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JULY
27
2
Chronicles 19-20
2 Chronicles 19
Vs. 1-3 It isn't unusual to see
God rebuke a king for doing wrong. What makes this interesting is that
Jehoshaphat is rebuked and responds with humility. Now we'll see two further
acts of faith and obedience that are not mentioned in Kings. It is good trying
to understand God’s rebuke of Jehoshaphat. God is not against compassion and
reaching out, but the gospel and seeking God should always stand between us and
others. Locking arms with those who hate the Lord is not the way to win them to
Christ.
Note also the name of this
prophet. We saw his dad get thrown into jail on July 25. Joe responded better
than his father Asa had.
Vs. 4-11 This sort of godly
organization is "typical" of the Davidic kings who loved the Lord.
After the kind of rebuke he received from the Lord, you might think Jehoshaphat
would try to "look" repentant. But these acts are very intelligent
and sincere, aimed at keeping the heart of Israel focused on the Lord. This
would be important for Ezra to show the leaders of Israel, that when rebuked, a
godly leader humbles himself and keeps working to lead the people to the Lord.
Vs. 4-7 This was the civil law.
Vs. 8-11 This is what God had
always wanted. In disputed cases, the people were to come to the priests and
seek God through the Urim and Thummim. It is amazing that Jehoshaphat organized
like this.
2 Chronicles 20
This is a very long account of
Jehoshaphat's spiritual leadership. Ezra is showing that the heart of a leader
of Israel should rely on the promises of God.
Vs. 1-4 What is interesting here
is that Jehoshaphat sought the Lord and the Lord only. When he needed help, he
didn't run to the northern kingdom or Ahab's house. Ezra is showing that a
leader should also lead the people in seeking the Lord. How could a guy this
good go so wrong?
Vs. 5-12 This is very godly
leadership by Jehoshaphat, and what a great prayer. He focuses the people on
the promise that God made to Abraham and then the promise to make the temple
the place of His dwelling. Jehoshaphat knew of Solomon's prayer of dedication
and God's eternal promise to hear this kind of prayer. What a model to the
people and what a man of faith.
Vs. 13-17 So, the life of the
nation is on the line. Jehoshaphat has prayed his heart out. Suddenly this guy
stands up and says this. Now, Ezra mentions his pedigree, but still, it is just
this guy, not a voice or a cloud out of heaven. The response to this prophecy
shows great faith.
Vs. 18-19 Jehoshaphat knew that
it was the Lord and led the people in obedience and worship. This is faith.
Notice that Joe had the singers, the sons of Korah, ready to give praise to
God.
Vs. 20-21 So then, under
Jehoshaphat's leadership they get ready for battle and go out to the field, and
they have a "praise" service. And look what they sing, the "Best
of David." Give thanks to the Lord,
for His steadfast love endures forever is the expression of David's faith
that he commanded to be sung in all the worship of Israel. I doubt that they
teach this “strategy” at West Point or in any military training facility today.
Vs. 22-23 And "Boom!"
the Lord settled the matter for them.
Vs. 24-30 You've got to admit
that this is an amazing thing and Jehoshaphat led them in it.
V. 25 Notice that like the
battle that Asa fought, they were given the spoils by God. The lesson here for
Jehoshaphat is that God can make rich without foul allegiances and chasing
gold. He can save without having to waste time amassing a large army. Focusing
their energy and endeavor on the spiritual would have saved many of these
kings.
V. 26 Notice, too, that
Jehoshaphat finished this event with praise to God.
V. 30 Normally this should be a
note of blessing; but now that the Lord has given Jehoshaphat peace and he
doesn't have a mission, what will he do?
Vs. 35-37 Actually, we know from
Kings, that Jehoshaphat also joined together with Ahaziah in a battle and again
came under demonic influence. That time the rebuke came from Elisha.
The lesson I see here is that as
disciples, we need to make our following simple by doing what our Lord desires
in the harvest. We don’t need armies or wealth. God can supply what we need. We
don’t need big churches or a “voice.” God gives those too. God never asked
Jehoshaphat to build a bridge of unity to the northern kingdom. It might have
been a "noble" desire on Jehoshaphat's part, but it appears that he
had some other motives too. Being a peacemaker sounds like a "god"
thing, but not if it's not God's will, and not if it keeps us from honoring Him
in the harvest.
What is interesting in both Asa
and Jehoshaphat is that when they were simply honoring God, God brought them
respect, and people from the northern kingdom were convicted and came to
Jerusalem. Jehoshaphat didn't need to join with Ahab or anyone from the
northern kingdom. When Jehoshaphat was honoring God, God put the fear and
respect of Judah in the hearts of the surrounding nations. Jehoshaphat never
had to build a good-looking army. When Jehoshaphat was building into the lives
of his people and honoring God, he never had to do a joint venture thing to get
gold and wealth. God just dumped it in his lap.
As disciples, our focus only
needs to be on one thing, loving our Lord and following Him in the harvest.
That vision and mission are more than enough. Seeing the lost saved and making disciples,
who make disciples, is blessing enough on this earth. Paul's life was a living
sacrifice to Christ and he put it like this in 1 Corinthians 9:23, I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that
I may share with them in its blessings.
Romans
10:14-11:12
Romans 10:14-21
Vs. 14-17 The question that
jumps out to me in reading this section is, "What question or objection
was Paul answering?" One other major difference between Judaism and
Christianity was that Christians had a mandate and commission to be out and to
be preaching and telling. It seems here that Paul is showing that sharing the
gospel is not only logical and necessary, but is mentioned in the OT. It was
part of the plan of redemption. We are left here on purpose, to proclaim the
gospel so that people can believe.
V. 17 is another of those famous
verses.
Vs. 18-21 I suppose the unspoken
objection would be that Israel never really had a chance to hear and understand
the message of faith from the OT.
V. 18 Paul's knowledge of the
Word was vast when you think of all the Scripture he quotes and alludes to.
This quote is from Psalm 19:4. Wouldn't it be great to have such a close walk
with God and such a vast understanding of the Word?
V. 19 This quote will become
important in the next chapter. The church is that foolish nation.
V. 20 Again, from Romans 3, no
one seeks for God unless God takes the initiative in giving nudges. What
happens after “the nudge” is up to us. In the case of Israel, God had given
them His truth and promises, and they still didn't seek Him.
V. 21 This is what we know from
reading the OT. On the one hand, we'll hear that God gave them a spirit of
stupor; but on the other hand, reading the OT, we realize that each person and
every king made their own decisions. It isn't the case that God "blinded"
them, but rather (as in Rom. 1:18ff) God gave them up to their own desire to
sin. There came a point when He would no longer throw pearls before swine. As
we'll see, God will work in mercy to get them ready to receive truth.
Romans 11:1-12
This is a good chapter to read
fully. If you don't, you could get caught thinking that the "remnant"
is the only part of Israel that will be saved. If you read to 11:25 you'll see
that there is a future redemption for the entire nation of Israel.
Vs. 1-6 This is an interesting argument
by Paul. The remnant in Elijah's time was a small group of people in the
northern kingdom God kept from worshiping Baal. After the time of Elijah and
after this remnant was gone, there were many prophets who wrote of the nation
returning to the Lord. The remnant was preserved by grace during a very dark
time for a specific purpose, but it was in no way taking the place of the
nation or inheriting the promises of God to the nation of Israel. The present
remnant of which Paul was a part, and of which Jewish believers today are a
part, in no way takes the place of this future generation of the nation of
Israel who will fulfill God's promises to it. This remnant is comprised of
Jewish believers, who with God's help, have escaped the national blindness and
have embraced their Messiah. And it is all grace and faith, without works.
Vs. 7-12 This is an unfortunate
breaking point. I'd suggest reading the rest of the chapter.
What we find here is the
description of God's punishment on Israel and His purpose of redemption for the
Gentiles and Jews in that punishment. The hardening of heart, as with Pharaoh,
was in response to their own hardening of heart. If a person rejects God long
enough, God will intensify the blindness to fulfill His own purposes. That blinding
will be lifted in the future when God prepares the hearts of the nation to
receive His truth. In God’s amazing wisdom and foreknowledge, He had already
planned to use Israel’s sin and rejection of Him to reach Gentiles. That is
where we are now, but you can sense from how this is written, Paul is
anticipating that the time for the Jews will come. They are being made jealous
by the grace being given to those outside of Israel.
Psalm
21
This psalm has an evangelistic
tone to it as David proclaimed the secret of his success. And if God will do
that for David, we can trust Him too. What do we trust in as we follow Christ
in the harvest? What can we be sure to receive from Him? Houses? Cars?
Comforts? Verse 7 says it, the steadfast
love of the Most High.
V. 1 This is David's praise and
"boasting" in the Lord.
Vs. 2-7 This is the list of
things the Lord had done for David. In giving David the desire of his heart, I
wonder if David was referring to the ark of the covenant coming to Jerusalem so
that David could dwell in the presence of the Lord.
V. 7 David's real confidence was
in the Lord and His steadfast love.
Vs. 8-12 In a way, it wasn't
just that God was protecting David and removing his enemies. God was furthering
His plan of redemption and punishing those who stood against that plan.
V. 13 There is no other person
in the Bible who was more committed to giving praise and testimony to God.
Proverbs
20:4-6
If v. 4 is read with the
previous three verses, you have a picture of different behaviors.
In v. 5, the man of
understanding observes all of this, knows that motives run deep, and he has the
patience and wisdom of the farmer to draw out and understand these people.
Words don't show loyal love, but
faithfulness does. Think of God’s love for David. Verse 6 might belong to the
proverb for tomorrow which mentions integrity and it being passed on to
children.
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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