Today's Readings and Stuff -- Wednesday, 19 September 2018

Counting down the last few days of Summer here.  Today's "day" is down to 12 hours 18 minutes, be 12 hours 15 minutes tomorrow, 12-12 Friday, etc. Autumn officially commences on Saturday night,  9:54 p.m., so Sunday will, Lord willing, be the first day of Autumn.  NOT my favorite benchmark of the year, by no means.  But we've been through it "several times".


"Face To Face"  came to me in the night.
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Isaiah 39

1At that time Merodach–baladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah: for he had heard that he had been sick, and was recovered.

2And Hezekiah was glad of them, and shewed them the house of his precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious ointment, and all the house of his armour, and all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah shewed them not.

3Then came Isaiah the prophet unto king Hezekiah, and said unto him, What said these men? and from whence came they unto thee? And Hezekiah said, They are come from a far country unto me, even from Babylon.

4Then said he, What have they seen in thine house? And Hezekiah answered, All that is in mine house have they seen: there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shewed them.

5Then said Isaiah to Hezekiah, Hear the word of the Lord of hosts:

6Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store until this day, shall be carried to Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the Lord.

7And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.

8Then said Hezekiah to Isaiah, Good is the word of the Lordwhich thou hast spoken. He said moreover, For there shall be peace and truth in my days.

Isaiah 40

1Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.

2Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins.

3The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

4Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:

5And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

6The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field:

7The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass.

8The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.

9O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!

10Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.

11He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.

12Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?

13Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being his counsellor hath taught him?

14With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding?

15Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing.

16And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering.

17All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity.

18To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him?

19The workman melteth a graven image, and the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold, and casteth silver chains.

20He that is so impoverished that he hath no oblation chooseth a tree that will not rot; he seeketh unto him a cunning workman to prepare a graven image, that shall not be moved.

21Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?

22It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:

23That bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity.

24Yea, they shall not be planted; yea, they shall not be sown: yea, their stock shall not take root in the earth: and he shall also blow upon them, and they shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble.

25To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.

26Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.

27Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from my God?

28Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.

29He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.

30Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:

31But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

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Proverbs 17

1Better a dry crust with peace

than a house full of feasting with strife.

2A prudent servant will rule over a disgraceful son

and share an inheritance among brothers.

3A crucible for silver, and a smelter for gold,

and the Lord is the tester of hearts.

4A wicked person listens to malicious talk;

a liar pays attention to a destructive tongue.

5The one who mocks the poor insults his Maker,

and one who rejoices over calamity

will not go unpunished.

6Grandchildren are the crown of the elderly,

and the pride of children is their fathers.

7Eloquent words are not appropriate on a fool’s lips;

how much worse are lies for a ruler.

8A bribe seems like a magic stone to its owner;

wherever he turns, he succeeds.

9Whoever conceals an offense promotes love,

but whoever gossips about it separates friends.

10A rebuke cuts into a perceptive person

more than a hundred lashes into a fool.

11An evil person desires only rebellion;

a cruel messenger will be sent against him.

12Better for a person to meet a bear robbed of her cubs

than a fool in his foolishness.

13If anyone returns evil for good,

evil will never depart from his house.

14To start a conflict is to release a flood;

stop the dispute before it breaks out.

15Acquitting the guilty and condemning the just  —

both are detestable to the Lord.

16Why does a fool have money in his hand

with no intention of buying wisdom?

17A friend loves at all times,

and a brother is born for a difficult time.

18One without sense enters an agreement

and puts up security for his friend.

19One who loves to offend loves strife;

one who builds a high threshold invites injury.

20One with a twisted mind will not succeed,

and one with deceitful speech will fall into ruin.

21A man fathers a fool to his own sorrow;

the father of a fool has no joy.

22A joyful heart is good medicine,

but a broken spirit dries up the bones.

23A wicked person secretly takes a bribe

to subvert the course of justice.

24Wisdom is the focus of the perceptive,

but a fool’s eyes roam to the ends of the earth.

25A foolish son is grief to his father

and bitterness to the one who bore him.

26It is certainly not good to fine an innocent person

or to beat a noble for his honesty.

27The one who has knowledge restrains his words,

and one who keeps a cool head

is a person of understanding.

28Even a fool is considered wise when he keeps silent —

discerning, when he seals his lips.

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1st Thessalonians 5

The Day of the Lord

1About the times and the seasons: Brothers and sisters, you do not need anything to be written to you. 2For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. 3When they say, “Peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 4But you, brothers and sisters, are not in the dark, for this day to surprise you like a thief. 5For you are all children of light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or the darkness. 6So then, let us not sleep, like the rest, but let us stay awake and be self-controlled. 7For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. 8But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled and put on the armor of faith and love, and a helmet of the hope of salvation. 9For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. 11Therefore encourage one another and build each other up as you are already doing.

Exhortations and Blessings

12Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to give recognition to those who labor among you and lead you in the Lord and admonish you, 13and to regard them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. 14And we exhort you, brothers and sisters: warn those who are idle, comfort the discouraged, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15See to it that no one repays evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good for one another and for all.16Rejoice always, 17pray constantly, 18give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 19Don’t stifle the Spirit. 20Don’t despise prophecies, 21but test all things. Hold on to what is good. 22Stay away from every kind of evil.

23Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely. And may your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24He who calls you is faithful; he will do it. 25Brothers and sisters, pray for us also. 26Greet all the brothers and sisters with a holy kiss. 27I charge you by the Lord that this letter be read to all the brothers and sisters. 28The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.