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JULY
21
2
Chronicles 4:1-6:11
So, if you had been raised in
Babylon and someone mentioned the palace of Nebuchadnezzar and the Hanging
Gardens, you could close your eyes and see it. Then your parents or some leader
would come along and mention that you are a Jew. Then they tell you that this
is the most amazing privilege to belong to God, and you would agree, but in
your mind's eye, you don't have land and you don't have any "thing"
to be proud of. Ezra and the Spirit are painting a picture of the glory of
Jerusalem. The temple was something to be proud of. In the past, it was a
glorious and amazing structure. The question was, would people be willing to
leave the comforts and prosperity of Babylon and Persia and return to Israel?
And for the people who did return, would they take pride in rebuilding the
temple? I think that is some of what Ezra and the Spirit are doing in writing
this.
So if you were giving these
chapters a name or title to generally describe their contents, what would you
title them? These are the kinds of Bible study exercises that teach you how to
observe and to think through what the Lord's purpose is in giving you this
information. And as you read through these chapters, make as many observations
that interest you, speak to you or say something to you about being a disciple
in the harvest.
2 Chronicles 4 (your title here)
Vs. 1-6 You have to admit that
this all would have looked impressive. The altar was 15 ft. high, and there
were steps to get to the top. The sea could hold 17,500 gallons, but according
to 1 Kings 7:26 it was not filled to capacity. The exiles could have been awed
by all of this.
Vs. 7-8 These lampstands and
tables were in the Holy Place, the first room in the temple. Originally there
had only been one lampstand and one table for the bread of the Presence. For
Solomon to have changed this means that it was probably one of those
instructions that the Lord prescribed to David.
Vs. 9-10 This describes what was
placed outside in the inner court where the sacrifices were made, and in the
outer court where the people gathered for feasts. When Zechariah, the father of
John the Baptist, went in to burn incense at the hour of prayer, the people
were in the outer court praying and he walked through the inner courtyard into
the Holy Place.
Vs. 11-18 This tells us who the
main craftsmen were, what they did, and where their foundry was located. All of
this was under Solomon’s personal direction.
Vs. 19-22 The emphasis for the
exiles here is that everything was made with the purest gold. It was glorious
and on par with anything they had ever seen in Babylon or in Persia.
2 Chronicles 5 (your title here)
V. 1 Not only was the temple
finished by Solomon, but the treasury was filled with such vast amounts of
metals that Israel, at that time, was probably the richest nation on earth.
Again, that was a sign of God’s blessing and Israel’s glory.
Vs. 2-14 We have already read
two different occasions when David moved the ark. This was the fulfillment of
David’s dream and passion. It wasn’t just having a cool-looking, world-class
temple; but David knew that God dwelt between the cherubim, and David wanted
God to dwell near him in a place of honor. The wall under which the ark was
placed had two carved cherubim, covered in gold, touching wings and facing out
toward the main hall (2 Chron. 3:13). The actual cover of the ark was gold with two
cherubim on each end, facing one another whose wings went forward and touched
over the center of the ark (Ex. 25:19-20).
Between the cherubim of the ark’s cover, under the canopy created by
their wings, was the mercy seat where the blood was sprinkled for the Day of
Atonement for the nation. This was what David wanted. For God to have a house
near him would have been a dream come true, and it all revolved around the ark
of the covenant.
V. 8 Solomon, on David’s
direction, made a cherubim carving to be above the ark.
V. 12 This is why David had
organized these singers. I’ll bet David even gave Solomon instructions on what
they were to sing.
V. 14 And the Lord blessed this.
If you were an Israelite in exile, wondering what was so cool about belonging
to Israel, this would be the reason. Babylon had nothing that could compete
with this.
2 Chronicles 6:1-11 (your title
here)
What Solomon is going to say
here, and God’s response to it, is another moment when a defining event in the
plan of redemption took place. God would vow to make this His home on earth.
Although the temple has been destroyed twice since then, prophetic Scripture
assures us that Jesus will return to Jerusalem and reign in the temple as His
palace during the Millennial Kingdom.
Vs. 1-3 Solomon addressed the
Lord, inspired by what had just taken place. Just as a slight word of caution,
notice that Solomon uses I in four places. For some reason,
that looks kind of self-exalting to me.
Vs. 4-9 This is Solomon
recounting God’s declarations regarding Israel, Jerusalem and now the building
of the temple. These would be the promises that Solomon would invoke to secure
God’s eternal promise to Zion and to the temple.
Vs. 10-11 Now Solomon is saying
that it has all been accomplished, and tomorrow Solomon will plead for God’s
commitment to the city and to that house.
There is no “I” in team. Anyway,
to this point, you can see the Spirit and Ezra showing Israel they should be
awed by the grandeur God Himself brought to Israel. Tomorrow will blow them
away.
And to think, that what we have
in Jesus makes all this look like dust in the wind. We have become the temple
of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. We are not our own; we were bought
with a price; so we are to glorify God in our bodies by bearing much fruit in
the harvest and so proving to be disciples of our Lord.
Romans
7:1-13
Vs. 1-3 This is one of those
verses where Paul addresses a specific group within the Roman church. Although
this could be law in general, it is
obvious by v. 7 that the Law of Moses is meant. This argument follows the logic
of chapter 6. A death has occurred so we are no longer bound to the law as a
way to follow God.
Vs. 4-6 This is the explanation
of what Paul is saying about the law and sin. Verse 5 is really important to
understand what is going on in this conflict. So, what do you understand?
V. 6 is a very key verse in
Paul's argument. The RSV says the new
life of the Spirit. I think this is accurate and this "new life"
will be explained more in chapter 8.
Notice the contrast here. Either
you face or follow God through the law, or you approach God through the new
life of the Spirit. One way causes sin to rage. The other way responds in love
to Christ’s love, and sin doesn’t get enraged. It becomes powerless.
Vs. 7-12 This is the mechanics
of how the sickness within us works. This is why it is important to live in the
new life of following the Spirit in the Word and in the love of Christ. Even as
Christians, if following God becomes too law- or works-oriented, it enrages the
sin within us.
V. 9 is where we get the
teaching on the age of accountability. This is a very important verse. Before a
person can morally understand right or wrong, they are "alive." The
sickness of sin can still be seen in a child, but sin as a volitional,
rebelling and damning condition is dormant. But when the "commandment
comes," that is, at whatever age for that person they become morally
accountable and "know" good and evil (so to speak), sin awakens in
them to rebel against God, and they are immediately judged and "die."
A child might do stuff that is angry and sinful, but until they cross the line
to moral understanding, it is just the baloney kids do. Once they cross that
line, if it is at 4 or 5 or 6, they stand before God accountable to the law and
the sin within them reacts to that moral accountability to God.
V. 13 Paul has actually said
this a couple of times. In 3:20, Paul said, For
by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since
through the law comes knowledge of sin. Among other things, the law was
given, like a blood test, to show us that we have a disease. We may rationalize
and explain away our problem, but all of us know that there is something wrong
with us. The law acts as a mirror, showing us our condition, but you can’t wash
your dirty face with a mirror. You’ll cut your face. You need soap, or in our
case, the blood of Christ.
Every person who does not know
Christ (being saved by Him) stands before God under the law. Facing God through
the law causes sin to go nuts. As disciples, how do we face God? It needs to be
through the love of Christ and the grace of God.
Psalm
17
We've read this before. What do
you observe here, having read of David's life? What are some common themes that
should be important to us as disciples?
Vs. 1-5 When David regained his
balance after the fear and injustice of being hunted by Saul, David saved
Saul’s life twice. David could have justified killing Saul, even saying that
God had put Saul in David’s hand. Yet David honored God and resisted the words
of his men in sparing Saul. David was tested and passed.
Vs. 6-9 On this basis David
cries for deliverance. God was his only refuge. It is of course interesting
that David wanted to build an actual house for God in which David must have
imagined taking quiet refuge in His presence.
V. 8 apple of your eye = eyeball.
Vs. 10-12 This is in contrast to
the pity David showed to Saul. Notice that as David is asking for God’s
protection, he says our and us. There isn’t a “we” in team either,
but David was speaking as a shepherd of the weak who were around him. If David
had been caught, they would have been killed also.
Vs. 13-14a This is David’s cry
for God to rouse Himself and judge the arrogant.
Vs. 14b-15 Notice the note you
have for the second part of v. 14, “As for your treasured ones, you fill their
womb.” I am always impressed that rather than obsess with the problems and with
his enemies, David sought God and meditated on His Word. I think that is
something God is suggesting to us too.
Notice how this psalm fits well
with the verses below from Proverbs.
Proverbs
19:22-23
Is it me, or did we just have
three readings today that mentioned God’s steadfast
love? In this case in Proverbs, steadfast
love is learned from God. Amen!
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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