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 30
This is another big day
because you are beginning Hebrews.
Lamentations
2:20-3:66
Lamentations 2:20-22
Even though God had warned
the people that this is what would happen if they rejected Him, and even though
He did everything He could to try to help them, it was still hard for Jeremiah
to watch it all take place. Remember that rejecting God isn't just a
"right or wrong" thing. The further a person or culture walks away
from God, the sicker the heart becomes and the more distorted behavior becomes
in that sickness. They had become a sick, cancerous society.
V. 20 Notice that two sacred
things were violated: the "holiness" of a mother and child and the
"holiness" of the priest in the temple. When sin rules there is no
holiness or safe place.
V. 21 The young and the old
were like the pride of a city, a sign of prosperity and wellbeing. The young
men and young women were like those who are fruitful and bring the future. All
were killed. The mention of dust is interesting because you'll see that again
in the psalm.
V. 22 This was a tragic, long
foretold, grand event.
Lamentations 3
Vs. 1-20 This is Jeremiah's
"a ministry in review." No one would envy him. When I read v. 1, I
always see, I am the man who has seen
affliction. As you go through this section underline he and you'll find several divisions in The One Year Bible
text. Each of these divisions shows another poetic image of how Jeremiah felt.
It will give you a deeper appreciation of Jeremiah's years as a prophet and
this trauma of seeing all of the prophecies of judgment fulfilled before his
eyes.
As we follow the Lord in the
harvest, if we are close to Him and bearing fruit, we should expect to identify
with some of what Jeremiah experienced and felt. Paul had a hard service. Jesus
said that a disciple was not above his teacher. Jesus was not treated kindly by
those He came to save. Yet, the flipside of the suffering was the blessing. Jesus
was blessed as foretold in Isaiah 53. Sharing the blessings of the gospel drove
Paul on in his service. And we're about to see that Jeremiah was blessed too,
because of what he learned about the Lord Himself.
Vs. 18-20 This seems to be as
deep as you can go. Poor Jeremiah.
Vs. 21-24 This seems to be as
high as you can go. And, you realize that Jeremiah could only say this with
such reality and conviction, because God had shown him Himself through all of
what Jeremiah lived through in vs. 1-20. As the old song goes, "you must
go through the valley, to stand upon the mountain of God."
Vs. 25-39 These seem like
proverbs Jeremiah has learned in all of his long work with the Lord and with
the people. Some of this is written in retrospect, thinking of how the people
could have been more open to the Lord and allowed themselves to be corrected
and guided by Him. The ESV does a good job of grouping the thoughts.
Vs. 25-27 This is what
Jeremiah learned and what the people rejected. This is something that every disciple
in the harvest has to learn, often through trial.
Vs. 28-30 Submitting to the
Lord is not easy. We need to recognize that our sin has to be dealt with and we
need to be humbled. Learning to live according to the new man and not the old
often comes through mistakes and God's correction. I have met many believers
who will never do this because of their pride and their vision of following
Jesus that says everything is about them and their welfare.
Vs. 31-33 And this is the
hope we learn by allowing God to humble us as we learn to follow. His love and
faithfulness are proven again and again in our lives. These lessons were deeply
impressed on the soul of Jeremiah.
Vs. 34-39 Verses 34-36 either
express the injustice going on in Israel, or they were charges brought against
the Lord for allowing His people to be punished by Babylon. But, God is true
and doesn't approve of that kind of stuff. Verses 37-39 give the answer that
since God is the Most High, He can't
be charged with evil but He punishes evil. That punishment shouldn't be called
unjust.
Vs. 40-42 Therefore Jeremiah
calls the people to repent.
Vs. 43-47 Because God has
done this….
Vs. 48-51 … Jeremiah will
continue to weep and intercede for his people and to live before the Lord. When
I read this I think of the life of Daniel, who lived with this same resolve and
intensity before the Lord, praying for his people.
Vs. 52-66 Yet Jeremiah
suffered for following God. The very nation he is crying for, at least that
generation of them, made Jeremiah's life and service hard. But God was with
Jeremiah and saved him and judged them. Underline you and you will see that Jeremiah agreed with God's judgment of
that generation.
What helped Jeremiah survive,
and what helps us in the harvest, is that our reward and nourishment is
following the Lord. The Lord Himself is the reward, not people, not results,
only Him. He gives us energy and hope and joy that cannot be taken away.
Hebrews
1
The letter to the Hebrews was
probably written after the events in the book of Acts (62 A.D.) and before the
destruction of the temple in Jerusalem (70 A.D.). No one knows what church this
might have been. Though it could have been a letter that circulated to a lot of
cities and churches, it seems to be addressed to a particular group in a
particular place. The main issue in the book is one we've seen come up in a few
of Paul's letters, that is, the temptation to bring more Jewish law into the
practice of following Christ. It seems that these Jewish Christians were being
pressured by the local community to slip back into the observance of the law.
The letter has a
"sermonic" sense to it. Although the argument is very logical, there
is a feel to what is said, as if a formal, public exposition is being made.
No one knows who wrote
Hebrews. Paul would be a good guess because of the very logical writing and the
very deep knowledge of the Scripture. Of all the NT writers, Paul is the only
one we see with this bent. People say that some of the style and word usage is
different than Paul's; but if this were a public sermon, that might account for
the differences. The other best guess is Barnabas. Barnabas was a Levite and it
would explain the vast knowledge of the OT. Other guesses range from Timothy to
Apollos, although Timothy, himself, is mentioned at the end of Hebrews.
From beginning to end,
remember that this group of converted Jews had once been very alive and willing
to suffer for Christ. Now, after these years, the rising of persecution had
them reeling and wondering if maybe a little "law" would really hurt,
especially if it made the persecution go away.
Hebrews 1:1-14
Vs. 1-2 As you read this you
sense that this is a formal beginning to a sermon. And you notice that a
comparison is being made. Also, it says we are in the last days.
Vs. 3-14 So, as you read this
you already know that Jesus is "better" than everything else, but
what do you think might be some of the underlying problems that are being
addressed? If anyone thought Jesus was just an angel made by God into a god,
this section speaks against that. In this section you see Jesus as fully God
and fully man, born in the flesh, but eternal. Also, if Jesus were just to be
regarded as a good teacher or one of many prophets, that would also be totally
wrong.
Vs. 3-4 This is the summary
of Jesus in His divinity, His position as the human "Son of Man." The
fact that Jesus sat down and took that place was necessary to fulfill prophecy
and to show that a son of Adam could assume lawful, sinless authority over the
world of men.
Vs. 5-6 Jesus is the Son who
is worshipped. As Jesus said in His temptation and confrontation with Satan,
only God can be worshipped. God said so.
Vs. 7-9 Notice the contrast.
Angels are ministers of God, but in v. 8 God calls Jesus, God.
Vs. 10-12 And this Son is
eternal. Hold on to these verses because you'll see them again very soon.
Vs. 13-14 Jesus sat down at
the right hand of God. That is amazing. The angels were created to serve those
who would inherit eternal life. Think of this too in terms of Satan
overstepping his authority. I believe that he was supposed to serve man, but
through rebellion found a way to have authority over mankind when Adam and Eve
sinned.
Every day as I read the
Gospels, I'm always humbled by the very real challenge everyone had looking at
that "unbeautiful" and unattractive Jewish man, that tree root
visible in the dry ground. They watched Him work a wonder and heard Him say God
was His Father. How could that little Jewish guy be the one of whom it is said,
All things were made through him and
without him was not any thing made that was made (John 1:3)? Only by the
grace and Spirit of God can we be privileged to understand this, and know and
serve Him in the harvest.
Psalm
102
Vs. 1-11 It looks to me like
Jeremiah wrote a psalm. No, actually it looks like this was written after the
people returned to Jerusalem after the exile. They were low and despised then
too. It will take getting to v. 12 to see that this comes from the returned
exiles.
Vs. 12-17 Notice the focus on
rebuilding Zion. Look at v. 14 and remember the dust in Lamentations 2:21.
There is a future feel to these verses because someday all nations will honor
the Lord in Zion.
Vs. 18-22 This is being
written for the next generation so they will praise God. Sounds like they are
interested in disciple-making too. This section also ends with a view to the
end of time when the King rules.
Vs. 23-28 This is their
present despair and their future hope. What if I told you I can prove from this
section that that hope is in the redemptive plan of God and in the work of
Jesus? How? Look at vs. 25-27. Now look at Hebrews 1:10-12. Who are those
verses in Hebrews talking about? Kind of interesting, huh?
Proverbs
26:21-22
The destruction spoken of in
these verses is incredible. The image of fire is obvious, but the morsel that
goes down deep is ten times worse. When a lie becomes imbedded in a heart of a
person or a culture, it may never come out.
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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