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translations.
AUGUST 14
Nehemiah 7:61-9:21
Nehemiah 7:61-73
This concludes Nehemiah's research on who was true-blue. The last part
of v. 73 is the intro into chapter 8.
Nehemiah 8
Ezra's teaching ministry to the people had been suspended during the
two months of building the walls. I don't know if this was planned by anyone
other than God, but now came the Feast of Trumpets and then the Day of
Atonement and the Feast of the Tabernacles. With the walls being finished, this
would all be an amazing way to focus this generation on their calling as the
people of God in the world. Keep in mind that the dedication of the wall
doesn't happen until chapter 12.
Vs. 1-10 Notice that the people gathered in unity. Notice, too, that
there were leaders on the platform with Ezra, giving visual testimony to their
unity with Ezra and the Word. Also, note that the "sermon" was longer
than 45 minutes!
Vs. 7-8 So then, after all of this, there were these guys who
apparently were given different sections to expound upon and apply. It could be
that these all day events were broken into sections where, after the reading of
the Book of the Law, people sat in groups in different parts of the city and
had the Levites actually expound in depth on Scripture portions.
When I read this I'm not only amazed that the people willingly stood to
hear all of this for hours upon hours, but I wonder if they had port-a-potties
or something.
Vs. 9-12 At this point in the gathering Nehemiah and Ezra are standing
side by side. There must have been power in this event and the people must have
been very sensitive and open spiritually. As they heard the law, seeing all of
God's favor and knowing how far they had fallen as a nation, they wept. They
had to be encouraged and commanded to rejoice and be generous, in spite of
being surrounded by enemies and not being an independent nation. Also, think of
what it meant for these people to leave their farms and homes for this event
and the week-long event that was to follow. What we are witnessing here is a
miracle of restoration and spiritual renewal. It wouldn't last forever, but
this was certainly a gift for this group of people.
All through Scripture, back then and today, the truth is the same for
those who understand the Word: The joy of
the Lord is our strength. We
follow Christ in the harvest, working for Him, hoping in Him, but we never
forget that we live in a lost world on a dying planet. We sense this death in
our bodies and in the nature within us that still strains to dishonor our Lord.
Yet with this full understanding, we can rejoice truly and greatly. Paul said
it like this in Romans 15:13, May the
God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit
you may abound in hope. Our
strength and testimony spring from our joy in being saved and belonging to
Christ.
Vs. 13-18 What blows me away here is the comment in v. 17. If I
understand this correctly, this feast with people living near the
tabernacle/temple in little home-made huts had not been held. It could be that
the part of the feast that wasn't followed was that everyone lived outdoors in
booths made from branches. These feast weeks in themselves were a challenge
because all the men had to attend and they would have gone with their families,
meaning their houses and property were unprotected. It would have taken a lot
of faith. Finally here, the reason God had given this feast in the first place
was experienced. The people rejoiced in God.
V. 18 Notice that Ezra taught all seven days. From the earlier verses
we know how they did this. Ezra read and others were appointed to explain and
apply the truth of various sections of Scripture.
Nehemiah 9
And now the final day. You can tell this was a special event
orchestrated by God. What a way to give a generation a shot of spiritual
vitality, hoping they would determine in their hearts to follow God.
Vs. 1-5 With the confession and fasting and prayer, this looks like a
revival. By virtue of all we have read about the people weeping when Ezra read
the Law, this was a time of unparalleled humility and brokenness in Israel.
This is just amazing.
V. 5 It would appear that the guys mentioned here all led a part of the
prayer of testimony and confession that follows.
Since I know how Nehemiah ends, it impresses me how important the
leaders are to the walk of the people. The entire congregation is like a living
thing. If one part dies or becomes corrupt, the entire body suffers. This would
be true, too, of the NT teaching on the church.
Vs. 6-21 As you read this prayer, what stands out to you as a disciple?
Isn't it amazing how important their history was to them in inspiring them to
remember, to repent and to follow? God's love and forgiveness is woven through
it all. As an exercise in Bible study, underline or mark all the occurrences of
you and they. It tells you the story that is still going on today as God
works through us to reach our fellow wrecks on this planet.
As disciples, our own personal history is important in that same way.
Think of what the Lord has done, what He has forgiven and the times when He has
restored; and remember that His love and forgiveness are woven through all of
it. Our strength and joy are not in us, but in Him and in what He has done in
us. Add to that, the fact that we are standing at the end of all of this
redemptive history that we are reading about, having been saved to follow
Christ in this time of harvest.
1 Corinthians 9:1-18
This is another one of those portions where Paul gets emotional. Read
this portion out loud about three times, putting a little emotion into it and
you'll understand what Paul was feeling when he wrote it. The climax comes in
vs. 19-23, with 24-27 being a call to imitate Paul in following the Lord.
Vs. 1-2 In chapters 6 and 8 Paul addressed the Corinthians’ exercise
and misuse of freedom. This chapter will have an ironic twist to it. In chapter
8 the weak were those who were not able to eat meat, for fear that it had been
offered in sacrifice. In this chapter Paul shows that the weak and spiritually
immature are really many of those "strong" people in the Corinthian
church who complained about Paul. Here, Paul is defending his position as an
apostle of the Lord.
Vs. 3-7 It is evident here, and we'll see this again in 2 Corinthians 11,
that Paul was spoken against as trying to take advantage of this church's
resources. Apparently familiarity bred contempt. Paul, the founder of the
church in Corinth, and his buddy Barnabas were looked upon suspiciously; but
all the other heroes of the faith were fawned upon and given special privilege.
V. 7 These are all pictures of Paul's work among them as a servant.
That goes for us also, as disciples.
Vs. 8-12 Notice how Paul used the law to prove his point. These people
knew the law and would respect the evidence. Paul is not only showing
scriptural authority; look at vs. 11 and 12. Paul had labored to plant this
church, but many of these people had been led to distrust and disrespect him.
V. 12 This is where Paul illustrates what he mentioned to them in
chapter 8. The stronger believer sacrifices, until the weaker believer is
mature enough to understand and not violate their conscience. By now the
Corinthians should have been supporting Paul in his ministry, like the
Philippians were doing. But we know from chapter 3, that this
"gifted" church was in protracted infancy. So then, Paul had to keep
treating them as weak and not offend them so he could nurture them to maturity.
Vs. 13-15 More proof, straight from the OT and then Jesus, that
supporting the work of the Lord was not only supported by Scripture; but it was
also a sign of maturity.
Vs. 16-18 Can you
sense the irony in Paul's words here? Since Paul is inspired by the Spirit, it
has to be coming from God too. You might have to read these a few times to get
Paul's meaning. Paul never thought he'd be rewarded for preaching the gospel,
because preaching the gospel was his obligation. That reminds me of Jesus'
teaching on faith to His disciples in Luke 17:10, "So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say,
‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.'" Disciples understand this.
Read the rest of
the chapter and you'll get the punch of where Paul is going with this. Paul was
free, but made himself a slave to Christ and to "the weak" in order
to work in the harvest for Christ. The Corinthians should have been humbled,
but judging by 2 Corinthians 11, I don't think they had the type of humility
that the people in Nehemiah's day had.
A leader sacrifices for his master. Nehemiah sacrificed his personal
comfort out of love for God, serving the people of God. A disciple sacrifices
for the sake of his Lord to reach others with this message and to bring them to
maturity as disciples. These are words from the heart of an amazing disciple.
Psalm 33:12-22
V. 12 Here David is declaring that it is a privilege to be that nation
that has given itself to the Lord.
Vs. 13-17 I find it interesting that David mentions God's watchfulness
and interest as being global, and not limited to Israel. God watches all
nations and all men, and the affairs of men are ultimately in His hands as He
works His plan of redemption. Did David understand some of God's redemptive
purpose in Israel? The Spirit certainly did.
Vs. 18-22 is the crescendo of this psalm. Notice how God's watchful
care, steadfast love, and deliverance are on all those who fear Him and wait on
Him. It is common in all followers of the Lord to hope and trust and wait on
Him.
Proverbs 21:11-12
Verse 11 is similar to a proverb we had before, and here the meaning is
clear. The scoffer doesn't learn from his punishment, but the simple learn when
the scoffer is rebuked. So, it is worth it to rebuke the scoffer. The wise
don't need to be punished; they are shown and they learn.
The last clause of v. 12 is interpreted differently in different
translations. If it is put together with v. 11, it might mean that the wise
person observes and learns from the wicked, and what they learn is that God
brings the wicked to ruin. So, it isn't worth it to imitate or envy the wicked.
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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