Notes from my Bible Study for March 11, 2010

Today's Reading: Psalm 70, Exodus 15:22‐16:36, Ezra 6, Romans 7

Psalm 70 - 4 May all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you! May those who love your salvation say evermore, “God is great!”

The words of Psalm 70:4 encompass a beautiful truth. Those of us who have experienced the salvation of Christ should forever speak about how great our God is.

As a pastor, there are certain times when I worship God and feel chills up and down my spine. That often times happens when I sing, How Great Is Our God or How Great Thou Art. There is something wonderful about proclaiming the greatness of God.

In what ways has God shown His greatness in your life? I'd love to hear about it.

Exodus 15:22-16:36 - It didn't take long for the Children of Israel to start grumbling upon the exodus from Egypt. Some felt that they had it better in Egypt, because even though they were slaves, they had plenty of food to eat and water to drink.

God would not leave His people in desperation. Instead, He provided food from heaven for forty years. Imagine what it would be like to be fed for 40 years from the hand of God! Such was the case for Israel. God loved these people, even though they were stubborn and often times doubted God.

Ezra 6 - King Darius was a good man. He was true to his word that the people of Israel should be able to build their temple once again. There were those who were threatened at what might happen if the Israelites were allowed to rebuild, Darius was not one of them. He was so true to his word that he made a threat to anyone who would stop the Jewish people from being able to do the work that God had allowed for them to do on the temple.

Ezra's sixth chapter records the completion of the second temple. This was the temple that Jesus would teach in many years later. This temple would stand until the Roman government would burn it down in 70 AD. It was completed in the year 516 BC. So, it stood for 586 years! The people of Israel rejoiced at it's completion, and once again celebrated the faithfulness of God during Passover.

Romans 7 - All people struggle with sin. Even the spiritual giant, Paul struggled with sin! He talked about the battle that he had with sin in Romans 7, even going so far as to call himself a wretched man. I love the hope that Paul gives us in this chapter. When we struggle with sin, the answer is found in Jesus Christ. He can rescue us from the battle that we have with the flesh. He is our hope and our salvation. Trust in Him today.