Notes from my Bible Study for January 10, 2010

Passages Read Today: Psalm 9, Genesis 9:20-10:32; 1 Chronicles 10; Luke 6:17-49

Psalm 9 - Psalm 9 is a psalm of praise to God for his wonderful deeds.

The verses that struck me most were the verses that spoke about God's righteous judgment and His justice (4, 7-8). We spoke in church today about the wrath of God. Only God has the right to judge man's heart, and He is the ultimate righteous Judge.

God's faithfulness is spoken of in verses 9-10. I love the truth of verse 10, "And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you."

I love that God wants us to seek after Him. He desires to be pursued by us. And, when we do, He promises that He will not forsake us.

Genesis 9:20-10:32 It's hard to believe that Noah, the patriarch of the one righteous family on earth, succumbed to drunkenness so soon after the worldwide flood. It didn't take long for the effects of sin to show their ugly head after the flood. Noah sins, his son Ham sins by dishonoring his father in Noah's drunkenness, but hope arises too. For, Shem and Japheth do the honorable thing. Like their father Noah, who acted honorably when the rest of the earth rebelled against God, Shem and Japheth choose the high road. They honor their father by refusing to look upon his nakedness in his drunken state. God was at work in the lives of these young men.

Noah was a godly man, but he wasn't a perfect man. Aren't you glad that God isn't looking for perfect people? He is looking for men and women who are willing to seek after Him; men and women who are willing to be changed by Him.

1 Chronicles 10 - Saul was Israel's first king. He didn't reach that position because of birth. He became king, because God chose him to be king. And, he began as a fine king.

But, as the year's went by, Saul became power hungry and broke his faith in the Lord. He even consulted a medium, seeking guidance. 1 Chronicles 10 is the sad story of Saul's death, and not only Saul's death but the death of his armor bearer and his three sons.

This morning in church we talked about God's judgement. We like to talk about God's grace and love, but His judgement is a topic we tend to ignore. Scripture doesn't sugarcoat the wrath of God. It's seen in many places in the Old Testament and New, including in the chroniclers theological explanation of Saul's death in 1 Chronicles 10:13-14. Reread these words now: "13 So Saul died for his breach of faith. He broke faith with the Lord in that he did not keep the command of the Lord, and also consulted a medium, seeking guidance. 14 He did not seek guidance from the Lord. Therefore the Lord put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse."

Luke 6:17-49 - "19 And all the crowd sought to touch him, for power came out from him and healed them all." - What a picture of our great God's power! I would have loved to be an eyewitness of this account; to see with my own eyes the people swarming, not just to see Jesus, but to touch Him. This is one of the few occasions where Jesus healed everyone. Often times, Jesus chose to heal some, and not heal others. There must have been great celebration that day!

I love the Beatitudes. There is so much rich truth in our Savior's words. He takes the world's system and turns it on its head. The poor are given the kingdom. The hungry will be satisfied. Those who weep will laugh. Those who are hated on account of Christ can rejoice for their great reward in heaven. How often, when we find ourselves in poverty, hunger, hated or persecuted do we rejoice? Not often. And, yet, if it's on account of Him, we can take joy in our future position.

It's interesting how Jesus turns it around again in verses 24-26, speaking woes upon those who live for this life only.

He contiues His "turn the world upside down" teaching when he calls us to love our enemies, not judge, and bear fruit.

None of what Jesus calls us to do is possible without building our spiritual house on the solid rock of Christ.