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 2
Ezekiel 3:16-6:14
Keep finding words to circle or underline.
Ezekiel 3:16-27
Vs. 16-21 God has commissioned Ezekiel and is now laying out his
responsibility and charge. This is a very serious and vivid image. I'm thankful
that our motivation in the harvest is the grace and love that we have found in
Christ. Still, we can identify with this responsibility to warn others.
Vs. 22-27 It is interesting that God gave Ezekiel this news as He
showed him His glory. Think over what God just told him. God was going to bind
him at home so he couldn't go out (paralysis?) and make Ezekiel unable to
speak. Only as God gave him an assignment or gave him a word would Ezekiel be
able to go out and be able to speak. This would be for about seven years of his
life and marriage, until he received news of the fall of Jerusalem. It was nice
that he had seen the glory of God first.
This would be a sign to the people and it would protect Ezekiel.
Normally he would be fully harmless, totally "bound" (whatever that
meant) and absolutely speechless. Why hurt a guy like that? I can't imagine
this was any fun for his wife, but I have a feeling God gave them some grace in
this. Maybe when no one was looking, God let Ezekiel do the dishes.
Ezekiel 4
This "sign" is fairly self-explanatory in its details. This
had to have been very public and visual. God probably allowed Ezekiel to go to
a public place like a market and do this.
Vs. 1-3 This was not happening yet in Israel for about another three
years, but Ezekiel would enact the future siege of Jerusalem.
Vs. 4-8 No one is completely sure what the significance of those days
(years) is, especially for how they apply to Judah. Judah went on about 100
years longer than the northern kingdom. What is interesting is that once
Ezekiel got himself set up on one side or the other, God paralyzed him again so
that he couldn't move.
Vs. 9-17 This would show the people how desperate times would be in the
city. God gave Ezekiel some grace here, because human waste wasn't an
acceptable way for anyone, especially a priest, to cook his food. Yet, in the
desperation of the siege of Jerusalem, this is how things would be.
Summing this up: The madman who lived in that house over there, who
couldn't move or speak, would come out every day, go into the busy market
square with a big building stone that said "Jerusalem" on it. Then he
would make it look like a city in siege. He would then lie on his side the
whole day, paralyzed. Then he would suddenly move and would make bread over cow
pies. Then he would get up, take the brick and go home, and do it all over
again the next day. He did it for 430 days, for over a year. The elders would
go to him and ask what this meant; and once or twice suddenly, he spoke and
told them. Now the word has spread around and everyone comes to the market to
see the crazy prophet.
The people hoped that Jerusalem would survive, but God was telling them
it wouldn't.
Ezekiel 5
Vs. 1-4 Remember that Ezekiel had to have done this publicly if it was
to have had any impact. Imagine a guy in the mall suddenly pulling out a sword
and shaving his head and then doing the rest of this. It would be memorable to
say the least.
I'm sure people laughed for a while, but as we'll see, eventually they
began to take Ezekiel very seriously.
Vs. 5-17 This is a public declaration from the Lord. Again, look for
stuff to underline. God really wanted them to know that He is the Lord. Notice
here how often the Lord says, nations all
around you.
V. 11 It isn't clear to us yet how the sanctuary of the Lord's temple
was defiled, but that is coming up. God will take Ezekiel on a field trip.
Ezekiel 6
Vs. 1-7 I think this, too, was a public declaration. Somewhere in the
market square or in the official part of the city, Ezekiel took a stand and
announced that he was facing (or maybe seeing) the mountains of Israel; and
when he had their attention, the Lord let loose. The land was full of idols and
the worship of these was most often sick and sexual. Notice how this section
ends.
Vs. 8-10 Somehow in their exile, the people who live on will finally
acknowledge that their punishment is the result of their whoring heart. Notice how this section ends.
Vs. 11-14 Those who are left in Jerusalem apparently were the worst of
the worst. God promised to punish those who remained and those who ran. We saw
this in Jeremiah, when the remnant there fled to Egypt and took Jeremiah
hostage with them. God led Nebuchadnezzar to Egypt to find them. Interestingly,
that event hasn't happened yet at this point in time. Notice how this section
ends.
Guess what the important recurring phrase in this chapter is?
Hebrews 4
This chapter is just full of stuff. The one question you need to find
some clarity in is "what is this rest?"
In the OT the rest had to do
with entering the land, not specifically being saved. As mentioned, the
disobedience of the people, including Moses, kept them from entering the rest that God had prepared for them.
In the land, as God's covenant people, God promised to care for them
completely. They needed to work, but there was peace and security promised to
them. They were to enjoy the Sabbath without fear or worry, but they didn't
obey and hold the Sabbath. They were to give the land a Sabbath rest and rest
themselves as God provided, but they didn't. They were to attend all of the
feasts in Jerusalem, leaving their lands unprotected, because God would care
for them; but they didn't. In the land they were to have had rest in God,
perfect peace and security of heart; but it was dependent on faith and resting
in His care and promises.
The situation with the people being addressed in this letter was such
that they were being persecuted and they were afraid. They may have thought,
"Wouldn't it be better to give in and conform to the pressure and go back
to the practice of the law?" To do that would have been to turn their
backs on the grace of God, the work of Christ and the promise of God to care
for them. They would have been seeking rest by their own hand, seeking peace by
compromise and becoming slaves to the law. It doesn't mean they would become
"unsaved," but it would keep them from experiencing God's rest as
promised in Christ. Jesus promised a rest that was more than salvation.
Vs. 1-3 We have entered into that rest through faith, just like the
people who went over the Jordan entered into the land; yet, to experience that
rest would be a matter of living by faith.
Vs. 4-10 Joshua wasn't able to give these people rest. Moses couldn't
either. Entering the land didn't give them rest. The law didn't give them rest
because the law reveals sin in people. The people did religious stuff trying to
get good with God, but works don't work. Only faith in God works and brings
rest.
V. 11 Notice that this is applied to the believing and the writer
includes himself, Let us… Entering
that rest seems to imply striving to live by faith and continue in grace.
Vs. 12-13 The Word shows us whether we are living in the flesh (soul)
or by the Spirit. It shows us if our faith is resting in us or in Him. It shows
us where our devotion is focused.
Vs. 14-16 Again, Jesus becomes the object of our rest. Notice v. 16, Let us…draw near. And what do we find
when we draw near: confidence, mercy and help. Maybe another way to say that
is, we find rest.
Much of what the Lord said to His disciples to train them had to do
with rest, borne out of faith and complete dependence on Him. Everything we
read that seems so other worldly like turning the other cheek, not resisting a
lawsuit, not being anxious about food or clothing, loving enemies, etc.,
implies that we know how to completely rest in Him, even in tribulation. Think
that one through, resting in tribulation. When Jesus sent out the Twelve and
then the 70, they were to take nothing with them. They were to work, for sure,
yet they had no money or food and everything was unsure. And, they faced threat
and animosity, but they were to rest in Him. They entered into His rest by trusting
His grace and love and power.
There are many believers who are not in the harvest, who live by their
own hand and effort, according to their desires and perceived needs. They know
little about faith; they've forgotten what grace really means, and they do not
live in His rest. They've missed it. Being comfortable does not mean you've
entered His rest. If we can only be at rest when there is peace and comfort,
that is not the rest of God that we have in following Jesus in the harvest as
His disciples. Peace I
leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to
you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid
(John 14:27).
Psalm 104:24-35
This is the second half of what we read yesterday.
Vs. 24-26 God's majesty and grandeur are seen in His wisdom. Who could
possibly have had the power and wisdom to make and imagine all that lives in
the oceans?
Vs. 27-30 And no matter how mighty or how small any of these creations
are, they are all dependent on God to sustain them.
Vs. 31-35 The glory and awesome power of the Lord should lead to thanks
and meditation. Verse 35 seems to indicate that not to acknowledge God for all
He has done will get some people in trouble. He deserves to be praised, known
and worshipped. Not to acknowledge God by getting to know Him through our Lord
is to say to Him that we don't want to go to the next place He makes. Only
those who know Him get to live there.
Reading this after reading Hebrews makes me think of God's care and
that we can rest in Him. We need to have our hearts and minds renewed in Jesus.
Proverbs 26:27
That should be something to calm God's people, remembering of course
that God doesn't always pay on Friday. (He doesn't always repay the wicked
immediately.) Jesus and Paul say that disciples should rest when mistreated,
and show the love of Christ, overcoming evil with good.
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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