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APRIL 25
Judges 4-5
One of the hardest things is to get a sense for the passage of time. I
like knowing when things happened. According to the Bible Knowledge
Commentary-OT, p. 388 (BKC-OT), about 200 years have gone by since the
Exodus. I guess if you take the 40 years of wandering + 7 years of war + 10
years of settling into the land up until Joshua's death + 8 years of oppression
+ 40 years of peace with Othniel +18 years of oppression under Eglon + 80 years
of peace with Ehud, you get about 203 years. Isn't this amazing how time is
ticking away?
Judges 4
Vs. 1-3 So now we add another 20 years of oppression under King Jabin
and his general, Sisera. It is interesting that these chariots kept Israel at
bay. It shows that God wasn't helping them, because when He did help, He made
those chariots a liability.
Vs. 4-10 It is interesting that during these 20 years, Deborah (means
"honey-bee") was a phophetess. She was a judge, in that people came
to her to hear a word from the Lord or to get a decision. I wonder what the
Levites were up to during this time.
V. 6 Apparently the cries of Israel reached a certain level of
intensity and God sent Deborah a command. Notice that God not only promised
victory, but He said He would lure Sisera to come out with his chariots.
V. 9 I don't think it was wrong for Barak to want Deborah to go with
him, but it is cast in a negative light. We will see other men who hear the
Word of God from a prophet and simply obey. Barak didn't do that, but he is
still honored in Hebrews 11 as a man of faith. Gideon will also ask for a sign
of confirmation.
V. 11 This little note is a piece of the puzzle God is putting in
place.
Vs. 12-16 We don't understand what happened here until we read the song
in the next chapter. According to the song in 5:19-21, there must have been a
supernaturally inspired torrent of rain that made the chariots ineffective.
Sisera wouldn't have brought his "toys" out on a rainy day.
Apparently there was no warning.
Vs. 17-22 Jael must have been there without her husband, who was
probably a shepherd and out with the sheep. According to the BKC-OT, p.
389, it was usually the women who pitched the tents.
Vs. 23-24 Apparently, it was a huge battle and King Jabin was also
wiped out.
Judges 5
Vs. 1-3 This is the introduction to the song calling the nations to see
and hear what God had done. Verse 2 has always seemed like the miracle to me:
The leaders led. You realize in any war, if it goes bad, the leaders are the
ones who are targeted. Here, the leaders came forward and were willing to take
responsibility.
Vs. 4-5 She mentioned that God showed His dominance and greatness at
Mt. Sinai.
Vs. 6-9 Apparently the problems began after Shamgar and in the days
that Jael and her husband left the south part of Israel and went north. Because
of King Jabin, using the normal roads had to be abandoned. This continued until
Deborah came. Verse 8 tells the root of the problem. Israel chose new gods and
therefore couldn't fight the oppression. Verse 9 again celebrates the faith and
courage of the men who were willing to lead the people. This looks like the
real miracle.
Vs. 10-11 This is saying the word should get out to everyone, from the
rich on their donkeys down to the people at the watering places. The people
would be talking about the victory the Lord provided.
Vs. 12-18 You notice in this description of who helped that not
everyone who was called responded.
Vs. 19-22 This is the description of the battle. If the people had
followed the Lord, He would have given Israel more victories like this that
would have strengthened their faith. They themselves would have regularly
experienced the acts that God would have done for them to show His glory and to
defeat their enemies.
Vs. 23-27 Verse 23 is apparently a town that didn't respond to the call
to war. On the other hand, one woman was more courageous than they were. Jael's
actions are described in slow motion. Apparently this was meant to be funny or
ironic.
Vs. 28-30 Still expressing irony, those waiting for Sisera to return as
he usually did, with the booty of those he conquered, waited and were
disappointed.
V. 31 Amen, and there was peace for forty years.
Luke 22:35-53
To understand some of what Jesus is saying here, you need to look at v.
53, But this is your hour, and the power
of darkness. That hour was a bad hour.
Vs. 35-38 Jesus tells the disciples to expect the worst, to care for
themselves and to be prepared to defend themselves in the immediate aftermath
(hour) of His arrest. When He sent out the Twelve, Jesus told them they could
depend on God moving in people’s hearts to provide for them. Now Jesus tells
them the opposite. I believe it is because of this special hour on the earth.
Except for the fall of man, this would probably be the second worst hour on
earth and there probably won’t be another like it until during the Tribulation.
Vs. 39-46 Jesus tells the disciples twice what they should be praying
for. Even here, Jesus is interested in His disciples. Notice that Luke mentions
the appearance of the angel and that the angel came sometime before Jesus had
finished praying. I always thought it was at the end of His praying.
Jesus was on the edge, humanly speaking, during this prayer. Being in an agony describes the depth of
the human and emotional weight He was under. Submission and prayer, humanly
speaking, got Him through. What a great model He is, and to think, nothing we
can face will even come close to what He endured.
Vs. 47-53 Good old Dr. Luke tells us it was the right ear, and that
Jesus healed it. I get the feeling reading this, that the words of Jesus were a
distraction of sorts to get the mob focused on Him and to give the disciples a
chance to run.
Psalm 94
There is no note as to the author of this psalm. Since v. 16 mentions
persecution, I could imagine this was written by David as he was still waiting
on the Lord to deliver him from Saul, observing how Israel was falling into
more and more disorder.
Vs. 1-7 This is the psalmist's lament over the growing lawlessness in
Israel.
Vs. 8-11 This is a warning to the people who are taking advantage of
the lack of justice. Justice would come and God was keeping track of who was
doing what.
Vs. 12-15 The writer is affirming that the discipline of the Lord makes
you seek Him, waiting for God's sure and faithful justice.
Vs. 16-19 This sounds like David.
Vs. 20-23 Since it is impossible for God to tolerate the wicked, their
judgment is simply a matter of time. On the other hand, v. 22 says, and as
David has often said, the Lord is the writer's stronghold and rock.
I think as disciples, it gives us security to know and remember that
God has all things under control, even if it doesn't seem that way. As we work
in the harvest we are not responsible for judgment. We are to work in the
harvest, praying for leaders and authorities so that the Lord would give us the
freedom to reach those who are ready to hear.
Proverbs 14:3-4
So, why did they put both of these verses together? I’ll hazard a
guess.
Foolishness hurts and destroys itself. Keeping your manger clean by not
having an ox is foolish. A man should be willing to do the work of upkeep.
Sitting and avoiding the toil that will bring others closer to the Lord gives
you more time to enjoy life. But if you do the work, you’ll enjoy life more,
and you'll have the blessing of God, along with an abundance of hope, having
seen God work. The wise man welcomes the mess.
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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