Today's Readings and Stuff -- Monday, 27 April 2020

Last Monday in April.  Actually was warm enough to open two windows (a little bit) and to sit outside in sunlight, also for a little bit.  I crawled into the crawlspace under our hovel and unplugged the heat tape on the below-floor plumbing.  Lord willing, we are done for a few months with the sub-freezing temperatures that necessitate the use of such.

Wife was well enough to come outside for a little while, which is a marvelous thing.  You don't realize what a blessing that is, until you can't.  Lots of blessings are like that:  our (my) thanks suffer from presumptions.

If I may, another of those poems from one of my father's books, all composed by him.

Love And Peace

When we are born, we're overwhelmed

By love of friends and kin;

How can we describe it'

And where shall we begin?

As we grow up we realize

That love that God can give;

That's when we really come to life,

That's when we start to live.

Peace is surely a gift of God,

It's when we start living;

The greatest blessing of our lives

Is the peace that God gives 

Peace on earth, this we should find

In relation to mankind,

And to our God as life is lived, 

It's peace that we will find.

As time goes on, we realize

Our lives will sometime cease,

And as we age, the greatest thing

Is love, or is it peace?

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Judges 21

Brides for Benjamin

1The men of Israel had sworn an oath at Mizpah: “None of us will give his daughter to a Benjaminite in marriage.” 2So the people went to Bethel and sat there before God until evening. They wept loudly and bitterly, 3and cried out, “Why, Lord God of Israel, has it occurred that one tribe is missing in Israel today?” 4The next day the people got up early, built an altar there, and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. 5The Israelites asked, “Who of all the tribes of Israel didn’t come to the Lord with the assembly?” For a great oath had been taken that anyone who had not come to the Lord at Mizpah would certainly be put to death.

6But the Israelites had compassion on their brothers, the Benjaminites, and said, “Today a tribe has been cut off from Israel. 7What should we do about wives for the survivors? We’ve sworn to the Lord not to give them any of our daughters as wives.” 8They asked, “Which city among the tribes of Israel didn’t come to the Lord at Mizpah?” It turned out that no one from Jabesh-gilead had come to the camp and the assembly. 9For when the roll was called, no men were there from the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead.

10The congregation sent twelve thousand brave warriors there and commanded them, “Go and kill the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the sword, including women and dependents. 11This is what you should do: Completely destroy every male, as well as every woman who has gone to bed with a man.” 12They found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young virgins, who had not been intimate with a man, and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh in the land of Canaan.

13The whole congregation sent a message of peace to the Benjaminites who were at Rimmon Rock. 14Benjamin returned at that time, and Israel gave them the women they had kept alive from Jabesh-gilead. But there were not enough for them.

15The people had compassion on Benjamin, because the Lord had made this gap in the tribes of Israel. 16The elders of the congregation said, “What should we do about wives for those who are left, since the women of Benjamin have been destroyed?” 17They said, “There must be heirs for the survivors of Benjamin, so that a tribe of Israel will not be wiped out. 18But we can’t give them our daughters as wives.” For the Israelites had sworn, “Anyone who gives a wife to a Benjaminite is cursed.” 19They also said, “Look, there’s an annual festival to the Lord in Shiloh, which is north of Bethel, east of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.”

20Then they commanded the Benjaminites, “Go and hide in the vineyards. 21Watch, and when you see the young women of Shiloh come out to perform the dances, each of you leave the vineyards and catch a wife for yourself from the young women of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin. 22When their fathers or brothers come to us and protest, we will tell them, ‘Show favor to them, since we did not get enough wives for each of them in the battle. You didn’t actually give the women to them, so you are not guilty of breaking your oath.’”

23The Benjaminites did this and took the number of women they needed from the dancers they caught. They went back to their own inheritance, rebuilt their cities, and lived in them. 24At that time, each of the Israelites returned from there to his own tribe and family. Each returned from there to his own inheritance.

25In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did whatever seemed right to him.

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Psalm 84

To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm for the sons of Korah.

1How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts!

2My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.

3Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O Lord of hosts, my King, and my God.

4Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee. Selah.

5Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them.

6Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools.

7They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God.

8O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer: give ear, O God of Jacob. Selah.

9Behold, O God our shield, and look upon the face of thine anointed.

10For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.

11For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.

12O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.

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John 16

1 “I have told you these things to keep you from stumbling. 2They will ban you from the synagogues. In fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering service to God. 3They will do these things because they haven’t known the Father or me. 4But I have told you these things so that when their time comes you will remember I told them to you. I didn’t tell you these things from the beginning, because I was with you. 5But now I am going away to him who sent me, and not one of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’  6Yet, because I have spoken these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 7Nevertheless, I am telling you the truth. It is for your benefit that I go away, because if I don’t go away the Counselor will not come to you. If I go, I will send him to you. 8When he comes, he will convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment: 9About sin, because they do not believe in me; 10about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see me; 11and about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.

12 “I still have many things to tell you, but you can’t bear them now.  13When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth. For he will not speak on his own, but he will speak whatever he hears. He will also declare to you what is to come. 14He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you. 15Everything the Father has is mine. This is why I told you that he takes from what is mine and will declare it to you.

Sorrow Turned to Joy

16 “In a little while,  you will no longer see me;  again in a little while, you will see me.”

17Then some of his disciples said to one another, “What is this he’s telling us: ‘In a little while, you will not see me; again in a little while, you will see me,’ and, ‘Because I am going to the Father’?” 18They said, “What is this he is saying, ‘In a little while’? We don’t know what he’s talking about.”

19Jesus knew they wanted to ask him, and so he said to them, “Are you asking one another about what I said, ‘In a little while, you will not see me; again in a little while, you will see me’? 20Truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn, but the world will rejoice. You will become sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn to joy. 21When a woman is in labor, she has pain because her time has come. But when she has given birth to a child, she no longer remembers the suffering because of the joy that a person has been born into the world. 22So you also have sorrow now. But I will see you again. Your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy from you.

23 “In that day you will not ask me anything. Truly I tell you, anything you ask the Father in my name, he will give you.  24Until now you have asked for nothing in my name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.

Jesus the Victor

25 “I have spoken these things to you in figures of speech. A time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures, but I will tell you plainly about the Father. 26On that day you will ask in my name, and I am not telling you that I will ask the Father on your behalf. 27For the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. 28I came from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I am leaving the world and going to the Father.”

29His disciples said, “Look, now you’re speaking plainly and not using any figurative language. 30Now we know that you know everything and don’t need anyone to question you. By this we believe that you came from God.”

31Jesus responded to them, “Do you now believe? 32Indeed, an hour is coming, and has come, when each of you will be scattered to his own home, and you will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. 33I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.”