If you don't
have a One Year Bible or prefer something online, this link will take you to
the day's reading, http://oneyearbibleonline.com/daily-oyb/. This
site allows you to select from several languages and several English
translations.
JANUARY 15
Genesis 31:17-32:12
This is an interesting story, but the drama was all unnecessary. Jacob
had been told by God to return to Canaan and he knew of the promise to Abe, but
being afraid and "helping God along" was just something Jacob did.
Jacob could have prayed about this and could have sought God to
"move" Laban's heart.
Genesis 31:17-55
Vs. 17-21 Road trip! Jacob "cleverly" waited until the right
moment and grabbed everything and left. In this, both Rachel and Jacob were
like Bonnie and Clyde. The word for stole
in v. 19 and tricked in v. 20 is the
same.
V. 19 The household gods had
two purposes. First, they reminded you of a deity, like the old St. Christopher
statues everyone used to have in their cars. This, of course, means they had
idols. Jacob's kids will have them later.
Second, these statues were investments or heirlooms that were
inherited. Rather than putting your extra savings in certificates or bonds, you
made a statue of gold and put it up on the shelf for a rainy day. This is the
real reason Laban was upset. Rachel's action was motivated by what she and Leah
said yesterday, that their father had taken everything from them. It might also
be her bitterness because of the famous "wedding night swap" Laban
had pulled on her. In either case, this theft was "payback." Rachel's
little trick to hide the thing in the saddlebag was a nice touch and she showed
she was just like the "old man." If Laban had found out, he would
have been proud…not.
Vs. 22-25 God saved the day by speaking to Laban, who, while not a
spiritual man, was given the fear of God. Again, under more reasonable
circumstances, God could have spoken to Laban back in Haran. It didn't have to
be this way. God was allowing Jacob to be Jacob and Laban to be Laban, but made
sure there was no injury.
Vs. 26-29 Although Laban wasn't a good guy, God could have made this
work out to have been a celebration. Both men were responsible for their own
ulcers. It is interesting that Laban relates the dream.
Vs. 30-35 Rachel outfoxed her dad.
Vs. 36-42 The indignation of the "false" claim launches Jacob
into this very interesting summary of his 20 years of affliction.
Vs. 43-54 After Jacob's tirade in vs. 36-42, Laban answers in v. 43
with, "whatever." Notice that there are no apologies of any kind
given by either side. As disciples, there is certainly a place to be "wise
as serpents and harmless as doves," but the level of dishonesty and fear
in this family has nothing to do with closely following Christ.
V. 44 Apparently, one reason that Laban suggested this covenant was
because of not finding the "gods." It might have been that after the
death of Laban, if Jacob would have returned to Haran with that
"heirloom," he could have claimed a part of the homestead. (BKC-OT)
V. 50 This is a very interesting condition, given that having multiple wives
was allowed in that culture. Laban didn't see that as an option, although this
situation was kind of strange already. At least it was "family."
V. 52 This condition seems to be the one that would forbid Jacob from
coming back to stake a claim in Laban's household.
V. 53 This gives the idea that although the promise of redemption was
waning in importance in the family, there was still a remembrance of the line
of faith, believing in the one true God.
Vs. 54-55 A happy ending of sorts.
Genesis 32:1-12
Jacob's next ulcer has to do with Esau.
Vs. 1-2 So, why do you think God did this? Apparently these were like
the angels who visited Abraham. He must have known they were angels. It doesn't
say this was a dream and it appears they met and talked with him. This would
have been a great encouragement. This might be what finally gave Jacob the
courage to do something right.
Vs. 3-5 Jacob could have snuck into the land, but chose to make contact
with Esau.
Vs. 6-12 God drove Jacob to his knees. With Esau on his way with 400
men, Jacob got religion. This is God putting the fear of God in Jacob. Notice
how Jacob appeals to God's promise and to all the encouragement He had given
him. This was a very notable, good thing. After all of these years, Jacob finally
claimed and clung to the promise.
If you had had the history with Esau that Jacob did, what message would
you have sent to Esau? I love the surprise that is coming.
As disciples, it is easy to "cry out" when disaster threatens
us. Even without an actual crisis, God encourages us to understand that our
need is always desperate. We should always be crying out, always be knocking,
asking and seeking. There is nothing that keeps the reality of this world and
the sense of desperation in focus like working to reach lost people in the
harvest. Our mission keeps our "eye sound" and it keeps us at our
Savior's feet. You learn to take very little for granted, which also gives you
more joy in appreciating the smallest of the blessings the Lord grants us.
Matthew 10:26-11:6
As Jesus is sending out the Twelve, He is bracing them for the
rejection of men and living securely in the Father's care.
Matthew 10:26-33
Vs. 26-27 This would be addressing the fear of lies, injustice and
false accusation. God knows, and for a disciple that reality is the only one
that counts. Interestingly, later, Jesus uses this same illustration to warn
them about being hypocrites.
Vs. 28-31 Here, Jesus is addressing their fear of death. Some translations
say "Father's will" in v. 29. It is implied in the context and it is
an amazing thought. Jacob would have benefited from that. But then, we know it
and do we benefit from it? You wonder if Jesus smiled when He said they were of more value than many sparrows.
Vs. 32-33 Since God was sovereign and there was no cause to fear, there
was also no cause to deny Jesus. The acknowledging and denying before the
Father should be understood as Jesus interceding for that disciple in that hour
of trial. If we acknowledge Him, He will give us what we need in the hour of
need. If we deny Him to save ourselves from harm, we've helped ourselves and we
don't need His help. And neither will we see His provision and glory as we
would have, had we acknowledged Him.
Vs. 34-36 This is a severe correction of their perspective, and ours
too. The faithful expression of the truth will bring opposition.
Vs. 37-39 The cost of discipleship is everything. Jesus must be our
first love. This is the flipside of what Jesus says in Luke 14:26 about a
disciple having to hate his father and mother. The issue is who has the first and
true love. The cross in v. 38 means the willingness to die, to give everything.
In the Roman world, if you saw someone walking with a cross on their shoulder,
they were walking to their death. That Jesus is talking about the willingness
to give one's life in v. 38 is underscored by v. 39.
Vs. 40-42 This is true today and it will be very important in the Tribulation
when the earth will be judged for how it treats God's people. Notice that there
is no emphasis put on the skill of the disciple. They were just to say that the
kingdom of God was coming and that people needed to turn to God. The receiving
of that message was wholly on the hearers. Those who received the disciples
would be rewarded.
This was Jesus' pep talk to the Twelve as He sent them out. What does
the Lord want you to learn from this? What gives you confidence or courage? The
very fact that Jesus is saying this means He knows He is going to send us into
some tough, sometimes dangerous, situations. The hard part for us is realizing
He might choose to use us and graduate us to heaven in the same instance we are
speaking for Him, like He did with Stephen in Acts. Stephen died, but what we
don't see is that a minute later he was getting "high fives" in
heaven and was totally fulfilled and OK and finally on vacation from this mess.
Matthew 11: 1-6
V. 1 This should really end chapter 10. Notice that after Jesus
oriented the Twelve and sent them out, He also went on teaching. This doesn't
mean Jesus was alone. The group of disciples might have been 100 or more.
Vs. 2-6 It may be that John spent more time in jail than he did in
ministry. His disciples told him everything, and it appears that John was
suffering in the waiting. Not only this, it could be that John was being fed
misinformation. In those dark days in the dungeon, I'm sure some temptation to
doubt was present, to be embarrassed or offended at what he "heard"
Jesus had done. When you read Psalm 13 and David's sorrow below, you'll probably
have an idea of how John must have felt.
Jesus' answer was sufficient for John. These were things foretold that
the Messiah would do. Verse 6 is clearly a warning to John to hold on in faith.
As disciples we can get down regarding our church or the lack of fruit
we are seeing. Nothing cheers the heart like babies, that is, seeing new
believers. Get out and find a place where life is happening. If you can't drive
or fly there, get online and find out where it's happening and what the stories
are. God is working and lives are being saved and changed, so look beyond your
church or dungeon, and keep focused on our mission as disciples following Jesus
in the harvest. Personally, draw close to Him. Keep on making every effort
He'll let you make, and don't give up.
Knowing Jesus means following Him in His harvest making disciples. But
this all has to remain very simple. It all rests on our love for Jesus, the joy
of our salvation and sharing what we've received, so that others can receive it
too.
Psalm 13:1-6
And having said that, isn't this a great psalm? Now, imagine that the
thing you are totally longing for is to see Jesus' name lifted up and people
saved and made disciples, and you want Him to do it through you. If you can
desire all this, with the kind of longing expressed in this psalm, God will
answer; and the forces working against you, spiritual and human, will be
defeated.
Vs. 1-3 This psalm reflects a very dark night of the soul for David.
Having received God's promise, it seems like God has turned His back on him.
David couldn't understand the hardship he was facing, running for his life,
living in total uncertainty, dwelling in caves.
Notice the three things David is hurting about, prefaced by the
question how long. David was
struggling not only with adversity, but with waiting.
Vs. 3-4 David needed an answer, some response from God that would
re-ignite his hope. His fear is shown in v. 4. This reminds me of Paul's
confidence in Philippians 1:20, as it is
my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with
full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life
or by death.
Vs. 5-6 We have the benefit of seeing all the things God was doing
during the time David was suffering. In particular God was teaching David the
truth of these two verses.
Proverbs 3:16-18
This is a great expression of what it means to seek and hold on to
wisdom. So practically, as disciples, where do we seek this wisdom?
He (God)
is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made (that is, Jesus
is) our wisdom, our righteousness and
sanctification and redemption.
(1 Cor. 1:30, RSV - Parenthetical notes are mine.)
Disciples seek & abide in Christ, learning from Him in His Word, following
Him in the harvest.
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
The daily installments of the Reading Notes can be found at http://fencerail.blogspot.com/
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
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.
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