Today's Readings and Stuff -- Saturday, 05 September 2020

 I hope the day finds everyone in good shape.  I hope.

Today is the first Saturday in September.  Looking at the calendar, I see changes coming soon.  Our "day" this 24-hour period is 12 hours 55 minutes long, well short of what it was a few months ago.  And we will lost another 2 minutes 40 by tomorrow at this time.  Not progress as I measure things.  I well remember  seeing that horrid substance, snow,outside these windows back in early May, and know full well that such will be the case all too soon.  NOT what I want to see, but it's not a voting issue, is it?

Oh, well.  This is a meaningful month here.  Yes, the Autumnal Equinox is coming.  Lord willing, we will mark our 32nd wedding anniversary in the coming week.  And later in the month, I will note the passing of my father on the 20th.  The proximity of that date to the Equinox has not escaped me.

===================

Today, we have only the reading in the Old Testament, today being chapters 11 and 12 in the book of Isaiah.  That book is enormously significant in the Bible, and chapter 11 is one of the most important ones in it.  This points strongly at the future (for Isaiah) coming of the Lord Jesus the Christ, and at a very rough time in the history of the Jews (and the world of the time).  Isaiah reminded them, and us, that the Lord is still on the throne, no matter what, and that He is in charge and knows every detail of what is going on.  We are sometimes tempted to wonder if the Lord knows.  Yes, He does, better than we do, and knew it long ago.  Trust Him.

(incidentally, I've been posting lately from the Holman Christian Standard translation of the Bible.  I have found it to be accurate, and the wording is more in keeping with the language of today, rather than what may have been the case in the 1607 - 1611 period in England.  I hope no one gets too upset.).

ISAIAH 11

Reign of the Davidic King

1Then a shoot will grow from the stump of Jesse, 

and a branch  from his roots will bear fruit.

2The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him  —

a Spirit of wisdom and understanding,

a Spirit of counsel and strength,

a Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.

3His delight will be in the fear of the Lord.

He will not judge

by what He sees with His eyes, 

He will not execute justice

by what He hears with His ears,

4but He will judge the poor righteously 

and execute justice for the oppressed of the land.

He will strike the land

with discipline  from His mouth, 

and He will kill the wicked 

with a command  from His lips. 

5Righteousness will be a belt around His loins; 

faithfulness will be a belt around His waist. 

6The wolf will live with the lamb, 

and the leopard will lie down with the goat.

The calf, the young lion, and the fatling will be together,

and a child will lead them.

7The cow and the bear will graze,

their young ones will lie down together,

and the lion will eat straw like the ox.

8An infant will play beside the cobra’s pit,

and a toddler will put his hand into a snake’s den.

9None will harm or destroy another

on My entire holy mountain,

for the land will be as full

of the knowledge of the Lord

as the sea is filled with water. 

Israel Regathered

10On that day the root of Jesse 

will stand as a banner for the peoples. 

The nations will seek Him, 

and His resting place will be glorious. 

11On that day  the Lord will extend His hand a second time to recover — from Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath, and the coasts and islands of the west — the remnant of His people who survive. 

12He will lift up a banner for the nations

and gather the dispersed of Israel; 

He will collect the scattered of Judah

from the four corners of the earth. 

13Ephraim’s envy will cease; 

Judah’s harassment will end.

Ephraim will no longer be envious of Judah,

and Judah will not harass Ephraim.

14But they will swoop down

on the Philistine flank to the west.

Together they will plunder the people of the east. 

They will extend their power over Edom and Moab,

and the Ammonites will be their subjects. 

15The Lord will divide   the Gulf of Suez. 

He will wave His hand over the Euphrates

with His mighty wind 

and will split it into seven streams,

letting people walk through on foot.

16There will be a highway for the remnant of His people

who will survive from Assyria, 

as there was for Israel

when they came up from the land of Egypt. 

ISAIAH 12

A Song of Praise

1On that day you will say:

“I will praise You, Lord,

although You were angry with me.

Your anger has turned away,

and You have had compassion  on me.

2Indeed, God is my salvation;

I will trust Him and not be afraid,

for Yah, the Lord,

is my strength and my song.

He has become my salvation.” 

3You will joyfully draw water 

from the springs of salvation,

4and on that day you will say:

“Give thanks to Yahweh; proclaim His name!

Celebrate His works among the peoples. 

Declare that His name is exalted.

5Sing to Yahweh, for He has done glorious things. 

Let this be known throughout the earth.

6Cry out and sing, citizen of Zion,

for the Holy One of Israel  is among you

in His greatness.”

Today's Readings and Stuff -- Friday, 04 September 2020

 Happy Friday, and all that stuff.  I hope the day has found everyone in a good way.  We're quiet here.  Next-door niece, husband, and kids are heading out Across The Line shortly, going to be "camping' with his brother, his wife, their kids.  Next-door nephew-in-law-in-law worked a 12-hour night shift last night, got home 4 hours ago or so.  Right now, he and the gang are headed halfway across the county to pick up a bookshelf that she bought in one of those on-line auction things, going to put it into the area that they've set aside for the great-niece's remote school desk and niece's at-home office.  So they'll retrieve the item, then take off.  We, meaning Yours Truly, will "get" to see to their dog for the next week: they're not taking the Beast.  Oh, well.  I am noticing something interesting: nephew-in-law is starting to respond well to some of the Christian posts I put up on "social media", which is a change.  The local church, a block or so away, didn't have VBS this year, but maybe next year the great-niece and great-nephew will be allowed to go.  It would be a change.  And aggravate niece's mother, a loud and determined Wiccan.  We shall see.

Lots of "stuff" going on in our world.  I think it's going to get a lot worse before it gets better, and I don't expect to live to see the worst of it.  We shall see.

======================

ISAIAH 9

Birth of the Prince of Peace

1Nevertheless, the gloom of the distressed land will not be like that of the former times when He humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali.  But in the future He will bring honor to the Way of the Sea, to the land east of the Jordan, and to Galilee of the nations.

2The people walking in darkness

have seen a great light; 

a light has dawned

on those living in the land of darkness. 

3You have enlarged the nation

and increased its joy.  

The people have rejoiced before You

as they rejoice at harvest time

and as they rejoice when dividing spoils. 

4For You have shattered their oppressive yoke 

and the rod on their shoulders,

the staff of their oppressor,

just as You did on the day of Midian. 

5For the trampling boot of battle

and the bloodied garments of war

will be burned as fuel for the fire.

6For a child will be born for us,

a son will be given to us, 

and the government will be on His shoulders. 

He will be named

Wonderful Counselor,  Mighty God, 

Eternal Father,  Prince of Peace. 

7The dominion will be vast,

and its prosperity will never end. 

He will reign on the throne of David

and over his kingdom,

to establish and sustain it

with justice and righteousness from now on and forever.

The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will accomplish this. 

The Hand Raised against Israel

8The Lord sent a message against Jacob;

it came against Israel.

9All the people —

Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria  — will know it.

They will say with pride and arrogance:

10“The bricks have fallen,

but we will rebuild with cut stones;

the sycamores have been cut down,

but we will replace them with cedars.”

11The Lord has raised up Rezin’s adversaries against him

and stirred up his enemies.

12Aram from the east and Philistia from the west

have consumed Israel with open mouths.

In all this, His anger is not removed,

and His hand is still raised to strike. 

13The people did not turn to Him who struck them;

they did not seek the Lord of Hosts.

14So the Lord cut off Israel’s head and tail, 

palm branch and reed in a single day.

15The head is the elder, the honored one; 

the tail is the prophet, the lying teacher. 

16The leaders of the people mislead them,

and those they mislead are swallowed up. 

17Therefore the Lord does not rejoice

over  Israel’s young men

and has no compassion

on its fatherless and widows,

for everyone is a godless evildoer, 

and every mouth speaks folly.

In all this, His anger is not removed,

and His hand is still raised to strike.

18For wickedness burns like a fire 

that consumes thorns and briers

and kindles the forest thickets

so that they go up in a column of smoke.

19The land is scorched

by the wrath of the Lord of Hosts,

and the people are like fuel for the fire. 

No one has compassion on his brother. 

20They carve meat on the right,

but they are still hungry; 

they have eaten on the left,

but they are still not satisfied.

Each one eats the flesh of his own arm. 

21Manasseh is with Ephraim,

and Ephraim with Manasseh;

together, both are against Judah. 

In all this, His anger is not removed,

and His hand is still raised to strike. 

ISAIAH 10

1Woe  to those enacting crooked statutes

and writing oppressive laws

2to keep the poor from getting a fair trial

and to deprive the afflicted among my people of justice, 

so that widows can be their spoil

and they can plunder the fatherless. 

3What will you do on the day of punishment

when devastation comes from far away?

Who will you run to for help?

Where will you leave your wealth?

4There will be nothing to do

except crouch among the prisoners

or fall among the slain.

In all this, His anger is not removed,

and His hand is still raised to strike. 

Assyria, the Instrument of Wrath

5Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger —

the staff in their hands is My wrath.

6I will send him against a godless nation;

I will command him to go

against a people destined for My rage,

to take spoils, to plunder, 

and to trample them down like clay  in the streets.

7But this is not what he intends;

this is not what he plans.

It is his intent to destroy

and to cut off many nations.

8For he says,

“Aren’t all my commanders kings?

9Isn’t Calno like Carchemish?

Isn’t Hamath like Arpad?

Isn’t Samaria  like Damascus? 

10As my hand seized the idolatrous kingdoms,

whose idols exceeded those of Jerusalem and Samaria,

11and as I did to Samaria and its idols

will I not also do to Jerusalem and its idols?” 

Judgment on Assyria

12But when the Lord finishes all His work against Mount Zion and Jerusalem, He will say, “I  will punish the king of Assyria for his arrogant acts and the proud look in his eyes.”  13For he said:

I have done this by my own strength

and wisdom, for I am clever.

I abolished the borders of nations

and plundered their treasures; 

like a mighty warrior, I subjugated the inhabitants.  

14My hand has reached out, as if into a nest,

to seize the wealth of the nations.

Like one gathering abandoned eggs,

I gathered the whole earth.

No wing fluttered;

no beak opened or chirped.

15Does an ax exalt itself

above the one who chops with it?

Does a saw magnify itself

above the one who saws with it?

It would be like a staff waving the one who lifts  it!

It would be like a rod lifting a man who isn’t wood!

16Therefore the Lord God of Hosts

will inflict an emaciating disease

on the well-fed of Assyria,

and He will kindle a burning fire

under its glory.

17Israel’s Light will become a fire,

and its Holy One, a flame. 

In one day it will burn up Assyria’s thorns and thistles. 

18He will completely destroy

the glory of its forests and orchards

as a sickness consumes a person.

19The remaining trees of its forest

will be so few in number

that a child could count them.

The Remnant Will Return

20On that day the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no longer depend on the one who struck them, but they will faithfully depend on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. 

21The remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob,

to the Mighty God.

22Israel, even if your people were as numerous

as the sand of the sea,

only a remnant of them will return. 

Destruction has been decreed;

justice overflows.

23For throughout the land

the Lord God of Hosts

is carrying out a destruction that was decreed.

24Therefore, the Lord God of Hosts says this: “My people who dwell in Zion, do not fear Assyria, though he strikes you with a rod and raises his staff over you as the Egyptians did. 25In just a little while My wrath will be spent and My anger will turn to their destruction.” 26And the Lord of Hosts will brandish a whip against him as He did when He struck Midian at the rock of Oreb;  and He will raise His staff over the sea as He did in Egypt.

God Will Judge Assyria

27On that day

his burden will fall from your shoulders,

and his yoke from your neck.

The yoke will be broken because of fatness.  

28Assyria has come to Aiath

and has gone through Migron,

storing his equipment at Michmash.

29They crossed over at the ford, saying,

“We will spend the night at Geba.”

The people of Ramah are trembling;

those at Gibeah of Saul have fled.

30Cry aloud, daughter of Gallim!

Listen, Laishah!

Anathoth is miserable.

31Madmenah has fled.

The inhabitants of Gebim have sought refuge.

32Today he will stand at Nob,

shaking his fist at the mountain of Daughter Zion,

the hill of Jerusalem.

33Look, the Lord God of Hosts

will chop off the branches with terrifying power,

and the tall trees will be cut down,

the high trees felled.

34He is clearing the thickets of the forest with an ax,

and Lebanon with its majesty will fall.

===================

PROVERBS 7

1My son, obey my words,

and treasure my commands. 

2Keep my commands and live; 

protect my teachings

as the pupil of your eye. 

3Tie them to your fingers;

write them on the tablet of your heart. 

4Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” 

and call understanding your relative.

5She will keep you from a forbidden woman,

a stranger with her flattering talk. 

A Story of Seduction

6At the window of my house

I looked through my lattice. 

7I saw among the inexperienced, 

I noticed among the youths,

a young man lacking sense.

8Crossing the street near her corner,

he strolled down the road to her house

9at twilight, in the evening,

in the dark of the night. 

10A woman came to meet him

dressed like a prostitute, 

having a hidden agenda. 

11She is loud and defiant; 

her feet do not stay at home. 

12Now in the street, now in the squares, 

she lurks at every corner. 

13She grabs him and kisses him;

she brazenly says  to him,

14“I’ve made fellowship offerings; 

today I’ve fulfilled my vows. 

15So I came out to meet you,

to search for you, and I’ve found you.

16I’ve spread coverings on my bed  —

richly colored linen from Egypt. 

17I’ve perfumed my bed

with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. 

18Come, let’s drink deeply of lovemaking until morning. 

Let’s feast on each other’s love!

19My husband isn’t home;

he went on a long journey.

20He took a bag of money with him

and will come home at the time of the full moon.”

21She seduces him with her persistent pleading;

she lures with her flattering  talk.

22He follows her impulsively

like an ox going to the slaughter,

like a deer bounding toward a trap 

23until an arrow pierces its  liver, 

like a bird darting into a snare  —

he doesn’t know it will cost him his life.

24Now, my sons, listen to me,

and pay attention to the words of my mouth.

25Don’t let your heart turn aside to her ways;

don’t stray onto her paths. 

26For she has brought many down to death;

her victims are countless. 

27Her house is the road to Sheol,

descending to the chambers of death. 

=======================

PHILIPPIANS 4

Practical Counsel

1So then, my brothers, you are dearly loved and longed for — my joy and crown.  In this manner stand firm  in the Lord, dear friends. 2I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to agree in the Lord. 3Yes, I also ask you, true partner,  to help these women who have contended for the gospel at my side, along with Clement and the rest of my coworkers whose names are in the book of life. 4Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near.  6Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses  every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. 

8Finally brothers, whatever is true,  whatever is honorable,  whatever is just,  whatever is pure,  whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable — if there is any moral excellence  and if there is any praise — dwell on these things. 9Do what you have learned and received  and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.

Appreciation of Support

10I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that once again  you renewed your care for me.  You were, in fact, concerned about me but lacked the opportunity to show it. 11I don’t say this out of need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. 12I know both how to have a little, and I know how to have a lot.  In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content — whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need. 13I am able to do all things through Him  who strengthens me.  14Still, you did well by sharing with me in my hardship.

15And you Philippians  know that in the early days of the gospel,  when I left Macedonia,  no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving except you alone. 16For even in Thessalonica  you sent gifts for my need  several times. 17Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the profit   that is increasing to your account. 18But I have received everything in full,  and I have an abundance. I am fully supplied, having received from Epaphroditus  what you provided — a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing  to God. 19And my God  will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. 20Now to our God and Father  be glory forever and ever.  Amen. 

Final Greetings

21Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. Those brothers who are with me greet you. 22All the saints greet you, but especially those from Caesar’s  household.  23The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.