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 17
Happy St. Pat’s Day! This is
a good light reading for today.
Numbers 26:1-51
One thing you might do for interest is to go back to Numbers, chapter
1, and find the size of each tribe then and write it in next to the population
of the tribe here. You'll notice that a couple of tribes got bigger.
V. 14 This is a shocker. What happened to Simeon? This is just guess
work, but look back at yesterday’s reading about the guy that Phinehas killed.
In Numbers 25:14 it says what tribe he belonged to. It might be that the
Midianites made their friendly offer at the location where the tribe of Simeon
was located. Israel was probably like a city with 12 areas, like Brooklyn, the
Bronx, etc. It makes sense that the Midianites had to begin in one place, at
one of these tribes. If the tribe of Simeon made up the majority of the 24,000
who fell, it would explain the decrease.
I have the tribes of Reuben, Simeon, Gad, Ephraim and Naphtali
in the minus category. What did you come up with?
Apparently, at this point, the generation of men who rebelled against
the Lord at Kadesh-barnea was gone.
Luke 2:36-52
Vs. 36-38 Anna is another person who was on the scene when Simeon was
blessing Jesus. Notice that she, like Simeon, was very devout and looking for
redemption. And, she had a prayer life.
Between vs. 38 and 39 the wise men come, Joseph & Co. go to Egypt,
Herod kills the children, Herod dies, and Joseph & Co. return and go to
Nazareth.
Vs. 39 and 40 summarize their return to Nazareth.
Vs. 41-52 Joseph and Mary always went to Jerusalem and they always took
Jesus. Apparently it was at this Passover that Jesus became fully aware that He
was the Son of God.
V. 46 Most likely the three days is the time Jesus was missing. Joe and
Mary walked a day north, then they walked a day back and then sometime on the
third day they found Him.
V. 49 Jesus is simply saying, "You should have checked here
first." The stunning part of this is Jesus calling God His Father. I’m
sure that in the daily routine of life during the past 10 years, the
predictions of His birth and the things that happen seemed dim. This would have
been a slight wake-up call. In some respects, I’ll bet this was a slightly
different Jesus who returned with them.
Vs. 51-52 How would Luke have known this if Mary hadn't told him?
Psalm 60
It's interesting that yesterday Balaam prophesied that Edom would be
subdued by Israel. Israel’s first defeat of Edom happened because of the events
this psalm laments. David would cry out to God and God would lead him to subdue
the Edomites.
Vs. 1-3 God had promised Israel that if they followed Him they would
never turn their backs on their enemies. As you can see in the introduction to
the choirmaster, David was up north fighting against the forces from outside of
Israel that were trying to take Israel. David was in his early days as the king
of the entire nation. While he was in the North fighting, the Edomites came
into Israel and wreaked havoc. This is why David is so upset. The only way this
could happen in Israel is because Israel had sinned. David would work hard to
reestablish the worship of God, but the nation had wandered for many years and
there was a lot of rebuilding to do.
Vs. 4-5 David learned in all of his years of running that God was his
refuge. Now David would have to begin leading his people in worship so that
every man and woman would turn to God. This was their only hope.
Vs. 6-8 David is encouraging himself in God’s sovereignty and also in
God’s Word. As we read yesterday, and as David knew, God had already spoken
against Israel’s enemies.
Vs. 9-12 And now David had to fight against Edom. David knew how to cry
out to God and God answered.
Proverbs 11:15
This says not to be bound by your word or by a contract with someone
you don't know. Paul says it to all of us when he says in 2 Corinthians 6:14, Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers.
For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has
light with darkness?
Paul says it to Timothy, the pastor, in a slightly different way in 1
Timothy 5:22, Do not be hasty in the
laying on of hands, nor take part in the sins of others; keep yourself pure.
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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