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translations.
FEBRUARY 1
Exodus 13:17-15:18
Exodus 13:17-22
Vs. 17-18 The Lord led Israel, and in a way that made no sense to the
Egyptians or to anyone else.
What we should think about as disciples is when God leads us in a way
that makes no sense to others, He has His reasons. Our confidence should be in
following Him, not in knowing why or being able to explain why He seems to be
leading us into a dead-end.
Vs. 21-22 Introduced here is the cloud and the pillar of fire which
will be with them for another 40 years. Reading about these signs is so easy,
but their significance defies our imaginations in several ways. First, how
incredible it must have been to have these every day and night. They must have
been huge. Second, how incredible to see these every day and yet not trust God.
It makes the rebellion of the people very strange. God might be right. There
might be something very wrong with all of us that defies all reason. Sin is
incredible in its depth and power in us.
Exodus 14
Vs. 1-4 Notice how God is still coaching Moses. He is explaining, step
by step, what is going to happen.
There is a map of the possible route of the Exodus, in The Bible
Knowledge Commentary-OT, p. 253, that might help you to understand how God
led them.
Beginning at Rameses, they went south and then up north. You can see
the city of Migdol mentioned in v. 2. The Red Sea apparently was really the
Reed Sea, that is today’s Lake Ballah. I guess the words for "red"
and "reed" are as similar in Hebrew as they are in English. The
people were encamped facing across Lake Ballah toward Migdol. This must have
given Pharaoh the confidence to act rashly, thinking the people were sheep lost
in the wilderness.
Vs. 5-9 Pharaoh and his boys are mad. With a hardened heart, his
foolishness is intensified to the point of complete irrationality. If they
haven’t beaten God yet, why do they think this is a good move? But now, the
final step to Israel being without threat in the wilderness will be
accomplished. With this next defeat, the Egyptian military will be reduced to a
national police force just trying to rebuild and protect a ruined country.
Vs. 10-14 It is incredible to read these words from the people to Moses
in light of all the acts of God's power they have seen. And then, there is that
pillar of fire standing near them.
God says He will get glory from Pharaoh. When you read Romans 11, the
issue of God “using” Pharaoh (and the unbelieving in general) comes up. And
just to be fair, we all have a hard time imagining God twisting someone’s mind
to do His will without giving them a chance to believe. In all of what we
understand and do not understand, all the conflicting thoughts of God’s
election, foreknowledge and our freewill will come together and will prove, as
Paul says, “God’s righteousness.” In the angelic world God is in court and the
accuser searches God’s actions to see if He is playing according to the rules. I
think this is why the angels attest to God’s holiness. It’s not because they’re
assigned this duty for our sake, (for great verses and great songs); but for
them, and the issues at play in the angelic conflict, God’s holiness and
righteousness are important to them.
A key verse on this is Romans 9:22, What
if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured
with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? So here is my
thought. What if God, in His foreknowledge, knew that a child to be born would
never accept Him in faith and would always be in rebellion? In God’s vast
wisdom and planning and foreknowledge, He could surely move events around that
person and even use that person’s responses to His purposes. Paul’s point is
that God would have a price to pay also, that is, enduring the rebellion of
this person for 70 years. God could just “snuff him out.” If you’ve been a
school teacher or had a horrible tenant in a rental house, you’ll know enduring
this kind of rebellious person is not a delight. We think God can just “put
this out of His mind,” because He’s in outer space or someplace, but I don’t
think so. God is here and I think sin seriously grieves God. We’re just used to
it.
Also, regarding freewill and God’s ability to “direct” us, you wonder
what rights we really have. For example, in a recent election, they did surveys
on how different groups voted. There were the ethnic groups, and then gender
groups and religious groups, but I never found one on how the prison population
voted. I’m sure that would have been a substantial block of people, and it
would be interesting to see what issues were important to them and, so, how
they voted. Oh, that’s right, they can’t vote. They lost the right to vote
because of their crimes. In all societies, those guilty of crimes lose rights
and often their freedom. They have the basic rights (basic defined by the
culture) but many freedoms are removed. We’re “guilty” too, right?
Now, if you look at the entire scope of things biblically, that is, “in
reality,” our biggest foe is Satan, standing before God and proving, by what we
do, that we deserve judgment and death. Whatever role Satan was supposed to
have for good has been used by him for evil, giving him power when we mess up,
like giving the board of directors the right to run the company because the
true owner is in jail (and they put him there). Along with this, God had to
save us, not violating any rules of righteousness and justice. Satan watches
this. Yet God does have the right, since we are guilty before Him, to direct us
and manage us just like you would direct people in prison who have lost their
rights because of their crimes. For those who will never trust or obey Him, He
is perfectly free to direct as He pleases. Look at Pharaoh, the wealthiest and
most powerful man on earth at that time. All of that privilege was also from
God. He hardened his own heart against God. He was already in rebellion, and
that being the case, God made it worse and engineered Pharaoh’s actions, as a
guilty man, to lead to God’s glory. Anyway, that’s just my take on things.
Again, I wonder how the people of Israel could doubt God when there was
a pillar of cloud/fire right there with them. Miracles do not make people
believe. Sometimes they only expose the heart of unbelief.
Note that instead of crying out to the Lord, they go after Moses.
Vs. 15-18 This is an amazing event, and the lesson for us as disciples
is to follow the Lord no matter what. God can deliver.
Notice again how God coaches Moses and assures him.
Vs. 19-20 Here the angel of God,
in the cloud, went between the Egyptians and Israel. Notice too that it was
dark on one side and gave light on the other. For an interesting note on the
pillar and the angel of God (angel of
the Lord), look at 1 Corinthians 10:4.
Vs. 21-31 People make a lot of the wind and the role it played as if to
explain this by the wind. This was just a flat out miracle. God provided a wide
path in the sea for at least 2 million people to cross (600,000 men plus women
and children). The wind may have dried the surface, but if it was strong enough
to push back the sea, it would have been strong enough to blow the people away.
Pharaoh was totally irrational in following. Not one of the soldiers
survived. Egypt was ruined.
Exodus 15:1-18
If the people had had hearts of devotion to God, this would have been
very meaningful. In that it was inspired by the Spirit, it shows great things
about God. In many respects, this looks a lot like the kind of praise David
expressed toward God.
Also, there is another group that will sing this song of Moses. They
are found in Revelation 15. Can you see the connection between their situation
and the event here and why it would be fitting for them to be singing this
song?
V. 13 Notice the mention of God's steadfast
love. That is much like David.
Vs. 14-16 The effect of this and everything that had happened in Egypt
is that the nations feared the Lord. When the people get to Jericho forty years
from now, that fear will still be present in Jericho.
Vs. 17-18 Again, in David's praise there is often the mention of God's
presence and sanctuary and the Lord reigning forever.
This song is very heartfelt, I’m sure, but the people will soon forget
all this and complain. Emotion is never the measure of true devotion and
commitment to God. Being a disciple means giving up your life to follow Christ
in the harvest. Following Christ has less to do with emotion than raw devotion,
love and faith. I love emotion, but seeing this reaction of the people and
seeing how much the church loves worship, but is allergic to reaching lost
people, I don’t put any weight on great bands and worship in church. I think we
are conditioned to think that feeling gushy toward Jesus is the goal. Jesus
says, “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?”
And below, there is a parable to this effect.
Matthew 21:23-46
Vs. 23-27 I remember reading this the first time and identifying with
the irrational hardness of heart of the Pharisees. They were afraid to give a
straight answer, weighing the options.
Vs. 28-32 This parable underscores Jesus’ first principle of
discipleship: obedience - not emotion, following - not talking. This was very
true and you can imagine that the Pharisees were not happy with what Jesus said
here.
Vs. 33-41 I’ve often thought that this entire scenario is irrational on
the part of the people running the vineyard. Why would they get the land if
they killed the heir? There is no rational reason. In the same way, when
suppressing the truth is the goal, there is no rationality. We might see this
on the part of unchurched people where it is pitiable and understandable. Where
it hits us the hardest, as disciples, is when you see this kind of suppression
and irrationality on the part of believers, churches and leaders. I have been
in churches where there was no fruit, but rather a rigid, self-righteous
guarding of the truth and church tradition. It was as if they knew nothing of
the love of Christ and true mission of the bride. If Jesus had shown up, they
probably would have opposed Him and thrown Him out.
V. 41 It is interesting to see that the Pharisees were totally engaged
in the story and wanted to judge those tenants too.
Vs. 42-46 They realized that Jesus had spoken this against them. They
were the tenants and were also fulfilling a part of the Old Testament prophecies.
Interestingly, they didn't arrest Jesus because they, again, were weighing the
options.
Psalm 26
As disciples, following our Savior in the harvest, can we bow our heads
and say these words to Him with this sincerity and meaning?
Vs. 1-5 Isn't it interesting how similar this sounds to Psalm 1?
Vs. 6-8 These verses mention something important to David and to us,
praising God and being close to Him. Whether we find it in a room or in a chair
in a corner, I think it needs to be the constant yearning of a disciple to be
close, confined, connected to Christ, quiet and alone, to enjoy His presence. As
important as the harvest is, the strength of our hearts, what gives us the
ability to withstand the conflict and pressure of this earth, is quietness with
the Lord, with His Word, in prayer in that place where we meet Him.
Vs. 9-12 Again, David is crying out and sees his hope and confidence in
the Lord.
Proverbs 6:16-19
So, as a disciple, which of these do you need to avoid? I found a
couple.
Please Read
the Following Disclaimer
I'm writing the Reading Notes to and
for those who are following a One Year Bible and are 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, that is, 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 and important discipleship manual we have and it is the 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, or whom we are to be following. 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, as disciples, 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, making disciples in the harvest.
If you would like a more descriptive
commentary that is still readable and concise, I'd recommend the Bible Knowledge Commentary (BKC).
I read the BKC in doing background for the Reading Notes and refer to it quite
often. I also make reference to maps or charts in the BKC, though I will only
note where those resources can be found. Often you can do a search for these
and find them in Google books. Buying both volumes of the Bible Knowledge
Commentary would be a good idea.
I am not endorsing any particular
One Year Bible translation; in fact, I read something you probably don't, Die
Revidierte Lutherbibel, 1984. Unless noted, all Scripture quotes are from the
ESV Bible.
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. Often there is a breadth of opinion on certain events, both
historical and prophetic. Many of my views come from my church background,
theological training and my personal study.
I'm
doing this with discipleship in mind, meaning, I'm writing out thoughts that
will keep discipleship and our growth as disciples applied to what we are
reading. Remember, the real focus of the Reading Notes is to be a
supplement, a disciple’s commentary, giving motivation and insight so that we
will keep following our Lord in the harvest, reaching the lost and making
disciples, who make disciples. Being in
the Word every day, sitting at Jesus’ feet, learning directly from Him, is the
essential essence of being and making disciples.
May the Lord bless you as you follow Him in the
harvest, reaching the lost and making disciples, who make disciples. Dan
If you would like documents
containing an entire month of the Reading Notes, go to https://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes.
If you would like a full
presentation of discipleship read Simply
Disciples*Making Disciples.
Or if you are struggling with
insomnia and would like a long boring dissertation on disciple making, these
can both be found on https://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes.
Reading Notes ©, Dan Kachikis
2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018
The One Year Bible © by
Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton Illinois 60189
The Holy Bible, English
Standard Version® (ESV®) Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of
Good News Publishers.
All charts/graphics/outlines
from the Bible Knowledge Commentary are used with the permission of David C.
Cook.
© 1983, 2001 John F Walvoord and Roy B Zuck.
The Bible Knowledge Commentary is published by David C Cook.
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