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.
MAY 3
Judges 17-18
This is the first of two snapshots given to show the depth of the
religious confusion that followed when Israel refused to love and obey the
Lord. The first story deals with the religious apostasy and the second deals
with the moral apostasy. You could title the stories “worse” and “worser.”
Looking at Romans 1:18-32, you see that religious confusion always precedes
moral catastrophe.
We will get two more views into this time period in the book of Ruth
and in the early history of 1 Samuel. Ruth will show some confusion, but
overall, this book will show us people who followed God. First Samuel will show one
family that seems fairly balanced, but it will also show a corrupt priesthood
and the defiled worship at the tabernacle.
Judges 17
What stands out in this story is the sincerity of the mixing of the
true and the false. These people were highly sincere, yet couldn't have been
more lost.
The time when this takes place might be very important. Look at Judges
18:30. It identifies the Levite as Jonathan
the son of Gershom, son of Moses. A couple of considerations here. In most
copies of the OT, Moses' name is found. It is thought that a well meaning
scribe added an "n" to turn "Moses" into
"Manasseh" and get Moses off the hook. They have so many copies of
the OT that they can see that this is an error. Also, it is possible that
Jonathan was not the son of Gershom, but a grandson or great grandson, etc.
There are instances of a grandson being called the son of someone and the
generations in between are skipped. I think he was the grandson. And to think
that this guy was related to Moses.
However this works out, there are two terrible dynamics at work here.
First, this shows that after Joshua's generation died (Joshua told the people
in his farewell speech to put away their foreign gods), the nation sank into
almost immediate spiritual confusion. Gershom, Moses' son, would have been that
generation of elders who lived with Joshua. Jonathan would have been the next generation.
Second, it means that even those closest to the truth, the family of Moses,
became too busy with life to really know the law (Bible) well. The system God
set up, and the nation He created, could only function if everyone obeyed. If
the people didn't worship, they wouldn't support the Levites. If the Levites
had to fend for their own living, they couldn't learn and teach the law as they
were supposed to. It was all very interconnected. Apparently very few obeyed
and the nation fell apart immediately.
So what was the cause, besides sin? This reminds me of
something Jesus repeatedly told His disciples, as in Matthew 6:25, “Therefore I tell you, do not
be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about
your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more
than clothing?” What Jesus
is warning against is not just anxiety, but allowing these things to take our
attention away from serving Him on this earth. It was because of this
preoccupation that Israel never celebrated a Sabbatical year or the Feast of
Booths. Like Israel we forget that we are not here to live; we are here to
serve. God says He’ll take care of the rest. That means as disciples we are
free to devote our hearts to following our Lord in the harvest. Or as Jesus put
it in Luke 12:33-36, Sell
your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that
do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no
thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be
also. Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from
the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes
and knocks.
I know this seems hard to grasp and otherworldly,
but if we cannot grasp the spirit of what Jesus is saying, as disciples, we
could end up like Samson, or the story we are about to read.
Vs. 1-6 Notice the editor's note in v. 6. That means this is written
during the time when there was a king and order was taking root, looking back
on this time of lawlessness.
V. 2 The mother praised God and then dedicated the money to God, to
make an idol. They were sincere in their belief and service, and totally
displeasing to God. How awful.
Some of what she did here was to remove the curse she put upon whoever
stole the money.
V. 4 Either she made two images or it was simply one process, the
wooden image, covered with silver.
V. 5 Micah's shrine is a little, eclectic temple, filled with something
from all the gods of the land. Notice that he has an ephod. I think the ephod
was a tool for discerning the will of the gods. In Israel, the ephod held the
Urim and Thummim. In chapter 18, I think, it gets used.
God had put the ephod with the high priest at the tabernacle. One
aspect of our need and our worship is to find answers to our questions. The key
is really the relationship with God, on His terms, not ours. Still, God set up
a way for answers to be found. All you had to do was go to the tabernacle.
Well, if the tabernacle was far away, and if the priests and Levites couldn't
be trusted, why not have your own ephod and your own Urim and Thummim? This got
Gideon in trouble and we see here, in this story, it began years before Gideon,
in fact, right after Joshua died.
Vs. 7-13 This brings the confusion to a stellar level. A Levite of the
best upbringing is totally lost.
V. 13 is an incredibly ignorant and sincere statement.
Judges 18
Vs. 1-6 Notice again that v. 1 is a commentary given at a later date to
explain the sin and confusion of this particular time in Israel's history. You
don't flaunt your ignorance in your national literature, unless this isn't
national literature, but the record of God's redemptive working with humans,
sick with sin.
The tribe of Dan never controlled the land of their inheritance and
must have begun looking for a place to live very early.
Vs. 5-6 I think this is where the Levite used the Urim and Thummim to
give him advice. Apparently you could get a pair of these at any convenience
store.
Vs. 7-26 This story is very straightforward and spiritually
dysfunctional. For the tribe of Dan to steal the idol and the ephod and take
the Levite made perfect sense, since they were a tribe and these things were
better in the service of a tribe of Israel, than for a single individual. The
irrationality here is of epic proportions. What kind of god do you have if you
can steal him?
Vs. 27-31 The significance of this story is not only the description of
the spiritual ignorance and confusion, but it shows how Dan was the first tribe
to go entirely apostate.
Vs. 30-31 Dan as a tribe set up official worship away from the
tabernacle; after all, it would have been a long way to walk. Some of the tribe
of Dan stayed in the south on the original homestead and were spared this
apostasy: Samson's parents for example. Verse 30 is like a surprise unveiling
in a movie. The Levite turns out to be the grandson of Moses. This shows that
the Levitical system and the worship at the tabernacle must have gone to seed
pretty soon after the death of Joshua. Again, remember that in Joshua's last
address, he was warning people to put away their idols.
In Revelation 7:2-8, when the 144,000 are selected to give testimony
during the Tribulation, there is no mention of the tribe of Dan. The presumed
reason is that Dan was the first tribe to fall into total idolatry and
apostasy. In other words, the punishment for what they did here is that they
were removed as a tribe of Israel. Those who were true to the Lord would have
been absorbed into the other tribes through intermarriage. After the exile,
too, many people lost track of their genealogy and family tree.
It is obvious that our "need" for spiritual connection can be
sincere and still be controlled by the power of sin in us. We cannot deny the
need, but we can deny God and make "spirituality" what we define it to
be. This is tragic and true. What is alarming in this story is that it only
took one generation to fall into total confusion. That is very sobering,
especially with our desire today not to be bored and to have our needs met. Our
churches have been built, in previous generations, by men and women committed
to the truth. They sat through boring sermons in very plain services being
built on very strong teaching. I'm not confident that same emphasis exists
today. As a result, and all the studies show it, our biblical literacy is
plummeting. We have more resources than any generation that has ever lived, yet
we insist that reading the Bible is just not "the way” we learn. And we
don't sit through sermons that are full of teaching and content. Paul's command
to Timothy was to preach the Word urgently, because people would turn from
listening to the truth and seek teaching that tickled their ears. I think we
need that same charge today, and leaders need not be ashamed to expect and
exhort people to read their Bibles every day.
John 3:1-21
Vs. 1-16 It seems that Nick sought Jesus out of his own interest,
otherwise there would have been two or more witnesses with him from the
Pharisees. Nicodemus will be mentioned a couple more times in a good way.
V. 3 Jesus' words were trying to force Nick away from his focus on the
signs, to what was going on behind the signs. Even though Nick was a
"spiritual leader," he was fixated on the physical.
Born again is the right interpretation as seen in
Nick's question of crawling back in his mother's womb. He understood what Jesus
meant, but the spiritual dimension was too deep for him.
V. 6 Jesus was trying to get Nick to see that before there is entrance
into heaven, there has to be a spiritual birth. Like most religious people, Nick
focused on behavior and rules. Sin is the most powerful force on the earth.
Without a new spiritual life (the breaking of sin's power in repentance,
forgiveness and regeneration) and the help of the Holy Spirit (every minute,
every day, leading us in the Word to obediently follow our Savior), we'd be
toast.
Vs. 7-8 The wind illustration simply says there are things you can't
see, but they are real. The spiritual is real and the spiritual life is real.
The same word for wind also means spirit.
V. 14 So what is the point here? I think it is that the cure for those
people was unseen and spiritual. It didn't come through medicine or cutting the
wounds and sucking out the poison. It came transmitted invisibly and
spiritually through faith. But, you had to believe and you had to look at the
brass serpent. In the same way, salvation and rebirth come through faith and
turning to the object of that faith, Jesus.
V. 16 This is one of the most well-known verses in the Bible for good
reason. It is the gospel in a sentence, beginning with God's love and ending
with our salvation in Christ.
Vs. 17-21 I memorized these verses the first year I gave my life to
Christ. In fact, I think they were part of the Awana leader's memory verses,
and not knowing any better, I thought I was supposed to memorize them because I
was an Awana leader. I was overwhelmed by the timelessness and simplicity of
this truth. This is exactly why people don’t come to Christ.
Psalm 104:1-23
What a beautiful psalm.
Vs. 1-4 This seems to express the grandeur of God being surrounded by
what He created, framing Him and giving glory to Him.
Notice that v. 4 is quoted in Hebrews 1:7, where "winds" mean
spirits. (See the note on John 3:8 above.)
Vs. 5-9 Here it shows God’s control and power over the might and chaos
of His creation.
Vs. 10-13 Through God’s power, He uses the forces of nature to feed and
water the creatures He made.
Vs. 14-15 Not only does God care for animals, but He cares for mankind,
each day. I had to laugh because I looked in a commentary and it mentioned the
oil and food, but skipped the "W" word. God made it, too, for a
purpose, but like all the good things God made, there needs to be control.
Vs. 16-18 These animals are probably mentioned by David, because David
saw these as he lived in the mountains. These animals are hidden from and
forgotten by man, but never by God.
Vs. 19-23 Notice that the creation of the moon and sun is mentioned for
the same purposes expressed in the creation account in Genesis. This means,
especially given that the sun, moon, planets and stars were created on the
fourth day, that their sole purpose was for us and the rest of His creation on
earth to mark times and seasons, day and night. There was already light for
three days before God made the sun.
Notice the mentions of power, provision, protection and control in this
psalm.
So, what does this psalm say to you? How did God intend this psalm to
strengthen our hearts?
Proverbs 14:20-21
I think v. 21 is telling the rich guy in v. 20 to make friends with the
poor, who is his neighbor in both verses. That sure sounds like, "Love
your neighbor as yourself," to me. It’s amazing where you find that
command.
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.
