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.
NOVEMBER 14
Ezekiel 29-30
I was caught off guard by this reading. I've been reading like this
since 1995, and what I read today sent me thinking. I finally saw something
that was right in the text, but I had never paid attention to it. I'll mention
it when we get there.
Ezekiel 29
Vs. 1-12 According to 2 Kings 25:1-3, the siege of Jerusalem began on 9.10.10,
that is, the ninth year (of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign) in the tenth month on the
tenth day. The city would be taken on 11.4.9, exactly a year and a half later.
Notice when this judgment is given. 10.10.12 would be the tenth year in the
tenth month on the twelfth day (January 5, 587 B.C.). The siege had been going
for a year and there were only six months to go.
Vs. 6-9 Notice why this punishment is promised. Egypt was one of those
nations that enticed Judah to break off their relationship with Babylon. Egypt
promised them protection in spite of what God told the people through the
prophets.
Vs. 9-10 It was typical back then to see the king as a little god or
the god's man on earth. You see this as far in history as Rome, and I tend to
think that the Roman Catholic Church borrowed the idea with the pope
(especially in light of Matt. 23:9). God always opposed this kind of arrogance,
especially since He is the Creator.
Also, keep underlining know that
I am the Lord. Even as this phrase is used in this section, it raises some
interesting questions.
Vs. 13-16 Egypt would also be taken into captivity and allowed to
return after 40 years. Their return would coincide with the return of Israel.
Notice too, that they would never again be a world power.
Vs. 17-20 This is the defeat of Egypt. Notice the time marker. It is
now 27.1.1 (April 26, 571 B.C.). This is 16 years later and still a couple of
years (about 568 B.C.) before Nebuchadnezzar set up his throne over those rocks
that Jeremiah buried. This is what really got me thinking. When Jeremiah buried
those stones in Jeremiah 43:10, he told the people who were in rebellion that
God would bring Nebuchadnezzar to Egypt to destroy it and to judge them, but
that judgment wouldn't come for another 15-18 years. They must have thought
that Jeremiah (and God) were nuts as the years kept slipping away and nothing
happened. That is almost the same amount of time from the first time
Nebuchadnezzar entered Jerusalem, mildly looting the temple and taking Daniel
and others as prisoners, to the destruction of Jerusalem. It just made me think
how patient God is, on the one hand, and how He uses time and silence to build
and prove and test our faith (or lack of faith) in His Word.
After Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem in 586, he went back to work
on Tyre. Neb never could defeat the city, but it did surrender in about 572.
Since there must have been an agreement for peace, and since the city fathers
had shipped off the wealth of the city to an undisclosed location, Nebuchadnezzar
had nothing to pay his troops. So, they went to Egypt. Neb had already broken
the power of Egypt, so it was an easy victory and the place was full of riches
(gold, silver, iPads, flat screen TVs, etc.) for his men.
V. 21 It is hard to fully understand what this verse is saying. The
mention of a horn usually has
something to do with a deliverer or king. One guess would be that when
Zerubbabel (of the house of David) led the first group of exiles back to
Israel, he read from Ezekiel when they arrived in Jerusalem.
Ezekiel 30
Vs. 1-4 These verses have a Tribulation/ end-times feeling and might
have some connection to v. 21. Egypt will receive millennial blessing.
Vs. 5-19 Back to God's judgment on Egypt by Nebuchadnezzar. Notice vs.
8 and 19. There are still two more to come in this chapter.
Vs. 20-26 This would be about April 29, 587. During the siege of
Jerusalem, Egypt challenged Nebuchadnezzar and Neb left Jerusalem for a short
time. If you remember, it was during this time in Jerusalem that the wealthy
reclaimed their slaves. But Neb "broke the arms" of Egypt and
returned to finish up with Jerusalem, knowing that Egypt wouldn't be a threat
any longer.
Hebrews 11:32-12:13
I guess the question in this section is, "How long do you pursue
God in faith?" The answer is found in all the faithful examples of the
lives to which the author is about to refer.
Hebrews 11:32-40
Vs. 32-39 You'll notice that vs. 32-34 seem positive and the rest seem
negative. But if you look into the lives of David and the prophets, there was a
lot of "negative" for them to endure too, as they followed in faith.
V. 37 Tradition has it that Isaiah was sawn in two by King Manasseh.
V. 38 This wandering could have been David or Elijah or others or all
of them together.
V. 39 This is something Jesus mentioned, that many prophets and kings
longed to see what the disciples saw, but didn't see it.
V. 40 The fulfillment was in Jesus, and we have tasted the first fruit
of this blessing, which is also the fulfillment of their faith. They held on
through long, difficult times, following in faith, living and dying for their
faith. Obviously the writer and the Spirit are saying that these people (and we
too) ought to do the same.
Hebrews 12:1-13
Vs. 1-2 The running of this race in faith with endurance is defined and modeled by our Savior. If you unpack
these verses you know what a disciple is supposed to do on earth. What would
you say a disciple is supposed to do?
Vs. 3-4 Jesus is the model of living, and living by faith. The question
of "how long" is answered in Jesus: to the death. The Hebrew readers
of this letter had not yet gone that far.
Vs. 5-11 The word discipline
means "child training," so this isn't strictly punitive. It is
comprehensive training as any parent would do in teaching and nurturing a
child. Notice the alternating examples of our earthly fathers and God.
V. 10 This holiness isn't
just "purity," but also being set apart to God and His purpose.
V. 11 It is OK not to feel good when God is teaching us. Just as we
learned in Job, it is knowing the goodness of the Lord as revealed in His Word,
and knowing He is totally wise that gives us the endurance to hold on in faith.
Job did it. All the people in Hebrews 11 did it. Jesus did it. Therefore, the
Hebrews (and we) should do it too.
V. 12-13 This is a warning. If a person allows a weak faith to wreck
them, their hurt can grow deeper, to the place of shipwrecking their faith and
taking them away from God's rest and blessing, possibly for the duration of
their time on earth. We've seen this expressed by the writer in other ways.
Paul and Jesus said the same things.
Psalm 112
This is a great psalm and must have been written by someone who had
gone through deep trials and darkness, but endured by faith and proved God to
be true to His Word. This song, and its confidence, is the result.
Vs. 1 This sets the tone and subject of the psalm. This is about a
person who fears the Lord and lives in His commandments. Psalm 1 and Psalm
119 give the idea of always meditating on the Word.
Vs. 2-3 The person will have and leave a godly heritage. Notice that v.
3 is a refrain in this psalm that marks the changing of the subject.
Vs. 4-6 This person also brings God's truth, and with it, all the
character of God, His graciousness, mercy and love. He brings God's justice. He
is remembered forever.
Vs. 7-9 His heart is secure and he is unwavering, helping those around
him. He will be honored .
V. 10 This is also kind of like how Psalm 1 ends.
This is a lot of encouragement to stay in God's Word. That is exactly
what we're doing.
Proverbs 27:17
Sounds like a great title for a book. This assumes that the men are
godly men. This is exactly what Jesus meant by making disciples. But, He also
cautioned that a disciple is not above his teacher. We ourselves need to become
the kind of iron that can sharpen other iron. That's what we're trying to do
here.
Proverbs 27:15-16
It is hard to find any order to these thoughts if you only go one or
two verses at a time. I would suggest that this is a block from vs. 11 to 16,
and that vs. 11-12 hold the leading thought. Verses 13-16 show things that a
person suffers, if he is not prudent from the beginning in entering into
relationships.
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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