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 8
Exodus 28
I know the only thing the guys
will take away from this section is the invention of underwear in v. 42. They
will note that they were boxers.
Vs. 1-5 Notice that everything
was made with meaning and it looked good. It was to give glory and honor to
both God and the priest who represented the people before God. These garments
were to be worn only when they were serving God.
Vs. 6-14 In the making of the
ephod, notice the stones that were to be placed on the shoulders. Aaron was to
be burdened with the responsibility for the people.
Vs. 15-30 You can see by the
amount of space given to the breastpiece, that it was very significant. For the
second time the names of the tribes of Israel are carried on his person as part
of his dress. Verses 29-30 are the key verses here. For the first time in the
Bible the Urim and the Thummim are
mentioned. They were probably stones used to inquire of God for making
judgments and decisions. The German Bible calls them "light and right
(justice or truth)," and you get the idea that using them was to find
truth and righteousness in making decisions and giving judgments. The only
place in the Bible you see them used in a significant way is with David when he
was running from Saul. Notice that in these verses it says three times that Aaron
was to have the people on his heart.
God says, Thus Aaron shall bear the judgment of the people of Israel on his heart
before the Lord regularly.
The disciple of Jesus bears on his heart the reaching of the lost and
the making of disciples for the next generation. It doesn’t burden us with
guilt, but with joy and excitement; because God and the Spirit are with us to
bless us. The Lord sits at the right hand of God praying for us and working with us. We bear the name of Christ as
His ambassadors, Therefore, we are
ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on
behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. (2 Cor. 5:20) In the grace of Jesus and the plan of God, it should weigh on us
that there are so many who do not know Christ. To think of the danger they are
facing should weigh upon our hearts. And
they shall be on Aaron's heart, when he goes in before the Lord. (Exodus 28:30)
Having a reason to get up every morning should empower us. All things
are ours in Christ.
Vs. 31-35 What is significant about the robe is the bells and the
pomegranates in vs. 33-34. This chiming sound would be made when the priest was
before the Lord in the Holy Place filling the lampstand, putting incense on the
altar of incense and replacing the bread of the Presence. The people would
recognize the sound of the priests representing God for them, and it would
heighten the awareness of the priest that he was standing before the throne of
God just beyond the veil. Anyone entering the Holy Place without this attire
would die.
Vs. 36-38 The priest was to represent the people before God realizing
their (and his) guilt before God and their need for holiness and forgiveness.
This would make the sacrifices acceptable to God.
It is interesting here too that the German Bible uses almost the same
words for Holy to the Lord as in the
Lord's Prayer, "make the name of God holy." I think that is a part of
the intent of these words on Aaron's chest. He was to present the Lord as holy
before Israel.
Vs. 40-43 They were to serve the people before God with dignity both in
heart and in attire.
Matthew 25:31-26:13
It is hard to keep all of the
events of Christ's second coming in order. The fact that there are so many
opinions of what will happen makes this hard. Also, the fact that there is an
element of the Tribulation, "Jacob's trouble," that is very specific
to Israel makes this order of events a challenge. The entire Tribulation will
last seven years.
A general order of events is as
follows. First, Christ comes for the church. All the believers of the church
age, from Jesus' resurrection to that point, will be resurrected; and those
alive on earth will be taken to Christ and changed into their resurrection
bodies. They will be in heaven during the Tribulation.
The Jews will become believing,
and they will present the gospel all over the earth during the catastrophic
events of the first 3.5 years.
At the midpoint of the 7 years, it
seems that an army from the north will come against Jerusalem but be destroyed
in the mountains around the Dead Sea. Then the antichrist will come to
Jerusalem, kill the two witnesses, break the peace agreement with Israel,
desecrate the temple and launch a full scale persecution of the Jews. Destroying
the Jews won't be as easy as it sounds, since the world will be wrecked and it
will get worse. Still, it will be the most violent persecution of the Jews and
followers of Christ that has ever taken place.
At the end of the Tribulation as
the nations gather north of Jerusalem, Christ will return to the Mount of
Olives. There He will gather all the Jews worldwide and resurrect all the OT
believers and head to the battle at Armageddon.
After this victory, Jesus will
take His throne in the temple in Jerusalem. Then He will call all the people of
all the nations to come before Him. This judgment will be on the non-Jewish
world. Their faith in Christ was seen in their willingness to risk life and
limb in hiding and helping the Jews and other followers of Christ during the
Tribulation. This is the judgment of the sheep and the goats.
Matthew 25:31-46
Vs. 31-46 This judgment will
take place immediately after the Tribulation as Jesus takes His throne for His
thousand-year reign over the earth. Those who helped the Jews/saints proved
their faith in God and will continue in the Millennium, but those who did not
help the believers proved their rebellion to God. This means that the
Millennium will be seeded and begun with only believers. After the 1000 years,
even with Satan bound and removed, the sin of man, with no influence other than
from within, will rise up against God so that when Satan is freed, he will find
hearts ready for rebellion.
V. 42 Note that the goats are
condemned by what they didn't do. Too often we think that sin is only seen in
what is done. Not praising God, thanking Him, or following Him is also sin.
Did you notice the differences
in verses 34 and 41, and for whom those places were prepared?
This parable makes it necessary
for the rapture of the church to occur before the end of the Tribulation. If all
believers were removed from the earth and given resurrection bodies at the end
of the Tribulation, there would be no more sheep, only goats. The best time for
the rapture of the church is at the beginning of the Tribulation. The entire Tribulation
is called “Jacob’s trouble,” and it is the fulfilling of Israel’s destiny. The
church has no reason to be there.
Matthew 26:1-13
Vs. 1-2 Jesus is now ready for
crucifixion, except for the institution of the symbol of the new covenant and
the final discourse to the disciples in John 12-17. Notice how He warns the
disciples again.
Vs. 3-4 This means they wanted
to kill Jesus before the feast. They will get their wish.
Vs. 5-13 This is Jesus' preparation for burial by Mary. What is
touching in this act of love is that Mary, the rich, aristocratic woman,
learned to do this from the example of a woman who was a sinner and low in
society. Mary identified herself with those who were low and sinful, pleading
before the feet of the merciful Savior. In love, facing the scorn of the
disciples no less, she poured out ointment worth a year’s wage at minimum wage.
V. 8 I hate to say this, but it looks like all twelve disciples had
been reading, "Religion for Idiots." In John 12 it says that Judas
Iscariot led the charge on this and the others followed. John mentions that
Judas was the treasurer and a thief.
Vs. 10-13 I wonder if any of the disciples were shamed and surprised by
this rebuke from Jesus. This momentary sacrifice is, and has been, a memorial
to her and to all disciples, who pour out their lives at the feet of their
Savior in fragrant sacrifice, working in His harvest.
Psalm 31:9-18
As you read this, remember that
this is the experience God gave to David to teach and train him. In this psalm
you can also sense some of what Jesus experienced.
V. 9 I could understand Jesus
feeling something like this on the cross.
V. 10 This wouldn't have applied
to Jesus.
V. 11 As with the first part of
this psalm from yesterday, I see this in Jesus’ death. When I read, those
who see me in the street flee from me, it also sounds like a part of Isaiah 53:3, He was despised and rejected by men; a man
of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was
despised, and we esteemed him not. I think of Jesus being led through the
streets of Jerusalem, a spectacle to the world, to angels and to men. So too,
says Paul, are His disciples in 1 Corinthians 4:9, For I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, like
men sentenced to death, because
we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels and to men.
Vs. 14-18 I really identify with
the cry for help and the plea not to be put to shame. It takes courage to
follow the Lord. A common fear is that God will let us down and we will be
shown to be fools for trusting Him and His Word. When you see how Jesus was
mocked as He hung on the cross, it appears that His adversaries had the victory
and He was put to shame. But that was only for a moment and only revealed their
hearts. As the old sermon says, "That was Friday, but Sunday's a
comin'." As disciples, we should expect no less. We are not better than
our Master. We will share both His humiliation and His vindication.
I like v. 16. David wasn't given
a permanent deliverance for many years, but God did give him little ones to
encourage him and strengthen his faith. Even in our circumstances we are
blessed by God allowing His face to shine upon us.
Proverbs 8:12-13
You can't deny that God wants us
to seek wisdom. It isn't just knowing the Word, but using what we learn in such
a way as to live skillfully and understand life. Knowing the Lord should make
us like the Lord. He is wise beyond all comprehension. God is not only saying
it is OK to hate evil, pride, arrogance and perverted speech; He's saying that
when we are wise, we will.
The trouble is, even with the Word sitting in your lap and the Spirit
living in your heart, you have to want to dig, hear and submit.
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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