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JANUARY 23
Genesis 46-47
Genesis 46
Vs. 1-4 This is an important event. Israel would not return to the land
for 400 years. God is particularly tender to Jacob. Jacob had believed in the
promise, and now God was not only confirming the promise, but giving Jacob
additional information to pass on to his heirs. It doesn't appear that God
spoke to people often, but we see God speaking to Jacob here (who, by the way,
hadn’t left the promised land, even in the famine) at a time when it was
important to encourage Jacob. God confirms the promise, showing His
faithfulness to His plan of redemption. There is little to suggest that there
was ongoing devotion to God and seeking Him on the part of Jacob. This is one
of the few times we hear of Jacob offering sacrifices. Yet, God remained
faithful and tender.
Beersheba was a special place in the lives of Abe, Isaac and Jacob.
This is where Jacob stole the blessing and ran to Haran to enjoy life with
Laban.
As Moses is writing this, he is surrounded by the millions of
Israelites who were brought out of Egypt to return to the land. God was and is
faithful to His Word.
Vs. 5-27 The math summarized
here is an editorial on how many descendants
of Israel went in to Egypt. What is being counted are those who belonged to
Jacob by blood. Later in Numbers we'll see how many descendants of Israel came
out. Remember too, that Jacob took all his servants and livestock. That would
have been a small city. The little comments made about the number of men Abe
took to rescue Lot, and the fact that the holdings of Jacob and Esau were so
large that the land couldn't hold both of them, are important to remember and
think about to give you a 3D view of what is happening. They would have been a
large company.
Vs. 28-34 Notice that Jacob sent
Judah ahead, showing again, the prominence of Judah. There have been a lot of
tears shed in this story, but thanks to the Lord, there is now a happy ending.
It’s interesting how the Lord
often blesses through bad things. The Egyptians hated shepherds, forcing Israel
to locate in Goshen, which was a well watered delta paradise, even in the time
of famine. The Lord knows what He's doing and even uses the sin of man to
accomplish His purpose of redemption.
Genesis 47
Vs. 1-12 This shows the meeting
with Pharaoh and the settling of Israel in Goshen. Verse 9 gets me every year.
Jacob was 130 years old and he summarizes his years as few and evil. And we know it is no exaggeration. What a sad
statement, and to think, Jacob, the man who believed in the blessing, was
himself responsible for much of his own personal tragedy.
When the results of what we have
done (and the chain reactions thereof) are complicated, tangled, and out of
control, we feel trapped and feel we have no control. But the solution is
simple. When you come to your senses and commit yourself to following God, in
the next thing you do, honor the Lord. At that point, no matter how complicated
you have made life or what is being demanded of you, dare to honor God. Being
in the Word gives us confidence in God's love and faithfulness, and His Word
tells us what to do. The Gordian knot is simple to deal with. You don't unravel
it, you cut it. But it takes using the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God.
And it takes a person who is surrendered to the love and heart of Christ to
make this happen. Yet, it is so simple as to be profound. The next thing you
do, honor the Lord. He leads to truth and peace.
Vs. 13-26 So, why do you think
that Moses and the Spirit want us to have this particular information? Here is
something to think about. Israel grew as a nation inside of Egypt for 400
years. The Egyptians remembered what Joseph had done for them as a nation for
2-3 hundred years. That is an incredible legacy. The US has gone 200 years as a
nation and we still (sort of) respect the founders of the country. As we see
new generations arise and people tinker with, and misunderstand, the intent of
the founders, we could figure that in another 100 years we will forget to
respect and honor them. We already have begun imagining ourselves to be
geniuses who could have done a better job, without their education and faith,
and without paying the price they paid. The Egyptians are grateful for Joseph
saving their lives. Joseph was a hero and patriot. But that will be forgotten.
This section is probably here to
show us the actions that made Joseph a national hero whose respect lasted
hundreds of years, until a pharaoh came who didn't know Joseph, and made Israel
slaves.
Vs. 27-28 God gave Jacob 17 good
years with Joseph, not to mention peace and honesty in his life and family. If
Joe had his sons during the first seven years of plenty, it means that Jacob
got to see Joseph's sons enter their 20s.
Vs. 29-31 This section actually
introduces Jacob's final blessings. Jacob wanted to be buried in the family
grave, in the land of promise. This was in anticipation of God's promise to
lead the nation back into Canaan and to give it to them as an inheritance.
In all the details of this
story, God never lost sight of working toward the redemption of man and the
coming of Christ. We are now a part of that plan and story. We have seen what
happens when people lose sight of God's plan, but we have been saved by Christ
and commissioned by Him. We are to follow Him into the harvest to bring the
news of this salvation and promise to the lost. Our commission is to make disciples,
who make disciples. We need to make sure we're not the ones who bring the chaos
into our lives through trickery, ambition and impatience. Still, there will
always be resistance and hardship for those who follow Christ. The Spirit's
power isn't seen in His keeping us out of trouble, but rather in His creating
peace and joy in us as we follow Christ through the trouble.
Matthew 15:1-28
Vs. 1-9 These Pharisees and
scribes (lawyers of the law) got more than they bargained for with this
criticism. The scribes had created so many laws and traditions in addition to
what God had written, that people were no longer following what God said. As a
result, it was very hard for a person to find God. This is what is behind
Jesus' rebuke.
Honoring father and mother meant
providing for them in their old age. The scribes figured that if a son wanted
to commit to supporting the temple with his money, he would be exempt from
helping his parents. Jesus didn't see it that way.
Vs. 7-9 Jesus' quote of Isaiah
29:13 is really a description of the power of sin. Rather than serving God, we
create a god and laws to appease our conscience and allow us to serve
ourselves.
Vs. 10-20 After Jesus
contradicted the leaders publicly, the disciples came to Jesus privately and
received the explanation of His teaching.
V. 12 The Pharisees already
wanted to kill Jesus. Apparently Jesus' public rebuke regarding "unwashed
hands" put them in an especially murderous mood.
Vs. 13-14 The disciples still
feared the scribes and the Pharisees. I think one of the reasons Jesus
interfaced with these leaders so often was to teach His disciples that God was
bigger than they were and that the Word had to be expressed, without Jesus'
disciples fearing these types of men.
Vs. 21-28 Jesus left Judah
because the Jewish leaders were so mad, and eventually He began to take His
message to the Gentiles. In essence, He had already been rejected by the nation
and its leaders. They would make that official later. Now, you can see Jesus
expanding His ministry to the Gentiles.
Jesus tried to keep His visit
here "low key," but the Father had other plans.
V. 22 Notice that there is a
very evident and extraordinary faith in the Canaanite woman. For her to call
Jesus the Son of David was not
normal. She knew something and Jesus picked up on it. It will explain why Jesus
could challenge her faith and use her as an example to the disciples.
Jesus was shifting His ministry
to the Gentiles and toward the birth of the church. Israel had all but
officially rejected Him, and the cross was looming ahead. The disciples were
true blue Jews and they hated Gentiles. We will see God work with the disciples
and other Jewish Christians in a mighty way to help them overcome their
prejudice and hatred. This is a first step. They will see a faith in this Gentile
woman that they have seen only rarely in Israel.
V. 23 Jesus ignored the woman in
order to show the disciples the depth of her faith. I always find this amusing
that she was begging Jesus for her daughter and now the Twelve are begging Him
to get rid of her.
Vs. 26-28 So, who was being
tested and who was being given a lesson here? I know the words about throwing
the children's bread to the dogs seems hard, but it looks to me that Jesus knew
her faith in the Son of David would win the day. I think it is the disciples
who are getting the test and the lesson. It was the Jews who viewed the
Gentiles as dogs. In spite of Jesus' words, her need and her faith in Jesus
drove her forward. Faith persists and God is merciful. The woman grasped that
and persisted until Jesus blessed her and freed her daughter. Jesus praised her
faith and the disciples received a lesson in how Gentiles could follow Christ.
Isn't it interesting that the
people who claimed to be following God were Jesus' worst enemies. Their rigid,
self-made laws made Jesus their enemy. They determined what God should be like
and what He should say, and so they couldn't accept Jesus. Yet when Jesus went
to those who knew they were lost, to the Gentiles, He found sincere faith and
openness. That should tell us something about working in the harvest. We are to
work in the harvest and with those believers who have a willingness to follow
Christ into the harvest. Unfortunately, many disciples ruin themselves trying
to work with churches that are not interested in the harvest. These churches
live to hold the "rules." It is sad to say this, but I have been in
churches where Jesus couldn't have been an elder. I'm sure if He had shown up,
they wouldn't have liked Him. In the harvest we find the Lord and we find the freshness
of new faith. That is where we are to make disciples, who make disciples.
Psalm 19
When I read a psalm like this, I
picture two periods of David's life, both of which were simpler, less busy and
complicated than when he became king of the entire nation.
Vs. 1-6 First, all those years
as a shepherd, looking out on God's creation created a deep devotion to God in
David. It takes time and quiet for this to happen.
Vs. 7-14 Second, in those seven
years in Hebron as King of Judah, David also learned. I believe it was in those
years, reflecting on God's saving him from Saul, that he transcribed the first five
books of the Bible, as Deuteronomy says a king should do. It was probably
during that time when David wrote Psalm 119. His devotion to the Word of God
grew during this time of quiet.
In this psalm, you have both the
declaration of creation to the glory of God, and the Word of God declaring the
glory of God.
What always hits me is that when
David had time or took the time, his heart was wholly the Lord's, and God's
glory flowed from his life. But when this same man became busy, distracted, and
engaged in the press of life, he failed. He drifted from God and brought deep
pain into his life and family.
What the Lord wants us to see in
the life of David, besides enjoying this great psalm, is that a disciple should
follow Christ simply in this life, abiding in Him, taking time with Him,
working in the harvest. That is the life that declares the glory of God. A life
full of things and activities and multitasking doesn't do that for God. At best
it makes for a very superficial disciple. At worst, it makes for a life that
looks like Jacob's or David's.
Proverbs 4:14-19
Many of the proverbs have a
contrast, and this one does too in vs. 18 and 19. Following Christ, His way,
brings clarity, hope, stability and growing light. It is interesting that the
lives of Jacob, David and Solomon became darker as they became busier. They
became shrewder, more political, more complicated. These men became less
focused on God and more focused on themselves. Life is busy, but the focus has
to remain uncomplicated, simple and cleansed daily by the Word. We are to honor
God by following and abiding in Christ and His 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.
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