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 4
Ezekiel 10-11
Ezekiel
10
Vs.
1-8 So who is this guy clothed in linen? This sounds like a normal angel, or it
could be the angel of the Lord. He is the one who is ordered to execute
judgment on Jerusalem by throwing out the coals. As we've seen, there are some
connections here to Revelation. Revelation 8:7 sounds like this. Jerusalem was
burned down by the Babylonians. In Revelation, Babylon is also suddenly
consumed by fire.
Vs.
9-15 We have seen this description of the glory of God before, but there are a
couple of additional details here.
V.
12 The cherubim were full of eyes.
This is what John also saw in Revelation 4:8.
V.
13 The wheels were called whirling wheels.
V.
14 Instead of one of the faces being that of an ox, from chapter 1, here it is
the face of a cherub. We don't know what a cherub looked like, but it couldn't
have been a human face or it would have been redundant. Maybe a cherub looks a
little oxy.
Vs.
15-22 The glory of the Lord begins to
depart from the temple.
Ezekiel
11
Vs.
1-4 These are 25 other guys who are telling the people not to worry. You should
have a note for v. 3 that says this is really saying, "Is not the time
near to build houses?" They were telling everyone that things would be
fine, deceiving the people.
Since
their message was a positive lie, the idea of the cauldron and meat might have
meant that those who were left in the city alive were the "best" and
they would survive. If you were in the soup, wouldn't you want to be the meat
and not a vegetable? Actually, you wouldn't want to be the carcass lying on the
chopping board. What was cut off from the carcass "survived" in the
soup.
Vs.
5-7 Those righteous witnesses whom these men had slain were really the best.
These had been righteous people like Jeremiah who had been persecuted or killed
for taking a stand for God.
Vs.
8-12 This is God's spoken judgment on these men. Notice vs. 10 and 12. We
haven't seen this statement for a few chapters.
V.
13 And then suddenly it got very real. This caused Ezekiel to fall on his face
again, crying out to God for the remnant. He did this in 9:8.
Vs.
14-21 As a result of Ezekiel's plea, God gives this promise. The irony here is
that the people who were left in Jerusalem waved good-bye to the exiles and
then said, "Good, now we'll inherit everything." Not so. The people of
Jerusalem would perish, and the exiles would come home and inherit the land.
V.
18 We've seen this promise before and should understand that since this is
talking about the nation of Israel, the fulfillment will not be until the
Millennial Kingdom. We have come to share in the spiritual part of this
blessing in our salvation in Christ, but the full blessing will not only be
spiritual, but also physical, as Israel is gathered from all nations and
becomes a blessing and testimony to the nations. Israel will be a nation in
which Christ reigns and all nations will come to Israel.
Vs.
22-23 The glory of the Lord left the
city and stood on the Mt. of Olives. Think about the significance of that.
Jesus left from here and went to sit at the right hand of power. It is also
where He will return, when He comes to rule forever.
Vs.
24-25 To me it is interesting that it seems there was a sense of motion moving
from Israel back to Chaldea, that is, Babylon. Ezekiel didn't just wake up. In
his vision he was flown back. I wonder what the elders thought when Ezekiel
related all that he had seen and discovered.
Just
for trivia, this is not the final time Ezekiel will be taken to Jerusalem.
There is one more time, in chapter 40. How many years was it from this vision
to that one?
Just
think of our message in the harvest. We tell of the love of God and the sending
of His Son. That's John 3:16, right? Now read John 3:17-21. It is the same
message. We don't have the right or authority to be selective. People have to
know that their decision matters, that God is not some "good ol' boy"
who'll let everyone into His kingdom. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal
life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God
remains on him (John 3:36).
Hebrews 6
Time
to gird up the loins of your mind once again. The question to ask ourselves
before we begin this section is, "Is it possible to harm our relationship
to Christ to the point that we can never return on earth to the place of
innocence and full devotion in following Him?" Paul talks about
shipwrecked Christians and Christians who hurt themselves by pursuing riches
and comfort. Paul weeps in Philippians 3 about Christians who are now enemies
of the cross of Christ. He tells Timothy (in 2 Tim. 2:19) regarding Christians
living in error that, "The Lord
knows those who are His," and "Let everyone who names the name of the
Lord depart from iniquity." Christians can sink to a life that
suggests being lost, but they are still saved, yet no one but God knows for
sure. Then Paul gives Timothy the parable of the great house and the vessels
for noble and disgusting use. Both sets of vessels are in the great house. If a
man has fallen out of love with his wife and has given himself to someone else,
is it possible for him ever to return to his wife with the same innocence,
fascination and devotion? We'd all like to say, "yes," but it may
never be possible. If you compare David's faith and love for God (or how he
dealt with people) before and after Bathsheba and Uriah, I think you see two
very different men. How we damage ourselves on earth matters. Grace is always
available, but the scars and consequences of jumping in front of the truck
remain.
The
writer of Hebrews and the Spirit will give a warning here that if a saved
person walks away from Christ and replaces Him with something else, it may be impossible to return to that
first love and to fruitfulness.
The
writer has just lamented that these believers should be teachers; but as a
result of what they have been toying with, they are still babes, needing milk.
Something interfered with their growth in Christ.
Vs.
1-3 All these things listed here are baby things. It would be like having to
re-explain to a Christian after 10 years what it means to be saved, or having
to explain to that same person that there is no benefit in praying to saints,
as in the Catholic Church. The very fact that you'd have to explain these
things at all suggests that something deeply wrong has happened in that
person's understanding of Christ.
Vs.
4-6 This is a saved person. No dancing around the words can change the force of
these words.
The
idea of restore again to repentance
seems to mean restoring a person to that conviction and thrill of being set
free and forgiven in Christ. Assuming a person has fully experienced this, to
cast it away as ordinary and uninteresting has the danger (and therefore the
warning) that there may not be another moment of insight that restores that
sense of conviction and thrill. I think this is like David pleading with God in
Psalm 51 (after Bathsheba and Uriah) to restore to him the joy of his
salvation. David obviously no longer had that joy.
V.
6 To crucify Christ in Jerusalem meant to reject Him and publicly renounce Him
as king. A Christian who turns away from Christ, after being known to be His
follower, publicly does the same thing. This isn't just a one-time deal. It is
becoming a part of a lifestyle that denies Him. Can a Christian recover? Maybe
not, so why take the chance.
Vs. 7-8 Think of this
illustration as a variation of 1 Corinthians 3:11-15 and the wood, hay and
stubble. The person is saved, but only as through fire. The illustration here
in Hebrews shows that this person becomes a fruitless believer. Remember John
15:8,
By this my Father is glorified, that you bear
much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples. There is also a
description of fruitless believers in John 15.
Vs. 9-12 The writer
still had hope for the people. Notice here that the benefits of endurance are
knowing the hope of God on this earth. Only by endurance in following do we
grab on to the rewards God promises. For example -
Romans 15:4 For
whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that
through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have
hope.
Romans 15:13 May the
God of hope fill you with all
joy and peace in believing, so
that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
These
are actually promises, but only if we hang on to Jesus, following Him in the
harvest. This is why Jesus could say, But
the one who endures to the end will be saved (Matt. 24:13). Those who
endure have already been saved eternally, but now they are saved from damage on
earth. They do not shipwreck their faith.
Vs.
13-20 Abraham waited patiently on a God who swore to him, and Abe received the
promise. Imagine if Abe would have given up after 20 years and not waited until
the 25th year.
V.
18 Notice the call to hope and to hold fast. As we have said before about this
promise or covenant, it was completely one-sided. God based the fulfilling of
the promise to Abraham totally on Himself and His own character. It is an
enduring, eternal, unconditional covenant. The faith or faithlessness of
Abraham's children is not in question, nor is following the law. God will fulfill
the promise through those who have the faith of Abraham, both in the nation of
Israel, and in the Gentiles who also follow in faith. So, we hold fast.
V.
19 Notice that we have something just as sure as what Abe had, a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul.
V.
20 Our hope is in Jesus our Savior/Priest.
I
guess the word to disciples in the harvest is, "Never, Never, Never, give
up." It is interesting that when it talks about the only seed that brings
forth fruit, that person is in the Word and brings forth fruit with patience.
Those who remain childlike in their faith, in their fascination of being saved
and in hearing God speak in His Word, will have great advantage here, in the
harvest. I have to believe that if we ask and seek and knock, we will be restored
and constantly renewed. It's what Jesus told His disciples to do.
Psalm 105:16-36
In
terms of all of Psalm 105, what is the point of this section? If it is
encouragement in remembering the past, how is it encouraging? How could this be
encouraging to you?
Vs.
16-22 This summarizes God saving Israel by His sovereignty in working with
Joseph. This "rags to riches" story was all about God's grace and
mercy. Imagine God putting a man in power in this way. We'll see this again in
Daniel. Even as Ezekiel was seeing stuff above, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abed-nego were in key positions of political power in the Babylonian government
there in the city of Babylon. These were incredibly godly men.
Vs.
23-25 Israel grew greatly in Egypt. This was also God.
Vs.
26-36 When it came time to help Israel, God sent a prepared leader in Moses,
and He developed the faith of Israel, while demolishing the nation of Egypt.
The
direction all of this seems to be going is that the exiles can depend on God,
so they need to seek Him.
Proverbs 27:1-2
V. 27 sounds like James 4:15.
V. 28 sounds like Luke 14:9-11.
It sounds like the Lord doesn't want us to be proud and focused on
ourselves.
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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