If you don't
have a One Year Bible or prefer something online, this link will take you to
the day's reading, http://oneyearbibleonline.com/daily-oyb/. This
site allows you to select from several languages and several English
translations.
JULY
22
2
Chronicles 6:12-8:10
These are great chapters. We
have read all of this before, so I only want to mention a few things.
Keep in mind the purpose of Ezra
in writing this. He could have referred everyone to 1 Kings where
this is recorded, but it is repeated here for this generation. What is Ezra's
purpose? Here again we have a great king, Solomon, taking spiritual leadership
for his people. But more than that, Ezra seems to be pointing them to God's
eternal promises and how that has undergirded their history, from Abraham, to
the establishing of the Davidic covenant, through being preserved in the exile,
to the return by command of Cyrus…all according to the promise (and steadfast love) of God. What we are
witnessing here today, and what Ezra is showing the people, is that based on
the work of David and Solomon in leading the people in making the temple, God
makes an eternal promise to them, right here. God heard and honored Solomon's
prayer of dedication. Because of the promise God makes here (among other
promises) Israel is allowed back into its land.
2 Chronicles 6:12-42
There are many repeated words
and ideas here and there is a very clear structure. Take time and do a lot of
underlining and observing. Notice how often the word servant is used and notice the references to God's love.
Vs. 12-17 Notice the references
to the promise God made to David. Solomon builds this plea on the fact that God
had already shown His faithfulness to David by saving him. This is very
powerfully expressed, and it is something that should make us think about what
it means when God visibly helps us in different situations. Verse 17 calls on
God to confirm His Word to David. The question is how that promise would be
confirmed in the dedication of the temple.
Vs. 18-21 Solomon knew that God
couldn't dwell in a house. Verse 20 says that God had already promised to set
His name in that house. God's promise toward the temple was what Solomon was
crying out for God to confirm. In this way it would be an additional
confirmation of His promise to David. The plea for future forgiveness is still
in force. Two days before Jesus was killed, he told the nation, For I tell you, you will not
see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’
When the Jews finally pray this, there will be a deep sense of
repentance and desperation, and God will forgive.
V. 19 Notice the intensity of
this prayer. Notice that the faith of those who pray will be directional,
toward the temple and the city.
Vs. 22-39 What are the if’s and when’s that Solomon mentions? Solomon will get God to promise to
forgive every conceivable situation. Much of this is prophetic, and it will be
used and very important in Daniel 6 and 9.
Vs. 22-23 This is regarding a
person sinning against a neighbor and the need for justice in the land. Here
they come into the temple.
Vs. 24-25 If there was a defeat
in battle, it showed, as with Joshua in the case of Achan, that Israel had
sinned before the Lord. This is also done in the temple, not in any other
place.
Vs. 26-27 Drought was an
indication of sin and guilt in the land. We've seen this with Elijah and with
David and the case of the Gibeonites. In this situation the people all over the
land were to pray toward the temple and humble themselves to be taught the way
of the Lord.
Vs. 28-31 This deals with
individual or national affliction caused by natural events or by the oppression
of the enemy. Interestingly, this doesn’t seem to be because of sin. It is
simply the people crying out for help, like we have seen David do in The Psalms.
Vs. 32-33 This is the most
redemptive part of the prayer, referring to an individual or to all nations.
Again, this prayer and pleading is not because of sin.
Vs. 36-39 For me this is the
most interesting part of the prayer. The Spirit must have put it into the heart
of Solomon to extend the prayer to the circumstance of being sent into exile.
This part of the prayer was used extensively while they were in exile in
Babylon.
Vs.
40-42 This is a great ending to the prayer. It begins with a request and ends
with the appeal to the promise to David.
2 Chronicles 7
Vs. 1-3 What a way for God to
publicly confirm His answer to this prayer. Notice what the people said in
response in v. 3. This was Israel's praise of God because of David. This might
have been Israel’s holiest moment as a nation.
Vs. 4-6 Notice Solomon’s
leadership in offering sacrifices.
V. 7 This is Solomon taking the
leadership in directing the dedication of the inner court.
Vs. 8-10 Here, Solomon is
leading this feast of celebration. I’m sure Ezra wanted to show the returnees
the grandeur of the dedication, and also the passion of the leaders in
worshiping God. This would normally have been the Feast of Booths, directly
following the Day of Atonement. Nothing is said here of the Day of Atonement.
Also, from what Nehemiah says, from Joshua to Nehemiah, this feast was never
celebrated by the making of booths and people living out of doors, remembering
Israel’s days in the wilderness following Moses.
V. 11 Remember the timing here.
It took Solomon 7.5 years to build the temple and another 13 to finish his
palace and residence. The dedication of the temple would have been after the
temple's completion. God is now speaking to Solomon, not that night, but a
night 13 years later. I think the point is that Solomon had been on a mission
for God. Now he was done. From this point on, Solomon could do what he wanted
to do. And what would that look like? Would he serve God or would he drift from
God? That is why this is such a crucial point in his life. God honored
Solomon's prayer and devotion, but not just for Solomon's sake.
Vs. 12-18 God made three
promises here. One was the promise to hear the prayers directed toward the
temple. The second was that God would set His name in the temple forever. The
third was to Solomon regarding his royal lineage.
V. 14 is kind of a famous verse.
V. 16 Notice the eternal nature
of this promise. Daniel, in particular, held on to this promise, which means he
had to have read 1 Kings, since this wasn't written until after the exile.
Vs. 19-22 Notice again the
warning to Solomon. As already mentioned, Solomon would fail here. His
bloodline of royalty would not extend to Jesus, the ultimate Davidic king.
Although Joseph’s genealogy extends to Solomon, Joseph was only “legally”
Jesus’ father. Jesus’ birth mother’s genealogy reached back to David, but
through Solomon’s older brother Nathan. Solomon’s disobedience made this
promise void.
It is amazing that the Lord said
this to Solomon, because by Solomon’s idolatry (not mentioned in Chronicles)
Solomon would begin the process that led the people into exile and led to the
destruction of the temple.
2 Chronicles 8:1-10
Vs. 1-8 It's one thing to build
buildings and a name for yourself. It is another thing to build character and
build into the hearts of a nation. Solomon kept building stuff.
V. 2 Note that Solomon received
a gift of cities from Hiram. In 1 Kings 9:11-13, Solomon gave Hiram cities too,
but he didn't repay Hiram in kind and fancy them up. Solomon gave him raggedy,
tired little towns that Hiram called "Kabul," worthless.
Since everybody knew how Solomon
fell, it might be here that Ezra is beginning to use him as an example of
self-absorption in leadership. As disciples our true devotion to following
Christ in the harvest is seen not when it is our job or we're on a summer
mission trip, but it's seen when the "mission" is over and we can do
anything we want. This was Solomon's downfall, and why he never measured up to
be the "man after God's own heart," that David was. Thankfully, the
gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. We can desert God, but He remains
faithful because He cannot deny Himself.
Romans
7:14-8:8
Romans 7:14-25
Enjoy reading this. This is the
clearest statement in the Bible about the power of sin. This short section is
like a theological "power bar."
Vs. 14-20 The flesh is our old
nature which somehow is bound in and with this body. This is why the resurrection
is such a great hope for us. It is not just that we will live forever in a
body. It is, as said in Romans 6 and again in Romans 8, that we will be free of
this body of death. For us as believers, the resurrection is our daily hope in
Christ, only if we are sick of sin. If we have the attitude that sin isn't so
bad, then the resurrection is just a carnival ride: thrilling but unnecessary.
We need to grasp the deadliness of sin, every day.
Vs. 21-25 The main idea here is
that the fight goes on. The new spiritual life of the Spirit allows us to
desire what is right in our heads, but it is no match for our old nature. The
situation in this body is wretched. The solution is the help of the Spirit in
the next chapter.
Vs. 23 and 25 express the
futility of this battle apart from Christ and the Holy Spirit. Jesus gives us
forgiveness. The Holy Spirit creates the new spiritual life within us, yet, we
can’t do better without the Holy Spirit’s help to live following Him. This help
is explained in chapter 8, but chapter 7 ends without hope.
V. 24 is not a dramatic cry from
an unbeliever. It is Paul expressing the depth of his present fight. If you
don't understand how deep the need is, you don't correctly seek the help
offered. That is true everywhere in life, and it is especially true here. As
disciples working in the harvest following Christ, this understanding needs to
be vital and important to us. We are not just weak; we are sick and hopeless
without the resources God makes available to us. The world is filled with the
wreckage of Christian men and women and marriages and families and churches. We
have more media than any other generation that has walked this earth. We have
more resources, yet sin doesn't seem to respond to podcasts and Kindles, to
traditional or contemporary worship, to amazing missional vision and positive
attitude. Sin is still winning. The fight is the same as it was in Paul's day,
and the answer is the same. The tragedy is that the answer is right here in the
Word, in these chapters and in the next.
Romans 8:1-8
Vs. 1-3 This is salvation in
Christ. This is repentance, turning your back on your sin and turning to Christ
to receive His forgiveness and His deliverance. It created a new nature, a new
spiritual life in us. We are no longer responsible to the law. We are no longer
under God's condemnation. God is satisfied and we are free. But that is not
enough for now. If God took us to heaven we’d be fine, but we are left here for
the harvest and we are still weak and need tons of help
Vs. 4-8 Now we follow the
Spirit. Before we knew Christ, we tried to follow a lot of things - religion,
good ideas, etc. Now, we say things like "following Christ," which is
accurate in terms of following Christ as our Lord into the harvest (John
12:26). Yet in terms of daily guidance in working in the harvest, the Spirit is
the Spirit of Christ and we look to His impulses and guidance. To give credence
to John 14-16 and what Paul and the Spirit are writing here, it is really the
Spirit that we follow. And, this following is very intentional. It isn't an
accident like something we instinctively do without thinking. We have to
mindfully and intentionally surrender our will and willingly be aware of
following. We have to do it actively, seeking the Lord, reading His Word, but
all the time understanding that it is the Spirit who is given to help us
through this life and lead us against this nature that is still alive within
us.
As disciples it is all very
simple. We surrender our will and our feelings and follow the Spirit. We
realize that we have a desperate need and we live with it. If we were bi-polar,
we'd live with it and take our meds. If we were terminally ill and treatments
kept the illness at bay, we'd report for our transfusions and not pretend
something different. The difference for us is our hope in our salvation and the
resurrection of Christ. This body is terminal; but we will not only live
forever with Christ, it will be in a new body without sin. Without sin! And all
that makes our mission following Christ in the harvest more important than
ever. We've found the cure for this sickness and madness.
We haven't quite gotten to all who are led by the Spirit of God are
sons of God. That's tomorrow. What is interesting to me is that the model
for following the Spirit is actually Jesus. Read John 5:17-24 as Jesus talked
to Jews. Jesus' entire argument is that He had to do what the Spirit was
showing Him that the Father was doing. I don't believe Jesus woke every morning
knowing what would happen; but He lived aware of God's working, and He was
expectantly ready every moment to follow the lead of the Spirit.
Psalm
18:1-15
Today's reading is only about
one-third of Psalm 18. We’ll be in Psalm 18 for three days. The occasion of
this psalm is probably sometime after David had become the king of the entire
nation and after victories had been won against the Philistines. Only then was
Israel secure and David at peace. This psalm is also 2 Samuel 22, placed there
at the end of David's life as his personal testimony to God's deliverance from
all that came against him. Placing this psalm at the end of 2 Samuel gives it
the added significance of also seeing how God rescued David from his family,
friends, himself and Satan.
For me the key verse of this
portion is v. 6. It is not until we have exhausted all of our resources and
ideas and "connections," and have realized that only God can help us,
that we cry out. This is what Paul learned in his suffering as he says in 2
Corinthians 12:10, For the sake of
Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions,
and calamities. For when I am weak,
then I am strong.
Vs. 1-3 This is the summation of
years of distress and needing God’s help. What a privilege it must have been to
have looked back and to have been able to say these words.
Vs. 4-6 We know of David’s
crying out and distress, but it’s interesting that God heard him in His temple.
Since there wasn’t yet a temple, David either meant the tabernacle or God’s
actual throne in heaven. Somehow, this all worked into developing a passion in
David to build a house for the Lord.
Vs. 7-15 This is God’s response
to come rescue David as seen in David’s mind and expressed poetically. I wonder
if David had this imagery from being in the mountains and seeing storms sweep
across the land.
Proverbs
19:24-25
V. 24 It is easy to put this one
off as not applying to us, but I know that there are some areas in my life
where I'm a workaholic, and some areas where I'm a sluggard. I think that's
true of everyone.
V. 25 This looks like a
challenge to interpret. Is the scoffer the simple one? Or is this saying that
if you strike a scoffer, he doesn't learn because he's a fool at heart; but
it's not wasted because the simple will take notice and learn prudence. On the
other hand, if you reprove a man of understanding, he himself will learn and
gain knowledge. I don't know, but I think this might be the best way to
interpret it.
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment