If you don't
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translations.
JUNE 28
2 Kings 13-14
We are seeing the last days of the northern kingdom of Israel.
On June 30 they will be taken into exile, and only Judah will be left. I say
"last days," but years are still passing by. Again, never let anyone
say that God doesn't show grace and patience in the Old Testament. God's
redemptive purpose is submerged in the muddle of all of these kings and all of
their sin, worshiping the wrong things, holding on to some degree of
"religion" regarding Yahweh, yet ignoring His outstretched hand. God
said through Isaiah, I
spread out my hands all the day to
a rebellious people. Not just all day long, but all day long for decades of
decades.
2 Kings 13
V. 1 Notice that Jehu's son Jehoahaz reigned for 17 years. That is
still a long time. In the US you'd get 3-5 presidents out of that length of
time.
V. 3 Hazael of Syria named his son for the king he himself murdered.
How touching. This now is the third Ben-hadad to rule Syria.
Vs. 4-9 Jehoahaz
became so desperate that he began to seek the Lord. He didn't give up
worshiping the other stuff, but God honored this step. There is a lot of grace
in all of this. The purpose of God's patience and kindness is seen in what Paul
says in Romans 2:4-5, Or do you presume
on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that
God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? 5But
because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself
on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed.
Vs. 10-13 This son of Jehoahaz is also called Joash in v. 14. We have
lots of name confusion going on here. Some names had different spellings and
forms, like "Robert" and "Bob." The ESV translators are
using both, and unfortunately they are not using them consistently to keep the
names and individuals straight for us, as they do in the NIV. It's confusing.
Notice that this Jehoash (Joash) also reigned for a long time. Through all
these decades God was giving Israel chances to turn to Him. Now with this
summary of his reign in place, we'll read what Jehoash did.
Vs. 14-19 There are lots of observations and questions in all of these
stories, but for me the biggest question is always how they could recognize
God's power in Elisha, but not obey and worship God as He desired. Like Jesus
said, Why do you call me
‘Lord,
Lord,’ and not
do what I tell you (Luke 6:46)? This really should make us think
about our work in the harvest and what it means to be a believer/disciple.
If I'm ever given this assignment and bearing fruit in the harvest and
making disciples is the goal, I'll bang the arrows on the ground until they
shatter and my hand's bleeding.
Vs. 20-21 Can you imagine this? A miracle is performed through Elisha's
dead body. What a funny visual. The guys see the Moabites, and just throw this
guy into the tomb and run. The Moabites ride by. Then the dead guy sticks his
head out of the tomb, looks both ways, and runs after his friends. What point
do you think God was making here? Apparently this story became known.
Vs. 22-23 This is the second time today that God's kindness is
mentioned in helping Israel. His redemptive purpose for mankind was lost to the
eyes of the Israelites, but it was always in focus for God. God was probably
doing then what He is doing today. There are those whom God wants to save, and
so the world keeps spinning. Mankind's disregard for God adds up to justifying
His judgment against them. When the last of those whom God wants to reach come
to Him, God brings the judgment. In this history here, I'm sure God was working
multiple purposes in thousands of lives in many nations.
Vs. 24-25 This was the fulfillment of what God had promised Jehoash
through Elisha. When it was mentioned in v. 5 that God gave them a deliverer or
savior, this was probably the king of Assyria who began to attack Syria. The
conflict with Assyria would also explain why Jehoash was able to take back
cities that had previously been lost to Israel. It was all God's grace. God
delivered as promised, but there was no acknowledgement or true repentance.
They may even have held a sacrifice for Yahweh, but they went on worshipping
all the other stuff too.
2 Kings 14
Vs. 1-6 We'll read more about Amaziah of Judah later. The purpose of
this history is really to talk about his pride and subsequent conflict with
Jehoash of Israel. When you read about Amaziah in 2 Chronicles 25, you'll
wonder why it mentions him as a good king. But there is a pattern that emerges.
Many of the kings were faithful or did something good when they were young, and
then went spiritually "nuts" later, either when they had a victory,
or when they got older, or both. I think the Lord intends that this
"pattern" should be a word to the wise.
This is apparently something good he did in following the Lord.
V. 7 This is a victory that God gave Amaziah, but you'll never, ever
guess what Amaziah did right after that victory and before this next verse.
Vs. 8-10 This was probably facilitated by God to judge Amaziah for
being such a dummy.
Vs. 11-14 God humbled Amaziah. This is the first mention of a king of
Israel looting Jerusalem.
Vs. 15-16 So this is the last of Jehoash. His son, Jeroboam, would
reign the longest of all the kings of Israel.
Vs. 17-22 Whenever you read of a conspiracy, you know the king was up
to no good. This was the end of Amaziah. Apparently after Jehoash took him
prisoner, he released him. Amaziah's son Azariah was also known as Uzziah.
Vs. 23-29 Notice that this king of Israel reigned for 41 years, longer
than any other king of the northern kingdom, doing evil in the sight of the
Lord, yet God patiently kept showing mercy. From the beginning of Jehu's reign
to the end of the reign of his great grandson, Jeroboam, it has been over 100
years (28+17+16+41=102). That's a lot of patience, mercy and grace.
The borders restored to the northern kingdom make the country look the
same as it did under Solomon. The weakness and warring of Syria and Assyria
made this possible, but of course, the Lord was in that too.
Vs. 25-27 This is
the prophet Jonah from the book of that name. Apparently God also revealed to
Jonah that Assyria would be the land that would destroy this northern kingdom.
That is why Jonah ran, rather than offer a message of forgiveness to Assyria.
Assyria would now begin to rise to power, but first God reached out to both
Israel and Assyria.
Israel was to have
been God's redemptive witness to the world. They still will be that. As Paul
said in Romans 11:29, For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable. Thankfully,
even our work in the harvest is not dependent on us. It is His calling, His
work, His purpose and His harvest.
Vs. 28-29 This is
funny to read of what “Jeroboam did.” It was God who helped Israel in His love
and mercy.
Acts 18:23-19:12
Acts 18:23-28
V. 23 This begins Paul's third and final missionary journey recorded in
Acts. Just for your information, the books of 1 and 2 Timothy hint at other
travels of Paul after the events in Acts. Oddly enough, 1 Timothy seems to be
Paul's instructions for Timothy to rebuild the church at Ephesus, as Paul was
heading to churches in Macedonia. Apparently something happened that had
damaged some churches. It could have been what Paul will mention in Acts 20
when he meets the Ephesian elders, or it could be that the Romans were
beginning to persecute the church, or both.
Vs. 24-27 Apollos is mentioned here and in 1 Corinthians 1-4.
Apparently he taught in the area around Ephesus, but his message only mentioned
that Jesus was the Messiah, not that Jesus was the payment for sin and was
raised from the dead. Aquila and Priscilla invited him to supper and set him
straight.
That is an interesting point. Our message is not "believe in
God," or even "Jesus is God," but that Jesus, the Son of God, is
the Savior of men who paid for our sins and was raised from the dead and that
there is salvation in no other. That was the error of the kings of Israel. They
had Yahweh as one of many gods. As much as it sounds politically incorrect, the
truth is that there is only one God for all men and there is only one Savior,
Jesus Christ. When Jesus reigns during the Millennial Kingdom, there will be no
"religious tolerance," but there will be truth, salvation and
healing.
Acts 19:1-12
V. 1 So Apollos went to Corinth, and now Paul was in Ephesus.
Vs. 2-7 Back in the Gospels, there was a conflict between the disciples
of John and the disciples of Jesus. The Pharisees tried to exploit this
difference. When Jesus was confronted by John's disciples, He was very gentle
with them. The first recorded parable Jesus told was to John's disciples to
help them understand the difference between Him and John. When Paul met these
twelve traveling disciples of John (Jews) they are in a place where Apollos had
been teaching the baptism of John. There might have been a potential for
conflict or division. This, I think, is why the Holy Spirit came upon them
visually and with tongues and prophecy. Their faith and experience was now
linked to that of the apostles and to the Gentile church through this sign by
the Holy Spirit.
V. 10 Notice the time marker. In Acts 20:31 Paul will say he was in
Ephesus for three years. This is all probably approximate times. It is safe to
say that Paul was in Ephesus, off and on, for about three years. It could be
that the two years refers to the time Paul was allowed to teach in the hall of
Tyrannus.
Vs. 11-12 This was parallel to what Peter did in Acts 5:15-16. This
outpouring of healing and miracles showed God's interest in establishing the church
in Ephesus, not Paul's gifting. Again, I think this is proof that what happened
in Acts was unique. You don't hear of this happening today, either by virtue of
gifting, or by our strategizing. God does what He does when it fulfills His
purpose. I'm convinced that we'll see more of God's working in the harvest,
than in any other place. God's power is specific to His purpose of making disciples,
who make disciples.
Psalm 146
So, how do you respond to a psalm like this that sounds so triumphant
and confident, when you yourself are struggling? Because of our weakness of
spirit and the effects of sin, we can hold the mindset of this psalm for an
hour or a day or a week, but if the waves roll over us too long, we struggle to
hold these realities. But I guess that is the point. It is in trials that we
deny our fears and resist the temptations to react or give up. In the conflict
of our feelings, we hold fast to what we know is true because we know it is
true. And we wait on the Lord because the very thing this psalm says is true.
Vs. 1-2 This was David's praise after
the Lord had delivered him through those long years of distress.
Vs. 3-4 This is what David learned as he ran and had to depend on God.
I'll bet during those early years he and his men expected some leader in Saul's
government to come to their aid and bring peace. That never happened.
Vs. 5-7 This is Who to hope in, and why. Notice the use of whose and who.
Vs. 8-10 Now notice The Lord,
and notice what He does. His heart is with the lowly who cry out to Him. And
just like having a Father in heaven, it isn't just that we have a Father, but
that He is eternal, almighty God. His help and power are everlasting.
What can you say? Praise the Lord!
Proverbs 18:2-3
What I get from these verses, as a disciple, is to be slow in
expressing my opinion and slow to show contempt or ridicule. God describes what
is really behind these things.
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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