Notes from my Bible Study for April 18, 2010

Today's Reading: Psalm 108, Leviticus 14:33‐57, Isaiah 17‐18, 2 Corinthians 12:14‐13:14

Psalm 108 - 5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth!

Psalm 108 is a psalm of David, and as he does in many places, David emphasizes the glory of God. God's glory is displayed throughout the earth. It is displayed above the heavens. But, there was something in David's writing that inferred that he wanted to glorify God everywhere that he went as well. I love people like King David. Those who truly glorify God with their life are inspiring and encouraging people.

Leviticus 14:33‐57 - This passage deals with the laws for cleaning houses where cases of leprous disease have been. I did not add anything to the notes of my Bible in this section.

Isaiah 17‐18 - 1b Behold, Damascus will cease to be a city and will become a heap of ruins.

What awful words! Think about being a resident of Damascus and hearing this oracle delivered to you. The city of Damascus had so enraged God that destruction was their ultimate end.

10 For you have forgotten the God of your salvation and have not remembered the Rock of your refuge; therefore, though you plant pleasant plants and sow the vine-branch of a stranger,11 though you make them grow on the day that you plant them, and make them blossom in the morning that you sow, yet the harvest will flee away in a day of grief and incurable pain.

It's too easy to forget the good things that God has done for us. What is it about human beings that makes us want to be so self-reliant, and to take credit for the things that God deserves credit for?

Isaiah 18 is an oracle concerning Cush. I added no notes to my Bible in this section.

2 Corinthians 12:14‐13:14 - 20 For I fear that perhaps when I come I may find you not as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish—that perhaps there may be quarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder. 21 I fear that when I come again my God may humble me before you, and I may have to mourn over many of those who sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, sexual immorality, and sensuality that they have practiced.

Paul's pastor's heart is shown in this passage. His concern for the Corinthian believers and the Corinthian church is so evident in these words. He is sickened by some of the things that he hears are going on in the church.

5 Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!

Paul warns those who are living lives that don't glorify God that they should examine themselves to see if they are truly Christians. Paul's advice is good for all of us. It's important to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. When our lives look no different than the world around us, when we run to the same things that the world runs to, and when we don't run to God, then we need to ask the tough questions.

12 Greet one another with a holy kiss.

When I was in high school, this was my life's verse! Okay, just kidding. But, the Eastern European church still practices this. I'll never forget my first time speaking in Russia and being kissed by all of the believers in the church. While it seemed strange to me as a western Christian, it was really a beautiful picture of the love that the Russian believers had for one another.