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.
APRIL 2
This is just a word of encouragement to keep up in reading your one-year
Bible. It is only April in the States and some are already into the dog-days of
summer. It's hot and the air is full of pollen; my scale is being very peevish
and making things up. Some feel like they missed winter, skipped spring and are
now I'm in summer. Thankfully the Lord remains the same and in spite of how I
feel, I feel better when I am sitting quietly with Him, reading His Word and
praying every day. Don't worry about the Reading Notes. They are not the Word.
And, they will be online until the web is shut down, and they are for you to
use, or not use, as you please. Keeping up with God in His Word is your life
and health as a disciple every day.
Deuteronomy 21-22
Some of the laws given from here on seem random and unconnected. They
are interesting as they stand, especially when you think that God thought them
up. The laws show something about Him and they make you think of what the point
was behind these laws. Even if the laws were only binding for Israel, and then,
only for Israel as they were ruled by God (for example, under Roman law the
Jews couldn't kill people for adultery or not keeping the Sabbath), there was
still a lesson involved in God thinking up that particular law. With some of
these laws it could also be there is something going on culturally that we
don't get because we weren't there.
One thing you notice is that every now and then, there is a purpose
statement given which explains the reason behind the law, or maybe it is a
block summary for many laws that have been given to that point. In our reading
today, the end of Deuteronomy 21:23 is one of those purpose statements. This is
why v. 23 was chosen as a good place for a chapter division. These laws gave
order and a sense of respectability and propriety to the customs of the people
so that they wouldn't defile the land. (If God were making a nation today; for
example, I don't think He would allow people to leave their shopping carts out
in the middle of the parking lot, that being a sign of the decay of Western
civilization.) They emphasize the reality that the nation is set apart wholly
and holy for God.
There might be a connection between the order of these laws and it's
fun to try to find it, but even that can be overdone. We'll just have to ask
God in heaven why they were given like this. I have a feeling that when we get
to heaven we won't care anymore. It is important to remember that these laws
were not meant to answer every question and contingency, but rather to give a
general rule or judgment from which other rules and judgments could be made for
situations not mentioned.
Deuteronomy 21
Vs. 1-9 This was in the days before "CSI" and
"Bones." Notice v. 9. The issue of innocent blood was/is no small thing with God. Notice that the
priest was involved in this, and since he had the Urim and Thummim, the issue
probably could have been solved. We have no proof that this was ever done in
Israel. Once we are in Judges we'll see why.
Vs. 10-14 This was definitely a different time and a different culture.
Note that this was future oriented, because none of the women in Canaan would
have qualified for this. This woman did not have to be a virgin. The occasion
would have been after the conquest of Canaan. Some nation would have picked a
fight with Israel, been defeated by Israel on the field, and then Israel would
have pursued them to their land and taken their cities.
Even though this might seem kind of barbaric to our cultured
sensitivities, there was order here. There was no raping and pillaging. This
event was totally legislated. They had to be married, man and wife, before
anything could happen. The act of the woman having to shave her head and trim
her nails sounds similar to the Levites having to cut their hair almost as if
to enter their new life/service as newborns. In a way, this was also a
"cooling" down period for the man. It could be in those 30 days he
decided it was a bad idea. Notice also, there was no sexual relationship until
the month had passed. The man went into her as her husband, meaning the social
customs had been acknowledged and fulfilled and they were legally married.
There is a sense, too, in which there is mercy in this custom. Worse
things could happen to a person, and actually, this could be a very good thing.
Becoming a part of Israel worked out pretty good for Ruth. But Ruth wasn't
taken in war. She came with Naomi. However, there is another example of a
foreign woman who was taken in war and married one of the soldiers, Rahab, from
Jericho. It turned out pretty good for Rahab. Her husband Salmon was from a
leading family of Judah, and some think Salmon might have been one of the spies
who went into Jericho. Rahab gets some good press in Hebrews and in James, but
her biggest claim to fame, along with Ruth, is in Matthew 1:5. Rahab shouldn't
have been saved because she was a Canaanite, but in God's mercy she was not
only saved and not only married a cool dude, but she became the great29th
power grandmother of Jesus.
Vs. 15-17 It is interesting here that God never commanded that a man
should only have one wife. God could have nipped it in the bud right here. The
model of creation is one man and one woman, and the best marriages you find in
the Bible are just one man and one woman. When God says, "the two become
one flesh," it's apparent that that is His model. Why He even allowed
polygamy to exist is beyond me. He not only allowed it, but when David messed
up, God implied that He would have given David more wives (2 Sam. 12:8). It's
clear that monogamy was the rule and having more than one wife was the
exception. By Roman times the Jews were totally monogamous, and Christianity
never made a provision for more than one wife.
V. 17 It is also interesting that God says the firstborn son is the firstfruits of his (the man's) strength.
Even though God chose to go around this with Esau and Jacob and with
Manasseh and Ephraim, for society, this rule kept things fair and in order.
Vs. 18-21 The Swedes (no spankings) would have freaked out about this
one. Obviously this is referring to an older teen. The main issue was his
rebelliousness, which probably would have shown up in his gluttony and
drunkenness. Also, this was done in court; therefore, the elders and the gates
of the city are mentioned. It was a very public matter. This wasn't shooting
him behind the barn.
So what about the rebellious daughter? Probably the same held true.
Notice the purpose statement at the end of v. 21. Later we will see
what happens when there is no punishment or enforcement for these violations.
The people became disheartened by the lawlessness and gave up following God's
order. A case in point is in 1 Samuel 2:22-36. Because Eli didn't have his sons
put to death, as they deserved, people gave up on worshiping or following God.
Vs. 22-23 Death by hanging was usually for public warning. Joshua will
do this to the kings of Canaan, to alert the other kings in Canaan and to
encourage Israel that God is with them. Also, David will do this to allay a
curse brought on Israel for King Saul's extermination of the Gibeonites. In
that case the bodies were a public demonstration of payment and restitution for
violating a covenant. The most notable case of hanging is referred to by Paul
in Galatians 3:13, where he is talking about Jesus being cursed by God for us.
God hung His own son as a testimony that payment for sin was made for mankind.
Deuteronomy 22
Vs. 1-4 This is not for the animal; it is for the neighbor. I did this
today walking. This huge dog ran up to me. Thankfully I was wearing so many
layers that the dog couldn't smell the fear that I'm sure was pouring out of
me. But it was just a big fierce looking, slobbery, shedding, loving dog. Yet
it kept following me, so I was in a pickle. If I had kept walking, it would
have followed me over a busy road. And besides, Rover didn't look intelligent
enough to find its way home. So there I stood, until about five minutes later
someone missed him. A woman, about half the size of the dog, walked out on the
sidewalk, down the block, in her pjs. The last I saw, the dog ran down to her,
(picked her up in his mouth and took her into the house, for breakfast, I
think. JUST KIDDING!!!!!) Anyway, I guess I fulfilled this command today. How
funny.
V. 5 This is not Halloween. This is real cross-dressing. God doesn't
think it's funny. He considers it to be perverted sexuality.
Vs. 6-7 I guess you could call this a law of propriety or forced
wisdom. For the sake of preserving God's blessing, the people were to curb
their desires, act wisely, and to think of the future of the land. Again, from
a little case like this, you could probably apply the principle to many other
situations where similar wisdom and self control were necessary.
V. 8 Even accidental death because of carelessness was to be avoided by
acting wisely. I'm sure this was applied to a lot of other situations, like
open wells, for example.
Vs. 9-11 Now these might have had some tie to the culture and to
superstition. Even if this was just something that had to do with order and
keeping things separate, it would have created a mindset for doing things
orderly.
Notice v. 10. Paul quotes this in 2 Corinthians 6:14, Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers.
For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has
light with darkness?
V. 12 refers to the tassels God commanded to be sown on all of their
garments in Numbers 15:37-41. The reason was to make them remember always to
obey the Lord. How could you forget what those conspicuous little, dangly things
meant? They weren't jewelry. They also would have started some conversations
with foreigners.
Vs. 13-21 Note that this law is to keep a man from unjustly getting rid
of his wife by insisting she was sexually impure before they were married. This
law is a protection for the woman. That is the focus. If the husband was
dishonest, he was trying to get back the 50 shekels of silver he gave for the
bride price.
Premarital sexual purity was to have been the expected norm. Parents
were to testify to their daughter's virginity, and a man expected to marry a
virgin. The proof the parents were to bring was the sheet from the wedding
night that showed that as the girl had intercourse for the first time, she
bled.
On the other hand, if the girl had been a prostitute or the girl and
her parents had used prostitution to increase the family income, or if she/they
had been involved in Baal worship, these would have all had serious
consequences.
The only way the father could have gotten 50 shekels of silver for his
daughter in marriage was that she was a virgin. I'm sure the finances of this
tempted people to lie. I'm sure there were allowances and the appropriate
disclosures for accidents or even rape. The important thing is that the father
couldn't say she was a virgin if she wasn't.
Looking at the punishment for the man or the woman, this law would have
made premarital sex a very serious and dangerous event. In v. 28, rape meant
forced marriage without provision for divorce. In Exodus 22:16 there is a
variation of this for seduction, where the girl's father could refuse to have
his daughter marry that man. The end result was that premarital sex was not
acceptable.
Vs. 22-29 From all of these laws you understand that adultery was
punishable by death. An engaged woman was legally married, just not yet
married.
V. 24 Note that a woman had to cry for help. The guy couldn't say,
"If you yell, I'll kill you," because if she didn't yell she'd die
anyway.
All of these laws set a standard by which other situations could be
evaluated. In our day, you know that if adultery meant death, fewer people
would be willing to do it and it wouldn't be glamorized on TV. And if
premarital sex meant a forced marriage, I wonder if people wouldn't take things
more seriously. We understand what is allowed in society, and we know that God
forgives and gives grace and love; but still, here we see what God's opinion on
all this stuff is. And actually, it comes out of His love for us, wanting the
best for us.
V. 30 God is simply saying that a son shouldn't marry his stepmother,
even if his father dies. That is not only propriety, but it is God's command.
Interestingly enough, Paul mentions that someone in Corinth was doing this very
thing and that the church approved of it. O Weh!
Luke 9:51-10:12
Luke 9:51-62
Vs. 51-56 This wasn't Jesus' final trip to Jerusalem, but the reality
of His death and the rejection of His offer to the Jews added more definition
to His training of the Twelve and to His agenda. Actually, Jesus was going up
to the Feast of the Tabernacles in John 7; in fact, John 7:2-10 would come
right before this.
Before, Jesus had been willing to spend time with the Samaritans. Now,
He was given direction via the Spirit, to get to Jerusalem for this very
important showdown.
V. 54 It appears that only this Samaritan village reacted this way.
This is one time we see James and John earning the nickname Jesus gave them, The Sons of Thunder. There were probably
lots of other examples. Notice that when Jesus rebuked them, He turned from
them. Jesus did this with Peter also. The next village responded better.
Vs. 57-62 How do you categorize these three men? Try to put these
objections in your own words.
Vs. 57-58 This was a scribe, a Pharisee who was well studied in the
law. These were usually rich, well-to-do people. Apparently the lack of
security and proper accommodations were too much for him.
Vs. 59-60 Notice that Jesus initiated this. He must have noticed one
disciple who had potential and had gone up to him and told him to follow Him.
Particularly in this case where Jesus selected the man, the man's love for
father and family won the day. Jesus said that a person had to "hate
father and mother" to follow Him. Notice too that Jesus wasn't put off by
this man's objection, but commanded him to go
and proclaim the kingdom of God.
Vs. 61-62 This guy declared his willingness but wasn't ready. So why
did he say this? For others? To be recognized by Jesus? Interestingly, Jesus
says that the person would not be fit.
In the Greek that word actually can mean, "to fit" to something. This
kind of commitment doesn't fit to the life and call of a disciple in the
harvest.
(Just for your information, you can insert John 7-10:21 here.)
Luke 10:1-12
After the massive rejection Jesus received in John 7-10:21, He was
stepping up His discipleship training and also preparing His itinerary for
visiting towns on the east side of the Sea of Galilee. If they found towns that
were open, Jesus would visit the town, if not, too bad. Much of this looks
similar to sending out the Twelve. Jesus still had a lot of disciples. One
interesting thought is that the guy who took Judas' place, to fill up the
"twelve" in Acts, must have been part of the 70.
Psalm 74
The family of Asaph were singers in the temple from the reign of David
to the restoration of the temple after the exile under Ezra and Nehemiah. It
looks like this writer wrote after the people returned to Israel following the
Babylonian exile.
Vs. 1-3 You notice the appeal for God to remember His promises. Even
after Israel returned under Zerubbabel, the people experienced great opposition
in rebuilding the temple. It seems that the psalmist is lamenting this.
Vs. 4-8 It seems that the writer is asking God to look at the wanton devastation
and to remember their acts of violence.
Vs. 9-11 This is interesting that they are asking for God to reveal His
hand by giving them a prophet. God would send both Haggai and Zechariah to
motivate the people to continue building the temple. I wonder if this is the
outpouring of heart, repeated and sung in their worship that motivated God to
send those two men.
Vs. 12-17 This declaration of God as creator is the source of their
faith and strength. They might not see God's hand in what was happening in
Jerusalem, but in all of the created world they could still draw strength from
the fact that God was both there, and able to help them.
Vs. 18-21 God is asked to remember Israel, the dove. And He is asked to
remember the covenant with Abraham and the poor and needy.
Vs. 22-23 What cause should God defend? I would think it might be more
than Israel. His cause is the redemption of mankind.
Proverbs 12:11
What if works his land simply
meant "worthwhile, God-honoring pursuits?" What would happen here if bread meant "nourishment for your
spiritual life as a disciple?" Since most people are not farmers, some
thinking about the sense of the proverb helps. Also, we know from Deuteronomy
that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word which proceeds from
the mouth of God. The abundance of our hearts as followers of Christ comes from
our diligence in working the soil of our hearts with His Word.
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.
