Truth For Life Program
Alistair Begg Devotional
C. H. Spurgeon Devotional
One-Year Bible Reading Plan
The fourth of the Ten Commandments calls us to remember the Sabbath and keep it holy. But contemporary culture struggles to fit busy schedules into such a framework. Is God’s ancient law still relevant today? Find out on Truth For Life with Alistair Begg.
From the Sermon
Holy Day or Holiday? — Part One
Exodus 20:8–11 Sermon • Includes Transcript • 47:49 • ID: 1692
Now and Then
Do you remember visiting family when you were a child? Perhaps some visits were met with dread because the person you were visiting wasn’t someone you felt close to or warmed to. But then there were the special visits with those you really loved. Maybe you were greeted at their door with a hug or the smell of freshly baked cookies. You couldn’t wait to see them! They were precious to you, and you looked forward to being in their presence.
For the apostle Paul, Jesus was such a person. Paul was joyful, even while imprisoned, because of what Christ meant to him. He looked forward to the prospect of being ushered into His presence. Jesus was his all in all.
Can you and I say the same about Jesus? Or is our joy earthly, fixed on temporal matters like our marriages, children, livelihoods, or influence? If all that thrills your soul and all that forms your identity is wrapped up in worldly matters, then being with Jesus loses its allure. So we would be wise to remember that our identity is found in Him, because one day everything else will be left behind.
You may have heard of someone being so heavenly-minded that they’re no earthly use. Well, we can also be so earthly-minded that we’re no heavenly use. Sometimes, we are tempted to want things like perfect health, an end to sorrow, and life without any uncertainty right now. The reality is that we are going to lose loved ones, receive dreadful hospital reports, or face disappointment and disaster. But that is all part of the now. Paul’s dilemma in this letter was balancing the now with the next. Although he desired to depart, it was not so that he could escape his current circumstances. He certainly endured many difficult trials, but for him, heaven was not simply relief from earthly suffering. He was not shuffling off life to embrace death; he longed to be with Jesus because he knew it would be fantastic.
Living faithfully in the present while anticipating the reality of being with Jesus is something we all have to work out. Paul recognized that while he still drew breath, he was to continue steadfastly in his earthly ministry until Christ called him home to heaven. So spend some moments considering Christ in all His loving perfections. Then spend some time enjoying the great truth that one day you will see Him as He welcomes you into His glory. Then reflect on the truth that the doorway to that moment is death. This is your future. One day, it will be your present. And until then, you can do what Paul did and live all in for Christ, knowing that death will be only gain.
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?
6For uI am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my vdeparture has come. 7wI have fought the good fight, xI have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8Henceforth there is ylaid up for me zthe crown of righteousness, which the Lord, athe righteous judge, will award to me on bthat day, and not only to me but also to all cwho have loved his appearing.
Personal Instructions
9dDo your best to come to me soon. 10For eDemas, fin love with gthis present world, hhas deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia,2 iTitus to Dalmatia. 11hLuke alone is with me. Get jMark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry. 12kTychicus I have sent to Ephesus. 13When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments. 14lAlexander the coppersmith did me great harm; mthe Lord will repay him according to his deeds. 15Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed our message. 16At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. nMay it not be charged against them! 17But othe Lord stood by me and pstrengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and qall the Gentiles might hear it. So rI was rescued sfrom the lion's mouth. 18The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. tTo him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
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.
What God Hasn't Said
I did not say to the offspring of Jacob, “Seek me in vain.”
We can gain a great deal of comfort by considering what God has not said. What He has said is full of comfort and delight; but what He has not said is scarcely less rich in consolation. It was what God had not said that preserved the kingdom of Israel in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, for “the LORD had not said that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven” (2 Kings 14:27). In our text we have an assurance that God will answer prayer because He “did not say to the offspring of Jacob, ‘Seek me in vain.’”
Those of you who are prone to self-condemnation should remember that, lest your doubts and fears say what they will, if God has not cut you off from mercy, there is no need for despair: Even the voice of conscience carries little weight if it is not seconded by the voice of God. We should tremble at what God has said! But do not allow your rambling thoughts to overwhelm you with despondency and sinful despair. Many timid persons have been vexed by the suspicion that there may be something in God's decree that shuts them out from hope, but we have here a complete rebuttal of that troublesome fear, for no true seeker can be decreed to wrath. "I did not speak in secret, in a land of darkness; I did not say [even in the secret of my unsearchable decree] . . . , 'Seek me in vain.'"
God has clearly revealed that He will hear the prayer of those who call upon Him, and that declaration cannot be contradicted. He has spoken so firmly, so truthfully, so righteously that there can be no room for doubt. He does not reveal His mind in unintelligible words, but He speaks plainly and positively. "Everyone who asks receives."1 Doubter, believe this sure truth—that prayer must and will be heard, and that never, even in the secrets of eternity, has the Lord said to any living soul, "Seek me in vain."
1) Matthew 7:8
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 August 21
Saul Fights the Philistines
1Saul lived for one year and then became king, and when he had reigned for two years over Israel,1 2Saul chose three thousand men of Israel. Two thousand were with Saul in kMichmash and the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan in lGibeah of Benjamin. The rest of the people he sent home, every man to his tent. 3Jonathan defeated mthe garrison of the Philistines that was nat Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul oblew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear.” 4And all Israel heard it said that Saul had defeated the garrison of the Philistines, and also that Israel had become a stench to the Philistines. And the people were called out to join Saul at Gilgal.
5And the Philistines mustered to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen and troops plike the sand on the seashore in multitude. They came up and encamped in Michmash, to the east of qBeth-aven. 6When the men of Israel saw that they were in trouble (for the people were hard pressed), the people hid themselves rin caves and in holes and in rocks and in tombs and in cisterns, 7and some Hebrews crossed the fords of the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. Saul was still at Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.
Saul's Unlawful Sacrifice
8sHe waited seven days, the time appointed by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattering from him. 9So Saul said, “Bring the burnt offering here to me, and the peace offerings.” And he offered the burnt offering. 10As soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came. And Saul went out to meet him and greet him. 11Samuel said, “What have you done?” And Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines had mustered at Michmash, 12I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the favor of the Lord.’ So I forced myself, and offered the burnt offering.” 13And Samuel said to Saul, t“You have done foolishly. uYou have not kept the command of the Lord your God, with which he commanded you. For then the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. 14But now vyour kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought out a man wafter his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince2 over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.” 15And Samuel arose and went up from Gilgal. The rest of the people went up after Saul to meet the army; they went up from Gilgal3 to xGibeah of Benjamin.
And Saul numbered the people who were present with him, yabout six hundred men. 16And Saul and Jonathan his son and the people who were present with them stayed in zGeba of Benjamin, but the Philistines encamped in Michmash. 17And araiders came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies. One company turned toward Ophrah, to the land of Shual; 18another company turned toward bBeth-horon; and another company turned toward the border that looks down on the Valley of cZeboim toward the wilderness.
19dNow there was no blacksmith to be found throughout all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, “Lest the Hebrews make themselves swords or spears.” 20But every one of the Israelites went down to the Philistines to sharpen his plowshare, his mattock, his axe, or his sickle,4 21and the charge was two-thirds of a shekel5 for the plowshares and for the mattocks, and a third of a shekel6 for sharpening the axes and for setting the goads.7 22So on the day of the battle ethere was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people with Saul and Jonathan, but Saul and Jonathan his son had them. 23And fthe garrison of the Philistines went out to the gpass of hMichmash.
The Remnant of Israel
1I ask, then, hhas God rejected his people? By no means! For iI myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham,1 a member of the tribe of Benjamin. 2jGod has not rejected his people whom he kforeknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? 3l“Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.” 4But what is God's reply to him? m“I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 5So too at the present time there is na remnant, chosen by grace. 6oBut if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.
7What then? pIsrael failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest qwere hardened, 8as it is written,
r“God gave them a spirit of stupor,
seyes that would not see
and ears that would not hear,
down to this very day.”
9And David says,
t“Let their table become a snare and a trap,
a stumbling block and a retribution for them;
10let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see,
and bend their backs forever.”
Gentiles Grafted In
11So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather, through their trespass usalvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. 12Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion2 mean!
13Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as vI am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry 14in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and wthus save some of them. 15For if their rejection means xthe reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead? 16yIf the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches.
17But if zsome of the branches were broken off, and you, aalthough a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root3 of the olive tree, 18do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. 19Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you bstand fast through faith. So cdo not become proud, but dfear. 21For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. 22Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, eprovided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise fyou too will be cut off. 23And geven they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. 24For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree.
The Mystery of Israel's Salvation
25hLest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers:4 ia partial hardening has come upon Israel, juntil the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written,
k“The Deliverer will come lfrom Zion,
he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”;
27“and this will be my mcovenant with them
nwhen I take away their sins.”
28As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are obeloved for the sake of their forefathers. 29For the gifts and pthe calling of God are irrevocable. 30For just as qyou were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, 31so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now5 receive mercy. 32For God rhas consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.
33Oh, the depth of the riches and swisdom and knowledge of God! tHow unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
34“For uwho has known the mind of the Lord,
or vwho has been his counselor?”
35“Or wwho has given a gift to him
that he might be repaid?”
36For xfrom him and through him and to him are all things. yTo him be glory forever. Amen.
Judgment on Babylon
1The word that the Lord spoke concerning cBabylon, concerning the land of the Chaldeans, dby Jeremiah the prophet:
2“Declare among the nations and proclaim,
set up a banner and proclaim,
conceal it not, and say:
e‘Babylon is taken,
fBel is put to shame,
Merodach is dismayed.
eHer images are put to shame,
her idols are dismayed.’
3“For gout of the north a nation has come up against her, hwhich shall make her land a desolation, and none shall dwell in it; iboth man and beast shall flee away.
4j“In those days and in that time, declares the Lord, jthe people of Israel and the people of Judah shall come together, kweeping as they come, and they lshall seek the Lord their God. 5mThey shall ask the way to Zion, with faces turned toward it, nsaying, ‘Come, let us join ourselves to the Lord in an oeverlasting covenant that will never be forgotten.’
6p“My people have been lost sheep. qTheir shepherds have led them astray, turning them away on the mountains. From mountain to hill they have gone. They have forgotten their fold. 7All who found them have devoured them, rand their enemies have said, ‘We are not guilty, for sthey have sinned against the Lord, ttheir habitation of righteousness, the Lord, uthe hope of their fathers.’
8v“Flee from the midst of Babylon, vand go out of the land of the Chaldeans, and be as male goats before the flock. 9For behold, I am stirring up and bringing against Babylon wa gathering of great nations, from the north country. And they shall array themselves against her. From there she shall be taken. Their arrows are like a skilled warrior who does not return empty-handed. 10xChaldea shall be plundered; all who plunder her shall be sated, declares the Lord.
11y“Though you rejoice, though you exult,
O plunderers of my heritage,
though you frolic like a heifer in the pasture,
and neigh like stallions,
12your mother shall be utterly shamed,
and she who bore you shall be disgraced.
Behold, she shall be the last of the nations,
za wilderness, a dry land, and a desert.
13aBecause of the wrath of the Lord she shall not be inhabited
but shall be an utter desolation;
beveryone who passes by Babylon shall be appalled,
band hiss because of all her wounds.
14cSet yourselves in array against Babylon all around,
dall you who bend the bow;
shoot at her, spare no arrows,
efor she has sinned against the Lord.
15fRaise a shout against her all around;
she has surrendered;
her bulwarks have fallen;
gher walls are thrown down.
For hthis is the vengeance of the Lord:
take vengeance on her;
ido to her as she has done.
16Cut off from Babylon the sower,
and the one who handles the sickle in time of harvest;
jbecause of the sword of the oppressor,
kevery one shall turn to his own people,
and every one shall flee to his own land.
17l“Israel is a hunted sheep mdriven away by lions. nFirst the king of Assyria odevoured him, and now at last pNebuchadnezzar king of Babylon qhas gnawed his bones. 18Therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, rI am bringing punishment on the king of Babylon and his land, sas I punished the king of Assyria. 19tI will restore Israel to his pasture, and the shall feed on uCarmel and in uBashan, and his desire shall be satisfied on the hills of Ephraim and in uGilead. 20In those days and in that time, declares the Lord, viniquity shall be sought in Israel, and there shall be none, and sin in Judah, and none shall be found, for wI will pardon those whom I leave as a remnant.
21“Go up against the land of Merathaim,1
and against the inhabitants of Pekod.2
Kill, xand devote them to destruction,3
declares the Lord,
and do all that I have commanded you.
22yThe noise of battle is in the land,
and great destruction!
23zHow the hammer of the whole earth
is cut down and broken!
a horror among the nations!
24cI set a snare for you and you were taken, O Babylon,
and dyou did not know it;
you were found and caught,
because you opposed the Lord.
25The Lord has opened his armory
and brought out ethe weapons of his wrath,
for the Lord God of hosts has a work to do
in the land of the Chaldeans.
26Come against her from every quarter;
open her granaries;
fpile her up like heaps of grain, and devote her to destruction;
let nothing be left of her.
27Kill all gher bulls;
let them go down to the slaughter.
Woe to them, for their day has come,
hthe time of their punishment.
28“A voice! They iflee and escape from the land of Babylon, jto declare in Zion the vengeance of the Lord our God, vengeance for khis temple.
29l“Summon archers against Babylon, all those who bend the bow. lEncamp around her; let no one escape. mRepay her according to her deeds; do to her according to all that she has done. For she has nproudly defied the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. 30oTherefore her young men shall fall in her squares, and all her soldiers shall be destroyed on that day, declares the Lord.
31“Behold, I am against you, O nproud one,
declares the Lord God of hosts,
pfor your day has come,
the time when I will punish you.
32nThe proud one shall stumble and fall,
with none to raise him up,
qand I will kindle a fire in his cities,
and it will devour all that is around him.
33“Thus says the Lord of hosts: rThe people of Israel are oppressed, and the people of Judah with them. All who took them captive have held them fast; sthey refuse to let them go. 34tTheir Redeemer is strong; uthe Lord of hosts is his name. vHe will surely plead their cause, that he may give rest to the earth, but unrest to the inhabitants of Babylon.
35“A sword against the Chaldeans, declares the Lord,
and against the inhabitants of Babylon,
and against wher officials and her xwise men!
36A sword against the diviners,
that they may become fools!
A sword against her ywarriors,
that they may be destroyed!
37A sword against her horses and against her chariots,
and against all zthe foreign troops in her midst,
that athey may become women!
bA sword against all her treasures,
that they may be plundered!
38cA drought against her waters,
that they may be dried up!
dFor it is a land of images,
and they are mad over idols.
39e“Therefore wild beasts shall dwell with hyenas in Babylon,4 and ostriches shall dwell in her. She shall never again have people, nor be inhabited for all generations. 40fAs when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighboring cities, declares the Lord, gso no man shall dwell there, and no son of man shall sojourn in her.
41h“Behold, a people comes from the north;
a mighty nation and many kings
are stirring from the farthest parts of the earth.
42They lay hold of bow and spear;
they are cruel and have no mercy.
The sound of them is like the roaring of the sea;
they ride on horses,
arrayed as a man for battle
against you, O daughter of Babylon!
43“The king of Babylon heard the report of them,
and his hands fell helpless;
anguish seized him,
pain as of a woman in labor.
44i“Behold, like a lion coming up from the thicket of the Jordan against a perennial pasture, I will suddenly make them run away from her, and I will appoint over her whomever I choose. For who is like me? Who will summon me? What shepherd jcan stand before me? 45Therefore hear kthe plan that the Lord has made against Babylon, kand the purposes that he has formed against the land of the Chaldeans: lSurely the little ones of their flock shall be dragged away; surely their fold shall be appalled at their fate. 46mAt the sound of the capture of Babylon the earth shall tremble, and her cry shall be heard among the nations.”
Psalm 28
The Lord Is My Strength and My Shield
Of David.
1To you, O Lord, I call;
jmy rock, be not deaf to me,
lest, if you kbe silent to me,
I become like those who lgo down to the pit.
2mHear the voice of my pleas for mercy,
when I cry to you for help,
when I nlift up my hands
otoward your most holy sanctuary.1
3Do not pdrag me off with the wicked,
with the workers of evil,
qwho speak peace with their neighbors
while evil is in their hearts.
4rGive to them according to their work
and according to the evil of their deeds;
give to them according to the work of their hands;
srender them their due reward.
5Because they tdo not regard the works of the Lord
or the work of his hands,
he will tear them down and build them up no more.
6Blessed be the Lord!
For he has uheard the voice of my pleas for mercy.
7The Lord is my strength and vmy shield;
in him my heart wtrusts, and I am helped;
my heart exults,
and with my xsong I give thanks to him.
8The Lord is the strength of his people;2
he is ythe saving refuge of his anointed.
9Oh, save your people and bless zyour heritage!
aBe their shepherd and bcarry them forever.
Psalm 29
Ascribe to the Lord Glory
A Psalm of David.
1Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings,1
cascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
2Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
worship the Lord in dthe splendor of holiness.2
3The voice of the Lord is over ethe waters;
the God of glory fthunders,
the Lord, over many waters.
4The voice of the Lord is gpowerful;
the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.
5The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
the Lord breaks hthe cedars of Lebanon.
6He makes Lebanon to iskip like a calf,
and jSirion like a young kwild ox.
7The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire.
8The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
the Lord shakes the wilderness of lKadesh.
9The voice of the Lord makes mthe deer give birth3
and strips the forests bare,
and in his temple all cry, “Glory!”
10The Lord sits enthroned over nthe flood;
the Lord sits enthroned oas king forever.
11May the Lord give pstrength to his people!
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