Fence Rail

Monday, May 28, 2018

May 29, 2018 Reading Notes

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.

MAY 29

2 Samuel 14:1-15:22

In what happens in the next chapters, you see, little by little, what effect David's own sins and his lengthy refusal to confess his crimes had upon his ability to discern and make good judgments.

2 Samuel 14

David was very conflicted morally and emotionally. Absalom should have died for what he did, but David should have died also. David had been promised that one of his sons would be on the throne, but rather than trust God to be true to His Word, David, after losing the hope he had for Amnon, now put his hope in big, tall, handsome Absalom. David wanted to forgive his son and bring him back, but his sense of justice and anger (guilt too, knowing he had brought this on his family) held him back.

Vs. 1-3 Joab was a deceitful and crafty man, and was by no means to be confused with a godly man. It was probably the force of David's devotion to God that influenced Joab for good. Now, with David confused, Joab went into action. This woman was probably the equivalent of an actress.

Vs. 4-20 Apparently David was a sucker for a good story. Nathan had moved David to repentance with a story. Notice that in none of this did David seek God. It doesn’t say he sought God beforehand, and it doesn't say he sought God afterward. David was on auto-pilot. This was about to turn into a horrendous disaster. David had the prophet Nathan and he had the priests and the U&T, but in his guilt and confusion, he just sat there.

As disciples we know we have to live daily in God’s Word. Sin is so strong in us that it is only kept in check by the Word and the Spirit. We need our meds every day and we should always be alert to our reactions. Living by the flesh or gut or good intentions is all the same thing. We have the Word and the Spirit. We should use them.

Vs. 21-24 This shows how emotionally/judgmentally hamstrung David was. What sense did this make?

Vs. 25-27 Absalom was a dude's dude, and the kind of guy you'd want as king. He was also a mess emotionally. In mourning for what happened to his sister Tamar, he named a daughter Tamar. Though it mentions here that he had three sons, later we'll find out that he had no one to carry on his name. Did they die? I don't know.

Vs. 28-33 This was completely dysfunctional and David was party to it. Talk about awful parenting and horrible communication skills. Emotionally, there was something wrong with David. Old Jerusalem was not that big a city not to know what was going on and not to talk with someone.

2 Samuel 15

Vs. 1-6 So now that Absalom was completely bitter and had no regard for his father, he plotted to steal the hearts of Israel away from David (whose credibility was probably low). Obviously, there was much more planning going on here to put together this coup. Remember that Absalom plotted for two years to kill his brother Amnon. He knew how to patiently hatch a plan.

This went on for four years. Don't you think someone would have noticed how weird this looked? I suspect that David noticed and didn't stop him, thinking it might prepare Absalom to be king, and that maybe God was in it. Since Absalom was providing counsel to the people, it might be that because of what David had done, that David had become something of a recluse.

Vs. 7-12 Hebron would be important, because that is where David was crowned king.

V. 12 This is the last chance to figure out on your own who Ahithophel was. Tomorrow I'll tell you. Regardless of what you read about how bad and traitorous Ahithophel was, when you find out who he was, you will totally understand and want to cry and kick David.

Vs. 13-22 Since the people were won over to Absalom, David would be trapped in Jerusalem. His only chance was to run into the wilderness and fight.

V. 16 David shouldn't have left those 10 wives/concubines in Jerusalem, but how could he have known?

The men who had been with David when he ran from Saul were still loyal to him. The leader of these guys showed that despite his age and the discomfort, he would remain with David. I'm sure David's "mighty men" were with him. What is significant when you think of loyalty is that David had men who were still extremely loyal to him, but he might not have been that loyal to them. You'll see that tomorrow.

John 18:1-24

Vs. 1-11 John doesn't mention that Jesus prayed in the garden after He and the disciples had crossed over to the Mount of Olives. John makes up for this by giving us a lot of other insider information.

V. 4 Jesus confronted the mob primarily to save the disciples. In v. 6 you can see that there was tension in the crowd. They must have expected Jesus to turn them into frogs or something.

Vs. 8-11 This shows Jesus trying to let His disciples escape. Peter tried to intervene, but Jesus told him to cool it.

Vs. 12-14 John is the only one who tells us that Jesus went to Annas first and then was sent to Caiaphas. Annas was the unofficial high priest while his son-in-law Caiaphas was the official high priest. Apparently Annas and Caiaphas lived close together in some priestly compound. What John shows us here is that Annas interviewed Jesus first, during which time Peter denied Jesus the first time. Then, after Caiaphas was dressed and had the Sanhedrin up and running, illegally, Jesus was sent, maybe across the courtyard to Caiaphas.

Vs. 15-24 That unknown disciple, again, was John, the writer of this Gospel. Apparently John had some family connections to the high priest (that's why he knew the name of the servant that Peter "Van Goghed") and was able to get Peter into the courtyard.

Vs. 19-24 Apparently Annas was also concerned about the disciples, that is, if this was some sort of secret society. Jesus told him that everything He taught had been taught publicly. It was a rebuke to the insistent unbelief of these men for Jesus not to answer the question, but to refer them back to what they already knew. This is the only time we see Jesus speaking to defend Himself. Oddly enough, almost the exact same thing happens to Paul years later.

Psalm 119:97-112

Keep looking at the words that are used for the Word, the alternating cries for help and then the refuge taken in the Word of God.

Vs. 97-104 David's love for God's law was because it gave him wisdom and he could see that. He didn't need to be taught in theology. All he needed was the Word flowing through him, and it gave him an insight that neither his enemies nor his teachers had.

V. 103 I thank the Lord for every moment like this.

Vs. 105-112 Notice that when David talks about the Word being a lamp unto his feet, he mentions his afflictions in vs. 107 and 109-110. When Jesus tells us in the Lord's Prayer to pray every day, He mentions to pray regarding temptation and the influence of the enemy. The Word is to lead us and especially lead us through adversity. It does this by filling us with trust in God and the strength to abide in Him. If we just go to the Word for a one-verse cure, we might be disappointed. It is the Spirit and the Word in us constantly filling and keeping us that gives us what we need.

Proverbs 16:8-9

Amen and Amen!

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

The daily installments of the Reading Notes can be found at http://fencerail.blogspot.com/

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

All charts/graphics/outlines from the Bible Knowledge Commentary are used with the permission of David C. Cook.

Saturday, May 26, 2018

May 28, 2018 Reading Notes

MAY 28

2 Samuel 13

It is hard to tell how much time had passed. David had written Psalm 51 and shown true repentance (sort of). It might be that David hoped that what the Lord had said would happen, would not happen, or maybe he thought the threat would come from outside of Israel. I'm sure he didn't see this coming. This is not only a sad day in the history of redemption, but days like this would keep on rolling.

Vs. 1-6 Here we are introduced to the old "come and bake bread in my presence" ploy. With so many wives and children, these people, though related, didn’t have the same, normal “I’d gag if I kissed my sister” repulsion. They were almost like strangers to each other in this respect. Although we don’t see the name “Satan” anywhere in this context, we know from the New Testament, that he was involved somewhere.

Isn’t it interesting that we hear so little about Satan in all of this history? I think it is because the real “enemy” is the sickness within us.

Vs. 7-14 Apparently this was an accepted custom in that culture for a sick person. That's why David fell for this. I can imagine that if you were rich, the food was prepared by servants somewhere removed from the main living quarters, possibly in another house. Now, you have to admit, that when the right stuff is being made, it makes the house smell great. Actually, I think I have even gained weight just smelling bread being baked. That sense of warmth and wholeness and smell, and, in general, the wonderfulness of it all was probably thought to help make a sick person well. Anyway, as silly and as transparent as this sounds to us, it probably was rational in that culture.

When Amnon sent everyone out of the room, didn’t anyone think it looked fishy?

V. 13 This marriage would have been forbidden in Israel, meaning they would have had to leave Israel, and Amnon could not have been king. Under the guidelines of the law, this kind of incest was forbidden, but it would have been no different than Abraham and Sarah, who both had a common father but different mothers. It is just to say that if Amnon had really been honest, he could have had her by abdicating from the throne and living in Moab or Egypt. With David’s connections, it would still have been a good life and a realistic option.

V. 14 This is God’s punishment on David. The sickness released in the family was ironically bearing fruit. I wonder how much this act mirrored David's interaction with Bathsheba. I wonder if he used the “come and bake bread for me” ploy too.

Vs. 15-19 Violating Tamar like this would make her “unmarryable” in the proper circles. Tamar was not at fault, but it would have been Amnon's responsibility to do the right thing and marry her.

Vs. 20-22 This will be like the spreading of a cancer. Obviously Absalom will be responsible for his own actions, but this, humanly speaking, destroyed him. And this is where David failed as a father, as a leader and as a follower of God. He failed too because of his own failure. How could David judge his son for doing what he, himself, had done? And now we also see another sickness in David that will be very transparent when he has to deal with Absalom. David was consumed with worry about which son would take the throne after him.

You might have a note that the Dead Sea Scroll and Septuagint (and Luther) add, "But he would not punish his son Amnon because he loved him, since he was his firstborn." David couldn't judge him; and at the same time, he hoped that Amnon would take the throne when he died. This lack of justice created an intense hatred and bitterness in Absalom that would engulf the nation in war. As we’ll see, there was at least one other man who was deeply affected by this. I’m sure that many, many people lost confidence in David.

V. 22 You can see that hatred was festering in the heart of Absalom.

Vs. 23-33 Two years went by. That is not only hatred; it is commitment to have revenge.

V. 26 How did David fall for this? I'm assuming that as the heir apparent, Amnon represented the king at some events and this is what Absalom was asking for. He certainly didn't want David there. He must have known that David would refuse; and so, as a compromise, he pleaded with David to show the favor of his presence by sending Amnon to represent him.

This is just a speculative point here, but I don't think David was a good relational communicator. He wrote wonderful songs and psalms, but as a father and as a verbal minister to his family, he seems to have been a disaster. We'll see more of that tomorrow and in the days to come.

Vs. 37-39 Three years and no communication, just brooding and sulking on David's part. And what was going through Absalom's mind? And here we see a very confused David, so compromised in his own heart and so anxious to have his own son sit on the throne, that he can no longer judge rightly. And this all began one evening as he watched a loyal friend’s wife bathe. How tragic.

For us as disciples, I think the lesson to learn here is to be very serious and intentional to keep our passions fulfilled God’s way. I’ve heard of people who have fallen into adultery or pornography and disqualified themselves from ministry, if by no other way than by the distrust and bitterness they have brought into their close relationships. God is showing us something in David’s life that is meant to be a warning to us. With everything God is showing us here, it would be doubly tragic to make the same mistakes. Imagine getting to heaven and having David walk up to a fallen disciple and say, “What? God exposed my sin and wrote it on the pages of His Word to help you and you ignored it?”

John 17

Vs. 1-5 It is instructive that as Jesus begins this prayer for His disciples, it is all about glory, that is, revealing who the Son is and who the Father is. As followers of our Lord, living for and giving glory to the Father should be just as important to us as it was to our Lord.

V. 3 This is a great definition of what eternal life is.

Vs. 4-5 This seems like a very intimate talk between the Son and His Father.

Vs. 6-8 I guess you could say that it wasn’t Jesus’ job to make them believe, but to manifest the Father before them. The final word on their progress was that they had kept the Father’s Word, which was the Word that Jesus had spoken.

Vs. 9-12 It appears that Jesus was praying for their growth and unity in Him. Judas was lost and these 11 would be tested. Jesus was glorified in them in that they had saving faith and were still following Him. Jesus didn’t just want the Father to protect them, but to give them the oneness with Him that Jesus had with the Father. I guess that unity is a supernatural enablement too. I think this oneness grows out of the mission.

Vs. 13-19 Notice that it was the Word that made them hated by the world, and it was the Word that sanctified them in the truth. Verse 18 is the pre-resurrection giving of the Great Commission. Jesus is not only announcing that they will complete what He has begun, but Jesus is saying He will continue His work with them by consecrating Himself, now and during the church age as He sits at the right hand of God. (See Mark 16:20.)

Vs. 20-23 Jesus prayed that the Father would grant that all who believed in Jesus would have spiritual unity.

Vs. 24-26 Jesus also prayed that they/we would be with Him and would see His glory and would be filled with the love that the Father had for the Son.

There is a lot of love and unity being spoken of here. And it makes sense to me that it is not only in Jesus and in His Word, but we need to be following Him in the harvest to really understand what He is talking about.

Psalm 119:81-96

Vs. 81-88 What stands out to me is the longing in these verses. Do you notice here, and through this entire psalm, the interchange between David’s distress and going to the Word?

Vs. 89-96 I think David understood that as the promises were made in the past, there was also waiting and suffering as those promises moved to fulfillment. Abraham waited; Joseph waited; Israel waited and Moses waited. David was now a part of this waiting, but also he had become a part of the story of God’s faithfulness.

V. 92 I'm sure this was true for David in those long years of running from Saul. I'll bet it became true for David again as his family was falling apart.

V. 93 If only that had been true of David. It needs to be true of me.

Proverbs 16:6-7

David was still a man after God's own heart and I'm sure these two verses came into play as God forgave David and as David refocused his life on following God. We need the fear of the Lord, and we need to live to please the Lord and honor our Father, as we follow in the harvest.

Please Read the Following Disclaimer

May the Lord bless you as you follow Him in the harvest, reaching the lost and making disciples, who make disciples. Dan

The daily installments of the Reading Notes can be found at http://fencerail.blogspot.com/

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

All charts/graphics/outlines from the Bible Knowledge Commentary are used with the permission of David C. Cook.

May 27, 2018 Reading Notes

MAY 27

2 Samuel 12

It seems from the narrative, that once Bathsheba found out she was pregnant and sent word to David, it wasn't long after that, that Uriah died. Now, it looks like the baby has been born. I wonder why God waited so long before He confronted David. Obviously, David had more than enough time to confess his sin and come clean. What would have made him resist God for so long? I think we know the answer and I think this length of time ignoring God had a lasting effect on David’s heart.

Vs. 1-6 I wonder how many of the details of the man's affection for the lamb described the relationship of Uriah and Bathsheba before David destroyed things. If you read a lot into this, Uriah deeply loved Bathsheba and David had no respect for Uriah. Have you figured out yet how David knew Uriah?

Vs. 7-14 It stands out to me here, that if David had sought the Lord and waited for Him, God would have "added" to him and given him more (v. 8). In fact, it might have been that David would have gotten Bathsheba anyway, but more on that later.

V. 9 Notice that God sees David as having despised His Word. And keep in mind that this is the guy who wrote Psalm 119.

Vs. 10-12 All of what God "promises" David will come true and will become a real tragedy.

Vs. 15-23 In all of this it is good that David went in and worshiped God, but I don’t sense a lot of spiritual wisdom in this entire situation. Maybe I’m just being too negative.

Vs. 24-25 Now here is an interesting thought. God loved Solomon and He told Nathan, and so, Solomon had another name that meant that God loved him. Why does God love this person born out of such a foul history? Since God is sovereign, I would have to think that God knew that Solomon would be born of David and Bathsheba and that Solomon was a part of His plan. I think that if David hadn't sinned, God would have brought these two people together without sin. Probably Uriah would have died in battle or some other way, and since David knew Uriah, he would have taken Bathsheba legally as a wife. We've seen something like this before with Rebekah and Jacob stealing the blessing from Esau. If it is God's will for something to happen, we need to wait and be patient. Taking "God's will" by our own hand only adds grief and sorrow to it.

Imagine what this sin would have done to David's entire "family." Would any of the other wives have felt good about being with David after he had done this?

This part about Solomon is probably a summary of the future birth. We know from 1 Chronicles 3:5 that Bathsheba had four boys and Solomon was the youngest of them. Incidentally, while Solomon is not in the direct bloodline to Jesus (through Mary), Solomon’s brother, Nathan, is in the line to Jesus. I think Solomon was excluded because of his idolatry.

Vs. 26-31 The long fought battle (over a year) finally ended in victory. I can't help but see this "victory" as a very ironic defeat for David and all of Israel.

John 16

Vs. 1-4 I've tried to underscore the fact that the context of this Upper Room Discourse is the immediate and ongoing threat there would be to the disciples as they followed Jesus now, and then later after Pentecost. This same atmosphere of threat is true for any of us who are following Christ in the harvest. Many of the truths in this discourse are great. The problem is that if what Jesus says here is removed from this context and taught in isolation, the truths can be misleading. The context for this truth is following Christ on His mission under pressure.

If you take a piston from an engine and use it at Christmas to crack nuts, it will work for that. But imagine if you eventually forgot that it was anything other than a nutcracker. This is exactly what happens with teaching about the Holy Spirit. We use Him for all sorts of things, especially for our comfort. We just forget the context in which He is introduced, the mission, and therefore, the context in which we will find His power and comfort.

Vs. 5-15 Notice that Jesus is speaking again about His leaving them.

V. 7 Jesus will send the Spirit into the disciples. Whereas Jesus could only be in one place at one time, the Holy Spirit can indwell an infinite number of disciples. Notice what this Helper will do in v. 8. How does that help us? It only helps us if we are in the harvest.

Vs. 8-11 The idea of convicting the world concerning sin is focused on the person of Jesus. When Jesus sat down at the right hand of God, it was a declaration of His righteousness as a man to declare judgment on all mankind. Now Jesus is the King of mankind and the “fake” ruler has been dethroned. All of this “reality” has taken place and now just waits for the completion. Now would be the time to confess Christ as Savior.

Vs. 12-15 Jesus was their constant teacher and taught them before and after events, before and after conflicts. Now He was leaving them. The Spirit of truth would now take His place, doing what Jesus had done.

Vs. 16-24 Somehow, I don't think the disciples understood the impact it would have on them when He died. He is bracing them to experience intense disappointment, fear and sorrow; and He's promising them that the joy they experience afterward will wipe that all away. Notice the references to joy and the encouragement for them to pray. Jesus is helping them to protect them, and I don't think they had a clue.

Vs. 25-28 It is interesting that Jesus is already telling them He will teach them after the resurrection. Jesus will say more about the Father and His love for them in chapter 17, but here it is said to assure them so that they will survive the dark night that will come upon them.

Vs. 29-33 Here, it is like the disciples say, "Oh, so that's what you're saying. Null Problemo." And then Jesus says, "Oh yeah. You've got it down? You guys are about to be scattered in fear."

V. 33 Although we haven’t seen the word “abide” since the last chapter, notice the condition of the promise here. Jesus said, in me you may have peace. This is contrasted with the next words, In the world…. Abiding in Jesus is where we find that peace, but abiding is a choice. If our lives are oriented around and defined by the world, we are in trouble. If everything about us is defined by Jesus, we stand in His Spirit with His view of the reality around us, with His purpose in our heart. Notice that the context for this peace is peace in persecution for being a follower of Christ in the harvest. Jesus is saying this to strengthen them. But, will they remember He said this as He is hanging on the cross?

There is a spiritual understanding of Jesus and life in Him behind all of what Jesus is saying here. It might seem hard even for us to understand what He is saying, but Paul promised Timothy that if he kept thinking over what Paul told him, God would give him understanding. The same is true for us now in the harvest. I think God teases us with these sayings to see if we will invest the time to understand Him. We have the Spirit, but it takes time, reading and re-reading and praying and asking and seeking and knocking. Those last three things are things Jesus encouraged or commanded the disciples always to do. Those who ask, receive. Those who seek, find. Those who knock, have the door swing open to them.

Psalm 119:65-80

I noticed again today the references to being afflicted and how affliction worked to drive David to the Word. Seeing what is happening with David in 2 Samuel, I understand that it is better to be afflicted and in the Word, than to have everything going well and feel you can survive without His Word.

Vs. 65-72 David seems to be saying that everything God did to him bore out the truth of the Word. This is like Paul saying to prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. It is worth being afflicted to see the truth of the Word. We discover that God is always true and that waiting on Him is always right. David says it was more valuable to him than gold or silver.

Vs. 73-80 Just as God formed David in the womb, God was forming David through his afflictions as David clung to God’s Word. Verse 79 says that David’s life became a testimony to others. God says the same thing in Isaiah 55, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples. That came through afflictions and being forged in the Word. Afflictions do not help us. God helps us through His Word. If God is present, afflictions are just a means to show us how to abide in Him.

Proverbs 16:4-5

In the OT stories, we have seen how the Lord used the evil and failings of men to further His plan of redemption. We've also seen, and will see, that v. 5 is true, even among God's own children.

Please Read the Following Disclaimer

May the Lord bless you as you follow Him in the harvest, reaching the lost and making disciples, who make disciples. Dan

The daily installments of the Reading Notes can be found at http://fencerail.blogspot.com/

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.

All charts/graphics/outlines from the Bible Knowledge Commentary are used with the permission of David C. Cook.

Fence Rail

Monday, May 28, 2018

May 29, 2018 Reading Notes

Saturday, May 26, 2018

May 28, 2018 Reading Notes

May 27, 2018 Reading Notes

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