DECEMBER 15
Not only are you closing in on the end of the year, but you
are closing in on having read The One Year Bible for a year. Today you
begin the 33rd book of the Old Testament with only six more books to go. If you
are still reading, even struggling, God will reward you, so keep going.
Christmas chocolates and cookies might help.
Micah
1-4
One of the challenges reading the minor
prophets is to pay attention and try to understand what makes this messenger
unique. After a while, it just seems like "Blah, blah, blah, blah, oh,
blah, blah, blah, blah, sickness, sorrow and despair, people dying everywhere,
blah, blah, blah, blah, oh, blah, blah, blah, blah." Reading the Bible
every year gives you the basic events. What we don't often understand is the
working behind those events. For example, Cyrus sent the people back to
Jerusalem to build the temple, but how did God move him to do that? Then, when
you put Daniel 5 & 6 next to that event, you understand how God moved Cyrus
and you see the glory and grace of God.
The same is true with Micah. Micah has
some "standalone" bright spots, that is, a few verses dealing with
Jesus' birth and one passage dealing with devotion to God. Yet, we have
something in Jeremiah that shows us how God actually used Micah and his messages.
Micah
of Moresheth prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and said to all
the people of Judah: ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, Zion shall be plowed as a
field; Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins, and the mountain of the house a
wooded height.’ Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put him to death? Did
he not fear the LORD and entreat the favor of the LORD, and did not the LORD
relent of the disaster that he had pronounced against them? But we are about to
bring great disaster upon ourselves. (Jeremiah 26:18-19)
So, you wonder how it was that Hezekiah
was spiritually ready to stand against the massive force of Assyria coming
against Jerusalem. It was Micah. Sure, it might also have been God working in
Joel and the grasshoppers. Hezekiah had Isaiah close at hand too, but it was
definitely the influence of these messages by Micah that helped Hezekiah. These
seven chapters are full of judgments, but they also have some great promises to
the future glory of Israel. In that sense, they fit nicely with our reading in
Revelation.
Remember to look at the chart, “Kings
of Judah and Israel and the Preexilic Prophets.” (This is in the December Reading
Notes found at https://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes)
Micah 1
V. 1 This message is mainly to Israel,
the northern kingdom, but notice how God says that their sickness has infected
Judah and come to Jerusalem.
Vs. 2-4 What do you think about this
call to all the peoples of the earth? Notice that the temple is immediately in
view and is, so to speak, the center of the world. The Lord's judgment will
begin with His own people. Again, Israel is serving the world as a lesson, but
very few people or nations are paying attention.
V. 5 This seems to say that both of
these cities are guilty. Calling Jerusalem a high place was a way of chiding Judah for the idolatry that had
been, and would be, practiced there.
Vs. 6-9 This judgment of Israel by
Assyria will come to the gate of Jerusalem. We know from 2 Kings 18 & 19
that the Assyrians came, they saw, they threatened, they taunted God and they
went home broken.
Vs. 10-16 When Assyria swept Israel away,
they also came into the kingdom of Judah and took cities and villages. The
names of some of these places were in Judah, but God only allowed Assyria to
come to the gate of Jerusalem.
Micah 2
The message, perhaps years later than
chapter 1, came during the time of Hezekiah and was aimed at Judah.
Vs. 1-5 This seems to cite some of the
sins of the people, probably the rich.
Vs. 6-11 This is a word against the
false prophets who told the people what they wanted to hear. Verse 6 shows the
message of the false prophets against the true prophets. In the minds of the
false prophets, the people needed good news, not bad news. In v. 11 you have
the false preachers again, probably citing both their wages and their
inspiration.
Vs. 12-13 This is not only a note to
future blessing, but within it, it is a threat that only a remnant of them will
be saved.
Micah 3
Vs. 1-4 This is God's judgment of the rulers of Jerusalem and Judah. The
leaders used the people for their own advantage.
Vs. 5-7 Naturally, this disrespect of
God was powered by false prophets.
V. 8 The lies told to the people must
have gotten Micah's blood boiling.
Vs. 9-12 This is what was quoted in
Jeremiah 26 and was directed to King Hezekiah. Like the king of Nineveh, but
unlike the kings of Israel, Hezekiah took this to heart and repented.
Micah 4
Because of the salvation to Jerusalem
that Hezekiah's response would bring, God discloses this future blessing.
Vs. 1-4 You not only have the Messiah,
but also peace and prosperity. Notice how the Messiah is associated with the
Word.
V. 5 This is a present contrast between
the moment Micah was writing and what the future will hold for Israel.
Vs. 6-8 God will take weak Israel and
make them a witness and leader for the nations.
Vs. 9-12 This is a very quick confirmation
that Judah will go into exile in Babylon, but will also be returned, not only
to Jerusalem, but to usefulness for the Lord.
V. 13 I guess you could title this
"Victory in Jesus."
So, remember that the force of this
really convicted Hezekiah. If you look at the context of the passage in
Jeremiah, if the events were similar, Hezekiah might even have been moved to
anger against Micah when he first heard this. If so, Hezekiah humbled himself
and obeyed the Word that the Lord spoke through Micah.
Revelation
6
For me, the best way to understand
Revelation is chronologically; that is, most of the events happen one after
another. There are a few exceptions, but it seems to be the way things are laid
out by the Spirit. You have the church, then the introduction of the Ancient of
Days, then comes the Lamb to take the scroll and then He opens the seals, then
come the trumpets and then the bowls, etc. Then comes the end.
Since I'm not God and since no one
really fully understands this book, I'll suggest some order to things, but I
reserve the right to change my mind later as the Spirit makes things clearer to
me.
Vs.
1-2 So though we know what the white
horse means, we don't really understand how it fits to the Tribulation.
Since this sounds a lot like Jesus in Revelation 19:11, I'm going to suggest
this “could” be the Lord taking the church. The church finishing its mission
would be considered conquerors. The church gets taken at the beginning of the
Tribulation and this guy doesn't seem to have any negative connotations or to
be inflicting disaster on the earth. This
is just a guess. Of course, if a lot of people suddenly disappeared off
the face of the earth, it would not only make the evening news, it would create
a lot of havoc worldwide. It would also be that sign that would cause Israel to
wake up, to be "jealous" of the church and to come to faith in
Christ. Their wake-up call will come when the number of the Gentiles (the
church) is complete. (Romans 11:25-26) In my view here, which is just
supposition, Jesus doesn’t need arrows for warfare like He will in Revelation
19:11 because this visit is to “conquer” by taking His Church.
On
the other hand, many also see the white horseman as the anti-christ. Since none
of the other riders are identified with a real person, it is also a lot of theological
“supposing.” The definite point here, in any case, is that this rider begins
the Tribulation.
Vs. 3-4 Now this second seal and horseman do create disaster on the earth. This
could be the anarchy created after so many believers from every country are
removed. (Matthew 24:6-8)
Vs. 5-6 The third seal and the black horse bring financial chaos and famine on
the earth. This will make what's happening in the U.S. and in Europe today look
like a picnic.
Vs. 7-8 A very simple thing like a
plague, a flu, a divine something, will wipe out a quarter of the earth's
population. That would be about 1.75 billion people. That is more than the
population of India. Compared to that number, the U.S. is just a drop in the
bucket. And imagine the disease and disorder that will come from that. Imagine
the disorder when politicians, doctors, pilots, and geeks who keep the internet
going are suddenly sick and dying. We humans think we are so big.
Vs. 9-11 This fifth seal is a call for justice, or God's vengeance, I believe it
is from those martyred for Christ since His resurrection to that day. What will
follow in the Tribulation will be the slaughter of God's people, the
Tribulation saints, because they name the name of Christ and/or protect the
Jews. I think this persecution of believing Jews and followers of Christ will
begin soon after the beginning of the Tribulation and will intensify during the
final 3.5 years. (Matthew 24:9-13)
Vs. 12-16 This is only the sixth of seven seals. I don't know if
this is a result of the call for justice from those saints or whether this is a
stand-alone curse on the earth. Whatever it is it will look like the natural
result from the earthquake or volcano or both. It could be that the atmosphere
of the earth will be changed because of volcanic ash or something. Yet, there
could also be a spiritual or cosmic element to this too. It looks like the
heavens and the stars are affected as well. The result will be so devastating
and make people feel so emotionally helpless and distraught that they will wish
for death. There will be no place to hide, and they will hate the two
witnesses, but they will understand that this is from the Lord.
Now as a note here, somewhere in all of
this are the actions of the two witnesses. They might come after the sealing of
the 144,000. They will be like Aaron and Moses, walking around in Jerusalem and
being the human agency that calls down the wrath of God on the earth, as the
seals are broken in heaven.
Also, it is interesting to note that
Jesus said that as soon as the Tribulation begins, normal life will end.
Weddings, business ventures, and having a good time at the mall will all cease.
If you can imagine the trauma of these first six seals, you can see there will
be great fear, anxiousness and disorder on the planet. And, the real fun hasn't
even begun. This is designed by God as a last effort to prepare the hearts of
men to trust Christ, while also bringing a much deserved judgment against
mankind. Tomorrow we'll meet the missionary force sent out into this dark time
of harvest. Then we'll see that the judgment of the earth is just, in that
those who reject the message will show their hearts by taking out their anger
against God on those who follow Christ.
Psalm
134
Vs. 1-3 This looks like a song of the
pilgrims approaching Jerusalem to inspire the priests and the Levites who would
stand before them and the Lord.
It would be good today if people would
appreciate, trust and follow their leaders who are truly shepherding them into
the harvest, reaching the lost and making disciples, who make disciples.
Proverbs 30:1-4
I don't think Agur
is being too humble here. I think that the closer we walk with the Lord, the
more amazed we are with the depth of our depravity and the wonder of God's help
to us. What would we do without the Word and the Spirit daily in our lives?
While claiming he is too human to have wisdom, Agur suddenly
says something that is very amazing. You kind of wonder who that son is that Agur mentions. Here is
something Jesus said. This is pretty cool.
No one has ascended into
heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.
(John 3:13)
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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