OCTOBER 21
Today you get
the adventures of Jeremiah, and this is the last day in 1 Timothy, which means
you'll begin 2 Timothy tomorrow. All of these readings are full of the heart of
God, real life drama and encouragement which we need for the harvest.
Jeremiah
37-38
Jeremiah 37
This actually took place before Jeremiah bought the property
in chapter 32. Today we find out how Jeremiah got put in jail back in 32. But
the point today is to show how God saved Jeremiah, to show what a noodle
Zedekiah was, and to show how God, even in this late, dark hour, gave Zedekiah
a chance to save himself and the city.
Vs. 1-5 This is some background. This would have also been
the time when they had set the slaves free, thinking they were all doomed. But
now the Babylonians had withdrawn from the city to fight the Egyptians, and so
the people re-enslaved their former slaves.
Vs. 6-10 They were hoping for good news from Jeremiah, but
God assured everyone that Nebuchadnezzar would be back. In fact, God said that
if only wounded soldiers were left, they would take the city.
Vs. 11-15 So this is how Jeremiah got thrown in prison. His
visit home might have been to decide over the estate of a relative. Since they
threw Jeremiah into prison, in chapter 32 we saw how the family had to come to
Jerusalem and see if Jeremiah wanted to redeem that property from a deceased
relative. The family probably thought Jeremiah was dumb for doing this since
the land was already under Babylon’s control, but God told Jeremiah to do it.
He used that "redemption" event as a sign for the future hope of
Israel.
Notice that they beat Jeremiah.
Vs. 16-21 This is the first of two interactions Jeremiah
would have with Zedekiah. Notice v. 19. It is interesting that although the
false prophets had lost credibility, the people still didn't want to listen to
a true prophet of God. They irrationally thought that if they could kill the
messenger, the judgment of God would also go away.
Again, even though Jeremiah was locked up and in danger, he
might have been in more danger if he had been out with the starving people.
Jeremiah 38
Vs. 1-4 Being in the king's court gave Jeremiah the freedom
to preach and get his message out. That didn't make these guys happy.
Vs. 5-6 We'll see in a few verses what a scared man Zedekiah
really was. Interestingly enough, they wanted to kill Jeremiah, but not be
responsible for his death. This cistern would have been like a deep room under
a house that held rain water. The water was gone but the mud was still there.
Rather than kill Jeremiah or just throw him in, they lowered him into the mud
so he wouldn't be killed in the fall but would die of "natural"
causes like suffocation or starvation. Nice guys.
Vs. 7-13 So you find this Ethiopian eunuch, a God-fearing
Gentile, saving the day. Did you know that there were two Ethiopian eunuchs in
the Bible and both were God-fearing men? This is quite an adventure. The ESV
says 30 men, but some other versions say three. Who knows? Thirty might seem
like over-kill, but some of them probably were for lifting, while others were
to ward off the bad guys. After this, Zedekiah did a better job of protecting
Jeremiah.
Vs. 14-26 This is quite a portion of Scripture. Zedekiah was
a weak, scared man. If he had listened, I'm sure the Lord would have done
exactly what He promised. Zedekiah and the city would have been saved. This is
very sad. Zedekiah and many people will pay for this disobedience. In four
chapters, we will see another group of people make the same mistake of asking
Jeremiah for God’s Word and then disobeying it.
Vs. 27-28 Zedekiah had reason to worry, but had no faith to
obey.
The kind of faith and resolve, we are taught by the Spirit,
gives us the willingness to obey and follow the truth even if it means our
death. That is why as disciples in the harvest following our Lord we also bear
a cross and never leave home without it. It shows that we belong to Him and
hear His voice.
1
Timothy 6
Vs. 1-2 Notice that Paul is concerned here with how
non-Christians viewed God as a result of the behavior of the saved slaves.
Vs. 3-5 There is a lot to observe here.
Notice that Paul didn't have an open mind regarding these
issues or these people. Timothy was to teach them and anyone who taught
otherwise was not only in the wrong, they were evil.
It looks like there were available copies of the Gospels and
Jesus' teachings. In fact, the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke would have
been finished and in circulation. There were already teachers disagreeing with
Jesus.
Finally, it looks like some people saw Christianity as a
good way to make a living.
Vs. 6-10 This
looks like the difference between people who are following Jesus in the harvest
and those who are living for themselves in church. Since Paul had access to the
Gospels, I'm sure this teaching matched what Jesus said in the Sermon on the
Mount. And as for what fell among the
thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by
the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. (Luke
8:14) Can you see this verse in what Paul is saying here? I think the thorns
are there also.
Vs. 11-12 Timothy was to be fully devoted. I think this
teaching is meant to be imitated by all of Jesus' disciples who are following
Him in the harvest. There are several sermons packed into these two verses.
Notice in v. 11, at the end of the list is gentleness.
The person who is the deepest in the Lord has the greatest security and control
in the storm.
There is a conscious fight in following the Lord in the
harvest every day. It is work to pick up the Bible, and it is work to carry the
message into the field. That is why the Lord said we needed to take up the
cross, our resolve to die for Him, every day. Take hold is the same as putting on the helmet of salvation. It is
living securely in that reality. You can take a lot of beating and strain if
you know you'll live forever with the King.
Vs. 13-16 This is the primary and strongest charge to
Timothy in the book. There is a lot to see here. If you look at what Jesus said
to Pilate, you understand that Jesus claimed to be the King. Actually, if you
put all of the accounts together, Jesus was fairly chatty. He never defended
Himself, but when it had to do with His kingship, He spoke. Notice too that the
coming of the Lord is mentioned in this charge. It is never to be out of our
sight.
Vs. 17-19 This wasn't meant to insure salvation for the
rich, but rather to show who was the real Lord and Master of their lives.
Notice that this fits into what Jesus says about riches in the Sermon on the
Mount. Take hold means living in the
reality of. If we have other things that are more important to us, then the
reality of the spiritual life, the Lord's leading and our mission on earth,
become strangely dim and foggy to us.
Vs. 20-21 Paul wouldn't have cautioned Timothy like this if
he hadn't seen the possibility that Timothy could get off track. All of us can
become unfocused or distracted or caught up in something that leads us away
from our work in the harvest. Just like us, Timothy was in constant need of
grace.
Whatever had
happened in Ephesus and whatever was brewing in that post-Acts period of time
was used by the Lord to give us this book and the one that follows. We are
seeing a first-generation disciple working with a second-generation disciple,
making disciples for the future. There is a lot of great Scripture in this
letter and in the next, but what is most obvious is how the love of Christ had
made Paul into this very passionate and wise maker of disciples. The same will
happen to us if we stay close to the Lord in His Word and in the harvest.
But he
who is joined to the Lord becomes
one spirit with him. (1 Cor. 6:17)
Psalm
89:38-52
Now we get to the real pain of this psalm. It looks like it
was written after the destruction of Jerusalem. We are about to read about this
destruction in Jeremiah. This psalm could have been written in Babylon or in
the days of the first groups that returned to the ruined Jerusalem after the
exile.
Vs. 38-45 If you want to follow the trail of destruction and
judgment, just underline you.
Vs. 46-48 This is a short description of our helplessness in
this universe without the Lord.
Vs. 49-52 As he waited on God to restore and fulfill His
promises, the psalmist never forgot the steadfast
love of the Lord and to bless the Lord for His faithfulness. God had made a promise to Adam and Eve, to Abraham,
and to David that a Savior would come; and it was guaranteed to happen because
all of those promises were anchored in the very character and person of God.
Vs. 50-51 This morning I was reading how Jesus was mocked
while He hung on the cross, while pouring out His soul for our redemption and
paying for our sins.
Proverbs
25:28
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.
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