Today's Readings ans Stuff -- Tuesday, 23 June 2020

Another day 3/4 through.  Not much to show for it.
Woke this morning with a hymn in mind.  Not sure why, and I realize that it sounds more than a bit odd.  I don't understand it either, but sometimes it's a great comfort in the all-too-frequent periods of confusion and uncertainty.  So, waking to The Way Of The Cross Leads Home  isn't exactly the stuff of some of the self-help type folks, but among other things it's quite true and a reminder that some things are more important than others.

And then, this afternoon, one that, oddly perhaps, seems to fit as well.  Beautiful Savior. (Fairest Lord Jesus)  True also.  In both of these, savor the words and the intent.  Please do.


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1st Chronicles 5

1Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel, (for he was the firstborn; but, forasmuch as he defiled his father's bed, his birthright was given unto the sons of Joseph the son of Israel: and the genealogy is not to be reckoned after the birthright.

2For Judah prevailed above his brethren, and of him came the chief ruler; but the birthright was Joseph's:)

3The sons, I say, of Reuben the firstborn of Israel were, Hanoch, and Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.

4The sons of Joel; Shemaiah his son, Gog his son, Shimei his son,

5Micah his son, Reaia his son, Baal his son,

6Beerah his son, whom Tilgath–pilneser king of Assyria carried away captive: he was prince of the Reubenites.

7And his brethren by their families, when the genealogy of their generations was reckoned, were the chief, Jeiel, and Zechariah,

8And Bela the son of Azaz, the son of Shema, the son of Joel, who dwelt in Aroer, even unto Nebo and Baal–meon:

9And eastward he inhabited unto the entering in of the wilderness from the river Euphrates: because their cattle were multiplied in the land of Gilead.

10And in the days of Saul they made war with the Hagarites, who fell by their hand: and they dwelt in their tents throughout all the east land of Gilead.

11And the children of Gad dwelt over against them, in the land of Bashan unto Salecah:

12Joel the chief, and Shapham the next, and Jaanai, and Shaphat in Bashan.

13And their brethren of the house of their fathers were, Michael, and Meshullam, and Sheba, and Jorai, and Jachan, and Zia, and Heber, seven.

14These are the children of Abihail the son of Huri, the son of Jaroah, the son of Gilead, the son of Michael, the son of Jeshishai, the son of Jahdo, the son of Buz;

15Ahi the son of Abdiel, the son of Guni, chief of the house of their fathers.

16And they dwelt in Gilead in Bashan, and in her towns, and in all the suburbs of Sharon, upon their borders.

17All these were reckoned by genealogies in the days of Jotham king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam king of Israel.

18The sons of Reuben, and the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh, of valiant men, men able to bear buckler and sword, and to shoot with bow, and skilful in war, were four and forty thousand seven hundred and threescore, that went out to the war.

19And they made war with the Hagarites, with Jetur, and Naphish, and Nodab.

20And they were helped against them, and the Hagarites were delivered into their hand, and all that were with them: for they cried to God in the battle, and he was entreated of them; because they put their trust in him.

21And they took away their cattle; of their camels fifty thousand, and of sheep two hundred and fifty thousand, and of asses two thousand, and of men an hundred thousand.

22For there fell down many slain, because the war was of God. And they dwelt in their steads until the captivity.

23And the children of the half tribe of Manasseh dwelt in the land: they increased from Bashan unto Baal–hermon and Senir, and unto mount Hermon.

24And these were the heads of the house of their fathers, even Epher, and Ishi, and Eliel, and Azriel, and Jeremiah, and Hodaviah, and Jahdiel, mighty men of valour, famous men, and heads of the house of their fathers.

25And they transgressed against the God of their fathers, and went a whoring after the gods of the people of the land, whom God destroyed before them.

26And the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria, and the spirit of Tilgath–pilneser king of Assyria, and he carried them away, even the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh, and brought them unto Halah, and Habor, and Hara, and to the river Gozan, unto this day.

1st Chronicles 6

1The sons of Levi; Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

2And the sons of Kohath; Amram, Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel.

3And the children of Amram; Aaron, and Moses, and Miriam. The sons also of Aaron; Nadab, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

4Eleazar begat Phinehas, Phinehas begat Abishua,

5And Abishua begat Bukki, and Bukki begat Uzzi,

6And Uzzi begat Zerahiah, and Zerahiah begat Meraioth,

7Meraioth begat Amariah, and Amariah begat Ahitub,

8And Ahitub begat Zadok, and Zadok begat Ahimaaz,

9And Ahimaaz begat Azariah, and Azariah begat Johanan,

10And Johanan begat Azariah, (he it is that executed the priest's office in the temple that Solomon built in Jerusalem:)

11And Azariah begat Amariah, and Amariah begat Ahitub,

12And Ahitub begat Zadok, and Zadok begat Shallum,

13And Shallum begat Hilkiah, and Hilkiah begat Azariah,

14And Azariah begat Seraiah, and Seraiah begat Jehozadak,

15And Jehozadak went into captivity, when the Lord carried away Judah and Jerusalem by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar.

16The sons of Levi; Gershom, Kohath, and Merari.

17And these be the names of the sons of Gershom; Libni, and Shimei.

18And the sons of Kohath were, Amram, and Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel.

19The sons of Merari; Mahli, and Mushi. And these are the families of the Levites according to their fathers.

20Of Gershom; Libni his son, Jahath his son, Zimmah his son,

21Joah his son, Iddo his son, Zerah his son, Jeaterai his son.

22The sons of Kohath; Amminadab his son, Korah his son, Assir his son,

23Elkanah his son, and Ebiasaph his son, and Assir his son,

24Tahath his son, Uriel his son, Uzziah his son, and Shaul his son.

25And the sons of Elkanah; Amasai, and Ahimoth.

26As for Elkanah: the sons of Elkanah; Zophai his son, and Nahath his son,

27Eliab his son, Jeroham his son, Elkanah his son.

28And the sons of Samuel; the firstborn Vashni, and Abiah.

29The sons of Merari; Mahli, Libni his son, Shimei his son, Uzza his son,

30Shimea his son, Haggiah his son, Asaiah his son.

31And these are they whom David set over the service of song in the house of the Lord, after that the ark had rest.

32And they ministered before the dwelling place of the tabernacle of the congregation with singing, until Solomon had built the house of the Lord in Jerusalem: and then they waited on their office according to their order.

33And these are they that waited with their children. Of the sons of the Kohathites: Heman a singer, the son of Joel, the son of Shemuel,

34The son of Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Eliel, the son of Toah,

35The son of Zuph, the son of Elkanah, the son of Mahath, the son of Amasai,

36The son of Elkanah, the son of Joel, the son of Azariah, the son of Zephaniah,

37The son of Tahath, the son of Assir, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah,

38The son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, the son of Israel.

39And his brother Asaph, who stood on his right hand, even Asaph the son of Berechiah, the son of Shimea,

40The son of Michael, the son of Baaseiah, the son of Malchiah,

41The son of Ethni, the son of Zerah, the son of Adaiah,

42The son of Ethan, the son of Zimmah, the son of Shimei,

43The son of Jahath, the son of Gershom, the son of Levi.

44And their brethren the sons of Merari stood on the left hand: Ethan the son of Kishi, the son of Abdi, the son of Malluch,

45The son of Hashabiah, the son of Amaziah, the son of Hilkiah,

46The son of Amzi, the son of Bani, the son of Shamer,

47The son of Mahli, the son of Mushi, the son of Merari, the son of Levi.

48Their brethren also the Levites were appointed unto all manner of service of the tabernacle of the house of God.

49But Aaron and his sons offered upon the altar of the burnt offering, and on the altar of incense, and were appointed for all the work of the place most holy, and to make an atonement for Israel, according to all that Moses the servant of God had commanded.

50And these are the sons of Aaron; Eleazar his son, Phinehas his son, Abishua his son,

51Bukki his son, Uzzi his son, Zerahiah his son,

52Meraioth his son, Amariah his son, Ahitub his son,

53Zadok his son, Ahimaaz his son.

54Now these are their dwelling places throughout their castles in their coasts, of the sons of Aaron, of the families of the Kohathites: for theirs was the lot.

55And they gave them Hebron in the land of Judah, and the suburbs thereof round about it.

56But the fields of the city, and the villages thereof, they gave to Caleb the son of Jephunneh.

57And to the sons of Aaron they gave the cities of Judah, namely, Hebron, the city of refuge, and Libnah with her suburbs, and Jattir, and Eshtemoa, with their suburbs,

58And Hilen with her suburbs, Debir with her suburbs,

59And Ashan with her suburbs, and Beth–shemesh with her suburbs:

60And out of the tribe of Benjamin; Geba with her suburbs, and Alemeth with her suburbs, and Anathoth with her suburbs. All their cities throughout their families were thirteen cities.

61And unto the sons of Kohath, which were left of the family of that tribe, were cities given out of the half tribe, namely, out of the half tribe of Manasseh, by lot, ten cities.

62And to the sons of Gershom throughout their families out of the tribe of Issachar, and out of the tribe of Asher, and out of the tribe of Naphtali, and out of the tribe of Manasseh in Bashan, thirteen cities.

63Unto the sons of Merari were given by lot, throughout their families, out of the tribe of Reuben, and out of the tribe of Gad, and out of the tribe of Zebulun, twelve cities.

64And the children of Israel gave to the Levites these cities with their suburbs.

65And they gave by lot out of the tribe of the children of Judah, and out of the tribe of the children of Simeon, and out of the tribe of the children of Benjamin, these cities, which are called by their names.

66And the residue of the families of the sons of Kohath had cities of their coasts out of the tribe of Ephraim.

67And they gave unto them, of the cities of refuge, Shechem in mount Ephraim with her suburbs; they gave also Gezer with her suburbs,

68And Jokmeam with her suburbs, and Beth–horon with her suburbs,

69And Aijalon with her suburbs, and Gath–rimmon with her suburbs:

70And out of the half tribe of Manasseh; Aner with her suburbs, and Bileam with her suburbs, for the family of the remnant of the sons of Kohath.

71Unto the sons of Gershom were given out of the family of the half tribe of Manasseh, Golan in Bashan with her suburbs, and Ashtaroth with her suburbs:

72And out of the tribe of Issachar; Kedesh with her suburbs, Daberath with her suburbs,

73And Ramoth with her suburbs, and Anem with her suburbs:

74And out of the tribe of Asher; Mashal with her suburbs, and Abdon with her suburbs,

75And Hukok with her suburbs, and Rehob with her suburbs:

76And out of the tribe of Naphtali; Kedesh in Galilee with her suburbs, and Hammon with her suburbs, and Kirjathaim with her suburbs.

77Unto the rest of the children of Merari were given out of the tribe of Zebulun, Rimmon with her suburbs, Tabor with her suburbs:

78And on the other side Jordan by Jericho, on the east side of Jordan, were given them out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer in the wilderness with her suburbs, and Jahzah with her suburbs,

79Kedemoth also with her suburbs, and Mephaath with her suburbs:

80And out of the tribe of Gad; Ramoth in Gilead with her suburbs, and Mahanaim with her suburbs,

81And Heshbon with her suburbs, and Jazer with her suburbs.

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Psalm 119, verses 49 - 56

ז Zayin

49Remember the word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast caused me to hope.

50This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me.

51The proud have had me greatly in derision: yet have I not declined from thy law.

52I remembered thy judgments of old, O Lord; and have comforted myself.

53Horror hath taken hold upon me because of the wicked that forsake thy law.

54Thy statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage.

55I have remembered thy name, O Lord, in the night, and have kept thy law.

56This I had, because I kept thy precepts.

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It is perhaps risky to claim any passage in the Bible as more significant than others:  the Lord wanted it ALL there.  Agreed.  But may I say that this, this here, is one of my favorites, and is enormously important.

Romans 8

1There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

2For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

3For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

4That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

5For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

6For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

7Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

8So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

9But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

10And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

11But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

12Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.

13For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

14For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

15For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

16The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

17And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

18For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

19For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.

20For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,

21Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

22For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.

23And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

24For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?

25But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

26Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

27And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

28And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

29For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

30Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

31What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

32He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

33Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.

34Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

36As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

37Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

38For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

39Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.