Had more freeze warnings last night. All the way up to 56° now, but tonight's low expected to be down to 36°, which is at least above freezing. Got word from an area "fruit farm" (the owner was in school with my sister and I've known the family forever), has lots of orchard-type trees, but also fields of strawberries and other such, had to cover the strawberries the last few days and have special fans blowing over the plants, beneath the coverings. Strawberry season in these parts is relatively short and they don't want to lose the whole year's crop. Understood. When I was a kid, I was one of those who earned money picking strawberries, etc., one of those "jobs Americans will not do", supposedly. Now often done solely by ILLEGAL ALIENS. Perhaps the child labor laws prohibit it now.
Am reading and considering an article that deals with the harmony of the Gospels. As most know -- or should -- the Gospels are not identical. Some parts are in differing order, some contain accounts that the others don't. It has sometimes provided fodder for those eager to deny the truth of the message and to denigrate the Lord. The article is entitled
3 Kinds of Middle Eastern Oral Traditions and Their Influence on the NT Gospels and can be found
here.
The song of the day is God Will Take Care of You. MANY recordings of this exist, which is fine by me. I do caution that it's not to be treated as affirming the "name it and claim it" types, the "prosperity gospel" (note the lower-case "g" there). The Lord indeed does take care of us; He loves us after all. But don't get carried away. Don't ignore those who, including this very day, have been and are being persecuted, including unto pretty grisly deaths, for their faith. They thought it worth it, and I believe that the Lord honors that fidelity and trust. But He also does take care of us in this life as well: I for one have strong reason to know it and to be very thankful always.
Note the reference to 1st Peter 5:7, "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you” (KJV)
The story behind the hymn is, like many, a very interesting one. Hymnology is a worthy study field in itself.
Here is one article. Her
e is another. She wrote a LOT!
Here is one version of the hymn
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The Old Testament reading is chapters 19 and 20 of 1st Kings. The kingdom that began in hope, is now an nasty, evil mess, run by nasty, evil rulers. This will not turn out well for many.
I Kings 19
1 And Ahab
told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all
the prophets with the sword.
2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So
let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life
of one of them by to morrow about this time.
3 And when he saw that, he arose, and
went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and
left his servant there.
4 But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and
came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself
that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my
life; for I am not better than my fathers.
5 And as he lay and slept under a juniper
tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and
eat. 6 And he
looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of
water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again.
7 And the angel
of the LORD came again the second time, and touched him, and said,
Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee.
8 And he arose, and did eat
and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty
nights unto Horeb the mount of God.
9 And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged
there; and, behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said unto
him, What doest thou here, Elijah?
10 And he said, I have been very jealous for the
LORD God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy
covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the
sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it
away. 11 And
he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And,
behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the
mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD
was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was
not in the earthquake:
12 And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the
fire: and after the fire a still small voice.
13 And it was so, when Elijah heard it,
that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the
entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and
said, What doest thou here, Elijah?
14 And he said, I have been very jealous for the
LORD God of hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken thy
covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the
sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it
away. 15 And
the LORD said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of
Damascus: and when thou comest, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria:
16 And Jehu the
son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel: and Elisha the
son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy
room. 17 And
it shall come to pass, that him that escapeth the sword of Hazael shall
Jehu slay: and him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha
slay. 18 Yet I
have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not
bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.
19 So he departed thence,
and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of
oxen before him, and he with the twelfth: and Elijah passed by him, and
cast his mantle upon him.
20 And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said,
Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will
follow thee. And he said unto him, Go back again: for what have I done
to thee? 21
And he returned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen, and slew them,
and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto
the people, and they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and
ministered unto him.
I Kings 20
1 And
Benhadad the king of Syria gathered all his host together: and there
were thirty and two kings with him, and horses, and chariots; and he
went up and besieged Samaria, and warred against it.
2 And he sent messengers to Ahab
king of Israel into the city, and said unto him, Thus saith Benhadad,
3 Thy silver and
thy gold is mine; thy wives also and thy children, even the goodliest,
are mine. 4
And the king of Israel answered and said, My lord, O king, according to
thy saying, I am thine, and all that I have.
5 And the messengers came again, and
said, Thus speaketh Benhadad, saying, Although I have sent unto thee,
saying, Thou shalt deliver me thy silver, and thy gold, and thy wives,
and thy children; 6
Yet I will send my servants unto thee to morrow about this time, and
they shall search thine house, and the houses of thy servants; and it
shall be, that whatsoever is pleasant in thine eyes, they shall put it
in their hand, and take it away.
7 Then the king of Israel called all the elders of
the land, and said, Mark, I pray you, and see how this man seeketh
mischief: for he sent unto me for my wives, and for my children, and for
my silver, and for my gold; and I denied him not.
8 And all the elders and all the
people said unto him, Hearken not unto him, nor consent.
9 Wherefore he said unto the
messengers of Benhadad, Tell my lord the king, All that thou didst send
for to thy servant at the first I will do: but this thing I may not do.
And the messengers departed, and brought him word again.
10 And Benhadad sent unto
him, and said, The gods do so unto me, and more also, if the dust of
Samaria shall suffice for handfuls for all the people that follow me.
11 And the king
of Israel answered and said, Tell him, Let not him that girdeth on his
harness boast himself as he that putteth it off.
12 And it came to pass, when
Ben-hadad heard this message, as he was drinking, he and the kings in
the pavilions, that he said unto his servants, Set yourselves in array.
And they set themselves in array against the city.
13 And, behold, there came a
prophet unto Ahab king of Israel, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Hast thou
seen all this great multitude? behold, I will deliver it into thine
hand this day; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD.
14 And Ahab said, By whom? And
he said, Thus saith the LORD, Even by the young men of the princes of
the provinces. Then he said, Who shall order the battle? And he
answered, Thou. 15
Then he numbered the young men of the princes of the provinces, and
they were two hundred and thirty two: and after them he numbered all the
people, even all the children of Israel, being seven thousand.
16 And they went out
at noon. But Benhadad was drinking himself drunk in the pavilions, he
and the kings, the thirty and two kings that helped him.
17 And the young men of the
princes of the provinces went out first; and Benhadad sent out, and they
told him, saying, There are men come out of Samaria.
18 And he said, Whether they be
come out for peace, take them alive; or whether they be come out for
war, take them alive.
19 So these young men of the princes of the provinces came out
of the city, and the army which followed them.
20 And they slew every one his man: and
the Syrians fled; and Israel pursued them: and Benhadad the king of
Syria escaped on an horse with the horsemen.
21 And the king of Israel went out, and
smote the horses and chariots, and slew the Syrians with a great
slaughter. 22
And the prophet came to the king of Israel, and said unto him, Go,
strengthen thyself, and mark, and see what thou doest: for at the return
of the year the king of Syria will come up against thee.
23 And the servants of the
king of Syria said unto him, Their gods are gods of the hills; therefore
they were stronger than we; but let us fight against them in the plain,
and surely we shall be stronger than they.
24 And do this thing, Take the kings away,
every man out of his place, and put captains in their rooms:
25 And number thee an
army, like the army that thou hast lost, horse for horse, and chariot
for chariot: and we will fight against them in the plain, and surely we
shall be stronger than they. And he hearkened unto their voice, and did
so. 26 And it
came to pass at the return of the year, that Benhadad numbered the
Syrians, and went up to Aphek, to fight against Israel.
27 And the children of Israel
were numbered, and were all present, and went against them: and the
children of Israel pitched before them like two little flocks of kids;
but the Syrians filled the country.
28 And there came a man of God, and spake unto the
king of Israel, and said, Thus saith the LORD, Because the Syrians have
said, The LORD is God of the hills, but he is not God of the valleys,
therefore will I deliver all this great multitude into thine hand, and
ye shall know that I am the LORD.
29 And they pitched one over against the other seven
days. And so it was, that in the seventh day the battle was joined: and
the children of Israel slew of the Syrians an hundred thousand footmen
in one day. 30
But the rest fled to Aphek, into the city; and there a wall fell upon
twenty and seven thousand of the men that were left. And Benhadad fled,
and came into the city, into an inner chamber.
31 And his servants said unto him,
Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are
merciful kings: let us, I pray thee, put sackcloth on our loins, and
ropes upon our heads, and go out to the king of Israel: peradventure he
will save thy life. 32
So they girded sackcloth on their loins, and put ropes on their heads,
and came to the king of Israel, and said, Thy servant Benhadad saith, I
pray thee, let me live. And he said, Is he yet alive? he is my brother.
33 Now the men
did diligently observe whether any thing would come from him, and did
hastily catch it: and they said, Thy brother Benhadad. Then he said, Go
ye, bring him. Then Benhadad came forth to him; and he caused him to
come up into the chariot.
34 And Ben-hadad said unto him, The cities, which my father
took from thy father, I will restore; and thou shalt make streets for
thee in Damascus, as my father made in Samaria. Then said Ahab, I will
send thee away with this covenant. So he made a covenant with him, and
sent him away. 35
And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said unto his neighbor in
the word of the LORD, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man refused to
smite him. 36
Then said he unto him, Because thou hast not obeyed the voice of the
LORD, behold, as soon as thou art departed from me, a lion shall slay
thee. And as soon as he was departed from him, a lion found him, and
slew him. 37
Then he found another man, and said, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man
smote him, so that in smiting he wounded him.
38 So the prophet departed, and waited
for the king by the way, and disguised himself with ashes upon his face.
39 And as the
king passed by, he cried unto the king: and he said, Thy servant went
out into the midst of the battle; and, behold, a man turned aside, and
brought a man unto me, and said, Keep this man: if by any means he be
missing, then shall thy life be for his life, or else thou shalt pay a
talent of silver. 40
And as thy servant was busy here and there, he was gone. And the king
of Israel said unto him, So shall thy judgment be; thyself hast decided
it. 41 And he
hasted, and took the ashes away from his face; and the king of Israel
discerned him that he was of the prophets.
42 And he said unto him, Thus saith the
LORD, Because thou hast let go out of thy hand a man whom I appointed to
utter destruction, therefore thy life shall go for his life, and thy
people for his people.
43 And the king of Israel went to his house heavy and displeased, and came to Samaria.
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Our reading in the New Testament is chapter 2 of the Gospel of John.
John 2
1 And the
third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of
Jesus was there: 2 And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage. 3
And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They
have no wine. 4
Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is
not yet come. 5 His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. 6
And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of
the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece.
7 Jesus saith unto
them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the
brim. 8 And he
saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast.
And they bare it. 9
When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine,
and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water
knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom,
10 And saith unto him, Every
man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well
drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until
now. 11 This
beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth
his glory; and his disciples believed on him.
12 After this he went down to
Capernaum, he, and his mother, and his brethren, and his disciples: and
they continued there not many days.
13 And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14
And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and
the changers of money sitting:
15 And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he
drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and
poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables;
16 And said unto them that
sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house
of merchandise. 17
And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine
house hath eaten me up.
18 Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest
thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things?
19 Jesus answered and said unto
them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.
20 Then said the
Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou
rear it up in three days?
21 But he spake of the temple of his body. 22
When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered
that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and
the word which Jesus had said.
23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the
feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which
he did. 24 But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, 25 And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.
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