuff, but God honored this step. There is a lot of grace in all of this. The purpose of God's patience and kindness is seen in what Paul says in Romans 2:4-5, Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? ⁵But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed.

Vs. 10-13 This son of Jehoahaz is also called Joash in v. 14. We have lots of name confusion going on here. Some names had different spellings and forms, like "Robert" and "Bob." The ESV translators are using both, and unfortunately they are not using them consistently to keep the names and individuals straight for us, as they do in the NIV. It's confusing. Notice that this Jehoash (Joash) also reigned for a long time. Through all these decades God was giving Israel chances to turn to Him. Now with this summary of his reign in place, we'll read what Jehoash did.

Vs. 14-19 There are lots of observations and questions in all of these stories, but for me the biggest question is always how they could recognize God's power in Elisha, but not obey and worship God as He desired. Like Jesus said, Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? (Luke 6:46) This really should make us think about our work in the harvest and what it means to be a believer/disciple.

If I'm ever given this assignment and bearing fruit in the harvest and making disciples is the goal, I'll bang the arrows on the ground until they shatter and my hand's bleeding.

Vs. 20-21 Can you imagine this? A miracle is performed through Elisha's dead body. What a funny visual. The guys see the Moabites, and just throw this guy into the tomb and run. The Moabites ride by. Then the dead guy sticks his head out of the tomb, looks both ways, and runs after his friends. What point do you think God was making here? Apparently this story became known.

Vs. 22-23 This is the second time today that God's kindness is mentioned in helping Israel. His redemptive purpose for mankind was lost to the eyes of the Israelites, but it was always in focus for God. God was probably doing then what He is doing today. There are those whom God wants to save, and so the world keeps spinning. Mankind's disregard for God adds up to justifying His judgment against them. When the last of those whom God wants to reach come to Him, God brings the judgment. In this history here, I'm sure God was working multiple purposes in thousands of lives in many nations.

Vs. 24-25 This was the fulfillment of what God had promised Jehoash through Elisha. When it mentioned in v. 5 that God gave them a deliverer or savior, this was probably the king of Assyria who began to attack Syria. The conflict with Assyria would also explain why Jehoash was able to take back cities that had previously been lost to Israel. It was all God's grace. God delivered as promised, but there was no acknowledgement or true repentance. They may even have held a sacrifice for Yahweh, but they went on worshipping all the other stuff too.

2 Kings 14

Vs. 1-6 We'll read more about Amaziah of Judah later. The purpose of this history is really to talk about his pride and subsequent conflict with Jehoash of Israel. When you read about Amaziah in 2 Chronicles 25, you'll wonder why it mentions him as a good king. But there is a pattern that emerges. Many of the kings were faithful or did something good when they were young, and then went spiritually "nuts" later, either when they had a victory, or when they got older, or both. I think the Lord intends that this "pattern" should be a word to the wise.

This is apparently something good he did in following the Lord.

V. 7 This is a victory that God gave Amaziah, but you'll never, ever guess what Amaziah did right after that victory and before this next verse.

Vs. 8-10 This was probably facilitated by God to judge Amaziah for being such a dummy.

Vs. 11-14 God humbled Amaziah. This is the first mention of a king of Israel looting Jerusalem.

Vs. 15-16 So this is the last of Jehoash. His son, Jeroboam, would reign the longest of all the kings of Israel.

Vs. 17-22 Whenever you read of a conspiracy, you know the king was up to no good. This was the end of Amaziah. Apparently after Jehoash took him prisoner, he released him. Amaziah's son Azariah was also known as Uzziah.

Vs. 23-29 Notice that this king of Israel reigned for 41 years, longer than any other king of the northern kingdom, doing evil in the sight of the Lord, yet God patiently kept showing mercy. From the beginning of Jehu's reign to the end of the reign of his great grandson, Jeroboam, it has been over 100 years (28+17+16+41=102). That's a lot of patience, mercy and grace.

The borders restored to the northern kingdom make the country look the same as it did under Solomon. The weakness and warring of Syria and Assyria made this possible, but of course, the Lord was in that too.

Vs. 25-27 This is the prophet Jonah from the book of that name. Apparently God also revealed to Jonah that Assyria would be the land that would destroy this northern kingdom. That is why Jonah ran, rather than offer a message of forgiveness to Assyria. Assyria would now begin to rise to power, but first God reached out to both Israel and Assyria.

Israel was to have been God's redemptive witness to the world. They still will be that. As Paul said in Romans 11:29, For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable. Thankfully, even our work in the harvest is not dependent on us. It is His calling, His work, His purpose and His harvest.

Vs. 28-29 This is funny to read of what “Jeroboam did.” It was God who helped Israel in His love and mercy.

Acts 18:23-19:12

Acts 18:23-28

V. 23 This begins Paul's third and final missionary journey recorded in Acts. Just for your information, the books of 1 and 2 Timothy hint at other travels of Paul after the events in Acts. Oddly enough, 1 Timothy seems to be Paul's instructions for Timothy to rebuild the church at Ephesus, as Paul was heading to churches in Macedonia. Apparently something happened that had damaged some churches. It could have been what Paul will mention in Acts 20 when he meets the Ephesian elders, or it could be that the Romans were beginning to persecute the church, or both.

Vs. 24-27 Apollos is mentioned here and in 1 Corinthians 1-4. Apparently he taught in the area around Ephesus, but his message only mentioned that Jesus was the Messiah, not that Jesus was the payment for sin and was raised from the dead. Aquila and Priscilla invited him to supper and set him straight.

That is an interesting point. Our message is not "believe in God," or even "Jesus is God," but that Jesus, the Son of God, is the Savior of men who paid for our sins and was raised from the dead and that there is salvation in no other. That was the error of the kings of Israel. They had Yahweh as one of many gods. As much as it sounds politically incorrect, the truth is that there is only one God for all men and there is only one Savior, Jesus Christ. When Jesus reigns during the Millennial Kingdom, there will be no "religious tolerance," but there will be truth, salvation and healing.

Acts 19:1-12

V. 1 So Apollos went to Corinth, and now Paul was in Ephesus.

Vs. 2-7 Back in the Gospels, there was a conflict between the disciples of John and the disciples of Jesus. The Pharisees tried to exploit this difference. When Jesus was confronted by John's disciples, He was very gentle with them. The first recorded parable Jesus told was to John's disciples to help them understand the difference between Him and John. When Paul met these twelve, traveling disciples of John (Jews) they are in a place where Apollos had been teaching the baptism of John. There might have been a potential for conflict or division. This, I think, is why the Holy Spirit came upon them visually and with tongues and prophecy. Their faith and experience was now linked to that of the apostles and to the Gentile church through this sign by the Holy Spirit.

V. 10 Notice the time marker. In Acts 20:31 Paul will say he was in Ephesus for three years. This is all probably approximate times. It is safe to say that Paul was in Ephesus, off and on, for about three years. It could be that the two years refers to the time Paul was allowed to teach in the hall of Tyrannus.

Vs. 11-12 This was parallel to what Peter did in Acts 5:15-16. This outpouring of healing and miracles showed God's interest in establishing the church in Ephesus, not Paul's gifting. Again, I think this is proof that what happened in Acts was unique. You don't hear of this happening today, either by virtue of gifting, or by our strategizing. God does what He does when it fulfills His purpose. I'm convinced that we'll see more of God's working in the harvest, than in any other place. God's power is specific to His purpose of making disciples who make disciples.

Psalm 146

So, how do you respond to a psalm like this that sounds so triumphant and confident, when you yourself are struggling? Because of our weakness of spirit and the effects of sin, we can hold the mindset of this psalm for an hour or a day or a week, but if the waves roll over us too long, we struggle to hold these realities. But I guess that is the point. It is in trials that we deny our fears and resist the temptations to react or give up. In the conflict of our feelings, we hold fast to what we know is true because we know it is true. And we wait on the Lord because the very thing this psalm says is true.

Vs. 1-2 This was David's praise after the Lord had delivered him through those long years of distress.

Vs. 3-4 This is what David learned as he ran and had to depend on God. I'll bet during those early years he and his men expected some leader in Saul's government to come to their aid and bring peace. That never happened.

Vs. 5-7 This is Who to hope in, and why. Notice the use of whose and who.

Vs. 8-10 Now notice The Lord, and notice what He does. His heart is with the lowly who cry out to Him. And just like having a Father in heaven, it isn't just that we have a Father, but that He is eternal, almighty God. His help and power are everlasting.

What can you say? Praise the Lord!

Proverbs 18:2-3

What I get from these verses, as a disciple, is to be slow in expressing my opinion and slow to show contempt or ridicule. God describes what is really behind these things.

If you’re reading along and don’t have a One Year Bible, click on this linkhttp://www.esvbible.org/devotions/every-day-in-the-word/. If that doesn't work, go tohttp://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 comments or feedback todgkachikis@gmail.com.

If you would like documents containing an entire month of the Reading Notes, go tohttps://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes. You can download these to use on your computer or to print.

June 27, 2014

JUNE 27

Today's Reading in the ESV One-Year Bible

2 Kings 10:32-12:21

2 Kings 10:32-36

What strikes me in this summary of Jehu is the length of time he was king. If he had been a godly king, it would have made all the difference in the world. But that's not to say Jehu was a "bad" king. He might have been a great administrator and good for the people. But, godliness is an entirely different element in a person, and its absence in Jehu and Israel affected God's working in and for Israel. Israel was shrinking.

2 Kings 11

Vs. 1-3 Now we flash back to what happened when Jehu killed Ahaziah the king of Judah. Athaliah was the wife of Joram of Judah and the mother of Ahaziah. She was also the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel. Jehoshaphat, the godly king of Judah, had apparently made a marriage covenant with Ahab. Although Jehoshaphat was dead and gone, the curse he brought upon Judah, by joining with Israel and its ungodly rulers, kept on rolling. In effect, all the good Jehoshaphat had done in Judah was now undone.

Jehosheba was a daughter of Joram, but by another wife. He apparently had more wives than Athaliah, just as Ahab had other wives than Jezebel. Here, Athaliah was killing all the children of all of those wives and possibly her own children. The point is that she wanted to rule without any rival to the throne.

Jehosheba was married to the high priest Jehoiada. It seems that the temple was a good hiding place, since Athaliah worshipped elsewhere. On p. 559 of the Bible Knowledge Commentary-OT, you find the “Genealogical Table of Queen Athaliah.” (You can find this chart at the end of this document.) By looking here you can see the relationships, and especially the family ties between Zechariah and Joash. This will become meaningful later.

Vs. 4-21 It took all six years of work to wrestle the power away from Athaliah. Jehoiada the priest is the hero here. The entire action of the rebellion seems easy as we read it, but I think that is just because God allowed the rebellion to go easy at this point. Jehoiada was ready for a fight, but Judah was ready for a change.

V. 14 Notice the contrast between the people and Athaliah. I hope she did up her eyes like her mother had when she met Jehu.

V. 17 Jehoiada was a very godly priest and made sure Jehoash's (Joash's) reign began with a commitment from him and the people to follow the Lord.

2 Kings 12

Now this story is pretty straightforward except for a couple of strange things.

V. 1 Notice how long Joash ruled. How old was he when he became king? This should raise some questions. It means he died when he was 47. That's pretty young and pretty unusual.

V. 2 If you read this verse in another version you'll notice the because is not there. It should read, Joash did what was right in the eyes of the LORD all the years Jehoiada the priest instructed him. (2 Kings 12:2, NIV)

Do you see the different sense of the verse? It suggests that as long as Jehoiada was alive, Joash followed the Lord. We'll revisit this later.

V. 3 This is a constant refrain revealing a very deep weakness in the culture of the people and worship of God. As disciples this should tell us that if we do everything right, except one very vital and important thing, we can build ruin into what we are accomplishing for Christ in the harvest.

Vs. 4-8 I wonder why they didn't do the repair on the temple all of those years. It could be that the times were hard and it took a lot of money to support the Levites and priests.

Vs. 9-16 This was a good idea. It is the first time I know of where a collection box of any kind was associated with the temple. I wonder if this idea developed into what we find in Mark 12:42 and the widow's mite.

Between vs. 16 and 17, the writer of Kings leaves out some very important events.

Vs. 17-18 It is interesting that Joash was willing to give this all away to keep the peace. In 2 Chronicles 24, we'll find out that this came as a result of God's judgment on Joash. Judgment for what? Wait for 2 Chronicles, or sneak a peek.

V. 20 Joash died by assassination. The examples of kings we have met who were assassinated should raise some questions here. We won't find out why he died like this until we read about him in 2 Chronicles 24. What is interesting is that this account in 2 Kings makes him seem like a good guy. 2 Chronicles 24 will help you understand why v. 2 is a very conditional verse. The death of Christ and the guilt of the generation that killed Jesus is seen in something Joash did.

As it was, Joash was a rat. He was good as long as someone was there to make him good. In our work in the harvest we meet people like this too, disciples who follow as long as there are people there to "make" them follow. Their devotion is more social than spiritual. It is dependent on the acceptance and opinions of people and not upon walking with God alone, following Christ in love.

Acts 18:1-22

The church at Corinth was an important church. Corinth was the leading city of Greece financially and politically. It was a very international center of commerce in that world. The canal was a major shortcut between the Aegean and Adriatic Seas. Corinth also had a big Jewish community and it is one of the few cities where God spoke to Paul and told him to stay and work. We also get two pretty good books of the Bible from this church. Finally, this church was almost entirely Jewish. In the book of Romans, Paul addresses the Jewish believers in some places and the Gentile believers in other places. In 1 Corinthians, Paul never makes a distinction and talks to the leaders as though they were fully Jewish and understood the law, 1 Corinthians 10:1, for example.

Vs. 2-4 Paul's meeting of this very important couple pinpoints the date of Paul's arrival in Corinth to around 49 or 50 A.D. We know this because of the Jews being thrown out of Rome. This is now about 20 years after the resurrection. Jesus was actually crucified in about 30 A.D.

Aquila and Priscilla will be very important in the spread of the gospel and will become lifelong friends of Paul.

Vs. 5-11 As usual, Paul worked with the Jews until they kicked him out. In this case, he left the synagogue with a group of people and he didn't go far.

V. 7 This will be important. Notice where the church in Corinth began. It is next door to the synagogue. In many countries, the houses have open gardens and courtyards in the back, separated only by a wall. That means that if the church met outside in that courtyard, the voices would go over the wall. This, I believe, is why the gift of tongues was so pronounced in Corinth (did you catch the pun?).

V. 8 The leader of the synagogue came to faith. Paul says in 1 Corinthians that he personally baptized him. In Romans we'll find out that the city treasurer was also a believer.

Vs. 9-10 God lets Paul know this is an important place for him to work. I'm sure Paul needed the encouragement. It is interesting to note that in both of Paul's letters to the Corinthians, he had to defend himself and he became very emotional. I think this was a very hard assignment for him. He didn't get beaten, but you can become worn out many different ways in the harvest.

Vs. 12-17 This is actually very important. A Roman proconsul officially and publicly declared that Christianity was no threat to Rome or to Roman life and worship.

V. 17 The frustrated crowd had to beat someone. Sosthenes, the new ruler of the synagogue, was welcomed to office. Read 1 Corinthians 1:1 to see what became of poor old beaten Sosthenes. Apparently they beat the heck out of him. Actually, I'll bet the church reached out to him.

Vs. 18-21 In all of these verses there are some interesting things. First, Paul apparently made a vow, like a Nazirite vow, during his time in Corinth. Cenchreae was one of Corinth's ports. In Romans 16:1 Paul introduces Phoebe to the Roman church as a deaconess of the church at Cenchreae. Apparently there was more than one church in Corinth. Also, Aquila and Priscilla followed Paul to Ephesus and remained there. Paul spoke at the synagogue and then left, and no mention is made of founding a church. When you read the letter to the Ephesians you realize that this church was planted without Paul. Aquila and Priscilla were the ones who were instrumental to founding the church in Ephesus.

V. 22 When Paul returned to Israel he landed at Caesarea, where Philip and Cornelius lived, which apparently had a thriving church. Then he went "up." All roads to Jerusalem went up. Then he left Jerusalem and went "down." All roads from Jerusalem went down. Finally he arrived home to Antioch, concluding his second missionary journey.

Psalm 145

They say that the good part of being beaten over the head with a baseball bat is the sense of relief when it's over.

From our reading, we know David was pursued and that it was a long time, over a decade, before he had peace. This outpouring of David's heart must have been after the running had stopped and all of God's promises had been fulfilled. For us as disciples, the simple truth is that in order for us to sing this psalm as David wrote it, we have to go through our own trials and valleys too. Then our praise will sound like this.

Again today, look for words or phrases that are repeated. Often you can see a change in the structure or theme in a psalm by finding this repetition.

Vs. 1-3 Notice that David promises to praise the Lord forever. Verse 3 gives you the sense that David had experienced some small glimpse into God's unsearchable plan as it unfolded in his life through all the distresses and blessings.

Vs. 4-7 That David saw God's works over generations of men gives the sense that he understood that God was working his plan of redemption and that he himself was some part of it. God's awesome deeds have a purpose for the redemption of man, not just in showing mankind how big He is.

Vs. 8-9 This sounds like how God revealed Himself to Moses in Exodus 20. Maybe David had made his copy of the law by this time and understood that what God was doing in the history of redeeming man was also taking place in his own life. In David's personal experience with God, he had discovered something of God's character and love.

Vs. 10-13 The scope of what David says here sounds like a message to all mankind. This message was supposed to go out through God's people, Israel, to draw all mankind to the Lord. Someday it will.

Vs. 14-21 Yet on the personal side of life, even while directing the redemption of mankind, the Lord personally cares for those who seek Him and cry out to Him. He proves Himself strong not only in creation, but in leading and protecting those who have come to Him for refuge. David testified that he would praise the Lord and that all mankind would eventually bless His name forever. Notice the way "the Lord" structures this section.

Proverbs 18:1

I wonder if the Lord had the age of computers in mind when He wrote this. This is as true today as it was then. We enjoy sinning privately, and even when we know we're doing wrong, we still do it against all sanity and reason.

If you’re reading along and don’t have a One Year Bible, click on this linkhttp://www.esvbible.org/devotions/every-day-in-the-word/. If that doesn't work, go tohttp://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 comments or feedback todgkachikis@gmail.com.

If you would like documents containing an entire month of the Reading Notes, go tohttps://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes. You can download these to use on your computer or to print.

June 26, 2014

JUNE 26

Today's Reading in the ESV One-Year Bible

2 Kings 9:14-10:31

2 Kings 9:14-37 These are Jehu's first actions against the house of Ahab.

Vs. 14-16 This sets the stage. Joram was wounded and recovering at Jezreel. Ahaziah the king of Judah, and fellow descendant of Ahab, was there with him. They were awaiting news of the battle at Ramoth-gilead.

Vs. 17-20 Remember that Joram was hoping for news of a victory and peace. He thought that Jehu was still one of his best and most loyal leaders. Jehu was coming on so fast that the riders had to fall in line behind him. Jehu's reply to the messengers will be explained in a few verses.

V. 20 This could be a cool bumper sticker: Driving like a Jehu!

Vs. 21-26 Joram and Ahaziah went out thinking there was a message of peace. They got a big surprise.

V. 22 This is what Jehu meant by his cryptic words about peace.

V. 26 This is where we understand that earlier (1 Kings 21:13) when Naboth was killed, his sons (probably wife and daughters too) were killed with him. It is interesting to note that Jehu and all of these men knew about this word from the Lord.

V. 27-29 Ahaziah, though from Judah, was still related to Ahab through Ahab's daughter. Jezebel was his grandmother! Killing him was a fulfillment of the judgment on Ahab. Jehu didn't need to pursue him since he was interested in Ahab's descendants in Israel, not Judah.

V. 29 With Joram dead, Jehu officially began his reign.

Vs. 30-37 And here was Jehu's first order of business. It is apparent from her words that Jezebel knew this would be her last appearance so she wanted to go out looking good. I can imagine that Jezebel was not well liked and these eunuchs were finally living their dream.

V. 36 Notice again how well they knew what the Lord had spoken. So, why didn't they obey earlier? Better yet, why won't they obey in the future?

Just so we don't get too caught up in the aftermath of Jezebel's "burial," remember that she wasn't there. The minute her head hit the pavement, she shot into the presence of God, which would have been a great place to have been, had she not been the person she had been. Those moments in God’s presence and being sent into Hades were far worse than the dogs eating her corpse. The thing with the dogs was to show those still living that God is faithful to His words of judgment. Jezebel could have repented but didn't. And then too, we should give a care for those poor dogs.

2 Kings 10:1-31

Vs. 1-11 Notice in all of this that Jehu was very tactical and that he also appealed to the prophecy against the house of Ahab.

Vs. 9-10 It is interesting that Jehu took the responsibility on himself for this event. That was a good thing.

V. 11 It should be noted that God judged Jehu, among other things, for his excessive zeal and violence (Hosea 1:4). I think killing all of the great men and close friends might have been part of this. If Jehu worked for Ahab and Jezebel and hated them, there were probably many in the government who also hated them and would have been loyal to Jehu. Killing everyone was excessive and it might have shown some insecurity on Jehu's part, clearing the field of any would-be competitors.

Vs. 12-14 Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time. This apparently was an intersection ordained by God. Some of this may have been warranted, since Jehu had the command to kill everything related to Ahab. But not all of these people were related. It may be that Jehu got carried away, killing the innocent with the guilty.

Vs. 15-28 Jehu's final step was to eliminate Baal worship (and the other associated gods) from Israel.

In v. 15 we meet Jehonadab the son of Rechab. We don't know it here, but this guy is a full, 100% follower of Yahweh. He's one of those 7000 who hadn't bowed the knee to Baal. In Jeremiah 35 we'll hear about him (called Jonadab there) and meet his kids. God will make an eternal promise to his family, to the effect that one of Jehonadab's descendants is running around today, as we speak, and is a fully devoted follower of Christ. Maybe it's you.

Apparently Jehonadab was known to be a follower of Yahweh, but Jehu had only recently appeared to be following the Lord. Jehu wanted to be seen as united to Jehonadab.

V. 27 Nice touch.

Vs. 28-31 So, in spite of all of the prophecies and their fulfillments, Jehu still did not follow God. Rather than simply trusting and honoring God, there was fear of losing the kingdom if the people were to return to Jerusalem. He took care of Baal worship, but he left the calves up and didn't honor God. And then, even though people knew there was a presence of God because of Elisha, they still were not interested in asking God's will and following His leading. In order to do that, they needed to get rid of the calves and embrace worshiping God's way in Jerusalem. Ironically, at this moment, God wasn't being worshiped in Jerusalem either.

I think these events show us that as disciples we need to be very serious and devoted in serving the Lord in the harvest as He says we are to serve. Jehu obeyed to a point, but then stopped. Had he been personally devoted to the Lord, he would have made his own copy of Deuteronomy and read from it daily, all under the instruction of the Levites. He would only have sacrificed at the altar in the temple. He would have fearlessly followed the Lord and been a model to his people.

Acts 17

Vs. 1-9 This is the beginning of the church in Thessalonica. In saying that Paul was in the synagogue for three Sabbath days, it means that was the length of time he worked in the synagogue. He was in Thessalonica longer than that. In Philippians Paul says he received financial gifts from the church in Philippi two times. Paul also worked there for some time as, literally, a tent maker.

V. 5 It could be that Jason was a relative of Paul's who is mentioned in Romans 16:21.

Vs. 10-15 It is funny that Luke wrote that the Bereans were more noble than those in Thessalonica. Didn't they think this book would circulate? Apparently they took time to hear Paul and search the Scriptures, and on verifying what Paul said, many more came to faith.

V. 13 When they had worked long enough to establish the church, these God-ordained agitators were used by God to show Paul and the new church that Paul had to leave. It was time for them to get organized and begin working in the harvest, following Christ.

V. 14 Compare this verse to v. 9.

V. 15 Notice the similarities of Paul's work in Thessalonica and in Berea. Notice too, that when Paul fled to another city, he immediately began to work. Everything was seen as God's leading and will.

Paul sent word for Silas and Timothy to return to him. Silas and Timothy had remained and gone back to Thessalonica to see if the church there was OK.

Vs. 16-34 Some people go nuts, and say this was a total failure by Paul, and that Paul became vague and wishy-washy in his preaching. What do you think? The reality is - people were saved. I could live with that. Paul began in the synagogues like usual, but this was a totally secular and confused environment. God blessed with fruit. I think I'd have been happy.

When you look at Paul's message, what do you think were the high points? In a way, it looks like what Jesus told His disciples to preach. There is one God whose kingdom is coming. He will judge mankind, so turn to Him through His Son, Jesus Christ.

As disciples, we should keep the message simple and biblical, and remember that only those who the Father draws to His Son will come forward. Our job is to work in the harvest and be clear and clearly in love with our Lord.

Athens, the cultural center of Greece, had gone to seed and was full of confusion. It didn't have a fraction of the importance of Corinth, Paul's next stop.

Psalm 144

This psalm of David looks like it could have been written after he finally became king of the entire nation. In those early days he faced many foreign enemies and God brought them into submission to Israel. What do you think the purpose of this prayer is? What is David asking for the nation?

Take notice of the repetitions of words that give structure to different sections of the psalm, like may.

Vs. 1-2 David had come to know God's steadfast love in his days of running and during the civil war with Saul's house and northern tribes. Now as king of the entire nation, David was beginning to see God's plan unfolding that would bring the nations into submission to Israel.

Vs. 3-4 You have to wonder why David says this. It's almost like a moment of reflection.

Vs. 5-8 David again was asking God for help and deliverance. In spite of what God had given, David didn't take God's help for granted or think that he himself was sufficient for any task without God.

Vs. 9-11 I wonder if these verses were penned just before David was going into battle.

Vs. 12-15 This seems like a prayer for the blessing God promised to Abraham. God promised that Israel would be a light and a blessing to all nations because He was with them. The nations would see this blessing and be drawn to seek the Lord.

Proverbs 17:27-28

So, what kind of knowledge gives you the ability to keep cool and control your words?

If you’re reading along and don’t have a One Year Bible, click on this linkhttp://www.esvbible.org/devotions/every-day-in-the-word/. If that doesn't work, go tohttp://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 comments or feedback todgkachikis@gmail.com.

If you would like documents containing an entire month of the Reading Notes, go tohttps://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes. You can download these to use on your computer or to print.

June 25, 2014

JUNE 25

Today's Reading in the ESV One-Year Bible

2 Kings 8:1-9:13

Now, we have seen miracle after miracle so that Elisha was a walking legend. But the purpose for what God did was to bring Israel to worship Him alone. They chose instead to worship Baal and other gods. They still had the golden calves and thought they were worshiping Yahweh too. At this point then, God directed Elisha to the next step of judgment. When Elijah met the Lord on Mt. Sinai, God gave Elijah three assignments that would bring the final judgment to Israel. (1Kings 19:14-17) Selecting Elisha as his successor was just one of those. Today we see the next two acts of judgment. One question to ask as we’ve been reading these stories is the length of time that has passed since God spoke to Elijah. Just as a rough way to figure this out we can use the first story below.

2 Kings 8

Vs. 1-6 Another one of those little miracles, or is it? How long was the famine that came upon Israel when Elijah prayed? Now this doesn’t say that Elisha was responsible for this famine, but the length is interesting since Elisha had a “double portion” of the Spirit. I wonder if anyone noticed this?

The time when the Shunammite woman began to receive Elisha as her guest, and before she built the prophet’s chamber, might have been a year before she had the baby. When the child died, I’m thinking the child was at least 4 or 5 years old. So then, before this famine, Elijah had been away for at least 5-6 years. Now we can add at least seven more years. This means that before God finally began to judge Israel as He had told Elijah, at least 12 years had passed in which Israel was called to God by the miracles and ministry of this very unique prophet. Who says God isn’t patient and full of mercy?

Vs. 7-15 This “anointing” of Hazael was commanded to Elijah as one of the acts of judgment God would bring against Israel. (1Kings 19:14-17) God was slow to anger and willing to welcome any repentant people.

V. 8 Notice that the Syrians had both knowledge of and respect for Elisha. They also acknowledged Yahweh as one of many gods.

V. 10 Elisha doesn't lie here. The king would have recovered, but Elisha knew that Hazael would murder him.

Vs. 16-29 This portion is sort of the historical backdrop for the anointing of Jehu in the next chapter. This shows to some degree the importance of Jehu’s mission. Jehu was the third step of the judgment God spoke to Elijah.

All of these names are confusing. Since the northern and southern kingdoms were on good terms and were now related through Jezebel’s daughter, they were naming their kids the same. This gives us two Ahaziahs and two Jehorams (Joram).

Vs. 18-19 Notice that his wife was the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel. Jehoshaphat, the godly king, engineered this marriage. This marriage, and his friendship with Ahab, sent Judah into a long season of ungodliness and idolatry. It will not be until we read of Joram in 2 Chronicles 21 that we’ll see how unfortunate Jehoshaphat’s marriage alliance with Ahab had been. Even though Joram reigned with his father for five years prior to taking the throne for those eight years, he was more influenced by Ahab and his wife. His first official act as sole king of Judah was to kill his six brothers.

Vs. 20-24 Normally, Judah shouldn't have had a problem with Edom, but since they were not following the Lord, the Lord didn't give them victory.

Vs. 25-27 So then the Joram of Judah died, but the Joram of Israel was still alive. Ahaziah of Judah began to reign. This is a descendant of Ahab and he was also in the line of David.

Vs. 28-29 These cousins united to fight the Syrians again at Ramoth-gilead. I’m sure the Lord was in this defeat, just as He had planned the last defeat there that resulted in the death of Ahab. The stage is now set.

2 Kings 9:1-13

Vs. 1-3 "Tie up your garments" means that he should make himself ready to run. Jehu was apparently one of the commanders of the defeated army. This anointing would be done in such a way as to reflect the urgency and violence of what would follow.

Vs. 4-10 This is the other part of the judgment that God told Elijah would be carried out against Israel and against the house of Ahab.

Vs. 11-13 If Jehu was trying not to accept this anointing, God made sure his fellow commanders pressed the issue. These men recognized the prophet and they believed the word he had spoken to Jehu. How do you account for this "religiousness" of the people, yet they didn't worship God? They hated what Ahab and Jezebel had done to Israel and they knew of God’s judgment, yet they themselves didn’t follow God. I wonder if this is the same thing we see happening today. Protesting evil is not the same as following the Lord. The place true disciples follow the Lord is in the Word and in the harvest, making disciples who make disciples.

Acts 16:16-40

Vs. 16-24 So, this is how God would reach Philippi. I don’t think we could write a book on church planting strategy using this event, because only God could arrange these things. This is the first of two times Paul would be persecuted for posing a threat to the area businesses.

Vs. 16-18 Notice that this demonic girl followed them around for many days. Paul wasn’t somehow so spiritual that he immediately knew what was happening or what to do. Finally the Spirit roused him after “many” days.

Vs. 19-24 In the scope of Acts this is important that they are being accused of violating Roman law. This mob and the punishment must have happened quickly and violently, since Paul didn't have time to react and tell them he was a citizen of Rome.

Vs. 25-34 While getting ourselves arrested would be possible, this is hard to reproduce in contemporary strategies of church planting or growth. It's another of those what must I do to be saved experiences you find in Acts. In fact, it’s the original one.

Vs. 35-40 This is interesting because Paul didn't just let it pass. He made a point of making the Roman magistrates publicly pronounce them (and Christianity) innocent. It was quick, easy and made a point.

This fits into what Jesus said to His disciples about being wise as serpents and innocent as doves.

Psalm 143

This is a great psalm. Being able to identify with so much of this, I really appreciate the middle section, vs. 5-8. This is the kind of intense training in faith that all of us need. As Jesus told His disciples regarding the trials they would face, the one who endures to the end will be saved. That means they will be saved from a ruined faith and damaged life. Hoping in the steadfast love of the Lord is what saves us from damage.

Vs. 1-2 Even in asking God for help and deliverance, David knew that he didn’t deserve God’s help and that he himself was a sinner before God.

Vs. 3-4 But David was being pursued unfairly and it seemed that King Saul, with his army and resources, held the winning hand.

Vs. 5-8 Yet David’s true hope was in the Lord. You see here that the Lord was David’s passion and delight.

Vs. 9- 10 David was learning of the Lord’s steadfast love, and though he needed deliverance from this pressure and danger, he really desired to know the Lord and to be led by Him.

Vs. 11-12 God had promised David when David was a boy that he would be king. God had preserved him to this point and saved him many times. David knew the steadfast love of the Lord. Now he needed to keep trusting the Lord and keep relying on that love. David regarded himself as God’s servant, but as God kept saving David, David knew that God regarded and held David to be His valued servant.

As disciples in the harvest, our highest honor is to be regarded as a servant in the Lord’s work, reaching the lost and making disciples who make disciples.

Proverbs 17:26

Amen. You might look at vs. 27 and 28. I think these are all tied together.

If you’re reading along and don’t have a One Year Bible, click on this linkhttp://www.esvbible.org/devotions/every-day-in-the-word/. If that doesn't work, go tohttp://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 comments or feedback todgkachikis@gmail.com.

If you would like documents containing an entire month of the Reading Notes, go tohttps://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes. You can download these to use on your computer or to print.

June 24, 2014

JUNE 24

Today's Reading in the ESV One-Year Bible

2 Kings 6-7

More amazing, miraculous stories of a people ignoring their God.

2 Kings 6

Vs. 1-7 God tended to small things. Apparently these groups of prophets were like disciples who were trained and sent out through Israel to teach the people. This training center where Elisha was needed additional space. Since this was very “third world,” the loss of an axe head was a big deal, but it was no problem if you had Elisha there.

The point here is that the king and all the people could have sought God and Elisha for all sorts of things, but they didn’t. Israel could have been a paradise and the godliest nation on earth. We saw a glimpse of that under Solomon and it could have happened here, just for the asking; but for that to happen, sin, that inner hatred for God, would have to be conquered. They didn’t want God. And remember, we still have that poison in our spirit, but thankfully its power has been broken by our Lord. We have a new spiritual life in us, and we have the indwelling Spirit, thanks to what Jesus did for us. This is also why we share this message in the harvest, to reach those whom God is seeking to save and free from this sin.

Vs. 8-23 God tends to huge things. What is interesting to me is that the Syrians found out about it, and it made them do something. Israel was being given help and information from God, yet they were still worshiping Baal and the calves.

Vs. 15-17 Do you remember what Elisha saw when Elijah was taken? He understood that this army was always present. His prayer to God was not to send the army, but for God to open the eyes of his new servant to spiritual reality. To me this is the part of the story that I'm convicted by. I need to see every situation spiritually, instead of letting my vision, head and mood get in the way.

So, why wasn't Israel following God? It is the amazing power of sin.

V. 23 Notice that this brought peace only for a while, and all it did was to stop the raids into the land. War was still coming, as nations with military might were rising and considering building empires. Israel could have turned to the Lord.

Vs. 24-33 The location of the chapter break is unfortunate. This was Ben-hadad, the same king involved in the last story. As a result of not turning to God, Joram and Israel were given one of the curses pronounced in the law.

Vs. 31-33 Notice that the king was humbling himself "incognito." Instead of openly showing repentance and humiliation to Yahweh before the people, he hid the sackcloth under his clothes. He wasn't leading the people in prayer and repentance. All of the superficial spirituality seen in these chapters ought to be alarming to us, because we are capable of the same thing today. We can kind of worship God and kind of worship everything else too, just like they did. We can be blessed by God and not follow Him except the way we want to follow.

Isn’t it interesting that the king blamed God and then wanted to kill Elisha? He didn’t see that this kind of siege and famine was promised in detail in Deuteronomy if the nation worshiped idols. It was a good thing that God gave Elisha spiritual sight and power to predict. They held the door long enough to await the arrival of the king. Notice that Elisha is sitting with the elders, possibly praying. That’s where the king should have been.

V. 33 is filled with all sorts of spiritual irony and blindness.

2 Kings 7

This event will be similar to God saving Jerusalem under Hezekiah, but under Hezekiah’s leadership the entire city was praying. Here we see God, in mercy, trying to lead the people to repentance since the people were not really following God.

V. 2 This verse has always been a warning to me never to doubt what God can do.

Vs. 3-15 Leprosy was a symbolic physical disease that represented sin. It is ironic then that God used four lepers to spread the good news.

V. 6 God can make things happen so easily. All He did here to route this army was to make the sounds of an army. With the added fear and paranoia of thinking the Egyptians were coming, they left so quickly in panic that they left everything behind. They didn’t even untie their animals. What they left behind was like a Walmart © Superstore.

For us as disciples, we should be seeking to understand God and His working on a spiritual level. This life isn’t about us, it is about the redemption of mankind. Knowing that God can make things happen easily, ironically, should give us peace when He doesn't do things quickly, knowing He could, but has chosen not to. It is His inscrutable plan and His unknowable wisdom, not ours. It should be our joy to follow, watch and learn in the harvest.

Vs. 16-20 I think it is safe to say that the point of this event is hinted at by the length of this explanation. And since the nation didn’t turn to God, figuratively speaking, the people were being trampled to death by their own sin and unbelief.

Acts 15:36-16:15

Acts 15:36-41

People often ask who was right here. I think God was right in separating Paul and Barnabas. What is interesting is that He chose to separate them through a strong disagreement based on their convictions. The strength of this disagreement is shown in that they couldn't and wouldn't compromise. Paul would head into trouble and get beaten to a pulp, like usual, and he was right in not taking Mark. Barnabas was right in taking Mark to restore him and mentor him. I think they parted as friends. In fact, we know they remained friends through references by Paul and by Luke. Also, some of Paul’s final words have a request for Timothy to bring Mark to help him in prison. Unlike Luke, Mark had been an eyewitness of some of what Jesus had done; and by the time of Paul’s last days, Mark had written the first Gospel and was a proven missionary and leader.

Our ideas of unity and tolerance need to be as wide as God's will. God is responsible for this irreconcilable difference. It was His way of forming two teams for two different missions. We need to love and respect one another, but we definitely don't need to agree with one another if the Lord has given us a strong conviction.

Notice this parting was by mutual agreement. I have often seen churches force staff out of the church and say it was a "Paul and Barnabas" thing. How silly and dishonest. Of course, it is also true, that if the Lord has given someone a different vision, if that person creates problems with it, he needs to leave or be urged to go. Again, it all comes down to recognizing what the Lord is doing, and sometimes He will lead people to part.

V. 39 Notice that Barnabas took Mark back to the place where he had deserted Paul and Barnabas on the first journey. I wonder if Barnabas took him back there to help him through something. Actually, in Barnabas going to Cyprus and Paul going north through Syria, they were working together, covering more ground.

Acts 16:1-15

Vs. 1-5 From things Paul says in 1 and 2 Timothy, he apparently led Timothy to Christ on his first trip. On returning, Timothy had grown in faith and was a strong servant. It is likely that Timothy was in his 20s. So, if Paul was this guy who didn't think that circumcision was necessary for salvation, and if he was the apostle to the Gentiles, why did he circumcise Timothy? I think it had to do with his strategy as expressed in 1 Corinthians 9:19ff. A circumcised Timothy could go anywhere and would not put a stumbling block in front of anyone. An uncircumcised Timothy could not enter a synagogue, and the Jews would have never heard a word.

It is interesting that even Christians tend to exalt individualism, rather than being a disciple in the harvest. A disciple focused on following Christ in the harvest is supposed to be able to blend in for the sake of seeing others saved and follow Christ, and not to put anything unnecessary in the way of the gospel. Blending into a culture often means putting our preferences aside and choosing not to do things we could do if we wanted. In the case above, Paul put Timothy in a place where he could minister to both groups, not just one.

Vs. 6-10 Getting a map of Paul's missionary journeys will help here. You probably have one in the back of your “regular” Bible. Apparently, Paul asked for guidance on where to go and received it, in the form of a "no."

Vs. 11-15 Do you notice the change in narration in v. 11? Apparently Troas is where Paul and Luke met. Since Paul spent little time in Troas and we hear of no church being planted there, Luke must already have been a believer and follower. He was already a disciple willing to work with Paul. Since Luke was a doctor, he might have gone with Paul as his personal physician. As we’ve seen and will see, cuts, bruises, beatings, a thorn and maybe even blindness also followed Paul around.

V. 13 Was there a synagogue in Philippi? Apparently not. The Bible Knowledge Commentary-NT, p. 399, says they needed 10 Jewish males to begin a synagogue. Even if they had those 10 males, they might not have had the permission to open a synagogue. Philippi was a very Roman city, populated by former Roman soldiers, and the Jews didn’t have a strong influence there. However, Paul found a place where Jews and God-fearing Gentiles gathered for prayer. God opened the doors of hearts here. Tomorrow He will open iron doors and more hearts. It is interesting to stop here and consider that this church will be closest to Paul’s heart and a partner with him in the harvest. Tomorrow we’ll continue to see how the church at Philippi began.

Psalm 142

Waiting on the Lord is the norm and the rule, not the exception. He trains us to set our hearts on Him and to seek a deeper, spiritual help and resource in Him.

Vs. 1-2 This is how David lived for those ten years when he ran from Saul.

Vs. 3-4 Even though David was surrounded by followers and friends, 600 of them, at the core, he learned that he could only depend on the Lord.

Vs. 5-7 Even in his distress, David knew that there was a purpose God was working and that others would be strengthened by the way David depended on the Lord and how God would deliver him.

Proverbs 17:24-25

Paul told Timothy to train himself in godliness, practicing in all circumstances how to honor God. That is a constant mindset and requires concentration in all circumstances. It is a focused pursuit and I think it would qualify as seeking to grow in wisdom. I think Timothy was a wise son.

If you’re reading along and don’t have a One Year Bible, click on this linkhttp://www.esvbible.org/devotions/every-day-in-the-word/. If that doesn't work, go tohttp://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 comments or feedback todgkachikis@gmail.com.

If you would like documents containing an entire month of the Reading Notes, go tohttps://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes. You can download these to use on your computer or to print.