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JULY
20
2
Chronicles 1-3
Leaving David, Ezra is now
showing the people the grandeur of the temple. As you read over these three
chapters, it is fairly easy to understand the purpose or main subject of each.
Enjoy figuring this out.
Think about the purpose of God
and Ezra in writing this. When the returnees came to Jerusalem, they began the
work on the temple immediately; but due to persecution, they let off the work
and lost interest. These chapters, beginning in 1 Chronicles and continued
here, are to motivate the people to continue building and to treasure having
God's presence among them. Eventually, Ezra will show them the point at which
God will make a binding promise to dwell in Zion and in the temple that will
continue through the Millennium. That would be an important reason for them to
trust God, rebuild the temple and hold on to God’s love for that place.
2 Chronicles 1
V. 1 This seems to be the
introduction to what we are about to see. To Solomon’s credit, he took up the
torch of his father’s passion for the temple and for God.
Vs. 2-6 The lavishness of
offering 1000 burnt offerings on the original altar in the tent made in the wilderness
must have reflected the sincerity and desperate desire in Solomon’s heart to
receive God’s help.
Vs. 7-13 Solomon’s request was
humble, sincere and pretty short. The Lord on the other hand was willing to
bless Solomon as a testimony to the nations.
Vs. 14-17 I think this is meant
to show some of the greatness God allowed Solomon to have. Ironically, it also
showed Solomon’s ignorance of what God had said. A king was warned not to go to
Egypt for horses. Along with this, you can imagine that Solomon probably had
the best military force on that side of the world. He could have built an
empire. But rather than that, his real purpose is seen in chapter 2.
2 Chronicles 2
Vs. 1-10 Solomon poured all of
his energy into organizing everything to build the temple (and his palaces for
his massive number of wives). Solomon’s desire and energy would have become
world news and a relief to all the surrounding nations. This man was amazingly
wise, powerful and rich. He was a superstar and all he wanted to do was build a
temple. It would have been news.
Vs. 11-12 Hiram was not
necessarily a believer, because everyone believed in many gods, but he did
publicly pronounce his amazement and testimony that God was blessing Israel and
Solomon.
Vs. 13-16 So, Tyre as a nation
was now working hard for Solomon and Israel. The wood was not only for the
certain things in the temple, but for transporting the blocks and probably also
for Solomon’s houses. The temple was made of stone blocks, but the inside walls
were wood panels overlaid with gold. Plus, there were lots of wood carvings,
which, too, were overlaid with gold.
Vs. 17-18 Interestingly, Solomon
used the people of Israel as overseers and the resident aliens as forced labor
(1 Kings 9:20-23). I wonder if he paid well. One positive thought here is that
this wasn’t evil forced labor; it was giving people jobs. With all of his
wealth, Solomon may have been an employer who paid well. Many people lived from
hand to mouth back then, and having a good steady job would have been welcomed.
2 Chronicles 3
Vs. 1-2 Here is where you see
that the place was Mount Moriah. This mount is only mentioned in one other
place in the Bible in Genesis 22:2.
There is a diagram, “The Plan of
Solomon’s Temple,” in the Bible Knowledge Commentary-OT, on p. 500.
Vs. 3-7 This was the main
building.
Vs. 8-14 This was the back part
of the building, separated by the veil, and housing the ark of the covenant.
Vs. 15-17 These pillars seem to
be Solomon’s idea. Jachin means “He establishes,” and Boaz means “in Him is
strength.”
Romans
6
Take your time reading this
chapter and write down lots of questions. Make observations and be honest to
admit that if sin is "dead," it sure seems pretty alive in us.
V. 1 When Paul asks these
rhetorical questions, it is probably because he has heard similar questions
raised before, most likely by opponents. If and when Paul does quote an
opponent, he always answers the question immediately.
Vs. 2-4 Paul is saying that at
conversion we are baptized by the Spirit into Christ’s death, freeing us from
the law, and the Spirit gives us a new spiritual life. Water baptism is a
visual of this burial and rebirth. I think this is a new thought for the
Romans. Paul is stating it in question form, but now he will explain what he
means. Do you "feel" like you have died to sin? I sure don't. But it
is true. You've just got to figure out what he and the Spirit mean. Paul is
going to talk about something that took place in reality, and he really won't
get to the conclusion of this thought until Romans 8.
Notice how often death with
Christ and resurrection with Christ are mentioned in vs. 3-11.
Vs. 5-11 Notice that the “death”
to sin’s power has already taken place, and Paul points them to the hope of the
resurrection, which, of course, is still future. The body of death and our old
nature are both still present, but the power of sin’s absolute control is
broken and can be overcome with the Spirit. The body will just have to limp
along, decaying as it goes. Now, God could have solved this problem immediately
by taking us to heaven at conversion. The sin nature would be gone and the
dying body translated into an eternal spiritual body. But then, who would be
down here to work in the harvest telling others what Jesus did, rescuing the
lost and making disciples. It is no accident that we are still here, especially
when you think that the other alternative would have been quick and easy for
God and for us. For now the power of sin is broken, and our hope is in the
promised resurrection when all of this decay will be done away with. Admittedly
too, there is something God wants to prove to the principalities and powers
through us. So, the drama continues as God uses us to prove them wrong. And
even Israel, as a nation, will rise up in God’s grace and Christ’s redemption
and stick it to them as Israel reaches the world during the Tribulation,
fulfilling their mission and destiny.
Vs. 12-14 The Spirit’s presence
in us, along with the new spiritual life, enables us to make the choice to
follow God. That choice is important because we still feel the pull of the old
nature.
V. 14 This is a key thought. The
death to sin is actually death to the law, meaning that the effect of the law
on sin, that allergic, rebellious reaction, should be gone because we are saved
by faith, not by the law. Being saved by grace through faith means we are dead
to the law. We face God’s love, not law. We respond and follow by being
overwhelmed by His love and grace and kindness in Christ. This is what the
Spirit uses. Our obedience is not out of fear but out of gratitude. The sinful
nature, though still alive, has been given the death sentence. Paul will
explain this more in chapter 7.
Vs. 15-23 Read these verses,
understanding that the sinful nature has been judged and neutralized. It can't
react to the law, because we are not under the law. Within us now is a newly
created nature that responds to the love and grace of God in Christ. This isn't
the full story. We still struggle with sin, but we still have two chapters in
Romans to understand what God has done for us in Christ. One interesting note,
as you read, is to think of these closing words in 1 Corinthians 15, The sting of death is sin, and the power of
sin is the law. But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord
Jesus Christ.
Notice that it talks about
becoming willing slaves. Becoming slaves of God and slaves of righteousness is
still what we do in yielding ourselves to God. The reality is that now we can
do that. The reality is also that this “slavery” is not optional. In this life,
we will always be slaves to something. Now we have the choice and only a fool
would resist the love that has proven itself by death, to gain our life and
freedom.
Vs. 22-23 What a message for
those who still don’t know.
Psalm
16
The first verse seems to give an
idea of where David was in his life when he wrote this. He was probably on the
run from Saul. He was in the wilderness with people who were gathering to him.
David had nothing to offer them. There was no pay, no insurance, and no
benefits. They didn't even have TV or computers. David had plenty of nothing.
Actually, that's not true. David had the Lord. David must have written this on
a good day, during a good time on the run, where he understood that the
closeness to the Lord was better than anything he had experienced before. This
is what David learned in hardship. This is why David was a man after God's own
heart. You can also sense some of what Paul says above, echoed in these words.
Vs. 1-3 David’s life was reduced
down to what he absolutely cherished and had to have, and that was the Lord.
Actually, the thought of “slavery” is in this verse, since the word Lord means someone who has ownership or
control over you. Does this sound like joy in being a slave of God? I think so.
V. 4 So here is the description
of those who were still slaves of the other things, who didn’t even know they
were lost or were slaves.
Vs. 5-6 This sounds like David
was yielded to God.
Vs. 7-8 David was following God
and seeking His way. This could be like Paul saying that we need to be led by
the Spirit and to yield our members to God’s instructions.
Vs. 9-11 And in all of this,
David learned that his true joy was in God. Being yielded to the Lord brought
him deliverance and the kind of confidence and joy that only comes from
learning to trust the Lord in very hard circumstances. This all kind of sounds
like the way Paul ended Romans 6.
Proverbs
19:20-21
You've got to admit. These two
verses are a perfect complement to Psalm 16 and Romans 6.
The first three lines are all
relative and only make sense if the last line is important to us. What is the purpose of the Lord? As disciples
that is what we live for. Many disciples have been smashed on the rocks of
their plans and expectations. God's purpose might be a train wreck. It could be
a desert. For Paul and Barnabas it was a heated argument and a parting of the
ways. We tend to listen to advice that pleases us and define wisdom as what we
are doing. We make our plans and cast our vision and hope that God will bless
them. But what is God's purpose for us, for our time, for our work in the
harvest? In submission to Him, following Christ in the harvest, making disciples,
who make disciples, the list of our expectations and ideas gets smaller, and
our joy and contentment with Christ grows. Living life on earth becomes more
about Him and less about us.
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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