April 3: Psalm 93; Exodus 39; Esther 6; 1 Corinthians 11:2–34 - a podcast by Crossway

Psalm 93(Listen)

TheLordReigns

93   The LORD reigns; he is robed in majesty;
    the LORD is robed; he has put on strength as his belt.
  Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.
2   Your throne is established from of old;
    you are from everlasting.
3   The floods have lifted up, O LORD,
    the floods have lifted up their voice;
    the floods lift up their roaring.
4   Mightier than the thunders of many waters,
    mightier than the waves of the sea,
    the LORD on high is mighty!
5   Your decrees are very trustworthy;
    holiness befits your house,
    O LORD, forevermore.

(ESV)

Exodus 39(Listen)

Making the Priestly Garments

39 From the blue and purple and scarlet yarns they made finely woven garments,¹for ministering in the Holy Place. They made the holy garments for Aaron, as the LORD had commanded Moses.

2 He made the ephod of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen.3 And they hammered out gold leaf, and he cut it into threads to work into the blue and purple and the scarlet yarns, and into the fine twined linen, in skilled design.4 They made for the ephod attaching shoulder pieces, joined to it at its two edges.5 And the skillfully woven band on it was of one piece with it and made like it, of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen, as the LORD had commanded Moses.

6 They made the onyx stones, enclosed in settings of gold filigree, and engraved like the engravings of a signet, according to the names of the sons of Israel.7 And he set them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod to be stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel, as the LORD had commanded Moses.

8 He made the breastpiece, in skilled work, in the style of the ephod, of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen.9 It was square. They made the breastpiece doubled, a span²its length and a span its breadth when doubled.10 And they set in it four rows of stones. A row of sardius, topaz, and carbuncle was the first row;11 and the second row, an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond;12 and the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst;13 and the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. They were enclosed in settings of gold filigree.14 There were twelve stones with their names according to the names of the sons of Israel. They were like signets, each engraved with its name, for the twelve tribes.15 And they made on the breastpiece twisted chains like cords, of pure gold.16 And they made two settings of gold filigree and two gold rings, and put the two rings on the two edges of the breastpiece.17 And they put the two cords of gold in the two rings at the edges of the breastpiece.18 They attached the two ends of the two cords to the two settings of filigree. Thus they attached it in front to the shoulder pieces of the ephod.19 Then they made two rings of gold, and put them at the two ends of the breastpiece, on its inside edge next to the ephod.20 And they made two rings of gold, and attached them in front to the lower part of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, at its seam above the skillfully woven band of the ephod.21 And they bound the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, so that it should lie on the skillfully woven band of the ephod, and that the breastpiece should not come loose from the ephod, as the LORD had commanded Moses.

22 He also made the robe of the ephod woven all of blue,23 and the opening of the robe in it was like the opening in a garment, with a binding around the opening, so that it might not tear.24 On the hem of the robe they made pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen.25 They also made bells of pure gold, and put the bells between the pomegranates all around the hem of the robe, between the pomegranates—26 a bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate around the hem of the robe for ministering, as the LORD had commanded Moses.

27 They also made the coats, woven of fine linen, for Aaron and his sons,28 and the turban of fine linen, and the caps of fine linen, and the linen undergarments of fine twined linen,29 and the sash of fine twined linen and of blue and purple and scarlet yarns, embroidered with needlework, as the LORD had commanded Moses.

30 They made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and wrote on it an inscription, like the engraving of a signet, “Holy to the LORD.”31 And they tied to it a cord of blue to fasten it on the turban above, as the LORD had commanded Moses.

32 Thus all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting was finished, and the people of Israel did according to all that the LORD had commanded Moses; so they did.33 Then they brought the tabernacle to Moses, the tent and all its utensils, its hooks, its frames, its bars, its pillars, and its bases;34 the covering of tanned rams’ skins and goatskins, and the veil of the screen;35 the ark of the testimony with its poles and the mercy seat;36 the table with all its utensils, and the bread of the Presence;37 the lampstand of pure gold and its lamps with the lamps set and all its utensils, and the oil for the light;38 the golden altar, the anointing oil and the fragrant incense, and the screen for the entrance of the tent;39 the bronze altar, and its grating of bronze, its poles, and all its utensils; the basin and its stand;40 the hangings of the court, its pillars, and its bases, and the screen for the gate of the court, its cords, and its pegs; and all the utensils for the service of the tabernacle, for the tent of meeting;41 the finely worked garments for ministering in the Holy Place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons for their service as priests.42 According to all that the LORD had commanded Moses, so the people of Israel had done all the work.43 And Moses saw all the work, and behold, they had done it; as the LORD had commanded, so had they done it. Then Moses blessed them.

(ESV)

Esther 6(Listen)

The King Honors Mordecai

6 On that night the king could not sleep. And he gave orders to bring the book of memorable deeds, the chronicles, and they were read before the king.2 And it was found written how Mordecai had told about Bigthana¹and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs, who guarded the threshold, and who had sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus.3 And the king said, “What honor or distinction has been bestowed on Mordecai for this?” The king’s young men who attended him said, “Nothing has been done for him.”4 And the king said, “Who is in the court?” Now Haman had just entered the outer court of the king’s palace to speak to the king about having Mordecai hanged on the gallows²that he had prepared for him.5 And the king’s young men told him, “Haman is there, standing in the court.” And the king said, “Let him come in.”6 So Haman came in, and the king said to him, “What should be done to the man whom the king delights to honor?” And Haman said to himself, “Whom would the king delight to honor more than me?”7 And Haman said to the king, “For the man whom the king delights to honor,8 let royal robes be brought, which the king has worn, and the horse that the king has ridden, and on whose head a royal crown³is set.9 And let the robes and the horse be handed over to one of the king’s most noble officials. Let them dress the man whom the king delights to honor, and let them lead him on the horse through the square of the city, proclaiming before him: ‘Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor.’”10 Then the king said to Haman, “Hurry; take the robes and the horse, as you have said, and do so to Mordecai the Jew, who sits at the king’s gate. Leave out nothing that you have mentioned.”11 So Haman took the robes and the horse, and he dressed Mordecai and led him through the square of the city, proclaiming before him, “Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor.”

12 Then Mordecai returned to the king’s gate. But Haman hurried to his house, mourning and with his head covered.13 And Haman told his wife Zeresh and all his friends everything that had happened to him. Then his wise men and his wife Zeresh said to him, “If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of the Jewish people, you will not overcome him but will surely fall before him.”

Esther Reveals Haman’s Plot

14 While they were yet talking with him, the king’s eunuchs arrived and hurried to bring Haman to the feast that Esther had prepared.

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1 Corinthians 11:2–34(Listen)

Head Coverings

2 Now I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I delivered them to you.3 But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife¹is her husband,²and the head of Christ is God.4 Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head,5 but every wife³who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, since it is the same as if her head were shaven.6 For if a wife will not cover her head, then she should cut her hair short. But since it is disgraceful for a wife to cut off her hair or shave her head, let her cover her head.7 For a man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God, but woman is the glory of man.8 For man was not made from woman, but woman from man.9 Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man.10 That is why a wife ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels.⁴11 Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man nor man of woman;12 for as woman was made from man, so man is now born of woman. And all things are from God.13 Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a wife to pray to God with her head uncovered?14 Does not nature itself teach you that if a man wears long hair it is a disgrace for him,15 but if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For her hair is given to her for a covering.16 If anyone is inclined to be contentious, we have no such practice, nor do the churches of God.

The Lord’s Supper

17 But in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse.18 For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part,⁵19 for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized.20 When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat.21 For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk.22 What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not.

23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread,24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said,“This is my body, which is for⁶you. Do this in remembrance of me.”⁷25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying,“This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord.28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.30 That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.⁸31 But if we judged⁹ourselves truly, we would not be judged.32 But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined¹⁰so that we may not be condemned along with the world.

33 So then, my brothers,¹¹when you come together to eat, wait for¹²one another—34 if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home—so that when you come together it will not be for judgment. About the other things I will give directions when I come.

(ESV)