July 1, 2015

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 Now, all of these nations were either conquered or they had withdrawn.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.

Oh yeah. And again, God opened windows in heaven to supply the needs of His people. When the few survivors of the Assyrian army awoke, found the dead and left (fled?) for home, they left a tent city full of supplies, food and precious metals (money). For Hezekiah and the people it would have been like a super Wal-Mart. God was taking care of His people and because they followed, ironically, there was “a chicken in every pot,” compliments of the Assyrians.

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 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.

June 30, 2015

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 things and creatures 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 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.

June 29, 2015

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 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.