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.
JUNE 1
2 Samuel 18:1-19:10
2 Samuel 18
Vs. 1-5 David was impossible to beat in the open field, and with God
against Absalom, Absalom was toast. He just didn't know it yet.
V. 3 Notice that they didn't let David go out to fight since he alone
was the target. Absalom wasn't so smart.
V. 5 Perhaps because of his sense of guilt (that all of this was a part
of what he had done to Uriah) or because of some misplaced hope that Absalom
would be his successor, or both, David gave this order to spare Absalom.
Everyone heard it and this would become a test of hearts in the coming verses.
Vs. 6-18 Imagine, they lost 20,000 men in a single day. We, thankfully,
cannot even conceive of that. And to think, this all goes back to David and an
afternoon of sexual restlessness. (Again, I think there was a longer process
leading up to that event.)
V. 9 Remember Absalom's pride in his hair. Pride cometh before getting
hung in an oak tree.
V. 12 This guy was right, I wouldn't have trusted Joab either. It is
interesting that his own men knew this about Joab.
V. 14 Disobeying a command of the king, and murdering Absalom like
this, should have cost Joab his life. Joab could get away with "practical
measures" like this because David had no power over him. If David had
dealt with Joab earlier, God would have raised up someone to take his place. In
fact, as we'll see later, Joab's replacement was already there. What a mistake
to have kept Joab on the team.
V. 18 Earlier it was said that Absalom had sons, but apparently they
had died. This would make the monument a bit more understandable since it had
to do with the pain he suffered when the boys died. The fact that Absalom built
this just before going into battle suggests that he knew he might die.
Vs. 19-33 I have never really understood why this "race"
happened, other than that I think insincerity and being political was
commonplace in David's court. This situation, like others we have seen and will
see, reflects David's lost sense of justice and fairness. You've noticed that
Ahimaaz lied.
So, what was this tragic weeping about? David had other sons; in fact,
Solomon was going to be king. God had told David that as the result of his sin
against Uriah and Bathsheba, his sin and the sword would not depart from his
house. I have to believe that David knew he was responsible for all of this.
2 Samuel 19:1-10
Vs. 1-8 Joab wasn't a spiritual genius, but he was thinking straighter
than David. If David hadn't gone among the people, things would have ended
worse than they were still going to get. As it is, the drama still isn't over.
A civil war will meet David when the dust settles. God's judgment of David was
like a French meal, and we haven't gotten to the final course yet.
Vs. 9-10 The key word for tomorrow is in v. 9. They were arguing.
As a disciple, is this instilling in you a healthy sense of respect for
the danger of sin? God is not mocked, even by those He loves. David was a
"superhero" of the faith and is honored by God even now, but his sin
sure damaged his life on earth and hurt a lot of people in the process. This
battle was linked to David’s sin and in it 20,000 men died.
John 20
Vs. 1-10 So we have another foot race here. Isn't it cute that John
never refers to himself other than the
other disciple? So John beats Peter to the tomb, but Peter goes in head
first. John believed when he saw the empty tomb, but Peter, with his sense of
failure and betrayal, was left wondering. FYI, before the guys meet Jesus on
the road to Emmaus, Jesus will already have had a personal meeting with Peter
(Luke 24:34). Jesus made sure that Peter didn't sink into his own failure.
V. 10 They all went home. There was no glue because they didn't yet
understand His death, His resurrection, or His mission.
Vs. 11-18 There are a couple of interesting things here. Apparently
Mary Magdalene just couldn't leave. She was stuck. No number of angel
appearances was going to convince her to leave without Jesus. This is kind of
like seeking. And she found. But this is the first place that Jesus appears
incognito and it won't be the last. It is interesting to think of why He did
this.
V. 17 In the KJV it says, Touch
me not. My first thought was, "What, wasn't He 'set' yet?" Mary
seems very emotional and probably had His legs in some ninja hold. Jesus had
stuff to do and He had a mission for her.
Vs. 19-23 In Luke's version of this meeting, they thought Jesus was a
ghost (again) and He ate with them. Where it says here that they received the
Holy Spirit, this was a temporary provision to get them to Pentecost. Just as
Jesus had talked to them to encourage them before the crucifixion, now that
they had made it this far, He was giving them a supernatural allowance of the
Spirit to strengthen them. Also, in v. 23, He let them know the mission and
authority that would go with His resurrection. When we see Peter in the first
chapter of Acts, we’ll be able to tell that the Spirit was giving Peter some
direction and maturity.
Vs. 24-29 These were smart Jewish boys and not given to jumping onto
bandwagons. So enter Thomas. I can see them telling Thomas about the meeting
they had with Jesus. I can see them, with their new understanding, trying to
convince him. I can also see Thomas noticing that their heads looked larger,
but saying, "No way, Joses." Eight days later Jesus showed up again,
looking intently at Thomas. I'll bet Thomas had seen that look before and
thought, "Oh, oh." And, we got a great verse out of it.
Vs. 30-31 This is the point of this Gospel. You also appreciate the
fact that John and all the Gospel writers could have included a lot more
material.
Psalm 119:153-176
Vs. 153-160 It strikes me as I read David crying out to God, that these
were purer days for David. Adversity sent him to the Word and to the Lord.
Vs. 161-168 As you can see, this letter of the Hebrew alphabet actually
does double duty depending on where the dot is. It is either an "s"
or an "sh."
I love the
expression of v. 161; high-ranking people persecuted David, but he focused on
God's words. That reminds me of what Paul said in Philippians 4:8, Finally, brothers, whatever is true,
whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely,
whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything
worthy of praise, think about these things.
Vs. 169-176 Look at the themes in this last section - crying out,
pleading for deliverance, vowing to praise God and testify of Him, and asking
God to save and to seek him. But in all of this turmoil, at this point in his
life, David was firmly set on the Word of God.
So, wrapping up Psalm 119, what do you think the point is? Did you
realize that there was so much crying out for help in this psalm? Apparently,
that crying out is to be seen as normal. Apparently, hiding in God's love and
His Word is also to be seen as normal. Not to be in the place where we're
crying out or hiding in His Word and love, means we might be in the wrong place
or not really following Christ in the harvest. In the harvest we experience
pruning. What is the response of a disciple during this pruning? Well, I guess
that's what this psalm is all about.
Proverbs 16:14-15
Again, since we're not "kings," just think of this as a
spiritual person. In v. 14 the king
is the powerful guy and the wise man
is the wise guy, but in v. 15 the king can be a spiritual and godly man.
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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