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 8
Numbers 10:1-11:23
Get ready to roll!
Numbers 10
Vs. 1-10 The trumpets were the final addition to moving. They were used
for all sorts of things from battle to feast days. Notice that only the priests
could blow them. The other interesting thing was that in battle, they were used
to call God for help. Even in the trumpets, there was symbolism mixed in.
In terms of moving the camp of Israel, what we have here is all
summary. We don't know how much in advance the "alarms" were made to
give each camp time to prepare to move. It may be that when they saw the glory
move away from the tabernacle they began making preparation. That definitely
would have been visible.
Vs. 11-28 Here we go! I can just hear Willie Nelson standing there, as
the tribes are passing by, singing, “On the Road Again.”
V. 11 Notice when this happened. Remember the guys who were unclean and
couldn't celebrate the Passover in the first month. This means that those men
celebrated both the Passover and the week-long Feast of Unleavened Bread in the
second month. The day after they finished, God moved them.
If you made a diagram of the tabernacle with the Levites around it and
then surrounded by the other tribes, you get an idea of how they took off, led
by Judah. Writing out their order helps give a good visual image of how they
moved out.
I wonder how long this all took. People had to pack up their tents and
find little Joe and Sarah playing with their friends. They had to load it on
Nellie (the family cow), then you moved out three tribes as the Levites were
working like crazy to tear down the tabernacle, besides getting their own stuff
in order. How long does it take to move 6-10 million people? Do they walk in
single file or a quarter mile wide? It must have taken forever. I think Willie
would have gotten tired playing that song.
V. 17 Notice that the sons of Gershon and Merari traveled together
after the camp of Judah. This would allow them time to set up the court and the
tabernacle, before the Kohathites arrived with the furniture. Also, the camp of
Judah would have been able to "set up a perimeter."
Vs. 29-32 Moses appeals for his (?)-in-law to go with, thinking they
would soon be in the land. This guy had more names than Jason Bourne. Take a
look at p. 226 of the Bible Knowledge Commentary-OT for an explanation
that the word for "father-in-law" actually means "in-law"
and that this guy was most likely Moses' brother-in-law. Apparently he went
with them, but little did they know that Israel was not on its way to blessing.
Vs. 33-36 I don’t know what to think of what Moses said when the cloud
lifted and rested. He took great care for the people and took his position very
seriously. God doesn’t command him to do this, but I suppose with the signal of
the trumpets, Moses, as a leader, wanted to motivate the people and focus their
attention on the Lord. Anyway it's more gripping than, "Hi-ho, Silver,
away!"
Numbers 11
Vs. 1-15 So, they finally move. The Promised Land is on the radar, and
they know it is their destination. They have just seen wonder upon wonder, and
the cloud is leading them. And they complain about the manna and want meat.
One of the main themes of both Numbers and Deuteronomy is that the sin
of a few will affect the entire nation. We have seen the symbolism being laid
in the things that make a person unclean and in the way lepers were to be treated.
Now we will begin to see God showing them that the sin and rebellion of a few
people can destroy the nation.
Vs. 1-3 Notice that the first step in this entire event was a few
people complaining and then the attitude of complaint catching on around them.
Symbolically, God dealt with it with a spreading fire. The judgment matched
what they were doing to one another.
Vs. 4-6 I think their desire was valid. The expression of their desire
was not. They could have asked God personally. They could have gone to Moses
patiently. They could have prayed and spread prayer throughout the camp. I’m
sure the meat would have come. In any case, once inside the land, they would
have had anything they wanted.
Paul mentions this event in 1 Corinthians 10:10 “And do not complain as some of them did, and were destroyed by the
destroyer.” We should ask ourselves what was wrong with their complaining.
Then we need to ask ourselves about our complaining. Is there a difference?
Actually, I like complaining, but I’m getting better (at not complaining). If
we see our lives, as disciples, as living out God’s will every day, we realize
that God is in charge of our circumstances, more than we are. The challenge is
for us to live our lives accepting what God brings into our lives and
responding in a way that shows we are His followers and children. Paul
addresses grumbling one more time in Philippians 2:13-15, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good
pleasure. Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be
blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a
crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world…
The rabble refers to a mixed group of people, Jews and
non-Jews, probably Egyptians who were sympathetic to the cause while they were
still in Egypt. Now a year into the Exodus, living on manna, they were helping
the Jews to grumble and be discontented. These people had been good to the Jews
when it had to do with human injustice, but had no clue regarding the spiritual
ramifications of the promise of Abraham, the promise to Adam and Eve and the
destiny of the nation of Israel. Now, they were poison to the Jews. A few
people complaining spread like gangrene through the camp. Many would now die because
of the few.
As disciples, you would expect to find dissenting voices outside the
church; but more often than not, it comes from the brethren (and sistren). I
have seen churches ruined, pastors give up on ministry and groups of believers
held hostage for decades, because of a few immature rabble rousers. Paul's
words to the Corinthians, about their inability to see immaturity and
"nice people" who were not believers, still hold true for us. Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good
morals.” Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on
sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame (1
Cor. 15:33-34).
Vs. 7-9 They were now treating their daily bread, and its giver, with
contempt. Not smart, or spiritual.
Vs. 10-15 It is hard to imagine the intense pressure on Moses. God was
mad; Moses wasn't real happy; the people were standing at the doors of their
tents weeping out loud. In a few days, Moses, in his thinking, went from
success to utter failure. And in this pressure and sense of failure, he wanted
help or death.
I've got to admit that I like Moses' poetic flair in his nervous
breakdown.
Vs. 16-17 This is important enough to take note of. God was willing to
go with the people and their needs. He waited for natural problems to arise
before He moved and answered requests. Of course Moses needed help; but now, in
a whiny sort of way, he was asking, and God was willing to provide. The
provision of 70 elders on whom the Spirit would rest is a great thing. Moses
doesn't need to feel jealous, because they are provided out of Moses' own cry
to God. Joshua will get a little bent, but God prepared Moses for this by
letting Moses melt down. This isn't quite, but it resembles, the beginning of
the office of prophet.
Again, for us as disciples, it isn't the emergency or the need that is
bad, but it is what we personally do about it. Are we driven to our knees
before a sovereign, loving God, or do we act in our strength or give up and
complain?
Vs. 18-20 God is really not happy here. There was no better way to spit
in God's face than to say they were better off in Egypt and to say they wanted
flavorful food. They didn't fully grasp that God was in their presence,
listening to them. If anyone had had any sense, they would have fallen on their
faces and asked God for forgiveness. They definitely shouldn't have eaten
without seeking forgiveness for their sins and giving thanks.
I had to laugh the first time I read v. 20. If saying, until it comes out at your nostrils, is
a guy thing, then God is a guy.
Vs. 21-23 What is amazing here is that in the emotional stress of
leading, Moses totally loses perspective. Why did he think this was his
responsibility to feed them? Why would he think God would have a hard time
providing meat? "Well, you know, the manna is sort of like….whatever. Meat
comes from animals and you can't just conjure those up, can you?" Of
course, God could. Moses himself is losing sight of who God is. If God created
chicken on the day of creation, He could do it now. His hand had not lost its
touch or "become shortened."
As disciples
following our Lord in the harvest, we don't always see fruit. We often see some
disappointment in those who profess Christ, but fall away. And we see people
begin well as disciples, but settle into a harmless, ineffective lifestyle. It
seems that God should at least be nice to us, because we're trying, and keep
our cars running and our microwaves from dying. Well, Jesus said the good seed
bore fruit "with patience," and part of the Father's pruning process
is to direct the life flowing in us to be concentrated in places where the
fruit will be produced. That means that the process of crying out to God and
trimming our focus and honing our energy will always be part of following Him.
He wants fruit more than we do. Wait for
the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD (Psalm
27:14)!
Mark 14:1-21
Vs. 1-2 Everyone knew the leaders were wanting to kill Jesus. It is
interesting that they decided not to attempt doing anything during the Passover
and feast week. But something will change that.
Vs. 3-9 This was the event that made Judas mad. In a way it is funny.
I, myself, have met Christians who were more (self) righteous than Jesus. When
Mary anointed Him and the disciples got all righteously religious and told Him
what she did was a waste, Jesus told them to back off, that it was ok, that the
poor would be there every day. They were trying to press Jesus into some kind
of religious thinking that already existed. John 12 mentions that Judas was a
thief and that what he said was motivated by wanting to get his hands on the
money. Oddly enough, he was the "rabble" who got the other disciples
complaining.
Just for trivia. This was the end of a very long Wednesday in the week
before Jesus died. John seems to say that this event happened five days
earlier; but if you notice the words in John 12:2, he is only referring to
where the event took place, not when it took place. Jesus arrived in Bethany
six days before the Passover, and that was the place (not the time) Mary
anointed Jesus.
Vs. 10-11 Now the chief priests were praising God, because one of
Jesus' disciples was a traitor; and they could, unexpectedly, kill Him.
Vs. 12-16 Jesus waited until the last possible second to send the
disciples to find a place to celebrate the Passover. And it worked. It made a
lasting impression that God could be trusted even if He makes us wait until,
not only the last hour, but until our strength is failing and our hope is beginning
to get strained. And Boom! There was a room and it was a good one. Tradition
says this was the home of John Mark, the writer of this Gospel.
Vs. 17-21 I'll bet Peter and John were the only disciples who weren't
asking Him, "Is it I?" The
disciples never knew that Judas was the rat. Jesus' security in His Father
allowed Him to show Judas an amazing kind of love. It was such a constant and
sincere love, that the disciples never picked up on the fact that Jesus knew
from the beginning who it was who would betray Him.
V. 21 Jesus knew who it was, but it was Judas who made the decision.
You see both sovereignty and human responsibility here. Rather than question
how they work together, it is easier to understand that God is amazingly
loving, righteous and wise, and they do work together.
Psalm 51
This is a great psalm of David, written after God spoke judgment on
David, for what he did with Bathsheba and Uriah. There are lots of great verses
here like v. 17. I have a couple general observations.
First, according to what we're reading in the OT, David should have
been put to death for this, a couple of times over. God Himself spared David
out of sheer grace. God forgives. There is no human sin He will not forgive,
and that should be a comfort to us, not only in working with others, but also
when we hear that tiny voice telling us we're as useful to God as a screen door
on a submarine. We may sin, but we get up and keep on going, following Christ,
receiving grace upon grace and forgiveness that goes beyond our guilt. And God
will use us.
Second, I always have a hard time with the way David expresses himself
in v. 4, as if his sin only affected God and not other people. This verse is
true in terms of ultimate guilt; but if we have sinned against others, we can't
use this verse as proof that we don't have to apologize or make restitution. In
my experience I would say the rule of thumb is this, that if we have really
harmed someone, we let them tell us what restitution looks like.
We keep saying we're sorry, until they release us from that obligation. Too
often, the guilty party forces the party they wronged to grant forgiveness, to
get "themselves" off the hook, instead of lifting the pain and the
injustice from the other person.
In this case, from what we will read later and the fact that David's
family was ruined and his most trusted counselor rebelled against him and
committed suicide in bitterness, I sense that David did not work with
Bathsheba's family until they were satisfied. I don't really sense that his repentance
went past God, into the families that he ruined. We'll talk more about this
when we get to 2 Samuel 11. David was a great man, but he really destroyed
himself in what he did and how he handled it.
Still, it's a great psalm. David was like us, blessed but weak. What
the Spirit of God says here is true.
Vs. 1-2 David knew there was no appeal for what he had done. Only God
could pardon Him, and then, only on the basis of totally unmerited kindness and
mercy. Eventually the blood of Christ would be shed that could cover this. In
faith, David is asking for pardon.
Vs. 3-4 Ultimately David could only be pardoned by God. His friends and
his nation could look the other way but David's true guilt would remain. He
needed to be pronounced free by God. Still, David did a lot of damage in many
families. We have no evidence that he took care of those sins.
Vs. 5-12 Verse 5 is a strike against the idea that kids are born clean,
without sin, like blank slates, and that it is our environment that teaches us
to sin. The Lord shows in His Word that we are born with an incurable sin
nature. Only God can cure us. Notice what David lost in vs. 8-12. This was
serious and David never expected that his fling with Bathsheba could damage him
spiritually. In a way, David never fully recovered.
Vs. 13-17 David often promised God that he would tell of God's
deliverance and help. Psalm 40:1-10 states something like this too.
Vs. 18-19 At this point, David didn't know how the city and the nation
would suffer for what he had done. Here at least it seems he realized that his
sin might impact the nation and the city, so he is asking for God's protection
and that Zion would prosper as a place that men would seek God and as a place
where God would show mankind His favor.
Proverbs 10:31-32
If you put these verses together it might look like this.
31 The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, because 32 the lips of the righteous know what is
acceptable; but the perverse tongue will be cut off, because the mouth of the
wicked only knows what is perverse.
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment