Today's Readings and Stuff -- Thursday, 12 July 2018

Sigh.  Thursday now.  I do not really know where the week has gone.  Or the month.  Or the year.  Or .... but whatever.   It was just about five years ago that Wife and I were in discussions about my taking retirement, pulling up stakes, and getting into a massive thousand-mile relocation.  Quite a change.
But it had been seven years before then at which point we were planning another relocation, a relatively shorter one across state lines, for what we thought was a better opportunity after my employer had collapsed, leaving us hanging.
Two years prior to that, we were preparing another mass relocation across state lines and time zones, after, yes, my employer there had collapsed.
Five years before that, after, yes, another employers semi-collapse (OK, they were bought out and began firing everyone in sight). we'd agreed to a mass relocation.
There are reasons that I understand what Abraham went through.  Not fully, but more than most do.  And it hasn't escaped my attention that many of these mass disruptions in our lives seemed to have around this time of year as the axis of rotation.

When I had, at a time of life that most are becoming settled, surrendered to the Lord, I had a job with about a 40 minute commute.  There was a radio program on a regional Christian station that was going through the Bible, in minute detail.  In that period, they were focused on the book of James.  So, for months, I spent at least 40 minutes every morning learning about the book of James.  It's affected me ever since, so perhaps there was some worthy purpose to it all.
Anyway, there was quite a lot of discussion about James chapter 4, verses 13-15.  Some may have noticed that I used the phrase ".. Lord willing" more than is common.  Some of that comes from that experience, and the trials we've been through during the last 28 years or so.  We've learned, and had it frequently reinforced, that we can't count on the circumstances around us, but we CAN count on the Lord.  It may be, and certainly has been, scary and uncomfortable and unsettling.

So a look at the calendar has the potential to be more than a bit unsettling.  Sorry.


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2nd Chronicles 13

1Now in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam began Abijah to reign over Judah.

2He reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Michaiah the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. And there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam.

3And Abijah set the battle in array with an army of valiant men of war, even four hundred thousand chosen men: Jeroboam also set the battle in array against him with eight hundred thousand chosen men, being mighty men of valour.Abijah set: Heb. Abijah bound together

4And Abijah stood up upon mount Zemaraim, which is in mount Ephraim, and said, Hear me, thou Jeroboam, and all Israel;

5Ought ye not to know that the Lord God of Israel gave the kingdom over Israel to David for ever, even to him and to his sons by a covenant of salt?

6Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon the son of David, is risen up, and hath rebelled against his lord.

7And there are gathered unto him vain men, the children of Belial, and have strengthened themselves against Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was young and tenderhearted, and could not withstand them.

8And now ye think to withstand the kingdom of the Lord in the hand of the sons of David; and ye be a great multitude, and there are with you golden calves, which Jeroboam made you for gods.

9Have ye not cast out the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and have made you priests after the manner of the nations of other lands? so that whosoever cometh to consecrate himself with a young bullock and seven rams, the same may be a priest of them that are no gods.to consecrate…: Heb. to fill his hand

10But as for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken him; and the priests, which minister unto the Lord, are the sons of Aaron, and the Levites wait upon their business:

11And they burn unto the Lord every morning and every evening burnt sacrifices and sweet incense: the shewbread also set they in order upon the pure table; and the candlestick of gold with the lamps thereof, to burn every evening: for we keep the charge of the Lord our God; but ye have forsaken him.

12And, behold, God himself is with us for our captain, and his priests with sounding trumpets to cry alarm against you. O children of Israel, fight ye not against the Lord God of your fathers; for ye shall not prosper.

13But Jeroboam caused an ambushment to come about behind them: so they were before Judah, and the ambushment was behind them.

14And when Judah looked back, behold, the battle was before and behind: and they cried unto the Lord, and the priests sounded with the trumpets.

15Then the men of Judah gave a shout: and as the men of Judah shouted, it came to pass, that God smote Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.

16And the children of Israel fled before Judah: and God delivered them into their hand.

17And Abijah and his people slew them with a great slaughter: so there fell down slain of Israel five hundred thousand chosen men.

18Thus the children of Israel were brought under at that time, and the children of Judah prevailed, because they relied upon the Lord God of their fathers.

19And Abijah pursued after Jeroboam, and took cities from him, Beth–el with the towns thereof, and Jeshanah with the towns thereof, and Ephrain with the towns thereof.

20Neither did Jeroboam recover strength again in the days of Abijah: and the Lord struck him, and he died.

21But Abijah waxed mighty, and married fourteen wives, and begat twenty and two sons, and sixteen daughters.

22And the rest of the acts of Abijah, and his ways, and his sayings, are written in the story of the prophet Iddo.

2nd Chronicles 14

1So Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David: and Asa his son reigned in his stead. In his days the land was quiet ten years.

2And Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God:

3For he took away the altars of the strange gods, and the high places, and brake down the images, and cut down the groves:images: Heb. statues

4And commanded Judah to seek the Lord God of their fathers, and to do the law and the commandment.

5Also he took away out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the images: and the kingdom was quiet before him.images: Heb. sun images

6And he built fenced cities in Judah: for the land had rest, and he had no war in those years; because the Lord had given him rest.

7Therefore he said unto Judah, Let us build these cities, and make about them walls, and towers, gates, and bars, while the land is yet before us; because we have sought the Lord our God, we have sought him, and he hath given us rest on every side. So they built and prospered.

8And Asa had an army of men that bare targets and spears, out of Judah three hundred thousand; and out of Benjamin, that bare shields and drew bows, two hundred and fourscore thousand: all these were mighty men of valour.

9And there came out against them Zerah the Ethiopian with an host of a thousand thousand, and three hundred chariots; and came unto Mareshah.

10Then Asa went out against him, and they set the battle in array in the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah.

11And Asa cried unto the Lord his God, and said, Lord, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O Lord our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. O Lord, thou art our God; let not man prevail against thee.man: or, mortal man

12So the Lord smote the Ethiopians before Asa, and before Judah; and the Ethiopians fled.

13And Asa and the people that were with him pursued them unto Gerar: and the Ethiopians were overthrown, that they could not recover themselves; for they were destroyed before the Lord, and before his host; and they carried away very much spoil.destroyed: Heb. broken

14And they smote all the cities round about Gerar; for the fear of the Lord came upon them: and they spoiled all the cities; for there was exceeding much spoil in them.

15They smote also the tents of cattle, and carried away sheep and camels in abundance, and returned to Jerusalem.

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Psalm 119, Verses 161 - 168

SCHIN.

161Princes have persecuted me without a cause: but my heart standeth in awe of thy word.

162I rejoice at thy word, as one that findeth great spoil.

163I hate and abhor lying: but thy law do I love.

164Seven times a day do I praise thee because of thy righteous judgments.

165Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.nothing…: Heb. they shall have no stumblingblock

166 Lord, I have hoped for thy salvation, and done thy commandments.

167My soul hath kept thy testimonies; and I love them exceedingly.

168I have kept thy precepts and thy testimonies: for all my ways are before thee.

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1st Corinthians 6

1Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?

2Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?

3Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?

4If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church.

5I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren?

6But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers.

7Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?

8Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren.

9Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,

10Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

11And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

12All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.

13Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body.

14And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power.

15Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.

16What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh.

17But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.

18Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.

19What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

20For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.