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.
OCTOBER 21
Today you get the adventures of Jeremiah, and this is the last day in 1
Timothy, which means you'll begin 2 Timothy tomorrow. All of these readings are
full of the heart of God, real life drama and encouragement which we need for
the harvest.
Jeremiah
37-38
Jeremiah 37
This actually took place
before Jeremiah bought the property in chapter 32. Today we find out how
Jeremiah got put in jail back in 32. But the point today is to show how God saved
Jeremiah, to show what a noodle Zedekiah was, and to show how God, even in this
late, dark hour, gave Zedekiah a chance to save himself and the city.
Vs. 1-5 This is some
background. This would have also been the time when they had set the slaves free,
thinking they were all doomed. But now the Babylonians had withdrawn from the
city to fight the Egyptians, and so the people re-enslaved their former slaves.
Vs. 6-10 They were hoping for
good news from Jeremiah, but God assured everyone that Nebuchadnezzar would be
back. In fact, God said that if only wounded soldiers were left, they would
take the city.
Vs. 11-15 So this is how
Jeremiah got thrown in prison. His visit home might have been to decide over
the estate of a relative. Since they threw Jeremiah into prison, in chapter 32
we saw how the family had to come to Jerusalem and see if Jeremiah wanted to
redeem that property from a deceased relative. The family probably thought
Jeremiah was dumb for doing this since the land was already under Babylon’s
control, but God told Jeremiah to do it. He used that "redemption"
event as a sign for the future hope of Israel.
Notice that they beat
Jeremiah.
Vs. 16-21 This is the first
of two interactions Jeremiah would have with Zedekiah. Notice v. 19. It is interesting
that although the false prophets had lost credibility, the people still didn't
want to listen to a true prophet of God. They irrationally thought that if they
could kill the messenger, the judgment of God would also go away.
Again, even though Jeremiah
was locked up and in danger, he might have been in more danger if he had been
out with the starving people.
Jeremiah 38
Vs. 1-4 Being in the king's
court gave Jeremiah the freedom to preach and get his message out. That didn't
make these guys happy.
Vs. 5-6 We'll see in a few
verses what a scared man Zedekiah really was. Interestingly enough, they wanted
to kill Jeremiah, but not be responsible for his death. This cistern would have
been like a deep room under a house that held rain water. The water was gone
but the mud was still there. Rather than kill Jeremiah or just throw him in,
they lowered him into the mud so he wouldn't be killed in the fall but would
die of "natural" causes like suffocation or starvation. Nice guys.
Vs. 7-13 So you find this Ethiopian
eunuch, a God-fearing Gentile, saving the day. Did you know that there were two
Ethiopian eunuchs in the Bible and both were God-fearing men? This is quite an
adventure. The ESV says 30 men, but some other versions say three. Who knows?
Thirty might seem like over-kill, but some of them probably were for lifting,
while others were to ward off the bad guys. After this, Zedekiah did a better
job of protecting Jeremiah.
Vs. 14-26 This is quite a
portion of Scripture. Zedekiah was a weak, scared man. If he had listened, I'm
sure the Lord would have done exactly what He promised. Zedekiah and the city
would have been saved. This is very sad. Zedekiah and many people will pay for
this disobedience. In four chapters, we will see another group of people make
the same mistake of asking Jeremiah for God’s Word and then disobeying it.
Vs. 27-28 Zedekiah had reason
to worry, but had no faith to obey.
The kind of faith and
resolve, we are taught by the Spirit, gives us the willingness to obey and
follow the truth even if it means our death. That is why as disciples in the
harvest following our Lord we also bear a cross and never leave home without
it. It shows that we belong to Him and hear His voice.
1
Timothy 6
Vs. 1-2 Notice that Paul is
concerned here with how non-Christians viewed God as a result of the behavior
of the saved slaves.
Vs. 3-5 There is a lot to
observe here.
Notice that Paul didn't have
an open mind regarding these issues or these people. Timothy was to teach them
and anyone who taught otherwise was not only in the wrong, they were evil.
It looks like there were
available copies of the Gospels and Jesus' teachings. In fact, the Gospels of
Matthew, Mark and Luke would have been finished and in circulation. There were
already teachers disagreeing with Jesus.
Finally, it looks like some
people saw Christianity as a good way to make a living.
Vs. 6-10 This looks like the difference between people who are
following Jesus in the harvest and those who are living for themselves in
church. Since Paul had access to the Gospels, I'm sure this teaching matched
what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount. And
as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on
their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and
their fruit does not mature (Luke 8:14). Can you see this verse in
what Paul is saying here? I think the thorns are there also.
Vs. 11-12 Timothy was to be
fully devoted. I think this teaching is meant to be imitated by all of Jesus'
disciples who are following Him in the harvest. There are several sermons
packed into these two verses. Notice in v. 11, at the end of the list is gentleness. The person who is the
deepest in the Lord has the greatest security and control in the storm.
There is a conscious fight in
following the Lord in the harvest every day. It is work to pick up the Bible,
and it is work to carry the message into the field. That is why the Lord said
we needed to take up the cross, our resolve to die for Him, every day. Take hold is the same as putting on the
helmet of salvation. It is living securely in that reality. You can take a lot
of beating and strain if you know you'll live forever with the King.
Vs. 13-16 This is the primary
and strongest charge to Timothy in the book. There is a lot to see here. If you
look at what Jesus said to Pilate, you understand that Jesus claimed to be the
King. Actually, if you put all of the accounts together, Jesus was fairly
chatty. He never defended Himself, but when it had to do with His kingship, He
spoke. Notice too that the coming of the Lord is mentioned in this charge. It
is never to be out of our sight.
Vs. 17-19 This wasn't meant
to insure salvation for the rich, but rather to show who was the real Lord and Master
of their lives. Notice that this fits into what Jesus says about riches in the
Sermon on the Mount. Take hold means
living in the reality of. If we have other things that are more important to
us, then the reality of the spiritual life, the Lord's leading and our mission
on earth, become strangely dim and foggy to us.
Vs. 20-21 Paul wouldn't have
cautioned Timothy like this if he hadn't seen the possibility that Timothy
could get off track. All of us can become unfocused or distracted or caught up
in something that leads us away from our work in the harvest. Just like us,
Timothy was in constant need of grace.
Whatever had happened in Ephesus and whatever was brewing in that
post-Acts period of time was used by the Lord to give us this book and the one
that follows. We are seeing a first-generation disciple working with a second-generation
disciple, making disciples for the future. There is a lot of great Scripture in
this letter and in the next, but what is most obvious is how the love of Christ
had made Paul into this very passionate and wise maker of disciples. The same
will happen to us if we stay close to the Lord in His Word and in the harvest.
But
he who is joined to the Lord becomes
one spirit with him (1 Cor. 6:17).
Psalm
89:38-52
Now we get to the real pain
of this psalm. It looks like it was written after the destruction of Jerusalem.
We are about to read about this destruction in Jeremiah. This psalm could have
been written in Babylon or in the days of the first groups that returned to the
ruined Jerusalem after the exile.
Vs. 38-45 If you want to
follow the trail of destruction and judgment, just underline you.
Vs. 46-48 This is a short
description of our helplessness in this universe without the Lord.
Vs. 49-52 As he waited on God
to restore and fulfill His promises, the psalmist never forgot the steadfast love of the Lord and to bless
the Lord for His faithfulness. God
had made a promise to Adam and Eve, to Abraham, and to David that a Savior
would come; and it was guaranteed to happen because all of those promises were
anchored in the very character and person of God.
Vs. 50-51 This morning I was
reading how Jesus was mocked while He hung on the cross, while pouring out His
soul for our redemption and paying for our sins.
Proverbs
25:28
Amen.
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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