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 26
Deuteronomy 5-6
This is another treat today. As I read each paragraph, everything rings
so true and seems to apply to me walking in this dying world. These people were
not saved by obeying the law, but they were saved, like Abraham, in the promise
of God to Abraham. With faith in that promise, their eyes would have been
opened and their hearts aflame with the love of God. As you and I read this
with our faith in Christ, our hearts automatically connect to the grace of God
and the wonder of His love for us. It is interesting to me that in the story of
the rich man and Lazarus, Abraham tells the rich man about sending Lazarus from
the dead to his brothers, If they do not
hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should
rise from the dead. (Luke 16:31) If a person was not moved to God, in love
and gratefulness, by what we read today, neither would a miracle have convinced
them.
Deuteronomy 5
As you read all of this find some words to mark. We already mentioned, the Lord your God. If nothing else
stands out or captures your interest, look for the word possess.
Vs. 1-5 This generation might have thought that the covenant back 40
years ago at Mt. Sinai was with their fathers, but God doesn't make covenants
with dead people. Many of these people were children back then, but more
importantly they are the ones who are alive now and who have been educated,
nurtured and preserved by God to enjoy the promise to Abraham. Moses reminds
the people of the miraculous awe of that day. For those who had been there,
I'll bet they still remembered it vividly and visually.
As a disciple, what do you remember about the time and events shortly
before you came to Christ?
Vs. 6-15 The first four of the Ten Commandments have to do with the
relationship with God. Notice that this section begins (v. 6) and ends (v. 15)
with their deliverance from Egypt and God as their Savior. All of the
motivation for loving and obeying God was built on His love for them. How could
they have another god? How could they make an image, since God only revealed
Himself in power and with His voice? How could they use His name in a worthless
manner? How could they resist taking a day of rest to remember His love and
deliverance and to remember that He sustained and provided for them?
As disciples, the importance of our honest, heartfelt gratitude for our
salvation cannot be overstated. In Luke 7:47 Jesus said, "He who is
forgiven little, loves little."That is totally based on our perception of
our need and the value of what Jesus did for us. Our understanding of this will
determine how much we love Jesus back and how we labor in the harvest.
Vs. 16-21 All of these commandments are related to our neighbor, but
without the relationship to God, they are just humanitarian. Notice that the
love of God flows into the honor of their parents, which in turn has a
connection to how long the people would remain in the land.
V. 21 The opposite of this was abiding in God and contentment with His
care and provision. That is the same for us today.
Vs. 22-27 These words and this event were permanently
"burned" into their minds. The event showed the glory and power of
God without presenting an image of Him. This was like nothing that had ever
happened on earth. It happened to them as the children of Abraham. It wasn't
just a scary event. It was an amazing privilege.
Again, think back on the privilege of what happened to you around the
time you trusted Christ as Savior.
Vs. 28-31 The effect of that event was expressed by God in v. 29.
Amazingly, that entire event didn't help the fathers of these people, but it
did help these people. This generation standing here was probably the godliest
generation of Israel. Moses' ministry at that time and during the 40 years was
to disciple the people, teaching them to observe
all that God had commanded them.
Vs. 32-33 Now Moses will teach the people one final time. He urges them
to be careful to obey. God wanted Israel to possess the land and not lose it.
Everything said here was out of love, for their blessing and success.
What a great chapter. When I read v. 33, it makes me think that in
God's work to redeem mankind, nothing has changed. In our lives following
Christ, God still wants us to be blessed and bearing fruit for Him. Look again
at yesterday's reading in Luke 6:46. We hear and follow, even today, because we
are captivated by His love and salvation.
Deuteronomy 6
This chapter is full of good stuff. Take your time and look for
repetition and recurring themes. As a disciple, write down every principle you
think is important for you, your church, or that "other guy."
Vs. 1-3 Look at the purposes for what Moses is about to say to them. Notice
the importance of teaching their children. Notice the importance of hearing God
and being careful.
Vs. 4-9 Verses 4-6 are called the Shema of Israel. Shema means to hear.
Notice the importance of love. This love is based on their gratitude for their
own salvation. That is just like us.
V. 6 This is to bear weight upon their hearts because of God's work for
them and the importance of these words.
V. 7 Always, everywhere and forever, parents were supposed to be
talking to their children about God.
Vs. 8-9 This is symbolic, not literal. God's Word was to control all
their actions (the hand) and everything they thought (the forehead). God's Word
was also to control their private lives (the house) and their public lives (the
gates). God never meant that they were to fulfill this command literally by
tying verse boxes to their hands and foreheads as you see orthodox Jews doing
with phylacteries.
Vs. 10-15 God was going to give them the land as a gift because of the
promise. They didn't earn it or deserve it. Faith in the promise to Abraham
would save them.
Vs. 12-13 Here again is the importance of remembering their salvation.
Vs. 14-15 How could they serve other gods? But they will and God will
punish them.
Vs. 16-19 Jesus quotes this in His confrontation with Satan in the
wilderness. Here, to test God was to not obey and to treat the commandments as
sort of binding. They were to follow God and thrust the people out of the land.
Instead, the next generation will begin making treaties with the people.
Vs. 20-25 Telling the story of their deliverance and salvation was to
have guided their teaching of their children. This wouldn't have been academic
if each person were genuinely in love with God and grateful for their
salvation. This was all to be driven by love. Because of this love, obeying the
commands of a loving God would have been easier to understand and to follow.
The failure to come was first in the hearts of the parents, and then the
parents got so involved with living that they forgot to share the message, with
a heart of love, with their children.
Notice that this chapter almost ends the same as the last chapter.
As you read chapter 6, maybe you feel, as I do, that this is as true
for us as it was for the people of Israel. A failure to love God for our
salvation and a failure to communicate this to our children makes everything we
do today a short-term gain, or not a gain at all. The basic core of making
disciples begins at home. And as Jesus said, a disciple is not above his
teacher. If the parents are fully in love and grateful and devoted to following
Christ in the harvest, so will the little disciples be. Tragically, both in
Israel then and in the church today, this is not the case.
Luke 7:11-35
Vs. 11-17 This event is only in Luke. There are a couple things that I
get from this story. First, Jesus was led by the Spirit just like we are. Jesus
didn't know He would find this going on, but as He saw it, moved with
compassion, He knew what the Father wanted Him to do.
I wonder when the guy sat up alive if he just continued where he had
left off and said, "And like I was saying,…"
This event apparently was one of the things that caused John the
Baptist to doubt. Jesus was leading the life of the Messiah who was freeing
captives of sin, not captives of government. John had been sitting in prison
under a tyrant a long time and was losing perspective.
Vs. 18-23 Matthew also has this encounter. Jesus' answer to John was to
focus on how Jesus fulfilled all the Scripture concerning the Messiah, rather
than concentrating on his own circumstances. The works that the Father had
given Jesus to do confirmed that Jesus was sent from the Father. John the
Baptist would have understood the Scripture and the origin of the signs.
Vs. 24-28 Jesus was trying to get the crowd to think about their
fascination with John. They went into the
wilderness because his message was authoritative, not political. They went
because his lifestyle was hard and illustrated the urgency of the times and his
message. He wasn't just a prophet, but he fulfilled Scripture as the forerunner
of the Messiah. John was the conclusion of the law and the prophets. He was the
greatest man born of that entire period. Think of the people who lived then,
Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Daniel, Job, etc. Although John's ministry was
short, his task and privilege made him the greatest of that entire era on
earth.
But as the new covenant is infinitely better than the old covenant, the
followers of Christ have an even greater privilege.
Vs. 29-30 Apparently, as Jesus expressed this, there was an emotional
response, sort of a stirring of heart at the truth Jesus just revealed. The
people and tax collectors were awed that they had actually participated in a
big event by submitting to John's baptism. The Pharisees and scribes (lawyers)
just hardened their hearts.
Vs. 31-32 Jesus is actually rebuking that entire generation of people
for the childish way they treated this great, historical, redemptive event.
They had wanted John and Jesus to conform to them and criticized both.
Vs. 33-35 Though John and Jesus were opposites in appearance and habit,
they both confirmed the wisdom and deeds of God.
Not a big point, but in Matthew it says John came neither eating nor
drinking. Here, maybe for the sake of accuracy and because of legalistic Jewish
Christians who followed Paul "correcting" his teaching and who taught
the Gentiles abstinence, Luke says that John ate no bread and drank no wine. It
is clear in this context that Jesus drank wine. Jesus was the opposite of John
in these details. He not only ate rich food, but He also drank wine. The word
for drunkard is "wine drinker." This would have been a rebuttal to
legalistic teachers telling the Gentiles that they needed more abstinence in
their faith. Paul warned Timothy about such teachers, who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created
to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth (1
Tim. 4:3).
Psalm 68:19-35
I suppose it is hard for us to embrace the sense of God's victory over oppression
unless we are oppressed. It is hard to rejoice in His victory over enemies
unless we have lost family and friends to these enemies. In the Western world
we are insulated, for the most part, and so we read this from David as primal
raving from a primitive, uncultured age. The same God who tells us to love our
enemies inspired this in David.
Vs. 19-20 Just like in Deuteronomy, God is a God of salvation. That is
the basis of our love, our obedience and our sacrifice for Him.
Vs. 21-23 God will bring justice, vengeance and vindication. This
almost has a sense of the final battle at the end of the Tribulation.
Vs. 24-27 The procession of God's people coming from the south (Ben and
Judah) and from the north (Zeb and Naphtali) are coming to God in the joy of
victory.
Vs. 28-31 The nations (in the Millennium) will come before God in
submission.
Vs. 32-35 Every knee will bow and God will receive the praise of all
nations and all men.
In light of the unrest in the Middle East in recent years, it is
interesting to read here, and elsewhere, that Egypt will come to God and will
know Christ.
Proverbs 11:29-31
Good words for the wise of heart.
Think of these verses in terms of what we just read in Deuteronomy. Those who
loved God for their salvation would make this the atmosphere of their homes and
families, and that in turn would save and preserve the nation.
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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