Today's Readings and Stuff -- Friday, 24 June 2016

Things are more than a bit scattered around here this week.  We bravely hope that things will get into some sort of regular order soon.  Likelihood of that is unknown, but we have hope.

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The Old Testament reading today opens something new, the book of Job, chapters 1 - 3.
Job is sometimes thought to have been one of the first, if not the first, of the written-down books of the Bible.  It certainly gets into some of those questions that nearly all of us face at some time:  why do bad things happen to good people?  Which, normally, is a version of "why did this happen to ME??".  I've been there, most of us have.  Job certainly did, and had what most of us was reason to ask.  He did not sin by cursing the Lord for his pains, but he certainly was in pain, and was, more than anything, seeking the WHY???  Again, lots of us have been there.
This book is not, by the way, one often used by the "wealth and prosperity" preachers.

an appropriate song for the story is at The Song of Job == Seatrain

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Job 1

1	There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.
2	And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters.
3	His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east.
4	And his sons went and feasted in their houses, every one his day; and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them.
5	And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually.
6	Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.
7	And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.
8	And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?
9	Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?
10	Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.
11	But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.
12	And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.
13	And there was a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house:
14	And there came a messenger unto Job, and said, The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them:
15	And the Sabeans fell upon them, and took them away; yea, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.
16	While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep, and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.
17	While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The Chaldeans made out three bands, and fell upon the camels, and have carried them away, yea, and slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.
18	While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house:
19	And, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.
20	Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped,
21	And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.
22	In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.

Job 2

1	Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD.
2	And the LORD said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.
3	And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.
4	And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.
5	But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.
6	And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life.
7	So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.
8	And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes.
9	Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.
10	But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.
11	Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came every one from his own place; Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite: for they had made an appointment together to come to mourn with him and to comfort him.
12	And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voice, and wept; and they rent every one his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven.
13	So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great.

Job 3

1	After this opened Job his mouth, and cursed his day.
2	And Job spake, and said,
3	Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night in which it was said, There is a man child conceived.
4	Let that day be darkness; let not God regard it from above, neither let the light shine upon it.
5	Let darkness and the shadow of death stain it; let a cloud dwell upon it; let the blackness of the day terrify it.
6	As for that night, let darkness seize upon it; let it not be joined unto the days of the year, let it not come into the number of the months.
7	Lo, let that night be solitary, let no joyful voice come therein.
8	Let them curse it that curse the day, who are ready to raise up their mourning.
9	Let the stars of the twilight thereof be dark; let it look for light, but have none; neither let it see the dawning of the day:
10	Because it shut not up the doors of my mother's womb, nor hid sorrow from mine eyes.
11	Why died I not from the womb? why did I not give up the ghost when I came out of the belly?
12	Why did the knees prevent me? or why the breasts that I should suck?
13	For now should I have lain still and been quiet, I should have slept: then had I been at rest,
14	With kings and counsellors of the earth, which build desolate places for themselves;
15	Or with princes that had gold, who filled their houses with silver:
16	Or as an hidden untimely birth I had not been; as infants which never saw light.
17	There the wicked cease from troubling; and there the weary be at rest.
18	There the prisoners rest together; they hear not the voice of the oppressor.
19	The small and great are there; and the servant is free from his master.
20	Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery, and life unto the bitter in soul;
21	Which long for death, but it cometh not; and dig for it more than for hid treasures;
22	Which rejoice exceedingly, and are glad, when they can find the grave?
23	Why is light given to a man whose way is hid, and whom God hath hedged in?
24	For my sighing cometh before I eat, and my roarings are poured out like the waters.
25	For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.
26	I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet; yet trouble came.

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The New Testament reading is verses 1-19 in chapter 7 of the Acts of the Apostles.
This is Steven speaking to the religious leaders of the day, laying a foundation that they were (or certainly should have been) familiar with, leading up to something.

Acts 7:1-19

1	Then said the high priest, Are these things so?
2	And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran,
3	And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall shew thee.
4	Then came he out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell.
5	And he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on: yet he promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no child.
6	And God spake on this wise, That his seed should sojourn in a strange land; and that they should bring them into bondage, and entreat them evil four hundred years.
7	And the nation to whom they shall be in bondage will I judge, said God: and after that shall they come forth, and serve me in this place.
8	And he gave him the covenant of circumcision: and so Abraham begat Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat the twelve patriarchs.
9	And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him,
10	And delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house.
11	Now there came a dearth over all the land of Egypt and Chanaan, and great affliction: and our fathers found no sustenance.
12	But when Jacob heard that there was corn in Egypt, he sent out our fathers first.
13	And at the second time Joseph was made known to his brethren; and Joseph's kindred was made known unto Pharaoh.
14	Then sent Joseph, and called his father Jacob to him, and all his kindred, threescore and fifteen souls.
15	So Jacob went down into Egypt, and died, he, and our fathers,
16	And were carried over into Sychem, and laid in the sepulchre that Abraham bought for a sum of money of the sons of Emmor the father of Sychem.
17	But when the time of the promise drew nigh, which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt,
18	Till another king arose, which knew not Joseph.
19	The same dealt subtilly with our kindred, and evil entreated our fathers, so that they cast out their young children, to the end they might not live.