This week’s passages are from Psalm 25:1-10 & Luke
10:25-37.
Psalm 25:1-10
Psalm 25 is another prayer poem which appears to be very judgmental
and full of self-righteousness. The psalmist appeals to God’s mercy because of
his ardent desire to be sincerely faithful and focused upon God’s Word. Unfortunately,
he contrasts this with his enemies, declaring them to be shameless and
treacherous. You don’t find Christ’s future call to “Love Your Enemies,” in
this psalm.
But there is also a redeeming element of confession and humility in
the psalm. The writer calls upon God to give him a waiver for his past rebellious
sins, especially those in his youthful days. He appeals for God’s faithfulness,
mercy, and love to be given to those, like the psalmist, who devote their time
to God’s ways and words.
Questions for study and
reflection
Why do you think the psalmist
feared to be shamed by his enemies? What did he want God to do?
How does the writer
contrast his faithfulness to those of his enemies? What was he trying to make
God do?
The psalmist calls upon
God to remember His mercy and love in verse 6, but then asks God to forget his
own sinful past? Why?
How is God’s
faithfulness described throughout the psalmist? How do we appeal to that
faithfulness today?
Luke 10:25-37
The story of the Good Samaritan is
one that we learn from a very early age in church. It is about how we treat one
another as human beings, as well as depicting the hypocrisy of people claiming
to be religious without showing compassion. The contrast between the lowly Samaritan
and the religious leaders was used by Jesus to convey His message that our
differences should not get in the way of accepting, loving, and helping one
another.
.
Questions for study and
reflection
Why did the expert in
the law want to test Jesus? What did he hope to accomplish with his question?
How does Jesus respond
to the question? What was He hoping that the lawyer would do?
After hearing Christ’s
reply, as well as His instruction in v28, the lawyer wants to continue the
debate.
What do you think his motives were for doing this? Had he actually
listened to what Christ has already said?
What are the main points
in the parable of the Good Samaritan? How would those points have affected the
lawyer, as well as the people who witnessed the discussion?
How do our churches
practice being good neighbors in the communities to which they belong? Are our
churches known for their religious faithfulness or acts of compassion?
Acceptance and
compassion are the fruits of both faith and love. How do we as Christians
convey those to other people in our lives?
Any other thoughts or
questions?
Next Sunday’s readings: Psalm
52:1-7 & Luke 10:38-42
No comments:
Post a Comment