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 28
We have some great portions of Scripture today and we finish Ephesians.
It is a little awe inspiring to think that as these words were written to men
and women generations ago, God knew you would be reading this today. Wait until
you see how the Lord will touch your heart with some of these words.
As a reminder, remember it is more important to be reading your one-year
Bible than to be reading these notes. If you have missed some days, weeks or
months, just dive in today. It will give you confidence in telling others to do
the same, and you will feel good about rebuilding your routine. If you mark the
pages, you will be able to go back and catch up if that is important to your
psyche, as it apparently is to mine. I put a number for the year at the top of
each page. This year (2015), I put a "5." After the number of years
I've been doing this, I have a string of numbers along the top of each page. If
I miss a day, I know where to go back and read.
Remember, this isn't a religious routine. You are trusting the Lord in
faith that He will take the Word and feed your heart. It is spending time with
Him. Today you have Isaiah 55, and in it is one of the greatest promises in the
Word about the power of the Word. Grab a latte and settle in with the Lord.
Isaiah 54-57:13
Isaiah 54
This blessing is being spoken to all generations of Israel, but is
focused on the generation alive when Jesus returns as the conquering king to
save and restore Israel. When Jesus reigns, they will multiply in peace and no
enemy will threaten them.
Vs. 1-3 Because of sin and paying the price of being an example to
mankind, rather than being fruitful, Israel has been desolate. The promise to
Abraham will still be fulfilled. They will be like the sand of the sea, and all
nations will be blessed through them.
Vs. 4-8 God will bring them to fulfill their destiny with great
compassion and love. Cool.
Vs. 9-10 The days of Noah
probably refers to the year that Noah was on the waters. Afterward God made a
covenant that a world flood would never come again and gave a sign for that
covenant. God has sworn to Israel that there will be a fulfilling of His love
for them.
Vs. 11-14 God will establish Israel in righteousness and with style.
Vs. 15-17 And woe to anyone who picks a fight with Israel. That will be
particularly true the last seven years before the Lord returns.
Isaiah 55
As a result of the Savior who will come (Ch. 53) and because of the
great promise made to establish and glorify Israel (Ch. 54), now God gives an
invitation to come to Him.
This is a great chapter to memorize. Isaiah is speaking to his people
in the current day, but it will apply to any generation of Israel. And it
applies to you and to any other person on the planet.
V. 1 Jesus stood up in the middle of the Feast of the Tabernacles on
the great day at the great moment of the procession and yelled this out. How
embarrassing. No, how urgent the time was for Israel. Israel was the failing
servant, who needed to grasp who Jesus was. He was their King and Servant of
God who would pour out His life for the sins of the world. This was mentioned
in John 7:37-39.
Notice that the call is made to all, but will only be heard by those
who are thirsty. Actually, we are all dying of thirst, but only some people
know it. Notice too, that what God promises is lavish, wine and milk. And it is
affordable for 100% of humanity.
V. 2 This is what Jesus told the crowd in John 6:27, the day many of
His disciples left Him. It is a good question for all of us, and notice again
that what God offers is lavish.
V. 3 Not only does God promise life for those who come to Him, He
promises commitment and love. This covenant with David isn't the promise that a
son would sit on his throne; rather, it is the promise of God to be with David
and to use him. This is what helped David the ten years he was running from
Saul.
Vs. 4-5 God did two things with David. First, He used David to give
testimony and praise to all the nations. Think of all of the psalms we've read.
Second, God brought many nations to David. They were not just in submission to
Israel. There were nations that came to David to seek God, because of his
testimony for God.
If Israel would turn to God, the nations would come to them too. God
would do that because He had raised them up and exalted them. This will happen
in the Millennium. For us, once God's light is shining in us and through us, He
Himself begins to draw people to us.
Vs. 6-7 This invitation is interesting. God can always be found and He
is always near, but it is our need and our sense of needing help that makes a
person seek God. If the wicked man is tired of his way, he will turn to the
Lord. If the unrighteous man is tired of his thoughts, he will seek the Lord.
Notice the amazing grace, forgiveness and compassion that is offered if
people will only turn to the Lord.
As disciples this even applies to us. We are never to stop seeking God
or calling on Him. But we are not wicked or unrighteous are we? Do we still
need the Lord's help? I only need to think of my driving this past week and the
random thoughts that I have caught running through my head this week, to know
this applies to me. How can God change all of this?
Vs. 8-9 Not only does God present us with new ways and thoughts by
showing us His ways and thoughts, but He knows how to change us. His ways of
working and the depth of His wisdom are totally beyond us. How can God effect
change and transformation that will make us like Him and make us a testimony to
His grace?
Vs. 10-11 Change comes to the heart through the Word of God. Notice
that this isn't a cloudburst. It is daily, gradual, persistent rain. This is
why we need to read the Bible every day. It waters the earth; it moistens the
hard resistant ground through and through. It gives seed for the sower (the
harvest) and it gives the sower life and nourishment. Notice too that it makes the earth bring forth. The working
of the Word is irresistible. We don't have to force it. It naturally produces
its fruit in us over time, little by little, as we live in the Word.
V. 12 Going forth in joy is understandable, but notice that they or we
will be led forth in peace. There is no sense of being alone or forgotten by
God. Just as we go out into the harvest, we are following, and therefore, being
led. Jesus is the Good Shepherd who goes before and leads those who are His.
The image of the mountains singing and the trees clapping their hands
sounds like something out of a Looney-Tunes cartoon, until you think of what
Paul and the Spirit say in Romans 8:19-21. When Israel turns to their Messiah,
or when a person turns to follow Christ, it signals the future event of the
creation being set free from bondage; therefore, there is singing and clapping
in anticipation of that coming event.
V. 13 Regardless of what has been planted in the past of a nation or of
a person, God will turn thorns and things that bring injury and pain into
cypress trees giving shade and comfort. He will turn briers and agitations into
beautiful myrtle trees.
And when God does this, it will bring glory to Him. Why? Because the
world can see what He can do, and this change He brings to a nation or a person
will not end. It will carry into eternity.
Isaiah 56
Isaiah is saying this to his people, present at that time.
Vs. 1-2 It is hard to wait on the Lord, but God promises that He will
do what He promises. In the meantime, those who love and follow the Lord keep
obeying and following.
Vs. 3-8 These blessings are spoken to Israel and to Gentiles. Anyone
could join themselves to Israel. That was the purpose of Israel as God's
servant. As hinted at here and seen later, Israel will again be God's restored
servant; and all nations will come to the Lord through them.
V. 3 Eunuchs were excluded from temple worship under the law, but God
never, ever excludes anyone who loves Him. It is possible that both Daniel and
Nehemiah were eunuchs.
The mention of the Sabbath during the time of the law was really a sign
of faith. It took faith to keep the Sabbath when others might have been working
on the Sabbath, taking your jobs and making more money than you. It was easy to
look around, be jealous of the ungodly, and give up keeping the Sabbath.
Notice that Jesus quoted a part of v. 7 when He cleansed the temple the
second time in Matthew 21:13.
Read v. 8 and then
compare it to what Jesus said in John 10:16, And I have other sheep
that are not of this fold. I
must bring them also, and they
will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.
Vs. 9-12 This punishment is on those in Israel who won't listen, but
instead reject the promises God has made in these chapters. This discourse will
continue to v. 13 of the next chapter.
Isaiah 57:1-13
Vs. 1-2 Notice that the righteous live alongside the ungodly, and
though faced with the same circumstances, they take refuge in the Lord and lie
in peace in their beds.
Vs. 3-13 These people seek help in idols and have given themselves to
the passions of their flesh. This sounds like the beginning of Ephesians 5. Notice
the alternation between idolatry and immorality. Man made gods who allow what
man likes. What a great system…not.
V. 11 Their fear was senseless and was a result of not fearing God.
What irony.
V. 13 This is a great contrast. Those who cried out to idols would be
blown away. Those who took refuge in the Lord would possess the land.
Ephesians 6
Get ready for some great verses and thoughts.
Vs. 1-4 This is walking as saved kids and saved parents.
Vs. 5-9 Imagine being a slave and coming to Christ. This would require
a lot of faith. Laura and I saw the movie, "The Help." Just watching
the injustice and treatment of these people was jarring. I don't think you can
imagine the faith needed to follow Christ in those kinds of circumstances,
unless God places you there. Believing masters were to walk by faith in Christ
also.
As disciples, the kind of service mentioned here is the least we can do
in following Christ in light of what the Lord has done for us.
Vs. 10-18 Putting on the armor in vs. 11 and 13 is commanded, not
suggested; and it is used to withstand, not to attack. We don't attack them; we
walk, following Christ in the harvest, focused on lost people and making
disciples. There is no hint of an idea of being preoccupied with the spiritual
battle. Our job is the rescue, turning our attention to this battle only as we
are attacked and they stand in the way. The battle is all around us, so we wear
the armor; but our goal is something different. We are to be reaching out to
the dying and making disciples, who make disciples. The command to stand in v.
13 has a sense of urgency.
V. 11 Notice the word schemes.
V. 12 This adds definition to every other time we have heard the words,
heavenly places. According to the
book of Revelation, Satan doesn't get kicked out of heaven until the middle of
the Tribulation.
For my take on the importance of the shoes, you can look at: http://fencerail.blogspot.com/2010/10/no-shoes-no-service-no-harvest.html. This article also appears at the end of this document.
V. 17 I know that all of the pieces of the armor could have books
written about them, but I really think being in the Word daily is necessary for
all of them. For example, look at the
helmet of salvation. Think of what we have been reading in Isaiah, how God
is our Creator and Redeemer, linking the work of His hands to the love He has
for us. I have read that several times, but this last week it has been sinking
more and more into my thinking and my heart. That definitely strengthens the helmet of salvation. Actually, we
have read Ephesians 1-3, and that strengthens our understanding and awe of our
own salvation.
We are all too spiritually bi-polar to go a day without the Word. We
only kid ourselves if we are not reading it daily, drawing near to God. Without
the Word and the Spirit's constant work in our hearts, all of this armor is
meaningless and we're just sitting ducks.
Vs. 19-20 This is Paul's present struggle waiting his trial in Rome at
the end of Acts.
Vs. 21-22 Paul was always working to strengthen others.
Vs. 23-24 There's a lot of love in these verses. Love and faith are
often connected in Paul's thinking; for example, in 1 Timothy 1:14 and 2
Timothy 1:13. Isn't it interesting that Paul makes this last blessing
conditional? Grace be with all who…
These are the ones who live in and truly experience the grace of Jesus Christ.
The word incorruptible sounds
moral, or maybe industrial, like "rustproof." It is a good word, but
doesn't clearly say what it means in this context. I like the RSV and NIV,
"undying."
Thinking about undying love, doesn't it seem like that is what God is
saying through Isaiah? Finishing up this section of Isaiah on the poured out
love of the Messiah, and finishing Ephesians and the limitless grace and love
of God in Jesus, what other response should there be from us as His disciples,
but undying love and a poured out life, telling of His love in the harvest?
Psalm 70
It's interesting to me that most of the time we don't panic; but when
panic comes, even though it is really only in our heads and hearts, all of life
seems to be full of desperation and stress. If we really could see the
spiritual reality around us, we would all be wrecks. If we could see the dark
spiritual forces around us, manipulating us and those around us, taking lives,
we would probably lose our minds. But at least we would cry out with real
urgency. We would cry out like David does here.
Vs. 1-3 David seems to have been close to those who were threatening
him.
Vs. 4-5 God is our great hope, but we are always needy and always in
need of His help.
We will always
face desperation, so we need to make our hearts submit in faith to the love and
purpose of our Father. He proved His love and commitment to us by sending His
Son and giving us His Spirit. If He is our refuge and love, we will live
forever with Him and can sleep now in peace (Is. 57:1-2).
I have
said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will
have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world (John 16:33). As they say, "It's
not what you know. It's Who you know."
Proverbs 24:8
You remember what you just read in Ephesians 6:11, right? I'd say that
was an interesting coincidence. 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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