Today's Readings and Stuff --- Tuesday, 20 March 2018

We welcome today as the first official day of Spring, the Vernal Equinox.  A most welcome sight, to be sure.
That's the good news.  The bad news (by my standards at least), is that we will, in proper NE Ohio fashion, celebrate the occasion with a heavy snowstorm.  The weather casters are hedging their bets, but at last report we are expecting someof the awful stuff, starting late this afternoon. Areas south of here, 6 nches or so, depending on the "model" used, the weathercaster's crystal balls.  Areas to the southeast, in western PA near the ski areas, could see a foot of the stuff.  Some Spring!  But we are at 12 hours 8 minutes of "day", with tomorrow set to be 2 minutes 46 seconds more.  I have been informed that generally speaking, the worst snow events of the winter season around here, actually occur in March, not in December or January.  And, as noted before, I can recall as a young kid, a snow fall on the first of MAY!  So we're not in the clear, not yet.

Wife is experiencing some discomfort, yes, pain, as a result of yesterday's infusion at the rheumatologist's office. Likely to be in pain most of this week, actually.  Today is normally her day to "watch" the great niece and great nephew next door, but, knowing she'd probably be unable to do so, she arranged for her sister, the kids' grandmother, to aroint herself long enough to take the watch for today and Thursday.  So we shall see.

I "got" to do the big once a month grocery trip this morning.  Wife wasn't up to it, so I was presented a list and off I went.  Always interesting to see the interactions with store personnel and other shoppers.  So we have a stock of canned vegetables laid in, and some "house brand" coffee as well.  We're good.


song, one of several in my thoughts today.   I Exalt Thee

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Deuteronomy 3

1  Then we turned, and went up the way to Bashan: and Og the king of Bashan came out against us, he and all his people, to battle at Edrei.

2  And the Lord said unto me, Fear him not: for I will deliver him, and all his people, and his land, into thy hand; and thou shalt do unto him as thou didst unto Sihon king of the Amorites, which dwelt at Heshbon.

3  So the Lord our God delivered into our hands Og also, the king of Bashan, and all his people: and we smote him until none was left to him remaining.

4  And we took all his cities at that time, there was not a city which we took not from them, threescore cities, all the region of Argob, the kingdom of Og in Bashan.

5  All these cities were fenced with high walls, gates, and bars; beside unwalled towns a great many.

6  And we utterly destroyed them, as we did unto Sihon king of Heshbon, utterly destroying the men, women, and children, of every city.

7  But all the cattle, and the spoil of the cities, we took for a prey to ourselves.

8  And we took at that time out of the hand of the two kings of the Amorites the land that was on this side Jordan, from the river of Arnon unto mount Hermon;

9  (Which Hermon the Sidonians call Sirion; and the Amorites call it Senir;)

10  All the cities of the plain, and all Gilead, and all Bashan, unto Salecah and Edrei, cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan.

11  For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of giants; behold, his bedstead was a bedstead of iron; is it not in Rabbah of the children of Ammon? nine cubits was the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man.

12  And this land, which we possessed at that time, from Aroer, which is by the river Arnon, and half mount Gilead, and the cities thereof, gave I unto the Reubenites and to the Gadites.

13  And the rest of Gilead, and all Bashan, being the kingdom of Og, gave I unto the half tribe of Manasseh; all the region of Argob, with all Bashan, which was called the land of giants.

14  Jair the son of Manasseh took all the country of Argob unto the coasts of Geshuri and Maachathi; and called them after his own name, Bashan–havoth–jair, unto this day.

15  And I gave Gilead unto Machir.

16  And unto the Reubenites and unto the Gadites I gave from Gilead even unto the river Arnon half the valley, and the border even unto the river Jabbok, which is the border of the children of Ammon;

17  The plain also, and Jordan, and the coast thereof, from Chinnereth even unto the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, under Ashdoth–pisgah eastward.Ashdoth–pisgah:

18  And I commanded you at that time, saying, The Lord your God hath given you this land to possess it: ye shall pass over armed before your brethren the children of Israel, all that are meet for the war

19  But your wives, and your little ones, and your cattle, (for I know that ye have much cattle,) shall abide in your cities which I have given you;

20  Until the Lord have given rest unto your brethren, as well as unto you, and until they also possess the land which the Lord your God hath given them beyond Jordan: and then shall ye return every man unto his possession, which I have given you.

21  And I commanded Joshua at that time, saying, Thine eyes have seen all that the Lord your God hath done unto these two kings: so shall the Lord do unto all the kingdoms whither thou passest.

22  Ye shall not fear them: for the Lord your God he shall fight for you.

23  And I besought the Lord at that time, saying,

24  O Lord God, thou hast begun to shew thy servant thy greatness, and thy mighty hand: for what God is there in heaven or in earth, that can do according to thy works, and according to thy might?

25  I pray thee, let me go over, and see the good land that is beyond Jordan, that goodly mountain, and Lebanon.

26  But the Lord was wroth with me for your sakes, and would not hear me: and the Lord said unto me, Let it suffice thee; speak no more unto me of this matter.

27  Get thee up into the top of Pisgah, and lift up thine eyes westward, and northward, and southward, and eastward, and behold it with thine eyes: for thou shalt not go over this Jordan.

28  But charge Joshua, and encourage him, and strengthen him: for he shall go over before this people, and he shall cause them to inherit the land which thou shalt see.

29  So we abode in the valley over against Beth–peor.

Deuteronomy 4

1  Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers giveth you.

2  Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.

3  Your eyes have seen what the Lord did because of Baal–peor: for all the men that followed Baal–peor, the Lord thy God hath destroyed them from among you.

4  But ye that did cleave unto the Lord your God are alive every one of you this day.

5  Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the Lord my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it.

6  Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.

7  For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon him for?

8  And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day?

9  Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons;

10  Specially the day that thou stoodest before the Lord thy God in Horeb, when the Lord said unto me, Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children.

11  And ye came near and stood under the mountain; and the mountain burned with fire unto the midst of heaven, with darkness, clouds, and thick darkness.midst: Heb. heart

12  And the Lord spake unto you out of the midst of the fire: ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude; only ye heard a voice.only…: Heb. save a voice

13  And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone.

14  And the Lord commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go over to possess it.

15  Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves; for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the Lord spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire:

16  Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female,

17  The likeness of any beast that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged fowl that flieth in the air,

18  The likeness of any thing that creepeth on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the waters beneath the earth:

19  And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the Lord thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven.divided: or, imparted

20  But the Lord hath taken you, and brought you forth out of the iron furnace, even out of Egypt, to be unto him a people of inheritance, as ye are this day.

21  Furthermore the Lord was angry with me for your sakes, and sware that I should not go over Jordan, and that I should not go in unto that good land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance:

22  But I must die in this land, I must not go over Jordan: but ye shall go over, and possess that good land.

23  Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the Lord your God, which he made with you, and make you a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, which the Lord thy God hath forbidden thee.

24  For the Lord thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.

25  When thou shalt beget children, and children's children, and ye shall have remained long in the land, and shall corrupt yourselves, and make a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, and shall do evil in the sight of the Lord thy God, to provoke him to anger:

26  I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto ye go over Jordan to possess it; ye shall not prolong your days upon it, but shall utterly be destroyed.

27  And the Lord shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither the Lord shall lead you.

28  And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men's hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.

29  But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.

30  When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the Lord thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice;

31  (For the Lord thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.

32  For ask now of the days that are past, which were before thee, since the day that God created man upon the earth, and ask from the one side of heaven unto the other, whether there hath been any such thing as this great thing is, or hath been heard like it?

33  Did ever people hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as thou hast heard, and live?

34  Or hath God assayed to go and take him a nation from the midst of another nation, by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?

35  Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the Lord he is God; there is none else beside him.

36  Out of heaven he made thee to hear his voice, that he might instruct thee: and upon earth he shewed thee his great fire; and thou heardest his words out of the midst of the fire.

37  And because he loved thy fathers, therefore he chose their seed after them, and brought thee out in his sight with his mighty power out of Egypt;

38  To drive out nations from before thee greater and mightier than thou art, to bring thee in, to give thee their land for an inheritance, as it is this day.

39  Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the Lord he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else.

40  Thou shalt keep therefore his statutes, and his commandments, which I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days upon the earth, which the Lord thy God giveth thee, for ever.

41  Then Moses severed three cities on this side Jordan toward the sunrising;

42  That the slayer might flee thither, which should kill his neighbour unawares, and hated him not in times past; and that fleeing unto one of these cities he might live:

43  Namely, Bezer in the wilderness, in the plain country, of the Reubenites; and Ramoth in Gilead, of the Gadites; and Golan in Bashan, of the Manassites.

44  And this is the law which Moses set before the children of Israel:

45  These are the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, which Moses spake unto the children of Israel, after they came forth out of Egypt,

46  On this side Jordan, in the valley over against Beth–peor, in the land of Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon, whom Moses and the children of Israel smote, after they were come forth out of Egypt:

47  And they possessed his land, and the land of Og king of Bashan, two kings of the Amorites, which were on this side Jordan toward the sunrising;

48  From Aroer, which is by the bank of the river Arnon, even unto mount Sion, which is Hermon,

49  And all the plain on this side Jordan eastward, even unto the sea of the plain, under the springs of Pisgah.

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Psalm 57

To the chief Musician, Al–taschith, Michtam of David, when he fled from Saul in the cave.

 
1  Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast

2  I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me.

3  He shall send from heaven, and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up. Selah. God shall send forth his mercy and his truth.

4  My soul is among lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.

5  Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let thy glory be above all the earth.

6  They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down: they have digged a pit before me, into the midst whereof they are fallen themselves. Selah.

7  My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise.fixed: or, prepared

8  Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early.

9  I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people: I will sing unto thee among the nations.

10  For thy mercy is great unto the heavens, and thy truth unto the clouds.

11  Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: let thy glory be above all the earth.

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Luke 12

1  In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

2  For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known.

3 Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.

4  And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.

5  But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.

6  Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?

7  But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.

8  Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God:

9  But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.

10  And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven.

11  And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say:

12  For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say.

13  And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me.

14  And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?

15  And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

16  And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:

17  And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?

18  And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.

19   And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.

20  But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?

21  So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

22  And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on.

23  The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment.

24  Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?

25  And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit?

26   If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?

27   Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

28  If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?

29  And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind.

30  For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things.

31  But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.

32  Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

33  Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.

34  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

35  Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning;

36  And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately.

37  Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.

38  And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.

39  And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through.

40  Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.

41  Then Peter said unto him, Lord, speakest thou this parable unto us, or even to all?

42  And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season?

43  Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.

44  Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath.

45  But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken;

46  The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.

47  And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.

48  But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

49   I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled?

50  But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished!

51  Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:

52  For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three.

53  The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.

54  And he said also to the people, When ye see a cloud rise out of the west, straightway ye say, There cometh a shower; and so it is.

55  And when ye see the south wind blow, ye say, There will be heat; and it cometh to pass.

56  Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time?

57   Yea, and why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right?

58  When thou goest with thine adversary to the magistrate, as thou art in the way, give diligence that thou mayest be delivered from him; lest he hale thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and the officer cast thee into prison.

59  I tell thee, thou shalt not depart thence, till thou hast paid the very last mite.