Luke 6

 Luke 6:35 "But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked" NIV. Some may ask how is God kind to the ungrateful and wicked. First, he hasn't just wiped them out, but first and foremost God wants to see them saved. Romans 5:8 Says, "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." 

Yes, God does and will judge the wicked and ungrateful, but before then he wants to see them saved and changed. God offers mercy even to those that He knows will never accept Him. Now Jesus is telling us to do the same. Love them without expecting to get anything out of it. Yes, it's hard but when we do we imitate God. Also, when we do there are times we will get something in return, a changed heart. 

Psalm 5

 

In this chapter, the psalmist speaks of God hating wrongdoers and despising others. How can this be? Isn't God a God of love? God is love but God is also a God of Justice. 

For myself, I don't have a harder time understanding this. I can love someone yet despise the things they do and maybe in some ways hate it. I would want them to be better but yet I know that they're not therefore I hate what they do. If I was a judge I would have to obey the laws and have them punished for the good of all. A horrible example might be a horror movie where a loved one is taken over by a monster, disease, parasite, etc and to save everyone else you have to stop them or kill them. The person is loved but what they've become makes them hated.

We also need to understand that God's anger or hate as the psalmist puts it, isn't the same as ours. God is at both times far more merciful than we could believe and far more strict than we conceive. To say it another way, if you're counting on God to let you slide by and you will be surprised by his judgment. However, if you understand your own weakness, your sinfulness, and cry out in humility God's mercy and love will be greater than you could ever believe.

If what I'm saying doesn't make sense to you, don't worry about it. Just listen to the scriptures and have it teach you.

Genesis 15

 

Why does God ask Abraham what he wants? We know that God knows everything so why would God ask something he already knows? 

For me, I think it has to do in part with us. If we want something but don't say anything and get it then we feel fortunate or maybe just blessed but if it's something we ask for then we know we have been answered. 

Also there is the fact that God cares about us to ask what we want. If someone asks do you like for your birthday or if your boss would say what would you like for your bonus and they got that it would mean something special. Even if somebody can't get you what you would like the fact that they would ask means for most of us that they care.

God knows what Abram desires and he is going to give it to him but it's not coming yet. Like I'm telling him he's going to answer the prayer he's giving him hope and he's letting him know that it's coming. 

Genesis 14

 

Who is this man Melchizedek and where does he come from? 

Melchizedek is the king of Salem. Salem is a place that will eventually be called Jerusalem. Jerusalem the place where God will allow his Temple to be built, the place that will be called The eternal City, and in eternity there will be a New Jerusalem. We aren't told why God chose this place but for me I wonder if it didn't have something to do with Melchizedek and the people of the city of Salem.

Melchizedek is clearly a picture of Christ. It is the first time bread and wine are seeing together as they will be used in the Passover and later in the communion. The book of Hebrews speaks of Christ being a priest of the order of Melchizedek. And many biblical scholars believe that Melchizedek is actually Christ. I don't necessarily believe that but if it's true I don't have a problem with that either. My thought of why I believe because it was a regular human actually goes back to the the city of Jerusalem itself and the fact that it was chosen. I tend to lean to the idea that Melchizedek and his people were devoted to God and therefore God gave them or at least their City a special place in his salvation history.

Isaiah 6

 

I've heard it said that perhaps Isaiah had a problem with foul language. This is taken from Isaiah's confession that he was a man of unclean lips and living amongst people of unclean lips. 

However, when one understands that in the law those who had leprosy were supposed to cover their lips one can see a deeper confession. Leprosy was the worst condition that could befall on human being at that time. For many, it was a living death and was a picture of sin in the life of people. Some who had leprosy didn't look very sick, and others would have been reminiscent of a horror movie. The truth was no matter how good you looked at the time death was always coming and eventually, everyone would become the most vile-looking creatures.

Isaiah was the prophet of God but as he stood in the presence of almighty God whatever view he had of himself was blown away. Isaiah saw himself as he really was a person filled with sin a person condemned by the leprosy of the soul a person who needed mercy but deserved to be condemned. Thankfully God gave and is still giving forgiveness to those who recognize their own sinfulness and come to God in humility.

Job 1

 

"Job sinned not - He expressed just the feelings and manifested just the submission which he ought to do" This is a quote from Barnes* that sums up this last verse. God knows what we feel He knows our concerns and he is not offended when we express them to him. 

How does Job understand God's sovereignty, free will, and his affairs with man? We don't know but he does understand God has the final say and at this point is submitting to it. 

For those who want easy answers or sometimes answers at all, you won't find them in the book of Job. However it is a great book that reminds us good people suffer, people misunderstand, and there are times when God doesn't give us the answer. The other thing we can learn is how not to be like Job's comforters.

*https://biblehub.com/commentaries/barnes/job/1.htm

Luke 5

 Jesus said he came to call sinners. I have heard people take this comment of Jesus and use it to classify the down and out, the hard-working guy or gal, even the drunkard as the people Jesus came to save. 

Yes, Jesus did come to reach these but he actually came to reach everyone. The difference isn't there social status but the state of their heart. If a rich socialite realizes they are a sinner, Jesus came to save them. The same if it's a drunk. However, if a drunker or a rich person believe they aren't sinners then both are not in a place to receive Christ. It's the realization of sin that prepares people for Jesus.

Of course, if you're down and out then it's often a lot easier to see that you're trapped in sin. Jesus does not love the poor more, but he's often there for them more, because they need him more.