Today's Readings and Stuff -- Monday, 07 May 2018

So ....  we begin again.  I hesitate to use that phrase:  back in my "lost but searching" days, there was a TV preacher that I'd occasionally catch.  His motto phrase was "you can begin again".  It's not necessarily a bad motto.  Many of us, certainly to include me, have had to start over, and several times at that.  It's easy to become so discouraged and to feel so permanently trapped in terrible circumstances, that you think that there is no way out, no way forward.  I've walked some very dark roads, and know the feeling.  And I know that the Lord is never blind to our situation, deaf to our prayers, or unconcerned.  And, yes, I know quite well the Old Testament warnings that there can be a point at which He won't listen.  I don't have a response to that.  I can only say that He is and has been far more faithful than I.

The "song of the day", arriving (as usual) while I was in the wakeup process, is The Lord Is My Refuge And Strength.   Check Psalm 46.  Good "life verses" there.

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Today, chapters 15 and 16 of 1st Samuel.
The people demanded a king.  They got one, Saul.  How's that working out?  So, now, we begin to see the name David.

1st Samuel 15

1  Samuel also said unto Saul, The Lord sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the Lord.

2  Thus saith the Lord of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt.

3  Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.

4  And Saul gathered the people together, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah.

5  And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and laid wait in the valley.

6  And Saul said unto the Kenites, Go, depart, get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them: for ye shewed kindness to all the children of Israel, when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.

7  And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah until thou comest to Shur, that is over against Egypt.

8  And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.

9  But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.

10  Then came the word of the Lord unto Samuel, saying,

11  It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the Lord all night.

12  And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, it was told Samuel, saying, Saul came to Carmel, and, behold, he set him up a place, and is gone about, and passed on, and gone down to Gilgal.

13  And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the Lord: I have performed the commandment of the Lord.

14  And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?

15  And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.

16  Then Samuel said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee what the Lord hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on.

17  And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the Lord anointed thee king over Israel?

18  And the Lord sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed.

19  Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the Lord, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the Lord?

20  And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and have gone the way which the Lord sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.

21  But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God in Gilgal.

22  And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

23  For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.

24  And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.

25  Now therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship the Lord.

26  And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord hath rejected thee from being king over Israel.

27  And as Samuel turned about to go away, he laid hold upon the skirt of his mantle, and it rent.

28  And Samuel said unto him, The Lord hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbour of thine, that is better than thou.

29  And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.

30  Then he said, I have sinned: yet honour me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and turn again with me, that I may worship the Lord thy God.

31  So Samuel turned again after Saul; and Saul worshipped the Lord.

32  Then said Samuel, Bring ye hither to me Agag the king of the Amalekites. And Agag came unto him delicately. And Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past.

33  And Samuel said, As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the Lord in Gilgal.

34  Then Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house to Gibeah of Saul.

35  And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death: nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul: and the Lord repented that he had made Saul king over Israel.

1st Samuel 16

1  And the Lord said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Beth–lehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons.

2  And Samuel said, How can I go? if Saul hear it, he will kill me. And the Lord said, Take an heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice to the Lord.

3  And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will shew thee what thou shalt do: and thou shalt anoint unto me him whom I name unto thee.

4  And Samuel did that which the Lord spake, and came to Beth–lehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, Comest thou peaceably?

5  And he said, Peaceably: I am come to sacrifice unto the Lord: sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice.

6  And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the Lord's anointed is before him.

7  But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.

8  Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, Neither hath the Lord chosen this.

9  Then Jesse made Shammah to pass by. And he said, Neither hath the Lord chosen this.

10  Again, Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. And Samuel said unto Jesse, The Lord hath not chosen these.

11  And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither.

12  And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the Lord said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he.

13  Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.

14  But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him.

15  And Saul's servants said unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubleth thee.

16  Let our lord now command thy servants, which are before thee, to seek out a man, who is a cunning player on an harp: and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is upon thee, that he shall play with his hand, and thou shalt be well.

17  And Saul said unto his servants, Provide me now a man that can play well, and bring him to me.

18  Then answered one of the servants, and said, Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Beth–lehemite, that is cunning in playing, and a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, and a comely person, and the Lord is with him

19  Wherefore Saul sent messengers unto Jesse, and said, Send me David thy son, which is with the sheep.

20  And Jesse took an ass laden with bread, and a bottle of wine, and a kid, and sent them by David his son unto Saul.

21  And David came to Saul, and stood before him: and he loved him greatly; and he became his armourbearer.

22  And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, Let David, I pray thee, stand before me; for he hath found favour in my sight.

23  And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.

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Psalm 91

1  He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

2  I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.

3  Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.

4  He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

5  Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;

6  Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.

7  A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.

8  Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.

9  Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;

10  There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.

11  For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

12  They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

13  Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.adder: or, asp

14  Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.

15  He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.

16  With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.l

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Today, chapter 2 in the Acts of the Apostles.  This is Pentecost, by some measures the beginning of the Church.  And, not coincidentally, Pentecost Sunday is in just two weeks' time, on 20 May.
Now, just for reference, Ascension Day, the commemoration of Jesus' return to Heaven from earth after the Resurrection, is marked as this coming Thursday, 10 May.  That is often not mentioned in non-Catholic churches, but it's worth mentioning.
Note verse 41.  Recall, "the law killeth, but the Spirit giveth life".  (II Corinthians 3:6  ).  See the number?  3000 saved.  Now go back to the giving of the Law (Exodus, especially 32:28 ).  See the number?  3000 dead.  Coincidence?

Acts 2

1  And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

2  And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

3  And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.

4  And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

5  And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.

6  Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.

7  And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?

8  And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?

9  Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia,

10  Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes,

11  Cretans and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.

12  And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?

13  Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.

14  But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:

15  For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.

16  But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;

17  And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:

18  And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:

19  And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:

20  The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:

21  And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

22  Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:

23  Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:

24  Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.

25  For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved:

26  Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope:

27  Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

28  Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.

29  Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.

30  Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;

31  He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.

32  This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.

33  Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.

34  For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,

35  Until I make thy foes thy footstool.

36  Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

37  Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?

38  Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

39  For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

40  And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.

41  Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

42  And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

43  And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.

44  And all that believed were together, and had all things common;

45  And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.

46  And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,

47  Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.