JUNE 6
Whoa! You did it again. You have now read
fourteen books of the Bible, plus you are nearing the end of Psalms. I'd
recommend a Caramel Frappuccino with an extra shot of espresso blended in.
1 Kings 1
Vs. 1-4 This is letting us know that David
was getting to the end. If this was his last year, he was 69 or 70. Since David
became king at 30 and reigned 40 years, the math is easy, even for me. There
will be some overlap with Solomon; because, as we will see, David had a lot of
instructions to pass on to him.
David was an old 70, by anyone’s standards.
The weight of ruling might have done this to him, but I think it was the weight
of the damage he had caused in the lives of others. If any of us had to bear
the body count of those who died for his sin, the one son raping a daughter,
the other son killing the other son, etc., etc., etc., it would have aged us
too.
We don't hear this until later, but,
obviously, Abishag became David's wife. Yet the fact that they never knew each other added an interesting
technicality that will appear later. But she was still a king's wife, and the
connection to her could make someone eligible for a right to the throne.
Vs. 5-10 I'm not sure what happened here,
because it was common for a king to make his son co-regent and they would reign
together for a while. That sounds like a wise thing to do and looks like
discipleship to me. David apparently didn't do this and in the absence of his
leadership and guidance, people looked at the tottering old guy (with his human
hot water bottle) and took the leadership into their own hands. It would seem
that David’s decline in his late 60’s was pretty severe. None of what Adonijah
did in this event could have happened in a short time. It all took planning.
Also it is obvious from what is said here and later, that it was known that
Solomon had been chosen by David and God to be king. It seems then that God
allowed, and would use, this situation to expose Solomon's enemies and remove
them.
V. 6 Notice, it is the Spirit who is making this
editorial judgment. You wouldn’t call David a model father. It seems to me that
once David had the promise that one of his sons would sit on the throne, and
then after the sin with Bathsheba and Uriah, his hope for his sons was somehow
intensified by fear and guilt. It seems he didn’t punish Amnon, thinking that
Amnon would be king. Then David allowed Absalom to go wild and still hoped
Absalom would be king. And now Adonijah, his next oldest, received no guidance
and the situation became very dysfunctional. I wonder if in his regret and
guilt he doubted that God would fulfill the promise. His desire for his sons to
follow him on the throne seems more of the flesh than of the Spirit, especially
when it keeps mentioning that they were tall and handsome. Didn’t he seem
concerned with their spiritual qualifications?
(As a side note, later we will see the evil
and spiritually confused Ahab select one of his sons to be his heir and give
his other sons cities to rule in other parts of northern Israel. This is probably
what David should have done.)
Vs. 7-8 But God in His sovereignty used this
leadership vacuum to allow sides to become visible. Joab wasn't listed among
the mighty men; he was dishonest and he was very self-serving. I don't know
what is going on with Abiathar; but his family was destroyed, partly because of
David's lie, not telling them what danger they would be in if they helped him.
That might have influenced Abiathar, or it might just have been that these men
rejected the choice of Solomon because of the circumstances around Solomon’s
birth. Who knows?
Notice that the mighty men, including Joab's
own brother, were not part of this rebellion and they were not invited. It
shows that THE THIRTY were deeply loyal to David. The fact that Solomon wasn't invited
means they knew he had been chosen to be king.
Vs. 9-10 This was Adonijah's own
coronation/rebellion just outside of the city. Everyone important who was not
invited was in danger of death. If this event went unanswered, there would be
no way to undo it.
Vs. 11-14 Nathan was apparently nudged by the
Lord in the eleventh hour. It was time to act. The rebellion had revealed
itself and Solomon's kingship had to be confirmed. If you want something to
make you think, do a search on this prophet Nathan; and look at all the
"red letter" events in David's life, in which Nathan was involved.
I'd like to say something wise here, but I just saw this myself and I'm still
pondering the meaning of it.
Vs. 15-27 The purpose of these announcements,
first by Bathsheba and then by Nathan, was to rally David. This did to David
what the attractive, human hot water bottle couldn't do. It got his blood
boiling. Now and to his death, David would be energetic and go out with his
sandals on.
One of the things that is playing a role here
is the word of judgment that came through Nathan, that the sword would never
depart from David's house. David saw that it was happening again. Soon someone
would be dead, and he was right.
Vs. 28-31 We don't have any record of God or
David saying that Solomon would be the next king. It did say that Solomon was
loved by the Lord. Maybe as a result of that early prophetic recognition, David
changed Solomon’s name to Jedidiah and knew he would be king. If you look at 1
Chronicles 22, it looks like David was collecting stuff for the temple and
drawing up plans; he was coaching Solomon. That might have taken time. So it is
possible that before David became bedridden, he had promised the kingdom to
Solomon, but then had gotten very sick. The other possibility is that 1
Chronicles 22 came after this incident, and David rallied and enjoyed better
health until he died.
Vs. 32-40 Whereas Adonijah's plan took some
time and counsel, this plan got David’s blood moving and progressed very
quickly. Solomon and many others were in danger. Talk about cutting through the
red tape. They called the city together. Solomon rode to the tabernacle, and
the official trumpet that designated holy days was used. After this, Solomon
went to David's throne. Although this coronation was thrown together, it was
and looked fully official. From 1 Chronicles 23, you get the idea that there
was a second coronation later, after David put his sandals on and was back on
his feet.
Vs. 41-53 The fact that this was a rebellion
is shown by how everyone with Adonijah reacted when they knew that Solomon had
been made king. Oops! They knew they had disobeyed and been discovered and
judged. They knew that Solomon was to have been king.
V. 50 In the tabernacle was the altar where
they burned the sacrifices to obtain mercy from God. Adonijah went in and
grabbed the corners of the altar at one end and sent word that he wanted to
receive mercy.
Vs. 51-53 Solomon's answer and actions show
that he had been groomed for the kingship and was ready to rule. Solomon also
knew that this had been rebellious and would have meant his death and the death
of his mother. Adonijah deserved to die, but Solomon showed him mercy.
This was one of those situations where you
see neglect and a lack of leadership and wonder if it really makes sense to
wait on God. But here, Solomon did the right thing by waiting, even though his
life was in danger. And suddenly, one afternoon, boom, he was king. God is
sovereign. If something is His will, He will throw the party together at the
last minute and it will look good. That's a good thing for disciples to learn.
Acts 4
Vs. 1-4 At this time, the priests were of the
party of the Sadducees. The double irritant was not only the preaching of
Jesus, but the preaching of the resurrection. The Sadducees didn't believe in
the resurrection and that's why they were “sad, you see.” They were really sad
that the guy they had killed was back.
V. 4 This appears to be 5000 additional
believers. That would make about 8000 men (plus women and children?) or about a
third of the population of Jerusalem. Again, with the baptisms and all, this
would have been a very public, visual and exciting happening in the city. So
while Peter and John were hauled off to jail, the other ten apostles, and
probably lots of disciples, were baptizing the new believers. This was great
teamwork.
Vs. 5-12 This again is the fulfillment of
what Jesus had told them about not being anxious about what to say, because it
would be the Spirit of their Father speaking through them. Wow, what a message.
Notice that Peter and the Spirit put the emphasis on what caused a lame man to
be healed. This lame man had been a fixture at the temple, and all the priests,
Sadducees, Pharisees and all the people knew him. This wasn't a discussion about
opinion; it was obvious that a miracle had taken place.
V. 11 On the Wednesday before He died, Jesus
had quoted these words to the chief priests, scribes and the elders of the
people. Now they are hearing them from this Galilean fisherman.
V. 12 This is an immortal saying from the
Spirit through Peter. This declaration of salvation in Christ alone is one
worth memorizing.
Vs. 13-22 Luke makes a point in Acts to show
how often the disciples are (Christianity is) pronounced innocent. This is the
first public trial of the disciples, and the leaders have nothing to say. You
can bet that word of this got around town. This would almost be the same as the
authorities approving what they did.
Vs. 13-14 This sounds so much like Jesus that
it must have seemed eerie for them. They couldn't guess that it was really the
same Spirit speaking.
V. 19 It is interesting that they learned
from Jesus not to give direct, defiant answers. They knew to turn the situation
around to make the leaders have to make a decision. Obviously it is more
important to obey God. And, obviously it was the Spirit teaching them what to
say.
Vs. 22-23 Again, the Father had the Son walk
by this lame man for a reason. In fact, God had everyone walk by him. They
noticed him to the point of complete familiarity. Now that he was healed, the
people were rejoicing and the leaders were in shock. This should give us some
patience to allow God to do His work, even if we think something is unfair. We
don't know what God is planning down the road.
Vs. 23-31 What a great prayer and
understanding of how the Lord was using them.
Vs. 25-26 This sure gives you an appreciation
of Psalm 2. And it is awe-inspiring to think of when the Lord wrote Psalm 2
through David, and when He fulfilled it. His judgments are unsearchable and His
planning is inscrutable.
V. 31 I've never been in a prayer meeting
where we had an earthquake. They already had the Spirit dwelling in them. This
filling of the Spirit is like what we've seen with Samson. It was a special,
temporary empowering to do the task before them.
Vs. 32-37 So Jerusalem had been filled with
pilgrims, people who had come to the Feast of the Harvest. Now, apparently the
week-long feast was over, but those who had come to Christ wanted to stay and
learn more about Christ from the apostles. They couldn't learn online, and they
had only brought so much money and there were no ATMs. It was primitive. This
is where the great need came from.
Again, we wonder today why this isn't always
happening; but if 3000 people from some primitive land, like Canada, came to
your church this weekend and all trusted in Christ so that everyone in your
church was somehow moved by seeing so many Canadians come to Christ, they would
naturally join in to help them. Eh? And if these 3000 people couldn't go back
to their land, because beavers took over or something like that, and you had to
put them up, you and your church would do the same as the believers in Acts.
Eh? But, it would be because of the Spirit and because of the mission. Eh? Take
away the Spirit and the mission and the bearing of fruit and this call to unity
becomes contrived. No one really gets unified around fellowship dinners and
worship services, but that's practically the primary focus of some churches.
Eh?
V. 36 Enter Barnabas. There are lots of
little things going on here. He was a Jew with a good pedigree from the tribe
of Levi; but he was from Cyprus, meaning unlike the Jews in Jerusalem, he lived
with and rubbed shoulders with Gentiles. Barnabas would become a great encourager
of the apostles and he would "disciple" the apostle Paul. But the
reason we are meeting Barnabas here is because his generosity led to a
situation that would become the first instance of vying for status in the
church and it would show the first example of church discipline.
Psalm 124
This was a good reminder to the people coming
to worship in Jerusalem, leaving their homes and fields unguarded, that their
hope of protection was in the Lord. It was a call for Israel to remember God's
faithfulness to His promise.
Vs. 1-5 Israel's history from the death of
Joshua to the kingdom of David was one of loss and oppression. God helped, but
He helped in spite of the sin of the people. Still, He remained faithful to His
promise to Abraham. If the Lord had not been on Israel's side, they would have
been devoured.
Vs. 6-7 This is the point of the song. It
prepared the people to bless the Lord out of a sense of deep gratitude.
V. 8 Amen, and we need to remember this too.
David knew this, forgot it during the taking of the census, but lived his last
days knowing that God had delivered him out of every danger.
As disciples, we can think our actions make
things happen, and imagine that how we zig or zag saves us from danger. It is
really all in the Lord's hands.
Proverbs 16:24
I keep trying
to learn this one. And then Paul and the Spirit say in Ephesians 4:29, Let no corrupting talk come out of your
mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it
may give grace to those who hear. So often my words are about myself.
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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