Today's Readings and Stuff -- Monday, 11 June 2018

Happy Monday to all.
The weekend just behind us had some "interesting" moments in it.  I have fallen far behind in this.  I will -- Lord willing -- at least post the readings for those days, suitably backdated to as to maintain some degree of continuity.  Hoping for some level of continuity in the days to come, as many as we are granted.
Even today, well.  I was "volunteered" to be the transport vehicle for great-nephew, the son of Wife's sister's son.  Not the 11+ - month - old one next door, but the one up on the state line.  They have some sort of summer program for the kids his age:  not "summer school" but some sort of glorified day care for a 12-year-old and such.  But dad is working nights and asleep, and mom is working Monday and Wednesday, so conveying him to the school building landed on me.  So I did. 
Wife is next door with the younger of the two great-nephews, the one whose 1-year birthday party is Saturday.  The great-niece is off on her pre-Kindergarten program: bus picks her up and drops her off.  So I'll probably be the designated kid-meeter at 2:50 this afternoon.  Mom at work and dad at a job interview for a job he needs BADLY.  So we've stepped into the gap.  Guess it's one of the reasons we're here:  not sure what they would have done if we were still nearly a thousand miles away.  It's something.

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2nd Kings 7

1  Then Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the Lord; Thus saith the Lord, To morrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.

2  Then a lord on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, Behold, if the Lord would make windows in heaven, might this thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.

3  And there were four leprous men at the entering in of the gate: and they said one to another, Why sit we here until we die?

4  If we say, We will enter into the city, then the famine is in the city, and we shall die there: and if we sit still here, we die also. Now therefore come, and let us fall unto the host of the Syrians: if they save us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die.

5  And they rose up in the twilight, to go unto the camp of the Syrians: and when they were come to the uttermost part of the camp of Syria, behold, there was no man there.

6  For the Lord had made the host of the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots, and a noise of horses, even the noise of a great host: and they said one to another, Lo, the king of Israel hath hired against us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us.

7  Wherefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents, and their horses, and their asses, even the camp as it was, and fled for their life.

8  And when these lepers came to the uttermost part of the camp, they went into one tent, and did eat and drink, and carried thence silver, and gold, and raiment, and went and hid it; and came again, and entered into another tent, and carried thence also, and went and hid it.

9  Then they said one to another, We do not well: this day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace: if we tarry till the morning light, some mischief will come upon us: now therefore come, that we may go and tell the king's household.

10  So they came and called unto the porter of the city: and they told them, saying, We came to the camp of the Syrians, and, behold, there was no man there, neither voice of man, but horses tied, and asses tied, and the tents as they were.

11  And he called the porters; and they told it to the king's house within.

12  And the king arose in the night, and said unto his servants, I will now shew you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that we be hungry; therefore are they gone out of the camp to hide themselves in the field, saying, When they come out of the city, we shall catch them alive, and get into the city.

13  And one of his servants answered and said, Let some take, I pray thee, five of the horses that remain, which are left in the city, (behold, they are as all the multitude of Israel that are left in it: behold, I say, they are even as all the multitude of the Israelites that are consumed:) and let us send and see.

14  They took therefore two chariot horses; and the king sent after the host of the Syrians, saying, Go and see.

15  And they went after them unto Jordan: and, lo, all the way was full of garments and vessels, which the Syrians had cast away in their haste. And the messengers returned, and told the king.

16  And the people went out, and spoiled the tents of the Syrians. So a measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, according to the word of the Lord.

17  And the king appointed the lord on whose hand he leaned to have the charge of the gate: and the people trode upon him in the gate, and he died, as the man of God had said, who spake when the king came down to him.

18  And it came to pass as the man of God had spoken to the king, saying, Two measures of barley for a shekel, and a measure of fine flour for a shekel, shall be to morrow about this time in the gate of Samaria:

19  And that lord answered the man of God, and said, Now, behold, if the Lord should make windows in heaven, might such a thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.

20  And so it fell out unto him: for the people trode upon him in the gate, and he died.

2nd Kings 8

1  Then spake Elisha unto the woman, whose son he had restored to life, saying, Arise, and go thou and thine household, and sojourn wheresoever thou canst sojourn: for the Lord hath called for a famine; and it shall also come upon the land seven years.

2  And the woman arose, and did after the saying of the man of God: and she went with her household, and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years.

3  And it came to pass at the seven years' end, that the woman returned out of the land of the Philistines: and she went forth to cry unto the king for her house and for her land.

4  And the king talked with Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, Tell me, I pray thee, all the great things that Elisha hath done.

5  And it came to pass, as he was telling the king how he had restored a dead body to life, that, behold, the woman, whose son he had restored to life, cried to the king for her house and for her land. And Gehazi said, My lord, O king, this is the woman, and this is her son, whom Elisha restored to life.

6  And when the king asked the woman, she told him. So the king appointed unto her a certain officer, saying, Restore all that was hers, and all the fruits of the field since the day that she left the land, even until now.

7  And Elisha came to Damascus; and Ben–hadad the king of Syria was sick; and it was told him, saying, The man of God is come hither.

8  And the king said unto Hazael, Take a present in thine hand, and go, meet the man of God, and enquire of the Lord by him, saying, Shall I recover of this disease?

9  So Hazael went to meet him, and took a present with him, even of every good thing of Damascus, forty camels' burden, and came and stood before him, and said, Thy son Ben–hadad king of Syria hath sent me to thee, saying, Shall I recover of this disease?

10  And Elisha said unto him, Go, say unto him, Thou mayest certainly recover: howbeit the Lord hath shewed me that he shall surely die.

11  And he settled his countenance stedfastly, until he was ashamed: and the man of God wept.

12  And Hazael said, Why weepeth my lord? And he answered, Because I know the evil that thou wilt do unto the children of Israel: their strong holds wilt thou set on fire, and their young men wilt thou slay with the sword, and wilt dash their children, and rip up their women with child.

13  And Hazael said, But what, is thy servant a dog, that he should do this great thing? And Elisha answered, The Lord hath shewed me that thou shalt be king over Syria.

14  So he departed from Elisha, and came to his master; who said to him, What said Elisha to thee? And he answered, He told me that thou shouldest surely recover.

15  And it came to pass on the morrow, that he took a thick cloth, and dipped it in water, and spread it on his face, so that he died: and Hazael reigned in his stead.

16  And in the fifth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel, Jehoshaphat being then king of Judah, Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah began to reign.

17  Thirty and two years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.

18  And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as did the house of Ahab: for the daughter of Ahab was his wife: and he did evil in the sight of the Lord.

19  Yet the Lord would not destroy Judah for David his servant's sake, as he promised him to give him alway a light, and to his children.

20  In his days Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah, and made a king over themselves.

21  So Joram went over to Zair, and all the chariots with him: and he rose by night, and smote the Edomites which compassed him about, and the captains of the chariots: and the people fled into their tents.

22  Yet Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah unto this day. Then Libnah revolted at the same time.

23  And the rest of the acts of Joram, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

24  And Joram slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David: and Ahaziah his son reigned in his stead.

25  In the twelfth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel did Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah begin to reign.

26  Two and twenty years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign; and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Athaliah, the daughter of Omri king of Israel.

27  And he walked in the way of the house of Ahab, and did evil in the sight of the Lord, as did the house of Ahab: for he was the son in law of the house of Ahab.

28  And he went with Joram the son of Ahab to the war against Hazael king of Syria in Ramoth–gilead; and the Syrians wounded Joram.

29  And king Joram went back to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Syrians had given him at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. And Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick.

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Psalm 116

1  I love the Lord, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications.

2  Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live

3  The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow.

4  Then called I upon the name of the Lord; O Lord, I beseech thee, deliver my soul.

5  Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful.

6  The Lord preserveth the simple: I was brought low, and he helped me.

7  Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee.

8  For thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.

9  I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.

10  I believed, therefore have I spoken: I was greatly afflicted:

11  I said in my haste, All men are liars.

12  What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me?

13  I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord.

14  I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence of all his people.

15  Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.

16  O Lord, truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid: thou hast loosed my bonds.

17  I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the Lord.

18  I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence of all his people,

19  In the courts of the Lord's house, in the midst of thee, O Jerusalem. Praise ye the Lord.

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Today, chapter 27 in the Acts of the Apostles.
There are those who maintain and proclaim that the life of a believer is all smooth and easy, flush with cash, good health, loved by all.  Not sure where they got that notion, but it tickles the ears.
Paul, indeed pretty much ALL the apostles (and even today) had a pretty "interesting" life, and being loved by all doesn't quite describe it.
Some of us have been through some of the "storms of life".  Paul shared that, but he was also in some pretty heavy weather-type storms as well.  How he conducted himself during them had an effect on those watching.  Perhaps the residual effects of all of that, including on these sailors, has something to do with your life today, or mine.  Hard to tell.  So remember, people are watching how we handle all these storms.

Acts 27

1  And when it was determined that we should sail into Italy, they delivered Paul and certain other prisoners unto one named Julius, a centurion of Augustus' band.

2  And entering into a ship of Adramyttium, we launched, meaning to sail by the coasts of Asia; one Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, being with us.

3  And the next day we touched at Sidon. And Julius courteously entreated Paul, and gave him liberty to go unto his friends to refresh himself.

4  And when we had launched from thence, we sailed under Cyprus, because the winds were contrary.

5  And when we had sailed over the sea of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra, a city of Lycia.

6  And there the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing into Italy; and he put us therein.

7  And when we had sailed slowly many days, and scarce were come over against Cnidus, the wind not suffering us, we sailed under Crete, over against Salmone;

8  And, hardly passing it, came unto a place which is called The fair havens; nigh whereunto was the city of Lasea.

9  Now when much time was spent, and when sailing was now dangerous, because the fast was now already past, Paul admonished them,

10  And said unto them, Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of the lading and ship, but also of our lives.

11  Nevertheless the centurion believed the master and the owner of the ship, more than those things which were spoken by Paul.

12  And because the haven was not commodious to winter in, the more part advised to depart thence also, if by any means they might attain to Phenice, and there to winter; which is an haven of Crete, and lieth toward the south west and north west.

13  And when the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, loosing thence, they sailed close by Crete.

14  But not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon.

15  And when the ship was caught, and could not bear up into the wind, we let her drive.

16  And running under a certain island which is called Clauda, we had much work to come by the boat:

17  Which when they had taken up, they used helps, undergirding the ship; and, fearing lest they should fall into the quicksands, strake sail, and so were driven.

18  And we being exceedingly tossed with a tempest, the next day they lightened the ship;

19  And the third day we cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship.

20  And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away.

21  But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss.

22  And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship.

23  For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve,

24  Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.

25  Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.

26  Howbeit we must be cast upon a certain island.

27  But when the fourteenth night was come, as we were driven up and down in Adria, about midnight the shipmen deemed that they drew near to some country;

28  And sounded, and found it twenty fathoms: and when they had gone a little further, they sounded again, and found it fifteen fathoms.

29  Then fearing lest we should have fallen upon rocks, they cast four anchors out of the stern, and wished for the day.

30  And as the shipmen were about to flee out of the ship, when they had let down the boat into the sea, under colour as though they would have cast anchors out of the foreship,

31  Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved.

32  Then the soldiers cut off the ropes of the boat, and let her fall off.

33  And while the day was coming on, Paul besought them all to take meat, saying, This day is the fourteenth day that ye have tarried and continued fasting, having taken nothing.

34  Wherefore I pray you to take some meat: for this is for your health: for there shall not an hair fall from the head of any of you.

35  And when he had thus spoken, he took bread, and gave thanks to God in presence of them all: and when he had broken it, he began to eat.

36  Then were they all of good cheer, and they also took some meat.

37  And we were in all in the ship two hundred threescore and sixteen souls.

38  And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, and cast out the wheat into the sea.

39  And when it was day, they knew not the land: but they discovered a certain creek with a shore, into the which they were minded, if it were possible, to thrust in the ship.

40  And when they had taken up the anchors, they committed themselves unto the sea, and loosed the rudder bands, and hoisted up the mainsail to the wind, and made toward shore.

41  And falling into a place where two seas met, they ran the ship aground; and the forepart stuck fast, and remained unmoveable, but the hinder part was broken with the violence of the waves.

42  And the soldiers' counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim out, and escape.

43  But the centurion, willing to save Paul, kept them from their purpose; and commanded that they which could swim should cast themselves first into the sea, and get to land:

44  And the rest, some on boards, and some on broken pieces of the ship. And so it came to pass, that they escaped all safe to land.