Notes from my Bible Study for January 16, 2010

Passages Read: Psalm 15, Genesis 16, 1 Chronicles 16:4‐43,Luke 9:51‐10:24

Psalm 15 - Read the list of qualifications for who can dwell on the holy hill of the Lord, and you might get discouraged. How many of us can say that we live our lives like that which is described 100 % of the time? Probably none of us. The Psalm is a description of the ideal worshiper of the Lord. Those who sang this psalm would try to live up to these standards. We should strive to live this way as well.

Genesis 16 - How long would it take Abram and Sarai to trust the Lord. God said that Abram would be the father of a great nation, but it had been ten years since the promise was made. Sarai had become impatient. She doubted God. She may have even wondered if Abram had heard God correctly. Either way, she devises her own scheme to have children by having her servant sleep with Abram. What a disappointing way for Sarai and Abram to act. The pregnancy happens, and Ishmael is born to Hagar. Abram not only became the father of the Jewish people, but of the adversaries of the Jewish people. We need to get out of the way so that God can work.

1 Chronicles 16:4-43 - I am blown away today as I think about David's heart of worship. He loved to worship the Lord. Every time I read one of the psalms that he wrote, I am impressed. This was a man who lived to worship. It doesn't mean that everything he did was worship. David failed often. But, he also understood worship and by watching and reading about David's life, we get a sense of what drove him.

I think 1 Chronicles 16:4-43 could be a worship leaders delight. You see David, but you also see Aseph and his brothers. Many of the psalms were written by Aseph. What a combination of worshippers.

David's song of thanks is beautiful. Each stanza seems to include words that have withstood the test of time. Many of our modern worship songs have their roots in these ancient words.

Luke 9:51-10:24 - I love Jesus' model of ministry. He sent out the twelve, equipped to do ministry, in Luke 9. Now, at the beginning of Luke 10, He send out the seventy-two. The mandate is the same. These seventy-two, who had followed Jesus closely, were ready to be used by God in the work of ministry.

Like the twelve, when the seventy-two come back, they are excited about what God did through them. They tell Jesus all about demons being subject to the name of Jesus. Jesus exhorts them to not rejoice in their ability to cast out demons in Jesus name as much as in the fact that their names are written down in heaven.

It is a miracle that God would choose to redeem any of us, let alone use us in His service. May we rejoice when God chooses to use us. May we also rejoice continually over the fact that, if we are believers, God has saved us. That is the ultimate thing to rejoice in.