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.
MARCH 6
Numbers 6-7
Numbers 6
Vs. 1-21 The Nazirite vow was taken by a person wanting to dedicate
themselves to the Lord for some special task or perhaps in seeking some answer
from the Lord. There is no time limit determined. The two notable things in
this vow are that the person couldn't eat or drink anything having to do with a
grape (the symbol of pleasure and prosperity) and they had to let their hair
grow long, making them stand out socially. In spite of all the depictions of
men's hairstyles in ancient days so that the guys looked like Chip & Dale
(sp?), I think short hair was the rule. Long hair, like the Nazirite had, would
have stood out.
Vs. 9-12 This was a provision if something should happen that defiled a
Nazirite during his/her vow.
The three notable men in the Bible who were Nazirites were Samson,
Samuel and John the Baptist. Samson and Samuel, who lived during the same time,
were both dedicated by their parents at birth to be life-long Nazirites. Some
people think (hope) this is what Jephthah did to his daughter. Samson, it
should be noted, broke all the rules of a Nazirite but one; and you know what
happened there. Of all men born, Jesus was the most dedicated to God. When it
says in Matthew 2:23, that he would be
called a Nazarene, it is referring to where He grew up and to His title in
Isaiah 11:1, branch (Nazareth means
branch). Although Matthew is referring to something in the OT, there is no
specific reference that anyone has ever found. Jesus couldn't have been a
Nazirite because Jesus drank wine and touched dead things (Ok, He did make them
alive again). Also, Jesus probably had short hair, otherwise Paul maligned Him
when he wrote in 1 Corinthians 11:14, Does
not nature itself teach you that if a man wears long hair it is a disgrace for
him…? So actually, it doesn't seem likely that Jesus had long hair, which
he would have had if he'd been a Nazirite.
There is a very interesting reference to Nazirites in Amos 2, if you're
up to looking for it.
Vs. 22-27 There was intentionality in everything God did. Even in the
blessing of the people, God didn't leave it up to Aaron to come up with his own
blessing.
Now just for fun, imagine what this blessing would sound like if you
changed out some of the words and it went like, "Lord, I need you to bless
me and keep me…I need you to make your face…." You get the idea. It all
has to do with our need for the Lord.
V. 27 God's name was to be put upon the people. For an interesting
connection here, read John 17 in any version other than the NIV and look for
the word "name." Jesus put the name of His Father on all of his
disciples. Note too, that John 17 is often referred to as Jesus'
"high-priestly prayer."
Numbers 7
Vs. 1-9 Apparently this is looking back to the dedication of the
tabernacle and the altar for burnt offerings. In preparation for the moving of
the tabernacle toward the promised land, the tribes brought an offering of oxen
and carts for the service of the Levites and then offerings to dedicate the
altar.
Notice v. 9. David should have read this, or rather, he should have
been advised by the priests and Levites. These guys didn't need any oxen,
because all of this holy furniture was to be carried on poles on their
shoulders.
Vs. 10-89 The order of the tribes giving their offering reflects their
lodging position around the tabernacle as given in Numbers 2. It is significant
that Judah is the first tribe to offer their sacrifice. They will be the
"alpha" tribe for the rest of Israel's history. We have seen the name
of Nahshon, the son of Amminadab, three times prior to this. These names appear
in Jesus' genealogy in the NT, Jesus being from the tribe of Judah. But one
other point of interest is that Aaron's wife was Nahshon's sister. That means
that the priests of Israel would all be related to the tribe of Judah. Again,
this is just trivia; but Jesus' mother Mary, who was of the tribe of Judah, was
a relative of Elizabeth, who was a Levite related to Aaron.
2.5 shekels was about an ounce. If you're curious, you can figure out
the value of the metals by Googling the exchange rates for today.
V. 89 This is as
if to say that all was complete. When Moses walked into the tabernacle, into
the Holy Place, he heard God's voice coming from beyond the veil above the mercy seat. This symbolic
separation from God is important in that it shows how different our
relationship to God is in Jesus. As disciples in the harvest, the good news we
are able to share is that in Jesus that veil is gone, and we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. (Ephesians
3:12) Let us then with confidence draw
near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of
need. (Hebrews 4:16)
Everything that we are reading had an immediate application to Israel,
teaching them and us about God's holiness and the importance of being clean and
ready to serve Him. But the Lord was also getting ready to show us the
fulfillment of these symbols in our Savior and our salvation.
Mark 12:38-13:13
Mark 12:38-44
Vs. 38-40 In Mark, these are Jesus' last publicly spoken words in His
ministry. The rest will be for the disciples.
Funny that the last thing He said was to beware of the scribes. The scribes figured out and taught the laws
that issued down to the people. Apparently, some of the "laws" they
made either took widows' houses from them or persuaded the widows to give their
houses to the temple and the scribes lived in them.
Vs. 41-44 Oddly enough, the next, and last, story of Jesus' public
ministry has to do with a widow who gave everything she had, in contrast to
those who gave much more, but out of their abundance.
For us as disciples, we need to think about this. We tire quickly of
giving out of our abundance. Most people in the Western world have reserves
that are undreamed of by other people on this planet. The Lord has a special place
in His heart for sacrifice that shows absolute desire to give everything to
Him.
Mark 13:1-13
Vs. 1-8 We've already had something like this in Matthew. What does it
make you think of? I see two things happening. First, things will get a lot
worse. Second, there will be persecution of those who follow Christ. What Jesus
is saying here has a near and a far fulfillment. The near fulfillment will be
the judgment of that particular generation, climaxing in the destruction of
Jerusalem in 70 A.D. The far fulfillment will be in the Tribulation.
Vs. 9-13 These words are not only written for the disciples then, but
they are written for all disciples who will endure persecution. Jesus has
already said these things to His disciples on a couple of occasions. The group
of disciples that this will really apply to will be those who come to faith
during the seven-year Tribulation.
For us as disciples, we know that things will only get worse, so the
work we need to do is in the harvest now, not trying to make heaven on earth or
thinking the next election will save the day. As the storm clouds gather on the
horizon, we are here to keep working in the harvest with our Lord, reaching the
lost and making disciples, who make disciples.
Psalm 49
Vs. 1-4 Notice the universal call to all people. The mention of rank
and wealth will be important themes in this psalm.
Vs. 5-6 So, in a sense, this psalm has to do with living without fear,
particularly from others who have rank and wealth.
Vs. 7-12 After what we've read in Leviticus regarding redemption and
what we know about redemption in the New Testament, this is interesting. Verses
7-8 explain the dilemma. When it comes to our lives before God, humanly
speaking, there is nothing we can pay God and there is no one who can take our
place. The evidence of this is death. Nothing can keep us from dying, and so,
death shows there is nothing we can pay for our souls before God. The end is
spiritual death.
I was reading about Jesus telling His disciples that they shouldn't
fear those who could only kill the body, but could not kill the soul. God is
the one who can cast into hell, where people become eternally separated from
Him. It is interesting that fear is mentioned in v. 5.
Vs. 13-14 Verse 14 struck me where it says, Death shall be their shepherd. I know there is a sense in which the
arrogant and unbelieving get what they deserve, but we still need to try and
flag them down as they go speeding by, to warn them the bridge is out. Death as
a shepherd is a very gripping image.
V. 15 This must have been understood by those who loved God, that God
would make a way of redemption. He would supply a redeemer. Think back on the
story of Abraham sacrificing Isaac.
Vs. 16-20 With all of this truth in mind, the psalmist agrees with
Jesus. There is no need to fear for our daily needs. We have a very present and
caring Heavenly Father. On the other hand, Jesus gave His disciples a double
warning about pursuing riches in Luke 12:15. They were not only to take heed,
but beware.
Proverbs 10:27-28
Amen again! The fear of the Lord
molds our view of life and expectations, leading us to joy. Those who disregard
the Lord have no clue. This is what leads them to a tragic end. As the psalmist
says, they will perish like the beasts, without understanding or hope of
eternal life.
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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