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 21
Ezekiel 42-43
Ezekiel 42
Vs. 1-14 Since there will be active sacrifice in this temple, there are
chambers for the priests during the time they are serving. When Israel was
following the Lord, the Lord was always present in the temple when the priests
carried out their duties. During the Millennium both Jesus and the resurrected
King David will be present and visible in the temple area. On the one hand,
that will be amazing. On the other hand, I wonder if the priests will begin to
take things for granted. As they say, "familiarity breeds contempt."
Vs. 15-20 This is the entire area of the temple. Apparently the area
will be big enough for 13 football fields, suggesting of course, as we all
know, that soccer (real football) is the sport of heaven.
Ezekiel 43
Vs. 1-5 It is interesting that Ezekiel witnessed the glory of the Lord so often. I wonder if this helped offset the
sadness of his ministry. Now with the description of the temple complete, the
Lord was returning to the temple.
Vs. 6-9 God is speaking to Ezekiel and it is interesting that he is
seeing a vision of future glory and splendor, but God speaks to him of the
present cleansing of the people. In the Millennial Kingdom the Lord will set up
His throne here, and unlike the tabernacle and temple, this place will never be
desecrated. The Lord will know the hearts and intents of all who approach Him.
They won't need metal detectors or "evil heart" detectors. That
generation of Israel will be cleansed, but the cleansing was beginning now,
with Ezekiel's generation. In the future, no deceit will be allowed to enter
God's presence. We are so used to living hidden lives with secret sin. There
will be forgiveness during the Millennium, but there won't be any lying or
hiding before His throne. That will freak out a lot of people. And it seems
that once they are 500 to 600 years into the Millennium, there will be a
growing sense of rebellion and dissatisfaction.
Vs. 10-12 As Ezekiel described this temple in all its detail to the
people, God expected the people to be ashamed. Why do you think that was?
Vs. 13-27 This is the altar and its consecration. If there was ever any
doubt that there will be sacrifice during the Millennial Kingdom, this should
dispel it. Again, these sacrifices will be a remembrance of what Christ did.
Salvation will still be by personal faith in Christ.
We don't have much detail as to what life will be like during the
thousand-year reign of Jesus on earth. This shows that there will be need for a
constant, visual reminder to the people on earth that Jesus sacrificed Himself
for sin. Once Jesus is seated on the throne, He will become "that
guy" ruling the world from Jerusalem. People will forget the seven years
of the Tribulation and the display of God's power, just like the people of
Israel forgot the wonder of the Exodus. People will still be people and sin
will still reject God. Although Satan will be locked up, the heart of man will
still be sinful. In spite of a perfect government and direct access to the
Lord, there will still be unbelief and rebellion at the end of the Millennium.
True faith and trusting Christ will still be a choice. With the depth of sin we
bear, even seeing doesn't mean believing. We are sicker than we think, and we
don't need the devil in order to dishonor God and find our way to hell.
It is amazing to think that with Jesus present, people will still
reject Him. But even more amazing is to think that we can go into the harvest
with the message of Christ; and without seeing Him, people will become devoted
followers of Christ, disciples, who make disciples. Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed
are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29)
James 5
Vs. 1-6 Remember that in chapters 1 and 2, James had lots of negative
things to say about the rich. According to James 2:6, the rich were also part
of the hard times these believers were facing. It fits then that James aims
some of his concluding remarks toward these people. He has just mentioned the
rich at the end of chapter 4 in terms of their arrogance. It may be that there
were some of the rich in the church, but it seems this condemnation and rebuke
was meant to strengthen the hearts of the believers who were being oppressed by
the rich Jews who were outside the church. They were reminded that God would repay
these people.
Vs. 7-11 James calls the believers back to suffering and to waiting for
the Lord with patience and humility. His use of Job is very much on target. As
Job was suffering, it was his "rich" friends who were aggravating his
problem and making it hard for him to endure. Notice in this exhortation the
mention of the farmer. I'll bet James heard that from big brother Jesus. Verses
8-9 sound like Paul in Philippians 2:14 and 4:5. Same spiritual Author.
Vs. 12-20 It seems here that James is warning them not to invoke oaths
before God or to make promises such as, "Lord if you do this, then I'll do
that." Instead of bargaining, they were simply to draw close to one
another and pray. Ron Blue's explanation of this in the Bible Knowledge
Commentary-OT, pp. 833-835, is very good.
V. 14 The word used for sick is also used to mean weak or heartsick.
The anointing is also the same as that used to encourage or welcome a guest.
This is an interesting wrinkle. Another way of looking at this would be that if
a believer was really discouraged, weak in faith, thinking of defecting from
the group, they should call the elders and have the elders encourage them. In
other words, this can be understood without the person being physically sick
and the anointing can mean to refresh a person's heart. I’ve anointed people who
were sick, with oil. In one case, the physical problem was really a problem of
being heartsick. They were cured, but only after moving away from the
oppressive atmosphere that had been created by some very contentious believers.
It seems that the focus here is for the believers who are discouraged
to draw together, and for the rest of the group to reach out to them and draw
them in.
V. 16 This healing
is of the soul, a lifting of the heart, and for protection from damage. It is
the same word as in Hebrews 12:13; and, in fact, the situations of both verses
might be very similar, and make straight
paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but
rather be healed.
So, why is the example
of Elijah used? Notice the result in v. 18. His prayer brought restoration and
new life to the land. It seems clear that the idea in the conclusion of this
letter is for the church to bind together to get through the stress and
discouragement they were facing.
V. 20 This is a
rather abrupt conclusion if compared to Paul's letters. The wandering one in
view here is a believer. If you look at 1 Timothy, you'll find Paul telling
Timothy about all sorts of believers wandering from the faith. In fact, in 1
Timothy 6 Paul talks about believers who went astray, seeking wealth and
comfort.
But those who
desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and
harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money
is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have
wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs (1 Tim. 6:9-10).
The idea here is
for the church to go after its members who have wandered away because of the
discouragement and persecution they have faced. They are in danger of wrecking
their walk on earth for Christ. In helping these wanderers, the forgiveness the
wanderers receive will help them recover from the guilt of the sins they have
committed.
Think of a group
of believers reaching out to those who have been morally ruined and who have
committed acts for which they might not be able to forget or forgive
themselves. The church’s restoration, help, and forgiveness can help them cover
and recover from that guilt. This is also a part of the work we do in the
harvest making disciples. Sometimes we need to restore fallen disciples to make
them disciples who follow in the harvest, making disciples, who make disciples.
Psalm 119:1-16
Like most of the psalms of David, this is the celebratory introduction
to the psalm. The nitty-gritty is coming. In many places David was discouraged
and stressed as he wrote this. He had the same problem as the people in Hebrews
and in James. What is it that will keep his faith solid and refreshed as he
waits on the deliverance of the Lord? We'll see.
This introduction gives you David's answer, and it is my answer, and it
is your answer. It is God's answer. Christ doesn't call us to follow Him
without suffering. He Himself suffered. Jesus calls us to Himself as we follow
Him in the harvest. And we find Him in His Word. That's why we're reading this
stuff, right? To draw close to our Shepherd.
Vs. 1-3 This is the summary declaration of what it means to be
blameless before the Lord. It doesn't mean perfection; it means having our feet
constantly cleansed by the Word.
Vs. 4-8 Notice how many ways the Word is referred to. Also, notice that
part of the obedience to the Word is expressed as praise to God for His Word.
The closer we draw to the Word, the more we understand our need and what it is
God does for us in His Word.
Vs. 9-16 Verse 9 is the question that is answered in this section.
Notice all the body parts that get involved with the Word. None of this is a
100% guarantee that we will stay faithful to the Lord, but it will keep us
closer to Him than if we were indifferent to His Word. We all fall, but even
after David fell, this devotion to the Word is what brought his broken heart
back to God. David was restored and remained for the rest of his life, a man
after God's own heart.
Proverbs 28:6-7
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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