Today's Readings and Stuff -- Thursday, 23 February 2017

Less than a week of February remaining, cause for celebration in itself.

Wife's condition seems to have stabilized.  She was able to eat a bit yesterday, a little bit at least.  Doesn't sound like much, but she really hadn't eaten in a couple days: half of one slice of buttered toast doesn't come to much, does it?  And perhaps a second such in the evening.

Yesterday, she woke around 8:30 -- 9:00 or so.  After getting her situated, she thought she could eat something, so I made a skillet-sized mess of cornbread.  She ate the wedge I gave her, drank it down with some cranberry juice (helps to prevent her chronic kidney and UTI issues).  And took her "morning" antibiotic.  Then snoozed a bit.  Around noon, wanted some tomato soup, which I made, and requested --but could not eat -- a second piece of cornbread, and could only manage half a small bowl of soup and a pickle.  And took her "regular" round of morning meds, just over a dozen pills.  Then back to bed, she slept for more than four hours.  (I ate her chunk of cornbread, why waste it?).
The sleep is good for her, cheap medicine, and for days she'd been too miserable to really sleep much.  So we'll think of it as progress and give thanks for it.

She had a relatively good night, slept hard and long, which is a good sign, and sounds a bit better this morning.  I made her some coffee, served a chunk of warm cornbread, and got her some cranberry juice to use for taking meds.  Perhaps we're seeing some improvement.  Some.
Of course, yesterday evening, I blew my nose and about fell over.  Hope I've not caught it now.

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Spent some time during the night in thought / prayer / meditation (yes, I'm weird and the mind works weirdly as well.  Quelle surprise!, right?
I believe in reading the Bible.  I think, and have some various experiences, that teach me that starting the day with seeking the Lord and reading His word, helps to at least start us, or me, out in the right frame of mind.  I earnestly believe this.
Yet I know as well that all too often, we ( meaning me too) glide over these passages without disturbing the surface.  We ( me) should be hungry for the Word, eager or desperate for the Lord.  Should be.  Yet, all too often, and I include myself, we're not eating and drinking it like we are hungry and thirsty, "as the deer panteth for the water" thirsty.  We're snacking and window shopping.
I know full well that some of these passages, and the ones in Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy are examples, are full of references to obscure (to us) people with weird-sounding names in a far-away land a long time ago, doing things that just aren't "relevant" (how I HATE that word!) to us.  The precise order of worship, prescribed size and shape of golden lamps and the preparation of the oil to fill them, the dealing with persons suffering odd diseases, and many others, all seem odd to us.  I understand that.  Certainly, much of this was of primary import for those people.  Yet it has some meaning for us.  I don't understand all of that.  But consider some of those commands.  The preparation of the oil for the lamps, for example.  That's olive oil.  They were in the desert!  Olive groves are unlikely to be found there, so while this would include oil acquired in trade while in the Exodus journey, it would also necessarily include setting up a system once the Promised Land was theirs.  Likewise, the requirements for washing of the person, including the priests, and the sacrifices.  Again, they were in the desert!  Not many faucets and water systems there, then or now.  Yet the requirement is there.  So I read this as a promise that the Lord would ensure that the water was there, but they must seek it and dedicate the required amount to these purposes.  And that this required attitude must carry over when in the settled life in the Promised Land.
See what I mean?  We don't, mostly, use oil lamps in our worship services these days, nor do we sacrifice animals on an altar with or without washing.  But we do -- and must -- treat our worship of the Lord as a special, important thing,  Something that demands our attention and respect.  Not just an optional item on the calendar for when it's convenient.
That's just an example.
At the time of Christ, and even into fairly recent history, NO ONE, probably, would have a personally owned Bible.  Even if he or she could read it, which is also a pretty recent development (subject for another time).  The first Gutenberg Bible came out around 1455, which sounds like a long time ago to those who think 1999 is "the old days".  And it was in Vulgate Latin, something only a few scholars and churchmen (and not all of them) could understand.  The King James translation into the English of the time, came out in 1611, and that was highly controversial.  Even then, it was expensive and most people, the "common people" particularly, could not read it.
Now?  They cost relatively little money, and one can easily access the Bible on-line for free.
Yet I know, and most do, of those who have one, or several, and it is only hauled out, mostly for show, on Sunday morning.  Preventing the message from the intended purpose, 12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
We avoid that at our peril.



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The reading in the Old Testament today is chapters 8, 9, and 10 of Numbers.

I realize that most of this sounds far removed from today's world, and in many ways it is.

But note that the Lord had -- and still has, I believe -- a role for everyone.  This person, and, often, his descendants had this specific role.  Another person, a different role.  No one, NO ONE, was an afterthought, a mere "extra".  Nor are you.  Nor am I.

Now, yes, we don't live in tents in the wilderness, en route to the Promised Land, waiting for the trumpet call to strike camp and move out, following the cloud.  The parallel is not exact.  But we are living in these bodies, these temporary dwellings, en route to the Promise.  Waiting to move out or to move on, or, perhaps, to remain in place but watchful, and waiting for that trumpet signal.

And you note the reference to the Passover.  That event is still celebrated today, all around the world.  It corresponds closely with Easter.  It is an annual feast, of course, but it is also celebrated in many Christian assemblies far more often. Some, twice per year as was the case in the church in which I gre up.  Others, once per month as is the case for our gathering.  Others, weekly at least.  It is good to remember all that the Lord has done for us personally, and for those who have gone before.  And that includes fellow believers all around the world.

Numbers 8

1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Speak unto Aaron and say unto him, When thou lightest the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light over against the candlestick. 3 And Aaron did so; he lighted the lamps thereof over against the candlestick, as the LORD commanded Moses. 4 And this work of the candlestick was of beaten gold, unto the shaft thereof, unto the flowers thereof, was beaten work: according unto the pattern which the LORD had showed Moses, so he made the candlestick. 5 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 6 Take the Levites from among the children of Israel, and cleanse them. 7 And thus shalt thou do unto them, to cleanse them: Sprinkle water of purifying upon them, and let them shave all their flesh, and let them wash their clothes, and so make themselves clean. 8 Then let them take a young bullock with his meat offering, even fine flour mingled with oil, and another young bullock shalt thou take for a sin offering. 9 And thou shalt bring the Levites before the tabernacle of the congregation: and thou shalt gather the whole assembly of the children of Israel together: 10 And thou shalt bring the Levites before the LORD: and the children of Israel shall put their hands upon the Levites: 11 And Aaron shall offer the Levites before the LORD for an offering of the children of Israel, that they may execute the service of the LORD. 12 And the Levites shall lay their hands upon the heads of the bullocks: and thou shalt offer the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, unto the LORD, to make an atonement for the Levites. 13 And thou shalt set the Levites before Aaron, and before his sons, and offer them for an offering unto the LORD. 14 Thus shalt thou separate the Levites from among the children of Israel: and the Levites shall be mine. 15 And after that shall the Levites go in to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation: and thou shalt cleanse them, and offer them for an offering. 16 For they are wholly given unto me from among the children of Israel; instead of such as open every womb, even instead of the firstborn of all the children of Israel, have I taken them unto me. 17 For all the firstborn of the children of Israel are mine, both man and beast: on the day that I smote every firstborn in the land of Egypt I sanctified them for myself. 18 And I have taken the Levites for all the firstborn of the children of Israel. 19 And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and to his sons from among the children of Israel, to do the service of the children of Israel in the tabernacle of the congregation, and to make an atonement for the children of Israel: that there be no plague among the children of Israel, when the children of Israel come nigh unto the sanctuary. 20 And Moses, and Aaron, and all the congregation of the children of Israel, did to the Levites according unto all that the LORD commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so did the children of Israel unto them. 21 And the Levites were purified, and they washed their clothes; and Aaron offered them as an offering before the LORD; and Aaron made an atonement for them to cleanse them. 22 And after that went the Levites in to do their service in the tabernacle of the congregation before Aaron, and before his sons: as the LORD had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so did they unto them. 23 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 24 This is it that belongeth unto the Levites: from twenty and five years old and upward they shall go in to wait upon the service of the tabernacle of the congregation: 25 And from the age of fifty years they shall cease waiting upon the service thereof, and shall serve no more: 26 But shall minister with their brethren in the tabernacle of the congregation, to keep the charge, and shall do no service. Thus shalt thou do unto the Levites touching their charge.

Numbers 9

1 And the LORD spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying, 2 Let the children of Israel also keep the passover at his appointed season. 3 In the fourteenth day of this month, at even, ye shall keep it in his appointed season: according to all the rites of it, and according to all the ceremonies thereof, shall ye keep it. 4 And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, that they should keep the passover. 5 And they kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the first month at even in the wilderness of Sinai: according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so did the children of Israel. 6 And there were certain men, who were defiled by the dead body of a man, that they could not keep the passover on that day: and they came before Moses and before Aaron on that day: 7 And those men said unto him, We are defiled by the dead body of a man: wherefore are we kept back, that we may not offer an offering of the LORD in his appointed season among the children of Israel? 8 And Moses said unto them, Stand still, and I will hear what the LORD will command concerning you. 9 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 10 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If any man of you or of your posterity shall be unclean by reason of a dead body, or be in a journey afar off, yet he shall keep the passover unto the LORD. 11 The fourteenth day of the second month at even they shall keep it, and eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 12 They shall leave none of it unto the morning, nor break any bone of it: according to all the ordinances of the passover they shall keep it. 13 But the man that is clean, and is not in a journey, and forbeareth to keep the passover, even the same soul shall be cut off from among his people: because he brought not the offering of the LORD in his appointed season, that man shall bear his sin. 14 And if a stranger shall sojourn among you, and will keep the passover unto the LORD; according to the ordinance of the passover, and according to the manner thereof, so shall he do: ye shall have one ordinance, both for the stranger, and for him that was born in the land. 15 And on the day that the tabernacle was reared up the cloud covered the tabernacle, namely, the tent of the testimony: and at even there was upon the tabernacle as it were the appearance of fire, until the morning. 16 So it was alway: the cloud covered it by day, and the appearance of fire by night. 17 And when the cloud was taken up from the tabernacle, then after that the children of Israel journeyed: and in the place where the cloud abode, there the children of Israel pitched their tents. 18 At the commandment of the LORD the children of Israel journeyed, and at the commandment of the LORD they pitched: as long as the cloud abode upon the tabernacle they rested in their tents. 19 And when the cloud tarried long upon the tabernacle many days, then the children of Israel kept the charge of the LORD, and journeyed not. 20 And so it was, when the cloud was a few days upon the tabernacle; according to the commandment of the LORD they abode in their tents, and according to the commandment of the LORD they journeyed. 21 And so it was, when the cloud abode from even unto the morning, and that the cloud was taken up in the morning, then they journeyed: whether it was by day or by night that the cloud was taken up, they journeyed. 22 Or whether it were two days, or a month, or a year, that the cloud tarried upon the tabernacle, remaining thereon, the children of Israel abode in their tents, and journeyed not: but when it was taken up, they journeyed. 23 At the commandment of the LORD they rested in the tents, and at the commandment of the LORD they journeyed: they kept the charge of the LORD, at the commandment of the LORD by the hand of Moses.

Numbers 10

1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Make thee two trumpets of silver; of a whole piece shalt thou make them: that thou mayest use them for the calling of the assembly, and for the journeying of the camps. 3 And when they shall blow with them, all the assembly shall assemble themselves to thee at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 4 And if they blow but with one trumpet, then the princes, which are heads of the thousands of Israel, shall gather themselves unto thee. 5 When ye blow an alarm, then the camps that lie on the east parts shall go forward. 6 When ye blow an alarm the second time, then the camps that lie on the south side shall take their journey: they shall blow an alarm for their journeys. 7 But when the congregation is to be gathered together, ye shall blow, but ye shall not sound an alarm. 8 And the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow with the trumpets; and they shall be to you for an ordinance for ever throughout your generations. 9 And if ye go to war in your land against the enemy that oppresseth you, then ye shall blow an alarm with the trumpets; and ye shall be remembered before the LORD your God, and ye shall be saved from your enemies. 10 Also in the day of your gladness, and in your solemn days, and in the beginnings of your months, ye shall blow with the trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; that they may be to you for a memorial before your God: I am the LORD your God. 11 And it came to pass on the twentieth day of the second month, in the second year, that the cloud was taken up from off the tabernacle of the testimony. 12 And the children of Israel took their journeys out of the wilderness of Sinai; and the cloud rested in the wilderness of Paran. 13 And they first took their journey according to the commandment of the LORD by the hand of Moses. 14 In the first place went the standard of the camp of the children of Judah according to their armies: and over his host was Nahshon the son of Amminadab. 15 And over the host of the tribe of the children of Issachar was Nethaneel the son of Zuar. 16 And over the host of the tribe of the children of Zebulun was Eliab the son of Helon. 17 And the tabernacle was taken down; and the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari set forward, bearing the tabernacle. 18 And the standard of the camp of Reuben set forward according to their armies: and over his host was Elizur the son of Shedeur. 19 And over the host of the tribe of the children of Simeon was Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai. 20 And over the host of the tribe of the children of Gad was Eliasaph the son of Deuel. 21 And the Kohathites set forward, bearing the sanctuary: and the other did set up the tabernacle against they came. 22 And the standard of the camp of the children of Ephraim set forward according to their armies: and over his host was Elishama the son of Ammihud. 23 And over the host of the tribe of the children of Manasseh was Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur. 24 And over the host of the tribe of the children of Benjamin was Abidan the son of Gideoni. 25 And the standard of the camp of the children of Dan set forward, which was the rearward of all the camps throughout their hosts: and over his host was Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai. 26 And over the host of the tribe of the children of Asher was Pagiel the son of Ocran. 27 And over the host of the tribe of the children of Naphtali was Ahira the son of Enan. 28 Thus were the journeyings of the children of Israel according to their armies, when they set forward. 29 And Moses said unto Hobab, the son of Raguel the Midianite, Moses' father in law, We are journeying unto the place of which the LORD said, I will give it you: come thou with us, and we will do thee good: for the LORD hath spoken good concerning Israel. 30 And he said unto him, I will not go; but I will depart to mine own land, and to my kindred. 31 And he said, Leave us not, I pray thee; forasmuch as thou knowest how we are to encamp in the wilderness, and thou mayest be to us instead of eyes. 32 And it shall be, if thou go with us, yea, it shall be, that what goodness the LORD shall do unto us, the same will we do unto thee. 33 And they departed from the mount of the LORD three days' journey: and the ark of the covenant of the LORD went before them in the three days' journey, to search out a resting place for them. 34 And the cloud of the LORD was upon them by day, when they went out of the camp. 35 And it came to pass, when the ark set forward, that Moses said, Rise up, LORD, and let thine enemies be scattered; and let them that hate thee flee before thee. 36 And when it rested, he said, Return, O LORD, unto the many thousands of Israel.

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The New Testament portion is verses 1-20 in chapter 5 of the Gospel of Mark.
This is a remarkable passage.  Jesus went to a place that did not expect him, over to where "those people" lived.  Foreign and hostile.  And met a man who needed Him desperately, in terrible straits.  And healed him.
Did the people around rejoice?  Not at all, they wanted Him gone: he'd upset their arrangements.
And the healed man?  He wanted to follow Jesus, to come along.  Jesus instead, sent him on a mission: "Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.".  He did, and the record reveals that that man's words fell on fertile soil and were part of the growth of the early church.  All because Jesus went somewhere outside of the comfort zone.
That's our mission as well.  " tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.".  Go and do likewise.


Mark 5:1-20

1 And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. 2 And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, 3 Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains: 4 Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him. 5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones. 6 But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him, 7 And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not. 8 For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit. 9 And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many. 10 And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country. 11 Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding. 12 And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them. 13 And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea. 14 And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that was done. 15 And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid. 16 And they that saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil, and also concerning the swine. 17 And they began to pray him to depart out of their coasts. 18 And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him. 19 Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee. 20 And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel.