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APRIL 3
Deuteronomy 23-25
Deuteronomy 23
V. 1 Somehow this just seems like a discouraging way to begin today's
reading. J Just to put this into perspective, it could very well have been that
both Daniel and Nehemiah were eunuchs. I know. I hate that thought too. These
were two men who are heroes in God's eyes; and Daniel, if you look at what God
says about him, is in God's list of top men of all time.
Vs. 2-6 This is a hard command to understand, but linked to v. 3 it
makes sense. A forbidden union was
something abhorrent, like incest. These people could live in Israel, but were
not welcome in the courts of the tabernacle or temple until the 10th generation
of living in Israel, following Yahweh. In v. 3 you have two children and
peoples conceived out of incest, Ammon and Moab, the sons of Lot and his
daughters. For these two people, notice, even to the 10th generation they can't enter the assembly of the Lord.
Now, this would assume that someone from these peoples wanted to give up their
gods, join themselves to Israel and worship the only God, Yahweh. I don't know
how often that happened. Usually, Israel was the one defecting.
To balance this out, Rahab and Ruth are both examples that God showed
mercy and grace to any individuals who came to Him. Rahab was from Canaan and
Ruth was from Moab, and both became part of the community of faith. Both are
related to Jesus.
Vs. 4-5 Notice the bad press that Balaam gets.
Vs. 7-8 The Edomites are from Esau, the brother of Jacob, son of Isaac
and the grandson of Abe. The Edomites eventually became absorbed into Israel.
The Egyptians have a special place and it is foretold that in the Millennial
Kingdom, they will serve and worship Jesus (Isaiah 19:19-25).
Vs. 9-14 The camp was to remain couth during war because God was among
them. Living in the presence of God was something they were to remember at all
times.
Vs. 15-16 I take this to mean a slave escaped from another country.
This happened to David in 1 Samuel 30:15 with an Egyptian slave they found.
Israel was to be a safe haven.
Vs. 17-18 The ends do not justify the means. This covered every kind of
prostitution, religious and non-religious. The word for a male prostitute
(usually Baal worship) was "dog." Money earned from sinfulness was
not to justify the existence of sin, even if the money was given to the
tabernacle. I don't think casinos will fare well in the Millennium, even if
people say they do bring in revenue.
Vs. 19-20 This may have had something to do with the poor, but it was a
general rule also. They couldn't exact interest from their own people. In our
movies the poor are always preyed upon by loan sharks. Not so in Israel.
Vs. 21-23 Notice that v. 21 is used by Jesus as He taught His disciples
in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:33-37. It was not a sin not to make a
vow. Jesus said not to do it.
Vs. 24-25 was a provision of mercy for the needy. These were crops that
were planted in abundance and this provision was for those who needed daily
bread. Just think, this is how the entire nation would have been during the Sabbatical
year, that is, every seventh year. I'm sure if you were not destitute and had a
morning ritual of going into your neighbor's yard and helping yourself to a
handful of his raspberries, the city fathers would have had words with you.
Deuteronomy 24
Vs. 1-4 Divorce is also mentioned in the Sermon on the Mount. Although
this is where we get some teaching on divorce and remarriage in the Scriptures,
the force of this is directed to prohibit a man from remarrying a wife due to
sexual defilement. This is a law of propriety and order, for the people of
Israel. God was making the point that if a man divorced his wife, he defiled
himself and her in the process. Today, it would be looked on as a good thing if
a divorced couple, even after years and marriages between, came to Christ and
were able to renew their vows in marriage.
V. 5 The marriage year is a great thing. Can you imagine this? The Lord
gave Laura and me two of these.
From v. 6 to the end of this chapter, everything seems to fit together
in terms of poorness and payments and pledges made for loans.
Vs. 6-7 You couldn't take a person's means of survival as collateral or
payment for a loan. And you couldn't sell him to get what you wanted from him.
Vs. 8-9 It could have been that people thought of using leprous people
to work or requiring some labor from them for mercy shown to them in providing
food.
Vs. 10-13 You couldn't take a poor man's cloak to make sure he paid you
back. The poor only had the clothes on their backs and they needed the cloak as
a blanket at night. By the way, this helps define a poor person in the OT. You
were not poor if you had more than one change of clothes.
Vs. 14-15 Another defining feature of the poor was that they had no
money and no food, but for that day. So they needed to be paid that day.
V. 16 In this context this command could have something to do with the
debt or crime of a young adult. You couldn't make the parents responsible for
the crime.
Vs. 17-18 These verses restate what has been said in the context of
poorness; and they state the underlying heart of mercy. The people were always
to remember that they were slaves and were redeemed by the mercy of God.
Vs. 19-22 I wonder how often people in Israel actually did this. Notice
that God's sovereignty also played a role in this. If they "forgot" a
sheaf in the field they couldn't go
back. Sometimes God makes you forget.
V. 22 is the key to them having a heart of mercy. If you think about
it, this is also the reason we are to have a heart of mercy to reach out to the
lost. We too were lost and without hope. By God's mercy we have received grace
and forgiveness and life. Now, it is simply right that we share this with
others who are lost. Ironically, the giving back we do is following our Lord
into the harvest to bear fruit for the Father.
Deuteronomy 25
I think this entire chapter is held together by the same thoughts of
mercy, justice, and compassion.
Vs. 1-3 Maybe the dispute had something to do with an issue of cheating
a widow or the poor. The guilty person was to be punished, but with mercy, so
as not to be degraded in the sight of
others.
V. 4 Even a beast of burden was to be honored as it served. How much more
so a man. This verse is applied to people in full-time ministry in the NT by
Paul in 1 Corinthians 9 and 1 Timothy 5. Paul says that the application was
always for how one treated their servants.
Vs. 5-10 This too was an act of mercy. This figures into the story of
Boaz and Ruth. For a modern-day version of this practice, check out the
Hallmark film, "Loving Leah." It's Hallmark and it's a "chick
flick," but it is very good.
Vs. 11-12 What I get from this is the same as in vs. 1-3. Even in
defeating a person in a fight, you were to do it respectfully. This is the only
time in the Bible a person was to be "maimed" for an action. If a
woman needed to defend her man, she was to do it with a stick or a frying pan.
Vs. 13-16 Notice how this is linked to them staying in the land they
were about to enter. God hates dishonesty, and dishonesty damages us and brings
God's punishment upon us. This trick was also played on the poor. In a way, it
was like making the poor pay more at convenience stores, because they didn't
have the means or the money to get to a real store. Like loan sharking, it was
another way to prey on the poor.
Vs. 17-19 I think the point here was that in this fight, Amalek played
dirty by attacking the poor and the weak and the defenseless. God isn't into
terrorism. Attacking someone who is defenseless shows a lack of fear of God. It
took hundreds of years (700?) before this took place. And as suggested in the
cases of Rahab and Ruth, if an individual Amalekite would have turned to Yahweh
in faith, he or she would have been welcomed and saved.
Luke 10:13-37
It seems like a good place to mention that some of what Jesus said, He
said on more than one occasion. Like any good traveling preacher, He used the
same messages and illustrations and used them in different situations giving
the message or application a slightly different twist from the last time He
used it. In this case, if you do a search on Chorazin, you'll see Jesus pronouncing this punishment on two
different occasions.
Vs. 13-16 These verses continue the "shaking the dust"
discourse from yesterday. Jesus denounced these cities on a couple different
occasions. Matthew 11:20 gives you the reason Jesus used these examples. Notice
the warning and the truth of v. 16. That gives some perspective to our work in
the harvest. Ultimately it is not our message or delivery that gets rejected.
He speaks through us.
Vs. 17-24 When these guys returned they were very joyful and motivated.
V. 18 Satan hasn't gotten tossed out of heaven yet. That will come during
the Tribulation. Satan's power was challenged and broken. The same must have
taken place at the resurrection and coming of the Spirit to birth the church.
V. 19 The authority Jesus gave them was very verbal and literal. If you
don't hear Him telling you that you have this power, don't test God by thinking
you have it.
V. 20 This is our true source of joy in any and every situation in this
life, on this earth, in this harvest.
Vs. 21-22 Notice Luke's mention of the Holy Spirit and joy. You can
tell Luke was a missionary and rubbed shoulders with Paul. This also is an
assurance we have, working in the harvest. Those who are open, hear. The Son
reveals the Father, not us. I think it is amazing how God makes sure He can be
found by a searching heart regardless of education, status or privilege. In
fact, those who think they are wise and understanding can't find Him.
Vs. 23-24 This was said privately to the disciples, probably the Twelve.
Jesus was repeating this to the Twelve, having said it to them before in
Matthew 13:16 when He told them the reason for the parables.
Vs. 25-37 You know this story and it is only recorded in Luke.
Vs. 25-28 The entire context of the story is that this lawyer/scribe
wanted to put Jesus on the spot. Jesus answered the question by asking the
scribe a question. The very intelligent scribe was only too happy to show
everyone how smart he was. It seems that when Jesus told him to go and do what
he had just said, the scribe felt he needed to get Jesus to talk more to get
Him to say something wrong. He might have felt he needed to show the people
that Jesus was a fraud and that he was smarter than Jesus. So far it hadn't
worked well.
Vs. 29-37 Since we have read Leviticus and know what God has said about
touching dead things, we can understand some of what is going on in this story.
Just remember though, this guy was still alive, and if a priest or Levite
became unclean, there were ways of being restored.
V. 31 I think it is funny that Jesus says, Now by chance….
Both the priest and the Levite failed to show compassion to their
fellow Jew.
Vs. 33-34 Look at how Jesus described this lavish attention and
compassion.
V. 35 A denarius was a day's pay at minimum wage. What if every state had
a minimum wage of $10.00 per hour? For an eight-hour day that would be $80.00.
This guy left twice that, so about $160.00. Now that might not seem like much
money in the West, but in some countries, $160.00 will feed someone for months.
The point is that this despised Samaritan was very generous.
Vs. 36-37 This story has a special meaning for us as disciples. We are
left here to go back into the harvest and show compassion on those who are
still lost as we once were. It is amazing to me that people who are saved can
forget the mercy they were shown.
As disciples, we can't afford to ever forget the grace, by which we are
saved. His love and grace is the only thing we need to be known by. His Word
and our following in the harvest keep this fresh for us.
Psalm 75
V. 1 In keeping with the story of the Good Samaritan and our need to go
back into the harvest and show the mercy shown to us, look at this verse. We
are to recount the wonderful deeds of the Lord. And those deeds begin with the
love and grace we were shown in Jesus. He died for us while we were still
enemies.
Vs. 2-8 It is out of mercy and love that people need to be warned that
judgment will come, but we have something to offer that allows people to escape
that judgment.
Vs. 9-10 God's love and His Savior are hidden from the wise and
understanding. The horns are a symbol for pride and power. And for the
righteous, Let the one who boasts, boast
in the Lord (1 Cor. 1:31).
Proverbs 12:12-14
V. 12 Fruit comes from a heart set on God, looking to Him. The wicked
emulate the wicked and covet.
V. 13 Living free of trouble comes from a heart secure in God. The
wicked are enamored with their word skills.
V. 14 What we do returns to us, so we seek that which satisfies our
Lord. You reap what you sow.
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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