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.
DECEMBER 10
Amos 1-3
Amos
wasn't a prophet in terms of being in the groups of prophets who existed during
the time of Elijah and Elisha. Amos was a sheep breeder, a herder and a
cultivator of mulberry trees. Apparently this is to say that Amos was a
respected man and had leadership within his trade. Amos was preaching during
the time of Hosea and Jonah. Though he was from Judah, he was sent to preach to
Israel, the northern kingdom. The ministries of these three prophets (Hosea,
Jonah and Amos) came right after the death of Elisha, and though the judgment
against Israel had been pronounced, God still worked with these people for another
hundred years to show grace and bring people to repentance. Anyone who did
respond to God through these prophets probably headed south to live in Judah
where there was still a godly influence.
Unfortunately,
this was a time of prosperity for both kingdoms and so the messages of these
prophets went unheard, except for those who had ears to hear and hearts of
faith.
Amos
1
Vs.
1-2 You
might want to refer to the chart, “Kings of Judah and Israel and the Preexilic
Prophets,” at the end of this document to see where Amos fits. Notice that the Lord is speaking from
Zion, in Judah. Since the northern kingdom had abandoned worship at the temple
and disowned Jerusalem as the Lord’s city, this would be a very pointed
statement in their ears.
What
follows are pronouncements of judgment on the surrounding nations for violence
they committed against all of Israel, both north and south. The tool of
judgment would be the rising power of Assyria.
Vs.
3-5 Damascus, representing all of Syria, was the major power in that region,
until the Assyrians came. For years they had been very destructive to Israel.
Vs.
6-8 The Philistines had always been arch enemies of Israel, and during the
times of the northern kings, they had been capturing Jews and selling them as
slaves.
Vs.
9-10 Although Tyre had a treaty with Israel, they worked with Israel's enemies
in selling Jewish slaves to Edom.
Vs.
11-12 The Edomites were arch enemies of the Jews.
Vs.
13-15 The Ammonites came from Lot and one of his daughters. Their sin was
evident and their acts were brutal. They did this to strike terror into the
hearts of their enemies.
Amos
2
Vs.
1-3 The Moabites came from Lot and his other daughter. Now this is interesting
because their wrong was not against Israel but against Edom. But it could be
that among the bones they burned were the bones of Esau, the son of Isaac and
the brother of Jacob (Israel).
Vs.
4-5 Now we have Judah. Some of the kings of Judah were godly, but there were
ungodly kings and the people were not always obedient. Notice that they will be
irrevocably judged because of rejecting the statutes of the Lord. This is a
long time before judgment came. God was patient and we've read the story of
what God did with Judah.
Vs.
6-8 This is the judgment of Israel, the northern kingdom. What a list of sins.
Vs.
9-12 Although it was God who had saved them, they got rid of those who were
devoted to God or would speak for Him. Whereas there were still godly people
and godly kings in Judah, in Israel they had taken care of any godly influence
so they could enjoy themselves. Verse 12 is interesting regarding the Nazirites
drinking wine. The people of Israel corrupted them. It makes me think of Daniel
and his friends in Daniel 1. They resisted eating the food and wine offered to
the gods of Babylon, to keep themselves devoted to the Lord. Even that small
compromise would have hurt them.
Vs.
13-16 God Himself would humble Israel, and no amount of effort or strength on
their part would save them.
Amos
3
Vs.
1-8 What do you think the Lord is saying here? In some respect this might look back
to 2:11-12. It seems that God is saying that just like there is a cause-effect
relationship in these other things, the people should have responded when they
saw the prophets, realizing that God had spoken and was trying to save them.
The long years of the ministry of Elijah and Elisha were full of signs and
offers to the kings and people to repent. No one listened. I was reading about
Jesus asking the people how they knew how to interpret the appearance of the
earth and sky, but why they were not able to interpret the present time, that
is, the time of His visitation. God seems to be asking the same thing here
through Amos.
Vs.
9-10 This appears to be God calling the ungodly to look at Samaria and be
witnesses to its godlessness.
Vs.
11-12 Only a small remnant of the northern kingdom would survive. Talk about
graphic imagery.
Vs.
13-15 Notice the two things mentioned here: the worship in Bethel (to keep
people believing a lie and not going to Jerusalem) and the luxury of the rich.
These were among the gods of the northern kingdom.
As
disciples it is easy for us to slip into the mode of assuming there is lots of
time and God will always be patient. His patience is amazing, but when it is
time to judge, His judgment comes and rolls and is relentless. We are working
in the harvest because He is coming. The offer for forgiveness stands now; but
it will expire, and then comes judgment beyond our comprehension.
All
of Revelation, and the Bible itself for that matter, is a call for us to stay
awake and get the Word out. The more you read this, the more you understand why
we've been left here to work in the harvest. We need to stay awake and keep
sharing the gospel of Christ and let people know that the kingdom of heaven is
coming.
Revelation 2:1-17
Many
people have posed different schemes for understanding these churches, and I'd
suggest taking a very natural approach. All of these churches existed at the
same time, not during different ages, so we don't need to see the churches
representing different ages in the history of the church. Also, these churches
were selected by Jesus because of particular elements that He wanted to comment
on, and wanted us to learn from. In fact, all of the letters we have from Paul
that were addressed to churches were designed to address challenges in each
church, but were also written down for our instruction. Although all of these
churches were near one another geographically, there were also big-name, nearby
churches, like in Colossae, that are not mentioned here by Jesus.
As
you read through these letters to the churches, you will notice a certain
pattern that repeats, yet the message for each church is very individual. Also,
just think about this: These are the only letters in the Bible from Jesus
Himself to churches.
Vs.
1-7 The church in Ephesus.
V.
1 Notice that the letter is to the angel
of the church. The word "angel" means messenger. In Matthew
11:10, Jesus uses the same word for John the Baptist and it is translated
messenger. In this case, angel must be referring to one of the elders or the
pastor. A real angel didn't need correspondence. Also, five of these seven
"angels" receive a warning about judgment. I don't think God's holy
angels need warnings. We "angels" do.
Notice
how Jesus introduces Himself. This will be different for each church and will
be significant for His message to them. Usually, the right hand means authority. The stars, as we've seen, are
leaders/pastors of these seven churches. This might mean something like,
"Jesus holds this authority, not the men, and the churches are led or held
by His authority."
Vs.
2-3 First the positive. The endurance
is not from suffering, but from maintaining a constant fight against error.
That will wear you out.
V.
4 Just so you know, five of the seven churches have a charge against them. How
do you think this rebuke relates to vs. 2-3? Losing this first love is a very
serious thing. As believers and as churches, our joy in our salvation and
Savior cannot be superseded by any other thing. When the church engages in
wars, doctrinal, social or political, it begins to rob people of the
remembrance of being saved, of receiving mercy and unmerited love. A disciple
is to live in that love and remembrance of mercy and to be empowered by that
joy daily. Our remembrance of our need and the mercy we received is what the
Lord uses in us to share His message in the harvest with tenderness, patience
and compassion.
V.
5 This warning is very serious. To have the
lampstand removed is to close down the church. The church in Ephesus no
longer exists.
V.
6 No one knows exactly what the Nicolaitans taught, but it seems to have been
excessive freedom that led believers into moral sin and caused others to
stumble because of foods. We saw this mentioned in 1 Corinthians and in Romans.
John, Peter and Jude made references to Christians and teachers who were
leading believers into immorality and following their passions.
V.
7 So, Jesus is delivering a message from the Spirit.
One
of the issues in these letters is the promise made at the end. This promise, to eat of the tree of life, is offered
to all believers, regardless of whether they fail or endure. Whether a
Christian is obedient or disobedient, they will still eat of the fruit. So what
is the promise? I think, in all of these promises, the reward is living closely
with Christ on earth with the confidence of the reward, and therefore, knowing
God's joy and peace as we walk on earth. It would be like two sons who are
guaranteed an inheritance. If one of those sons was very close to his father,
the reward of the coming inheritance would be present in his life every day.
For the other son, he would miss the daily blessing of his father and would
give no thought to what that inheritance meant for his life now and for his
future. Living in this promise leads to a deeper relationship with Christ and
joy, peace, purpose and all those fruits of the Spirit. We live with an
expectation of welcome when we come into Christ's presence. If a Christian
doesn't live obediently, they still get eternal life. But living now with
eternity in view affects us now and has to do with relationship and communion
here. What we benefit from Jesus now is up to us. A lot of what Jesus said to
His disciples made the blessings of following Him on earth totally up to them,
whether or not they would follow. There will also be benefits in heaven, but we
are not told a lot about those.
So
I wonder, what did Jesus holding the stars have to do with the warning or with
the promise at the end?
Vs.
8-11 The church in Smyrna.
V.
8 Notice how Jesus introduces Himself.
V.
9 This is their current situation and their commendation. The tribulation and poverty were real. It is interesting how Jesus names this
synagogue.
V.
10 We've seen this before, that often the purpose of prophecy is to help people
going through a hard time to hold on, having been told in advance what would
happen. Remember those detailed prophecies at the end of Daniel? Because of
this word, these people can be sure that they, and the situation, are in God's
hands.
The
crown of life seems to be a special
reward for those who suffer for Christ. We'll see these crowns being cast down
at the feet of the Lamb in a couple of chapters.
V.
11 The promise to those who conquer is again something that all believers can
be assured that they will receive. So then, the difference is that those
believers who are close to Christ live with this assurance and confidence. I've
met quite a few believers who will live forever in heaven, but on earth they
live in fear of death.
Notice
here that there was no rebuke or warning. We've seen that God uses suffering to
teach us and cleanse us. I think their suffering is the reason they were healthy.
Do you see how Jesus' introduction might have been important to what He said to
this church? The church in Smyrna is still there today.
Vs.
12-17 The church in Pergamum.
So,
you've noted Jesus' introduction and His commendation of the church.
Vs.
14-15 What is the real issue here? Look at 1 Corinthians 5. Paul accused the
elders in Corinth of arrogance because they did not remove people from
fellowship. Again, read 1 Corinthians 5 and you'll see the issue. The church in
Pergamum had grown too tolerant, maybe out of noble reasons, but they allowed
these people to remain in the church. I think of Eli and his sons. Eli couldn't
help that his sons were awful men, but the fact that he didn't remove them as
priests was the sin for which he was punished.
V.
16 This is a very clear connection to Jesus' introduction in v. 12. Hebrews
4:12, I think, gives the idea of what would happen here. The intent of hearts
would be judged and possibly the church would split.
V.
17 So, what is this reward? Actually, it looks like two rewards. Both of these
seem to be allusions back to the people in the wilderness as God was forming
the nation of Israel. Manna has to do
with food from God, possibly some spiritual nourishment as a reward for dealing
with this situation. The only place I can think of where there is a name written on the stone has to do with
the priests. When the priests served, they wore clothing that had twelve
stones, each with the name of a different tribe. This was to have reminded the
priest that they were to represent, bless, and protect the people by their
service. It could be that those who were willing to protect the church like
this would be drawn closer to Christ and given "hidden" nourishment
and a special empowerment for service. I'm just guessing, but serving in the
church, especially when there are these kinds of problems, takes a deep
strength and a real commitment and empowerment to lead and serve well.
And
of course, after you deal with all of this stuff, there is still the task of
moving the church to follow Jesus into the harvest, reaching the lost and
making disciples.
Psalm 129
Vs.
1-8 This would have brought the worshipers approaching Jerusalem into the
remembrance of the hardships they had endured and how the Lord had saved them.
God's people and that city are His possession. Let God judge His own people,
but if anyone else lifts their hand against His people or His city, God will
eventually punish them.
In
all we are reading about the judgment of the Lord on Israel, we should remember
that God has used this nation to show all of us what the heart of man is like.
In Israel we see failure and faith, but God shows Himself to us in His dealings
with them. In a way, Israel has paid a price for this service, and God will yet
reward them and fulfill His purpose. He won't forget their labor or their
suffering for the redemption of the world. As Paul says, we owe them respect.
Proverbs 29:19-20
Words seem
to be the theme of these two verses. Words without substance do nothing. Even
in following the Lord, there are words; and then as James said, there is doing.
Jesus always associated words with doing, for those following Him.
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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