Notes from my Bible Study for January 26, 2010

Today's Reading: Psalm 25, Genesis 24, 1 Chrronicles 29:1‐22a, Luke 17:11‐37

Psalm 25 - I’m struck by the simplicity of the words in verse 14, “The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant.”

There are many things that I think about when I think about my relationship with the LORD. “Friend” isn’t normally the first thing that comes to mind. Who am I that the LORD would seek to be friends with me? And yet there are several in Scripture who are called friends of God. God loves friendship with His children.

So, what does a friend of God do?

Like real friends he communicates with God. He spends time with him. He stands up for Him. He looks for ways to bless Him, and so much more.

So, how is that friendship going? Is God a friend? Are you His friend? If not, God’s waiting with open arms. Take the step and become a friend of God.

Genesis 24 – Abraham was a good father to Isaac. He did not want Isaac to take a wife from the Canaanites, and instructed his servant to find a wife for Isaac amongst Abraham’s relatives. I love the way that the servant sought to not only honor his master, but to seek God’s direction as he sought out a wife for Isaac. God directed and found a beautiful and faithful woman to be Isaac’s wife. I love that God brought comfort to Isaac after his mother’s death in his bride, Rebekah.

1 Chronicles 29:1-22a – King David was nearing the end of his life. His ultimate triumph wasn’t in victories won in battle, but in preparing the people to build the temple under the leadership of his son Solomon. You can’t read 1 Chronicles 29 without marveling at the exuberant generosity of King David. The king was so excited about the ability to give good gifts to the Lord that the people caught the passion too. It’s so cool to see how excited the people are about building the temple in this chapter.

I loved the words of David in verse 1b, “The task is great, because this palatial structure is not for human beings but for the LORD God.” What a testament to what is truly important! May we desire to give like this! How quick we are to build mansions to self, but not think about blessing God.

Luke 17:11-37 – We serve a God who is omniscient. He knows everything that will happen. As such, he knew that when he healed the lepers, only one would come back to thank Him. Did that stop Christ from healing? No! He didn’t heal for thanks. He healed because it was the right thing to do. Did you notice who came back to thank Christ? It was the Samaritan leper.

Lepers were the scourge of ancient society. Lepers were relegated to living outside of the town. With no known cure, leprosy was easily spread and it killed. Jesus loved to heal lepers. He healed some by touching them. It would have been the first time in years that they had felt another human being touch them. He could have just healed with his words, like he seemed to do here, but for some, it was His touch. If lepers were society’s scourge, then Samaritan lepers were several steps lower, as far as a righteous Jew was concerned. The Samaritans were enemies of the Jews. These races hated each other. And yet Jesus healed a Samaritan. It would have been a valuable lesson for His followers. Jesus loved Samaritans. Jesus loved lepers. And, Jesus loves you.

Leprosy has largely disappeared from the medical world today, but Christ’s love still reaches out to those who are society’s outcasts. So should our love be!