Day Eleven

Psalm 92, Exodus 38, Esther 5, 1 Corinthians 10:1‐11:1

Psalm 92

Ps. 92:1-2 - It is good to give thanks to the Lord,to sing praises to your name, O Most High; 2 to declare your steadfast love in the morning,and your faithfulness by night, - Psalm 92 is a Psalm that was written for the Sabbath. And, what a great way to begin this Psalm, with a reminder that it is good to give thanks to the Lord. When we declare our gratitude for what God has done; when we remember His love for us; when we remember His faithfulness, we are able to refocus our minds onto what is most important. God is good, and deserves our praise.

Ps. 92:5-8 - How great are your works, O Lord! Your thoughts are very deep! 6 The stupid man cannot know; the fool cannot understand this: 7 that though the wicked sprout like grass and all evildoers flourish, they are doomed to destruction forever; 8 but you, O Lord, are on high forever. - What a great reminder of the fact that God's ways are not like man's ways. When it seems like the wicked are prospering, we should remember how stupid it is to live our lives for this world. Our days on earth are but a mist, and I don't want to be doomed to destruction forever. Remember how great the works of God are.

Exodus 38

Ex. 38 - Exodus 38 continues to tell the story of the materials that were created for the tabernacle. Verses 24-31 give a summary of the the amount of gold, silver, etc. that are used for the project. It also lists the number of men who were listed as part of the population. These were only men, 20 and over, and the number was 603,550. The amounts are staggering and a reminder of the true miracle of moving so many people across the wilderness for 40 years.

Esther 5

Est. 5 - In Esther 5, after the Jewish people throughout the kingdom have prayed and fasted, Esther goes into the inner court of the king's palace. This action alone could have cost Esther her life. But, the king was pleased. And, Esther's plan, which God had given to her is put into action. She invited Haman and the King to a dinner, and then invites them to dine with her again the next day. I love the end of verse 10 which says, "But when Haman saw Mordecai in the king's gate, that he neither rose nor trembled before him, he was filled with wrath against Mordecai." Why could Mordecai not tremble when he was in immanent danger? Because he was girded in prayer. Because he trusted God. Because he knew that God loved His people. I believe that Mordecai was watching and waiting for God to move.

1 Corinthians 10:1‐11:1

1 Cor. 10 - This may be one of my favorite chapters in the Bible. There is such rich imagery here. In verse four we read about the fact that the spiritual Rock that the Children of Israel drank from was Christ. Then Paul quickly points out that the people had wandered from God and chased after idols. But the idols that Paul speaks of are things like sin, sexual immorality, grumbling, etc.

It is in verse 13 that we read Paul's famous words, "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." This admonition comes after Paul's teaching about idolatry. Anything that we put ahead of God in our lives is an idol.

Paul talks about spiritual freedom and living our lives for the glory of God at the end of the chapter.