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.
APRIL 19
Believe it or not, we're going to finish Joshua this week. It’s time to
get ready to celebrate. I know that the past few chapters of Joshua have been
less than interesting, but some of what has been said is hinting ahead to
Judges. Judges will be packed full of action, but what will keep you awake will
be the shock of seeing those people, as compared to what we’ve heard in
Deuteronomy and seen in Joshua.
Joshua 19-20
Joshua 19
When reading repetitive stuff, it is interesting to take note of the
editorial comments or names of cities that seem familiar. There are a few
interesting comments in this section and some notable cities.
Vs. 1-9 Simeon's inheritance was in the middle of Judah's land. You’ll
notice that it says Ziklag belonged to Simeon, but it really belonged to Judah
too. Eventually Simeon's land became absorbed into Judah, and the tribe of
Simeon moved north. The same thing happened to the land belonging to the tribe
of Benjamin. Benjamin actually "owned" Jerusalem, but you never think
of it as belonging to anyone other than the tribe of Judah.
Vs. 10-16 This is the inheritance of Zebulun. There isn’t much to note
here except that this “Bethlehem” is not the Bethlehem in Judah near Jerusalem
where Jesus was born. Zebulun was included in the prophecy of Isaiah 9:1-2
regarding the coming of Jesus and the people who sat in darkness seeing a great
light. Gabriel came to Mary in the city of Nazareth in the territory of Zebulun.
Vs. 17-23 This is the tribe of Issachar. If you read your one-year
Bible year after year, the name Jezreel will seem to have a familiar ring. This
is where Elijah became terrified for his life and fled from Jezebel. It is also
where Naboth died, and where a group of dogs got indigestion. They ate
something (somebody) bad.
Vs. 24-31 This is the tribe of Asher. You don’t hear much of these
people. Mt. Carmel should sound familiar, and at the dedication of the baby
Jesus in Luke, the prophetess Anna, of the tribe of Asher, is on the scene.
Vs. 32-39 The territory of the tribe of Naphtali should sound familiar.
Naphtali is also in the prophecy in Isaiah 9:1-2; and its cities, like
Capernaum, figure prominently in Jesus’ ministry around the Sea of Galilee.
Vs. 40-48 The territory of Dan figures tragically in the stories to
follow. Verse 47 summarizes this history, but we’ll get the rest of the story
in Judges. Some of the cities mentioned here actually were in the list of those
belonging to Judah. Dan never really settled in the land they were given. In
Judges you’ll see why they were driven from their inheritance.
Vs. 49-50 By command of the Lord, Israel gave Joshua his own city which
he rebuilt. Old people need hobbies when they retire. That command was the same
one that God gave concerning Caleb, that both men would have land where they
had walked as spies. It is interesting that while Caleb was the first to be
given his inheritance, Joshua waited to the very end. The leader was the last
to be served.
Joshua 20
Vs. 1-6 These are the cities of refuge. The purpose of these cities was
to insure there would be justice for accidental killing, so that the nation
would not be guilty of spilling innocent blood. The fact that this law and
these cities are mentioned so often should make us think of the importance God
put on innocent blood. This goes back to God’s curse on Cain for killing Abel.
Killing innocent unborn babies may be plausible in our culture, but it is not
missed or dismissed by God.
Vs. 7-9 It is interesting that all of these cities will be mentioned
tomorrow in another "grouping" of cities. Notable in this list are
Hebron and Ramoth Gilead. Hebron will become the city where David reigns over
Judah while directing the seven-year civil war against the loyalists of the
house of King Saul. Ramoth Gilead is the city that King Ahab will try to win
back from the Syrians with King Jehoshaphat’s help. That event is where we will meet the prophet
Micaiah in an episode that will make your hair stand on end (1 Kings 22:15).
Luke 19:28-48
Vs. 28-40 We've read of the Lord's entrance into Jerusalem before. Note
that the people who owned the colt either knew of Jesus and the Scriptures surrounding
this event, or God gave them some supernatural flexibility to let some guys
just walk up and take the colt. I get the feeling that the people were
anticipating this event.
Vs. 39-40 Apparently the Pharisees were not expecting the people to be
proclaiming Jesus to be the Messiah. It is so ironic that the Pharisees thought
that Jesus should have had the decency to correct the crowd. Can you imagine
having missed this moment, standing next to Jesus, correcting Him? They know
the truth now.
Except for the fact that there will be no condemnation in heaven, I
wonder if we met an old-time saint in heaven and told him when we lived and
what we have in Christ, if he’d say, “Wait. You had that, and that and that?
And all you did with it was THAT?” Every generation takes for granted what it
has been given.
Vs. 41-44 Jesus wept over Jerusalem and gave a near and far description
of what would happen to Jerusalem. In the near future, that generation of
Israel would be judged and Jerusalem would be destroyed in 70 A.D. by the
Romans. In the distant future, the city and the people will be nearly destroyed
again during the Tribulation. Knowing what is happening here, it is eerie to
have Jesus tell them that they missed the time of their visitation.
Vs. 45-46 This is the second time Jesus has cleansed the temple. The
first time is recorded in John 2.
Vs. 47-48 I find it interesting that the leaders were afraid to arrest
Jesus, because people listened to Him so intently. The irrationality of sin
permeated the thinking and actions of these leaders. That irrationality is
still operating today, even among God’s people. Sin is still alive and well, if
we don’t take advantage of the Word and the Spirit. That’s why we need our meds
every day; that is, we need to be washed in the Word, keeping our hearts before
the Lord, submitting our lives to Him, and following Him in the harvest.
Psalm 88
What is so gripping about this psalm is that there is no "up
side." I've never seen a psalm end so darkly. I would say it is inspired
by God who tells us to keep seeking Him, even, when emotionally, there is no
end in sight. It sounds like this guy is praying out of raw faith, with the
sickness of heart mentioned in Proverbs 13:12.
It could be that this psalm is connected to the psalm for tomorrow.
Psalm 89 might give the positive side of what is being expressed today.
According to 1 Chronicles 6:31, this writer might be one of the singers
who David appointed to lead worship after the ark was brought to Jerusalem.
Judging from some of the themes in this psalm, it seems like this guy might
have put King David’s personal sorrow to music. If this psalm was written by or
in conjunction with David during his life, it could be that the situation being
reflected here has to do with Absalom’s rebellion.
Vs. 1-2 This crying out sounds like David.
Vs. 3-7 As David left Jerusalem with his followers, he was in total
humiliation and in great danger. When you read the account, David would have
been killed that night if Absalom had followed Ahithophel’s advice in 2 Samuel
17:1.
Vs. 8-9 If that rebellion was the cause of this psalm, only David’s
most loyal followers stayed with him, yet he was stunned that some of his
trusted friends left him. David actually lost the entire country, and his own
son was trying to kill him.
Vs. 10-12 One of the constant promises David made to God was to
proclaim His love and deliverance. You can understand David’s logic here. If he
were dead, how could he do that? I’m sure God wasn’t sitting in heaven
listening to this and then said, “You know, Gabriel, he has a point. If I kill
him, then what?” In a backwards way, David is promising to proclaim God’s grace
if God will spare him.
Vs. 13-18 Although this is many years after David’s actions with
Bathsheba and her husband Uriah, Absalom’s rebellion and the betrayal of his
friends goes back to that event. God was still punishing David as He had
foretold. David knew he was still reaping what he had sown. Appealing to God’s
mercy was his only hope.
Proverbs 13:12-14
It seems to me that what makes this trio of verses work is the middle
verse about revering the Word and following the commandment. That middle
verse’s wisdom shapes our desires and expectations, and it shapes our concern
and counsel to others. The Word is constantly telling us that our hope needs to
be in the Lord, not in our expectations of what we think He should do. He is
holy and sovereign and we are His servants. I think that when we become wise
and teach others, that middle verse is what we will tell those following the Lord
and it will keep them from falling into snares.
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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