Notes from my Bible Study for January 12, 2010

Passages Read Today: Psalm 11, Genesis 12‐13:1, 1 Chronicles 12,
Luke 7:36‐8:3

Psalm 11 - 4 The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord's throne is in heaven; his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man.

Verse four is the turning point in a short psalm about God's protection for the righteous. David is writing as one whose enemies are on the prowl. His enemies have their arrows aimed and ready. In verse three he asks what the righteous can do.

And then, in his anxiety he recognizes God's protection. God is aware. God is on the throne. His eyes are watching over us continually. David could have confidence in life because he could have confidence in his God. He ends with a reminder that the Lord is righteous; he loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold his face. It's a promise to those who are followers of God. Some day we shall see Him face to face. Until then, we must trust in His righteous character.

Genesis 12-13:1 - What a picture is painted for us of God's ability to work despite flawed men in Genesis 12! God chose Abram. He decided that He would make a great nation out of a flawed man. And, he told Abram to go to a land that God would show him.

Abram, by faith, obeys God. But then his faith disappears. For whatever reason, Abram does not feel that God can protect him in the land of Egypt; the land of the mighty Pharaoh. So, Abram does a most selfish thing. In order to protect himself, he tells his wife to lie and say that she is his sister. Abram's wife, Sarai, was a beautiful woman. Pharaoh would certainly want to take her as his wife.

Can you imagine doing such a thing to your wife? Instead of trusting God to take care of him, Abram would devise a scheme for his own protection. How often do we do a similar thing. It's probably not asking our spouse to lie, but we come up with our own plans for our lives instead of trusting God.

In the end, God works despite our stupidity. He did, despite Abram's stupidity. Pharaoh's family suffers great plagues because of Sarai and Pharaoh gives her back to Abram. Abram's wife and marriage suffered because he didn't just trust God. May we learn to trust before it's too late!

1 Chronicles 12 - “We are yours, O David, and with you, O son of Jesse! Peace, peace to you, and peace to your helpers! For your God helps you.”

Imagine what it was like for David to hear such words from these mighty warriors. Do you have a friend who is "with you all the way?" We all need people like this in our lives. We need friends who will walk alongside of us no matter what comes our way. It's important to pursue friendship.

Luke 7:36-8:3 - Jesus came into this world for sinners. There are few places in Scripture where this is as apparent as Luke 7:36-8:3. The guest of a Pharisee, Jesus seems almost out of place at his table. Jesus is righteous. The Pharisee is self-righteous. Jesus is concerned with matters of the heart. The Pharisee is concerned with matters of the head. Jesus is concerned for all people. The Pharisee is concerned about the "right people." When a sinful woman comes in to anoint Jesus' body with oil, the Pharisee saw only the sin in the woman. Christ saw her faith. Christ saw her potential. Christ saw her as the woman that He created her to be.

I'm glad that Christ came for sinners like me. And, I'm glad he came with the power to forgive. One more thing He saw that the Pharisee didn't -- He saw her forgiven. He saw her redeemed. And, Jesus forgave her. For the first time, we see Jesus say that He has the power to forgive. This was blasphemy to the Pharisee, and jubilee to the woman. Has He forgiven you? He can. 1 John 1:9 tells us that when we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all iniquity. Praise God!