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JANUARY 9
Genesis 20:1-22:24
So, we are nine days into the
year. How are you doing? Remember: The Word is alive. These notes are not. Work
to maintain your daily time reading the Word, sitting at the Lord’s feet as a
disciple, learning from Him. If the notes are interesting to you, they will be
here when you have time to read them. As you read, what is the Spirit
highlighting for you?
Genesis 20
V. 1 We are never told why Abe
& Co. journeyed south. Whatever the reason was, there was no emergency. It
seems that Abraham found himself being examined in the kingdom of Abimelech;
and once questioned about Sarah, Abe felt threatened and lied. Then one thing
led to another. It could be that there was an actual threat once Abraham was
approached, because God never rebukes Abraham.
V. 2 Sarah was apparently still
a "hot chick" at 90. Never give up!
Vs. 3-7 I'm always amazed at how
easily God and Abimelech spoke together. This literally put the fear of God in
Abimelech. It is interesting that God protected Sarah. God would have done this
even without the lie.
Vs. 8-13 Abraham explains the
situation behind the lie that he and Sarah told. Rightfully so, Abimelech is
offended and is right in saying that Abe shouldn't have done this. Abe answers
that he didn't sense from the people that there was a fear of the Lord in the
land. There was fear now.
Vs. 14-18 Abimelech giving gifts
to Abe and Sarah was a sign of his innocence and testimony to all the people to
keep their hands off of Abraham. Abraham's prayer brought God's blessing back
to Abimelech.
If you read between the lines
here, I don't think Abimelech was such an innocent guy; and so God used this
situation to cause Abimelech and his people to fear God and to respect Abraham.
On the other hand, God protected
Abraham from himself. Even a man of faith like Abe had feet of clay. Apparently
Abe was proud of his "little" trick, but what we see is that he had a
huge area of fear and weakness. You wonder how someone who had seen so much
from God could do this. He and Sarah were living in the very fulfillment they
had longed for, so why would they fear man and doubt God. There is a root of
deceit and trickery here in Abe and Sarah that sprouts in Isaac and blooms in
Jacob. But I look at myself, knowing Christ, having the Spirit and the Word and
a mission, and I can do the same kind of stuff. This passage is a warning to
all who earnestly follow Christ to get the "logs" out of our eyes.
In a way, the
"unbeliever" is really the hero here. He had a good, educational
encounter with God that would prove useful later with Abraham and Isaac. The
event was used by God for many purposes.
Genesis 21
Vs. 1-7 Isn't it interesting
that when God told Abe that he and Sarah would have a child, Abe laughed. Then
when Sarah heard it from the Lord, she laughed. Isaac means laughter. God
understood that the result of what he put Abe and Sarah through would bring
laughter of awe and joy when the baby was born. Because of the way God prepared
their hearts, these are two parents who would never take the blessing of being
parents for granted.
Vs. 6-7 When I read these words
it makes me think what an incredibly unique woman Sarah must have been, and we
know so little about her.
Vs. 8-13 Apparently Ishmael was
mocking and making fun of Isaac. God allowed this situation to take place to
move Abe and Sarah to this decision. God approved of sending Hagar and Ishmael
away.
Note that God refers to Hagar as
your slave woman, not "your
other wife.” Even in God's eyes, Abe only had one wife. Paul would pick up on
this reference to the slave woman
years later when he wrote Galatians.
V. 12 This truth is also used by
Paul very powerfully in Romans 9:6ff.
We could go after Sarah for her
attitude toward Hagar and Ishmael, but God doesn't. He tells Abe to go with it.
Not all disharmony is outside of God's will, and like the thing that happened with
Abimelech, He uses this within His working. As disciples working with
unbelievers or in churches, things happen relationally beyond our control. People
get into conflicts and things break in funny, unexpected ways when there is
constant discord. Instead of losing our minds, we need to rest in the Lord and
realize He might have a deeper purpose in the thing we're calling a failure or
catastrophe.
Vs. 14-21 Notice that God was
with Ishmael and blessed him. If you begin to underline the names of different
peoples beginning in chapter 10, you see that there were already Egyptians, Canaanites
and Philistines and many others. The place was crawling with people. I've heard
people say that the major mistake that Abe and Sarah made here was the birth of
Ishmael, whose people became the enemies of the Jews. However, later, the
Edomites and Moabites and Ammonites were all enemies too, and none were related
to Ishmael. It seems to me, from reading the text, the future enemies of the
Jews were already in place and God is blessing Ishmael.
Vs. 22-34 Notice that Abimelech
initiates this covenant with Abraham. He now knows about Abe and, with the
strength of Abe's camp and the fact that God was with him, Abe was a threat to
Abimelech.
Abraham is still the man of
faith. The recording of this encounter will make sense of what happens to Isaac
later. Abraham could have taken the land, or at least conquered Abimelech's
kingdom. Abraham's camp probably had more people than Abimelech and Abe's men
were proven in battle. Also, because of the size of his herds, Abe needed more
territory. He could have "taken" this piece of the promised land
without waiting. He endured inconvenience and discomfort to pursue God's
promise in waiting. Doesn't that sound strange, to pursue something by waiting?
You won't find that in a management book. What a great lesson for us as
disciples, choosing to hunger and work in the harvest making disciples, when we
could just enjoy "now" and make our own heaven on earth.
Genesis 22
Vs. 1-2 Notice that God tested Abe. He didn’t tempt him to sin. Apparently
it is to be expected that God will "test" us too, to see if what He
has given us has become an idol, or if our hearts are wholly His.
Mt. Moriah apparently is where
Jerusalem would be built. If you're like me, you wonder if all of what is about
to happen took place where Jesus would one day be sacrificed. It could be.
Vs. 3-14 This story is pretty
straightforward.
People often wonder if they
would have the faith of Abraham, meaning, if God asked them to sacrifice their
son if they could do it. Note that Isaac was a teenager. Knowing what teens are
like, maybe this is why Abe seems so willing to do it. Bad joke.
Testing is "fitted" to
us and our lives following God. To answer the above question, if you had all of
Abe's experience with God, had all his faith to wait and believe, lived 25
years without hope and saw the promised child, left home only on the word of
God, etc., etc., etc., then, yes, this test would have been meaningful to you
and you would have done what Abe did. And, your name would also be Abraham.
Interestingly here, we are told
in Hebrews that Abe knew God could raise Isaac from the dead. Yet with
Abimelech, Abe had such fear for his own life. Maybe that is why this test was
so great. Abe had to deal with his deepest fear, and, in light of all the Lord
had done for him, Abe finally submitted his fear of death to the hand of God.
Vs. 15-19 This test is a high
point in redemptive history. Adam was not able to pass a test like this. Now,
at that point in history there was a man on earth, who out of love for God and
trust in Him, was willing to sacrifice something more dear to him than his own
life.
Notice that it was The angel of the Lord, Jesus Himself, who
spoke. This would be the place where He, the Son, would be sacrificed by His
Father for the sins of mankind. Also, Isaac would have heard all of this.
There are lots of lessons for a
disciple here. God will test us even though it seems unfair, since we are
straining to do what others are not. Fruit will endure and lead to more fruit
if the branch is wholly connected to, and abiding in, the vine. Your love and
devotion to your Savior is more important than making disciples, reaching the
lost and all the "Christian" stuff you do. In Ephesus, they lost
their first love (Rev. 2:4), but loved the work, and Jesus wasn't pleased. He
threatened to remove them. It is too easy to make an idol of ministry and God's
blessing.
Vs. 20-24 This little
genealogical note is to give us some info that will soon become important.
Matthew
7:15-29
These are Jesus' final
instructions, warnings, and qualifications to His disciples in the sermon. Note
that there were not just the Twelve or the 70, but possibly a couple hundred
"would be” disciples present.
Vs. 15-20 Jesus is bracing His
disciples for the reality of false disciples. He is also getting them to probe their
own motives in following Him. In a few years Peter, John, and Paul would all be
writing letters to churches warning them about false believers. Disciples are
known by the disciples they produce. All disciples are to manifest the love of
Christ in the desire to reach the lost and make disciples. Often we think that
a person's mouth and words are "fruit.” Jesus says we are to seek the
glory of the one who sent us (John 7:18).
Disciples are known by their
fruit. Some people come to Christ for themselves, their needs, their name,
their comfort, etc. If a person's faith is so private and fruitless as to be
invisible, I think James would say, "Faith without works is dead.” A
disciple has to make sure he is discipling. Following isn't an invisible walk,
for as Jesus says, a light is lit to be put on a stand and gives light to all
who enter. Jesus doesn't seem to have a category for disciples who are allowed
to hide it under a bushel. As disciple makers, we need to be putting it
"out there" ourselves and leading others to do the same with their
light. Fruit is necessary. Read John 15:1-8 to understand the importance of
fruit. To see Jesus' definition of fruit, look at John 12:24.
Vs. 21-23 I'll bet when Jesus
told this to His disciples, it took their breath away. It is possible to be
involved in ministry and to be lost. Activity is not enough, even in the name
of Jesus. Look at the list: they prophesied, they cast out demons, they did
mighty works. Holy cow! How did they do that without knowing Christ? I don't know,
but it is possible. Note that Jesus doesn't say, "I knew you once, but you
got off track.” He says, "I never
knew you.” Never! They came to the light to fulfill their own needs, not
because of love for Jesus. Look at Acts 8:18-24. Here is a guy who came to the
light so he could do miracles.
We need to be very careful and
discerning as disciples too, even if we do know and love Jesus. We need, like
Abe above, to be very careful that the ministry and God's blessings do not
become idols to us and remove us from loving Christ. It happens every day.
Vs. 24-27 The key to living as a
disciple is so simple. He who hears
His words and does them is a disciple.
Hearing is more than reading, but you can't "hear" them if you don't
read them. This is why we're in the Word and why we get people into the Word. But
like the parable of the soil and so many of Jesus' parables, we all need to
make the effort to attach value to His Words and to following Him. And all of
this issues from our love and desire for Him. If we love Jesus, we will read
and understand and believe and trust His Word. Responding to our Lord's love
moves us to "do" His Word. The "doing" is not duty if
you're grateful and in love. I know it's hard, but it shouldn't be a
"duty" to tell the dying where we found life.
Vs. 28-29 And like us, the
people were astonished at His teaching.
Psalm
9:1-12
As a disciple, note that the
adoration and praise of God (vs. 1, 2, 9) are only possible because David was
oppressed and driven for ten years for following God. Abraham and Sarah could
laugh in wonder and joy because they waited for 25 years. We will have this
kind of praise, if we pay the price of discipleship, following Christ, reaching
the lost, making disciples, who make disciples. Living like this won't make everyone
happy. We may have to endure and wait and cry out; but in the end, in order to
protect us, the Lord will draw us to His side. That's a good place to be and it
makes all of the hardship worth it.
Today we only have the first
half of this psalm.
Vs. 1-2 Even though David was
still under stress (v. 13), he had seen God deliver him so often that in coming
with this new request for help, David had to praise the Lord for the past.
Vs. 3-4 David had seen enemies
fall and circumstances change. He knew it wasn't simply because God loved him,
but because God is righteous and maintains the cause of those who follow Him.
Vs. 5-8 As God rebuked the nations, they fell and were
forgotten, but God has, and always will, continue to reign and give justice to
the people.
Vs. 9-10 This is David's
declaration of God's truth.
Vs. 11-12 This is the praise due
God for the truth of those last verses.
Proverbs 2:16-22
Vs. 16-19 For the disciple,
being wise, like the "wise man" who built the house above, keeps you
from a lot of foolishness. One area of danger that Solomon is about to mention
repeatedly is seeking sexual fulfillment in the wrong places. Apparently
Solomon was writing this before it actually happened to him.
What would be more relevant to
our culture? This world and individuals in it will be in chaos until the Lord
returns, because we don't understand our need for completion and how powerful
and controlling it is if it is not satisfied according to God's design specs. A
lot of devoted disciples, men and women, are ruined here.
Note v. 17 and the mention of
faithfulness to her husband and faithfulness to God. This is the same thing God
mentions in Malachi 2:14, and is seen in Romans 1:18ff and in the Fall. Faithfulness
to God and faithfulness to one's spouse are linked.
V. 19 Notice that those who go
this way do not regain the paths of life.
How many public preachers or people in full-time ministry do you know, who were
caught in an affair, and have regained the place they were, either publicly or
in their marriage, before they fell into sexual adventure? God is not mocked. He's
given us the warning right here.
Vs. 20-22 Amen. David was just
talking about righteous judgment. Those who walk with God, in friendship with
Him, who love Him, cannot help but be righteous. They become like the Lord and
He blesses them as friends.
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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