2
Chronicles 21-23
These are very dark chapters. They are dark not just because
bad stuff happens, but because all of this was launched by a godly king,
Jehoshaphat. As you read all of this, think of it as the result of his desire
to unify Israel by uniting with those who didn't love God. Ezra is also
including this history as a lesson to the returned exiles. No matter what they
build in devotion to the Lord, they can plant the seeds of destruction by
becoming "unequally yoked" with the ungodly.
2 Chronicles 21
Vs 1-7 Jehoshaphat had actually made it so that his other
sons would be blessed and honored with their own cities and wealth. They would
not have been a problem or threat to Jehoram. It should have been a big happy
family. But alas, Jehoram's wife was the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel through a
marriage alliance.
V. 4 When Jehoram was established, he killed all of his
brothers. This would have included their families and anyone who might have had
a claim to the throne. This was unprecedented in Israel and it was fueled by
his wife, the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, who Jehoshaphat made sure Jehoram
married.
Vs. 8-10 Under Jehoshaphat the Edomites were allies. Now
they were enemies.
Vs. 11-15 There is possibly a small problem here with this
letter being from Elijah. We don't know when Elijah was taken into heaven, but
it appears that it was before Elisha was in active ministry. In 2 Kings 3:13,
Elisha spoke with Jehoshaphat. It may be that a copyist made the mistake of
writing Elijah instead of Elisha. I get them mixed up all the time when I
preach. When we see the original writings, I'm sure this will make sense.
Another possibility is that Elijah was led by the Spirit to write the letter
before he was taken.
This sickness sounds like how God took Herod out in Acts
12:23. Whatever it was, it looks like a nasty, painful way to die; but he
deserved it. It is interesting that God didn't do this to the other ungodly
kings who reigned in Israel, Ahab for example. Sometimes God judges quickly and
sometimes not-so-quickly. But He judges.
Vs. 16-17 And in the middle of this wonderful illness, the
country was weak and was being terrorized by the neighboring countries.
Vs. 18-20 What a statement against this man. Everyone was
happy to see him go. In light of the fact that he killed his brothers and had a
godly grandfather and a godly father, he was really a bad guy. It is
interesting that God allowed Jehoram to reign so long, but made sure he died in
agony.
As a result of all of this, and probably something that Ezra
mentioned when he taught this, the Davidic line was now threatened, not only
with ungodliness, but with extinction. All of Jehoshaphat's other sons and
their families were killed; and all of Jehoram's kids, but one, were killed.
2 Chronicles 22
V. 1 The people must have hoped to find a godly king, but
Athaliah, Jezebel's daughter, was still spewing poison into the land. This now
is the second generation diseased by Jehoshaphat's poor decision.
Vs. 2-9 What’s interesting is that Ahaziah was killed as a
part of the judgment against Ahab. God said that all who were related to Ahab
would die. Ahaziah was a grandson of Ahab. Unwittingly, Jehoshaphat had brought
his family under God's curse on Ahab. Jehu, though not a real follower of God,
knew of Jehoshaphat's godliness and therefore respected the burial of Ahaziah.
Vs. 10-12 This would have meant the extinction of the line
of David, except for the actions of the godly priest Jehoiada. Jehoshaphat's
misled actions now have brought the house of David down to (almost) the last
man. Jehoshaphat's sin will now extend to three generations.
2 Chronicles 23
Vs. 1-7 You might wonder why all of this is given in such
detail. Ezra was a priest and leader of the people, and maybe Jehoiada was his
hero. More likely, the importance is that the line of David was almost extinct
and it took great personal courage by many, especially the priests and Levites,
to protect the line of David and the work of God. Notice that Jehoiada gathered
the Levites so that there would be support for following God and for fighting
to maintain the line of David. Both Ezra and Nehemiah fought hard to have the
Levites live around Jerusalem to help teach the people and hold up a godly
example for the nation. When you read Nehemiah, you'll see that this wasn't
easy.
Vs. 8-11 Once the Levites were in place and the people of
the city recognized that an heir of David had been placed on the throne, the
tide turned in the city.
Vs. 12-15 Athaliah apparently thought she had support in the
city.
Vs. 16-21 In the coronation of the king, notice the mentions
of the Levitical priests and King David. This was the expression of putting
Israel back in order. The promise to Abraham was manifested in the people
learning the Word of God and being devoted to Him. David was the extension of
the promise to Abraham; in that, from David would come the "Son of
David."
The lessons here for those returning from exile would be
obvious. It is worth giving your life in order to serve God and His people,
leading them in the way of God's promised blessing. That is a good lesson for us
too, to be making disciples in the harvest who will make disciples.
Romans
11:13-36
As you read this section, it is helpful to think of Gentiles
and Jews as racial entities being addressed. Rather than speaking to
individuals, Paul is speaking to groupings of people. Paul says here, and will
say again in chapter 15, that he was an apostle to that group of people called
Gentiles. So he is talking about a group, not individuals.
V. 13 This is one of those verses that tells you that the
Roman church was a mixed church.
Vs. 13-16 The key here is in v. 15, when Paul talks about
"their" acceptance. This refers to "the nation of Israel"
during the time when that particular group is on earth and turns their hearts
to Christ. It is not as if the church doesn't "need" the redemption
of Israel. The working of God through the church is just one aspect of His
plan. This has nothing to do with the equality of believers, Jew or Greek.
Israel will still play a role. It is the redemption of Israel that will bring
the plan of God for mankind to completion.
Vs. 17-24 Now, as with most illustrations, they make a point
or two, but are not meant to be carried on to infinity. What is the cultivated
olive tree? It appears to be Israel or maybe even the promise to Abraham. The
line of the promise from Adam and Eve, through Abraham, through David was one
continuous lineage. The wild olive tree is definitely the Gentiles. According
to this illustration, we Gentiles have been grafted into this promise. Remember
that when Jesus was talking to the Samaritan woman in John 4, He told her in a
way that was very matter-of-fact, that salvation
is from the Jews. Later in Romans 15 Paul will say that the Gentiles have
become partakers of Israel's spiritual blessings. They are partakers, not
owners.
V. 22 is a little problematic if you see this as individuals
and not as groups. God has power to graft the believing Jewish nation into the
promise. And if the Gentiles reject God's salvation, they will be excluded. On
this note, it is interesting to think that in the Tribulation, the Jews will
comprise the largest missionary force that has ever worked at one time on
earth. (In the Olivet Discourse Jesus said the gospel would be preached to all
nations.) If you count up all the members of all the mission organizations (not
churches) today, you won't come up with a total of 144,000 missionaries. If I
understand the dynamics of the time of "Jacob's Trouble," the nation
of Israel will turn to Christ, and the Gentile world will be, for the most
part, chasing a delusion.
Vs. 25-32 This is the conclusion of chapters 9-11. I find it
hard to understand how people don't see a distinction between the church and
Israel, holding that the promises to Israel will not be literally fulfilled.
So, which verses seem to put the plan of God together for
you? How would you explain this to someone else?
Vs. 33-36 Benedictions are full of theology, and usually,
every word is intentional. Notice that it isn't God's power and elective
determination that are praised here, but rather His wisdom and knowledge and
how unsearchable His judgments are. This was God's argument to Job. Paul's
conclusion is that God does all of this righteously; and though it is so
intricate that we could never understand it, we know and trust that His way is
righteous and good, because we know Him through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Psalm
22:1-18
I was reading this morning how difficult it was for the
disciples to understand that Jesus should suffer, be treated with contempt, die
and on the third day be raised. For them, He had become the Holy One of God,
the Christ, the Son of the Living God, the Son of Man. To hear then that, so also the Son of Man will certainly suffer
at their hands, was utterly impossible.
This is a prophetic psalm talking about the suffering of the
Messiah. David's experience mirrored what was to be felt by Jesus. Read this
psalm from that perspective.
Vs. 1-2 If this psalm is what David experienced at the
beginning of his decade of running from Saul, it makes perfect sense. David had
been anointed by Samuel to be king of Israel. David was a hero. Everything
David did had been blessed by God. Suddenly David lost everything.
Vs. 3-5 Here David is remembering the history of redemption
and men like Abraham and Moses. He was now standing with them.
Vs. 6-8 David's reputation was ruined in a night. This was
also the experience of Jesus on the cross. Compare verses 7 & 8 with
Matthew 27:39 & 43. That’s pretty interesting. I wonder later while hearing
Psalm 22 read, if some of these guys said, “Wait, I actually said that.”
Vs. 9-11 David held on to God's calling of him. This faith
in the promise also made Abraham strong. Jesus, too, knew that He was the
chosen, beloved and anointed Son of God.
Vs. 12-13 This seems to describe the power of the foes that
faced David.
Vs. 14-15 This was the emotional effect on David, and I'm
sure this mirrors some of what the Lord experienced in the garden.
Vs. 16-18 We clearly know what happened to the Lord. Here,
David experienced something similar. When David ran from Saul he had to leave
his house and possessions behind. Verse 18 might be how his former friends
divided his possessions and decided who got the cappuccino maker.
Proverbs
20:7
If you put this with the verse before, it basically says
that talk, even Christian talk, is cheap. Integrity by definition means that
everything this person does is in keeping with his or her expressed love for
God. Reality is seen in action, and in our case that means in the harvest.
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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