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MAY 4
Like most people, I love things in chronological order. In fact, I
assume things are in chronological order. When I read the Chronicles of
Narnia to my kids, I read book six to them first. Before I read the Lord
of the Rings, I made myself read The Hobbit first, just to get the
right order of things. People who don't write things in chronological order are
"artsy," and will be tolerated if they do a good job and get stuff
straightened out in the end and don't lose us in between.
In Judges, God is "artsy," in that the final two stories,
chronologically, would have been placed toward the beginning. Apparently He
felt this was a better idea. Interestingly, the two stories are in
chronological order to each other. So, again, before we read Judges for today,
it is good to know that this event happened within the decades immediately
after Joshua's death. Look at Judges 20:28, Phinehas is the high priest. It is
hard to give an exact time, but it is within the life time of Phinehas, who
probably was in his 30's or 40's when Joshua died. This will make a few things
we read today a little more understandable. It will make other things we read
very alarming.
Judges 19-20
Judges 19
Vs. 1-20 There are some similarities to the previous story in that this
man was a Levite. This "wife" had been unfaithful to him, but he
wanted her back, so all was well. Bethlehem is mentioned in both stories and
Ephraim is mentioned in both stories. Both stories tragically involve an entire
tribe departing from God.
I always wonder when I read this why 10 verses are devoted to the guy
trying to get away from his father-in-law. I guess it might have to do with the
sense of hospitality or the lack of purposefulness in life. Apparently the guys
enjoyed each other's company.
V. 12 This verse is utterly ironic.
Vs. 14-15 In any event, once they arrive in the town square of Gibeah,
you start getting that "Sodom and Gomorrah" feeling. No one offered
them hospitality, making it necessary for them to remain exposed in the town
square.
Vs. 16-21 This is exactly what happened when Lot found the two angels
sitting in the square of Sodom.
Vs. 22-26 So here is a city of Israel, of Benjamin, that has gone
"Sodom." How did that happen? Apparently it wasn't known far and
wide, or this man would have stayed among the Gentiles in Jerusalem (Jebus).
No angels were there to save them so the man gave the mob his
unfaithful wife rather than the virgin daughter of his host. Whatever happened
to protecting the womenfolk? Apparently they didn't watch westerns back then. I
find this repulsive all the way around.
Vs. 27-30 This Levite seems scared and heartless to me. Sending around
"pieces" was a custom to call all the tribes together. It meant that
if they didn't answer the call and show up, they would wind up like the animal.
Later, King Saul will call Israel together using the pieces of an ox. That
these were the pieces of his maid-wife, a human, made this shocking and
alarming. It got everyone's attention.
Notice the mention of Egypt. This is another clue that this generation
was still near to the Exodus and the generation of Joshua.
Judges 20
Vs. 1-7 There are some interesting things here. First, notice the
mention of from Dan to Beersheba.
This means from north to south. Apparently the tribe of Dan (and yesterday's
event) had already taken place and the tribe of Dan had migrated from the
middle of Israel to the northernmost point. Just like in Romans 1:18ff, the
defection from God took place before the moral defection.
If you look at the map you'll see that the people gathered before the
Lord at Mizpah, south of Shiloh and just four miles north of Gibeah. This
doesn't mean the tabernacle was there. It means that they gathered together to
inquire of the Lord. Apparently the tabernacle was still eight miles north at
Shiloh. Next to Mizpah was Bethel, and it seems that the ark of the covenant
was in Bethel for some reason. You might think that Phinehas brought the ark to
Bethel because it was closer to the battle, but v. 27 gives you the idea that
the ark was there on a permanent basis. This was not normal.
Vs. 8-17 The repetition that caught my eye in this chapter was as one man. This is another one of those
things that shows it was early in the history of Israel. Later, during the time
of Samson and Samuel, it is hard for the nation to do anything unified. Samuel,
in leading Israel, will bring unity to the nation in worship.
Just the mention of Israel having 400,000 men and Benjamin having only
26,000 gives you a funny feeling. It is almost a shock to see that Benjamin
wouldn't hand over the men of Gibeah. I guess they had confidence in their 700
special forces guys.
Vs. 18-25 The people did the right things in assembling and questioning
God (Phinehas and the Urim and Thummim) and seeking only to punish the guilty
in Gibeah. So, a huge question is, "Why did God tell Israel to fight
Benjamin twice, but allow them to lose twice?" In those two battles,
Israel lost 40,000 men. Why did God allow them to lose twice?
Vs. 26-28 I think that God wanted to bring the people to a real place
of desperate dependence and humility. Actually, it is probable that all of the
tribes were sinning at this point. The offerings would have been to confess and
cleanse their own sin. I think God allows us to meet disaster for the same
reasons. It is often after a defeat, that we become desperate and honest in
seeking God's will and mind, and we begin confessing our sins. The sacrifices
should have come first. Having hearts cleansed should have been the first
priority.
I get the feeling that the people were so desperate, they finally
decided to try to do everything according to the book. Just for trivia, God
didn't spare David either when David decided to transport the ark on a wagon.
After he lost one man in that adventure, David went to the Bible and figured
out how God wanted it done, with the Levites carrying it with poles and with
sacrifices and offerings for sin and for thanks.
Notice that this is the first mention of Phinehas and notice that the
people moved from Mizpah to Bethel where the ark was located. Something is not
right here. When we get to Judges 21:4, the people will build an altar at
Bethel to sacrifice. If the tabernacle was there, they would have had an altar.
But apparently the altar they were using at Bethel was just stones, and after
the sacrifices were finished, it needed to be rebuilt. This is all hard to
grasp because Israel was forbidden to sacrifice anywhere but at the tabernacle
and then only on one altar. And, only the priest could do the sacrificing. The
feel of this whole thing is wrong.
Vs. 29-48 When everything was finished, Israel had lost 65,000
soldiers, plus Israel destroyed at least 20,000 people in the towns of
Benjamin. Only 600 people of Benjamin were living. Just think, an entire tribe
was reduced to 600 men. In Numbers 26:41, before the people crossed the Jordan,
Benjamin numbered 45,600 people. This means that Israel killed at least 45,000
men of Benjamin.
John 3:22-4:3
This is another one of those rich sections of Scripture with the gospel
in it.
Vs. 22-24 No one knows where this was, but it is supposed that it was
directly east of Shechem (see the map for Judges) on the Jordan River. Many of
John's disciples stayed with him and became "johnites," instead of
followers of Jesus.
Vs. 25-30 This conflict led John the Baptist to set the record
straight.
V. 27 This is a very interesting statement for church planters and for
those who puzzle over church growth, especially for churches who are
"right," but reaching no one, criticizing bigger churches who are
“wrong,” but ministering to people. Obviously, there are some standards for
evaluation of truth and error, but within the believing church, this is a good
statement to keep in mind before we blast our brother.
Jesus will use this "bride" imagery later, after Matthew's
dinner for Jesus, to ease the tension with these disciples as the Pharisees try
to pit John's followers against Jesus. Somehow this talk got back to Jesus and
He used it.
V. 30 This is the famous statement that older church leaders need to be
preparing to make. Making disciples means equipping and installing the next
generation of leaders, now. For older leaders their joy should be complete, not
in holding power until it is pried from their lifeless fingers, but from seeing
those who they have trained go beyond them. In this case, John hadn't mentored
Jesus; he had gone before Him and borne witness to Him.
Vs. 31-36 These verses seem to be a commentary by the writer, the
apostle John. What a meaningful statement in such few words. Notice how true
belief is defined in the context of these verses. To believe in, but not obey
Jesus, is not to believe. Jesus will
really expand on this on His next Passover visit in John 5.
Notice that not to obey/believe
Jesus is equal to having never seen life. How ironic to have lived on earth for
years, but never to have seen life.
John 4:1-3
This is setting us up for tomorrow. This is why Jesus left Judea and
went to Galilee. Tomorrow we will see that Jesus took the short-cut.
As disciples following our Lord in the harvest, our privilege is in
seeing someone come to Christ and finally to know life. Nothing beats that.
Then to see them become a disciple, who makes disciples, who makes disciples in
the harvest, is what makes our joy full.
Psalm 104:24-35
Continuing to expound on God's glory from yesterday.
Vs. 24-26 This is sort of like what God says in Job. His wisdom in all
aspects of creation is beyond our understanding.
Vs. 27-30 Every creature on the earth is utterly dependent on God,
regardless of their number or their obscurity. The same holds true for mankind.
Vs. 31-32 This shows that the joy of the Lord and the fear of the Lord
can stand side by side.
Vs. 33-35 Verses 33, 34 and the end of 35 show the proper response of
people to God. The sinners and the wicked are those who ignore God. You can
understand why the psalmist thinks they should be removed. When they are
removed, then all of mankind will be totally free to give God the glory He is
due.
Matthew 13:41-43 The
Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all
causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that
place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun
in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.
Proverbs 14:22-24
In v. 24 I understand that wisdom is the wealth and crown of the wise. There are a lot of
people who are wise in Christ and "rich," who are not rich in money;
and many of them live in the third world making disciples, who make disciples,
who make disciples, hungering now for the sake of His kingdom.
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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