Truth For Life Program
Alistair Begg Devotional
C. H. Spurgeon Devotional
One-Year Bible Reading Plan
In the book of Esther, everyone seems to have been plotting and scheming! God, though, used minor “coincidences” to turn their plans upside-down for His eternal purposes. Hear the results when you listen to Truth For Life with Alistair Begg.
From the Sermon
The Unseen Hand of God
Esther 6:1–14 Sermon • Includes Transcript • 41:24 • ID: 2979
Respecting the Temple
From the beginning of His life, the Jerusalem Temple was significant to Jesus. When He was a baby, the elderly Simeon had taken Him in his arms and declared Him in the temple courts to be the wonder of God’s salvation (Luke 2:25-35). As a twelve-year-old boy, Jesus had sought out His Father’s house and engaged in conversation with the religious leaders (v 46-49). Jesus’ comfort in and love of His Father’s house was palpable—and therefore so was His grief when He discovered irreverent behavior in that holy place.
The temple in Jerusalem was the place where God met His people. So when Jesus encountered an irreligious marketplace set up in its courts, He was justifiably grieved and angry. The individuals responsible for the disrespect in the temple were the same who had jeered at His triumphal entry into Jerusalem. They didn’t bat an eye at exchanging money on the temple floor for an inordinate profit and deeming people’s offerings of creatures “unacceptable” in order to sell them “acceptable” offerings at unfair prices. The way the temple courts were being used was so far removed from His Father’s intentions that Jesus, as the Great High Priest, inevitably needed to come set it right. Jesus’ knowledge of Old Testament prophecy allowed Him to speak with ultimate authority and remind the people of the temple’s holy purpose, referencing Scripture that they knew and could not contest: “My house shall be a house of prayer” (Isaiah 56:7; see also Jeremiah 7:11).
Jesus’ next action—using a whip made out of cords to drive out the livestock and stop the bazaar in its tracks (John 2:15)—was certainly justified. Zeal for His Father’s reputation consumed Him (v 17). And yet we know that these were people over whom Jesus had wept (Luke 19:41-44). That whip was held by a Savior who had tears in His eyes.
Jesus is the perfect Son, who cares more than anything about bringing glory to His Father and who is angered more than anything by lies, greed, and pursuit of power that comes between His Father and sinners in need of grace. He looks at those who reject God and weeps, because He knows how far they have fallen. He looks at those who place barriers in the way of others meeting God and is angry, because He longs for His Father to receive the praise He is due and for people to be saved. We, too, would do well to weep over the lost and be angry over those who twist truth for their own ends. We would do well to pray for the same zeal for God’s glory, even as we give thanks that Jesus came not only to reveal His zeal for His Father but to be the means by which we can dwell in His house forever.
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?
Salvation for Foreigners
1Thus says the Lord:
“Keep justice, and do righteousness,
wfor soon my salvation will come,
and my righteousness be revealed.
2Blessed is the man who does this,
and the son of man who holds it fast,
xwho keeps the Sabbath, not profaning it,
and keeps his hand from doing any evil.”
3Let not ythe foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord say,
“The Lord will surely separate me from his people”;
and let not the eunuch say,
“Behold, I am za dry tree.”
4For thus says the Lord:
“To the eunuchs xwho keep my Sabbaths,
who choose the things that please me
and hold fast my covenant,
5aI will give in my house and within my walls
a bmonument and a name
better than sons and daughters;
cI will give them an everlasting name
that shall not be cut off.
6“And ythe foreigners who join themselves to the Lord,
to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord,
and to be his servants,
everyone xwho keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it,
and holds fast my covenant—
7dthese I will bring to emy holy mountain,
and make them joyful in my house of prayer;
ftheir burnt offerings and their sacrifices
will be accepted on my altar;
for gmy house shall be called a house of prayer
for all peoples.”
8The Lord God,
hwho gathers the outcasts of Israel, declares,
i“I will gather yet others to him
besides those already gathered.”
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.
For the Unbeliever
Why are we sitting here until we die?
Dear reader, this little book was mainly intended for the edification of believers, but if you are still unsaved, we are concerned for you, and we would like to say something that would be helpful to you. Open your Bible, and read this story of the lepers, and note their position, which was similar to yours. If you remain where you are, you must perish; if you go to Jesus you will live.
“Nothing ventured, nothing gained” is the old proverb, and in your case the venture is not great. If you sit still in sullen despair, no one can pity you when your ruin comes; but if you were to die seeking mercy, if such a thing were possible, you would be the object of universal sympathy. None escape who refuse to look to Jesus; but you know that others are saved who believe in Him, for certain of your own friends and neighbors have received mercy. So why not you? Why not taste and see that the Lord is merciful? To perish is so awful that if you could only clutch at a straw, the instinct of self-preservation should lead you to stretch out your hand.
We want to assure you, as from the Lord, that if you seek Him you will find Him. Jesus casts out none who come unto Him. You shall not perish if you trust Him; on the contrary, you shall find treasure far richer than what the poor lepers gathered in Syria’s deserted camp. May the Holy Spirit embolden you to go at once, and you shall not believe in vain.
Then when you are saved, share the good news with others. Do not hold back; tell your friends at church first, and join with them in fellowship; let the watchman of the city, the pastor, be informed of your discovery, and then proclaim the good news in every place. May the Lord God save you before the sun goes down this day.
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 13
The Covenant Confirmed
1Then he said to Moses, “Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, uNadab, and Abihu, and vseventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from afar. 2Moses walone shall come near to the Lord, but the others shall not come near, and the people shall not come up with him.”
3Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and xall the rules.1 And all the people answered with one voice and said, y“All the words that the Lord has spoken we will do.” 4And zMoses wrote down all the words of the Lord. He rose early in the morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve apillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel. 5And he sent young men of the people of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the Lord. 6And bMoses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and half of the blood he threw against the altar. 7Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people. And they said, x“All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.” 8cAnd Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.”
9Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and dseventy of the elders of Israel ewent up, 10and they fsaw the God of Israel. There was under his feet as it were a pavement of gsapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness. 11And he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld God, and hate and drank.
12The Lord said to Moses, i“Come up to me on the mountain and wait there, that I may give you the jtablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction.” 13So Moses rose with his assistant kJoshua, and Moses went up linto the mountain of God. 14And he said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we return to you. And behold, Aaron and mHur are with you. Whoever has a dispute, let him go to them.”
15Then Moses went up on the mountain, and nthe cloud covered the mountain. 16oThe glory of the Lord dwelt on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud. 17Now the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a pdevouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel. 18Moses entered the cloud and went up on the mountain. And Moses qwas on the mountain forty days and forty nights.
You Must Be Born Again
1Now there was a man of the Pharisees named hNicodemus, ia ruler of the Jews. 2This man came to Jesus1 jby night and said to him, k“Rabbi, lwe know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do munless God is with him.” 3Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is nborn oagain2 he cannot psee the kingdom of God.” 4Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?” 5Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born qof water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6rThat which is born of the flesh is sflesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.3 7tDo not marvel that I said to you, ‘You4 must be born uagain.’ 8vThe wind5 blows wwhere it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
9Nicodemus said to him, x“How can these things be?” 10Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel yand yet you do not understand these things? 11Truly, truly, I say to you, zwe speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but zyou6 do not receive our testimony. 12If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13aNo one has bascended into heaven except che who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.7 14And das Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man ebe lifted up, 15that whoever believes fin him gmay have eternal life.8
For God So Loved the World
16“For hGod so loved ithe world,9 jthat he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not kperish but have eternal life. 17For lGod did not send his Son into the world mto condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18nWhoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not obelieved in the name of the only Son of God. 19pAnd this is the judgment: qthe light has come into the world, and rpeople loved the darkness rather than the light because stheir works were evil. 20tFor everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, ulest his works should be exposed. 21But whoever vdoes what is true wcomes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”
John the Baptist Exalts Christ
22After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and xwas baptizing. 23John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized 24(for yJohn had not yet been put in prison).
25Now a discussion arose between some of John's disciples and a Jew over zpurification. 26And they came to John and said to him, a“Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, bto whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and call are going to him.” 27John answered, d“A person cannot receive even one thing eunless it is given him ffrom heaven. 28You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, g‘I am not the Christ, but hI have been sent before him.’ 29iThe one who has the bride is the bridegroom. jThe friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, krejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. 30lHe must increase, but I must decrease.”10
31mHe who comes from above nis above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and ospeaks in an earthly way. pHe who comes from heaven nis above all. 32qHe bears witness to what he has seen and heard, ryet no one receives his testimony. 33Whoever receives his testimony ssets his seal to this, tthat God is true. 34For he whom uGod has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit vwithout measure. 35wThe Father loves the Son and xhas given all things into his hand. 36yWhoever believes in the Son has eternal life; zwhoever does not obey the Son shall not asee life, but the wrath of God remains on him.
Job's Confession and Repentance
1Then Job answered the Lord and said:
2“I know that you can hdo all things,
and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
3i‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’
Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand,
things jtoo wonderful for me, which I did not know.
4‘Hear, and I will speak;
kI will question you, and you make it known to me.’
5I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear,
but now my eye sees you;
6therefore I despise myself,
and repent1 in ldust and ashes.”
The Lord Rebukes Job's Friends
7After the Lord had spoken these words to Job, the Lord said to Eliphaz mthe Temanite: “My anger burns against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has. 8Now therefore take nseven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and ooffer up a burnt offering for yourselves. And my servant Job shall ppray for you, for I will accept his prayer not to deal with you according to your folly. For you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.” 9qSo Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did what the Lord had told them, and the Lord accepted Job's prayer.
The Lord Restores Job's Fortunes
10And the Lord rrestored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends. And the Lord gave Job stwice as much as he had before. 11Then came to him all his tbrothers and sisters and all who had tknown him before, and ate bread with him in his house. And they ushowed him sympathy and comforted him for all the evil2 that the Lord had brought upon him. And each of them gave him va piece of money3 and wa ring of gold.
12And the Lord blessed xthe latter days of Job more than his beginning. And he had y14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys. 13He had also zseven sons and three daughters. 14And he called the name of the first daughter Jemimah, and the name of the second Keziah, and the name of the third Keren-happuch. 15And in all the land there were no women so beautiful as Job's daughters. And their father gave them an inheritance aamong their brothers. 16And after this Job lived 140 years, and bsaw his sons, and his sons' sons, four generations. 17And Job died, an old man, and cfull of days.
Paul's Visions and His Thorn
1I must go on boasting. Though there is nothing to be gained by it, I will go on to visions and xrevelations of the Lord. 2I know a man yin Christ who fourteen years ago was zcaught up to athe third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, bGod knows. 3And I know that this man was caught up into cparadise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, bGod knows— 4and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter. 5On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, dexcept of my weaknesses— 6though if I should wish to boast, eI would not be a fool, for I would be speaking the truth; but I refrain from it, so that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me. 7So fto keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations,1 ga thorn was given me in the flesh, ha messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. 8iThree times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9But he said to me, j“My grace is sufficient for you, for kmy power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that lthe power of Christ may rest upon me. 10mFor the sake of Christ, then, nI am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For owhen I am weak, then I am strong.
Concern for the Corinthian Church
11pI have been a fool! You forced me to it, for I ought to have been commended by you. For I was qnot at all inferior to these super-apostles, reven though I am nothing. 12sThe signs of a true apostle were performed among you twith utmost patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works. 13For in what were you less favored than the rest of the churches, except that uI myself did not burden you? Forgive me this wrong!
14Here vfor the third time I am ready to come to you. And I will not be a burden, for wI seek not what is yours but you. For xchildren are not obligated to save up for their parents, but yparents for their children. 15zI will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls. If aI love you more, am I to be loved less? 16But granting that bI myself did not burden you, I was crafty, you say, and got the better of you by deceit. 17Did I take advantage of you cthrough any of those whom I sent to you? 18dI urged Titus to go, and sent ethe brother with him. Did Titus take advantage of you? Did we not act in the same spirit? Did we not take the same steps?
19Have you been thinking all along that we have been defending ourselves to you? It is fin the sight of God that we have been speaking in Christ, and gall for your upbuilding, beloved. 20For I fear that perhaps hwhen I come I may find you not as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish—that perhaps there may be quarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder. 21I fear that when I come again my God may humble me before you, and I may have to mourn over many of those iwho sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, jsexual immorality, and sensuality that they have practiced.
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