JULY 4
Laura mentioned this morning that she found it kind of cool
that on the day that Josiah found the Book of the Law, the psalm we read was
Psalm 1, but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on
his law he meditates day and night. I found that kind of cool too.
Today we are given some very fast-paced history which will
bring the kingdom of Judah and the book of 2 Kings to an end. There are many
important events here that we will read about later.
2 Kings 23:31-25:30
2
Kings 23:31-37
Pharaoh
Neco removed Jehoahaz as king, showing he was boss, and installed Eliakim as
king, renaming him Jehoiakim, showing again that he was boss. Both of these
guys were sons of Josiah and both were bad. Neco's decision had to do with
having a king in Jerusalem who would support Egypt and Assyria against the
rising Empire of Babylon. The city where this took place, Riblah, is about 200
miles north of Jerusalem. That was a long way to go to get fired. Later,
Nebuchadnezzar would also set up his court in that city.
2
Kings 24
Vs.
1-7 We'll meet Jehoiakim later in Jeremiah. He was a grade "A" jerk
and was buried without honor. He is important for one big reason. When he made
peace with Nebuchadnezzar, Neb took some of the young men captive to train them
to serve him as governors, etc.. This was 605 B.C. and it began the Babylonian
captivity. The clock of the Babylonian captivity was now ticking. Daniel and
his friends were taken at this point. What I've never noticed before is that
Jehoiakim served Neb for three years. Those three years play a very important
role later.
V. 7
Babylon defeated Egypt and now controlled everything down to the Brook of
Egypt, which was a river in southern Palestine and still about 100 miles from
the Nile. About 20 years in the future, Neb would lead his army into the heart
of Egypt and defeat them.
Vs.
8-17 Now Jehoiachin, Jehoiakim's son, was not a godly king. The last words of 2
Kings talk about him being taken out of prison in Babylon and being honored by
Nebuchadnezzar's son, Evil-Merodach. Of course, you're wondering why you would
name your kid, "Evil" anything. But the real question that you can't
find answered here is why you have the story of Jehoiachin at the end of 2
Kings and also at the end of Jeremiah. You get the facts here but they mean
little to you. I'll give you my thoughts when we get there.
Vs.
10-17 Nebuchadnezzar took Judah captive in three waves. The first wave which
comprised only a few thousand was in 605 B.C. This was when Daniel & Co.
were taken. This now would be the second wave, taking most of what was in the
temple and about 12,000 of the skilled laborers. This was meant to have humbled
the country, but not destroy it. If you take all the businessmen, soldiers and
craftsmen, you don't leave much that a country can build on. The prophet
Ezekiel was taken to Babylon in this second deportation.
As a
note of interest, you have to ask yourself why Neb didn't just destroy
Jerusalem and take everyone. It is because something happened in those three
years that Jehoiakim served Neb, that gave him a reason not to want to destroy
Jerusalem. If Jehoiakim had rebelled earlier, it would have made it tough on
four Jewish boys, but once their three-year education was over, it didn't
matter too much what Jehoiakim did, because Nebuchadnezzar had already had his
first lesson in learning the fear of God, literally. The grace of God was
working internationally before this second deportation even took place. We'll
see this in great detail when we read Daniel.
This
isn't something you get from reading commentaries. It is what the Spirit gives
you, if you read your Bible year after year and are willing to be curious.
Vs.
18-20 Neb renamed Mattaniah (Josiah's third son), Zedekiah, showing he was
boss, and left the humbled, yet existing, Jerusalem intact. God's judgment on
Judah was not complete. We don't see it yet, but God was working overtime in
great grace and mercy to preserve Israel as a nation in exile. It was grace
upon grace and a very visible commitment to His promises to Abraham (an
offspring and a nation through which all nations would be blessed), to David
(his "son" would rule Israel forever) and to Solomon (that God's name
would dwell in Jerusalem in the temple).
2
Kings 25
Vs.
1-7 Unfortunately Zedekiah didn't listen to Jeremiah. God told Zed through
Jeremiah that he should open the gates of Jerusalem and walk out to the
Babylonians. If he had done that, God promised to preserve his life and the
city. Obviously he didn't obey. We'll see all of this close-up when we get
there. Zedekiah was the final king of Judah.
Vs.
8-21 The city was destroyed and the temple was destroyed. When they burned the
building, all of the gold melted and ran in between the stone blocks that made
the foundation of the temple. These blocks were removed (and probably used for
other buildings) so they could get the gold. This is why there wasn't one stone
left on another and why Zerubbabel and the returnees (they were not a rock
band) had to rebuild the temple foundation before they could rebuild the
temple. All the cool stuff Solomon made was either destroyed or taken to
Babylon, and to think that Solomon began this ruin by worshiping other gods.
Most of the people were taken away into Babylon (a long walk) and only the very
poorest of people were left. Jeremiah was left. In fact, Nebuchadnezzar gave
special instructions about Jeremiah. I'm willing to bet it was on Daniel's
advice.
Vs.
22-26 God's judgment wasn't over. When Gedaliah was killed, the people came to
Jeremiah and asked him to ask God what they should do. God told them to remain
in the land. They said that Jeremiah was lying, so they took him hostage and
took off for Egypt. Neb followed them to Egypt and killed them and the
Egyptians. I think that Jeremiah and his servant survived and Jeremiah returned
to his hometown.
Vs.
27-30 This note is also at the end of Jeremiah, indicating it was years later,
and after the death of Nebuchadnezzar. Since Jeremiah wrote it in his book, we
know he was alive.
Here
is why this event is important. More than once, God told the people through
Jeremiah that if they surrendered to Neb, opened the gates and went out, they
would live and see God's mercy. Jeremiah said this very thing later to Zedekiah
also, but no one did it, except Jehoiachin; and look what happened. Even this
evil king was honored by God for obeying His Word spoken through Jeremiah. It
was a last kind of proof to the people that if they had obeyed God, even in His
judgment of them, He would have honored them.
The
word to us as His disciples and to those we speak to in the harvest is that if
we obey God, He will save and restore us.
Acts 22:17-23:10
Acts
22:17-23
Vs.
17-23 It is hard to believe that they were listening until he said the word Gentiles. Their fanatic racism was not
to be taken lightly. Remember, this also existed in the church, therefore the
necessity to give the Spirit visibly and to accompany the giving of the Spirit
with the gift of tongues, tying together the experience of the Jews with the
experience of the Gentiles. This racism explains these two visible
manifestations.
V. 19
Notice that Paul had been involved in beating Christians - more on this later.
Vs.
20-21 This is an interesting interchange between Paul and the Lord.
V. 23
Can you imagine them flinging dust into the air. This sounds like something
you'd expect to see in the primate house at the zoo. Actually, it is the heart
of terrorism. We'll see this in action tomorrow.
Vs.
24-30 Paul might have been slow to show his Roman Citizen ID when he was in
Philippi. Here, Paul played the card quickly. Roman soldiers like these almost
whipped Jesus to death and they didn't like the Jews, for apparent reasons.
These are the guys who used that cat-of-nine-tails with the metal and bone
attached to the ends.
Acts
23
Vs.
1-5 Ananias the high priest was not Annas the high priest who accused Jesus.
The commentators are all over the place here with Paul's response. I wasn't
there, but I'll tell you what I think. After Paul was struck, he reacted. Even
Jesus responded to being struck (John 18:23). But in answer to the question in
v. 4, Paul got sarcastic. According to the BKC-NT, p. 419, Ananias was not
known to be a good man. I believe the people did not respect this high priest
and no one spoke well of him, therefore Paul's comment. If it was the case that
all spoke evil of Ananias, he must not have been the ruler. So Paul said,
"Oh, I didn't know he was high priest because everyone in Jerusalem tells
Ananias jokes." You get the idea.
Vs.
6-10 At this point Paul began smelling "kangaroo." It was the court.
Then he began smelling "goose." It was his and it was cooked if he
stayed there. Paul knew there was no justice to be had with that group and that
his situation was dangerous and hopeless. So Paul drove a wedge between the
groups by appealing to the resurrection of the dead, which the Pharisees held
and the Sadducees (the priests were Sadducees too) rejected. Amazingly it
worked and the Pharisees began to stick up for their boy Paul.
V. 10
The Romans took Paul out of danger again.
In an odd kind of way here, the Lord was giving Jerusalem
more grace, but they were rejecting it. Matthew 23:29-39 is a very intense word
of judgment against these leaders, delivered two days before Jesus died. In
response to Jesus' rhetorical question to them, how they would avoid being
sentenced to hell, Jesus answered His own question, saying, Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town. Notice that what Jesus said
was in the future tense. Before Jesus died He said this would be an attempt to
keep them from being sentenced to hell, but their response would be violent
toward His messengers. This is exactly what had happened to Paul. He had been
scourged in synagogues and persecuted from town to town and now they wanted,
really badly, to kill him.
In
about 13 years, in 70 A.D., the Romans would finally be fed up with the Jews
and destroy the city and the temple. Jesus said that this would happen. Just as
Jesus was using Paul as an instrument of grace and judgment by putting Paul in
a position to proclaim Christ, the Lord uses us the same way in the harvest
today. Our job is to follow, reach out and make disciples, who make disciples
of those who come to Christ. Those who hear and don't respond are responsible
to the Lord.
Psalm 2
This
psalm was probably written by David, sometime after the Lord had made the
promise to him that his son would reign upon the throne of Israel. David's
kingdom and influence was expanding because of God's blessing, and David was
acutely aware that this was God's work, not his. David saw the plan of
redemption and the promise to Abraham progressing through God's promise to him.
Inspired by all of this, I believe that as David wrote this psalm about his
earthly son, the Holy Spirit moved him to write what would become a prophetic
description of the Son of David taking His millennial throne.
Vs.
1-3 This is a great question. With all we've read so far, the answer has to be
the irrational power of sin in us. Even if God were visible, as He was in Jesus
and will be in the Millennial Kingdom, man would still rebel against Him.
Vs.
4-6 David was seeing the Lord humble nations before Israel. This is exactly
what the Lord will be doing during the Tribulation and at the beginning of the
Millennial Kingdom. Actually, God is in charge today and regardless of what
anyone thinks, the time will come when every knee will bow to Him.
Vs.
7-9 This is clearly prophetic. This never could have applied to any physical
son of David. It applies to the coming Son of David.
Vs.
10-12 This doesn't just apply to kings, but to all people.
It's
ironic. We are guests in God's "house;" and we decide,
democratically, that we don't like His view of marriage or spirituality. We
decide that His "rules" don't allow us to express our
"humanity" and "freedom." The earth is terribly full of our
"humanity and freedom." And the reality is that this
"house" is ruined and will be replaced with a new "house."
Why would the Lord want to take anyone with Him to the new house, who hated Him
in the old house? The only sane people on this planet are those who know they
are sick and lost, and know where to run. The name of the Lord is a strong
tower. The righteous run into it, and they are saved.
Proverbs 18:13
Oh
well, I guess most of us husbands and parents are "cooked" on this
one. Anyone who's trying to do better, raise your hand!
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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