JANUARY 4
Genesis 8-10
This is another
day of big beginnings in Genesis. Remember to write out observations and
questions and mark up your Bible when you find things that are interesting to
you. The important thing that happens is that your natural interest becomes
engaged so you begin to see connections and seek answers.
One resource
you might want to check out if you have a question is the Bible Knowledge
Commentary online at Google books. It is free and this commentary is easy
reading and more in depth than these notes. The following chart is found at the
end of this document.
"Chronology of the Flood," Bible Knowledge Commentary-OT, p.
39.
Genesis 8
Vs. 1-12 Noah
and his family have taken a long cruise. The chart mentioned above shows you how long all
of this lasted.
V. 2 It is
supposed by some that conditions before and after the flood were incredibly
different. There are questions as to where all that water came from and where
it went. It is thought that the earth was surrounded by a wall of water vapor
that filtered the rays of the sun and gave the earth a greenhouse climate. In
the flood then, that water vapor layer was dissolved (windows of heaven). After
the flood, with this layer missing, the earth had extreme temperatures allowing
for the ice caps at the north and south and the freezing of that water. With a
huge change in climate came clouds and rain, making a rainbow possible, and
certain animals became extinct because of the harsher climate. Also, it is
suggested, that because the sun was no longer filtered, it led to the drastic
reduction in the span of life for everything, mankind included.
Regardless of
how God did it, through natural or supernatural means, God changed things
significantly.
V. 10 Since
this was a new beginning for everything, I think it is safe to assume that God
allowed everything to grow quickly, supernaturally. To have an olive tree with
a leaf, after all plant life on land had been destroyed, would be a miracle.
This same thing is true when we read of the resurrection of someone in the
Bible. It seems easy to believe the spirit could just go back to the body, but
the body first had to be totally re-created. In this case God was again
creating plant life. And who knows what else He was doing during that time.
Vs. 13-19 I
think that God's blessing was supernaturally on everything that left the ark.
One interesting thought is wondering where Moses got all of these month and day
references. The detail is very exact. It may be that Noah kept records, but
these never would have made their way into Moses' hands. It must be that Moses
wrote all of this during the 40 years in the wilderness, as he spent time with
the Lord. That means that as God gave Moses all of this information to write
down, all of the days would have been according to the calendar God had just
given to His people. On that calendar, their first month was our March-April.
Later that would be the Passover and the death and resurrection of the child of
promise, Jesus.
Vs. 20-22 I
wonder if 8:20 wouldn't have been a better place to begin chapter 9.
V. 20 It is
interesting to think that Noah knew which animals were clean or unclean. Even
if Moses was writing this with his understanding of God's requirements, how
would Noah, back then, have known which animals were acceptable for worship?
Apparently God told him.
V. 21 The
sacrifice had more to do with God being pleased with devotion, obedience and
man's understanding of his need to have his sin forgiven. That was pleasing to
God. It was not that God likes the smell of brisket. I mean, He probably does.
Who doesn't? But in other places God says that sacrifices will not please Him
if the understanding and heart behind the sacrifices is false. You can see this
in Isaiah 1.
God is pleased
with the sacrifice and devotion of Noah and promises not to repeat the flood,
though He states that the sickness of sin is still present. Noah & Co.
brought it with them.
This is a new
beginning of the human race, from scratch.
Genesis 9
Vs. 1-7 This is
God's blessing of Man and the earth with a couple of interesting additions.
Along with the
fear of man given to the animals, it seems that Noah & Co. could now
eat meat. Here God gives them the prohibition against eating raw, un-drained
meat, that is, with the blood still in it. This command is repeated in the Law
of Moses and again in Acts. Since this command is given before the law, it is
suggested that it is still in force. The reason for this command is given and
becomes a very interesting statement both literally and figuratively looking
toward the future and redemption, its
life, that is, its blood. Again, the intent here is not to forbid eating
uncooked meat, but not to drink or eat blood.
V. 5 Were you
wondering where the command for capital punishment came from? Then comes the
reasoning for the command against murder. Man is created in the image of God.
It seems to me this is mentioned here because a year earlier the world had been
ruled not by justice, but by who could kill whom. I think this law reflects
back to life before the flood.
V. 7 This
almost sounds like God sending all the animals into the world.
Vs. 8-17 This
is a big section and shows that God is doing something very important.
Since this is
the first rainbow, it means that this is the first time there were conditions
that would make a rainbow possible. It should be noted that the word for bow means "bow" as in weapon.
When we see a rainbow I guess it should remind us that God has promised to show
mercy and to withhold total judgment.
Notice that
although this is a covenant between God, man and all creation, God is the only
responsible party. This then is an unconditional covenant or promise. Also,
underline every instance of God saying "I." Think about the
implications of what He is saying.
This promise to
preserve or save is interesting when you see the rainbows in Revelation. Even
there, as judgment is coming on the earth, God promises to preserve.
Vs. 18-19 These
men and their wives were used to repopulate the earth. Notice that it was all
one man and one woman. None of these men had multiple wives.
Notice that Ham
is already being identified as the father
of Canaan in v. 18 and again in v. 22 when he does what he does. So what
did he do? Did he just look at his father, or something more? Part of this
might be linked to the respect his other sons show Noah. It might also be
displayed later in what was found in the religious worship of the land of
Canaan.
Vs. 20-27 God
never punishes Noah for getting drunk. Noah was a very righteous man. Some
people who know more about fermentation than I do suggest that Noah might have
been surprised by the change in the way the process worked after the flood. I
don't know.
The real damage
came as a result of Ham. When we get to heaven we'll have to find out what
happened, but it was an attitude of disrespect and it must have had some
element of perverted thought.
The curse is
not toward Ham or his other children in general. The curse is fully on Canaan.
Notice that other kids of Ham became notable people with notable cities. This
curse was misused to support African slave trade. The curse is not on Ham nor
was it on any of his descendants who may have populated Africa. The curse is
only on one son, Canaan, who later becomes the people and land of Canaan, where
Israel is today.
The land of
Canaan has special interest because it was given to Abraham. That's why God and
Moses are mentioning it here. As the children of Israel are hearing this read,
God is supplying them with the explanation for why He used Israel to judge the
land of Canaan. When Israel got there, they found that Canaanite worship was
very sexually saturated. Most of what archeologists find from religious worship
in that area is “X-rated.”
Something was
seen in Ham and became intensified in his son Canaan, and God promised judgment
for it. It is enough to say that as disciples, we need to be careful to keep
our lives open and cleanable before the Lord, so we don't spread unnecessary
stuff to our families or to those we are trying to lead as disciples.
Vs. 25-27 Do
you notice anything interesting about the curse and the blessings? Shem and
Japheth, Noah's sons, are blessed. But Ham isn't blessed. He isn't even
mentioned. But Noah's grandson, Canaan, was cursed.
Vs. 28-29 This
is just some more trivia, right? Not at all. It may be that Abraham was alive
the last 60 years of Noah's life. Depending on the dating either Noah and Abe
overlapped, or Noah died just before Abraham was born. In any event, Shem would
have been alive to give a firsthand accounting of life before and after the
flood. You wonder if Noah or Shem influenced the faith of Abraham.
Genesis 10
V. 1 This is
the new beginning of the human race and sounds like Genesis 5:1.
Vs. 2-5 These
are the descendants of Japheth. Remember that Moses and God are writing this
many years later for the Israelites. These peoples had spread out after Babel.
Notable are Magog, a people associated with aggression toward Jerusalem in the
end times. Also, the name Kittim sounds like a people associated with the
Romans.
Vs. 6-20 These
are the descendants of Ham. Notice that Nimrod, from his son Cush, was the
founder of Babel and Assyria. He was the first great king. It's always
interesting to see the little commentaries given to certain people.
Vs. 15-20 This
is a special mention for Israel. The people who came from Canaan, the son of
the curse, would be the people God would remove from the land, through Israel. Although,
if you look at Sidon, you realize that this is the influence of Tyre and Sidon
and also the influence of Jezebel on Ahab and the northern kingdom of Israel.
Baal worship
would become a snare to Israel. The worship of Baal and his female counterpart,
Ashtoreth, were associated with fertility and sexual worship, using prostitutes
to aid the worshipers in their "worship experience." Along with this
worship was Moloch worship where the unwanted babies were offered in worship/sacrifice.
This sexual worship was deeply seated in Canaan. Although God warned Israel not
to copy the Canaanites, Israel followed the attraction of Baal worship almost
immediately. Samuel, Saul, and David did away with it, but it was reintroduced
by Solomon as he and his wives participated in the worship of Ashtoreth. Then
Baal-Ashtoreth-Moloch worship became institutionalized in the northern kingdom
when King Ahab married Jezebel, the princess of Sidon. And to think, this all
began with Canaan, the son of Ham.
Vs. 21-32 This
is the line of Shem, the line of faith. Jesus will be one of Shem's
descendants.
V. 25 Notice
the comment given to Peleg. It is thought that it was during the time of his
birth that the continents began to drift. This would mean that the languages
had already been confused, and the peoples drifted apart from one another
finding those of like language. Then the land masses began to move. If that's
how it worked, that would have been a cheaper solution than taking a cruise or
renting a kayak to get to South or North America.
From here God
will direct Moses to follow the line of those people who were led by faith in
the promise of a child who would deliver mankind. It is pretty amazing that as
disciples of Jesus, we continue that line of faith as we work in the harvest
following our Lord. His commission to us is to make disciples, who make
disciples until He comes. That's a cool privilege. But first, tomorrow, we'll
have to read about the invention of that awful German language (Mark Twain's
opinion).
Matthew 4:12-25
Now, you have
seen that Matthew has a very specific purpose in mind, showing that Jesus is
the promised Messiah. You've noticed that he didn't include the announcements
of John the Baptist or Jesus, but we did get the wise men.
V. 12 Jesus'
public ministry began at the arrest of John the Baptist, although Jesus had
already been involved in ministry since His baptism. The arrest of John was an
official starting point.
Now, just for
your information, between vs. 12 and 13 there is a gap of time. It is here that
you have John 1:35-4:54 and Luke 5:1-11. If you are interested, scan those
portions to get a feel for how much Matthew is leaving out.
Vs. 13-17 After
Jesus' rejection in Nazareth, Jesus chose Capernaum as His hometown. There were
several reasons for this, but the reason Matthew wants us to see is that it
fulfilled prophecy of Isaiah 9:1-2.
Vs. 18-22 This
is the official calling of Peter, Andrew, James and John. I remember reading
this and being stunned by the fact that Jesus just walked up to these guys He
had never met or barely knew and said, "follow me," and they
immediately left everything. That seems so unbelievable because it was. The
calling of Peter & Co. was a process. Matthew is being very selective about
the information he is giving. He's driving home a point about Jesus as the
Jewish Messiah so he has to leave some stuff out. Before Matthew 4:18 comes
John 1:35-chapter 4 and then Luke 5:1-11. If you just lightly skim those
portions, you'll see that Peter & Co. had spent lots of time with Jesus. So
if we were making some principles, we might say we have to get to know people
first, and they need to get to know us, before we call them as disciples. We
need to give them time before we ask someone to commit.
V. 21 John was
probably one of the two disciples of John mentioned in John 1:37. Poor Zebedee
is left alone, and it would get worse. Not only do his sons leave here, but
later we find that his wife, Salome (Mary's sister), becomes a follower of
Jesus and also accompanies Him on His journeys. I'm guessing that Zeb became a
believer too.
Matthew's point
here is the one we need to heed. When Jesus, the Messiah, called, they left
everything and followed Him.
Vs. 23-25 This
is the growth of Jesus' public ministry. Jesus will now begin to experience
increased popularity and opposition. The group of "disciples" will
grow into a great crowd. It will still be several months before Jesus selects the
Twelve. Discipleship with Jesus was a process.
Psalm 4
Like in the
psalm yesterday, David is crying out to God. This will be a constant situation
with David. God had Samuel anoint David to be king of Israel when David was a
young teen. Now, years later, the promise hadn't been fulfilled and David will
run and hide from King Saul for about 10 years. David learned to cry out, but
he also learned that God's love, faithfulness and love were steadfast. He only
learned that in hardship. That's how we learn as disciples in the harvest.
There is no easy way to need the Lord desperately and to receive His saving
help unless we are desperate and need to be saved.
V. 1 David was
a pro at crying out to God. Notice what he asks for.
V. 2 I don't
know how this sounded sung in worship, but the reality was that David had
enemies in high places in Saul's palace.
V. 3 David knew
this from his own anointing, but also from all of the history he knew from
Genesis-Ruth. God was with those who walked in faith and trusted in His
promises.
V. 4 Doesn't
that sound like Paul in Ephesians 4:26, be
angry and do not sin?
V. 5 In spite
of persecution and hard times, David insisted that his men honor God and put
their trust in Him and His provision. We'll see this in action in 1 Samuel.
V. 6 What do we
really need? The light of God's face upon us.
V. 7 Even in
his hardship David had joy, and it was probably a unique joy, because it was
found in hardship.
Vs. 8 What do
we need, to have peace and feel secure when everything is falling apart? David
had peace and security, though humanly speaking, he was living in danger and
uncertainty. God made the difference. That's why we're reading and soaking
daily in His Word.
Proverbs 1:20-23
Notice how
urgently God has Wisdom crying out to
us.
As disciples,
our growth has ups and downs. There is our love for Christ and our desire to
make Him known and make disciples, but something that also has to grow is our
willingness to be more and more submitted to Christ and to following the
Spirit.
As Wisdom cries
out in this proverb she says in v. 22, How
long, O simple ones, will you love being simple?
Even as a
disciple, I could say, "Hey, I've loved being stupid for years and I've
still got a couple of areas I enjoy.”
Jesus, as a
very gentle "disciple-maker," works with us, waits for us, probably
saying, "If you'd really give yourself totally to me and quit doing the
stuff that you and I both know is unwise, you'd have more joy in your walk with
me and see real fruit."
V. 23 What an
awesome promise. This isn't just the baptism of the Spirit when we are saved.
Paul often spoke of being filled as a command and exhortation. Jesus promised
that if we would seek God and yield ourselves to Him, the Spirit would lead and
strengthen us in joy. I need that more and more.
If you’re reading along
and don’t have a One Year Bible, click on this link http://www.esvbible.org/devotions/every-day-in-the-word/. If that doesn't work, go to http://www.esvbible.org/devotions/ and click on “Every Day in the Word.”
I'm writing these
comments to and for those who are following a One Year Bible and interested in
growing deeper as a disciple, following Jesus in the harvest. My hope is to see
the growth of a discipleship culture in the church. Groups of 3-4 disciples,
meeting weekly, encouraging each other to follow Christ and work to reach out
and make disciples who make disciples. The Bible itself is the most universal
manual we have and key to our growth and service in Christ. Nothing keeps us
more focused on why we are here or what we are to be doing. My comments are
only meant to provide some explanation of the events or to show the flow of
God's plan of redemption. My comments are in no way exhaustive, but are
designed to keep us focused on Christ and our role in His harvest. My hope is
that the people in these groups will grow in Christ and be willing, after a
year, to find 3 others to meet with and encourage in their growth as disciples,
disciples making disciples in the harvest.
If you would like a
complete description of this model of being and making disciples you can find
it in my book: Simply Disciples*Making Disciples.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011WJIDQA?*Version*=1&*entries*=0
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 to dgkachikis@gmail.com.
If you would like
documents containing an entire month of the Reading Notes, go to https://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes. You can download these to use on your computer or to
print.
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