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APRIL 15
Joshua 11-12
Believe it or not, today we finish up the conquest of the land. In
terms of discipleship, there is a phrase that does point to something
interesting. It is Joshua's claim to fame. It is one of those things that
doesn't require a lot of skill or genius or talent. God kind of leveled the
playing field when He called us to His side to work with Him in the harvest.
The essential quality of a disciple is to hear the Word of God and to do it.
That's what Jesus said. As you read, look for and underline where it says that
Joshua obeyed. We can all love and obey the Lord, as we follow Him in the
harvest.
Joshua 11
Vs. 1-5 The kings of northern Canaan come against Joshua and the Lord.
Again, this is the irrationality of sin. These people knew what God had done,
but still chose to fight. That’s what makes us human I guess.
Vs. 6-9 Here again we see God promising Joshua victory and Joshua warps
into high gear. Joshua took the fight to the kings. It is interesting to see
God command that all of the war horses were to be maimed and military gear was
to be destroyed. If we have the Lord, we don’t need the enemies’ resources. You
think of all the time and money Solomon invested in horses and chariots and
understand what a show and waste that was. God was showing Israel and the
nations that He was more than enough.
Vs. 10-15 Here are a couple of other things about Joshua. First, he
destroyed the royal city, the symbol of might, and let the other cities stand.
That was good strategy. Next, he regarded Moses as the servant of the Lord and
honored Moses’ work. Finally, Joshua totally obeyed. It will be an honor to
meet Joshua someday.
Vs. 16-20 These victories were God’s judgment on Canaan. We’ve
mentioned before that He had shown hundreds of years of patience and had men
like Melchizedek and Abraham live as witnesses among them. We know that there
is a personal aspect to a person hardening their heart to God and then God
encouraging the further hardening of heart. In both Rahab and the Gibeonites,
we see that people were open to turn to God if they desired to turn to Him. In
reality, God called these people into His presence to give account. God’s presence
is a place of ultimate blessing and privilege, unless you don’t like God.
Vs. 21-23 It is kind of an interesting note that when Joshua broke the
military might of Canaan, he also destroyed most of the giants. Remember, it
was the presence of the Anakim that the 10 spies used to frighten the people.
You notice the city of Gath. That will be the city that Goliath comes from.
As God said earlier, He doesn't remove every point of resistance. If He
did, the land would waste away and wild animals would take over. It will take
time for Israel to move into their inheritance. But what happened yesterday,
and is happening today, is the breaking of military power in the land. From
this point on, all that is left are small towns and cities that could
easily be taken by each tribe. The "could" will be a sad commentary
on Israel. Israel will remain true to the Lord during the life of Joshua and
the elders; but after their influence is gone, Israel will sin, and some of
these towns and cities that could easily have been removed will remain. Without
God's blessing, even the smallest influence will overwhelm them, because like
us, our strength is in the Lord. If the Lord is not present and we are not
close to Him, we cannot fulfill the purpose for our lives or our mission on
earth. Regarding our work in the harvest, Jesus said, "Without me, you can
do nothing." If we "do nothing" it is because we have lost touch
with Him and are living without Him.
Joshua 12
Vs. 1-6 This is a summary of the victories under Moses’ leadership.
Vs. 7-24 These are the victories under Joshua’s leadership.
Luke 17:11-37
Vs. 11-19 This is kind of funny to read because Jesus is on His way to
Jerusalem, but heading east and He'll eventually cross the Jordan. Jerusalem
was straight south. The shortest distance between two points is always God’s
way. There are some great lessons in all of this. Only Luke has this story, and
it is the second time he has reported the cleansing of lepers. This story has a
twist.
Vs. 13-14 Notice that they had faith. For them to yell this to Jesus
showed they were aware of Jesus’ power. The fact that they went when He told
them also shows faith.
Vs. 15-16 This guy was overcome with thanks and went all worshipful. He
couldn’t help himself. So, how did they know he was a Samaritan? Did they wear
name tags? But now you see why Luke included this story.
Vs. 16-19 Being overcome with gratitude and worship doesn’t have to be
commanded. The others obeyed Jesus, but this man showed overwhelming love.
Luke was a Gentile, and a companion and personal physician to the
apostle Paul. I’m sure Luke had experienced the conflicts Paul was constantly
facing from the Jews and Jewish Christians (many of whom were former Pharisees
who had been saved) who wanted the Gentile believers to take on Jewish custom
and practice. Luke is showing his Gentile readers that the Lord Himself honored
the outcasts who worshiped with simple faith and devotion.
Vs. 20-21 Now in contrast, we see the Pharisees. Jesus had already said
that the kingdom would be invisible like that mustard seed or like yeast in
flour. That the kingdom was in the midst of them was Jesus Himself. The import
of this episode is that the Pharisees sought to challenge Jesus, and once they
heard His cryptic answer, they left, shaking their heads.
V. 22 I think as the Pharisees left, Jesus knew His followers would
face deep persecution because of the kind of unbelief expressed by men like
these. In light of that kind of persecution and scorn, there would come a time
when the disciples would desire to see one day of God’s vindication, one day of
what it would look like when the Son of Man comes in judgment. But, that time
is for the end and they will have to take it by faith that it will be a
judgment on mankind that will account for all harm done by the powers of
unbelief.
Notice the plural days. The days of the Son of Man are the entire
seven-year period of the Tribulation.
Vs. 23-25 During those days, many will claim “Jesus sightings,” or
claim to be the Messiah. The disciples are to ignore these claims. In His day is the actual day of His
bodily return. This sign is for His disciples at that point in history, letting
them know that they won't have to go anywhere to find Jesus. They don't have to
go running to find the false Messiahs that will crop up. Every person on the
planet will see Him. The event won't be hidden and it won't look like normal
lightning and they won't have to tune into CNN to figure it out. Also, they are
not to be lured out into the open. The advent of false Messiahs might also mean
that many people living through the Tribulation, even unbelieving people, will
have a religious, although warped, understanding of the Tribulation. But in the
end, only having a relationship with Jesus will count. The elect will live by
obedience to this command.
Vs. 26-29 Using both the flood of Noah, and Lot and the destruction of
Sodom, Jesus shows there was a time factor from the sudden beginning of the
event to the destruction. Once Noah entered the ark and the rain began to fall,
life as they knew it ended. Once the angels arrived in Sodom and Lot left the
city, nothing was ever the same. Once the destruction begins during the
Tribulation, although seven years will pass before Christ's return, normal life
will have ended. If you read Revelation you’ll see that the disasters of the
first 3.5 years will break down the entire network and technology of the world.
The entire planet will become “third world,” and that might be more advanced
than things will actually be.
Vs. 30-33 These verses seem to parallel what Jesus says later regarding
the middle of the Tribulation and the desecration of the temple. That will
begin a time of unparalleled persecution of the Jews and Christians over the
entire earth.
On the other hand, since there is no reference here to the antichrist,
it could be that Jesus is applying this to the entire time of the Tribulation.
Those who think to save anything during that time will end up losing
everything. Notice in v. 30 that it talks about a particular “day.” On that day
the Son of Man is revealed. This could be talking about the beginning of the
Tribulation. It will be through the entire Tribulation, as the Lord opens those
seals, that He is revealed and makes His judgment of the earth manifest.
Interestingly, in v. 33, Jesus uses a phrase that He's used before
regarding the cost of discipleship. I find this pretty interesting, to think He
used the same images with slightly different meanings in different contexts.
Vs. 34-37 At first glance, this summary note by Jesus could be talking
about the time of persecution of the Jews and Christians. The implication would
be that they should have obeyed what Jesus has just said and should have run
for the hills. In that case, it wouldn’t seem that these verses could apply to
the rapture.
On the other hand, when Jesus was talking about His return, the three
points He consistently emphasized and repeated were that the time was unknown,
that the time would come suddenly and that the sign of His appearing would be
in the sky. The reference to the eagles (vultures)
is in answer to where these people would be taken. Since a corpse is mentioned
it seems that there is judgment in view. Yet if you look at the next reference
to the “eagles” in the Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24:28 (two days before His
death) it is clear that the only thing Jesus is using the eagles for is to tell
the disciples where to look, that is, up. The sign of His coming will be in the
sky. If you were wondering where a corpse was, you would look in the sky to see
where the vultures were. The sign was in the sky. Close to the time of Jesus’
coming, there will be many impersonators and people will be deceived into
looking for Jesus in many places. In both Matthew 24:28 and here, the only
place to look will be “up.” From this, I would say that Jesus is saying these
will be taken into the air.
Since these are the final words of this teaching and a parable is about
to follow, I think Jesus is referring to the beginning of the “day” of His
coming, that is, the beginning of the Tribulation and what Paul is referring to
in 1 Corinthians 15:50-52 and 1 Thessalonians 4:16. However, if you read Revelation
19:11-21 you will find the Lord arriving at the battle with His people (the
ones taken?) who have been instantly gathered from all the nations. These
believers will not be resurrected or changed, but will follow Christ into the
battle at Armageddon, where He will feed His enemies to the birds (vultures).
These same believers will follow Christ into the Millennial Kingdom. I mention
this only to say that there is some leeway here for another interpretation.
Notice that there is no v. 36. Apparently some copyist added it later
to parallel the Olivet Discourse in Matthew. We have so many manuscripts of the
NT that these are easy to find.
As disciples, we need to be careful to submit our lives and
expectations to the Lord and His Word. These events are coming and the
Democrats and Republicans in the USA will have nothing to do with it. Our
passion has to be to keep our hearts free of civilian affairs so we can please
the One who enlisted us. We follow Him in His harvest to reach those for whom
He shed His blood as the storm clouds gather.
Psalm 84
According to the Bible Knowledge Commentary-OT, p. 855, this is
a “pilgrim” psalm, meaning it was sung by the processions of people being led
into Jerusalem for the feasts. It was a song that helped the people tune their
hearts to worship. Though these songs were written by the sons of Korah, they
may have been influenced by David. One of David’s passions was organizing
Israel around the worship of God. As soon as he could, David brought the ark of
the covenant to Jerusalem because it signified the presence of God. David’s
longing, particularly after the long years of running, was to dwell with God.
We've seen these recurring themes in David’s songs: dwelling with the Lord,
finding strength in God, pleading that God would hear our prayer.
Vs. 1-4 It is interesting to me that God made us to dwell with Him in
the garden. Whether it was David or Paul, as they grew in their faith they
desired more and more to be in God’s presence.
Vs. 5-7 What an interesting way to express strength. All the ways of
our hearts lead to God’s presence. It takes a while to learn this, but when God
is our only desire, instead of living from bump to bump, we go from strength to
strength as our hearts “appear” before Him.
Vs. 8-9 This is the only “crying out” in this psalm. It is the constant
affirmation of those on this earth who recognize this separation from God
because of sin, and desire this day to be over.
Vs. 10-12 Why wouldn’t we be content to serve at the door if it meant
being in His presence? In that service all of our needs are met with favor,
light and safety. Just reading this challenges my heart.
Proverbs 13:5-6
What strikes me is the connection in v. 5 of falsehood, shame and
disgrace. The latter two are a good reason to be truthful. Our deceptions find
us out. Jesus warned the disciples to count on it.
V. 6 Righteousness is not a practical means to an end. It is living to
please God. In gratefulness we desire to live in a way that expresses our
gratitude to God and reflect His goodness. The fact that righteousness protects
us is just collateral blessing.
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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