Today's Readings and Stuff -- Saturday, 30 June 2018

And another Saturday / weekend has arrived.
We're keeping an eye on the house next door, home of niece and her husband and kids.  His family has some sort of a permanent camp adjacent to a national forest Across The Line, and they're spending last night, today, and most of tomorrow in a camper they have set up there.  Bobby's parents have a camper parked there, so do some of his siblings, etc. so it's not just a tent pitched wherever they can.  This time, they took their son and daughter, and Wife's nephew's two kids (the cousins) along.  So ages range from 1 year to 11 years.  This is a "getaway"??  But they seem to be having fun, from what we were told.
So I keep a bit of a watch on the house, and went over to feed that "rescue" kitten they have.  The one that was supposed to have been "re-homed" this past Monday.

Today is the last day  of June.😣
Tomorrow we begin the last of the months with short names, which are the ONLY months that I can stand while in this area.  May is, of course, not only the month with the shortest name, but it is my very favorite of all.  June is OK, I guess, and July is bearable.  Both before and after that, no.  We are already, if nearly imperceptibly without instruments, seeing that the "day" portion of the 24 is lessening day by day.  Late December is ahead of us, and I hate the very thought of another winter.

Other than that, I have little to say or to relate.  Wife is exhibiting what I fear may be early signs of yet another sinus infection.  I'd planned to go down to help with the church "cleanup", but when she's like this, and there's no next-door help, I am reluctant to be out of the house for very long.  So I stayed home.


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Today, chapters 19 and 20 of 1st Chronicles.
Remember that these accounts would have been of great interest to the Israelites during the Babylonian Captivity period.  It was of great importance that they maintain their culture, history, and, most importantly by far, their allegiance to the Lord.  Since the consequences of that failure of allegiance and obedience to His commands was all around there, this was important.

1st Chronicles 19

1  Now it came to pass after this, that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon died, and his son reigned in his stead.

22  And David said, I will shew kindness unto Hanun the son of Nahash, because his father shewed kindness to me. And David sent messengers to comfort him concerning his father. So the servants of David came into the land of the children of Ammon to Hanun, to comfort him.

33  But the princes of the children of Ammon said to Hanun, Thinkest thou that David doth honour thy father, that he hath sent comforters unto thee? are not his servants come unto thee for to search, and to overthrow, and to spy out the land?

44  Wherefore Hanun took David's servants, and shaved them, and cut off their garments in the midst hard by their buttocks, and sent them away.

55  Then there went certain, and told David how the men were served. And he sent to meet them: for the men were greatly ashamed. And the king said, Tarry at Jericho until your beards be grown, and thenreturn.

66  And when the children of Ammon saw that they had made themselves odious to David, Hanun and the children of Ammon sent a thousand talents of silver to hire them chariots and horsemen out of Mesopotamia, and out of Syriamaachah, and out of Zobah.

77  So they hired thirty and two thousand chariots, and the king of Maachah and his people; who came and pitched before Medeba. And the children of Ammon gathered themselves together from their cities, and came to battle.

88  And when David heard of it, he sent Joab, and all the host of the mighty men.

99  And the children of Ammon came out, and put the battle in array before the gate of the city: and the kings that were come were by themselves in the field.

1010  Now when Joab saw that the battle was set against him before and behind, he chose out of all the choice of Israel, and put them in array against the Syrians.

1111  And the rest of the people he delivered unto the hand of Abishai his brother, and they set themselves in array against the children of Ammon.

1212  And he said, If the Syrians be too strong for me, then thou shalt help me: but if the children of Ammon be too strong for thee, then I will help thee.

1313  Be of good courage, and let us behave ourselves valiantly for our people, and for the cities of our God: and let the LORD do that which is good in his sight.

1414  So Joab and the people that were with him drew nigh before the Syrians unto the battle; and they fled before him.

11515  And when the children of Ammon saw that the Syrians were fled, they likewise fled before Abishai his brother, and entered into the city. Then Joab came to Jerusalem.

1616  And when the Syrians saw that they were put to the worse before Israel, they sent messengers, and drew forth the Syrians that werebeyond the river: and Shophach the captain of the host of Hadarezer went before them.

1717  And it was told David; and he gathered all Israel, and passed over Jordan, and came upon them, and set the battle in array against them. So when David had put the battle in array against the Syrians, they fought with him.

1818  But the Syrians fled before Israel; and David slew of the Syrians seven thousand men which fought in chariots, and forty thousand footmen, and killed Shophach the captain of the host.

1919  And when the servants of Hadarezer saw that they were put to the worse before Israel, they made peace with David, and became his servants: neither would the Syrians help the children of Ammon any more.

1st Chronicles 20

1  And it came to pass, that after the year was expired, at the time that kings go out to battle, Joab led forth the power of the army, and wasted the country of the children of Ammon, and came and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried at Jerusalem. And Joab smote Rabbah, and destroyed it.

22  And David took the crown of their king from off his head, and found it to weigh a talent of gold, and there were precious stones in it; and it was set upon David's head: and he brought also exceeding much spoil out of the city.

33  And he brought out the people that were in it, and cut them with saws, and with harrows of iron, and with axes. Even so dealt David with all the cities of the children of Ammon. And David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.

44  And it came to pass after this, that there arose war at Gezer with the Philistines; at which time Sibbechai the Hushathite slew Sippai, that was of the children of the giant: and they were subdued.

55  And there was war again with the Philistines; and Elhanan the son of Jair slew Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, whose spear staff was like a weaver's beam.

66  And yet again there was war at Gath, where was a man of greatstature, whose fingers and toes were four and twenty, six on each hand, and six on each foot: and he also was the son of the giant.

77  But when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea David's brother slew him.

88  These were born unto the giant in Gath; and they fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.