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.
FEBRUARY 13
Exodus 35:10-36:38
Exodus 35:10-35
Lots of observations here, but
I'll only make a few.
Vs. 10-19 Being a pastor, I
always wonder how Moses did this logistically. God had already told Moses which
men had been especially gifted for the work of construction. Did they hold
meetings? How did Moses communicate the detailed designs he was given? Did they
have a white board or did they each have little stone tablets?
Vs. 20-29 The people gave
willingly and eventually had to be restrained in their giving. They also gave
willingly to make the calf. Giving doesn't tell the entire story, nor is it a
sure sign of spiritual maturity.
The caution I see in all of
this, for us as disciples, is that if they had sought the Lord and waited on
Him, they would have gotten what they wanted, a place and symbol of worship.
God was already giving the plan to Moses as they were pressing Aaron to allow
them to go bovine. As often as I have heard preachers "wax elephants"
on this story, talking about the willing heart of the people, as Paul/Spirit
reminds us in 1 Corinthians 10, all of these people who were giving (except a
couple) rebelled and died in the wilderness. Sin is incurable and the heart is
deceitful beyond all things. Our religious routines and sacrifices do not mean
spiritual maturity and can be used by us to gain our own ends and pacify our
guilt. Our only hope is to keep our hearts at Jesus’ feet, soaked daily in His
Word and to set our hearts on closely, humbly following the Spirit.
Vs. 30-35 Apparently Bezalel was
the main leader and artist of the tabernacle. The "he" of chapter 36
probably refers to Bezalel. Bezalel taught himself and Oholiab to make what
needed to be made, and these two men led and guided all the men and women who
worked on the tabernacle.
One point of trivia in v. 30 is
that the title, son of Hur, would
have been pronounced "Ben Hur." You were wondering where they got the
title for that movie, right? You'll notice in the movie, Ben Hur is of the
tribe of Judah.
Exodus 36
Vs. 1-7 Notice that after
commissioning Bezalel and Oholiab, the first order of business was to get the
people to stop bringing stuff. Apparently it was interrupting the work.
Vs. 8-38 There is a great amount
of detail and care given to what was done in building this place of worship.
What do you think God is trying to say to us?
V. 35 This refers to the veil
that stood before the Most Holy Place (Holy of Holies), in the Holy Place. The
tabernacle was one tent divided into two rooms. One was called the Holy Place,
where the lampstand, altar of incense and table of the bread of the Presence
stood. As you entered this tent, straight ahead was the altar of incense, and
just inches beyond that altar was the veil. Beyond that veil was the Most Holy
Place. The ark of the covenant was in the Most Holy Place, holding the Ten
Commandments, and the top of the ark was the mercy seat, symbolically, the
throne of God.
The priests entered the Holy
Place twice every day, but the high priest only entered the Most Holy Place
once a year on the Day of Atonement when he made sacrifice for the sins of the
people/nation. This veil separated the people from the presence of God. It was
only by going through this veil that forgiveness for the people and nation
could be made. This is the making of that veil. Now notice what happens in the
NT reading for today.
The tabernacle would be
completed about a year after the Exodus.
Matthew 27:32-66
For us as disciples, this is
hallowed ground. All that Jesus endured and suffered for our salvation comes to
a focus on the cross, as He is cursed and punished by His Father, for our sins.
V. 32 Jerusalem was filled with
people who had come to the Passover. This man, Simon, was a Jew from Cyrene in
North Africa. Talk about being in the wrong place at the right time. Mark 15:21
mentions that two of Simon's sons became known in the church. They apparently
all became believers. Also, see Acts 13:1 where one of these sons is there in
that prayer meeting when the Holy Spirit sent Paul and Barnabas on the first
missionary journey. Also, the Jewish believers from Cyrene were some of the
first to preach the gospel to the Gentiles.
V. 34-37 This gall was like
morphine; it numbed the mind and the pain. Jesus wanted, and chose, to stay
lucid.
V. 37 Usually the charge was
written on this plaque. In this case it was ironic for two reasons. First,
Pilate was lashing out at the Jews for threatening him with blackmail if he
didn't crucify Jesus. Second, the title was the charge against Jesus and it was
true. He was guilty of being the Messiah, the coming Son of Man.
V. 38 This is Isaiah 53:9.
Vs. 39-43 To understand this in
a deeper way, read Psalm 22 again.
V. 44 At this early point in
those six hours on the cross, the thieves also joined in. Toward the end, Luke
tells us that one of those thieves repented and was saved.
Vs. 45-50 This is also in Psalm
22. Note that the bystanders tried to prolong Jesus' life/death to see if
Elijah would come. Ironically, the only way Jesus died was that He allowed
Himself to die. He had the power at any time to save Himself, but He submitted
Himself to the Father's will to be poured out as a sacrifice for our sins.
Vs. 51-54 Notice v. 51 and think
about what you just read in the OT portion….pretty cool, huh?
Notice the time when vs. 52-53
actually take place. They couldn't rise until He did. Just as Jesus was the
"firstfruits" of those risen from the dead, there was this
"token" resurrection of some of those whose graves were in Jerusalem.
V. 54 The centurions were always
good guys.
Vs. 55-56 At the time of Jesus’
death these women were standing at a distance. There were a lot of Mary's. Matthew
doesn’t mention that the women were earlier standing under the cross at the
moment when Jesus gave His mother into the Apostle John’s care (John 19:25-27).
I think that Matthew refers to Jesus’ mother here as the mother of James and Joseph, Jesus’ brothers.
Vs. 57-61 Joseph of Arimathea
was a member of the Sanhedrin, like Nicodemus. Both were followers of Jesus,
and in John 19:39 it says that Nicodemus met with Joseph and brought the
materials and spices for a quick burial in Joseph's expensive tomb. Again, this
is Isaiah 53:9.
V. 61 I think this other Mary was Jesus’ mother.
Vs. 62-66 The best laid plans of
mice and men.
That was Friday, but Sunday's
coming. What does this section mean to you in your life as a follower of Jesus
in the harvest? What observations or thoughts come to mind as you read this?
Psalm 34:1-10
I have to admit that my heart
really clings to the promise and assurance of this psalm. This morning, my
heart is on the needing end of what David has experienced.
Vs. 1-3 This is the declaration
of praise. The reasons for this bold praise are about to be given.
V. 4 This was David's situation.
Vs. 5-10 Does v. 5 remind you
about something from Moses in Exodus?
V. 7 This sounds like another
reference to Exodus.
Proverbs 9:7-8
For anyone who has tried to help
others, the trick is to understand the difference between a wise man and a
fool. There are a lot of brilliant fools, and as you see in Matthew, even a lot
of religious ones. As a disciple, seeking and praying for others to nurture as
disciples, what does that spark of wisdom look like that can shine through
immaturity? Jesus saw it in Peter and didn't let Peter go. On the other hand,
in Matthew 7:6 Jesus warned His disciples to stay out of fruitless discussions
with fools. Wisdom teaches us when to speak and when to be quiet. It isn’t a
matter of right or wrong or courage or cowardice. It is a matter of wisdom and
the Spirit.
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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