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JULY
19
1
Chronicles 28-29
We haven't read what is in these
two chapters. It is recorded only here and must have been a part of other
records and documents. My tendency is to read what David said to Solomon and
begin to lament because I know what Solomon will do. Ezra is trying to move the
hearts of that generation returning to Israel after the exile, by emphasizing
the words that David spoke to Israel and to Solomon. Few of these people
remember the former days of Israel. Many or most of them had been born in
Babylon and know "Israel" only because of what has been handed down
to them. In these chapters Ezra is directing this final charge of David to the
hearts of these men and women, who had returned to Jerusalem and to this entire
generation.
As you read these chapters, try
to imagine you are one of these returnees. Because of David's heart and love
for God, it's easy to be inspired by what he says here.
1 Chronicles 28
Vs. 1-8 After David hastily had
Solomon crowned king in 1 Kings 1, there was another ceremony recorded here.
First Chronicles 29:22 confirms this. This chapter must have taken place
between 1 Kings 1 and 2. David had been frightfully awakened out of whatever he
had been ailing under and called upon his last strength to set in motion all
that he had been preparing over the past several years.
Notice that David explains all
of what is happening as God’s will by virtue of the choices God Himself made.
Notice also how David’s passion to build the temple became a directive of God.
God chose the builder to be Solomon. That adds a lot of perspective to God’s
choice and purpose for Solomon. It also shows that the actions of Adonijah,
Abiathar and Joab (1 Kings 2) to make one final effort to take the throne from
Solomon, after David was gone, was very deserving of death.
V. 7 is interesting to think
about. God promised He would establish Solomon’s kingdom or line of rulers
forever if Solomon faithfully followed the Lord. Solomon didn’t and the kingdom
of Israel was divided after his death. Not only that, one of the kings in the
line of Solomon, Jehoiachin, will be told by Jeremiah (Jer. 22:30) and God that
none of his sons will ever sit on the throne of Israel. Matthew traced Jesus’
genealogy back through Joseph, through Jehoiachin, through Solomon to David.
According to Jeremiah 22:30, Jesus couldn’t sit on the throne of David. But
Joseph was Jesus’ legal father, not His physical father. Luke traced Jesus’
genealogy back through Mary to David through David’s son Nathan, another son of
Bathsheba. So actually, neither Jehoiachin nor Solomon is in the physical blood
line to Jesus. This means that this conditional promise to Solomon was made
void when Solomon became a worshiper of idols later in his life. Solomon’s
bloodline of kings ended with the sons of Josiah at the Babylonian captivity.
V. 8 This charge was to all of
Israel, and Solomon failed here. By his own actions, he left the nation and its
next generation damaged by injecting the poison of idolatry into its veins.
Vs. 9-10 This was a very clear
promise and warning to Solomon. Solomon did succeed in building the temple and
securing the Lord’s promise to always dwell in Jerusalem. That would “stick,”
but nothing else did.
Vs. 11-19 Notice that David gave
Solomon written plans and that these plans came from the Lord. Reading 1 Kings,
you would just think this all came from Solomon. It makes Solomon even more
suspect, when he dedicates the temple and keeps saying, that I have built. Ezra is showing that David is the one who had
the passion for the temple of God among the people. God spoke to David and gave
him the detailed plans for the temple. It is interesting that God apparently
took as much interest in the building of the temple as He did in the design and
building of the tabernacle.
Vs. 20-21 Isn't it interesting how
often God tells someone to be strong and courageous? I have to admit that all
of what we are reading here really elevates David in my estimation. What a guy.
1 Chronicles 29
What an amazing chapter of the
Bible.
Vs. 1-5 Beyond the massive
personal investment David had already made, he left the rest of his personal
fortune to the building of the temple. You can figure out the weight of all of
this. A talent was 75 pounds and a daric was a fourth of an ounce. We are
talking tons of precious metals.
Vs. 6-9 Verse 9 shows that
leadership and passion are more often caught than taught. The people were moved
with David’s total love and devotion to the Lord. Again, we are talking tons of
metals here.
Vs. 10-19 These are some of the
final words of David and what a testimony they are to his heart and love for
God. It is definitely more inspiring to think of these as David's last words
than to think that his last words were to Solomon telling him to make sure that
Joab and Shimei went to their graves in blood. (See 1 Kings 2.)
Notice that David knew that all
things came from God, so that what they were offering to Him for the building
of the temple was really from Him. There is a lot of spiritual insight and
maturity expressed in this prayer.
Vs. 18-19 In my mind, the only
prayer that God can’t answer is the one that would demand Him to overpower
someone’s will to make them love Him and follow Him.
Vs. 20-22 David led them in
worship; and at the end, for the second time, they made Solomon the king.
Vs. 23-25 David probably reigned
together with Solomon, as co-regents. Considering David's health, that probably
wasn't a long time. This is a summary of the effect of this day both before the
people and before the Lord.
Vs. 26-30 Ezra doesn't record
anything negative about David except for the census, which resulted in the
finding of the location for the temple. Since the nation had just returned from
exile, they themselves knew enough about sin and what effect it had had on them.
Since 2 Samuel has the record of David's mistakes, Ezra is showing here that
David recovered and became a model of spiritual leadership and a model for how
God can take a sinful man (or nation) and restore them to become a blessing for
others.
Good thoughts for us too as
disciples. We will slip and fall, but knowing these stories and knowing the
incredible grace of our Savior, we get up and follow Him in the harvest,
reaching the lost and making disciples, who make disciples.
And hooray, you just finished 1
Chronicles.
Romans
5:6-21
In reading a letter like Romans,
one reading doesn't really do it. Reading Romans once a year in The One Year
Bible is helpful, but you still forget a lot. If you were studying Romans
without a commentary, you would read through it several times getting the main
arguments and divisions set in your mind. Then you would work through
understanding why Paul goes on from one thought to the next and how they fit
together. That would be more than you'd get from most commentaries. If you were
doing your own study of Romans, you would only go to a commentary for a
particular question or after you had familiarized yourself with the book so
well that you could talk your way through it, chapter by chapter.
For our purposes here, since it
is unlikely that you're going to go back and study Romans, I'm going to fill in
some detail about where I think Paul is going with his argument before he gets
there. Hopefully it will be helpful.
Vs. 6-11 This really belongs to
the reading from yesterday. The love of God has been poured into our hearts by
the Holy Spirit. Understanding that love is what the Holy Spirit helps us to
do; this then is the fuller description of that love.
Notice the reference to being
saved from wrath. This fits nicely with v. 11. We can only rejoice in God,
because of what Christ did for us. Many people have happy "god
thoughts." There will be no happy meeting with God without the blood of
Christ covering them, having been made a new spiritual creation in Christ. People
mistake their warm feelings and imaginations for reality. At the end of life,
without Christ, there is only wrath and judgment, not some jovial bearded old
man smoking a pipe, welcoming us home.
Vs. 12-21 In this section Paul
shows what Jesus did in contrast to the way sin has ruined mankind in
relationship to God.
Vs. 12-14 Sin came into the
world, into the human race through Adam. It seems that since Adam was the first
man and became maimed and sick spiritually, in whatever way the life and spirit
of man is passed on in the reproductive process, everyone since Adam has been
born with that same spiritual sickness. Just as bodily defects can be passed
on, this spiritual disease called sin has been passed on causing us to be born
spiritually dead. The result of spiritual death is physical death.
Death is separation. Physical
death is the separation of the spirit from the body. Spiritual death is the
separation of the spirit from God. Spiritual death results in physical death
because the physical is dependent on us being spiritually connected to God.
It's like cutting a flower. The second it is cut from the root it dies, but it
appears to live for a while. The same is true with us. Because of spiritual
separation from God, our body is born sick and dying.
Paul is about to talk about the
effects of sin vs. the effect of the free gift; but what Paul is working toward
is that this body is joined to the sinful spiritual nature. The physical is not
evil, but this body has been contaminated by this sin within us. This body must
die or be recreated at the rapture. There is no cure for the "body of
death" in this life. In salvation, we are given a new spiritual life (new
creation, new nature) that dwells in this body along with that old spiritually
sick spiritual nature. It is a class "A" miracle. In the
resurrection, for those who are saved in Christ, the newly created spiritual
life and nature is put in the resurrection body. The old nature dies with the
old body since it has been judged in Christ. For those who are not saved by
Christ, they too are resurrected with a new body, but one that will be indwelt
by that sick, rebellious nature, and will therefore have to live in separation
from God. At that point, that union becomes permanent, like the angels, and
unable to be changed. Sin is a very big deal, and really, an incurable sickness
in this body. God does not and cannot change the sinful nature. He judges the
old and gives us a new nature in Christ. Sin is a spiritual disease and still
beyond our comprehension.
Vs. 15-19 Notice how each verse
alternates between death and life and condemnation and justification. Verses 15
and 17 are parallel, and vs. 16 and 18 are parallel. Verse 19 is an all
inclusive summary of sorts.
Vs. 20-21 is the purpose of God
explained in the long unfolding plan of redemption. When we get to the closing
verses of Romans where Paul mentions the mystery
that was kept secret for long ages, this is a part of what he's referring
to. Part of the reason the law was given was to increase the reaction of sin to
make it more visible and more understandable in its power and effect. The law
causes sin to go nuts and we remain under God’s judgment. Grace made it
possible to become forgiven and righteous before God by faith in Christ. The
Lord’s righteousness imparted to us leads to eternal life.
Again, hooray! And this is what
we get to share in the harvest. It’s the best news in the world!
Psalm
15
David had been pursued by men
who wanted him dead. Lies had been circulated around the nation regarding David
to justify Saul's bitterness, murder and threats. But what made David the man
he was is that he really had only one ambition, to be at the feet of God, in
His presence, before this mercy seat and throne. It must have hit David as he
thought of wanting to be before God, that those who were pursuing him couldn't
come before God because of their hearts. David had to live away from the
tabernacle of God; yet in exile, he lived at God's feet. Those who pursued
David could stand in the tabernacle, but their hearts were far from God. It
isn't "doing" that makes you acceptable to God; it is the heart of
faith responding to Him. Later David will put it simply in Psalm 51:17, A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will
not despise. Is it any wonder that David’s life ambition was to build a
temple so he could be near the Lord?
V. 1 This is the great question,
but for most people, even in David’s time, it wasn’t really the true desire of
their hearts. Most people are fine with God, if He will just leave them alone.
Someday He will.
Vs. 2-5 Now, you could read this as earning God’s favor by
doing religious stuff. But it is really the intent to dwell in God’s presence
and to honor Him. At the heart of obedience to God is love and faith. Abraham
was righteous by faith, and out of love and faith he obeyed. Whoever has my commandments and keeps them,
he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I
will love him and manifest myself to him (John 14:21).
Proverbs
19:18-19
Read this along with Luke 15:11-24,
and you'll see this is not only a mark of the Father, but a mark of a disciple
of Jesus in the harvest.
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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