I'm including a few charts/maps that may help
you to orient yourself to what is being written about Israel. Since the action
is taking place in different parts of the country, this should give you an
orientation. The following are located at the end of this document.
“The Judges and the Oppressors,” The Bible
Knowledge Commentary-OT, p. 385.
“Canaan in the Days of the Judges,” The Bible Knowledge Commentary-OT, p. 377.
“Canaan in the Days of the Judges,” The Bible Knowledge Commentary-OT, p. 377.
“The Judges of Israel,” The Bible Knowledge
Commentary-OT, p. 375.
Judges 1:1-2:9
The introduction of Judges in the Bible
Knowledge Commentary-OT, pp. 373-374, provides some good information.
Apparently, Judges was probably written by Samuel sometime after Saul was made
King of Israel, but before David became king. Samuel is the final judge of
Israel. Though he isn’t mentioned in Judges, he is thought to have been a judge
during the same period of time as Samson. The period of time involved in Judges
is a whopping 410-450 years. The US hasn’t been a nation that long; in fact,
400 years ago the pilgrims still hadn’t landed here (1620). We will cross that
long span of time in this book.
Judges 1
Vs. 1-21 The leadership of Judah. This
section describes what God did through Judah, both before and after Joshua’s
death. We have heard of some of these adventures in Joshua while Joshua was
still living.
V. 1 According to the Bible Knowledge
Commentary-OT, pp. 376-377, it is better to understand, After the death of Joshua, as a heading
for the history that Samuel was about to summarize. Joshua’s final words and
death will be mentioned in 2:6-9.
Vs. 2-7 It doesn't say it here, but when the
people inquired in v. 1, it was probably the priest using the Urim and Thummim.
The center of Israel was the tabernacle at Shiloh. Notice how Judah became a
model of one tribe bonding with another tribe to fight together. This was a
great victory.
Vs. 6-7 This is similar to what Joshua did in
having his captains put their feet on the necks of their enemies and then
hanging them. Here, apparently they knew the reports of this king and God used
them to punish him as he had punished others. FYI, a man without thumbs
couldn’t hold a weapon, and without big toes, you don’t fight or stand as well.
Vs. 8-10 This is the first time we hear of
Judah going after Jerusalem, but we’ve heard of them winning at Hebron. Notice
that Judah did conquer Jerusalem, possibly after Joshua’s death. It just wasn’t
a capital city for them, and they were told to give it to Benjamin. We’ll see
that Benjamin couldn’t hold it.
The three names in Hebron may be the sons /
clans related to the king of Hebron mentioned in v. 20.
Vs. 11-15 We have heard this story before and
how Othniel wins the city and Caleb’s daughter.
Vs. 16-21 As a testimony to how well Judah
did its fighting and securing of the land, the Midianite (Kenite) part of
Moses’ family came to dwell in Judah’s land.
V. 18 Judah conquered this area but as time
went on they couldn’t hold it. Caleb and Othniel broke the power of those
people but it would take faith to occupy those lands.
V. 20 I think these three sons are mentioned
in v. 10.
V. 21 Judah defeated the city, but the people
of Benjamin couldn’t hold it.
Vs. 22-26 The other honored tribe of Israel,
Ephraim, had one major, notable victory. Notice that this man and his family
were spared but chose to live in Syria. All of the Canaanites could have moved.
Vs. 27-36 Now begins the subtle beginning of
the end. The people didn't obey. It started with tolerance and peace agreements
now, and ended up with Israel losing its identity and becoming involved in
full-blown idolatry later.
Vs. 27-29 This is a summary of the tribes of
Joseph. The tribe of Manasseh rationalized their sin by putting the Canaanites
to forced labor. Ephraim just allowed the Canaanites to live among them.
Notice that all of the tribes that had land
in Canaan sinned in making peace agreements with the people. It should make us
think about the importance of obedience and influence.
The tribe of Dan has a little more mentioned
about their situation. At the end of Judges we get a dysfunctional little story
involving Dan. Apparently they had the honor of being the first complete tribe
to fall into idolatry.
Judges 2:1-9
Notice the
angel of the Lord and the way He speaks. This points to His identity as
God.
Notice that the Lord goes up from Gilgal.
Important things have happened there. No one is sure where Bochim was. Since
this section has a parallel with Joshua’s final addresses to Israel, it could
be that Bochim is near Shechem. Joshua made part of his final address at Gilgal
and his final words were spoken at Shechem. In any event, this must have been a
gathering place, but it wasn’t Shiloh where the tabernacle was.
V. 4 Notice that the people weep, but they
don’t seek the Lord to find out how to correct their wrong. Years later the
people in Ezra’s day will do something similar, and when they seek counsel from
Ezra, they actually do what he tells them. The people crying is not the same as
the people repenting.
V. 5 How does this make sense? The only place
they were supposed to sacrifice was at the tabernacle. By the end of Judges we
will see some very wrong religious thinking. It looks like their worship was
becoming a matter of the “heart,” rather than obedience to the Word.
Vs. 6-9 With these verses, it is as if Samuel
has finished one summary of the time after Joshua, and is beginning a new train
of thought. This summary of Joshua dismissing the people is a review of the end
of the book of Joshua and the faithfulness of that generation. As time went on
and men like Joshua and Caleb were gone, the people drifted from God.
In a very real sense, God allowed this to
happen to test the people in that He didn't appoint a national leader. At first
the people sought a leader, but that didn't last long. God often leads a person
to a particular place and then draws back and is silent, to reveal what is in
that person's heart. This is God’s way to see if we will honor Him and follow,
or if He needs to show us that we will still very easily drift from Him.
Tomorrow we’ll be given a very clear rationale for why God allows adversity
into our lives.
Luke 21:29-22:13
Luke 21:29-38
Vs. 29-33 Two groups of people are being
addressed here. First are the people in Jesus’ generation who would be present
and watching things come together for the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.
Then there are those who will be present in the future when the temple is
desecrated at the midway point of the Tribulation. Both of these generations
will witness completion of those events within their lifetimes.
Vs. 34-36 Very clearly this is referring to
the Tribulation and those believers who will be tempted to lose focus and give
in to the sadness of those times. Just as it will be possible to miss the
beginning of the Tribulation, it will be easy in the Tribulation to miss the
signs of the Lord’s coming. Again, I think the "he who endures to the end
will be saved" message is not referring to losing salvation, but salvation
from the effects of bitterness and persecution. The way to be "saved"
is to remain strong and focused on what is taking place, knowing that it is
God's working. This is much the same with us today.
This is a good word for us as disciples. We
are surrounded by the wreckage of Christians who have forgotten why we are
here. They are simply living among the "natives" to be liked by them
and they have been ruined by becoming like them. We’ll see this happen to
Israel, but we are no different. We are here in the harvest as our Savior was,
to seek the lost and introduce them to Him. If we are just here to live life
and go to church until we die, we get lost and bitter and careless. The way to
remain undamaged is to stay awake at all
times, praying that you may have strength to escape. But we often think
we’re here on vacation during this time in history. The danger around us and
the need to stay awake is just as grave.
Vs. 37-38 And we see Jesus, facing a violent
death, yet teaching right up to the end. A disciple is not above his Master. We
are to work in the harvest following our Lord until the end.
Luke 22:1-13
Interesting that you have four persons
preparing for the Passover: Satan and Jesus, and over all God the Father and
the Spirit. You see what Satan is doing, and you see what Jesus is doing, and
in everything (even Satan’s madness), God is working all things together for
good. This would be a good point to remember what Paul and the Spirit wrote in
1 Corinthians 2:8, None of the rulers of
this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the
Lord of glory.
Vs. 1-6 It seems like the occasion for Judas
doing this came on Thursday morning. The night before, Mary of Bethany had
anointed Jesus’ feet and Judas had raised a ruckus. Feeling snubbed, the next
morning Judas prepared to do Satan’s business, while Peter and John were doing
Jesus’ business and making the preparations for the Passover.
Vs. 7-13 Apparently there were two days to
eat the Passover lamb. This was probably because of the crowds and the large
numbers of sheep to be killed. Jerusalem didn’t have a lot of rooms to rent for
this day and the next week of feasting. Jesus and His disciples used the
earlier day. That means that the day Jesus was killed was actually the normal
day for killing the Passover lamb.
With the thousands of people in Jerusalem,
waiting until the last minute like Jesus did to seek a room, it was a miracle
that they found a place. But I think that is the point. Tradition points to
this room belonging to the family of John Mark, the writer of the Gospel of
Mark and Barnabas’ nephew. This is also the room they think the disciples were
in when the Spirit came on Pentecost.
Psalms 90-91
Both of these psalms are written by Moses.
Psalm 90
As you read Psalm 90, imagine that Moses is
writing this as the nation is under God's punishment after Kadesh-barnea. They
endured a very long 38 years in the wilderness, as they waited for the
rebellious generation of adults to die. All psalms are inspired, but when you
read this, you can sense the depth of Moses’ person and his maturity with God.
It’s like every word is gold. Somewhere on our lists of “what to memorize,”
Psalm 90 should appear.
Vs. 1-2 Notice v. 1 referring to a dwelling place. We've seen references to
dwelling with God in a lot of The Psalms. Here, Moses is referring to the fact
that though they constantly moved around the wilderness without a home or
destination for those long 38 years, God Himself was their dwelling place.
Vs. 3-11 Look at the way Moses describes our
mortality and our frailty under God’s judgment. It is interesting to think that
although we are saved in Christ, our bodies are still under the penalty of sin
and the judgment of the fall. And as if that were not enough, God knows our
hearts. We know that without the righteousness of our Lord, we would all be
subject to judgment, rejection and a trip to hell. Moses lived in the reality
of this for 38 years.
V. 12 This is something we should all do,
given the disaster happening on this planet. No nation had a better view of the
temporary nature of life than Israel did during those 38 years. The reality of
this life on earth and the urgency of the harvest are vitally connected to our
relationship with Jesus. How can we be saved and not number our days as we work
in the harvest?
Vs. 13-16 This is Moses and God telling us
that our true joy and fulfillment come from God. The heart of wisdom from v. 12
is what should make a person simplify and focus their life to be filled with
God.
V. 17 This is something I pray. Only the Lord
can establish the work of our hands.
The question is, as a disciple, what do you want Him to establish? Joshua
served God, and as a result, an entire generation served the Lord. I think for
disciples, the work we want God to prosper is the making of disciples, who make
disciples, who make disciples, who make disciples.
It is interesting to me that as Moses was
ending his ministry to Israel, hoping the people would go beyond him and serve
God, God told him they would fail. We’ve begun to see this failure today in
Judges. The failure comes quickly. Yet someday, the Lord will establish the
work of Moses’ hands as the nation succeeds in the Tribulation and is honored
during the Millennium.
Psalm 91
This psalm has a more victorious and
confident tone. If Moses was the author, I would guess He wrote this for the
next generation going into the land. The writer wanted the people to be
confident in the Lord.
Vs. 1-2 Notice the idea of dwelling in God.
Verse 1 is probably where Elizabeth Elliot got the title for her book, The
Shadow of the Almighty.
Vs. 3-8 This is the victory promised to
Israel, but it is really a description of God’s love and faithfulness to them.
Vs. 9-16 Notice how this section has two
parts, each introduced with the cause for God’s blessing, signaled by the word because.
Vs. 11-12 Satan quoted these verses to Jesus
to entice Him to jump off the pinnacle of the temple. It amazes me that Satan
saw these verses and knew that they referred to the Jew’s Messiah. I don’t
think we would have known that any other way. Like it or not, as a spiritual
being, Satan’s knowledge of the Bible is better than ours. Having the Spirit
and a regenerated spiritual life that is drawn to God in love and obedience
makes all the difference and gives us the victory. Love and obedience are
greater than knowledge.
Vs. 14-16 These verses make me think of Jabez
entering the land, and of Jesus in Isaiah 53, making Himself a sacrifice for us
and then being honored by God.
Proverbs 13:24-25
It seems that the parent’s discipline of the
child in v. 24 leads the child to a life of contentment and gratitude to God as
seen in v. 25. Disciplining a child does more than keep him out of trouble; it
creates a godly perspective of our life on earth.
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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