NOVEMBER 14
Ezekiel 29-30
I was caught
off guard by this reading. I've been reading like this since 1995, and what I
read today sent me thinking. I finally saw something that was right in the
text, but I had never paid attention to it. I'll mention it when we get there.
Ezekiel 29
Vs. 1-12
According to 2 Kings 25:1-3, the siege of Jerusalem began on 9.10.10, that is,
the ninth year (of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign) in the tenth month on the tenth day.
The city would be taken on 11.4.9, exactly a year and a half later. Notice when
this judgment is given. 10.10.12 would be the tenth year in the tenth month on
the twelfth day (January 5, 587 B.C.). The siege had been going for a year and
there were only six months to go.
Vs. 6-9 Notice
why this punishment is promised. Egypt was one of those nations that enticed
Judah to break off their relationship with Babylon. Egypt promised them
protection in spite of what God told the people through the prophets.
Vs. 9-10 It was
typical back then to see the king as a little god or the god's man on earth.
You see this as far in history as Rome, and I tend to think that the Roman
Catholic Church borrowed the idea with the pope (especially in light of Matt.
23:9). God always opposed this kind of arrogance, especially since He is the
Creator.
Also, keep
underlining know that I am the Lord.
Even as this phrase is used in this section, it raises some interesting
questions.
Vs. 13-16 Egypt
would also be taken into captivity and allowed to return after 40 years. Their
return would coincide with the return of Israel. Notice too, that they would
never again be a world power.
Vs. 17-20 This
is the defeat of Egypt. Notice the time marker. It is now 27.1.1 (April 26, 571
B.C.). This is 16 years later and still a couple of years (about 568 B.C.)
before Nebuchadnezzar set up his throne over those rocks that Jeremiah buried.
This is what really got me thinking. When Jeremiah buried those stones in
Jeremiah 43:10, he told the people who were in rebellion that God would bring
Nebuchadnezzar to Egypt to destroy it and to judge them, but that judgment
wouldn't come for another 15-18 years. They must have thought that Jeremiah
(and God) were nuts as the years kept slipping away and nothing happened. That
is almost the same amount of time from the first time Nebuchadnezzar entered
Jerusalem, mildly looting the temple and taking Daniel and others as prisoners,
to the destruction of Jerusalem. It just made me think how patient God is, on
the one hand, and how He uses time and silence to build and prove and test our
faith (or lack of faith) in His Word.
After
Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem in 586, he went back to work on Tyre. Neb
never could defeat the city, but it did surrender in about 572. Since there
must have been an agreement for peace, and since the city fathers had shipped
off the wealth of the city to an undisclosed location, Nebuchadnezzar had
nothing to pay his troops. So, they went to Egypt. Neb had already broken the
power of Egypt, so it was an easy victory and the place was full of riches
(gold, silver, iPads, flat screen TVs, etc.) for his men.
V. 21 It is
hard to fully understand what this verse is saying. The mention of a horn usually has something to do with a
deliverer or king. One guess would be that when Zerubbabel (of the house of
David) led the first group of exiles back to Israel, he read from Ezekiel when
they arrived in Jerusalem.
Ezekiel 30
Vs. 1-4 These
verses have a Tribulation/ end-times feeling and might have some connection to
v. 21. Egypt will receive millennial blessing.
Vs. 5-19 Back
to God's judgment on Egypt by Nebuchadnezzar. Notice vs. 8 and 19. There are
still two more to come in this chapter.
Vs. 20-26 This
would be about April 29, 587. During the siege of Jerusalem, Egypt challenged
Nebuchadnezzar and Neb left Jerusalem for a short time. If you remember, it was
during this time in Jerusalem that the wealthy reclaimed their slaves. But Neb
"broke the arms" of Egypt and returned to finish up with Jerusalem,
knowing that Egypt wouldn't be a threat any longer.
Hebrews 11:32-12:13
I guess the
question in this section is, "How long do you pursue God in faith?"
The answer is found in all the faithful examples of the lives to which the author
is about to refer.
Hebrews
11:32-40
Vs. 32-39
You'll notice that vs. 32-34 seem positive and the rest seem negative. But if
you look into the lives of David and the prophets, there was a lot of
"negative" for them to endure too, as they followed in faith.
V. 37 Tradition
has it that Isaiah was sawn in two by King Manasseh.
V. 38 This
wandering could have been David or Elijah or others or all of them together.
V. 39 This is
something Jesus mentioned, that many prophets and kings longed to see what the
disciples saw, but didn't see it.
V. 40 The
fulfillment was in Jesus, and we have tasted the first fruit of this blessing,
which is also the fulfillment of their faith. They held on through long,
difficult times, following in faith, living and dying for their faith.
Obviously the writer and the Spirit are saying that these people (and we too)
ought to do the same.
Hebrews 12:1-13
Vs. 1-2 The
running of this race in faith with
endurance is defined and modeled by our Savior. If you unpack these verses
you know what a disciple is supposed to do on earth. What would you say a
disciple is supposed to do?
Vs. 3-4 Jesus
is the model of living, and living by faith. The question of "how
long" is answered in Jesus: to the death. The Hebrew readers of this
letter had not yet gone that far.
Vs. 5-11 The
word discipline means "child
training," so this isn't strictly punitive. It is comprehensive training
as any parent would do in teaching and nurturing a child. Notice the
alternating examples of our earthly fathers and God.
V. 10 This holiness isn't just "purity,"
but also being set apart to God and His purpose.
V. 11 It is OK
not to feel good when God is teaching us. Just as we learned in Job, it is
knowing the goodness of the Lord as revealed in His Word, and knowing He is
totally wise that gives us the endurance to hold on in faith. Job did it. All
the people in Hebrews 11 did it. Jesus did it. Therefore, the Hebrews (and we)
should do it too.
V. 12-13 This
is a warning. If a person allows a weak faith to wreck them, their hurt can
grow deeper, to the place of shipwrecking their faith and taking them away from
God's rest and blessing, possibly for the duration of their time on earth.
We've seen this expressed by the writer in other ways. Paul and Jesus said the
same things.
Psalm 112
This is a great
psalm and must have been written by someone who had gone through deep trials
and darkness, but endured by faith and proved God to be true to His Word. This
song, and its confidence, is the result.
Vs. 1 This sets
the tone and subject of the psalm. This is about a person who fears the Lord and lives in His commandments. Psalm 1 and Psalm
119 give the idea of always meditating on the Word.
Vs. 2-3 The
person will have and leave a godly heritage. Notice that v. 3 is a refrain in
this psalm that marks the changing of the subject.
Vs. 4-6 This
person also brings God's truth, and with it, all the character of God, His
graciousness, mercy and love. He brings God's justice. He is remembered
forever.
Vs. 7-9 His
heart is secure and he is unwavering, helping those around him. He will be
honored .
V. 10 This is
also kind of like how Psalm 1 ends.
This is a lot
of encouragement to stay in God's Word. That is exactly what we're doing.
Proverbs 27:17
Sounds like a
great title for a book. This assumes that the men are godly men. This is
exactly what Jesus meant by making disciples. But, He also cautioned that a
disciple is not above his teacher. We ourselves need to become the kind of iron
that can sharpen other iron. That's what we're trying to do here.
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment