OCTOBER 30
This is another big day because you are beginning Hebrews.
Lamentations
2:20-3:66
Lamentations 2:20-22
Even though God had warned the people that this is what
would happen if they rejected Him, and even though He did everything He could
to try to help them, it was still hard for Jeremiah to watch it all take place.
Remember that rejecting God isn't just a "right or wrong" thing. The
further a person or culture walks away from God, the sicker the heart becomes
and the more distorted behavior becomes in that sickness. They had become a
sick, cancerous society.
V. 20 Notice that two sacred things were violated: the
"holiness" of a mother and child and the "holiness" of the
priest in the temple. When sin rules there is no holiness or safe place.
V. 21 The young and the old were like the pride of a city, a
sign of prosperity and wellbeing. The young men and young women were like those
who are fruitful and bring the future. All were killed. The mention of dust is
interesting because you'll see that again in the psalm.
V. 22 This was a tragic, long foretold, grand event.
Lamentations 3
Vs. 1-20 This is Jeremiah's "a ministry in
review." No one would envy him. When I read v. 1, I always see, I am the man who has seen affliction. As
you go through this section underline he
and you'll find several divisions in The One Year Bible text. Each of
these divisions shows another poetic image of how Jeremiah felt. It will give
you a deeper appreciation of Jeremiah's years as a prophet and this trauma of
seeing all of the prophecies of judgment fulfilled before his eyes.
As we follow the Lord in the harvest, if we are close to Him
and bearing fruit, we should expect to identify with some of what Jeremiah
experienced and felt. Paul had a hard service. Jesus said that a disciple was
not above his teacher. Jesus was not treated kindly by those He came to save.
Yet, the flipside of the suffering was the blessing. Jesus was blessed as
foretold in Isaiah 53. Sharing the blessings of the gospel drove Paul on in his
service. And we're about to see that Jeremiah was blessed too, because of what
he learned about the Lord Himself.
Vs. 18-20 This seems to be as deep as you can go. Poor
Jeremiah.
Vs. 21-24 This seems to be as high as you can go. And, you
realize that Jeremiah could only say this with such reality and conviction,
because God had shown him Himself through all of what Jeremiah lived through in
vs. 1-20. As the old song goes, "you must go through the valley, to stand
upon the mountain of God."
Vs. 25-39 These seem like proverbs Jeremiah has learned in
all of his long work with the Lord and with the people. Some of this is written
in retrospect, thinking of how the people could have been more open to the Lord
and allowed themselves to be corrected and guided by Him. The ESV does a good
job of grouping the thoughts.
Vs. 25-27 This is what Jeremiah learned and what the people
rejected. This is something that every disciple in the harvest has to learn,
often through trial.
Vs. 28-30 Submitting to the Lord is not easy. We need to
recognize that our sin has to be dealt with and we need to be humbled. Learning
to live according to the new man and not the old often comes through mistakes
and God's correction. I have met many believers who will never do this because
of their pride and their vision of following Jesus that says everything is
about them and their welfare.
Vs. 31-33 And this is the hope we learn by allowing God to
humble us as we learn to follow. His love and faithfulness are proven again and
again in our lives. These lessons were deeply impressed on the soul of
Jeremiah.
Vs. 34-39 Verses 34-36 either express the injustice going on
in Israel, or they were charges brought against the Lord for allowing His
people to be punished by Babylon. But, God is true and doesn't approve of that
kind of stuff. Verses 37-39 give the answer that since God is the Most High, He can't be charged with evil
but He punishes evil. That punishment shouldn't be called unjust.
Vs. 40-42 Therefore Jeremiah calls the people to repent.
Vs. 43-47 Because God has done this….
Vs. 48-51 … Jeremiah will continue to weep and intercede for
his people and to live before the Lord. When I read this I think of the life of
Daniel, who lived with this same resolve and intensity before the Lord, praying
for his people.
Vs. 52-66 Yet Jeremiah suffered for following God. The very
nation he is crying for, at least that generation of them, made Jeremiah's life
and service hard. But God was with Jeremiah and saved him and judged them.
Underline you and you will see that
Jeremiah agreed with God's judgment of that generation.
What helped Jeremiah survive, and what helps us in the
harvest, is that our reward and nourishment is following the Lord. The Lord
Himself is the reward, not people, not results, only Him. He gives us energy
and hope and joy that cannot be taken away.
Hebrews
1
The letter to the Hebrews was probably written after the
events in the book of Acts (62 A.D.) and before the destruction of the temple
in Jerusalem (70 A.D.). No one knows what church this might have been. Though
it could have been a letter that circulated to a lot of cities and churches, it
seems to be addressed to a particular group in a particular place. The main
issue in the book is one we've seen come up in a few of Paul's letters, that
is, the temptation to bring more Jewish law into the practice of following
Christ. It seems that these Jewish Christians were being pressured by the local
community to slip back into the observance of the law.
The letter has a "sermonic" sense to it. Although
the argument is very logical, there is a feel to what is said, as if a formal,
public exposition is being made.
No one knows who wrote Hebrews. Paul would be a good guess
because of the very logical writing and the very deep knowledge of the
Scripture. Of all the NT writers, Paul is the only one we see with this bent.
People say that some of the style and word usage is different than Paul's; but
if this were a public sermon, that might account for the differences. The other
best guess is Barnabas. Barnabas was a Levite and it would explain the vast
knowledge of the OT. Other guesses range from Timothy to Apollos, although
Timothy, himself, is mentioned at the end of Hebrews.
From beginning to end, remember that this group of converted
Jews had once been very alive and willing to suffer for Christ. Now, after
these years, the rising of persecution had them reeling and wondering if maybe
a little "law" would really hurt, especially if it made the
persecution go away.
Hebrews 1:1-14
Vs. 1-2 As you read this you sense that this is a formal
beginning to a sermon. And you notice that a comparison is being made. Also, it
says we are in the last days.
Vs. 3-14 So, as you read this you already know that Jesus is
"better" than everything else, but what do you think might be some of
the underlying problems that are being addressed? If anyone thought Jesus was
just an angel made by God into a god, this section speaks against that. In this
section you see Jesus as fully God and fully man, born in the flesh, but
eternal. Also, if Jesus were just to be regarded as a good teacher or one of
many prophets, that would also be totally wrong.
Vs. 3-4 This is the summary of Jesus in His divinity, His
position as the human "Son of Man." The fact that Jesus sat down and
took that place was necessary to fulfill prophecy and to show that a son of
Adam could assume lawful, sinless authority over the world of men.
Vs. 5-6 Jesus is the Son who is worshipped. As Jesus said in
His temptation and confrontation with Satan, only God can be worshipped. God
said so.
Vs. 7-9 Notice the contrast. Angels are ministers of God,
but in v. 8 God calls Jesus, God.
Vs. 10-12 And this Son is eternal. Hold on to these verses
because you'll see them again very soon.
Vs. 13-14 Jesus sat down at the right hand of God. That is
amazing. The angels were created to serve those who would inherit eternal life.
Think of this too in terms of Satan overstepping his authority. I believe that
he was supposed to serve man, but through rebellion found a way to have
authority over mankind when Adam and Eve sinned.
Every day as I read the Gospels, I'm always humbled by the
very real challenge everyone had looking at that "unbeautiful" and
unattractive Jewish man, that tree root visible in the dry ground. They watched
Him work a wonder and heard Him say God was His Father. How could that little
Jewish guy be the one of whom it is said, All
things were made through him and without him was not any thing made that was
made (John 1:3)? Only by the grace and Spirit of God can we be privileged
to understand this, and know and serve Him in the harvest.
Psalm
102
Vs. 1-11 It looks to me like Jeremiah wrote a psalm. No,
actually it looks like this was written after the people returned to Jerusalem
after the exile. They were low and despised then too. It will take getting to
v. 12 to see that this comes from the returned exiles.
Vs. 12-17 Notice the focus on rebuilding Zion. Look at v. 14
and remember the dust in Lamentations 2:21. There is a future feel to these
verses because someday all nations will honor the Lord in Zion.
Vs. 18-22 This is being written for the next generation so
they will praise God. Sounds like they are interested in disciple making too.
This section also ends with a view to the end of time when the King rules.
Vs. 23-28 This is their present despair and their future
hope. What if I told you I can prove from this section that that hope is in the
redemptive plan of God and in the work of Jesus? How? Look at vs. 25-27. Now
look at Hebrews 1:10-12. Who are those verses in Hebrews talking about? Kind of
interesting, huh?
Proverbs
26:21-22
The destruction spoken of in these verses is incredible. The
image of fire is obvious, but the morsel that goes down deep is ten times
worse. When a lie becomes imbedded in a heart of a person or a culture, it may
never come out.
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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