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 10
Numbers 14:1-15:16
Numbers 14
Vs. 1-10 When we read this, we have to remember that we are no better
than the people here. I'm often tempted to think of these people or the people
in Jesus' day as some lower category of dumb humanity. At times, I see this
kind of irrationality in me, and being a pastor, I've definitely seen it in
churches. It is tough for us, even with the Spirit, to live with raw obedience
and faith rooted in God that is constant and enduring from day to day and from
situation to situation. You can't explain this irrationality with any word
other than "sin." It is a small word with power that staggers the
imagination.
V. 5 After the people made their decision in v. 4, Moses and Aaron fell on their faces. They knew what was coming and
there was only one place to appeal for mercy for the people. The people of this
generation did not see the cause/effect link between sin and punishment,
especially as it had to do with the whole congregation suffering for the sins
of the few. The next generation would learn this lesson.
Vs. 6-10 Joshua and Caleb understood what was happening, too, and
jumped in to try to speak sense to the crowd and direct them to faith in
following God. The decision of the congregation to stone Joshua and Caleb was
the last straw.
This is probably a good time to share something with you that is kind
of exciting for me. Back in Genesis 49 when Jacob blesses his sons, as
expected, he gave Joseph a huge blessing. The blessing of Joseph would be
transferred to Joe's son, Ephraim, whom Jacob blessed as the firstborn. But what
is surprising is Jacob's blessing on Judah. Looking at the proportion of text,
Judah really gets a "lion's" share. So, how did the blessing of Jacob
to his sons play out? God's blessing is often seen in giving leadership. Look
closely at the tribes Joshua and Caleb come from. Do you think that it's a
coincidence that these men will be two of the leaders who will lead the nation
into Canaan in about 39 years?
V. 10 God moved in to protect Joshua and Caleb. Now He will issue
judgment.
Vs. 11-38 We could spend a couple of days in this section, but it's ok
not to, since you'll read this again next year and maybe someone will preach on
it in between. You'll learn a lot about Moses in this section. You'll learn
more about God. As disciples reading this account, we can learn about ourselves
and working with others. All of what we're reading applies to Christians, and
Paul refers to this history in dealing with the church at Corinth in 1
Corinthians 10 as a very solemn warning.
Vs. 11-19 God tested Moses' heart and Moses passed.
Notice in vs. 18 and 19 Moses refers back to his encounter with God on
Mt. Sinai, when God revealed Himself to Moses in a very deep way (Ex.
33:12-34:8). Notice that in Exodus God says that He would make His goodness
pass before Moses. That understanding of God's character, restated here, is
what helped Moses stand secure as a leader for the people in this time of
crisis.
Vs. 20-25 Wow! God pardoned, but boy did He punish. What's amazing is
that out of all the men older than 20, only Joshua and Caleb will enter the
land. This was a total, heartfelt rebellion of everyone. Except for a few men,
in 40 years the oldest man walking into the Promised Land would be only 60.
(One note is that it doesn't say that the Levites fell under this
punishment. They weren't represented by the spies. Aaron's son Eleazar does
enter the land. Eleazar would have had to have been much older than twenty when
this happened.)
At this point they were on a highway that led from Egypt to Canaan. Now
God would be leading them back into the wilderness.
Vs. 26-35 The complaint of the people becomes their punishment and the
children they used in their argument will inherit the promise. What interesting
years these will be. Someone has figured that for this generation to die in the
wilderness, there would have to be 400+ funerals a day for the next 38 years.
They would be living in a camp of death. The lessons of following God would be
emphasized by the daily mourning in the camp for the ones who rebelled against
God. Every day the people would understand that the sins of a few can lead to
the death of thousands.
V. 34 When we add this up later, the entire 40 years will be measured
from the time the people left Egypt, which would have been the entire time they
were in the wilderness. Actually, the first thing the people did when they left
Egypt was to complain and want to go back.
Vs. 36-38 It is interesting that God immediately punished the 10 spies.
At the same time, two very spiritual men were honored by God.
Vs. 39-45 This is kind of typical and very sad. Rather than repenting
and praying and seeking God, they disobey and expect the Lord to bless them.
God knew this was going to happen. So, what do you learn about Him? God
promised to lead them into the land and it was a valid offer. They could see
His love and His power every day. But these people were not ready and they
proved it. The people were judged rightly for their sin and rebellion. Now God
uses this entire generation as a lesson for the next generation to make them
ready to enter the land. But what an education. The next generation learns the
lesson, but at the great cost of lives lost and time lost. God works the same
way today. His use of time and people and their rebellion is righteous, but
outside of our ability to understand.
For us as disciples, we need to understand that God's plans can't be
frustrated. He knew what was going to happen and used the rebellion for good.
Even the disasters and our service for Him are known by Him. Regardless of what
happens in our service for Him, our challenge is to follow Him as if following
is the only goal, and not to be eaten up with considerations of time, money and
success. Our expectations regarding things like "success" and
"time" and "return on investment" don't mean much to God.
Jesus defined success as, Whoever has my
commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. God's power has not
been diminished. His plan since the Fall has not changed. If we can grasp that,
as we follow Christ in the harvest, it will give us a lot more peace and
security. Imagine the frustration of guys like Joshua and Caleb who loved God
and had the faith, but now because of 10 guys everything was ruined. But they
waited with God and followed Him every day. If we are following Christ as
disciples on earth, our home is in heaven and our life and times are in His
hands. We are servants working for Him here, reaching the lost and making disciples,
who make disciples. That's got to be enough.
Numbers 15:1-16
Now, believe it or not, we are in a time warp. We have no idea when God
said this to Moses. It could very well be that 10-30 years have passed between
chapters 14 and 15. Chapter 20 will take place on the first month of the 40th
year. We know that, because soon afterward Aaron will die, and the date of his
death is given in Numbers 33:38.
This is the reason why chapter 15 goes on as if nothing happened in
chapter 14. During the 40 years of wandering, the new generation is learning
and absorbing the law. They are becoming a nation. These commands are an
addition to the sacrifices for a fellowship offering. Ironically, these were
offerings of thanks and celebration to please the Lord when the people
expressed their joy for being brought into the land. After chapter 14, it is
ironic that the Lord would teach a new generation how to express thanks in
their sacrifices as they were being prepared to come into the Promised Land.
Mark 14:53-72
Vs. 55-59 In the name of God, they were
seeking testimony from liars so they could justify killing Jesus, but it
wasn't working. How frustrating for them.
Vs. 60-65 You can only be awed by the power of sin. Jesus' words in v.
62 are clear.
V. 64 All who were there condemned Jesus, meaning that both Nicodemus
and Joseph of Arimathea, who were members of the Council, hadn't been invited.
Vs. 66-72 Notice how much space Mark gives to this. Mark was that
failed servant who ran away from Paul and Barnabas on the first missionary
journey. After Barnabas restored Mark and got him back into ministry, Mark
became the companion of Peter. Peter had also been a failed servant. I'm sure
the reason that God made sure Peter's story was in all the Gospels is for us.
Peter failed and yet later became a great follower in the harvest. For us too,
it is never too late. The Lord is always standing before us, ready to forgive
and restore and welcome us to follow Him in the harvest.
Psalm 53
Vs. 1-3 Paul quotes from these verses in Romans 3:10-12, showing that
all men are under the power of sin. What an interesting psalm to read today,
after reading about Israel and Jesus' trial. This applies to all men, and we
would be just as bad if not for God's grace to us.
I was thinking about the fool saying, There is no God. I have never seen anything explode and produce
nearly perfect spheres. Everything we have that is round was made by someone.
Yet we look into the sky and see the sun and moon and think that these were
produced by an explosion. How silly.
Vs. 4-5 As David wrote this, he was most likely still running from King
Saul. Those who were saying in their hearts that God didn't exist were the
people doing this. That tells me that they probably "said" God didn't
exist, not so much by their words, but by their actions. They thought they
could do evil (like Saul having Doeg kill the priests) and get away with it.
V. 6 With the promises God had made to Abraham and had made to David
personally (Samuel's anointing of David to be king), David knew that in spite
of his hardship, God would bring justice to victory and that all would rejoice.
Proverbs 11:4
Amen.
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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