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MAY 27
2 Samuel 12
It seems from the narrative, that once Bathsheba found out she was
pregnant and sent word to David, it wasn't long after that, that Uriah died.
Now, it looks like the baby has been born. I wonder why God waited so long
before He confronted David. Obviously, David had more than enough time to
confess his sin and come clean. What would have made him resist God for so
long? I think we know the answer and I think this length of time ignoring God
had a lasting effect on David’s heart.
Vs. 1-6 I wonder how many of the details of the man's affection for the
lamb described the relationship of Uriah and Bathsheba before David destroyed
things. If you read a lot into this, Uriah deeply loved Bathsheba and David had
no respect for Uriah. Have you figured out yet how David knew Uriah?
Vs. 7-14 It stands out to me here, that if David had sought the Lord
and waited for Him, God would have "added" to him and given him more
(v. 8). In fact, it might have been that David would have gotten Bathsheba
anyway, but more on that later.
V. 9 Notice that God sees David as having despised His Word. And keep
in mind that this is the guy who wrote Psalm 119.
Vs. 10-12 All of what God "promises" David will come true and
will become a real tragedy.
Vs. 15-23 In all of this it is good that David went in and worshiped
God, but I don’t sense a lot of spiritual wisdom in this entire situation.
Maybe I’m just being too negative.
Vs. 24-25 Now here is an interesting thought. God loved Solomon and He
told Nathan, and so, Solomon had another name that meant that God loved him.
Why does God love this person born out of such a foul history? Since God is
sovereign, I would have to think that God knew that Solomon would be born of
David and Bathsheba and that Solomon was a part of His plan. I think that if David
hadn't sinned, God would have brought these two people together without sin. Probably Uriah would
have died in battle or some other way, and since David knew Uriah, he would
have taken Bathsheba legally as a wife. We've seen something like this before
with Rebekah and Jacob stealing the blessing from Esau. If it is God's will for
something to happen, we need to wait and be patient. Taking "God's
will" by our own hand only adds grief and sorrow to it.
Imagine what this sin would have done to David's entire
"family." Would any of the other wives have felt good about being
with David after he had done this?
This part about Solomon is probably a summary of the future birth. We
know from 1 Chronicles 3:5 that Bathsheba had four boys and Solomon was the
youngest of them. Incidentally, while Solomon is not in the direct bloodline to
Jesus (through Mary), Solomon’s brother, Nathan, is in the line to Jesus. I
think Solomon was excluded because of his idolatry.
Vs. 26-31 The long fought battle (over a year) finally ended in
victory. I can't help but see this "victory" as a very ironic defeat
for David and all of Israel.
John 16
Vs. 1-4 I've tried to underscore the fact that the context of this
Upper Room Discourse is the immediate and ongoing threat there would be to the
disciples as they followed Jesus now, and then later after Pentecost. This same
atmosphere of threat is true for any of us who are following Christ in the
harvest. Many of the truths in this discourse are great. The problem is that if
what Jesus says here is removed from this context and taught in isolation, the
truths can be misleading. The context for this truth is following Christ on His
mission under pressure.
If you take a piston from an engine and use it at Christmas to crack
nuts, it will work for that. But imagine if you eventually forgot that it was
anything other than a nutcracker. This is exactly what happens with teaching
about the Holy Spirit. We use Him for all sorts of things, especially for our
comfort. We just forget the context in which He is introduced, the mission, and
therefore, the context in which we will find His power and comfort.
Vs. 5-15 Notice that Jesus is speaking again about His leaving them.
V. 7 Jesus will send the Spirit into the disciples. Whereas Jesus could
only be in one place at one time, the Holy Spirit can indwell an infinite
number of disciples. Notice what this Helper will do in v. 8. How does that
help us? It only helps us if we are in the harvest.
Vs. 8-11 The idea of convicting the world concerning sin is focused on
the person of Jesus. When Jesus sat down at the right hand of God, it was a
declaration of His righteousness as a man to declare judgment on all mankind. Now
Jesus is the King of mankind and the “fake” ruler has been dethroned. All of
this “reality” has taken place and now just waits for the completion. Now would
be the time to confess Christ as Savior.
Vs. 12-15 Jesus was their constant teacher and taught them before and
after events, before and after conflicts. Now He was leaving them. The Spirit
of truth would now take His place, doing what Jesus had done.
Vs. 16-24 Somehow, I don't think the disciples understood the impact it
would have on them when He died. He is bracing them to experience intense
disappointment, fear and sorrow; and He's promising them that the joy they
experience afterward will wipe that all away. Notice the references to joy and
the encouragement for them to pray. Jesus is helping them to protect them, and
I don't think they had a clue.
Vs. 25-28 It is interesting that Jesus is already telling them He will
teach them after the resurrection. Jesus will say more about the Father and His
love for them in chapter 17, but here it is said to assure them so that they
will survive the dark night that will come upon them.
Vs. 29-33 Here, it is like the disciples say, "Oh, so that's what
you're saying. Null Problemo." And then Jesus says, "Oh yeah. You've
got it down? You guys are about to be scattered in fear."
V. 33 Although we haven’t seen the word “abide” since the last chapter,
notice the condition of the promise here. Jesus said, in me you may have peace. This is contrasted with the next words, In the world…. Abiding in Jesus is where
we find that peace, but abiding is a choice. If our lives are oriented around
and defined by the world, we are in trouble. If everything about us is defined
by Jesus, we stand in His Spirit with His view of the reality around us, with
His purpose in our heart. Notice that the context for this peace is peace in
persecution for being a follower of Christ in the harvest. Jesus is saying this
to strengthen them. But, will they remember He said this as He is hanging on
the cross?
There is a spiritual understanding of Jesus and life in Him behind all
of what Jesus is saying here. It might seem hard even for us to understand what
He is saying, but Paul promised Timothy that if he kept thinking over what Paul
told him, God would give him understanding. The same is true for us now in the
harvest. I think God teases us with these sayings to see if we will invest the
time to understand Him. We have the Spirit, but it takes time, reading and
re-reading and praying and asking and seeking and knocking. Those last three
things are things Jesus encouraged or commanded the disciples always to do.
Those who ask, receive. Those who seek, find. Those who knock, have the door
swing open to them.
Psalm 119:65-80
I noticed again today the references to being afflicted and how affliction worked to drive David to the Word.
Seeing what is happening with David in 2 Samuel, I understand that it is better
to be afflicted and in the Word, than
to have everything going well and feel you can survive without His Word.
Vs. 65-72 David seems to be saying that everything God did to him bore
out the truth of the Word. This is like Paul saying to prove what is the will
of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. It is worth being afflicted to see the truth of the Word.
We discover that God is always true and that waiting on Him is always right.
David says it was more valuable to him than gold or silver.
Vs. 73-80 Just as God formed David in the womb, God was forming David
through his afflictions as David clung to God’s Word. Verse 79 says that
David’s life became a testimony to others. God says the same thing in Isaiah
55, I made him a witness to the peoples,
a leader and commander for the peoples. That came through afflictions and
being forged in the Word. Afflictions do not help us. God helps us through His
Word. If God is present, afflictions are just a means to show us how to abide
in Him.
Proverbs 16:4-5
In the OT stories, we have seen how the Lord used the evil and failings
of men to further His plan of redemption. We've also seen, and will see, that
v. 5 is true, even among God's own children.
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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