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JANUARY 28
Exodus 5:22-7:24
Exodus 5:22-23
If you think about it, Moses was getting a crash course on who God is
and how He works. Most of us have far more information about God than Moses
did. We have the entire record in the Bible of who He is and what He does. And
even so, if we had been in Moses' sandals, we'd have been freaking out worse
than he was.
One of the challenges we have as disciples is telling and showing
people from God's Word, what they are to do, and then listening to them and watching
them endure hardship for their actions. We encourage them from the Word to tell
the truth. So, they don't lie at work and get fired. We tell them to pray, but
it seems like things get worse. We tell them to live for Christ, and they get
laughed at by their spouses or friends. Learning through patience and hardship
is not the exception; it is the rule. This is why many people give up as
disciples. Jesus did not say the way was easy. He said being yoked to Him made
it easier. In fact, being yoked to Jesus and learning directly from Him, at His
feet, in His Word is essential to being a disciple. Then, following Jesus is
the key. His love being poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit is what gives
us hope to endure and persevere.
Moses has over a million people mad at him and this turn of events is
killing him. This was supposed to lead to an easy victory with no stops in
between. In Moses' thinking, every play would be a touchdown or at least a
first down. He never thought they'd lose yards or get hit at the line of
scrimmage.
Moses was learning, as all true disciples must, that when you are
following, there has to be absolute, strong, patient confidence in the Lord.
You never assume you know the path He will take. You just follow. You learn that
God uses all the malfunctions of men and of happenstance to accomplish His
will. You learn that sometimes the blown play or the "sack" is
setting you up for the touchdown. As the bumper sticker says, "With
Christ, the only way to fail is to quit." And even here, He might let you
get to the place of quitting, to lift you up and renew your heart in a way that
makes you stronger in Christ than you ever would have been if you hadn't been
defeated.
Here, Israel has doubted God and Moses. Pharaoh has grown super
arrogant, and Moses has grown humbler than ever. The stage is set.
Exodus 6
Vs. 1-9 This is part of the educational process for Moses and the
people.
V. 1 Notice that God says, Now.
It seems that Pharaoh's actions and the peoples' response were a part of God's
plan.
Vs. 2-8 Take time to look through what God says here. This is a great
declaration by the Lord. Notice how often He says I, and what is attached to it.
V. 3 God is doing something new and special here that He has never done
with any who have followed Him. This was not to be taken lightly.
God confirmed the promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, pointed to the
land promised, and the absolute certainty of redeeming the people out of
slavery. These promises were not contingent
on their faith but would have been the content
of their faith in God. Within that coming year God would give them the
sacrificial system to show them the reality of sin and their need for
forgiveness, but the prime object of faith would always be the covenant-keeping
God. Salvation would be through faith in His promises. These people had the
account of history, even as Moses is writing it here, which goes back to the
promise of redemption at the Fall, the saving of Noah and the promise to
Abraham. Since they had this history, the person of faith would understand that
the God of the covenant had a greater plan than just giving a couple million
people a homestead.
I say all of this because the unfolding of the plan of redemption was
progressive. They didn't know about Jesus, but there was Yahweh who chose them
and made promises of redemption. Here and there, there is a hint at the future,
for example, the dying words Jacob spoke to Judah; but it would take faith to
see beyond those vague references to the redemption God was working for all of
mankind. What kind of faith was necessary? Faith focused on Yahweh, who
promises and keeps covenants. With that faith they would sense the scope of
God's work. The heart of flesh would only understand their needs as immediate,
and the promises as nationalistic.
V. 9 I'm sure Moses was encouraged as he spoke to the people, but this
heartbroken people rejected him and his message. Maybe God gave Moses that
strong encouragement to help him withstand the rejection of this bitter people.
For a disciple, God's encouragement doesn't always signal success, but perhaps
rather, that God is preparing us to endure what's coming. Encouraging thought,
huh?
Vs. 10-13 God is now telling the discouraged Moses what to do in
command form. Moses' words in v. 12 are explained by what happened in v. 9. God
charges, commands and orders Moses and Aaron to "just do it."
Vs. 14-27 This partial genealogy begins with Reuben in order to show
the tribe of Levi in its proper place in the sons of Jacob. The genealogy of
Levi is the only real focus here and therefore doesn't go beyond Levi. The
purpose is to show where Moses and Aaron came from. This is like a formal
introduction, I suppose.
In this list there is a cast of characters who will have the stage for
bad and for good in the next two books. The greatest of these is Phinehas, who
is referred to as a hero throughout all of Israel's history and is alluded to
in the last OT book, Malachi. Cool dude.
By the way, this last thought about Phinehas comes from reading the
Bible every year and making little connections year after year until, like
doing a puzzle, you slowly see the picture. For me, this is another thing that
makes it fun to read through the Bible every year.
Vs. 28-29 This is one of those places where they put the chapter break
in the wrong place. In the original Hebrew and Greek there are no chapter
designations or verse designations. That was all done years later, and the
chapter / verse divisions we have are from Stephen Langton, the Archbishop of Canterbury in 1220.
It is interesting to see that Moses is still objecting to God using him
for this. Once Moses gets his mojo going, Aaron never speaks for him again.
Exodus 7:1-24
Vs. 1-7 Notice that God reaffirms what is going to happen. It won't be
easy, but they will win.
Notice the ages given for Moses and Aaron. Most people wouldn't go back
and re-read the story of Moses, but with his age in mind, you will begin
reading next year and see what he does when he is 40 and you'll read the next
sections, understanding that Moses was prepared by God for 40 years in the
wilderness. This will help you understand Moses and God in a deeper way.
One note of trivia here is the three-year difference between Aaron and
Moses. It gives you the idea that the policy of having the baby boys killed
might have been instituted between the births of Aaron and Moses.
I don't want to say much about the hardening of Pharaoh's heart. We've
seen that Pharaoh already had a hard heart without God's help. As you read,
make a note in your Bible when Pharaoh hardens his own heart and when it says
God hardens Pharaoh's heart. There might be a lesson in that. Also, since we
know the Lord would never reject a sincere, seeking heart, I doubt that Pharaoh
ever had that. It might be that there was a time when Pharaoh would have given
in through bitterness and compliance, but not through faith. At the end we'll
see this happen, and in bitterness Pharaoh releases the people; but since it
wasn't done willingly or in faith, Pharaoh "repents" of his decision
and goes out to kill the people. God would not have kept Pharaoh from true
faith and repentance.
Vs. 8-13 The battle begins.
Note that Pharaoh's boys were good at magic…tapping into Satan's power.
This should blow your mind, but not scare you. For all the power of the unseen
spiritual forces, God doesn’t draw our attention to them that often, meaning
that God thinks we know enough. If we know they're there and we follow Christ
in the Spirit and in the Word, we'll be OK. The effect was that these signs by
his magicians hardened Pharaoh's heart, even though the magicians had to go out
and get new sticks. God did not harden Pharaoh's heart.
Vs. 14-24 This is the first official plague. Your observations are
better than anything I have to say. Just a couple of notes. The
"ministry" of Moses and Aaron here is what the "ministry"
of the two witnesses in Revelation 11:3 will look like. When they declare a
judgment on earth, a seal is broken in heaven, and all "hell" breaks
loose on the hard of heart.
The Nile was thought to be a god. That Moses and Aaron had power to do
this should have shown something to Pharaoh. But again, the magicians
duplicated this plague, maybe by turning a bowl of water into blood. Who knows?
But notice, God didn't harden Pharaoh's heart. I think the real reason God
turned the Nile into blood was Pharaoh's command (Ex. 1:22) to throw the male
Hebrew boys into the Nile. Again, look at Revelation 16:3-7.
V. 23 Pharaoh didn't take this to heart, but some of the people did. Pharaoh
wasn't the guy who had to go and fish or find drinkable water. The people were
beginning to suffer for Pharaoh's stubborn heart.
Also, since it is mentioned later that those plagues didn't affect
Goshen, where the Israelites lived, I assume that some of the delta area of the
Nile was also turned to blood. This wouldn't have been to punish Israel, but to
encourage them by showing them what God was doing down yonder at Casa de
Pharaoh.
Matthew 18:23-19:12
Matthew 18:23-35
This story is an answer to Peter's question from yesterday regarding
forgiveness.
For the disciple, true biblical forgiveness rests in, and is empowered
by, our own forgiveness from God. The ability to forgive others springs from a
heart that has received mercy. It is a heart that is grounded in a biblical/spiritual
perspective of reality. We all are dead; we all are hopeless debtors. This is
the reality of our salvation and the context of the grace given to us on this
planet. It allows a disciple to live an "other worldly" life, full of
understanding of what is happening on earth and in heaven. Why Matthew 5:39-48
seems so unreachable to people is because we are grasping a view of life that
is false. Life on earth is not good. We are all sinners. We are all in trouble.
As disciples we are commanded to forgive others, based on the
forgiveness we have received from God. Life is complicated. This doesn't say we
need to trust others, or accept their version of reality, or go on vacation
with them. Forgiveness in this context means showing mercy as we've received mercy.
It is placing the right to demand justice or payment in God's hands.
In my experience, any person and even a disciple, who arrogantly
withholds forgiveness of this kind and cannot do good for an enemy, will not be
released from the penalty and punishment for his own ongoing sins. God
takes even his disciples to task in those areas of failure we walk through on a
daily basis, until we learn to forgive from the heart as He forgives us. This
kind of situation always has more to do with God and us, than some other person
and us. Christ loves us too much, to let us get away with this misunderstanding
of His sacrifice and grace.
Matthew 19:1-12
Vs. 1-9 The test here involved two different rabbis teaching two very
different views of divorce in Israel. One view was very liberal, allowing for
divorce under any circumstances, and the other view was conservative, saying
divorce was only allowed because of adultery. The attempt was to get Jesus to
agree with one or the other rabbi. Jesus avoided this by summarizing God's
intent in marriage and how God works with the hardness of man's sin in the
meantime.
Vs. 4-6 are very clear teachings on marriage. It is a marital union first,
and then a sexual one flesh union. It
is between a man and his wife. Male and female
is the only way to be one flesh
in God’s eyes. Man and wife is the only way to enter this union in a way that
is pleasing to Him. It is how God created us and it is what God wants.
All other variations are wrong. God is not open to discussion, but will
forgive the variations if people will agree to His way and repent. Sex outside
of marriage is sin. Adultery is sin. Homosexuality is sin. And it is God who
says so and He loves us and will forgive and restore us if there is agreement
with Him and if we repent. He is not going to change this order of creation
anymore than He’ll change the direction of the rotation of the earth because we
demand it of Him. He is the Creator. He knows what is best for us, and yet, He
will forgive us.
V. 6 Jesus is teaching that God never intended people to divorce. God
joins together and means it to be forever. That's a pretty heavy thought. It is
a spiritual union whether we agree with Him or not.
Vs. 7-9 The Pharisees caught this. Jesus was saying something different
than both of the conflicting views in Israel. Both allowed for divorce. Jesus'
answer showed that God allowed divorce and remarriage because of our
unwillingness to listen to Him, just like Pharaoh. He has built the need for
completeness so deeply in us, as the essence of us, that it is irresistible to
us. We may not understand it and just relegate it to hormones and sexual
behavior, but "oneness" is a very deep spiritual need and will drive
us whether we understand it or not.
In adultery the "covenant" is broken. This is inevitable in
divorce and remarriage. Somehow, in all of this dysfunctional humanity, God
allows for restoration and forgiveness and order and renewal, but it always has
a price. Grace can overcome the effects.
Vs. 10-12 The disciples are shocked because marriages back then always
had an escape clause, just like today. To think of marriage being
"permanent" was scary to them.
Jesus says that for the sake of the kingdom, some people make the
decision (and Paul calls it a gift) to live without marriage for the purpose of
serving God. They are figurative, not literal, eunuchs. I have only met a
couple of people in my life who have this gift. It is the exception, not the
rule. It is the grace of God to them, either for a life-time or for a period of
time, as they are totally focused on serving Christ as a disciple in the
harvest, that the need for completion is satisfied, or held in check, without
marriage and oneness. For most of us, a few hours is all we can stand. That is
not the gift. In fact, some of us don’t understand this “gift” as a “gift.” Sorry,
Paul.
Notice that this teaching is for the one who can receive it. Obviously
then not everyone will "hear" or be able to do this. Of all the
things certain groups have enforced on their clergy, abstinence from marriage
has been one of the most damaging and the most unbiblical. And they've used
these verses to enforce or prove their teaching. In 1 Timothy 4:1-3 Paul says
that forbidding marriage comes from lies and the doctrines of demons. Satan
knows we need marriage too, and saying we shouldn’t do it is a good way to warp
us.
Psalm 23
Enjoy!
Vs. 1-3 As a kid I understood v. 1 to declare how sinful we were. Here
was Jesus, such a great Lord and wouldn't you know it - WE don't WANT Him. Now
I finally get it.
Isn't it interesting that when the Lord leads us, He leads us to
stillness and restoration. We still think complicated and stressful is better.
V. 4 Here it is again. Even in the harvest, in danger, following the
Lord leads to being comforted by the Lord to maintain a still heart.
Vs. 5-6 Even in opposition there is joy without indigestion. Of course,
David allowed his life to get busy and out of control and so did Solomon. And
they lost that peace of being led by the Lord. Following the Lord leads us to
peace even in the trials of working in the harvest. We need to remember to
simply follow, simply abiding in Christ and His presence.
Proverbs 5:22-23
These verses conclude the warnings about sexual adventure and the
command to be completely absorbed in passion for your spouse. Specific to this
teaching is a studied obedience to keep our passions and relationships in
control.
But generally speaking, in all areas, a lack of discipline will always
catch us, as disciples, in the keester. God's warnings and instructions are
given for us to heed and to follow. It means we need to marshal our energy and
alertness and do what He says. That involves some discipline and effort.
Especially where sin is involved, we need discipline, and we need to
allow God to use events and people and responsibilities to help us as He prunes
us to make us fulfilled and fruitful in the harvest. Read Hebrews 12:1-13 for
some motivation on this point.
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.
All rights reserved. Publisher permission
required to reproduce.
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