APRIL
9
Believe it or not, this is our last full day
in Deuteronomy. If you open your Bible and hold Genesis to Deuteronomy
together, that is a hunk of Bible. The same goes for what you've read in The
Psalms and the Gospels. You've actually read about a third of the Bible since
you'll be reading The Psalms twice. Tomorrow we meet Rahab, a woman of
incredible faith.
Deuteronomy
33
This is sort of like Jacob's blessing of his
sons at the end of Genesis. What things stand out to you? I only have a few of
my own observations.
Vs. 1-5 Moses begins this blessing with God's
coming to Sinai with His angels to show great love to His people Israel.
V. 6 Reuben is mentioned first as Jacob's
firstborn, but interestingly, Moses says his men would be few. It may be that
the penalty for his incest was still there and had some influence in the tribe.
V. 7 Judah is mentioned here because he is
the son/tribe who really received the birthright. As it will say today in Psalm
78, the blessing went to Judah. Can you remember why?
Interestingly, Simeon isn't mentioned
although he was the second son. This tribe was eventually absorbed into Judah.
Vs. 8-11 Notice the space given to the
Levites. Of all the things that God gave this tribe, Moses mentions the Thummim
and Urim. These were incredible gifts to the nation. I still don't understand
why the nation didn't avail itself of this blessing, except that to get this
answer you had to come to the tabernacle.
V. 10 Notice what the Levites were supposed
to do. They were to be the teachers of Israel.
V. 12 Benjamin is mentioned with Joseph since
both were sons of the loved wife, Rachel.
Vs. 13-17 This is a lot of text and blessing
for Joseph. Israel was to remember that God used Joseph to save them. Compare
this to v. 67 in today's psalm. Everyone looked to Joseph and Ephraim, but God
chose Judah. In v. 17 Ephraim is mentioned first. Also note the "ten
thousand - thousand" comparison. This must have been a motto in the
culture. This saying will play a funny role when we get to King Saul and David.
Vs. 18-25 I find it interesting that so much
text is given to the tribe of Gad. Maybe this had something to do with the
choice of the 2.5 tribes to settle on the east side of the Jordan.
V. 22 Apparently there is a possible wordplay
here, because "Bashan" can mean or sound like "serpent."
This could mean something like, "strong like a lion, but afraid of
snakes." When Jacob blessed Dan in Genesis 49:17, he called him a snake on
the road. All of this is interesting because Dan becomes the first tribe to
completely defect into idolatry and they are not a part of the 144,000 in
Revelation.
V. 23 The lake of Naphtali is the Sea of
Galilee.
Vs. 24-25 A lot is said about Asher and I
wonder why.
Vs. 26-29 This is the finale of the blessing
on Israel (Jeshurun= the upright one).
V. 27 This sounds like Psalm 90. If you
really want to get the rest of Moses' last words, you should read Psalm 90,
which he must have written around this time. As Laura observed, the Song of
Moses in the previous chapter should really be called the Song of God. Psalm 90
is the real Song of Moses.
V. 29 This could be applied to the church
too, "Who is like you, a people
saved by the Lord…" Now we need to get the word out in the harvest,
following our Lord to reach the lost and make disciples, who make disciples,
who make disciples.
In reading v. 26 and the imagery of God
coming on the clouds to help Israel, I have to think of the Lord coming at the
end of the Tribulation. Jesus spent 40 days after His resurrection teaching His
disciples. He gave them the Great Commission and told them to wait for the
Spirit to have the power to perform their mission. Then He was taken into
heaven. The angels said He would return the same way, but it will be different.
Only a few saw Him leave, but everyone will see Him return. He left silently,
but He will come back with might and power to save Israel and all those who
believe in Him. He is Risen, and returning. Let's be willing to sell all we
have, gird ourselves for our work in the harvest and wait expectantly with joy
for His return.
Luke
13:1-21
Jesus had been teaching the disciples and
then addressed the multitude. His word to them was that they were living like
hypocrites. They knew the weather, but refused to understand His presence among
them. Jesus told them they needed to make peace quickly with God.
Vs. 1-5 Apparently when Jesus finished saying
this, somebody spoke up, probably trying to say something that would get some
respect or acknowledgment from Jesus. Jesus turned the point and kept teaching
the crowd. There are always people who want to point to a disaster and make a
one-to-one connection to that event and sin. What's interesting is that Jesus
doesn't deny the connection, but points the situation to the people who were
talking. It is almost to say, "Don't worry about that, but worry about
yourselves." Notice that Jesus says that all of them need to repent.
The reality is that sometimes there is a
correlation between events and God's hand of judgment. In all things, God is
free to allow something to happen in order to make others wake up. Ultimately,
all souls appear before the throne of God. That's where we'll all wind up. The
question is, are we ready, and if we are ready, in light of this coming event,
we need to be moved with compassion, not judgment, and help others find Christ.
Vs. 6-9 As Jesus tells this story, He is
really building on something that John the Baptist said earlier in Luke 3:8-9.
If you look back there you'll find repentance, trees and fruit, too. Jesus uses
the previous question of God's judgment in situations to point to God's mercy.
Every person on this planet is in trouble. God's patience is incredible.
Instead of judging quickly, God is kind and shows mercy. This is His daily
posture as He works that none should perish. Many will perish, but it won't be
because He didn't provide opportunities to hear the truth and respond.
Repentance is a "turning" from our
sin to God. It is a decision of heart and soul, and need not be accompanied by
doing anything. But the point of true repentance is that once a person has
repented and turned to God, it should begin to become evident. The evidence is
the fruit.
Vs. 10-17 So here is a case in point of
religious fruitlessness. This woman had been bound by Satan 18 years. It
doesn't say it was because of sin. The implication, like the man born blind in
the Gospel of John, is that God allowed this for His glory. God works as He
chooses so that we have opportunities to believe, follow Him and tell others.
V. 12 Notice that as soon as Jesus saw her,
He called her and healed her. He knew it was of the Father and He had no regard
for the fact that it was in a synagogue or on the Sabbath.
Vs. 13-14 Notice the contrast. She glorified
God, and the ruler of the synagogue had a fit.
Vs. 15-16 Jesus had used this kind of example
before. It is interesting to me that it is similar, yet different from the
others. For me it makes Jesus' teaching more personal and understandable. Verse
16 was a homerun.
V. 17 You wonder why Jesus was willing to
continually face conflict. Here is the reason. It was to give the people a
chance to respond to the truth.
Vs. 18-21 Jesus has used the parables of the
mustard seed and the leaven earlier in His ministry and we've read this in
Matthew 13 in a completely different context. This telling of those parables is
almost verbatim with that earlier occasion. Commentators are tempted to put a
negative spin on both tellings of these parables because of the presence of the
ruler of the synagogue and because of the conflict, but it seems that since
these renditions are verbatim, the meaning is the same. Jesus could have used
different wording to suggest negative influence. It seems to me that the
message was to the disciples. The kingdom is seen by faith. It will begin small
and will grow great, and it is hidden, but is among them. In spite of the
resistance, the kingdom will not be stopped.
Psalm
78:65-72
So, after all of the disaster in the history
of Israel, God rises confidently without inhibition and brings victory, order,
and peace through David. I think this is the main point of the psalm. Instead
of rebelling as Israel has in the past, they are to submit to the order God has
made, submitting to the rule of David. After Joshua, 400 years would pass in
trouble and insecurity. The reign of David would be the next time the nation
was secure. It was the visible blessing and working of God.
Proverbs
12:25
Encouragement is an incredible need. Yet, the
Lord lets us walk without it at times to see where our real treasure is and
where it is that we find our ultimate security. It is amazing how often Jesus
told His disciples not to be anxious or to fear. It is what we are to learn as
we follow, but I still pray for encouragement every day.
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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