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 27
Today's reading
has two very important sections of the Bible. When we realize that God has
crafted His Word to strengthen and lead us, we realize how He loves us. Being
able to be in His Word every day is a privilege we don't deserve, and yet we
can enjoy it if we want to. Jesus promised to speak to us in John
16:12-15, I still have many things to say
to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth,
for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will
speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14He will glorify me, for he will take what is
mine and declare it to you. 15All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what
is mine and declare it to you. Time
to have a talk.
Isaiah 51-53
When we read this section today, it is easy to see how the people in
Jesus' day thought the Messiah would bring the kingdom and eternal deliverance
at His first coming. They didn't understand that the purpose of His first
coming was to present Himself as an offering for sin. They didn't understand
the Scriptures, that they would reject Him. They didn't see the church age, but
then no one did. The church was hidden.
We will read today that God will deliver the people by the hand of the
Messiah. There was a hint of that final deliverance in their release from the
Babylonian captivity; but the way this final deliverance is described, it is
certainly focused on the second advent of Christ, when He comes to reign in
Zion for a thousand years.
Isaiah 51
As you read this chapter circle the commands to listen, look, and awake. Try to understand what unique
thing God is saying in each of these sections. There are lots of words that are
repeated.
Vs. 1-3 The people of promise are really from the promise of Abraham.
The law showed their inability without faith to follow God. It revealed sin.
They were born in the redemptive plan of God. Israel had been barren because of
their sin, but God would lead them to blessing as He used them to fulfill their
destiny.
Vs. 4-11 Notice the mentions of God's righteousness and His salvation.
God will not only save and bring people to Himself, but it will be done with
righteousness. All of mankind, bowing their knees before God, will have to
admit to His justice and righteousness. All those who are judged will know they
deserve it. All those who are saved will know that it was grace and that God
did it righteously.
V. 5 Notice the mention of God's arms.
When Mary praises God in Luke 1:51, she says, He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the
thoughts of their hearts. She and the Spirit clearly saw the coming of the
Messiah in this show of power and regard for the weak.
V. 11 In Isaiah, there has been a continual focus on Zion.
Vs. 12-16 This section seems to be God declaring that it is He who comforts the people. He says to Zion, “You are my people.” This is
interesting when you think that Jesus wept over Jerusalem. The people were
living in fear because they trusted in other things.
Vs. 15 and 16 are God's declaration of His love and power to protect.
This is a very tender reminder to the people that God wants them to embrace
Him. It speaks to me too.
Vs. 17-23 Here it seems, prophetically speaking, judgment has been
passed on Israel, and God again will redeem and restore His people. Then, God
will take the cup of judgment given to Israel and pass it around to the nations
who have oppressed Israel.
Isaiah 52
Vs. 1-6 Jerusalem is to rejoice in its restoration from captivity. But
v. 6 indicates there will be a future recognition of the Lord. That would be
when the Messiah comes and they truly have God's law written on their hearts.
Vs. 7-10 This is definitely when Jesus comes again to Jerusalem.
V. 10 is pretty cool. CNN will probably carry this live. On a more
serious note, Jesus doesn't say what the sign in the sky will be that heralds
His coming, but all nations will see it at the same time, and they will mourn.
Everyone will know that Jesus is the Messiah and God has come to set up His
kingdom. Israel will not mourn, and Jerusalem will be a very exciting place to
be.
Vs. 11-12 This is safety for those who trust God in those final hours
before the Messiah comes.
Vs. 13-15 When the world sees the Messiah come, there will be some
surprises and some shut mouths. I wonder what the ACLU and those voices for
religious pluralism and tolerance will say.
Isaiah 53
These verses answer the shock of the past few verses. They should have
believed but didn't. This chapter is spoken from the perspective of Israel, the
failed servant, speaking in repentance about its Lord, the Suffering Servant
and Savior of man. At the end, the voice is from the Father.
This isn't "law," but I would suggest that every serious
disciple memorize this chapter. I wish I had done it earlier in my walk with
the Lord. I have a feeling that this chapter will be very important to the Jews
in the Tribulation.
V. 1 The initial question is regarding who has believed and why they should have believed.
V. 2 There was a contrast. Those who sought the Lord saw Him. For the
others, Jesus had as much desirability as looking at a root of a tree exposed
above the surface of the ground. That is still true today.
V. 3 Humanly speaking, Jesus was a jobless man from a poor background
with nothing going for Him.
V. 4 Some may have sensed that He was bearing our sin, but it looked
like He was having a lot of bad luck, like God was against Him.
V. 5 But the reality was this.
V. 6 This is their confession of sin.
V. 7 This was true
at His death, and even when you read what Jesus said in conflict with the
Pharisees, He could have said so much more. I was reading today when Jesus told
Peter He could have asked the Father for 12 legions (12,000) of angels, but His
thought was for us. He said to Peter in John 18:11, Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has
given me? Matthew 26:54 says, But how
then should the Scriptures be fulfilled,
that it must be so? Being quiet was important and it took commitment
and strength.
V. 8 At the point of Jesus' death, not even His disciples understood.
V. 9 Jesus was killed with two thieves; and Joseph of Arimathea,
a rich man, placed Jesus' body in his
own tomb.
V. 10 This is the Servant as commissioned by the Father. Notice that
Jesus not only had to submit, but also had to actively make Himself an offering for sin. And look what
happened after He did this.
V. 11 I like the RSV here; He
shall see the fruit of the travail of His soul and be satisfied. By His
knowledge of God's plan He obeyed and we are saved. As His disciples we have
this knowledge too. Do we live by it?
V. 12 As a man, Jesus is the greatest man who ever lived. No one has
ever accomplished for mankind what Jesus has.
Notice that He (Jesus) shall
divide the spoil with the strong. I associate this sharing of spoil not as
giving eternal life to believers, but in the harvest, sharing richly with those
who labor with Him. You see this in Ephesians 4:8. Jesus also said to His
disciples, the one who endures to the end
will be saved (Matt. 10:22, 24:13). In that context, being
"saved" isn't salvation, it is preservation from damage. A person who
endures will maintain a clear attitude of faith. It is no news to us that
trouble is coming. In the song that Paul quoted to Timothy in 2 Timothy
2:11-12, he says, If we have died with
Him, we will also live with Him; if we endure, we will also reign with Him.
I think there is a special sharing of strength and blessing with those who are
working strongly in the harvest with Him.
Ephesians 5
Vs. 1-2 This is like striking the tuning fork to focus us again on the
correct tone. That tone is the love of Christ and the example of Jesus for the
church. It is interesting that we just read Isaiah 53.
Vs. 3-6 Our lives are to be different, following the example of Christ.
This is a dying world with all sorts of people being deceived and needing the
truth. The church in the harvest shouldn't treat this stuff lightly within her
walls. We should extend forgiveness, but as disciples we need to be focused on
our Lord and the harvest.
Vs. 7-14 Living our lives for Christ in the harvest, connecting with
people near us, will cast enough light to be used by God in His purpose for us.
But, we need to live for Christ. We need to allow His change in us, following
Him and praising Him, to make us distinctly His. If we lie and complain and do
what everyone else does, what good is that? Jesus told His disciples to be salt
and light. If you read those commands by Jesus in Matthew 5, you see that they
are very strongly stated.
Vs. 15-21 This is the nature of our walk with Christ.
Notice that we are to be alert, walking like a super spy, observing
everything. That is why this is linked to not being foolish (walking unaware)
but instead understanding what the will
of the Lord is. This is like in John 5, where Jesus observed what the
Father was doing and did it. We are to walk observantly and expectantly,
knowing that the Lord is around us working; and once observed, we should join
in.
Vs. 19-21 This sounds like a worship service, but this is still our
walk. So, how do you define being filled with the Spirit? Here it is:
·
Addressing one another to strengthen and build each other up for
our walk as disciples.
·
Having
our lives focused in the reality of our salvation (chapters 1-3), as we walk in
the harvest.
·
Always
and for everything, giving thanks.
·
Submitting to one another (in accordance with Christ) out of reverence for Christ.
Vs. 22-33 It is funny, that when God points to us being salt and light,
following the Spirit, He addresses marriage first.
Vs. 22-24 I didn't write this, but it is still in force.
Vs. 25-33 Husbands are to love their wives in two ways -
Vs. 25-27 First, by showing the love and leadership of Christ to their
wives. This is a test of a man's understanding of this spiritual truth. If you
know how Christ loved the church, it will be visible in your marriage.
This section says that Christ sanctified the church by the washing with
the Word. So how does a husband imitate this with his wife. I would say that it
is by him being connected to God, and in the Word daily himself, and then
sharing what the Lord says to him with his wife. Many women suffer from
franticness and insecurity, and it is the husband's responsibility to share the
comfort of the Word with his wife. It is sort of like washing her feet, to take
away the dust of the day.
Vs. 28-33 Second, husbands are to love their wives by showing their
understanding of the physical and spiritual unity of man and woman, which reflects
the unity of Christ and the church. There is something extremely spiritual
about the bond of a man and a woman, and if a man ignores this, he ignores it
to his own harm.
The marriage relationship is not only salt and light in a dying world,
but I think too, it comes under the command to be very careful how we walk on
this dying planet as we follow Christ in the harvest.
Psalm 69:19-36
It really is interesting to read this psalm and to also be reading
about the Messiah in Isaiah. I know this was written by David and he
experienced all of this; but having read Isaiah 53, and knowing that the psalm
has application to Jesus, it is easy to see how it reflects what Jesus suffered
for us.
Vs. 19-20 I was just reading today how Jesus asked the disciples to
watch with Him, but they fell asleep. Finally the Father sent an angel to
strengthen Jesus during that moment when He was praying in agony and sweating
like a dying man.
V. 21 is quoted when they offered Jesus vinegar on the cross to keep
Him alive long enough to see if Elijah would come and rescue Him.
Vs. 22-23 are quoted by Paul in Romans 11:10, describing God's judgment
on Israel for their self-imposed blindness and rebellion.
Vs. 24-28 Although many were saved after Jesus' resurrection, the
nation of Israel, its leaders and people, were judged by what they did to
Jesus. This happened in 70 A.D., as the Romans destroyed the temple and the
city.
V. 26 Think of this in terms of what you just read in Isaiah 53.
Vs. 29-36 These are not only the blessings on the Messiah for giving
Himself, but the redeemed will share this blessing with Him in Zion.
And it all works together in praise to God.
Proverbs 24:7
In the gate is referring to the place of the judges and
the elders of the people. It is not that the fool is suddenly wise and knows to
keep his mouth closed; it is that he is not invited in, to give his
"wisdom." Because it mentions the "gates" here, I
automatically think of the elders of a church. There is some wisdom necessary
and some dues to be paid in order to lead a church to work in the harvest,
making disciples, who make disciples. Too many of the wrong men are often
invited into the gates, having neither reaped nor sown in the harvest. They
have made no disciples, and therefore, really have nothing to model or say,
regarding the church and its mission of making disciples.
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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