Here are a couple of notes before we begin today.
First, there is wonderfulness to reading a one-year
Bible. If you've been following from the beginning of the year, you have been
building a great routine these two months. When I started reading like this, I
had always thought that I was pretty good about having my quiet times. As a
pastor, I never have my QT as part of my workday and I thought I was pretty
consistent. Then I began with my German one-year Bible, and I would sit down
thinking I had missed, maybe a couple days, and would find that I was behind a
week. I mark my pages each day so there was no mistake. I'd develop
strategies to get caught up, slowly inching my way up to the current date,
swearing (in a devout manner) that I wouldn't let that happen again. But it
did. So I really concentrated on the time of the day and getting set up in the
same spot, coffee prepared and ready to turn on. This was great for me. Now, since
1995, I seldom, if ever, miss two days in a row, even on the road. As a result,
my relationship with the Lord has never been stronger, even through very rough
times.
Second, there is the joy of making your own
observations and what this brings into a discipleship group. So, Laura comes
into my office this morning with a smile. She found something in yesterday's
reading. Now, to be fair, sometimes I don't mention as much as I could, but
instead I'll make mention to look for something, repetitions of words, etc. I
was not only happy for her, but it felt good to see something I had never
noticed before in the text. Yesterday (and today) in the OT reading, I never
caught the repetition of, I am the Lord,
or I am the Lord your God. How cool.
Then we talked about the application of that phrase for us as disciples. As our
Lord, He lovingly guides, directs and protects us. As our God, He sustains us,
making our lives worth living on earth, and preparing us to live with Him in
the future. In a group, everyone would be adding to the encouragement and
strengthening that this phrase gives to us. Very cool.
So, when you discuss the reading in The One
Year Bible with others in a group, there is a joy in seeing people find
stuff and really getting into it. This is a very natural way to help,
strengthen, and encourage one another as we follow Christ in the harvest,
reaching out and making disciples, who make disciples.
Leviticus 20:22-22:16
Notice the repetition in this section. It
isn't just I am the Lord, but look at
all the mentions of holy. If I were
to ask you at the end of Leviticus, what the point of the book was, these words
would give you a very good idea.
Leviticus 20:22-27
As you read and come to a section like this,
which comes at the end of a chapter, you have to ask yourself what the purpose
of this block is. It appears to be a summary. Summaries often contain purpose
statements.
Notice again the mention of vomit. This is what
would happen to the people in the land they were taking. Imagine, all the
idolatry and sexual perversion we've just read about were considered normal
culture and everyday life in the land of Canaan. This is a warning here, but by
the time we get to Jeremiah, it will be reality. Israel will be
"vomited" out of the land into exile.
So, why v. 27? How does it fit? I'd suggest
that the people were to be constantly coming to the Lord with questions.
Mediums and necromancers were a common way for people to get answers. We'll see
King Saul go to a medium in 1 Samuel 28:7. It is interesting to note that Saul destroyed
a city of priests. Answers to all the people's questions could be found with
the priest who carried the Urim and Thummim. Instead, the people would be
tempted to find answers closer to home. After all, Jerusalem was a long way
away. Israel only had one God, one place to worship and one altar. Jerusalem
was far away, but they had a God who would lead them and answer them. If the
answer didn't come in prayer, it could be found in Jerusalem with the priest of
God.
Leviticus 21
Vs. 1-9 These rules were for all the priests,
to emphasize their special position as mediators for the people. The priests
were to keep themselves always ready to serve the people before God. They could
become unclean (ceremonially unready) in only a few instances. It is
interesting that in the story of the Good Samaritan, Jesus uses this law. The
difference was that the beaten man wasn't dead; he was seriously injured.
Compassion and mercy were always acceptable reasons to touch others and to risk
becoming unclean.
V. 5 These were cultural ways to express
grief. Notice that a priest can't have a Mohawk.
Vs. 6-9 Again, these rules are symbolic of
separation and holiness, emphasizing the special calling of the priest. It
should be noted that the mention of prostitutes in v. 7 would be referring to
ex-prostitutes. One of the women (there were actually two notable Gentile women)
in the line of Christ was an ex-prostitute named Rahab. She is related to
Jesus, but she couldn't have married a priest.
Vs. 10-15 These rules were for the high
priest. In grief, he couldn't even let his hair look wild or tear his clothes.
V. 15 gets expanded upon in Ezekiel 44:22. A
priest could marry the widow of a priest. Again, there wasn't anything wrong
with widows. Ruth was a widow and a Gentile and was in the line of Christ, but
she couldn't have married the high priest. These were living object lessons and
symbols pointing to a separated life of service for God in the ministry to the
people.
Do you think it is fair for God to have such
high standards for the priests? Do you think that it is fair for God to have
high standards for those who follow Christ? We are saved by grace, so why
should there be any standards at all? Look at Ephesians 4:1-6 and Philippians
1:27-30. If you look at what Jesus says about discipleship, it all begins with
denial of self and carrying a cross to our deaths, just like He did. That is
being separated unto Him to work in His harvest for His glory.
Vs. 16-24 Understanding God's symbolism here
helps to balance the fact that this portion seems hard. Unlike our situation as
disciples, where some who have disabilities do a better job witnessing and
representing God than those without disabilities, the priests had to be whole
in every way.
I think it was God's way of saying that you
offer the most healthy, the most robust. You give the sacrifice that costs you
the most. In a sense, those with disabilities had been preselected by the Lord
not to serve as priests, since God was responsible for the disability. With
sacrifices (this happened in Malachi's day) people thought that because times
were tough it would be ok to offer a lamed animal in sacrifice. It wasn't good
for anything anyway, so why not give it in sacrifice. I think the people
eventually had the same thought toward the priests. They didn't really do
anything all day except for a couple of sacrifices. They really didn't bring
anything to the table, so let anyone be a priest. Save the able-bodied men to
serve in the army, be movie stars, etc.; and let the others be priests. As time
went on I don't think they revered the priest like he was really important.
I've heard this said of people who have gone
into fulltime ministry who had very special talents and abilities or an amazing
education. People say, "He became a missionary? What a waste."
Anyway, we can learn something about God in
all of this, but we don't have to complain; because in the grace of Christ, in
our work in the harvest, all of us are used by the Lord. Some of the real
heroes of faith, since Christ, have lived in mind staggering poverty, been
scarred by family or persecution, been disabled, and have had little or no
education. They have defied death to share Christ. They have hidden with other
Christians in dark corners of the world to entrust the truth and make
disciples. They have died for Christ as martyrs and have been murdered without
justice or discovery. And we won't even know their names until we meet them in
heaven.
Leviticus 22:1-16
There are lots of rules here that serve as
"object" lessons. What do you see as the focus of this section? What
are the key words?
Vs. 1-9 This was specifically addressed to
the priests to make sure they were "clean" and ready, so that when
the people brought their sacrifices they could both sacrifice and enjoy their
portion before the Lord.
Vs. 10-16 These were the people who could eat
the offerings. Again, there was to be a sense of reverence, importance and
privilege in receiving and eating these offerings. God gave them this as a
daily reminder of the redemption He was working and the separation (holiness)
they should have toward His work.
For all of our rhetoric that our role models
should just be looked at like normal people and not held to a higher standard,
we still want them to live to a higher standard. We subtly accept sin as normal
by watching TV, but if a preacher or politician becomes guilty of sin, we
rightly draw the line. Those guys who represent people should live to a higher
standard. I agree. God wanted the priests of Israel to live to a higher
standard, showing that it was possible to live completely for God, because they
represented the people before God.
The application to us as disciples following
our Lord in this time of harvest should be obvious. We are called to be set
apart in Christ to be His servants, bearing much fruit, reaching the lost and
making disciples, who make disciples. Everything else during this time of
emergency is either a gift from Him to encourage us, or we should treat it as
common. Our calling in Christ is holy and more important than the stuff around
us.
Mark 9:1-29
Vs. 1-13
If you are ever on a quiz show and asked,
"How many days was it, after Peter confessed that Jesus was the Christ,
that Jesus was transfigured before them?" Mark gives you the answer.
Again we see Jesus leading His men into a
deeper relationship with Himself even after one of them, Peter, had a major
malfunction in his faith and understanding. Jesus was a very patient and
perceptive disciple maker.
V. 1 This verse connects what Jesus just said
about the Son coming in glory, to what is about to happen. These three would be
the first to see Jesus glorified.
Vs. 2-8 Actually Mark doesn't give you the
complete answer. You need Mark and Luke. Mark says that Jesus led them up the
mountain six days later, but Luke says it is eight days later that Jesus is
changed. That means they were up there two days praying before Jesus was
transfigured.
Transfigured means that Jesus was changed. It
doesn't mean that He only outwardly glowed, but He was entirely metamorphosed
(that is literally the word). He became different and they saw Jesus, minus the
nail prints, as He appears in heaven, in His glory.
Vs. 9-13 Remember, these three men will
become the leaders of the Twelve and will need to give leadership to the
others. The road that Jesus leads them on will only get darker and more
conflict ridden. This was God's gift to these three men to strengthen them as
makers of disciples.
Vs. 14-29 We've seen this before in Matthew
17. It is really interesting how much space is given to this situation. Mark is
giving it as much space as the transfiguration. I still need to wrap my head
around this. There must be something about the transfiguration that connects to
this struggle of faith.
Note that when Jesus comes down the mountain,
the disciples are in an argument with the scribes, probably challenging their
correctness and their authority. Paul tells Timothy, the disciple, to stay out of
stupid, silly controversies. Arguments seldom settle anything, but you usually
walk away emotionally unsettled.
V. 27 Notice that Jesus takes the boy by the
hand. Very personal touch.
If you reread Matthew 17, Jesus says they
failed to cast out the demon because of their lack of faith. Faith expressed
how? In not praying? Were they distracted by the crowd and the conflict with
the scribes, and didn't have the courage and presence of mind to huddle
together, in front of all those people and detractors and pray?
Maybe the message for us as disciples is that
if we become too "crowd" focused, we might lose the power and
strength we have in the harvest, which only comes through faith and pounding on
the door of heaven. I was reading today and was challenged again by what Jesus
says about the mustard seed and faith. Disciples need faith to seek God in the
harvest and know His power.
Psalm 43
There is no notation of who might have
written this, but if you read yesterday's psalm, you probably figured it out.
It looks like another son of Korah.
Vs. 1-2 The psalmist is feeling like the
success or threats of the ungodly are somehow a sign of God's rejection. That's
how he feels, but he knows better.
Vs. 3-4 It is interesting that he asks for
God's Word, His light and truth (the Urim and Thummim of the priest literally
mean light and truth and were used for gaining those in decisions). The cry for
vindication is followed by the true desire to be close to God, sheltered and
led by His light and truth, in His dwelling, before His altar. Nothing I've
done gets closer to this than sitting before the Lord after someone has come to
Christ. The bruises don't hurt as much. The voices of conflict and doubting
become distant and without merit; the reality of the truth seems like a light.
There is deep joy, and you're willing to offer even more.
V. 5 So, I ask myself today, Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why
are you in turmoil within me? Hope in
God; for I shall again praise Him, my salvation and my God. Keep going,
keep praying, keep working, and keep trusting. Hold to what the Lord tells you
to do, and the Lord will bring you there again.
Proverbs 10:18
Amen.
If you’re reading along and don’t have a One Year
Bible, click on this link http://www.esvbible.org/devotions/every-day-in-the-word/. If that doesn't
work, go to http://www.esvbible.org/devotions/
and click on “Every
Day in the Word.”
I'm writing these comments to and for those who are
following a One Year Bible and 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. 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 manual we have and 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. 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 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, disciples making disciples in the
harvest.
If you would like a complete description of this model
of being and making disciples you can find it in my book: Simply
Disciples*Making Disciples. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011WJIDQA?*Version*=1&*entries*=0
If you would like a more descriptive commentary that is
still readable and concise, I'd recommend the Bible Knowledge Commentary. It's
keyed to the NIV, so the result is the commentators are constantly telling you
what the Greek or Hebrew is. That never hurts.
I am not endorsing any particular One Year Bible; in
fact, I read something you don't, die revidierte Lutherbibel 1984.
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.
Send comments or feedback to dgkachikis@gmail.com.
If you would like documents containing an entire month
of the Reading Notes, go to https://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes. You can download
these to use on your computer or to print.
