Today's Readings and Stuff -- Wednesday, 18 November 2020

 This will be quite brief.  We have some "stuff" going on, it's early evening but we're both exhuasted and tomorrow is likely to be a very trying day.  First and foremost, Wife's nephew's wife is going in for breast cancer surgery tomorrow.  She has a particularly bad version of it, the doctors at the start of this gave her roughly a 13% chance of survival.  She's completed several months of chemotherapy, doesn't seem to have helped.  The sequence of chemo, radiation, and surgery has details that I haven't been told, but they seem to be rushing this surgery step, so that may not be a good sign.

Added to that, the school where their kids attend has gone to complete "remote" learning.  That's the same system that next-door great niece attends.  Those kids are spending the night - at least -- next door at niece's house, and all three of them will be "remoting" tomorrow, with niece overseeing the efforts, while doing the work-from-home stuff she does.  Should be  "fun".  Wife and I have been "volunteered" to "watch" the next-door great nephew, all 3-1/2 years of energy, while that schooling effort is underway.  Wife will probably help the "remoting", being a whole lot better with kids than I have ever been, so the little guy and I will be spending some "quality time" together.  Such fun.

In the midst of that, we were finally able to get back on track, sort of, on our dragged-out remodel here.  That started today, and it's been a challenge, to say the least.  Tomorrow's duties will cut into that, of course.  And in early afternoon, I've been detailed to make a "run" to the pharmacy at the Big Box store, and also to pick up some of our monthly grocery acquisition.  So that will be "fun" as well.

All of this going on in the middle of a world that seems to have gone mad.  One is reminded of the old Chinese curse about living in "interesting times".  That we seem to have attained.  

The Lord is still in control, but He's been viewing the predicted results of a world that told Him to be quiet and go away and let them do as they wish.  Isn't turning out well.  Because it can't.

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EZEKIEL 35

Judgment on Mount Seir

1Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2“Son of man, set your face against Mount Seir and prophesy against it, 3and say to it, ‘Thus says the Lord God:

“Behold, O Mount Seir, I am against you;

I will stretch out My hand against you,

And make you most desolate;

4I shall lay your cities waste,

And you shall be desolate.

Then you shall know that I am the Lord.

5“Because you have had an ancient hatred, and have shed the blood of the children of Israel by the power of the sword at the time of their calamity, when their iniquity came to an end, 6therefore, as I live,” says the Lord God, “I will prepare you for blood, and blood shall pursue you; since you have not hated blood, therefore blood shall pursue you. 7Thus I will make Mount Seir most desolate, and cut off from it the one who leaves and the one who returns. 8And I will fill its mountains with the slain; on your hills and in your valleys and in all your ravines those who are slain by the sword shall fall. 9I will make you perpetually desolate, and your cities shall be uninhabited; then you shall know that I am the Lord.

10“Because you have said, ‘These two nations and these two countries shall be mine, and we will possess them,’ although the Lord was there, 11therefore, as I live,” says the Lord God, “I will do according to your anger and according to the envy which you showed in your hatred against them; and I will make Myself known among them when I judge you. 12Then you shall know that I am the Lord. I have heard all your blasphemies which you have spoken against the mountains of Israel, saying, ‘They are desolate; they are given to us to consume.’ 13Thus with your mouth you have boasted against Me and multiplied your words against Me; I have heard them.”

14‘Thus says the Lord God: “The whole earth will rejoice when I make you desolate. 15As you rejoiced because the inheritance of the house of Israel was desolate, so I will do to you; you shall be desolate, O Mount Seir, as well as all of Edom—all of it! Then they shall know that I am the Lord.” ’

EZEKIEL 36

Blessing on Israel

1“And you, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel, and say, ‘O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord! 2Thus says the Lord God: “Because the enemy has said of you, ‘Aha! The ancient heights have become our possession,’ ” ’ 3therefore prophesy, and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Because they made you desolate and swallowed you up on every side, so that you became the possession of the rest of the nations, and you are taken up by the lips of talkers and slandered by the people”— 4therefore, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God! Thus says the Lord God to the mountains, the hills, the rivers, the valleys, the desolate wastes, and the cities that have been forsaken, which became plunder and mockery to the rest of the nations all around— 5therefore thus says the Lord God: “Surely I have spoken in My burning jealousy against the rest of the nations and against all Edom, who gave My land to themselves as a possession, with wholehearted joy and spiteful minds, in order to plunder its open country.” ’

6“Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel, and say to the mountains, the hills, the rivers, and the valleys, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I have spoken in My jealousy and My fury, because you have borne the shame of the nations.” 7Therefore thus says the Lord God: “I have raised My hand in an oath that surely the nations that are around you shall bear their own shame. 8But you, O mountains of Israel, you shall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit to My people Israel, for they are about to come. 9For indeed I am for you, and I will turn to you, and you shall be tilled and sown. 10I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, all of it; and the cities shall be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt. 11I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and bear young; I will make you inhabited as in former times, and do better for you than at your beginnings. Then you shall know that I am the Lord. 12Yes, I will cause men to walk on you, My people Israel; they shall take possession of you, and you shall be their inheritance; no more shall you bereave them of children.”

13‘Thus says the Lord God: “Because they say to you, ‘You devour men and bereave your nation of children,’ 14therefore you shall devour men no more, nor bereave your nation anymore,” says the Lord God. 15“Nor will I let you hear the taunts of the nations anymore, nor bear the reproach of the peoples anymore, nor shall you cause your nation to stumble anymore,” says the Lord God.’ ”

The Renewal of Israel

16Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying: 17“Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own ways and deeds; to Me their way was like the uncleanness of a woman in her customary impurity. 18Therefore I poured out My fury on them for the blood they had shed on the land, and for their idols with which they had defiled it. 19So I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed throughout the countries; I judged them according to their ways and their deeds. 20When they came to the nations, wherever they went, they profaned My holy name—when they said of them, ‘These are the people of the Lord, and yet they have gone out of His land.’ 21But I had concern for My holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations wherever they went.

22“Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name’s sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went. 23And I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the Lord,” says the Lord God, “when I am hallowed in you before their eyes. 24For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. 25Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. 26I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. 28Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God. 29I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses. I will call for the grain and multiply it, and bring no famine upon you. 30And I will multiply the fruit of your trees and the increase of your fields, so that you need never again bear the reproach of famine among the nations. 31Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good; and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight, for your iniquities and your abominations. 32Not for your sake do I do this,” says the Lord God, “let it be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel!”

33‘Thus says the Lord God: “On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will also enable you to dwell in the cities, and the ruins shall be rebuilt. 34The desolate land shall be tilled instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass by. 35So they will say, ‘This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden; and the wasted, desolate, and ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited.’ 36Then the nations which are left all around you shall know that I, the Lord, have rebuilt the ruined places and planted what was desolate. I, the Lord, have spoken it, and I will do it.”

37‘Thus says the Lord God: “I will also let the house of Israel inquire of Me to do this for them: I will increase their men like a flock. 38Like a flock offered as holy sacrifices, like the flock at Jerusalem on its feast days, so shall the ruined cities be filled with flocks of men. Then they shall know that I am the Lord.” ’ ”

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I JOHN 1

What Was Heard, Seen, and Touched

1That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life— 2the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us— 3that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. 4And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.

Fellowship with Him and One Another

5This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 6If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

8If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.