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 8
Deuteronomy 32:28-52
Vs. 28-33 Notice how God refers to Himself as Israel's "Rock"
throughout the entire song. This is in contrast to the "rock" Israel
would choose to follow. The whole point in this section is that if they were
wise, they would have understood that only Yahweh could have made them able to
do what has been done. This is very much like what Paul said in Romans 1:22, claiming to be wise they became fools and
exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images… Then, as Jesus said,
they bore evil fruit.
Vs. 34-38 You were wondering where the verse, "vengeance is mine,
I will repay, says the Lord," came from? God is saying that although He
would allow the nations to punish Israel, He will punish the nations and
vindicate Israel. God will teach Israel through punishment that they chose the
wrong rock.
Vs. 39-42 God declares His ownership of reality and that all who make
themselves His enemy will be judged. Some of this sounds a lot like John 5.
Jesus will be the one bringing this judgment.
V. 43 This sounds like the book of Revelation. It is obvious that the
fulfillment of much of what is written here will take place in the Tribulation
and in the Millennium.
Vs. 44-47 It looks like Joshua had a part in the "singing" of
this song.
Vs. 46-47 are very powerful words and apply to each of us, too. As
Christians, we still have the tendency to underplay the daily importance of the
Word in our lives. As followers of Christ in the harvest, the Word, like the
circulation of blood through our bodies, has to be constantly circulating
through our hearts and minds. The wreckage we see in the lives of believers is
directly connected to this.
V. 48-52 I wonder how I would feel if I knew that when I finished my
sermon, I would die? That might be a reason to preach a really long sermon. But
on the other hand, what does it mean to die? We show what we really think of
God and heaven when we become overwhelmed by fear when we think of death. For
those who work in the harvest, I think we all end up with the heart expressed by
Paul in Philippians 1, "I'd rather go, but if it will do some good now in
the harvest, well OK, I'll stay."
Luke 12:35-59
Vs. 35-40 Verse 35 is said with the same enthusiasm and for the same
reason as v. 33, Sell your possessions.
If our treasure is in heaven, then we are free to live with joyful abandon
toward God. Here, the emphasis is on doing the work of God in the harvest until
He returns. There is that sense in which we should work with joy and
expectation of our Lord's return.
V. 37 Notice that this reward is only for those servants who were
awake.
V. 40 Jesus will talk to His disciples a couple more times about the
coming of the Son of Man. That "day" is the 7-year Tribulation. Its
beginning will be totally without warning. For each of us as disciples, the day
of our death, and the circumstances thereof, can come without warning too. We
need to be faithfully doing His work and living in expectation of seeing Him at
all times.
Vs. 41-48 The answer to Peter's question seems to be "all
believers." You wouldn't call an unbeliever a "servant." We see
plenty of believers lost on earth. Some people get drawn into the cultural
comfort of worshiping worship and stuff, eating, drinking, being merry. Some
really conservative, righteously right people miss the entire harvest by
holding a loveless, military view of protecting the truth in a bunker, beating
the servants. Satan is much wiser than we are and knows a million ways to get
us off track and to neutralize us.
Vs. 46-47 Cut him in pieces
is a euphemism for a beating. Unbelievers don't get a beating. My sense is that
those Christians who fell asleep in the light will be saved, but only as
through fire. That "fire" of judgment for the unfaithful believer
will have some aspect of punishment that will be awful like fire, but not like
the fire of eternal condemnation. Some of us know what we should be doing and
will get punished severely for our disobedience. Some believers don't quite get
it, and will still be punished, but not like those of us who really have a
clear vision of what's going on.
V. 48 The privilege and the requirement. This is addressed to the
disciples then who walked with Jesus and saw who He was. It also applies to us
who have been gifted for the harvest.
Vs. 49-53 The meaning couldn't be clearer. Jesus came for the harvest.
This life will mean great blessing from God, as we follow Him into the conflict
of bearing fruit in a dying, rebellious world. How can we desire to be anything
different than our Savior? How can we expect to live a life that refuses to
embrace what He embraced? How can we not follow Him into the harvest?
Vs. 54-59 Now this was addressed to the unbelieving masses. They needed
to see what was going on and make a decision. They, like the whole world, were
walking to judgment. Now was the time to settle with God. Once before the judge
there would be no chance for mercy.
I wonder what this sleeping servant looks like. I wonder if he's more
common than we think.
Psalm 78:56-64
This sounds like the period of the judges before Samuel became their
main judge and freed Israel from the dominance of the Philistines. To get a
better idea of what is said here, read 1 Samuel 4.
Vs. 56-58 True to the behavior of their rebellious fathers in the
wilderness, once in the land, they also put God to the test.
Vs. 59-64 This event sounds like the capturing of the ark of the
covenant, followed by the deaths of Eli's sons, Hophni and Phinehas, then the
death of Eli and finally the death of Phinehas' wife in childbirth.
Proverbs 12:24
Well, I know which guy I want to be. The word rule may not mean to be a governor, but in contrast to the
slothful, the diligent will remain free to live his life without slavery.
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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