1 Samuel 5-7
It is
interesting to note here that the Philistines could have and should have
followed up this victory, but didn't. In this last battle with Israel, they
slaughtered 30,000 men. We can't even grasp that kind of loss of life in a
battle. Yet God had now accomplished His task and had no desire for the
Philistines to go further, and He had no need of an army to stop them. As
disciples, we need to develop a mature perspective of God's work in the world
among nations: He allows and disallows. The real issues in play on this planet
are above politics and human rights.
1 Samuel 5
Vs. 1-5 I
don't think Dagon fell down before the ark as in worship. I think if it was
next to the ark, the image just fell down away from the ark. If the hands and
head were over the threshold of the entrance of the temple, the statue couldn't
have been facing the ark. Some preachers would have the statue bowing before
the ark.
This
little tradition of jumping over the threshold is interesting; because
surprisingly, when you read through Malachi, years ahead in Israel's history
and months ahead in your reading, you'll find it there too. Not many people
link that reference back to this, only because they don't read their Bibles
through like you are doing.
Vs. 6-12
Just as God had used Samson to terrify the Philistines into inactivity, God was
now doing the same thing through the ark. Everywhere the ark was sent, men were
dying and all the people were afflicted by tumors and by a massive mouse
outbreak. This last thing was anything but "Disney." It would have
been horrific, from devastating their food supply to keeping them awake at
night, to keeping them on edge every minute of every day. What an ingenious
thing for God to do.
On a funny
note, for us, not for the Philistines, according to the Bible Knowledge
Commentary-OT (BKC-OT), p. 437, the Hebrew indicates that the tumors
were predominately in the rectal area. That would take the fight out of anyone.
1 Samuel 6
Vs. 1-12
Notice in 6:6 how the Philistines believe in, and take to heart, what God did
in Egypt 350 years earlier. They actually had some of the information correct
too, knowing that Pharaoh had hardened his heart. Too bad Israel didn't have
this kind of faith. But actually, this wasn't real faith. True faith would have
led the Philistines and Israel to reject all impostors and worship and follow
the only true God. This culture was very eclectic religiously.
Vs. 7-12
Using the two "milk" cows was a test to make sure that the Lord was
behind this whole thing. The likelihood of them wandering away from their calves
was not good. So in all of this, it was a mini-miracle because God was in it,
and therefore, proof to the Philistines that they had done the right thing.
Vs. 13-21
Notice that there were Levites present, living among the people. Apparently the
ark still had the carrying poles. I wonder about the sacrifice they sacrificed
there. Why didn't they take the ark back to Shiloh and sacrifice there? It
should have been forbidden to offer sacrifices any place other than the
tabernacle.
Vs. 19-21
Joy turned to sadness. Finally, people could sneak a peek into the ark,
forgetting of course that God was present and watching. That is the sadness in
all of this. The personal love for God and understanding of His presence was
gone. They didn't really respect or fear Him. Now they really feared God, but
at the price of 70 men.
1 Samuel 7
V. 1 This
will probably blow your mind. The ark will never return to Shiloh. According to
the BKC-OT, p. 438, Shiloh was overrun sometime after the battle and the
tabernacle was destroyed. The tabernacle "concept" must have fallen
into disuse. The ark stayed at Kiriath-jearim (KJ) for 20 years, but this time
is just a designation for how long it took the people to come to the place of
wanting to worship and serve the Lord alone. It took 20 years of the ark being
separated from the tabernacle, and 20 years of Samuel teaching, to make the
people understand they needed to reunite under the Lord. According to the BKC-OT,
p. 438, the ark was at KJ about 100 years, until David brought it to Jerusalem.
Vs. 2-4
Here is another shock. Twenty years
pass between v. 1 and v. 2. We haven't yet heard of the ministry of Samuel,
going from town to town in a circuit, teaching the people and leading them in
worship. Apparently that was what Samuel had been doing in Israel, and it was
probably one of the factors that finally brought the people to the place of
returning to God.
Vs. 5-17
During this period of time the Philistines ruled, but they were afraid of the
Lord and kept their distance. Finally, when it seemed to them that there was an
"unlawful assembly" that could unite Israel, the Philistines decided
to crush it and keep Israel docile.
Vs. 8-11
This shows that Samuel was no military strategist. This assembly was true in
heart and the people confessed their sin, repented and pleaded with Samuel to
intercede for them. During this assembly the Philistines must have suddenly
appeared as an army and the people only had one place to turn, to God. So what
does Samuel do? He sacrifices to the Lord. That isn't something they teach at
West Point. And then God turned up the surround sound and blasted the
Philistines away.
Vs. 12-14
Samuel set up a monument to commemorate this victory, and from this point on,
Israel was never ruled by the Philistines again. During the judgeship of
Samuel, they stayed out of Israel, and it says that God afflicted them.
Vs. 15-17
Samuel visited and offered sacrifices in these towns as main centers where he
taught the people. Samuel took a sacrifice to Bethlehem when he anointed David.
Ramah had been Samuel's family's hometown and now it became the center of
worship for Israel, and he built this altar in Ramah. The tabernacle and
everything in it had been destroyed. According to the way God set everything
up, Israel could not be Israel without the tabernacle. It was the center point
for the nation and their unity in Yahweh. Yet, through this kind of traveling
ministry, the people in each region could be brought together in worship and
God allowed it.
Looking at
this last battle, it is interesting that when Israel was worshiping God, God
did amazing things to confirm their faith and protect them. More of this would
have happened if they would have worshiped God in spirit and in truth. For us
in the harvest, we have some promises that we never take advantage of because
we are busy. I was reading today where Jesus said, "If anyone serves me,
the Father will honor him." That is a real time promise, but it only holds
for those who are actively following the Lord in the harvest. In the harvest we
are with our Lord and He builds our faith by letting us see blessings that are
only found in the harvest.
John 6:1-21
Time-wise,
if the event at the beginning of John 5 is a Passover, then a year has gone by.
Verse 4 says that the Passover (another Passover) was at hand. This then would
be the third Passover during Jesus' ministry, and so, about a year before he
died and was raised.
During
this year Jesus has healed the man with the withered right hand, chosen His
disciples, given the Sermon on the Mount, healed the centurion's slave and
raised the widow's son, been questioned by John the Baptist, been anointed by a
sinful woman, freed Mary of Magdalene of seven spirits, been accused of being
possessed of Satan, taught many parables, stilled the sea, freed the man with
the Legion, healed the woman with the hemorrhage, raised Jairus' daughter,
healed two blind men, cast out a dumb demon, been rejected a second time in Nazareth,
and sent out his Twelve to preach and heal. While the disciples were gone, John
the Baptist was killed by Herod. Now the disciples have returned to Jesus, and
have tried to go to a lonely place; but the crowds have pursued them. The
disciples are emotionally exhausted and need rest, but they won't get it today.
Jesus will
not be in Jerusalem for this Passover, that we know of. The multitudes are
mobilized to go to Jerusalem, but this is the pinnacle of Jesus' popularity.
Knowing what Jesus could do for the sick and needy, the crowd will make a
detour on their way to Jerusalem.
Vs. 1-4
This is leading up to the only event that is in all four Gospels, the feeding
of the 5000.
Vs. 5-9
Notice that it is Andrew who came with the boy and his lunch.
Vs. 10-14
This was actually training for the disciples for the future. Based on what
Jesus was doing here, they would know what to do in Acts 2 when 3000 people
would give their lives to Christ. This crowd, with women and children, numbered
near 15,000. Along with what Jesus did here is the lesson to the disciples that
they gathered up 12 baskets of fragments. They ended with more than they began.
God's ability is unmatched and so our trust in Him should be very generous,
even when He doesn't meet our expectations.
V. 15
Jesus is in "stealth" mode, avoiding the people. He sends the
disciples out on the sea and goes back up on the mountain, so the people see
they are separated.
Vs. 16-21
The people wait for Jesus; but at night, He walks down to the sea, slipping in
and out of shadows and begins walking across the sea to meet up with the
disciples. If you put all of the Gospels together you get a little more detail,
including Peter walking on the water. This will be a very important event. None
of the other writers tells us what happened immediately after this. The people
were fooled, but not for long. When they catch up to Jesus, instead of making
Him their king, they will begin to leave Him.
As
disciples, we learn to serve God but not to trust ourselves, or to understand our
service according to the praise of people. Sin is powerful, and even the people
we serve and help can become indifferent or turn away. Our strength is in
following our Lord and knowing His love. He is the One who gives us our
direction and focus. Because of Him we can serve and love without needing the
praise and acceptance of people.
Psalm 106:13-31
Reading
this makes me think of the faulty reasoning of "seeing is believing."
It didn't work for Israel. There has to be the need for deliverance, repentance
and believing and doing the Word.
Vs. 13-23
In spite of the great signs God did to show the people they could depend on Him
and to show them He was to be awed, they still rebelled. Sin is powerful. Verse
21 seems to be the point in this section. The result was that Moses had to
plead with God not to destroy them. How would you like to sing this in a
worship service?
Vs. 24-27 Verse
24 of the song tells how they despised God's plan and the land He had promised
Abraham.
Vs. 28-29
And as if that weren't enough, although they saw the daily death total because
of the rebellion at Kadesh-barnea, they still decided to rebel at Baal-peor.
Vs. 30-31
This is the only bright spot in this part of the song. Phinehas intervened and
his faith was counted to him as
righteousness.
I think
the point of singing this psalm was to make the people humble and repentant. We
are all capable of the same things.
Proverbs 14:32-33
I think
the refuge that is found in the death of the wicked is "justice,"
knowing that God is just and that righteousness will win.
I like the
idea of wisdom resting in the heart of a person. Wisdom is so much a part of a
person that it naturally comes out in all situations.
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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