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 21
Genesis 42:18-43:34
This portion of text isn't
complete until Joseph reveals himself to his brothers. The question you need to
be asking yourself is why Joseph is doing this. We always use Joseph as an
example of "instant" forgiveness without realizing there was a
process involved in him forgiving his brothers. God was working and there was a
plan in progress. When people push a "just forgive" commandment on
others and use Joe as an example, it shows they haven't really read or understood what is happening here.
Genesis 42:18-38
Vs. 18-20 So, why do you think
Joseph wanted them to bring Benjamin? Was it just because he wanted to see his
brother?
Vs. 21-24 These are amazing
verses. What does it say to you about the power of what they had done and how
it affected their lives over the past 22 years?
I always laugh at Joseph putting
Simeon in prison and then seeing that Jacob isn't really in a hurry to rescue
him. I wonder if Joseph chose Simeon for this reason, knowing that there would
be no real pressure to come and get him. Remember, Simeon was the eldest of the
two brothers who murdered the men at Shechem.
Vs. 25-28 What do you think
putting their money back in their sacks was meant to accomplish? What was the
reaction of the brothers? Joseph wasn't interested in generosity. He wanted
them to feel something, and it worked. Notice that they understood this as
judgment from God. They were living under the sense of guilt and judgment for
what they had done to Joe.
Vs. 29-36 What is notable in
this section to me is Jacob's words to his sons at the end. He is a bitter sad
man who cannot trust his sons. Somewhere in this Jacob is still being punished
by his own trickery and his inability to say that he was wrong.
Vs. 37-38 This is the offer of
Reuben to protect Benjamin. There will be another offer in the next chapter and
it is good to think of the difference between these offers. Reuben had already
sinned against his father and family without any apology. If you look at the
offer itself, there is no guarantee that Ben would come home. The option of
killing Reuben's two sons sounds strange and unimaginable.
Genesis 43
Vs. 1-10 Eventually the food was
running out and they had to return. Now comes the offer of Judah to protect
Benjamin. Did Jacob finally accept this offer because they were out of food?
When we get to chapter 49, Jacob blesses Judah above all of his brothers and
predicts that the Messiah will come from Judah. There is something here that is
sacrificial and like Jesus. He offered to take Benjamin's place, to be his
substitute. That would ensure that Ben would return and that if payment needed
to be made in Egypt, on the spot, Judah would make it with his own life. I
think this is what made Judah a better man, and his offer points to the heart
of our Savior. This should be the heart of a disciple.
Vs. 11-14 On the one hand this
is good and polite. On the other hand this is Jacob being Jacob, making sure
they have what they need to win the favor of this Egyptian tyrant. Yet in this
moment of challenge, Jacob decides it is time to pray and bring God into the
matter.
Vs. 15-25 When the guys arrived,
Joseph prepared a meal. I always wonder how long that would have taken, like
when the Lord and the angels visited Abe and Sarah…"Hey, can you guys stay
to eat? Good!" Then to the servant, "Hey go kill an animal and
prepare it." If it was me, I'd have said, "Do you like Chinese?"
and then ordered out.
Notice that the brothers thought
this was a trap because of the money that had been put back in their sacks.
Apparently Joseph had briefed his steward, who went along with this test. Keep
in mind that Joseph is testing his brothers to discover something about them.
Now the brothers are at ease.
Vs. 26-34 It must have been a
great meal.
Notice that Joe is melting down
emotionally.
V. 32 Notice that the Egyptians
could not eat with the Hebrews. That will become important later.
V. 33 Notice that Joe is still
messing with their heads.
V. 34 Now their hearts were
merry. All was well. But the big test is about to come. Soon we'll see what
Joseph wants to discover about his brothers.
Matthew 13:47-14:12
These look like disjointed
events, but it will be good exercise to try to see how things are presented.
Matthew 13:47-58
Vs. 47-50 The parable of the
fish is similar to the parable of the wheat and the weeds except there is no
enemy here. Remember what Joseph told Pharaoh regarding seeing the dream twice?
The repeating meant it was certain to happen. God will judge all men. Judgment
is coming. People need to be told that and they need to hear the good news.
Vs. 51-52 In trying to bring the
Word of God to people, the disciples were being taught to use the old and the
new. I think that means Jesus was using the parable to show them how to use the
truth of scripture (the old) and make it new with illustrations of today's
world. I think the Lord wants us to do the same. We need to be aware of what is
happening in our world to use its examples as ways to illustrate the reality of
the Word.
Vs. 53-58 This is the second
time Jesus has returned to Nazareth. The first time was a very solemn event
where Jesus declared He was fulfilling Isaiah 61:1-2. The people should have
celebrated, but instead they tried to kill Him. Now, a year later, Jesus was
famous. He was a phenomenon in Israel and everybody loved Him. Look at how they
"explained" Jesus away, into insignificance.
V. 58 Notice what the result
was. It was not that Jesus' power was dependent on their faith, but if they
disregarded Jesus, they wouldn't come to Him to be healed. He couldn't do much
because they wouldn't come to Him. It's the same today.
Matthew 14:1-12
Vs. 1-12 This is the death of
John the Baptist.
Vs. 1-2 Jesus was famous, but
they didn't understand who He was. Herod was not only motivated by unbelief,
but also by his bad conscience. Just like Joseph's brothers, Herod was
interpreting everything in terms of his guilt in putting John to death.
Vs. 3-12 I remember the first
time I read this account of John's death, how I was impressed by Herod having
to save face. Because of his vows and his guests, he allowed himself to be
pressured into doing what he knew was wrong. He was a king, but just a small,
lost man. And to boot, he really was a bad guy.
So, you have the parables, that
is, truth given in a story form. If people wanted to understand the Word and
draw close to God they could, but there would be some effort. Then you have the
people in Nazareth rejecting the living Word of God. Finally there is Herod.
Mark says that Herod would often summon John and listen to him until he worked
up a lather of guilt and conviction. Then he would send him away and later hear
him again. But Herod never changed. The Word had no effect on him. Both Herod
and the people of Nazareth were like people in the parables who didn't
comprehend and didn't even try.
Psalm 18:16-36
Vs. 16-19 I always imagine that
David wrote this after he was made king, looking back at running from Saul,
hiding in caves and despairing of ever being blessed by God.
Vs. 20-24 Among all of the ways
God protected David, He kept David from avenging himself three times. That is
what David is referring to regarding staying righteous and being rewarded.
Vs. 25-27 When you look at what
happened to Saul, Nabal, and others who lied and tried to hurt David, God paid
them back according to their own ways. You see this with Jacob. God judged
Jacob's trickery by putting him under someone who was more devious, Laban.
Vs. 28-36 What a great
declaration to God's help. Amen. It may require waiting, as it did for David
and Joseph, but the message is true. God will train and equip us and lead us on
for His purpose and glory.
Proverbs 4:7-10
Proverbs 1:7 says that the
beginning of knowledge is the fear of the Lord. Here it says that the beginning of wisdom is to set your heart
to get wisdom. I think it means that
first you find Christ, and then you seek His Kingdom and ask and seek and
knock.
A disciple keeps on pressing to
know Christ, just like Paul said in Philippians 3:12, Not that I have already
obtained this or am already perfect; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ
Jesus has made me his own. Disciples keep on pressing, abiding, seeking,
asking, knocking…following the Lord they love 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.
No comments:
Post a Comment