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 22
Numbers 33:40-35:34
Numbers 33:40-56
Vs. 40-49 This is a continuation from yesterday's overview of Israel's
wanderings. Verse 40 is the event mentioned in Numbers 21.
Vs. 48-49 This is the final place Moses would lead them to. You see
that it is on the east side of the Jordan, opposite Jericho. At this point
Jericho was probably experiencing a "level orange" alert status.
Vs. 50-56 God has Moses tell the people what they are to do in taking
possession of the land. Part of their job was to cleanse the land. God was
judging the people of Canaan and those people knew this. Israel had been in the
wilderness for 40 years and so everyone knew about Israel. When the spies talk
to Rehab in Jericho, we'll find out that the people in Canaan knew this was
coming. The people could have fled from God's judgment.
In this description is a sense of joy and fulfillment. They would take
possession of the land promised to Abraham and it was a nice place.
But, God gives them the first of many warnings to make sure they drive
the people completely out of the land. This wasn't just God giving Israel
someone else's land. God was punishing these people. His witness to the
Canaanites was finished, and they hadn't listened to Melchizedek and others.
This people, these cultures, were sick and were to be cleansed out of the land.
Israel is warned, and the sad thing is that we know they won't listen. Israel,
along with many of its kings, including Solomon, will be idolaters. Idolatry
won't be removed from Israel until after the Babylonian exile.
Numbers 34
Vs. 1-12 This isn't all of Israel, but just the land the 9.5 tribes
will divide. The tribes of Reuben, Gad and 1/2 Manasseh occupy the eastern side
of the Jordan. There is a map at the end of this document, from Wikipedia, that
shows the boundaries of Israel as given here and then later in Ezekiel 47. If
you are reading the blog, just google the dividing of Israel under Joshua.
Keep in mind that these boundaries do not include what Abraham was
promised in Genesis 15:8. David would come close to what was promised Abe
during his reign, though David only received tribute from some of those
northern areas. During the Millennial Kingdom the full promise to Abraham will
be realized.
V. 11 The Sea of Chinnereth is the Sea of Galilee.
Vs. 13-15 This is what the 2.5 tribes would possess toward the sunrise.
Vs. 16-29 It is interesting that the Lord selected these men. Joshua
and Eleazar were the leaders, and right up there with them, mentioned first, is
Caleb.
Numbers 35
Vs. 1-8 The Levitical cities were not just places for the Levites to
live. God could have put them all around the tabernacle like He did in the
wilderness. Instead, the Levites were spread out among the people and were
supposed to have a good influence on the nation, copying the books of Moses and
teaching the people the Bible. The tithes that came in wouldn't have been
enough to care for all of the Levites, so the people were to share their land
and cities with them. This really presupposed that the people had faith in God
to follow and understood the importance of the Levites.
Vs. 9-15 The cities of refuge
were interesting. What hit me was the idea that even in an accidental death,
there was an avenger who would seek out the killer. Even if it were proven that
the death was a totally freak accident and the "killer" was innocent,
he had to live in the city and couldn't go outside until the high priest died.
If he did stray outside and the avenger was still mad, the avenger could kill
him without penalty. Sounds like Texas. Apparently, even in accidental death it
would be looked at as God taking a hand in the action, calling one person to
stand in His presence, and assigning the other person to live in a city of
refuge for the rest of his life. This was an object lesson. Life was sacred and
guilt was upon anyone who took a life.
Imagine what this law should have meant for David and for his son
Absalom, both of whom were murderers.
Vs. 16-21 This was the description of death by murder.
Vs. 22-29 This was the case of someone who accidentally killed someone.
Vs. 30-34 This is an amazing statement by God. In all of what is
explained here, you can see a connection to us and our sin. If our sin and
guilt before God can only be paid for by our life or blood, the only thing that
could save us would be a ransom in the form of the blood of a holy redeemer.
That is the message we take with us into the harvest. It is what Jesus did for
us to save us. Without Him, like the person mentioned in this section, each of
us could only pay for our sin with our own death and condemnation before God.
Luke 5:12-28
Vs. 12-16 We've seen this story before. After telling the people in
Nazareth that the only person ever cured of leprosy was a Syrian, Jesus heals
the first Israelite leper, who promptly disobeys Him. From what we have read in
Leviticus, if you touched a leper you would be unclean. Not only did Jesus
cleanse the leper, but He laid His hand upon him. Jesus was showing the Jews,
and Luke is showing the nations, that Jesus was not only compassionate, but
that He had power to cleanse because He was the holy Son of God. He couldn't be
made "unclean."
Vs. 17-26 What is interesting here are the visitors. This is early in
His ministry, and Jesus had already had a run-in with the leaders in Jerusalem.
They even sent Nicodemus to interview Jesus. Now the Jews (Jewish leaders) were
investigating Him again. Those words, "Arise, take up your pallet and
walk," will become haunting when these same leaders hear them again in
Jerusalem coming out of the mouth of a man who has just been healed. When they
say, "Who is the man who told you….," they will be remembering this
incident. See John 5.
It is interesting that in Numbers 35:30-34, it says that there was no
ransom for someone who had shed blood. But here we have Jesus saying that He
has the authority to forgive sins. The way He would do that is through the
shedding of His own blood, to pay for sin and to ransom us.
Vs. 27-28 Levi was ready to follow, knowing that Jesus was willing to
stand against the religious authorities and accept him. If Jesus had compassion
for a leper and a paralytic and was willing to touch them and forgive them,
then He must be accepting of tax collectors too. The fact that Jesus' choice of
disciples was to the lower, less educated people might have been overlooked as
a noble thing. But to choose a tax collector as a disciple was almost criminal.
The thing that excites me about following Christ in the harvest is that
our message is such that all can understand it and grasp it regardless of
culture, education or class. In fact, Jesus thanked the Father that the truth
was hidden from the "wise and understanding," and was instead,
revealed to babes. It still mystifies me that one person hears the Word and it
does little for him and another person hears the same Word, and it ignites him
to follow Christ and give everything to serve Him in the harvest. There is a
spiritual decision and a spiritual love for Christ that transcends every
barrier or human qualification.
Psalm 65
This is a true psalm of praise and worship from David. There is no
threat or danger. The fact that Zion is mentioned gives me the sense that this
is after David was king of the entire nation and before he fell in the
situation with Bathsheba. These were times of experiencing the rewards of
waiting on the Lord and seeing the greatness of His deliverance and blessings.
The Bible Knowledge Commentary-OT, p. 841, suggests that this may have been a worship song to have been
sung yearly at the Feast of the Firstfruits, or as it was also called, the
Feast of Weeks, or as it was also called, Pentecost. Now, thinking about
Pentecost and the birth of the church and the coming of the Holy Spirit, the
joy and thankfulness this psalm expresses should be ours because of the
presence of the Spirit in our hearts as we follow Christ in the harvest.
Vs. 1-4 Notice that in this praise it mentions that all flesh (all people) will come to God.
So often when David expresses His praise of God's greatness, it becomes an
offer for all nations. That is the continuance of the promise to Adam and Eve
as seen in the promise to Abraham. All nations will be blessed.
Notice that David not only mentions the atoning for sin, but, as he has
said so often, also the desire he had to dwell in God's courts and in His
house.
Vs. 5-8 The God of our salvation
is also the hope of all the ends of the
earth. His ability to save is shown in that as Creator, all the forces of
creation have to bow to Him. And even with all this power, God's signs of His
power and control are seen in the joy of every morning and every evening.
Vs. 9-13 David expressed God's love toward mankind in providing all the
elements of the harvest, from the first drop of rain, to the final shout of
joy. It all is a result of God's grace and blessing. I wonder how many of us
appreciate that.
Proverbs 11:23
The desire of the righteous
is formed by the desire of God. This truth has nothing to do with acquiring
stuff or seeking peace and comfort. This person could be poor and unknown, but
because of the love of God and following Christ, his will is to do God's will;
and so it always ends in good, and eventually, life forever with God.
For the wicked, Jesus said
they shall not see life. To think of the irony of living 80 years and never
having seen life. And then too, the wrath
of God rests upon them. And, so we keep on praying and working in the harvest.
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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