Truth For Life Program
Alistair Begg Devotional
C. H. Spurgeon Devotional
One-Year Bible Reading Plan
A home without rules or discipline may sound like the epitome of freedom for children—but find out why a lack of parental authority actually renders children helpless and at higher risk of ruin. Study along with Alistair Begg on Truth For Life.
From the Sermon
Teach Your Children Well — Part One
Proverbs 22:6 Sermon • Includes Transcript • 47:17 • ID: 2284
Looking Back, Looking Forward
As God made His covenant with David, He was prompting David to look both back to the past and forward to the future.
God’s promise to make David’s name like “the great ones of the earth” was an echo of His covenant with David’s ancestor Abraham, centuries before (Genesis 12:1-3). Up to this point in biblical history, there had been no name greater than that of Abraham, and the Lord now announced that He would fulfill His promise to make Abraham’s name great by making David’s name great. This promise, however, not only looked back but also forward—to the Lord Jesus Christ, at whose name “every knee should bow” (Philippians 2:10).
The promise that God’s people would have a place in which to dwell also was an echo of the past, in this case of the exodus from Egypt. (See, for instance, Exodus 15:17.) Yet by the time David was ruling, the people had been living in the promised land for centuries, so God’s promise of them being planted and secure surely hinted at something greater. The place called Israel, while significant, was merely a shadow of the reality that was yet to come. It pointed forward to another place—the ultimate place, the new Jerusalem, which would later be called “a new heaven and a new earth” (Revelation 21:1-2).
With the promise of a place also came the promise of peace, security, and rest. Again, here was a reminder that the goal was not yet reached. True, by this point in David’s reign, the people had been enjoying rest (2 Samuel 7:1)—but it was not the ultimate rest of the people of God to which the covenant pointed (Hebrews 4:9-10).
When God’s revelation later culminated in the coming of David’s descendant Jesus, the ultimate Christ, the people were able to say, “Oh, that’s what God’s promises meant!” The covenant that was first made to Abraham and took on a new dimension as it was made to David was completely fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ, the King of all kings; and it will be finally and fully realized when Christ returns.
So what does God’s promise to David mean for us? The apostle Paul declares, “If you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise” (Galatians 3:29). The church consists of those who are privileged to be heirs and partakers of the promise that is in Christ Jesus through the gospel. Stand amazed at this, and rejoice that you have been included in the blessings of this great covenant. Look back to God working through your spiritual ancestors Abraham, David, and, supremely, Jesus—and look forward with hope to the final fulfillment of all that God has promised!
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's Covenant with David
1sNow when the king lived in his house and the Lord thad given him rest from all his surrounding enemies, 2the king said to uNathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell vin a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells win a tent.” 3And Nathan said to the king, x“Go, do all that is in your heart, for the Lord is with you.”
4But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, 5“Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord: yWould you build me a house to dwell in? 6I have not lived in a house zsince the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about ain a tent for my dwelling. 7In all places where bI have moved with all the people of Israel, did I speak a word with cany of the judges1 of Israel, whom I commanded dto shepherd my people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”’ 8Now, therefore, thus you shall say to my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, eI took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince2 over my people Israel. 9fAnd I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. 10And I will appoint a place for my people Israel gand will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place hand be disturbed no more. iAnd violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly, 11jfrom the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And kI will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the Lord declares to you that lthe Lord will make you a house. 12mWhen your days are fulfilled and nyou lie down with your fathers, oI will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13pHe shall build a house for my name, and qI will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14rI will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, sI will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, 15sbut my steadfast love will not depart from him, tas I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. 16uAnd your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me.3 uYour throne shall be established forever.’” 17In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.
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.
Jesus Your Redeemer
Your Redeemer.
Jesus, the Redeemer, is altogether ours and ours forever. All the offices of Christ are held on our behalf. He is King for us, priest for us, and prophet for us. Whenever we read a new title of the Redeemer, let us appropriate Him as ours under that name as much as under any other. The shepherd’s staff, the father’s rod, the captain’s sword, the priest’s miter, the prince’s scepter, the prophet’s mantle—all are ours. Jesus has no dignity that He will not employ for our exaltation, and no prerogative that He will not exercise for our defense. His fullness of Godhead is our unfailing, inexhaustible treasure-house.
His manhood also, which he took upon Him for us, is ours in all its perfection. To us our gracious Lord communicates the spotless virtue of a stainless character; to us He gives the meritorious efficacy of a devoted life; on us He bestows the reward procured by obedient submission and unceasing service. He makes the perfect garment of His life our covering beauty, the glittering virtues of His character our ornaments and jewels, and the superhuman meekness of His death our boast and glory.
He bequeaths us His manger, from which we learn how God came down to man, and His cross to teach us how man may go up to God. All His thoughts, emotions, actions, utterances, miracles, and intercessions were for us. He walked the path of sorrow on our behalf and has left to us as His heavenly legacy the full results of all the labors of His life. He is now as much ours as He will be; and He does not shrink to acknowledge Himself “our Lord Jesus Christ,” though He is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords. Christ everywhere and in every way is our Christ, forever and ever most richly to enjoy.
O my soul, by the power of the Holy Spirit, call Him this morning “your Redeemer.”
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 June 18
Those Excluded from the Assembly
1“No one whose testicles are crushed or whose male organ is cut off shall enter the assembly of the Lord.
2j“No one born of a forbidden union may enter the assembly of the Lord. Even to the tenth generation, none of his descendants may enter the assembly of the Lord.
3k“No Ammonite or Moabite may enter the assembly of the Lord. Even to the tenth generation, none of them may enter the assembly of the Lord forever, 4lbecause they did not meet you with bread and with water on the way, when you came out of Egypt, and because they mhired against you Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor of nMesopotamia, to curse you. 5But the Lord your God would not listen to Balaam; instead the Lord your God turned othe curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loved you. 6You pshall not seek their peace or their prosperity all your days forever.
7“You shall not abhor an Edomite, for qhe is your brother. You shall not abhor an Egyptian, because ryou were a sojourner in his land. 8Children born to them in the third generation may enter the assembly of the Lord.
Uncleanness in the Camp
9“When you are encamped against your enemies, then you shall keep yourself from every evil thing.
10“If any man among you becomes sunclean because of a nocturnal emission, then he shall go outside the camp. He shall not come inside the camp, 11but when evening comes, he shall tbathe himself in water, and as the sun sets, he may come inside the camp.
12“You shall have a place outside the camp, and you shall go out to it. 13And you shall have a trowel with your tools, and when you sit down outside, you shall dig a hole with it and turn back and cover up your excrement. 14Because uthe Lord your God walks in the midst of your camp, to deliver you and to give up your enemies before you, therefore your camp must be holy, so that he may not see anything indecent among you and turn away from you.
Miscellaneous Laws
15v“You shall not give up to his master a slave1 who has escaped from his master to you. 16He shall dwell with you, in your midst, in the place that he shall choose within one of your towns, wherever it suits him. You shall not wrong him.
17“None of the wdaughters of Israel shall be a cult prostitute, and none xof the sons of Israel shall be a cult prostitute. 18You shall not bring the fee of a prostitute or the wages of a dog2 into the house of the Lord your God in payment for any vow, for both of these are an abomination to the Lord your God.
19y“You shall not charge interest on loans to your brother, zinterest on money, interest on food, interest on anything that is lent for interest. 20aYou may charge a foreigner interest, but you may not charge your brother interest, bthat the Lord your God may bless you in all that you undertake in the land that you are entering to take possession of it.
21c“If you make a vow to the Lord your God, you shall not delay fulfilling it, for the Lord your God will surely require it of you, and you will be guilty of sin. 22But if you refrain from vowing, you will not be guilty of sin. 23You shall be careful to do what has passed your lips, for you have voluntarily vowed to the Lord your God what you have promised with your mouth.
24“If you go into your neighbor's vineyard, you may eat your fill of grapes, as many as you wish, but you shall not put any in your bag. 25If you go into your neighbor's standing grain, dyou may pluck the ears with your hand, but you shall not put a sickle to your neighbor's standing grain.
Psalm 112
The Righteous Will Never Be Moved
iBlessed is the man who fears the Lord,
who jgreatly delights in his commandments!
2His koffspring will be mighty in the land;
lthe generation of the upright will be blessed.
3mWealth and riches are in his house,
and his nrighteousness endures forever.
4Light dawns in the darkness ofor the upright;
he is gracious, merciful, and prighteous.
5It is well with the man who qdeals generously and lends;
who conducts his affairs with justice.
6For the righteous will rnever be moved;
she will be remembered forever.
7He is not tafraid of bad news;
his uheart is firm, vtrusting in the Lord.
8His heart is steady;2 he will not be afraid,
until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.
9He has wdistributed freely; he has given to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever;
his xhorn is exalted in honor.
10The wicked man sees it and is angry;
he ygnashes his teeth and zmelts away;
athe desire of the wicked will perish!
Psalm 113
Who Is like the Lord Our God?
1bPraise the Lord!
cPraise, O dservants of the Lord,
praise the name of the Lord!
2eBlessed be the name of the Lord
from this time forth and forevermore!
3fFrom the rising of the sun to its setting,
gthe name of the Lord is hto be praised!
4The Lord is ihigh above all nations,
and his jglory above the heavens!
5kWho is like the Lord our God,
who is seated on high,
6who llooks far down
on the heavens and the earth?
7He mraises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the ash heap,
8to make them nsit with princes,
with the princes of his people.
9He ogives the barren woman a home,
making her the joyous mother of children.
bPraise the Lord!
Israel's Sin and the Servant's Obedience
1Thus says the Lord:
“Where is gyour mother's certificate of divorce,
with which hI sent her away?
Or iwhich of my creditors is it
to whom I have sold you?
jBehold, for your iniquities you were sold,
and for your transgressions your mother was sent away.
2kWhy, when I came, was there no man;
why, when I called, was there no one to answer?
lIs my hand shortened, that it cannot redeem?
Or have I no power to deliver?
mBehold, by my rebuke nI dry up the sea,
oI make the rivers a desert;
ptheir fish stink for lack of water
and die of thirst.
3qI clothe the heavens with blackness
and make sackcloth their covering.”
4The Lord God has given rme
the tongue of those who are taught,
that sI may know how to sustain with a word
thim who is weary.
Morning by morning he awakens;
he awakens my ear
to hear as those who are taught.
5uThe Lord God has opened my ear,
vand I was not rebellious;
I turned not backward.
6wI gave my back to those who strike,
and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard;
I hid not my face
from disgrace and spitting.
7But the Lord God helps me;
therefore I have not been disgraced;
xtherefore I have set my face like a flint,
and I know that I shall not be put to shame.
8yHe who vindicates me is near.
Who will contend with me?
Let us stand up together.
Who is my adversary?
Let him come near to me.
9zBehold, the Lord God helps me;
who will declare me guilty?
Behold, all of them will wear out like a garment;
the moth will eat them up.
10Who among you fears the Lord
and obeys athe voice of his servant?
bLet him who walks in darkness
and has no light
trust in the name of the Lord
and rely on his God.
11Behold, all you who kindle a fire,
who equip yourselves with burning torches!
Walk by the light of your fire,
and by the torches that you have kindled!
cThis you have from my hand:
you shall lie down in torment.
The Thousand Years
1Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, nholding in his hand the key to othe bottomless pit1 and a great chain. 2And he seized pthe dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and qbound him for a thousand years, 3and threw him into othe pit, and shut it and rsealed it over him, so that she might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.
4Then I saw tthrones, and useated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw vthe souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those wwho had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. xThey came to life and yreigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. 6zBlessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such athe second death has no power, but they will be bpriests of God and of Christ, and they cwill reign with him for a thousand years.
The Defeat of Satan
7And when the thousand years are ended, dSatan will be released from his prison 8and will come out eto deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, fGog and Magog, gto gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. 9And hthey marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded ithe camp of the saints and jthe beloved city, but kfire came down from heaven2 and consumed them, 10and the devil lwho had deceived them was mthrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where nthe beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
Judgment Before the Great White Throne
11Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence oearth and sky fled away, and pno place was found for them. 12And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and qbooks were opened. Then another book was opened, which is rthe book of life. And sthe dead were judged by what was written in the books, taccording to what they had done. 13And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, uDeath and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, taccording to what they had done. 14Then uDeath and Hades vwere thrown into the lake of fire. This is wthe second death, the lake of fire. 15And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, xhe was thrown into the lake of fire.
Get the Program, Devotional, and Bible Reading Plan delivered daily right to your inbox.