Today's Readings and Stuff -- Thursday, 02 May 2019

I really REALLY like typing the word "May" in the title.  Too bad it's not there for the next 10,000 days, but that's not an available option.  Oh, well.
Wife has been pretty much horizontal all day.  The sinus "thing" seems to still be with her.  Her voice sounds a little better, but she doesn't feel any better.  We could have gone next door to "watch" the Great-Nephew today, but she simply wasn't up to it and I didn't want to leave her alone.  So his dad worked all night, then stayed with the little guy, took a nap when Little Guy did, and then got up 3 hours later,prepping for yet another 12-hour night shift. 


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1st Samuel 5

The Ark in Philistine Hands

1After the Philistines had captured the ark of God, they took it from Ebenezer  to Ashdod,  2brought it into the temple of Dagon   and placed it next to his statue.  3When the people of Ashdod got up early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen with his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord. So they took Dagon and returned him to his place. 4But when they got up early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen with his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord. This time, both Dagon’s head and the palms of his hands were broken off and lying on the threshold. Only Dagon’s torso remained.  5That is why, to this day, the priests of Dagon and everyone who enters the temple of Dagon in Ashdod do not step on Dagon’s threshold.

6The Lord’s hand was heavy on the people of Ashdod, terrorizing  and afflicting the people of Ashdod and its territory with tumors.    7When the men of Ashdod saw what was happening, they said, “The ark of Israel’s God must not stay here with us, because His hand is strongly against us and our god Dagon.” 8So they called all the Philistine rulers together  and asked, “What should we do with the ark of Israel’s God? ”

“The ark of Israel’s God should be moved to Gath,” they replied. So the men of Ashdod moved the ark. 9After they had moved it, the Lord’s hand was against the city of Gath,  causing a great panic. He afflicted the men of the city, from the youngest to the oldest, with an outbreak of tumors. 

10The Gittites then sent the ark of God to Ekron, but when it got there, the Ekronites cried out, “They’ve moved the ark of Israel’s God to us to kill us and our people! ” 

11The Ekronites called all the Philistine rulers together.  They said, “Send the ark of Israel’s God away. It must return to its place so it won’t kill us and our people! ”  For the fear of death pervaded the city; God’s hand was oppressing them.  12The men who did not die were afflicted with tumors, and the outcry of the city went up to heaven. 

1st Samuel 6

The Return of the Ark

1When the ark of the Lord had been in the land of the Philistines for seven months, 2the Philistines summoned the priests and the diviners  and pleaded, “What should we do with the ark of the Lord? Tell us how we can send it back to its place.”

3They replied, “If you send the ark of Israel’s God away, you must not send it without an offering.  You must send back a restitution offering to Him,  and you will be healed. Then the reason His hand hasn’t been removed from you will be revealed.” 

4They asked, “What restitution offering should we send back to Him? ”

And they answered, “Five gold tumors and five gold mice corresponding to the number of Philistine rulers,  since there was one plague for both you  and your rulers. 5Make images of your tumors and of your mice that are destroying the land. Give glory to Israel’s God,  and perhaps He will stop oppressing you,   your gods, and your land.  6Why harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened theirs?  When He afflicted them, didn’t they send Israel away, and Israel left? 

7“Now then, prepare one new cart and two milk cows that have never been yoked.  Hitch the cows to the cart, but take their calves away and pen them up. 8Take the ark of the Lord, place it on the cart, and put the gold objects that you’re sending Him as a restitution offering in a box  beside the ark.  Send it off and let it go its way. 9Then watch: If it goes up the road to its homeland toward Beth-shemesh,  it is the Lord who has made this terrible trouble for us. However, if it doesn’t, we will know that it was not His hand that punished  us — it was just something that happened to us by chance.”

10The men did this: They took two milk cows, hitched them to the cart, and confined their calves in the pen. 11Then they put the ark of the Lord on the cart, along with the box containing the gold mice and the images of their tumors. 12The cows went straight up the road to Beth-shemesh.  They stayed on that one highway,  lowing as they went; they never strayed to the right or to the left. The Philistine rulers were walking behind them to the territory of Beth-shemesh.

13The people of Beth-shemesh were harvesting wheat in the valley, and when they looked up and saw the ark, they were overjoyed to see it. 14The cart came to the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh and stopped there near a large rock. The people of the city chopped up the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord.  15The Levites  removed the ark of the Lord, along with the box containing the gold objects, and placed them on the large rock. That day the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices to the Lord. 16When the five Philistine rulers  observed this, they returned to Ekron that same day.

17As a restitution offering to the Lord, the Philistines had sent back one gold tumor for each city:  Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron. 18The number of gold mice also corresponded to the number of Philistine cities of the five rulers, the fortified cities and the outlying villages.  The large rock   on which the ark of the Lord was placed is in the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh to this day.

19God struck down the men of Beth-shemesh because they looked inside the ark of the Lord.   He struck down 70 men out of 50,000 men.  The people mourned because the Lordstruck them with a great slaughter. 20The men of Beth-shemesh asked, “Who is able to stand in the presence of this holy LordGod?  Who should the ark go to from here? ”

21They sent messengers to the residents of Kiriath-jearim, saying, “The Philistines have returned the ark of the Lord. Come down and get it.” 

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Psalm 87

A Psalm or Song for the sons of Korah.

1His foundation is in the holy mountains.

2The Lord loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.

3Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God. Selah.

4I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to them that know me: behold Philistia, and Tyre, with Ethiopia; this man was born there.

5And of Zion it shall be said, This and that man was born in her: and the highest himself shall establish her.

6The Lord shall count, when he writeth up the people, that this man was born there. Selah.

7As well the singers as the players on instruments shall be there: all my springs are in thee.

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John 20

1The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.

2Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.

3Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre.

4So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre.

5And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in.

6Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie,

7And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.

8Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed.

9For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.

10Then the disciples went away again unto their own home.

11But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre,

12And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.

13And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.

14And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus.

15Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.

16Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.

17Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.

18Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her.

19Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.

20And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.

21Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.

22And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:

23 Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.

24But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.

25The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.

26And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.

27Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.

28And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.

29Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

30And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book:

31But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.