
Scripture encourages God’s people to sing to the Lord—and what we sing and how we sing matters. Listen to Truth For Life as Alistair Begg explores Psalm 100 to explain the significance of worshipping God together through song.
From the Sermon

His Glory, Our Concern
Do you ever see somebody in passing, perhaps on a bus or in a store, and find yourself struck by the thought that there’s a whole life wrapped up in that person—hopes, dreams, sadnesses, regrets? Phinehas’s wife—we don’t even know her name—is someone who may cause us to wonder, “What had her life been?”
Presumably, there would have been great joy and celebration at this woman’s wedding. After all, she was marrying a priest! As time went by, however, she likely became aware of her husband’s double standards: he fulfilled his priestly duties, but he also abused his role to sleep with other women, which was a matter of public knowledge (1 Samuel 2:22).
Now, heavily pregnant with his child, “she heard the news” (1 Samuel 4:19) that the Philistines had slain her husband and captured the ark of the Lord (v 11). Typically, you would think that the death of a spouse would head the list of concerns, with every other consideration in the world receding in comparison. But this was not the case for Phinehas’s wife. For this woman, the spiritual implications of the ark of God being captured far outweighed even the most distressing temporal concerns. Even the news that she had borne a son did not rally her. And so she named her child Ichabod, which simply means “no glory” or “Where is the glory?”
In all her pain, disappointment, and loss, somehow, deep inside, Phinehas’s wife had laid hold of something that even those closest to her had not grasped. She knew that God’s glory mattered more than Eli’s name, mattered more than Shiloh, and mattered more than victory in battle. As Dale Ralph Davis writes, “She taught more theology in her death than Phinehas had done in his whole life.”[1]
This woman must have lived in the presence of God. When her husband let her down and she was aware of the discrepancy between his public profession and his private reality, she must have run to the Lord, her “very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1). Otherwise, concern over His glory would not have been her response.
What about you? Is God’s glory and presence your greatest concern? Does the advance of His cause and honor of His name matter more to you than anything? This way lies real freedom, for it means you always look forward to life in the very presence of God—that city where there is no temple, “for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light” (Revelation 21:22-23). In the details of your day, in the trials of life, and at the moment of your death, turn to God as your refuge and strong tower (Proverbs 18:10). Only then will you discover or remember that God’s glory truly is our greatest hope and joy.
How is God calling me to think differently?
How is God reordering my heart’s affections — what I love?
What is God calling me to do as I go about my day today?
The Lord Is My Rock and My Fortress
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, fthe servant of the Lord, gwho addressed the words of this hsong to the Lord on the day when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. He said:
1I love you, O Lord, my strength.
2The Lord is my irock and my jfortress and my deliverer,
my God, my irock, in kwhom I take refuge,
my lshield, and mthe horn of my salvation, my nstronghold.
3I call upon the Lord, who is oworthy to be praised,
and I am saved from my enemies.
4pThe cords of death encompassed me;
qthe torrents of destruction assailed me;1
5pthe cords of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.
6rIn my distress I called upon the Lord;
to my God I cried for help.
From his stemple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears.
7Then the earth treeled and rocked;
the foundations also of the mountains trembled
and quaked, because he was angry.
8Smoke went up from his nostrils,2
and devouring ufire from his mouth;
glowing coals flamed forth from him.
9He vbowed the heavens and wcame down;
xthick darkness was under his feet.
10He rode on a cherub and flew;
he came swiftly on zthe wings of the wind.
11He made darkness his covering, his acanopy around him,
thick clouds bdark with water.
12Out of the brightness before him
chailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.
13The Lord also dthundered in the heavens,
and the Most High uttered his evoice,
hailstones and coals of fire.
14And he sent out his farrows and scattered them;
he flashed forth lightnings and grouted them.
15Then hthe channels of the sea were seen,
and the foundations of the world were laid bare
at your irebuke, O Lord,
at the blast of jthe breath of your nostrils.
16He ksent from on high, he took me;
he ldrew me out of mmany waters.
17He rescued me from my strong enemy
and from those who hated me,
for they were ntoo mighty for me.
18They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
but the Lord was my support.
19He brought me out into oa broad place;
he rescued me, because he pdelighted in me.
20The Lord dealt with me qaccording to my righteousness;
according to rthe cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.
21For I have skept the ways of the Lord,
and have not wickedly departed from my God.
22For tall his rules3 were before me,
and his statutes I did not put away from me.
23I was ublameless before him,
and I kept myself from my guilt.
24So the Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.
25With vthe merciful you show yourself merciful;
with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;
26with the purified you show yourself pure;
and with wthe crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.
27For you save xa humble people,
but ythe haughty eyes you bring down.
28For it is you who light my zlamp;
the Lord my God lightens my darkness.
29For by you I can run against a troop,
and by my God I can aleap over ba wall.
30This God—his way is cperfect;4
the word of the Lord dproves true;
he is ea shield for all those who ftake refuge in him.
31For gwho is God, but the Lord?
And who is ha rock, except our God?—
32the God who iequipped me with strength
and made my way jblameless.
33He made my feet like the feet of a kdeer
and set me secure on lthe heights.
34He mtrains my hands for war,
so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35You have given me the shield of your salvation,
and your right hand nsupported me,
and your ogentleness made me great.
36You pgave a wide place for my steps under me,
and my feet did not slip.
37I pursued my enemies and overtook them,
and did not turn back till they were consumed.
38I thrust them through, so that they were not able to rise;
they fell under my feet.
39For you equipped me with strength for the battle;
you made those who rise against me sink under me.
40You made my enemies qturn their backs to me,5
and those who hated me I destroyed.
41rThey cried for help, but there was none to save;
they cried to the Lord, but he did not answer them.
42I beat them fine as sdust before the wind;
I cast them out like tthe mire of the streets.
43You delivered me from ustrife with the people;
you made me vthe head of the nations;
wpeople whom I had not known served me.
44As soon as they heard of me they obeyed me;
xforeigners ycame cringing to me.
45xForeigners lost heart
and zcame trembling out of their fortresses.
46The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock,
and exalted be the God of my salvation—
47the God who gave me vengeance
and asubdued peoples under me,
48who rescued me from my enemies;
yes, you bexalted me above those who rose against me;
you delivered me from cthe man of violence.
49dFor this I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations,
and esing to your name.
50Great fsalvation he brings to his king,
and shows steadfast love to his ganointed,
to hDavid and his offspring forever.

Devotional material is taken from the Truth For Life daily devotionals by Alistair Begg, published by The Good Book Company, thegoodbook.com. Used by Truth For Life with permission. Copyright © 2021, 2022, The Good Book Company.

Have I Betrayed Him?
Would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?
The kisses of an enemy are deceitful. Let me be on my guard when the world puts on a loving face, for it will, if possible, betray me as it did my Master, with a kiss. Whenever a man is about to stab religion, he usually professes very great reverence for it. Let me beware of sleek-faced hypocrisy, which is assistant to heresy and infidelity.
Knowing how easily the unrighteous are deceived, let me be wise as a serpent to detect and avoid the designs of the enemy. The young man, devoid of understanding, was led astray by the kiss of the strange woman: May my soul be so graciously instructed today that the seductive tones of the world may have no effect upon me. Holy Spirit, let me not, a poor frail son of man, be betrayed with a kiss!
But what if I should be guilty of the same dreadful sin as Judas, that son of perdition? I have been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus; I am a member of His visible church; I sit at the Communion table: All these are so many kisses of my lips. Am I sincere in them? If not, I am a base traitor. Do I live in the world as carelessly as others do, and yet make a profession of being a follower of Jesus? Then I am exposing my faith to ridicule and leading men to speak evil of the very name Christian. Surely if I act inconsistently, I am a Judas, and it were better for me if I had never been born. Dare I hope that I am innocent in this matter? Then, O Lord, keep me so. O Lord, make me sincere and true. Preserve me from every false way. Never let me betray my Savior. I do love You, Lord Jesus, and though I often grieve You, I still desire to remain faithful even unto death.
O God, forbid that I should be a high-sounding professor and then fall at last into the lake of fire because I betrayed my Master with a kiss.

Devotional material is taken from Morning and Evening, written by C. H. Spurgeon, revised and updated by Alistair Begg. Copyright © 2003, Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.org. Used by Truth For Life with written permission.
Daily Bible Reading for March 25
1“Bezalel and Oholiab and ievery 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.”
2And Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab and every craftsman in whose mind the Lord had put skill, everyone jwhose heart stirred him up to come to do the work. 3And they received from Moses all the kcontribution that the people of Israel had brought for doing the work on the sanctuary. They still kept bringing him lfreewill offerings every morning, 4so that all the craftsmen who were doing every sort of task on the sanctuary came, each from the task that he was doing, 5and said to Moses, m“The people bring much more than enough for doing the work that the Lord has commanded us to do.” 6So Moses gave command, and word was proclaimed throughout the camp, “Let no man or woman do anything more for the ncontribution for the sanctuary.” So the people were restrained from bringing, 7for the material they had was sufficient to do all the work, and more.
8oAnd 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. 9The length of each curtain was twenty-eight cubits,1 and the breadth of each curtain four cubits. All the curtains were the same size.
10He2 coupled five curtains to one another, and the other five curtains he coupled to one another. 11He 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. 12He 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. 13And he made fifty clasps of gold, and coupled the curtains one to the other with clasps. So the tabernacle was a single whole.
14He also made curtains of goats' hair for a tent over the tabernacle. He made eleven curtains. 15The length of each curtain was thirty cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits. The eleven curtains were the same size. 16He coupled five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves. 17And 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. 18And he made fifty clasps of bronze to couple the tent together that it might be a single whole. 19And he made for the tent a covering of tanned rams' skins and goatskins.
20pThen he made the upright frames for the tabernacle of qacacia wood. 21Ten cubits was the length of a frame, and a cubit and a half the breadth of each frame. 22Each frame had two tenons for fitting together. He did this for all the frames of the tabernacle. 23The frames for the tabernacle he made thus: twenty frames for the south side. 24And 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. 25For the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side, he made twenty frames 26and their forty bases of silver, two bases under one frame and two bases under the next frame. 27For the rear of the tabernacle westward he made six frames. 28He made two frames for corners of the tabernacle in the rear. 29And they were separate beneath but joined at the top, at the first ring. He made two of them this way for the two corners. 30There were eight frames with their bases of silver: sixteen bases, under every frame two bases.
31He made bars of acacia wood, five for the frames of the one side of the tabernacle, 32and 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. 33And he made the middle bar to run from end to end halfway up the frames. 34And he overlaid the frames with gold, and made their rings of gold for holders for the bars, and overlaid the bars with gold.
35rHe made the veil of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen; with cherubim skillfully worked into it he made it. 36And 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. 37He also made a screen for the entrance of the tent, of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, embroidered with needlework, 38and its five pillars with their hooks. He overlaid their capitals, and their fillets were of gold, but their five bases were of bronze.
I Am the True Vine
1“I am the rtrue vine, and my Father is sthe vinedresser. 2tEvery branch in me that does not bear fruit uhe takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, vthat it may bear more fruit. 3Already wyou are clean xbecause of the word that I have spoken to you. 4yAbide zin me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5I am the vine; ayou are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bbears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not abide in me che is thrown away like a branch and withers; dand the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7If eyou abide in me, and my words abide in you, fask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8gBy this my Father is glorified, that you hbear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 9iAs the Father has loved me, jso have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10kIf you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as lI have kept mmy Father's commandments and abide in his love. 11These things I have spoken to you, nthat my joy may be in you, and that oyour joy may be full.
12p“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13qGreater love has no one than this, rthat someone lay down his life for his friends. 14You are smy friends tif you do what I command you. 15uNo longer do I call you servants,1 for the servant wdoes not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for xall that I have heard from my Father yI have made known to you. 16You did not choose me, but zI chose you and appointed you that you should go and abear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that bwhatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. 17These things I command you, cso that you will love one another.
The Hatred of the World
18d“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19eIf you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because fyou are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20Remember the word that I said to you: g‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, hthey will also persecute you. iIf they kept my word, they will also keep yours. 21But jall these things they will do to you kon account of my name, lbecause they do not know him who sent me. 22If I had not come and spoken to them, mthey would not have been guilty of sin,2 but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23nWhoever hates me hates my Father also. 24oIf I had not done among them the works that no one else did, mthey would not be guilty of sin, but now they have pseen and hated both me and my Father. 25But qthe word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: r‘They hated me without a cause.’
26“But swhen the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, the will bear witness about me. 27And uyou also will bear witness, vbecause you have been with me wfrom the beginning.
1Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,
but he who zhates reproof is astupid.
2A good man bobtains favor from the Lord,
but a man of evil devices he condemns.
3No one is established by wickedness,
but the root of cthe righteous will never be moved.
4dAn excellent wife is ethe crown of her husband,
but she who fbrings shame is like grottenness in his bones.
5hThe thoughts of the righteous are just;
the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.
6The words of the wicked ilie in wait for blood,
but jthe mouth of the upright delivers them.
7kThe wicked are loverthrown and are no more,
mbut the house of the righteous will stand.
8A man is commended according to his good sense,
but one of twisted mind is ndespised.
9Better to be lowly and have a servant
than to play the great man and lack bread.
10oWhoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast,
but the mercy of the wicked is cruel.
11pWhoever works his land qwill have plenty of bread,
rbut he who follows sworthless pursuits lacks sense.
12Whoever is wicked covets tthe spoil of evildoers,
but the root of the righteous bears fruit.
13An evil man is ensnared uby the transgression of his lips,1
vbut the righteous escapes from trouble.
14From the fruit of his mouth wa man is satisfied with good,
xand the work of a man's hand comes back to him.
15yThe way of a fool is right in his own eyes,
but a wise man listens to advice.
16zThe vexation of a fool is known at once,
but the prudent ignores an insult.
17aWhoever speaks2 the truth gives honest evidence,
but ba false witness utters deceit.
18cThere is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts,
but the tongue of the wise brings dhealing.
19Truthful lips endure forever,
but ea lying tongue is but for a moment.
20Deceit is in the heart of fthose who devise evil,
but those who plan peace have joy.
21gNo ill befalls the righteous,
but the wicked are filled with trouble.
22hLying lips are ian abomination to the Lord,
jbut those who act faithfully are his delight.
23kA prudent man conceals knowledge,
kbut the heart of fools proclaims folly.
24lThe hand of the diligent will rule,
while the slothful will be mput to forced labor.
25nAnxiety in a man's heart weighs him down,
but a good word makes him glad.
26One who is righteous is a guide to his neighbor,3
but the way of the wicked leads them astray.
27oWhoever is slothful will not roast his game,
but the diligent man will get precious wealth.4
28pIn the path of righteousness is life,
and in its pathway there is no death.
Walk in Love
1jTherefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2And kwalk in love, las Christ loved us and mgave himself up for us, a nfragrant ooffering and sacrifice to God.
3But psexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness qmust not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. 4Let there be rno filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, swhich are out of place, but instead tlet there be thanksgiving. 5For you may be sure of this, that ueveryone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (vthat is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6wLet no one xdeceive you with empty words, for because of these things ythe wrath of God comes upon zthe sons of disobedience. 7Therefore ado not become partners with them; 8for bat one time you were cdarkness, but now you are light in the Lord. dWalk as children of light 9(for ethe fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), 10and ftry to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. 11gTake no part in the hunfruitful iworks of darkness, but instead jexpose them. 12For kit is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. 13But when lanything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, 14for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,
m“Awake, O sleeper,
and narise from the dead,
and oChrist will shine on you.”
15pLook carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16pmaking the best use of the time, because qthe days are evil. 17Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what rthe will of the Lord is. 18And sdo not get drunk with wine, for that is tdebauchery, but ube filled with the Spirit, 19addressing one another in vpsalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, 20wgiving thanks always and for everything to God the Father xin the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21ysubmitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Wives and Husbands
22zWives, asubmit to your own husbands, bas to the Lord. 23For cthe husband is the head of the wife even as dChrist is the head of the church, his body, and is ehimself its Savior. 24Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit fin everything to their husbands.
25gHusbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and hgave himself up for her, 26that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by ithe washing of water jwith the word, 27so kthat he might present the church to himself in splendor, lwithout spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.1 28In the same way mhusbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, 30because nwe are members of his body. 31o“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and pthe two shall become one flesh.” 32This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. 33However, qlet each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she rrespects her husband.
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