The Importance of Purity

Today's Reading: Psalm 89, Exodus 35:1-29, Esther 2, 1 Corinthians 7

Psalm 89 - The third book of the Psalms ends with a maskil by Ethan the Ezrahite. The psalm speaks about the promise that God made David that his kingdom would be forever. Ethan wonders why God has turned His back on His covenant with David. God had not. The covenant that He made with David would be fulfilled in Jesus. This third book of the Psalms has been full of sorrow. The children of Israel had walked away from God, and they were paying the price. Ethan reaffirms his faith that God will work on behalf of the people of Israel.

Exodus 35:1-29 - The Children of Israel have a very different response when Moses comes down from the mountain this time. They are ready to obey the law of the Lord. It is with great joy that the people make preparations to build the tabernacle. This is a beautiful picture of what happens when we follow God's desires and come together as one.

Esther 2 - The story of Esther continues with the king realizing that he needed to find a new wife. All of the beautiful young virgins in the land were brought to the king. Esther was one of them. God had her in this kingdom for such a time as this. She found favor in the sight of the king, and the king loved her more than any woman in the land. This would be important if God was going to move the heart of the king to compassion.

1 Corinthians 7 - Paul gives the church strong warnings regarding sexual desire in 1 Corinthians 7. In this chapter he lays out an argument for staying single, but for marrying rather than burning in sexual desire. Then he talks about the importance of intimacy in the marriage relationship. The Church at Corinth really struggled in the area of sexuality, and Paul wanted them to get things right in the area of sexual love. This is some of the most important teaching on human sexuality that you will find in the Bible.