April 1: Psalm 91; Exodus 37; Esther 4; 1 Corinthians 9 - a podcast by Crossway

Psalm 91(Listen)

My Refuge and My Fortress

91   He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
    will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
2   I will say¹to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress,
    my God, in whom I trust.”
3   For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
    and from the deadly pestilence.
4   He will cover you with his pinions,
    and under his wings you will find refuge;
    his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
5   You will not fear the terror of the night,
    nor the arrow that flies by day,
6   nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
    nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.
7   A thousand may fall at your side,
    ten thousand at your right hand,
    but it will not come near you.
8   You will only look with your eyes
    and see the recompense of the wicked.
9   Because you have made the LORD your dwelling place—
    the Most High, who is my refuge²—
10   no evil shall be allowed to befall you,
    no plague come near your tent.
11   For he will command his angels concerning you
    to guard you in all your ways.
12   On their hands they will bear you up,
    lest you strike your foot against a stone.
13   You will tread on the lion and the adder;
    the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.
14   “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him;
    I will protect him, because he knows my name.
15   When he calls to me, I will answer him;
    I will be with him in trouble;
    I will rescue him and honor him.
16   With long life I will satisfy him
    and show him my salvation.”

(ESV)

Exodus 37(Listen)

Making the Ark

37 Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood. Two cubits¹and a half was its length, a cubit and a half its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height.2 And he overlaid it with pure gold inside and outside, and made a molding of gold around it.3 And he cast for it four rings of gold for its four feet, two rings on its one side and two rings on its other side.4 And he made poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold5 and put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark.6 And he made a mercy seat of pure gold. Two cubits and a half was its length, and a cubit and a half its breadth.7 And he made two cherubim of gold. He made them of hammered work on the two ends of the mercy seat,8 one cherub on the one end, and one cherub on the other end. Of one piece with the mercy seat he made the cherubim on its two ends.9 The cherubim spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, with their faces one to another; toward the mercy seat were the faces of the cherubim.

Making the Table

10 He also made the table of acacia wood. Two cubits was its length, a cubit its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height.11 And he overlaid it with pure gold, and made a molding of gold around it.12 And he made a rim around it a handbreadth²wide, and made a molding of gold around the rim.13 He cast for it four rings of gold and fastened the rings to the four corners at its four legs.14 Close to the frame were the rings, as holders for the poles to carry the table.15 He made the poles of acacia wood to carry the table, and overlaid them with gold.16 And he made the vessels of pure gold that were to be on the table, its plates and dishes for incense, and its bowls and flagons with which to pour drink offerings.

Making the Lampstand

17 He also made the lampstand of pure gold. He made the lampstand of hammered work. Its base, its stem, its cups, its calyxes, and its flowers were of one piece with it.18 And there were six branches going out of its sides, three branches of the lampstand out of one side of it and three branches of the lampstand out of the other side of it;19 three cups made like almond blossoms, each with calyx and flower, on one branch, and three cups made like almond blossoms, each with calyx and flower, on the other branch—so for the six branches going out of the lampstand.20 And on the lampstand itself were four cups made like almond blossoms, with their calyxes and flowers,21 and a calyx of one piece with it under each pair of the six branches going out of it.22 Their calyxes and their branches were of one piece with it. The whole of it was a single piece of hammered work of pure gold.23 And he made its seven lamps and its tongs and its trays of pure gold.24 He made it and all its utensils out of a talent³of pure gold.

Making the Altar of Incense

25 He made the altar of incense of acacia wood. Its length was a cubit, and its breadth was a cubit. It was square, and two cubits was its height. Its horns were of one piece with it.26 He overlaid it with pure gold, its top and around its sides and its horns. And he made a molding of gold around it,27 and made two rings of gold on it under its molding, on two opposite sides of it, as holders for the poles with which to carry it.28 And he made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold.

29 He made the holy anointing oil also, and the pure fragrant incense, blended as by the perfumer.

(ESV)

Esther 4(Listen)

Esther Agrees to Help the Jews

4 When Mordecai learned all that had been done, Mordecai tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and he cried out with a loud and bitter cry.2 He went up to the entrance of the king’s gate, for no one was allowed to enter the king’s gate clothed in sackcloth.3 And in every province, wherever the king’s command and his decree reached, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting and weeping and lamenting, and many of them lay in sackcloth and ashes.

4 When Esther’s young women and her eunuchs came and told her, the queen was deeply distressed. She sent garments to clothe Mordecai, so that he might take off his sackcloth, but he would not accept them.5 Then Esther called for Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs, who had been appointed to attend her, and ordered him to go to Mordecai to learn what this was and why it was.6 Hathach went out to Mordecai in the open square of the city in front of the king’s gate,7 and Mordecai told him all that had happened to him, and the exact sum of money that Haman had promised to pay into the king’s treasuries for the destruction of the Jews.8 Mordecai also gave him a copy of the written decree issued in Susa for their destruction,¹that he might show it to Esther and explain it to her and command her to go to the king to beg his favor and plead with him²on behalf of her people.9 And Hathach went and told Esther what Mordecai had said.10 Then Esther spoke to Hathach and commanded him to go to Mordecai and say,11 “All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that if any man or woman goes to the king inside the inner court without being called, there is but one law—to be put to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter so that he may live. But as for me, I have not been called to come in to the king these thirty days.”

12 And they told Mordecai what Esther had said.13 Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not think to yourself that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews.14 For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”15 Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai,16 “Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.”³17 Mordecai then went away and did everything as Esther had ordered him.

(ESV)

1 Corinthians 9(Listen)

Paul Surrenders His Rights

9 Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are not you my workmanship in the Lord?2 If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you, for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

3 This is my defense to those who would examine me.4 Do we not have the right to eat and drink?5 Do we not have the right to take along a believing wife,¹as do the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas?6 Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working for a living?7 Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard without eating any of its fruit? Or who tends a flock without getting some of the milk?

8 Do I say these things on human authority? Does not the Law say the same?9 For it is written in the Law of Moses, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain.” Is it for oxen that God is concerned?10 Does he not certainly speak for our sake? It was written for our sake, because the plowman should plow in hope and the thresher thresh in hope of sharing in the crop.11 If we have sown spiritual things among you, is it too much if we reap material things from you?12 If others share this rightful claim on you, do not we even more?

Nevertheless, we have not made use of this right, but we endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ.13 Do you not know that those who are employed in the temple service get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in the sacrificial offerings?14 In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.

15 But I have made no use of any of these rights, nor am I writing these things to secure any such provision. For I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of my ground for boasting.16 For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!17 For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward, but if not of my own will, I am still entrusted with a stewardship.18 What then is my reward? That in my preaching I may present the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel.

19 For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them.20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law.21 To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law.22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.

24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.26 So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air.27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control,²lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

(ESV)