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 3
Ezekiel
7-9
Ezekiel is a very orderly and
chronological kind of guy. Everything we are reading follows the last event in
a way we can understand. What we see today will really conclude in chapter 11,
but it all makes sense.
Ezekiel 7
This is another public
proclamation Ezekiel made during the time he was lying on his side. When he
walked and spoke, Ezekiel, the paralyzed and mute guy, was a sort of living
disturbance. The hardness of this message would have gotten everyone's notice.
I have a feeling this word of the Lord
came toward the end of his daily enactment of the siege on Jerusalem. The
elders of the Jews were probably standing in a group on the corner of their new
home in exile singing, "What do you do with a problem like Ezekiel?"
They were now sure that this very strange man was actually being controlled and
used of God. The reason for the hardness of this prophecy will be explained in
the next chapter. God will give Ezekiel, the elders, and us a look at the
people in Jerusalem.
One interesting note: It says
three times in this chapter, Then you
will know that I am the Lord. The word used in my German Bible is not
"know," but "experience." That adds a twist to the meaning.
There is a sense in which these people will find out and experience that He is
the Lord.
Vs. 1-4 Notice the repetition
of the end. Finally all that the
prophets had been saying, especially Jeremiah, would come. Notice how this
section ends.
Vs. 5-9 Notice the different
words repeated here. Although the Lord is giving prophecy to the exiles in
Babylon, it applies to the people still in Jerusalem. Now, some of the exiles
were probably thinking, "You know, Babylon isn't so bad after all."
Notice how this section ends. This was for all the people, but the only people
who would benefit would be the survivors who were in exile in Babylon.
Vs. 10-13 You notice again
that words are repeated. Life as they knew it would end in Jerusalem. As of
this time, King Zedekiah hadn't yet rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar. In
Jerusalem there was a certain amount of calm and prosperity. Everyone was
telling “Jeremiah” jokes. But God knew that the sin in Jerusalem would take the
upper hand and that they would rebel against Babylon. Then, destruction would
come.
Vs. 14-22 What had been of
value would be worthless. If you’re starving, a slice of bread is worth more
than ten bags of gold. All they had lived for would be lost. They hadn't become
rich toward God. In v. 22 God said He would also allow the temple to be ruined
and profaned. In God’s eyes, that had already happened.
Vs. 23-27 The people were in
bondage to everything, sin and other kings. This was the last time until 1948
that Israel would be a sovereign state. They are still not free from bondage to
sin. That will come. Notice how this section ends.
Remember that what is
happening to Israel is a small model of what is happening every day to
humanity. There is tragedy, loss and bondage every day. There is rebellion, sin
and ruin. In the harvest, we are following our Lord reaching out to seek and to
save the lost and to make disciples, who make disciples. The things we are
reading are meant to give us a heart of compassion as we work. Humanly
speaking, there is only danger and ruin and judgment, but with the Lord, the
salvation He offers is incredible and the hope is forever.
Ezekiel 8
V. 1 So the elders come to
Ezekiel and sit before him at his house. Notice the time designation. This is
almost exactly 430 days from the time God first spoke to Ezekiel. That means he
was either finished with the siege enactment (with the gross lunch thing he
did) or that enactment was almost finished. Also, since the sixth year was
marked from the time that Jehoiachin was taken to Babylon, that means it was
also the sixth year of Zedekiah's kingship. Zedekiah rebelled against
Nebuchadnezzar in his ninth year and Jerusalem fell in his eleventh year. This
vision would show why all of the judgment spoken against Judah and Jerusalem
was justified. It would show how the sin of the people drove the presence of
the Lord out of His temple and out of the land. The fact that Ezekiel is
working, along with Daniel and Co. and Jeremiah, shows that God hadn't
abandoned His people.
V. 2 As they were sitting
there looking at him, Ezekiel went into a trance. Talk about freaky. This could
have taken a minute or an hour, but the elders stayed for the entire show; and
in 11:24-25 it says Ezekiel explained the entire vision. They apparently stuck
around.
Vs. 3-4 This doesn't sound
like the best way to travel, but it's not like he had a choice. Seeing the
glory of the Lord at the end probably made it worth it.
Vs. 5-6 You understand here,
that the point of the vision is to show Ezekiel what is driving God from His
temple and from the city. What we see here will justify the hardness of God's
judgment in chapter 7.
In Solomon's temple the main
entrance into the inner court was on the east side, but there were also
entrances on the north and south sides. This north entrance is where Ezekiel is
brought. As he stands next to the glory of the Lord, looking into the inner
court, there, next to the entrance, is an idol, probably an Asherah pole, a
statue of sorts. Asherah was a goddess of fertility, the wife of Baal, and
usually depicted as very well endowed. Imagine that they had something like
this at the entrance into the court where the sacrifices were offered to the
Lord.
Vs. 7-13 This chamber, where
70 men could have been together, might have been the "Holy Place,"
where the lampstand, the bread of the Presence and the altar of incense were.
The temple was already defiled. These were the priests and leaders of Israel.
Vs. 14-15 Tammuz was another
fertility god who died in the winter. The women cried for him and in the spring
he would come alive again (if they cried enough) and bring rains.
Vs. 16-18 Now in the inner
court, between the altar and the Holy Place, you have these 25 guys with their
backs to the Holy Place and Holy of Holies and the mercy seat (and God
Himself); and they are worshiping the sun as it rises.
God says there is nothing
here to move Him to pity.
Ezekiel 9
Vs. 1-7 Notice that there is
some mercy in this. The marking on the foreheads of the ones who were righteous
looks very much like Revelation 7:3-4, where the 144,000 are marked or sealed
on their foreheads to be saved out of the judgment of the Tribulation to serve
God.
Vs. 8-11 In this judgment
there was mercy.
So let me ask, what impact
does all of this Scripture dealing with judgment and mercy have on your
thinking? Today in the harvest it all seems so slow and fuzzy. Will the Lord really
come? Will the Lord really judge the unbelieving? It seems so slow and foggy
and unreal that we don’t feel any urgency or emotion toward it. Yet the reality
of judgment appears throughout Scripture and Jesus mentions it quite a bit. As
disciples, following Christ in the harvest, we need to keep alert to the
reality of life. Books like Jeremiah and Ezekiel help, and I think that’s why
God put them here.
Hebrews
5
The discussion of Jesus'
priesthood will go from here to chapter 10. At the outset, you might want to
muse why the writer thinks this is so important. Obviously, for these Jewish
Christians thinking of slipping back into Judaism, it is important for them to
know that Jesus is the better priest and His sacrifice is the final and
ultimate sacrifice. But along with this thought of the priest, there is a very
present help for them and for us. Those who rely on their mediator/priest will
be blessed and helped. Those who rely, in this life, on other things will not
experience the help and closeness to their Lord. It only makes sense. The saved
will all be saved. Some of the saved will grow close to the Lord by following
Him in the harvest, but some of the saved will have their wood, hay and stubble
burned away and will regret what they missed by not following their Savior on
this planet.
Vs. 1-6 The for refers back to the final verses of
chapter 4, introducing Jesus as the priest who can identify with our weakness.
So how did Jesus become a
priest?
V. 5 His Father appointed Him
to be a priest. But I thought only those descended from Aaron could be priests.
V. 6 God made Him a priest
pre-dating the law, going back to Genesis 14:18. Notice that the author is
quoting from Psalm 110:4. What is interesting is that Abraham was ministered to
by this priest. Jesus then is that kind of great priest. In chapter 7 the
writer will enlarge on this connection to Melchizedek.
Vs. 7-10 This is how Jesus
was prepared for His priestly responsibility and how He served on earth as a
priest. And, Jesus is still making intercession for us. The order of Melchizedek would make Him
greater than the priests of the Law of Moses. The point for the people reading
this letter was clear. Going back to the law was rejecting Jesus’ priesthood.
Vs. 11-14 Because of fears
and cares these believers had stopped growing. They had been choked like the
seed sown among thorns. Where they should have been was probably closer to
Philippians 3:7-21.
Thinking of these last words,
it reminds me that God allows things to enter our lives to test/strengthen our
faith and our resolve to follow in the harvest. Almost everyone begins well.
We'll see later that the people in Hebrews began very well, but they settled
into having treasure on earth. Now, in danger of losing that treasure, they are
finding it almost impossible to live with that early sense of sacrifice and
willingness to follow Christ. God is showing them that other things have become
more important for them than denying themselves and taking up their death daily
and following Jesus. We need to be careful, too, that this place doesn't become
our home and that things don't shine brighter than Jesus. We're here to follow
Christ, sharing His love with a dying world, making disciples, who make disciples,
who make disciples.
We are in the process of moving,
cleaning out and letting stuff go. Spiritually, we all need to do the same
thing. We need to minimize, until Jesus is everything, and knowing Him is
enough for this life. Then we find rest and direction and purpose in following
Him. We find strength and fearlessness, because nothing can separate us from
Him or His love. We have a truth that breaks the pretense of this life and
becomes a rock of security for those who find it. That truth is God as revealed
in the Word and in the Son. It isn't so much a matter of getting rid of stuff
as much as it is a matter of us being consumed in Him.
Psalm
105:1-15
We'll be in this psalm for
three days.
Although the events mentioned
here have to do with God freeing Israel from Egypt, it is written in a way that
it could have been meant as an encouragement to those in exile in Babylon.
Israel was never to have forgotten the glory and power of God leading them out
of the house of bondage in Egypt. That salvation experience was to have been a
constant source of hope and encouragement.
Vs. 1-6 Notice the thanks and
call to make God known among all the nations. This was exactly what was
supposed to have happened. It is a blessing just to look at the verbs of
command: give thanks, make known, sing to him, tell, glory in his holy name, etc. This is a
very rich little section of Scripture.
Vs. 7-11 Israel's blessing
was based on God's promise to Abraham. That promise had more to do with the
salvation of man than the mere creation of a nation. That nation was made to be
a blessing to all other nations in testimony to God.
Vs. 12-15 It never depended
on the size of the people, just the size of their God. And He was fully
faithful to His promise. Verses 14-15 probably refer to Pharaoh, the kings of
Moab, and the kings in Canaan; but after we've read Daniel, it could also refer
to Nebuchadnezzar and the kings who followed him.
Proverbs
26:28
This is the truth, although people often think that lying and flattering have a good purpose.
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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