NOVEMBER 22
Ezekiel
44-45:12
I’m sure there
is a lot we don’t understand yet about life and living during the thousand-year
reign of Christ on earth. In fact, we know practically nothing about it. In
these chapters we are given a glimpse into what is going on, in and around the
temple. In some respects, all of this detail gives us some idea of what the
Lord will be doing with Israel and with the world.
Israel will
fulfill their obedience before the Lord and be a witness to all other nations
for those thousand years. The sacrifices will be a memorial remembrance to
Christ’s sacrifice. Although their “religious” lifestyle might look burdensome
to the world, there will be amazing blessing in Israel. Those with discerning
hearts will see that it is not a blessing borne of works, but borne out of a
relationship with their King. Their obedience will be out of love and
gratitude, not out of payment for a service. The nations, who will all be
rebuilding their cities and governments, will need assistance and will come to
Israel for healing and to draw near to the visible Lord God of Israel. Faith in
Christ will still be a choice.
Ezekiel 44
Vs. 1-3 This
east gate of the temple has not been made yet, so it isn’t that closed, golden
gate you sometimes see in the wall of Jerusalem. That golden gate might be what
Jesus will use to enter Jerusalem, but this temple will not have been built
when He returns. This gate will be off limits, because the glory of God will
enter the temple through it. Only the prince of the people, David, will be able
to use it.
Vs. 4-8 As God
gives Ezekiel these instructions, it is still present time. The people had
desecrated all that God had given them and all that was holy. By doing so, they
had held God up to scorn for the nations. Therefore, there is a sense of
judgment and harshness in these words. Those who serve the Lord in that temple
will not need these words of caution. Most of those listening to Ezekiel speak
will never return to Israel, and many will only see a temple (those early
chapters of Ezra) that was the shadow of the glory of Solomon’s temple. These
words then are first, a rebuke to the exiles, but second a revelation to give
Israel hope as a nation, that they will someday have a glorious future in
service to God.
Vs. 9-14 Notice
that circumcision will still be practiced as the sign of the covenant with
Abraham, that is, a sign of the faith of Abraham. But even more importantly, no
one will be able to come before God with a false heart. There won't be any
politicking with Jesus.
The Levites
will still serve in the temple, but because of their past transgressions, none
but the sons of Zadok will be able to come before the Lord. It seems
interesting to think that there will still be distinctions between people with
Jesus present, but these 1000 years serve more than one point for all of
mankind. The fact that the Jews will serve before God and that the nations will
still be the “Gentiles” shows that, in humility, people will have to seek
Christ and understand and trust Him. And even now in the church, we have human
distinctions based on God’s choice of leaders and His assignment of gifts.
Vs. 15-27 These
are the priests, the sons of Zadok,
who come before the Lord in the temple. As you read this, take note of the
detail. I wonder what that table is for. It is mentioned again. I wonder why
they can’t sweat. Will there be air conditioning?
The job of the
priest as described in vs. 23 & 24 is interesting. This is the opposite of
the effect the priests had on the people in the time of Jesus.
Vs. 28-31 We
have often read that the priests would have no inheritance, but that God would
be their inheritance. Their joy was to serve in His presence and their trust
was to have been in His sole provision. I think this service and inheritance
foreshadows the life of a disciple.
Luke 12:32-36 Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the
kingdom. 33Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not
grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail,
where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. 34For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. 35Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps
burning, 36and be like men who
are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that
they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks.
Mark 10:28-30 Peter began to say to him, “See, we have left everything and followed
you.” 29Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or
mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, 30who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and
children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.
Ezekiel 45
Vs. 1-8 This
will be the land that is designated for the city, the prince, the priests and
the Levites. Apparently it will extend from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan
and will encompass the city of Jerusalem.
V. 8 These
princes are still future and they will help rule, or judge, Israel. If you are
asking me, I believe we know the names of these princes. Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the
Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also
sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” (Matt. 19:28)
Vs. 9-12 So who
are these princes? God seems to be referring to the conduct of the past kings
and present exiled leaders. The only prince that has been mentioned up to now
is David, who will rule the city and country as the king. This passage then
seems to be a rebuke to the leaders, as represented in all of the kings and
leaders up to this point. Remember that if you look at the northern and
southern kingdoms of Israel together, you find a lot of kings; and most of
these were horrible shepherds who fleeced the sheep. God will assign the prince
his portion so that he will not take land or stuff from the people. In a way,
this is more of an object lesson to the people present with Ezekiel, because
I’m sure that David won’t abuse his privileges and neither will the twelve
disciples. The mention of honest measurement might be literal, as in how the
leaders cheated the people who brought their tithes and taxes; or it could be a
reference to the dishonesty of their hearts. In both cases, that will never be
the situation in the future when the Messiah reigns over the world.
You can see
that after the harvest of our times, there will still be a last period of time
where people will have to make a choice for Christ. During that time there will
still be death and there will be sickness, but the cures for all of these will
be in Jerusalem. The nation of Israel will be the light, and the King on the
throne will be the Savior. And who knows what we'll be doing. Some of us might
be getting some much needed R&R, and others might be helping by teaching
and by helping rebuild a very tattered earth. After the rapture, the
Tribulation, and the beginning of the Millennial Kingdom, we might find
ourselves still employed in the harvest, teaching and helping others, but we'll
be fully resurrected in Christ. (Rev. 20:6)
1 Peter
1:1-12
We haven’t
heard from Peter in months. At the time of writing this letter, Peter was now a
very seasoned apostle, having served for more than 30 years after the
resurrection of Christ. It seems that this letter was written to all Christians
scattered throughout the Roman Empire. This letter is probably written sometime
between the beginning of Nero’s persecutions in 64 A.D. and Peter’s death at
Nero’s hand in 67 A.D.
Like James,
this letter is written to encourage Christians in the harvest who were having
to endure very tough times. Doesn’t it seem like endurance in following Christ
is becoming a constant theme in the Word? We saw it in Hebrews, in James and
now here. But then, we also saw endurance in faith in Paul’s life and in his
letters. And we saw it in the life of Jesus. The Lord let His disciples know
from the beginning that this life in the harvest wouldn’t be easy. Many of
Jesus' disciples left Him. During this time in the church, many were leaving.
And even today, many people hang around church and make the right noises only
because everything in the west is so easy and non-confrontational. In our
western culture, if we don’t live as a witness for Christ, who cares? Believing
is totally easy and the requirements of following Christ are few. Just stay out
of trouble.
But Jesus
invited people to walk as He walked and to suffer as He suffered in the
harvest. For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you
should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, engaged in the
same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have. (Phil. 1:29-30)
The point of
remaining on earth is to reach the lost and to make disciples, that is, being
witnesses and followers of Christ. On this planet, that means opposition. If we
give up and don’t learn to endure in our faith, we miss God’s purpose for us.
We miss seeing His grace in the lives of those who are saved and then become disciples,
who make disciples. We miss the work that only He can do in our hearts unless
we only have Him to depend upon. And worst of all, we miss getting to know Him
and having Him and the Father make their home with us. See John 14:21-23.
Vs. 1-2 Since
we are reading of the temple in Ezekiel, remember that everything that was holy
and to be used in the service of the Lord was sprinkled with blood. There are
also references like this in Hebrews. Peter is trying to encourage disciples
who are beginning to face a hard persecution.
Vs. 3-5 There
is a lot to observe here, but for me the comment in v. 5, that our faith guards
us, is important. Peter will develop this.
Vs. 6-7 Notice
that the testing, or proving, or strengthening, of faith is valuable and
important. Notice the word necessary,
referring to God’s choice for them. Notice also that not only does our faith
protect us, but when it is proven, instead of bitterness and dejectedness, our
faith, in the present and in the future, projects glory and praise to Christ.
How often have we read that disciples shouldn’t complain about anything if we
believe God truly is in control and if the Holy Spirit guides our steps each
day?
Vs. 8-9 And
this is why we don’t complain. It is because we are in love with the Lord we
follow.
Vs. 10-12 It is
interesting how Peter is encouraging them. I was reading yesterday that as
Jesus was observing the joy of the 70 and was teaching, at one point, He turned
to the Twelve and said privately to them, For
I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did
not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it. (Luke 10:24)
Jesus was telling them what a privilege they had received. Peter, remembering
that day, was telling these people, and us, what a privilege it is to know
Jesus and to be following Him in the harvest at a time like this.
Psalm
119:17-32
So, you’ve read
this amazing psalm already once this year. But now, you’ve got a lot more of
the Bible under your belt. As you read and make observations, notice how David
begins to weave his feelings of distress and suffering and depression into his
prayer. It is the Word that is strengthening David to get up every day.
Vs. 17-24
Notice how the first verse sets the tone of this section. To be dealt with
bountifully meant to receive God's protection of his life. In the midst of all
the threats to David during this short journey on earth, the Word became
David's delight.
Vs. 25-32 My soul clings to the dust may be an
expression regarding the frailty and sinfulness of the flesh, similar to Paul's
Wretched man that I am. The life
David needed was in the Word. Notice in v. 26 that there was the recognition of
relationship, that God was answering David out of the Word. In all of this
there is a sense of desperately pursuing God.
It seems pretty
obvious to me, that just like people who are clinically sick physically, sin
makes us spiritually bi-polar and clinically at risk. We need our meds constantly,
every day. We are only kidding ourselves if we skip the Word or get hooked on
secondary sources. It is the Word that is alive. This spiritual sickness we
have doesn’t require intermittent care, but rather, constant care; and that
spiritual care we need is the daily input of the Word of God. Accept no
substitutes.
Proverbs
28:8-10
V. 8 seems to
say that God will make sure that what this guy idolized is properly distributed
to aid others.
V. 9 This could
be that same guy, but now he is religious. He is religious and now leading
God's little ones to stumble/sin. (Matt. 18:6)
V. 10 This
could still be that same guy, but God reminds us again that following the Lord
will be rewarded in the end and that He will protect His own.
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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