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.
SEPTEMBER 14
Today you begin Galatians. Encourage yourself with some kind of treat.
2 Corinthians was the last long New Testament letter for a while. For a while
now we'll read through some smaller but important letters. On the other hand,
the next few Old Testament books will be long and weighty. This again is the
joy of reading The One Year Bible. The Spirit can use the different
parts of the Word to keep us fresh. And since we're doing this together we can
share what the Spirit brings to heart. And don't forget, chocolate helps too.
Isaiah 15-18
From this point on
it will be common to have judgments and prophecies aimed at the nations
surrounding Judah. They hated Israel. They not only attacked their towns, but
often joined with others against Israel. They rejoiced when Jerusalem was
destroyed. The situation today of Israel being hated by its neighbors is
nothing new. It was just as true back then. You could say they started it by
taking over Canaan, but actually that was God’s idea. He’s the one who decreed
the change in ownership because of the evil of those who lived there. In the
final event, the real animosity is caused on a spiritual level, because Israel
was and is God’s instrument of bringing His redemptive purpose in life, to
completion. The hatred of man for God needs a symbol and object, so we have
Israel. I was reading this morning what Jesus said to the Samaritan woman in
John 4:22, You worship what you do not
know; we worship what we know, for salvation
is from the Jews. Like it or fight against it,
but it is true all the same and the Son of God said so.
Isaiah 15
Vs. 1-9 This describes what will happen when Assyria wipes out Moab.
After these wars and empires, you never hear of many of these people groups
again.
V. 5 I’m not sure why God/Isaiah was saddened by this, other than that
Moab was descended from Lot. It could be that this attack by Assyria, and being
taken away in exile, would lead to the extinction of Moab.
Isaiah 16
Vs. 1-5 This is an offer for Moab to join Israel and take refuge in
Zion. Jerusalem would be the only place that wouldn’t be destroyed, but who
would believe that? Because of the wording of the offer they were being given a
chance to know the steadfast love of
the Lord.
Vs. 6-14 So, as you read, can you see what it is that kept Moab from
accepting this amazing offer? Those three years would have probably been just
before the Lord destroyed the army of the Assyrians. There is no Moab after the
Assyrians and Babylonians cleaned house. If Moab was saved at all, they were
saved in one woman, Ruth, who gave herself to worship Yahweh and became a great
ancestor of Jesus.
Isaiah 17
Vs. 1-3 This is destruction for Syria (and the northern kingdom). The
glory of the children of Israel might be negative here since the northern
kingdom had lost all of its glory. Notice that it doesn’t say Damascus will be
a heap of ruins forever. It
will only be during this time of Assyrian domination. Some ancient cities have
layers of ruins, having been destroyed and rebuilt several times. It was also
common to rebuild a city on a different, nearby location. Modern Ephesus is two
miles from the New Testament location, and in Jesus' time there was an old and
new Jericho about two miles apart. I think today if they had to rebuild New
Orleans, they'd choose higher ground.
Vs. 4-14 Notice the repetition of in
that day. At one time, Damascus was ruled by Israel, and Israel and Syria
had a very good relationship during the time of David and Solomon. You could
imagine that there was the knowledge of Yahweh in Damascus, but just as in the
northern kingdom, that knowledge was lost.
Isaiah 18
Vs. 1-6 The Ethiopians were called on as mercenaries to help when
needed. King Asa faced an army like this. Here, they are being told to stay out
of these battles or they would become food for the local wildlife.
V. 7 It is interesting that God has a soft spot for the Ethiopians and
for the Egyptians. It is not an accident that the first Gentile we know of who
was saved in Acts was an official from Ethiopia.
It is interesting as we read this to see that the knowledge of God
extended to many nations. God has some nations that He will welcome because of
their relationship to Israel. God's plan of redemption is very intricate and
has some interesting surprises. He is working in places and in ways that would
surprise us. Even in countries that are hostile to the gospel, people still
recognize that followers of Christ can be trusted where their fellow religious
brothers are prone to graft and dishonesty.
Galatians 1
Galatians has been called the cornerstone of the Reformation, because
it was the short and clear declaration that salvation was by grace through
faith alone. Luther called Galatians his wife. (Bible Knowledge
Commentary-NT, p. 587)
Galatians is Paul’s first letter to a church, and it is one of the most
shocking. They were quickly being persuaded to associate grace in Christ with
acceptance through works. In Galatians we get some biographical information on
Paul that is not in Acts. We get some inside information on meetings we don’t
see in Acts. And all of this comes as a result of Christians from the
circumcision party in Jerusalem, who took it upon themselves to corrupt what
Paul was teaching. Opposition to Paul, within the believing church in
Jerusalem, apparently began very early. Church conflict, don’t you love it? But
God uses it. Again, as a result of conflict, we are given the letter that broke
the church out of the Dark Ages. And again, we find Paul having to defend
himself.
For the disciple in the harvest and those groups of disciples working
together (churches) in the harvest, Galatians simplifies our mission from age
to age and from culture to culture. We are to present salvation as by grace
through faith in Christ alone. Forms and traditions serve the church in a
particular culture or generation; but often our traditions morph into laws that
make us right before God, if we do them, and wrong before Him if we don’t do
things a certain way. This morning I read about Jesus rebuking the Pharisees, “You leave the commandment of
God and hold to the tradition of men.” The
commandment of God for us is very simple. It involves being a disciple in the
harvest, reaching the lost, making disciples with a very simple, trans-cultural
message, always remembering 1 Corinthians 9:19ff. A disciple should be able to
move from one culture to the next, one language to the next, with “no bag for
his journey.” The disciple doesn't need "baggage." He carries with
him a very simple message he can preach from whatever Bible is available, that
we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. The harvest isn’t that
hard, but there are always groups that make it difficult.
Galatians 1
Vs. 1-3 Notice how Paul immediately begins defending his apostleship
against the Jewish Christians who were turning the church in Galatia against
Paul and what he taught.
Vs. 4-5 There are no wasted words here. Jesus gave Himself. That’s
enough, right? The present evil age brings to mind immediately the spiritual
resistance to the truth of the gospel, in this case, the forces behind these
“well meaning” Jewish Christians.
Vs. 6-9 There is no friendly transition here. Paul addressed the
problem immediately. While this is unique for Paul, it isn't the only example.
Look at 1 Timothy 1:3. It is equally as shocking. Something had ripped the
church in Ephesus apart, and Timothy was on his way there to do emergency
surgery. Here, the church was also in deep trouble.
This seems to connect to Paul’s words against the Jewish super-apostles
in Corinth, where he says that Satan presents himself as an angel of light (2
Cor. 11:14). Interestingly, it would be years later that Paul would write 2
Corinthians. Paul was in this conflict his entire ministry. That was the price
of following Christ in the harvest during that time.
Notice that Paul
is repeating what he had already told the Galatians while he was there the
first time. No one should be allowed to change the message of the gospel. Remember
2 Corinthians 11:4. For if someone comes
and proclaims another Jesus than
the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you
received, or if you accept a different gospel
from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.
So, what is the gospel? I think even among believers it is kind of
fuzzy. But the issues will get clarified in this letter.
V. 10 The charge against Paul by the legalistic Christians was that the
message of salvation by grace through faith in Christ alone was “easy
believe-ism.” It was watered down to win approval. If you put the bar on the
ground, everyone can walk over it and get into the church. The Jewish
Christians wanted to “raise the bar” and make believers, Jews and Gentiles,
have to do something that showed they really believed and were really following
Christ.
Paul is saying that what he just said in 6-9 were not the words of a
man who was interested in winning the approval of anyone other than God. No
wonder Paul got all those beatings. But in a manner of speaking, if you look at
how Jesus talked to the Pharisees, you could say that His mouth got Him killed.
The reality is that some truth is worth going to the wall for. Or as Luther
said as a result of the message of Galatians, "Here I stand. I can do no
other."
Vs. 11-12 This is something we don’t “see” in Acts. Paul was spoken to
by the Lord and given his instruction and theological re-training. Opponents
were saying Paul got his information from a bad source. Who knows where they
said he got it from, maybe the apostles Thomas or Simon the Zealot. Notice what
Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:3, he received this information. Later
Paul says that everyone was preaching the same thing. Here we see where Paul
received his information: from Jesus Himself. Also look at 1 Corinthians 11:23.
Even the Lord’s Supper was given to him personally from Jesus and from no other
apostle.
Vs. 13-17 Do you see where Paul is defending his apostleship? He is
showing he is as good, on a human level, as his opponents. If you want to read
some hard words from Paul on this subject, read Philippians 3:1-6. But also,
notice after those verses in Philippians, we have some of the greatest verses
in the Bible.
Paul totally embraced the fact that God chose and called him to this
ministry, along with the good, bad and ugly of his past. It was all
incorporated into God’s planning and timing.
Vs. 18-19 We have talked about this in Acts. Apparently Luke didn’t
mention that Paul left Damascus for three years, returned to Damascus, fled the
city for Jerusalem and then met Peter. Acts 9:25 mentions that Paul had
disciples who helped him escape, suggesting that some amount of time had passed
since his conversion.
Vs. 20-24 Notice that Paul is concerned here also about his connection
with Jerusalem and Judea. Paul is trying to show that his message wasn’t given
to him by some group, but rather by Jesus Himself. It was probably the case
that his opponents were linking Paul’s teaching to some person or group. It’s
kind of funny because critics always look for the influences on a person’s
views and beliefs. In the early 1900s there was a critical look at Paul as
being a very conservatively influenced, pharisaical Jewish convert. Paul was
way too “legalistic” for the liberals. J. Greshem Machen wrote a book to refute
all of this liberal criticism called, The Origin of Paul’s Religion.
Oddly, Machen came to the same conclusion that Paul is making here. It all came
from Jesus Himself, and everything Paul teaches is found in Jesus’ teaching.
Notice in v. 24 that all the apostles glorified God because of Paul.
They saw in him the grace of God and the truth of God. Paul didn't make
himself. God made him. Paul may have been given great revelation, but he paid a
price that no one would envy. He was given a physical disability from Satan,
and Paul suffered like no other apostle we know of. And was Paul honored? Only
among his closest circle of friends.
One discouraging thing in following Christ is dealing with the
resistance and differences of working with other believers and churches. This
is sort of a rite of passage for many people that proves their commitment to
following Christ. There is no other way besides the church and working with
others. God doesn’t commission us to the harvest to become loners. The core of
disciple-making is equipping others and working together to reach others for
Christ. It is a process that brings maturity, keeping our focus on the harvest
and learning how to find like-minded people with whom we can work. It is
definitely not for the weak of heart. What we see in all of Paul’s struggling
is a solid commitment to make the church effective and useful for the Master,
as we glorify the Father by bearing much fruit, so proving that we are
disciples of our Lord.
Psalm 58
Vs. 1-5 This is an ode to the wicked. David is thinking of those who
are after him unjustly. In v. 1, gods
could be translated mighty ones, or rulers who thought of themselves as
untouchable.
Vs. 6-9 This is the psalmist’s inspired wish to see the wicked judged.
Vs. 10-11 I don’t identify with v. 10, but I love v. 11. If you think
of the wreckage that Saul and his followers were responsible for, the killing
of a town of priests and their families, v. 10 is a call for them to be judged
according to their own violence.
Proverbs 23:12
It’s easy to say “amen”
to this and go on, but I really think it is a command to us to sweat and strain
to gain wisdom and knowledge. We give it mental assent, but really don’t get
it. On the “disciples following Jesus” front we do this all the time, and
therein is our problem. Thinking is not doing. The harvest doesn’t get in the
barn by force of thought. You have to go into the harvest and get it. Here is
something that Paul told Timothy in the context of following Christ. Practice
these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress (1 Tim. 4:15). In other words Paul is
saying, “don’t just say, ‘yeah, I know, OK.’ You need to sweat and strain.” (in
the joy and peace and grace and strength of the Lord, of course J)
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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