March 31: Psalm 90; Exodus 35:30–36:38; Esther 3; 1 Corinthians 8 - a podcast by Crossway

Psalm 90(Listen)

Book Four

From Everlasting to Everlasting

A Prayer of Moses, the man of God.

90   Lord, you have been our dwelling place¹
    in all generations.
2   Before the mountains were brought forth,
    or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
    from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
3   You return man to dust
    and say, “Return, O children of man!”²
4   For a thousand years in your sight
    are but as yesterday when it is past,
    or as a watch in the night.
5   You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream,
    like grass that is renewed in the morning:
6   in the morning it flourishes and is renewed;
    in the evening it fades and withers.
7   For we are brought to an end by your anger;
    by your wrath we are dismayed.
8   You have set our iniquities before you,
    our secret sins in the light of your presence.
9   For all our days pass away under your wrath;
    we bring our years to an end like a sigh.
10   The years of our life are seventy,
    or even by reason of strength eighty;
  yet their span³is but toil and trouble;
    they are soon gone, and we fly away.
11   Who considers the power of your anger,
    and your wrath according to the fear of you?
12   So teach us to number our days
    that we may get a heart of wisdom.
13   Return, O LORD! How long?
    Have pity on your servants!
14   Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
    that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
15   Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
    and for as many years as we have seen evil.
16   Let your work be shown to your servants,
    and your glorious power to their children.
17   Let the favor⁴of the Lord our God be upon us,
    and establish the work of our hands upon us;
    yes, establish the work of our hands!

(ESV)

Exodus 35:30–36:38(Listen)

Construction of the Tabernacle

30 Then Moses said to the people of Israel, “See, the LORD has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah;31 and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, with intelligence, with knowledge, and with all craftsmanship,32 to devise artistic designs, to work in gold and silver and bronze,33 in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, for work in every skilled craft.34 And he has inspired him to teach, both him and Oholiab the son of Ahisamach of the tribe of Dan.35 He has filled them with skill to do every sort of work done by an engraver or by a designer or by an embroiderer in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, or by a weaver—by any sort of workman or skilled designer.

36 “Bezalel and Oholiab and every craftsman in whom the LORD has put skill and intelligence to know how to do any work in the construction of the sanctuary shall work in accordance with all that the LORD has commanded.”

2 And Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab and every craftsman in whose mind the LORD had put skill, everyone whose heart stirred him up to come to do the work.3 And they received from Moses all the contribution that the people of Israel had brought for doing the work on the sanctuary. They still kept bringing him freewill offerings every morning,4 so that all the craftsmen who were doing every sort of task on the sanctuary came, each from the task that he was doing,5 and said to Moses, “The people bring much more than enough for doing the work that the LORD has commanded us to do.”6 So Moses gave command, and word was proclaimed throughout the camp, “Let no man or woman do anything more for the contribution for the sanctuary.” So the people were restrained from bringing,7 for the material they had was sufficient to do all the work, and more.

8 And all the craftsmen among the workmen made the tabernacle with ten curtains. They were made of fine twined linen and blue and purple and scarlet yarns, with cherubim skillfully worked.9 The length of each curtain was twenty-eight cubits,¹and the breadth of each curtain four cubits. All the curtains were the same size.

10 He²coupled five curtains to one another, and the other five curtains he coupled to one another.11 He made loops of blue on the edge of the outermost curtain of the first set. Likewise he made them on the edge of the outermost curtain of the second set.12 He made fifty loops on the one curtain, and he made fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that was in the second set. The loops were opposite one another.13 And he made fifty clasps of gold, and coupled the curtains one to the other with clasps. So the tabernacle was a single whole.

14 He also made curtains of goats’ hair for a tent over the tabernacle. He made eleven curtains.15 The length of each curtain was thirty cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits. The eleven curtains were the same size.16 He coupled five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves.17 And he made fifty loops on the edge of the outermost curtain of the one set, and fifty loops on the edge of the other connecting curtain.18 And he made fifty clasps of bronze to couple the tent together that it might be a single whole.19 And he made for the tent a covering of tanned rams’ skins and goatskins.

20 Then he made the upright frames for the tabernacle of acacia wood.21 Ten cubits was the length of a frame, and a cubit and a half the breadth of each frame.22 Each frame had two tenons for fitting together. He did this for all the frames of the tabernacle.23 The frames for the tabernacle he made thus: twenty frames for the south side.24 And he made forty bases of silver under the twenty frames, two bases under one frame for its two tenons, and two bases under the next frame for its two tenons.25 For the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side, he made twenty frames26 and their forty bases of silver, two bases under one frame and two bases under the next frame.27 For the rear of the tabernacle westward he made six frames.28 He made two frames for corners of the tabernacle in the rear.29 And they were separate beneath but joined at the top, at the first ring. He made two of them this way for the two corners.30 There were eight frames with their bases of silver: sixteen bases, under every frame two bases.

31 He made bars of acacia wood, five for the frames of the one side of the tabernacle,32 and five bars for the frames of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the frames of the tabernacle at the rear westward.33 And he made the middle bar to run from end to end halfway up the frames.34 And he overlaid the frames with gold, and made their rings of gold for holders for the bars, and overlaid the bars with gold.

35 He made the veil of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen; with cherubim skillfully worked into it he made it.36 And for it he made four pillars of acacia and overlaid them with gold. Their hooks were of gold, and he cast for them four bases of silver.37 He also made a screen for the entrance of the tent, of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, embroidered with needlework,38 and its five pillars with their hooks. He overlaid their capitals, and their fillets were of gold, but their five bases were of bronze.

(ESV)

Esther 3(Listen)

Haman Plots Against the Jews

3 After these things King Ahasuerus promoted Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, and advanced him and set his throne above all the officials who were with him.2 And all the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman, for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai did not bow down or pay homage.3 Then the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate said to Mordecai, “Why do you transgress the king’s command?”4 And when they spoke to him day after day and he would not listen to them, they told Haman, in order to see whether Mordecai’s words would stand, for he had told them that he was a Jew.5 And when Haman saw that Mordecai did not bow down or pay homage to him, Haman was filled with fury.6 But he disdained¹to lay hands on Mordecai alone. So, as they had made known to him the people of Mordecai, Haman sought to destroy²all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus.

7 In the first month, which is the month of Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, they cast Pur (that is, they cast lots) before Haman day after day; and they cast it month after month till the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar.8 Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom. Their laws are different from those of every other people, and they do not keep the king’s laws, so that it is not to the king’s profit to tolerate them.9 If it please the king, let it be decreed that they be destroyed, and I will pay 10,000 talents³of silver into the hands of those who have charge of the king’s business, that they may put it into the king’s treasuries.”10 So the king took his signet ring from his hand and gave it to Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews.11 And the king said to Haman, “The money is given to you, the people also, to do with them as it seems good to you.”

12 Then the king’s scribes were summoned on the thirteenth day of the first month, and an edict, according to all that Haman commanded, was written to the king’s satraps and to the governors over all the provinces and to the officials of all the peoples, to every province in its own script and every people in its own language. It was written in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed with the king’s signet ring.13 Letters were sent by couriers to all the king’s provinces with instruction to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all Jews, young and old, women and children, in one day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, and to plunder their goods.14 A copy of the document was to be issued as a decree in every province by proclamation to all the peoples to be ready for that day.15 The couriers went out hurriedly by order of the king, and the decree was issued in Susa the citadel. And the king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Susa was thrown into confusion.

(ESV)

1 Corinthians 8(Listen)

Food Offered to Idols

8 Now concerning¹food offered to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up.2 If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know.3 But if anyone loves God, he is known by God.²

4 Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.”5 For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”—6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.

7 However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled.8 Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do.9 But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.10 For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating³in an idol’s temple, will he not be encouraged,⁴if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols?11 And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died.12 Thus, sinning against your brothers⁵and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ.13 Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.

(ESV)