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JULY
28
2
Chronicles 21-23
These are very dark chapters.
They are dark not just because bad stuff happens, but because all of this was
launched by a godly king, Jehoshaphat. As you read all of this, think of it as
the result of his desire to unify Israel by uniting with those who didn't love
God. Ezra is also including this history as a lesson to the returned exiles. No
matter what they build in devotion to the Lord, they can plant the seeds of
destruction by becoming "unequally yoked" with the ungodly.
2 Chronicles 21
Vs 1-7 Jehoshaphat had actually
made it so that his other sons would be blessed and honored with their own
cities and wealth. They would not have been a problem or threat to Jehoram. It
should have been a big happy family. But alas, Jehoram's wife was the daughter
of Ahab and Jezebel through a marriage alliance.
V. 4 When Jehoram was
established, he killed all of his brothers. This would have included their
families and anyone who might have had a claim to the throne. This was
unprecedented in Israel and it was fueled by his wife, the daughter of Ahab and
Jezebel, who Jehoshaphat made sure Jehoram married.
Vs. 8-10 Under Jehoshaphat the
Edomites were allies. Now they were enemies.
Vs. 11-15 There is possibly a
small problem here with this letter being from Elijah. We don't know when
Elijah was taken into heaven, but it appears that it was before Elisha was in
active ministry. In 2 Kings 3:13, Elisha spoke with Jehoshaphat. It may be that
a copyist made the mistake of writing Elijah instead of Elisha. I get them mixed
up all the time when I preach. When we see the original writings, I'm sure this
will make sense. Another possibility is that Elijah was led by the Spirit to
write the letter before he was taken.
This sickness sounds like how
God took Herod out in Acts 12:23. Whatever it was, it looks like a nasty,
painful way to die; but he deserved it. It is interesting that God didn't do
this to the other ungodly kings who reigned in Israel, Ahab for example.
Sometimes God judges quickly and sometimes not-so-quickly. But He judges.
Vs. 16-17 And in the middle of
this wonderful illness, the country was weak and was being terrorized by the
neighboring countries.
Vs. 18-20 What a statement
against this man. Everyone was happy to see him go. In light of the fact that
he killed his brothers and had a godly grandfather and a godly father, he was
really a bad guy. It is interesting that God allowed Jehoram to reign so long,
but made sure he died in agony.
As a result of all of this, and
probably something that Ezra mentioned when he taught this, the Davidic line
was now threatened, not only with ungodliness, but with extinction. All of
Jehoshaphat's other sons and their families were killed; and all of Jehoram's
kids, but one, were killed.
2 Chronicles 22
V. 1 The people must have hoped
to find a godly king, but Athaliah, Jezebel's daughter, was still spewing
poison into the land. This now is the second generation diseased by
Jehoshaphat's poor decision.
Vs. 2-9 What’s interesting is
that Ahaziah was killed as a part of the judgment against Ahab. God said that
all who were related to Ahab would die. Ahaziah was a grandson of Ahab.
Unwittingly, Jehoshaphat had brought his family under God's curse on Ahab.
Jehu, though not a real follower of God, knew of Jehoshaphat's godliness and
therefore respected the burial of Ahaziah.
Vs. 10-12 This would have meant
the extinction of the line of David, except for the actions of the godly priest
Jehoiada. Jehoshaphat's misled actions now have brought the house of David down
to (almost) the last man. Jehoshaphat's sin will now extend to three
generations.
2 Chronicles 23
Vs. 1-7 You might wonder why all
of this is given in such detail. Ezra was a priest and leader of the people,
and maybe Jehoiada was his hero. More likely, the importance is that the line
of David was almost extinct and it took great personal courage by many,
especially the priests and Levites, to protect the line of David and the work
of God. Notice that Jehoiada gathered the Levites so that there would be
support for following God and for fighting to maintain the line of David. Both
Ezra and Nehemiah fought hard to have the Levites live around Jerusalem to help
teach the people and hold up a godly example for the nation. When you read
Nehemiah, you'll see that this wasn't easy.
Vs. 8-11 Once the Levites were
in place and the people of the city recognized that an heir of David had been
placed on the throne, the tide turned in the city.
Vs. 12-15 Athaliah apparently
thought she had support in the city.
Vs. 16-21 In the coronation of
the king, notice the mentions of the Levitical priests and King David. This was
the expression of putting Israel back in order. The promise to Abraham was
manifested in the people learning the Word of God and being devoted to Him.
David was the extension of the promise to Abraham; in that, from David would
come the "Son of David."
The lessons here for those
returning from exile would be obvious. It is worth giving your life in order to
serve God and His people, leading them in the way of God's promised blessing.
That is a good lesson for us too, to be making disciples in the harvest, who
will make disciples.
Romans
11:13-36
As you read this section, it is
helpful to think of Gentiles and Jews as racial entities being addressed.
Rather than speaking to individuals, Paul is speaking to groupings of people.
Paul says here, and will say again in chapter 15, that he was an apostle to
that group of people called Gentiles. So he is talking about a group, not
individuals.
V. 13 This is one of those
verses that tells you that the Roman church was a mixed church.
Vs. 13-16 The key here is in v.
15, when Paul talks about "their" acceptance. This refers to
"the nation of Israel" during the time when that particular group is
on earth and turns their hearts to Christ. It is not as if the church doesn't
"need" the redemption of Israel. The working of God through the
church is just one aspect of His plan. This has nothing to do with the equality
of believers, Jew or Greek. Israel will still play a role. It is the redemption
of Israel that will bring the plan of God for mankind to completion.
Vs. 17-24 Now, as with most
illustrations, they make a point or two, but are not meant to be carried on to
infinity. What is the cultivated olive tree? It appears to be Israel or maybe
even the promise to Abraham. The line of the promise from Adam and Eve, through
Abraham, through David was one continuous lineage. The wild olive shoot is
definitely the Gentiles. According to this illustration, we Gentiles have been
grafted into this promise. Remember that when Jesus was talking to the
Samaritan woman in John 4, He told her in a way that was very matter-of-fact,
that salvation is from the Jews.
Later in Romans 15 Paul will say that the Gentiles have become partakers of
Israel's spiritual blessings. They are partakers, not owners.
V. 22 is a little problematic if
you see this as individuals and not as groups. God has power to graft the
believing Jewish nation into the promise. And if the Gentiles reject God's
salvation, they will be excluded. On this note, it is interesting to think that
in the Tribulation, the Jews will comprise the largest missionary force that
has ever worked at one time on earth. (In the Olivet Discourse Jesus said the
gospel would be preached to all nations.) If you count up all the members of
all the mission organizations (not churches) today, you won't come up with a
total of 144,000 missionaries. If I understand the dynamics of the time of
"Jacob's Trouble," the nation of Israel will turn to Christ, and the
Gentile world will be, for the most part, chasing a delusion.
Vs. 25-32 This is the conclusion
of chapters 9-11. I find it hard to understand how people don't see a
distinction between the church and Israel, holding that the promises to Israel
will not be literally fulfilled.
So, which verses seem to put the
plan of God together for you? How would you explain this to someone else?
Vs. 33-36 Benedictions are full
of theology, and usually, every word is intentional. Notice that it isn't God's
power and elective determination that are praised here, but rather His wisdom
and knowledge and how unsearchable His judgments are. This was God's argument
to Job. Paul's conclusion is that God does all of this righteously; and though
it is so intricate that we could never understand it, we know and trust that His
way is righteous and good, because we know Him through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Psalm
22:1-18
I was reading this morning how
difficult it was for the disciples to understand that Jesus should suffer, be
treated with contempt, die and on the third day be raised. For them, He had
become the Holy One of God, the Christ, the Son of the Living God, the Son of
Man. To hear then that, so also the Son
of Man will certainly suffer at their hands, was utterly impossible.
This is a prophetic psalm
talking about the suffering of the Messiah. David's experience mirrored what
was to be felt by Jesus. Read this psalm from that perspective.
Vs. 1-2 If this psalm is what
David experienced at the beginning of his decade of running from Saul, it makes
perfect sense. David had been anointed by Samuel to be king of Israel. David
was a hero. Everything David did had been blessed by God. Suddenly David lost
everything.
Vs. 3-5 Here David is
remembering the history of redemption and men like Abraham and Moses. He was
now standing with them.
Vs. 6-8 David's reputation was
ruined in a night. This was also the experience of Jesus on the cross. Compare
verses 7 & 8 with Matthew 27:39 & 43. That’s pretty interesting. I
wonder later while hearing Psalm 22 read, if some of these guys said, “Wait, I
actually said that.”
Vs. 9-11 David held on to God's
calling of him. This faith in the promise also made Abraham strong. Jesus, too,
knew that He was the chosen, beloved and anointed Son of God.
Vs. 12-13 This seems to describe
the power of the foes that faced David.
Vs. 14-15 This was the emotional
effect on David, and I'm sure this mirrors some of what the Lord experienced in
the garden.
Vs. 16-18 We clearly know what
happened to the Lord. Here, David experienced something similar. When David ran
from Saul he had to leave his house and possessions behind. Verse 18 might be
how his former friends divided his possessions and decided who got the
cappuccino maker.
Proverbs
20:7
If you put this with the verse
before, it basically says that talk, even Christian talk, is cheap. Integrity
by definition means that everything this person does is in keeping with his or
her expressed love for God. Reality is seen in action, and in our case that
means 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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