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 19
As Westerners these readings in The
One Year Bible seem very removed from real life. We are swiftly approaching
Christmas and gifts and family and the irresistible push to be festive. Then
comes that weird week between the holidays and again we will be festive on New
Year's Eve. All of the words here regarding judgment and disaster are totally
out of place….for a Westerner.
Occasionally in the U.S. there
is some major, violent tragedy where the work of one or a few causes the deaths
of many and destroys friends and families and peace, yet we know that such
things are very vile exceptions to the norm of life. Acts like the 9-11 World
Trade Center strike, or the Boston Marathon bombing, or the Connecticut school
shooting are like ugly statues thrown into a peaceful pond. We are all appalled,
surprised and shocked, but the statues will sink out of sight and the pond
waters will be calm again and the normal life of Western society will return.
We'll all go back to shopping, entertainment, eating too much and complaining
about the government.
But what about the world outside
of the West? Is the world really a place of festive lights and joy? Do the
words we're reading seem as foreign to others as they do for us? In Syria, a
country mentioned in the Bible, there have been well over 50,000 deaths in
recent years. Most of those were civilians, dads, moms, kids. Not too many Westerners
are crying about them. Hundreds of thousands are in refugee camps enjoying…,
enjoying what? The conditions in that country are totally third world for most
people who are not in the camps but near the fighting. And that is just Syria.
Then there are things we never hear of or see in China, India, South America,
and Africa. There are tragedies taking place on other continents, in other countries,
every day that never make the news but are not lost to the Lord. He sees it
all. Most of the population on this planet only knows injustice. Most of the
people on this planet will never own or drive a car. Most of the people on this
planet know death and hunger and sickness.
There is a need for justice and
for salvation. We might not understand God's timing, but His Word is very
clear. Justice and salvation are coming. The root of the problem is in each
person. We are all carriers of a spiritual disease that makes us rebel against
God. That sickness isn't cured on a national level. It is cured on a
person-to-person level as we are saved and share that salvation with another
person. That salvation is about our Lord, and "Oh Joy!" we're back to
Christmas and to all the festiveness. But, the harvest is real and utterly
important to our neighbors and the billions who have no clue; because before it
gets better, there is a judgment and every person must stand before that
Christmas baby, that sacrificed and risen Savior. He will either be their
Savior, or their Judge. The gospel is the message of the Savior who saves us
from that coming judgment.
Zephaniah 1-3
Because
of the limited information God has given us, a cursory reading only gives us a
one-dimensional view of the great men of the Bible. In Zephaniah we get a view
of the hard road that King Josiah walked. It was already told him that the sins
of his grandfather, King Manasseh, would fall upon Judah and Jerusalem. Yet,
driven by his passion for God and his love for his people, he bravely fought to
save his people. He fought with all the power God gave him to hold back the
night.
Somewhere
in those 31 years there came a dark night when I think Josiah realized that it
wasn't working. He knew nothing of the effect this revival had had on the
parents of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. He could only see his family
and those close to him, and their disinterest must have made him heartsick.
So
how do you encourage such a brave and weary warrior? God sent His Word through
Zephaniah. There are aspects of the coming storm that would have renewed
Josiah's sense of urgency, but woven into this prophecy, Josiah received a
picture of millennial glory. Josiah wasn't working just for his generation, and
certainly not just for his children. He was working for the coming King, the
Messiah, the One who was mighty to save, who would lead Judah and Jerusalem
into eternal glory and offer salvation to the nations.
To see where Zephaniah fits,
look at the chart, “Kings of Judah and Israel and the Preexilic Prophets,” The Bible Knowledge Commentary-OT, p. 513.
Zephaniah
1
Vs.
1-7 Notice that the scope of this is both universal, to all the earth, and
local, to Judah. Apparently, although Josiah had removed the monuments of the
idols, some people's hearts still sought these gods. This is evidenced by the
fact that after Josiah's death, few of the leaders, including his three sons,
sought God.
V.
1 It is very likely that Zephaniah was a great-great grandson of King Hezekiah.
This means he was a part of the royal family. Hezekiah probably had lots of
sons, but we only heard about the son who took the throne, Manasseh.
V.
7 The day of the Lord is mentioned or
referred to more in this book, in these three short chapters, than in any other
book of the Bible. You get some insight into how God knew He could revive
Josiah's heart and passion. The near day of judgment is telescoped to reflect
some of that final rolling out of judgment on all of mankind. What renews your
heart and passion for following Jesus in the harvest?
Vs.
8-13 These are those the Lord will punish in the near "day." Notice
how each of these sections begins with some reference to that day.
V.
8 Josiah's sons were more interested in dressing like the Assyrians, Egyptians
and Babylonians than in following Yahweh. What has changed since then? I'll bet
they would have had iPhones and been texting their friends during sermons. We
don't know about Josiah's son Jehoahaz, because Pharaoh Neco took him to Egypt
after only two months on the throne; but we know both Jehoiakim and Zedekiah.
Both were worthless men. All three of Josiah's sons were punished. I'm sure
Josiah saw their lack of understanding and love for God, and I'll bet he felt
helpless.
Vs.
9-11 Looks like it is talking about people who live for stuff.
V.
9 The threshold thing was
superstition from 1 Samuel 5:4-5 and is mentioned in Malachi.
Vs.
12-13 This sounds like people who are complacent about following the Lord. This
is also the attitude that implies, that the things God says are just not worth
getting worked up about. If God is silent, apparently things are OK. Silence
doesn't mean God doesn't care. God won't be complacent about punishing these
people. Comfort can be taken away in a moment.
Vs.
14-18 Notice how God is telling Josiah about a future day of judgment. We are
reading about this in Revelation. I think this gave Josiah a shocking view of
the judgment coming upon all men. God's judgment was bigger than just Judah and
Jerusalem. Josiah might have been discouraged about standing in the gap for
this little country that somehow had a connection to a bigger purpose, but now
Josiah is seeing that the gap he is standing in has something to do with the
salvation of the entire world. This would have motivated a man like Josiah.
Zephaniah
2
Vs.
1-2 God calls the nation to repent before He unleashes His wrath.
V.
3 This reminds me of the 144,000 in Revelation. They are hidden and protected
during the Tribulation. Josiah would have understood this as hope to all who
came to the Lord. Every individual mattered.
Vs.
4-15 God is predicting the humbling of the surrounding nations and the glory of
the remnant of the people who seek Him. Notice that interspersed in all of this
is the greatness of God and the hope for those who seek Him.
Zephaniah
3
Vs.
1-5 This is judgment against Jerusalem. What would you say is the key verse
here? I think this is the verse that gave hope to Josiah. His reforms had one
focus, to get people to put their trust
in the Lord and to draw near to
Him. There were some people doing that.
Vs.
6-7 God had humbled the nations, like the Assyrians and some of the neighboring
countries, to show Israel that they should hope in Him. But, the result was
that the people of Judah and Jerusalem didn't take it to heart.
Vs.
8-10 In that day, God will summon all the nations together and humble and
purify them. This is definitely for the end times.
Vs.
11-13 And at that time God will save a godly remnant of Judah. Again, this
confirms to Josiah that the number will be small, so to keep on working.
Vs.
14-20 And God will save and exalt Zion. Notice that the Lord will be the King
in their midst. This is what Josiah was working toward. God will eventually
cleanse the remnant, humble the nations and come and reign in Jerusalem.
V.
16 I'll bet this helped strengthen Josiah's hands too.
V.
17 I hope that Josiah personalized this verse, "Josiah, the Lord your God
is with you. He rejoices over you with
gladness and he will quiet you by his
love. He exults over you with loud
singing. I think we can personalize this verse for ourselves too, because
of the victory of Christ.
I'd
like to think that Josiah was given strength and courage by this prophecy.
Seeing the end, the glory of Israel, seeing Zion with her King, the Lord God
reigning in her, must have given him hope. Josiah couldn't lose if he kept
following, because God was still in control and the Lord would win the day.
We need to remember too, that
regardless of our deep weakness and feelings of failing, we are simply called
to follow the Lord we love into this harvest. We reach out to whom we can and
we encourage and guide the believing to follow as disciples, who make
disciples. The work and power are His and He has a unique relationship to those
who hope in Him and follow. Josiah might have felt weak and hopeless in his
work, but as the Lord reminded him and us, Fear
not ...; let not your hands grow weak. The Lord your God is in your midst, a
mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet
you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. Jesus is with us
in love and joy, and He is mighty to save.
Revelation 10
Chapter
10 begins a pause in the declaration of judgments from Jesus. This is not to
say that there is no activity on earth or in heaven. Actually, there is a lot
going on in both places. The seals and the trumpets (there is still one
remaining trumpet) of the first 3.5 years have set the stage for the next 3.5.
The events of chapter 11 will happen at the mid-point of the Tribulation and
chapters 12-16 will happen during this final 3.5 years. Chapter 16 will unleash
the final judgments that are very close to the end of the Tribulation and the
second coming of Christ.
Vs.
1-7 This mighty angel is declaring a hidden, but very solemn, situation that
will be fulfilled. The mention of the rainbow
should make us think about God's promise to Noah never to fully destroy all of
mankind as He did in the flood. The loud voice gives this mystery a special
measure of importance. There will be ominous consequences. Apparently what will
take place will almost bring the deaths of everyone on the planet. Jesus
Himself said, And if those days had not
been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect
those days will be cut short (Matt. 24:22).
One
question here is what the mystery was that John was not supposed to write down.
It was something announced or mentioned by the prophets that will be fulfilled.
Obviously this mystery isn't the incarnation or death and resurrection of
Christ, or even the existence of the church.
Vs.
8-10 John is told to eat this small scroll. That the scroll tasted sweet is
similar to what we saw in Ezekiel 3:3, but that didn't make Ezekiel sick.
Daniel was made sick when he saw his visions. Daniel became preoccupied with
the visions of the little horn, because it was able to make war with the saints
of God and prevail. This would be a good time to look at Daniel 7:18-27 and
particularly Daniel 8:24-27. Notice that in Daniel 8:26, Daniel is told to seal up the vision just as John was.
Notice that Daniel became sick at the content of this vision.
I
think that what is being announced here is that God is about to give the Jews
and anyone who believes in Him (possibly with the exception of the 144,000)
into the hand of the antichrist. The world stage has been set. The 144,000 have
scattered throughout the earth, and many have come to Christ, and they too have
been sharing. The world is wrecked, but the antichrist is rebuilding and
creating order. He had made a treaty of peace with Israel, but in spite of
that, the two witnesses have been a public threat to him. They have been
untouchable. People in the world understand that God is behind what has
happened, and now their hearts are beginning to be revealed both in hate toward
these witnesses, and also toward God and anyone who names His name.
Time
wise, the first 3.5 years are coming to an end. The army of the north spoken of
in Ezekiel is coming toward Jerusalem. It appears that the disaster that will
happen to this army encamped near the Dead Sea will come from those witnesses.
The antichrist will approach Jerusalem with his army, and armed with satanic
power; and he will kill the witnesses. He will take his place in the temple and
desecrate it, and all the believing Jews in Jerusalem will flee to the hills
around the Dead Sea. Satan will be thrown out of heaven and we'll read about
Satan's pursuit of the Jews who will be saved in the desert. The antichrist
will then reveal spiritual power. The persecution of Christians and believing
Jews will encompass most of the last 3.5 years of the Tribulation.
God will defeat Satan
through weakness. His own sheep will conquer Satan, …by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they
loved not their lives even unto death (Rev. 12:11). These disgusting, weak
humans will wreck Satan. This I think is the mystery. God will give His people
into the enemy's hand and it will destroy that enemy. The more Satan rages, the
more he loses, and mankind judges itself by how it treats Jesus' disciples.
Look at what God said
through Paul in Romans 8:35-39, Who
shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or
persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep
to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through
him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor
rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor
depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the
love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
V.
11 So, John is told that in spite of this, the Word still needs to go out to
all the people of the earth. And this
gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a
testimony to all nations, and then the end will come (Matt. 24:14).
Psalm 138
What
an interesting psalm for today. We go from a discouraged Josiah, to a great
movement in the Tribulation that will prove God's wisdom and strength through
His suffering saints, to David, praising God in the midst of his troubles.
Vs.
1-2 Doesn't it strike you that David thanked God not only for His love, but
because God had exalted His name and His Word? When David was in trouble and
close to God's Word, he was invincible.
V.
3 What a great testimony of hope to us.
Vs.
4-5 David speaks of all the kings of the earth. This is future and it will be
true in the Millennium. Even here, David saw beyond his life to the salvation
of all peoples.
V.
6 This is what God said through Zephaniah, that the lowly who seek Him are
regarded before God.
Vs.
7-8 David was still living a troubled life, but he knew God's presence and
preservation. He knew God had a purpose for him and he knew God's steadfast love. Is it worth facing
hardship to know the reality of God's steadfast love and to know His presence?
I think it is and it is built into following Christ in the harvest. I think it
is one of those "rewards" you only get a certain way, and following
Him in the harvest is the way.
Proverbs 30:11-14
There is something for everyone
here. There are kinds of "people" or "sins." How would you
describe or title them?
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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