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MARCH 11
Numbers 15:17-16:40
I hope you're planning to celebrate the progress you're making reading
your one-year Bible. If you do celebrate on St. Pat's day, that day is the
renumbering of the people before they go into the land. The first word in
Numbers 26:5 is Reuben. Wouldn't that
taste good? A McReuben and a Shamrock Shake?
Just like yesterday, we have no idea where these chapters fit into the
years of sitting and wandering in the wilderness. Forty years is a long time to
sit in the desert. Israel would have become a phenomenon in the world. All the
nations would have known about these millions of people. The nation was being
formed day by day, but somewhere in this waiting, as God was giving
supplementary guides to the sacrifices, discontent was brewing.
Numbers 15:17-40
Vs. 17-21 The law of the dough is a perpetual yearly celebration in
remembrance of God bringing them into the land. Paul alludes to this in Romans
11:16, If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is
holy, so are the branches. If you read that verse in Romans you'll notice
that it is also said in a sense of fulfillment and celebration. Here, God is
focusing the people on the entrance into the land. It could be that the time of
that event was drawing near.
Vs. 22-26 These guidelines are what a group of people, like a family or
town, was supposed to do when they found out that they had been making a
mistake; for example, forgetting to leave the corners of the fields unharvested
for the poor. Once they realized their mistake, they were to seek God's
forgiveness as a community.
The idea here, emphasized in what they had just seen and were living
with each day, was that the sins of a few could cause harm to everyone. Once in
the land they would make mistakes, but the minute they realized the mistake,
they were to seek forgiveness and renewal.
Vs. 27-29 This is the same law, but for an individual. This isn't like
a speeding ticket. This is self-enforced repentance and correction. In this
case, a person realized they had sinned, without intending to, and that this
could bring some judgment on himself or others.
Even today for us in our churches, it is hard for us to grasp that the
sins of a few can lead to many people being disappointed or harmed. God was
underscoring this principle for Israel, and we'll see this in action at the end
of Joshua.
Vs. 30-31 God does mention a "high-handed" sin; that is, the
person knows he's violating and could care less. In this case he wouldn't be
shown grace or mercy. It is interesting that it says, because he has despised the Word of the Lord.
Vs. 32-36 And here is a case in point. Now, if this person were in
danger of freezing, or needed the sticks to save a life or get an animal out of
a pit, he would have been let off the hook. This person must have stood out
like a sore thumb, since all Israel kept the Sabbath at this point. It was
simply a disregard of the Sabbath, probably because looking for sticks to burn
during the week was easier to do on the Sabbath, since everyone was staying at
home on the Sabbath. There would be no one else looking for sticks. This was
sort of like shopping at Wal-Mart© at midnight.
Notice that there was a private and then a public process.
Vs. 37-41 This is very interesting. All people were to sew tassels on
the corners of all of their garments. And I might add, for all time. The
purpose of the tassel was to remind them to obey the Word of the Lord and to be
holy to the Lord. Not only would this be a visual reminder for them, but
everyone in the world would notice this. Imagine what they said in Paris?
Again, all of life in Israel was symbolic of God's special love and
relationship to His people, and everything they did, each day, had a symbolic
value to help keep them on track.
In a very interesting way, God has done this for us, too, as disciples.
I gave my life to Christ in July-August of 1975. I have never, for an hour,
forgotten that I belong to Christ. I never imagine that I'm not with God and
that I can’t instantly begin talking to Him. I have never looked at lost people
and not felt the need to talk to them and not realized that they were lost. I
have never not thought that reading
my Bible every day was a vital necessity in my life. I have never thought it
would be ok not to pray. I mean, you know the Lord, so how can you not talk to
Him?
Now, it doesn't mean I've done everything well; but the daily visual
reminder has been there, and active, even when I've been disobedient. It is the
Spirit. I'm sure when I get to heaven and meet Him, the Spirit will say,
"Dan, I can't tell you what a challenge you were. If I weren't God, I'd
have given up. In fact, one time, you almost made me swear." (In
Milwaukee, all good Catholic parents tell their kids, often, "You're
enough to make an angel swear." Growing up, I heard that quite a bit and
it worked its way into my theology. J) But thank God that the Spirit is God. If
I've done anything worthwhile and if I've grown at all, it has been because of
the daily reminders that the living Spirit of God has given to me through the
Word.
Numbers 16:1-40
The time of waiting and disappointment drew some people to the Lord in
humility and patience. Those with rebellious hearts had their hearts exposed.
If you listen to what Korah and Dathan say, their real discontent was with
Moses' leadership. The disappointment at Kadesh-barnea didn't make them see God
clearer. It made them blinder. All of this was exposing the hearts of people
who didn't desire to follow God.
Vs. 1-2 Notice that there were both Levites and Reubenites involved in
this. If you look at the chart you drew as to where the different tribes
camped, you'll see that the Reubenites and the Kohathites camped next to each
other on the south side of the tabernacle. The Reubenites may have thought they
were the tribe of the firstborn of Jacob (but were not). The Kohathites had the
honor of carrying the ark of the covenant and the other holy furniture of the
Holy Place. In any case, it wasn't an excuse for them to lose their minds.
V. 3 Korah's words make me think that Korah was a fighting fundy
(fundamentalist). Now if you are saying this to a dead church structure, as men
did at different periods of time (Luther, Calvin, the Plymouth Brethren),
informing them of the right of every man to forge his own relationship with God
and to understand the Word for himself, that is OK and “wunderbar.” But if you
are standing up in your local church where everyone is a believer, and they're
not in doctrinal error, and you're telling the leaders that you don't recognize
their leadership because you have a Bible just like they do and you're just as
equipped to be a leader, you might be Korah. I've met several Korahs, eyeball
to eyeball. What fun. And I've seen a church, that was reaching lost people,
destroyed by them.
Notice the words, You have gone
too far.
Vs. 4-11 Moses hears this and knows what the Lord will do. He
immediately pleads for mercy before the Lord. This is not Moses protecting
himself. Moses knows that this will hurt the nation and many will suffer, being
swept along with this man's influence. More pastors and leaders need to be on
their faces before the Lord more often, when the flames of discord are still
small.
V. 6 Moses knows he doesn't need to defend himself. This is seen by the
Lord, and the Lord is the one who decides. Think of how often Paul talks about
God's choice in gifting us for ministry (Eph. 4:7ff, Rom. 12:3-6, 1 Cor.
12:11). It is God's choice if one person has the gift and another doesn't.
Korah didn't get that memo, but it should have been obvious to him that if God
never talked to him, that was God's choice, not Moses' fault.
V. 7 Moses repeats you have gone
too far, back to Korah.
V. 9 Notice the words to Korah, Is
it too small a thing…
V. 11 That the descendants of Aaron were chosen to be priests was not
Aaron's fault. God made the choice. Moses had just told everyone who thought
they were "special" to show up before the Lord with his censer, and
God would decide.
Vs. 12-15 This was now addressing the two families of the Reubenites,
Dathan and Abiram. They took Moses' own words, is it a small thing, and accused Moses of making himself king and
cheating the people.
Vs. 16-19 So, Korah the Levite leads 250 leading men of Israel from all
tribes to come and act as priests before the Lord. What was he thinking? And
the entire nation gathered to see what would happen. And then God appeared in
glory.
Vs. 20 -24 The Lord recognized this rebellion and unbelief as typical
of the entire congregation of adults. Moses and Aaron fell on their faces, again, before the Lord, pleading for the
congregation. If you remember, in Genesis, Abraham did something like this
pleading for Lot when he was told Sodom would be destroyed.
Vs. 25-35 So, while Aaron was at the tabernacle with the Lord and the
men who would not accept his leadership, Moses went to confront Dathan and
Abiram. Apparently their tents and the tent of Korah were close to each other.
We should all be glad God doesn't do this anymore. It might make church
discipline easier, but our churches would be emptier.
Vs. 36-40 This story will continue into tomorrow, but it is interesting
to see that God uses the metal from the censers to plate the altar as a symbol
that He has chosen Aaron and his sons to serve Him in the Holy Place and to
burn incense. It was also a warning of rebellion. When the people came into the
court to offer their sacrifices, they would see the altar plated with these
censers. An interesting note here is that a very good king of Israel will
violate this in 2nd Chronicles 26:16-23 and end his life as a leper.
He was popular, but he was proud. When he came into the temple to offer incense
like a priest, the priests opposed him. Uzziah burned with anger toward the
priests and God judged him. He should have read his Bible. That's why this
warning was recorded.
The tragedy in this story is something that applies to us, too.
Everyone in Israel was chosen. Everyone had been rescued from Egypt. Everyone
had a message to tell a "non-Jew" about the one true God. In not
appreciating that degree of "chosenness," and seeking something else,
or something more, they were actually admitting they didn't appreciate what
they had been given. Does that sound like something that can happen to a
disciple?
We are all chosen to be ambassadors of Christ, not pastors or teachers.
Our mission is to a lost world, not to have our voices recognized above, or
among, other voices. We are all to function as the church outside that building
we call the church. The testimony we give to a lost world is actually, that the Gentiles might glorify God for His
mercy. (Romans 15:9) When we no longer appreciate God's mercy to us, and we
have our eyes set on other things, we no longer have anything to say to a lost
world, and therefore we don't. As disciples, we are all chosen and we are all
blessed in Christ. That "church" thing that happens is merely meant
to be a clearing in the harvest where you, tired and weary, come in from the
harvest, to get your feet washed, your heart strengthened and your vision
refocused on your Savior and mission. Then you go back out. And those servants,
who washed and strengthened and served you, go back out too; but God has gifted
them, along with their work in the harvest, to serve you too.
"Church" isn't supposed to give us status as an organization of
personalities. It is a clearing in the field to serve the harvesters. Accept
your God-given mission with humility and grace.
I was reading this passage this morning and it speaks to my heart. As he was getting into the boat, the man who
had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. And he did
not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much
the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” And he went away
and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and
everyone marveled. (Mark 5:18-20)
We are who the Lord makes us, and our message is what He has done and
what He has done for us.
Mark 15
Vs. 1-15 Notice how often Jesus is referred to as the King of the Jews. Pilate hated the Jews. His palace was on the
coast in Caesarea. He was only here grudgingly to oversee crowd control during
the Passover. In order for the Jews to have a charge against Jesus that was
worthy of death under the Romans, it had to have something to do with opposing
Roman government. The Jews had to have insinuated that Jesus was calling
Himself a king. Pilate picked up on this, created the title and kept using it
against the Jewish leaders.
The fact that Pilate didn't want to condemn Jesus and had no legal
grounds would have been important to the Roman believers to whom this Gospel
was written.
Vs. 16-20 This is the second time Jesus was beaten. Humanly speaking,
it explains why He couldn't carry His cross and why He died so quickly. On the
spiritual side, Jesus said that He had full control as to when He laid down His
life. When His work was done, He gave up His spirit.
V. 21 Mark mentions Simon of Cyrene as the father of Alexander and
Rufus. The believers in Rome, to whom this was written, must have known
A&R.
Mark was probably there with the apostle John, close at hand, to
witness everything and hear the words of those who passed by and taunted Jesus.
V. 25 Only Mark mentions that Jesus was crucified at the third hour. For
the Jews, 6 a.m. was hour 0, so the third hour would have been 9 a.m. The Romans
began counting at midnight, so in John 19:14 you have the end of Jesus' trial
with Pilate happening at the 6th hour, or 6 a.m., according to Roman time. From
the verdict to the crucifixion it took three hours.
V. 32 I would not have wanted to be the guys who said this.
V. 38 The curtain being torn from top to bottom makes you think of the
stroke of an angelic sword, even if you're not a Frank Peretti fan.
V. 40 Notice that Mark expected his readers to know James and Jose.
Salome is the mother of the apostles James and John. Salome is the sister of
Jesus' mother, Mary, who was on hand and spoken to by Jesus from the cross.
Mark doesn't mention Mary by name, but she was definitely there and I think she
is being referred to as the mother of James and Joses. James and Joses would
then be the apostles James and Jude, Jesus' brothers, whose letters appear
toward the end of the New Testament and were known as apostles to the Romans.
V. 43 Joseph was part of the Sanhedrin, like Nicodemus, and like Nick,
not a part of this crime. He needed courage to step out like this. It is
interesting that Mark, the fallen servant, mentions Joseph, the fearful, secret
disciple finding courage out of love for Jesus. Look at John's harsh note about
Jesus' secret disciples in John 12:42-43. Joseph was one of these.
V. 44 Only Mark mentions Pilate getting confirmation from the
centurion. The Roman readers would have known that Jesus was pronounced dead by
the Roman authorities. Normally it took hours, sometimes days, for a crucified
person to die. To speed things up they would break the legs. But again, there
is both a physical and spiritual way to understand why Jesus died so quickly.
One side note here, I'm not sure who organized the order of the books
of the Bible, besides God. But it is genius to begin the year reading through
one Gospel after the next. There is the repetition of the first three, sort of
keeping the images fresh, adding to each other in small ways. Then you get the
Gospel of John, which is very unique, yet adds to the events you've already
read three times. As disciples, I can't think of a better way to begin the
year. And, we will end the year in Revelation with Jesus on a throne, and this
mess put to rest.
Psalm 54
The history behind this psalm is that David was in the early days of
his years of running from Saul. David had just received some encouragement, but
now heard that these people, the Ziphites, were trying to turn him in. Yet the
Lord was faithful and David and his people narrowly escaped. (1 Sam. 23:14-29)
Vs. 1-2 By now we should be used to seeing David crying out to God. God
was actually teaching David how to do this.
V. 3 This is aimed at the Ziphites.
Vs. 4-5 This is what kept David sane and helps us too. David made the
Lord his hope and he left "vengeance" to God.
Vs. 6-7 This is all that God really desires - our hearts and to tell
others how He has helped and delivered us.
Proverbs 11:5-6
I read all of this about righteousness
and realize that "my righteousness" is only the result of the
pestering of the Spirit within me, directing this stubborn heart to bow before
the love and Word of God.
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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