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 21
Leviticus 11-12
In these following chapters it
would be a good idea to keep the key verses of this section in mind as you
read. It will help you understand the point of what God is doing here. These
verses are very famous, and even Peter quotes them in 1 Peter 1:16. The verses
I'm referring to are 11:44-45. This idea of being holy because God is holy will
be repeated four more times in Leviticus and then only in 1 Peter. The rules
that follow will be for ceremonial cleanness before God. The regulations will
be symbols of separation (holiness) to the service of God. God is building this
symbolism into very common, visible things in their lives. They would be
reminded every day that they were to live differently for God, and the people
around Israel would notice that these people were different. The point for
Israel to remember was that they were redeemed to be a witness for the world.
Also, look for repetition of
words. There are some obvious ones, like detestable
and unclean. Underline or highlight
these. It not only sharpens your skills in Bible study, but it keeps your mind
active and makes the reading less tedious.
Leviticus 11
Vs. 1-8 These were land animals.
The only animal that would affect any of us would be the pig.
Vs. 9-12 It looks to me like
catfish and lobster, shrimp, and crab were out, too.
Vs. 13-23 I don't see any great
culinary losses here among the winged things.
Vs. 24-28 If they touched
anything that was dead, they would be ceremonially unclean. Usually taking a
bath and waiting until evening made everything right.
Vs. 29-38 This would have been a
reason to invest in pest control, or at least to keep a very clean house. I
wonder if "water" in vs. 34 and 38 means something other than water?
Vs. 41-43 What is interesting in
this part is the mention of the defiling of the person. This seems to cross the
line from object lesson to some things that God definitely says should be
avoided that were never intended for people to eat.
Vs. 44-47 You don't find
anything said in terms of "health" considerations. A lot of people
try to explain all of this saying that if they had eaten pork back then, they
would have died because it was so diseased. Of course, everyone else ate it and
they survived.
I wonder, as disciples, if we
are so jaded by our culture, that we lose the distinction between "holy
and unholy" and "clean and unclean." We don't like to look
different from those around us anymore than the Israelites did. The Corinthians
(who, by the way, were Jews and not Greeks) became overly engaged in their
culture after they threw off Judaism for Christianity, and Paul had to go after
them for their immorality and idolatry. In Romans, the message of chapters
14-15 seems to be that if God touches us and says something is not for us
personally, then we need to heed what He says. We just shouldn't make it a rule
for everyone else. It seems to me that we have let the pendulum swing too far
to the side of liberty and we've forgotten why we're here on this planet of
death. A disciple is called to the side of Christ to work with Him in the
harvest. We are called apart to Him. And Israel was also called apart to be the
Nation of God, a light in the world.
So, here is the great object
lesson in all of this. Each time the people ate, it reminded them that they
were God's special possession on the earth and that they had a mission,
carrying forth the promise given to Abraham, which was an extension of the
promise to Adam and Eve. Did that motivate them, or did they just gripe because
they couldn't eat bacon?
Leviticus 12
Vs. 1-5 So, we know that there
is nothing wrong with having kids; in fact, it is a command given both to Adam
& Eve and to Noah & Co.
Most of this, I think, has to do
with God making a point of how Israel is different. You'll notice that blood is
mentioned. It is not that childbirth or menstruation were bad or dirty, but
that blood was to be seen as precious, since the "life is in the
blood." Later, we'll hear that men were strongly forbidden to have sex
with their wives during menstruation. I think this is God making a point for
Israel, that doesn't apply to us unless God makes it a point for you
personally. God was placing something in their everyday lives that drew their
attention to their special status as His people.
That a woman was unclean longer for a female baby than
for a male baby doesn't seem to have any special reason other than that God is
making a point. God doesn't value men higher than women. In my opinion, it was
because the Savior of mankind, promised to Adam and Eve, would be a male child.
Interestingly, after Jesus, the law ended and so did the basis for this law.
Vs. 6-8 There are two offerings
mentioned in v. 8. The burnt offering
signified devotion to God, and the sin offering signified cleansing and
forgiveness. If you want to read what happened on the day of Mary's
purification, read Luke 2:22-38. I'm sure God had that day in mind when He gave
Israel this symbol. Jesus, the Son of God, was actually part of the
festivities.
Again, in childbirth, God is
giving Israel an object lesson pointing to the need for devotion and
forgiveness, and the difference between the holy and the common, the clean and
unclean. Their thoughts would always be directed to God, and the eyes of the
nations would look at them and say, "Whoa, dude!"
Mark 5:21-43
Since we discussed this story in
Matthew, my comments will be brief.
But do you notice something
"coincidental" in this reading? This is why I love The One Year
Bible. Sometimes the combinations of reading seem random and disconnected,
and then one day you go, "How did that work out that these Scripture
portions fit together?"
Vs. 21-34 In Leviticus 12:4, a
woman after childbirth (or any woman who discharged blood) was unclean and
shouldn't be touched and was not to touch anyone, or anything else. This woman
touched Jesus and they all knew it. I wonder if part of her fear and desire to
hide was her guilt in having made Jesus unclean by touching Him.
So, does the ruler of the
synagogue still want the "unclean" rabbi to touch his daughter?
Vs. 35-43 In the delay, they all
discover that the girl has died. It is interesting to me that Jesus seems to be
responding to these events as the Father is revealing them to Him. He didn't
know about the woman and responded to the situation. Suddenly there is this
unexpected turn of events. Now knowing that the father will lose hope, He
emotionally rallies everyone to move forward to the glory the Father wants to
reveal. As mentioned in Matthew, it seems to me that Jesus is moving very
quickly to try not to draw attention to what He is about to do.
V. 41 Notice that Jesus took her
(the corpse) by the hand, something no rabbi would have done. It would have
made Him unclean. One observation here is that the woman had her flow of blood
for twelve years and the little girl was twelve years old. That may not be
important but it is interesting.
If Jesus heals you, you're
clean. What an amazing truth we take into this dark harvest. His amazing
treasure is in those of us who were once separated from God by our
"uncleanness," who now, through His touch, have become disciples
separated unto God, following our Lord in the harvest to make disciples, who
make disciples. What amazing mercy and tenderness by the Son of God.
Psalm 38
Do any of these verses speak to
you? I'm really feeling vs. 6-10 and vs. 21-22.
It would be interesting to know
when David wrote this psalm. There are some clues in this regarding the
circumstances. Apparently David had done something wrong, and at the same time
he had enemies on his heels. It's enough to be in danger, but also to have the
guilt of having done something that has damaged your relationship with God,
well, that's really bad. If this is David's earlier days, I would guess it is
when David just started running, and the result of his lying resulted in the
deaths of the priests and their families at the hand of Saul. That would have
brought David a lot of guilt. And then, Saul and all the leaders of Israel were
after David to kill him.
Vs. 1-10 I'm amazed at the
poetry and accuracy of this. This is how we feel before God when our own sin
and guilt overwhelm us.
Vs. 11-12 I don't know the
historical situation, but I'll bet that the way Saul and his men explained the
massacre at Nod was that it was somehow David's fault or his doing.
Vs. 13-14 This sounds like
brokenness.
Vs. 15-22 Notice how David
alternates between asking God's forgiveness and asking for His help.
As disciples we still slip and
fall. Our sin is still very powerful. Yet, it seems like the Lord is saying in
this psalm that we are to use this as the model of crying out to Him and
seeking forgiveness and restoration. He forgave and restored David and He is
encouraging us to come to Him the same way.
Proverbs 10:8-9
Notice that v. 8 is public and
v. 9 is private. The wicked man is dishonest with others and dishonest with
himself. The person following the Lord listens in public and speaks with
wisdom. Privately, he is humbly examining his attitudes, actions and motives.
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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