Today's Readings and Stuff -- Wednesday, 09 May 2018

Happy Wednesday to all.  Hard to believe that the week is already half over.  And we're approaching the 1/3 mark in this month of May, my very favorite one of the entire year. 

Quiet day, so far.  Getting some reading in, for now.  Niece from next door has gone off to a flea market and found some plants, so I guess that later on we'll be populating the newly tilled garden area.  Can't really get started on much (dishes are already done) until we see how that works out.  And she and husband and the 5-year-old Great Niece (named after Dear Wife) have to go up  to the school at 1:00 to do a "screening" thing for the Great Niece to enter the kindergarten program in the coming school year, so we'll be "watching" the Great Nephew during that. So they day is disarranged just a bit.
But we're still planning to go to a plant sale that a greenhouse club has every year this time. That will be Saturday morning, or at least that's the plan.   At least, I will attempt to go.  Not sure yet if  Wife will be up to it.  She sounds a bit better, got some sleep last night, had a bit of something for breakfast, just took a  "breathing treatment" after coughing up yet more of the green and yellow mucus stuff.  So the upper respiratory infection is not quite gone yet.  Doing better, but "better" is not the same thing as "good".  But "better" is preferable to "worse".  We'll take it, hoping for "good".


Quiet day.  As mentioned before, Wife and I are readers.  Always have been.  My parents were as well, and my sister and our daughters.  So doing some of that.  We're music lovers too, all kinds.  But Lynyrd Skinner and 1980's heavy metal in the background is not the best bit of ambiance for thoughtful reading (or any other).  We "cut the cord" so TV, the "regular" sort, isn't an option, and we're not TV people anyway.  But we have internet, so we can and do get "streaming" music  Mostly classical.  And we can also get music from internet sites.  I have some major issues with the youtube people (owned by Google now), but there's some Good Stuff available there, and it's free.  I'm very fond of "free", it's even better than "cheap".  So I found one spot there of about 90 minutes of 19th century hymns, and am streaming it to some headphones right now.  Anything like that which begins with a King's College Choir version of "Abide With Me" can't be too bad.  Puts the mind in something better than hearing some tacky rap or the like.  Try it if you have the ability.  (sorry for the ads interspersed there:  they have to make some income too, after all).


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The Israelites wanted to be like everyone else.  That meant, in addition to falling down before false gods and adopting heathen practices, they wanted a king.  They got one.  Not a good one either, a pattern seen more often than not in later years.
But here we see David coming to the fore.  Which, naturally enough, upset Saul.  So David, not a perfect man by any means, but a better one than Saul, underwent some pretty tough situations.  And it is David who is counted in the earthly lineage of Jesus the Christ.

1st Samuel 19

1  And Saul spake to Jonathan his son, and to all his servants, that they should kill David.

2  But Jonathan Saul's son delighted much in David: and Jonathan told David, saying, Saul my father seeketh to kill thee: now therefore, I pray thee, take heed to thyself until the morning, and abide in a secret place, and hide thyself:

3  And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where thou art, and I will commune with my father of thee; and what I see, that I will tell thee.

4  And Jonathan spake good of David unto Saul his father, and said unto him, Let not the king sin against his servant, against David; because he hath not sinned against thee, and because his works have been to thee-ward very good:

5  For he did put his life in his hand, and slew the Philistine, and the Lord wrought a great salvation for all Israel: thou sawest it, and didst rejoice: wherefore then wilt thou sin against innocent blood, to slay David without a cause?

6  And Saul hearkened unto the voice of Jonathan: and Saul sware, As the Lord liveth, he shall not be slain.

7  And Jonathan called David, and Jonathan shewed him all those things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence, as in times past.

8  And there was war again: and David went out, and fought with the Philistines, and slew them with a great slaughter; and they fled from him.

9  And the evil spirit from the Lord was upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his javelin in his hand: and David played with his hand.

10  And Saul sought to smite David even to the wall with the javelin; but he slipped away out of Saul's presence, and he smote the javelin into the wall: and David fled, and escaped that night.

11  Saul also sent messengers unto David's house, to watch him, and to slay him in the morning: and Michal David's wife told him, saying, If thou save not thy life to night, to morrow thou shalt be slain.

12  So Michal let David down through a window: and he went, and fled, and escaped.

13  And Michal took an image, and laid it in the bed, and put a pillow of goats' hair for his bolster, and covered it with a cloth.

14  And when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, He is sick.

15  And Saul sent the messengers again to see David, saying, Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may slay him.

16  And when the messengers were come in, behold, there was an image in the bed, with a pillow of goats' hair for his bolster.

17  And Saul said unto Michal, Why hast thou deceived me so, and sent away mine enemy, that he is escaped? And Michal answered Saul, He said unto me, Let me go; why should I kill thee?

18  So David fled, and escaped, and came to Samuel to Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and dwelt in Naioth.

19  And it was told Saul, saying, Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah.

20  And Saul sent messengers to take David: and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as appointed over them, the Spirit of God was upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied.

21  And when it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they prophesied likewise. And Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they prophesied also.

22  Then went he also to Ramah, and came to a great well that is in Sechu: and he asked and said, Where are Samuel and David? And one said, Behold, they be at Naioth in Ramah.

23  And he went thither to Naioth in Ramah: and the Spirit of God was upon him also, and he went on, and prophesied, until he came to Naioth in Ramah.

24  And he stripped off his clothes also, and prophesied before Samuel in like manner, and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Wherefore they say, Is Saul also among the prophets?

1st Samuel 20

1  And David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said before Jonathan, What have I done? what is mine iniquity? and what is my sin before thy father, that he seeketh my life?

2  And he said unto him, God forbid; thou shalt not die: behold, my father will do nothing either great or small, but that he will shew it me: and why should my father hide this thing from me? it is not so.

3  And David sware moreover, and said, Thy father certainly knoweth that I have found grace in thine eyes; and he saith, Let not Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved: but truly as the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, there is but a step between me and death.

4  Then said Jonathan unto David, Whatsoever thy soul desireth, I will even do it for thee.

5  And David said unto Jonathan, Behold, to morrow is the new moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king at meat: but let me go, that I may hide myself in the field unto the third day at even.

6  If thy father at all miss me, then say, David earnestly asked leave of me that he might run to Beth–lehem his city: for there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the family.sacrifice: or, feast

7  If he say thus, It is well; thy servant shall have peace: but if he be very wroth, then be sure that evil is determined by him.

8  Therefore thou shalt deal kindly with thy servant; for thou hast brought thy servant into a covenant of the Lord with thee: notwithstanding, if there be in me iniquity, slay me thyself; for why shouldest thou bring me to thy father?

9  And Jonathan said, Far be it from thee: for if I knew certainly that evil were determined by my father to come upon thee, then would not I tell it thee?

10  Then said David to Jonathan, Who shall tell me? or what if thy father answer thee roughly?

11  And Jonathan said unto David, Come, and let us go out into the field. And they went out both of them into the field.

12  And Jonathan said unto David, O Lord God of Israel, when I have sounded my father about to morrow any time, or the third day, and, behold, if there be good toward David, and I then send not unto thee, and shew it thee;

13  The Lord do so and much more to Jonathan: but if it please my father to do thee evil, then I will shew it thee, and send thee away, that thou mayest go in peace: and the Lord be with thee, as he hath been with my father.

14  And thou shalt not only while yet I live shew me the kindness of the Lord, that I die not:

15  But also thou shalt not cut off thy kindness from my house for ever: no, not when the Lord hath cut off the enemies of David every one from the face of the earth.

16  So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, Let the Lord even require it at the hand of David's enemies.

17  And Jonathan caused David to swear again, because he loved him: for he loved him as he loved his own soul.

18  Then Jonathan said to David, To morrow is the new moon: and thou shalt be missed, because thy seat will be empty.

19  And when thou hast stayed three days, then thou shalt go down quickly, and come to the place where thou didst hide thyself when the business was in hand, and shalt remain by the stone Ezel.

20  And I will shoot three arrows on the side thereof, as though I shot at a mark.

21  And, behold, I will send a lad, saying, Go, find out the arrows. If I expressly say unto the lad, Behold, the arrows are on this side of thee, take them; then come thou: for there is peace to thee, and no hurt; as the Lord liveth.

22  But if I say thus unto the young man, Behold, the arrows are beyond thee; go thy way: for the Lord hath sent thee away.

23  And as touching the matter which thou and I have spoken of, behold, the Lord be between thee and me for ever.

24  So David hid himself in the field: and when the new moon was come, the king sat him down to eat meat.

25  And the king sat upon his seat, as at other times, even upon a seat by the wall: and Jonathan arose, and Abner sat by Saul's side, and David's place was empty.

26  Nevertheless Saul spake not any thing that day: for he thought, Something hath befallen him, he is not clean; surely he is not clean.

27  And it came to pass on the morrow, which was the second day of the month, that David's place was empty: and Saul said unto Jonathan his son, Wherefore cometh not the son of Jesse to meat, neither yesterday, nor to day?

28  And Jonathan answered Saul, David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Beth–lehem:

29  And he said, Let me go, I pray thee; for our family hath a sacrifice in the city; and my brother, he hath commanded me to be there: and now, if I have found favour in thine eyes, let me get away, I pray thee, and see my brethren. Therefore he cometh not unto the king's table.

30  Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said unto him, Thou son of the perverse rebellious woman, do not I know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own confusion, and unto the confusion of thy mother's nakedness?

31  For as long as the son of Jesse liveth upon the ground, thou shalt not be established, nor thy kingdom. Wherefore now send and fetch him unto me, for he shall surely die.

32  And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said unto him, Wherefore shall he be slain? what hath he done?

33  And Saul cast a javelin at him to smite him: whereby Jonathan knew that it was determined of his father to slay David.

34  So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and did eat no meat the second day of the month: for he was grieved for David, because his father had done him shame.

35  And it came to pass in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little lad with him.

36  And he said unto his lad, Run, find out now the arrows which I shoot. And as the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.

37  And when the lad was come to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the lad, and said, Is not the arrow beyond thee?

38  And Jonathan cried after the lad, Make speed, haste, stay not. And Jonathan's lad gathered up the arrows, and came to his master.

39  But the lad knew not any thing: only Jonathan and David knew the matter.

40  And Jonathan gave his artillery unto his lad, and said unto him, Go, carry them to the city

41  And as soon as the lad was gone, David arose out of a place toward the south, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himself three times: and they kissed one another, and wept one with another, until David exceeded.

42  And Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, forasmuch as we have sworn both of us in the name of the Lord, saying, The Lord be between me and thee, and between my seed and thy seed for ever. And he arose and departed: and Jonathan went into the city.


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Today, Psalm 93.  Short.  Powerful. 

Psalm 93

1  The Lord reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the Lord is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself: the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved.

2  Thy throne is established of old: thou art from everlasting.

3  The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves.

4  The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea.

5  Thy testimonies are very sure: holiness becometh thine house, O Lord, for ever.

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Today, chapter 4 in the Acts of the Apostles.  Making just a bit of a fuss.

verse 13 here always troubles me.  Can others see that we have been with Jesus?

Acts 4

1  And as they spake unto the people, the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them,

2  Being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead.

3  And they laid hands on them, and put them in hold unto the next day: for it was now eventide.

4  Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand.

5  And it came to pass on the morrow, that their rulers, and elders, and scribes,

6  And Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem.

7  And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, By what power, or by what name, have ye done this?

8  Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel,

9  If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole;

10  Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.

11  This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.

12  Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

13  Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.

14  And beholding the man which was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it.

15  But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves,

16  Saying, What shall we do to these men? for that indeed a notable miracle hath been done by them is manifest to all them that dwell in Jerusalem; and we cannot deny it.

17  But that it spread no further among the people, let us straitly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name.

18  And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.

19  But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye.

20  For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.

21  So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding nothing how they might punish them, because of the people: for all men glorified God for that which was done.

22  For the man was above forty years old, on whom this miracle of healing was shewed.

23  And being let go, they went to their own company, and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said unto them.

24  And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is:

25  Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things?

26  The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ.

27  For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together,

28  For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done.

29  And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word,

30  By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus.

31  And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.

32  And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.

33  And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.

34  Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold,

35  And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.

36  And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus,

37  Having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet.