Today's Readings and Stuff -- Monday, 04 January 2021

Well ....  we've had worse starts to a new year.  Really and truly worse.  So the occasional bumps in the road are OK.

Just got back a bit ago from a loooong drive (by our standards of now at least), up to the specialist doctor for Dear Wife.  I paid next-door niece to haul us up, so she brought along husband and both kids.  The visit with the much-in-demand specialist doctor went well, and riding rather than driving took a whole lot less out of me. And I got to see the areas we were going through, which was nice.  Being back home is even nicer.

The work, quite a bit of it, primarily software, seems to have shown some good results.  Hope so:  it's been a problem for the last several months.  But on a desktop computer well over 10 years old, such is probably not to be unexpected.

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GENESIS 9

God’s Covenant with Noah

1God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.  2The fear and terror of you will be in every living creature on the earth, every bird of the sky, every creature that crawls on the ground, and all the fish of the sea. They are placed under your authority.  3Every living creature will be food for you;  as I gave the green plants, I have given you everything.  4However, you must not eat meat with its lifeblood in it.  5I will require the life of every animal  and every man for your life and your blood. I will require the life of each man’s brother for a man’s life. 

6Whoever sheds man’s blood,

his blood will be shed by man, 

for God made man in His image. 

7But you, be fruitful and multiply; spread out over the earth and multiply on it.” 

8Then God said to Noah and his sons with him, 9“Understand that I am confirming My covenant  with you and your descendants after you, 10and with every living creature that is with you — birds, livestock, and all wildlife of the earth that are with you — all the animals of the earth that came out of the ark. 11I confirm My covenant with you that never again will every creature be wiped out by the waters of a flood; there will never again be a flood to destroy the earth.” 

12And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant  I am making between Me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all future generations: 13I have placed My bow in the clouds,  and it will be a sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. 14Whenever I form clouds over the earth and the bow appears in the clouds, 15I will remember My covenant  between Me and you and all the living creatures:  water will never again become a flood to destroy every creature. 16The bow will be in the clouds, and I will look at it and remember the everlasting covenant  between God and all the living creatures  on earth.” 17God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have confirmed between Me and every creature on earth.”

Prophecies about Noah’s Family

18Noah’s sons who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Ham was the father of Canaan. 19These three were Noah’s sons, and from them the whole earth was populated. 

20Noah, a man of the soil, was the first to plant  a vineyard. 21He drank some of the wine, became drunk, and uncovered himself inside his tent. 22Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father naked and told his two brothers outside.  23Then Shem and Japheth took a cloak and placed it over both their shoulders, and walking backward, they covered their father’s nakedness. Their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father naked.

24When Noah awoke from his drinking and learned what his youngest son had done to him, 25he said:

Canaan will be cursed. 

He will be the lowest of slaves to his brothers. 

26He also said:

Praise the Lord, the God of Shem;

Canaan will be  his slave.

27God will extend  Japheth;

he will dwell in the tents of Shem;

Canaan will be his slave.

GENESIS 10

The Table of Nations

1These are the family records  of Noah’s sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. They also had sons after the flood.

2Japheth’s sons:  Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. 3Gomer’s sons: Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah. 4And Javan’s sons: Elishah, Tarshish,  Kittim, and Dodanim.  5The coastland peoples spread out into their lands. These are Japheth’s sons by their clans, in their nations. Each group had its own language.

6Ham’s sons:  Cush, Egypt, Put, and Canaan. 7Cush’s sons: Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. And Raamah’s sons: Sheba and Dedan.

8Cush fathered Nimrod, who was the first powerful man on earth. 9He was a powerful hunter in the sight of the Lord. That is why it is said, “Like Nimrod, a powerful hunter in the sight of the Lord.” 10His kingdom started with Babylon,  Erech,  Accad,  and Calneh,  in the land of Shinar.   11From that land he went to Assyria  and built Nineveh, Rehoboth-ir, Calah, 12and Resen, between Nineveh and the great city Calah.

13Mizraim   fathered Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, 14Pathrusim, Casluhim (the Philistines came from them), and Caphtorim. 

15Canaan fathered Sidon his firstborn, then Heth, 16the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites,  17the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites, 18the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites. Afterward the Canaanite clans scattered. 19The Canaanite border went from Sidon going toward Gerar as far as Gaza, and going toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim as far as Lasha.

20These are Ham’s sons, by their clans, according to their languages, in their own lands and their nations.

21And Shem, Japheth’s older brother, also had sons. Shem was the father of all the sons of Eber.  22Shem’s sons  were Elam, Asshur,  Arpachshad, Lud, and Aram.

23Aram’s sons: Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash.

24Arpachshad fathered  Shelah,  and Shelah fathered Eber. 25Eber had two sons. One was named Peleg, for during his days the earth was divided;  his brother was named Joktan. 26And Joktan fathered Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, 27Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, 28Obal, Abimael, Sheba, 29Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these were Joktan’s sons. 30Their settlements extended from Mesha to Sephar, the eastern hill country.

31These are Shem’s sons by their clans, according to their languages, in their lands and their nations.

32These are the clans of Noah’s sons, according to their family records, in their nations. The nations on earth spread out from these after the flood. 

GENESIS 11

The Tower of Babylon

1At one time the whole earth had the same language and vocabulary.  2As people  migrated from the east,  they found a valley in the land of Shinar and settled there.  3They said to each other, “Come, let us make oven-fired bricks.” They used brick for stone and asphalt for mortar.  4And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the sky.  Let us make a name for ourselves; otherwise, we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”

5Then the Lord came down  to look over the city and the tower that the men were building. 6The Lord said, “If they have begun to do this as one people all having the same language, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. 7Come, let Us go down there and confuse  their language  so that they will not understand one another’s speech.”  8So from there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth,  and they stopped building the city. 9Therefore its name is called Babylon,   for there the Lord confused the language of the whole earth, and from there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.

From Shem to Abram

10These are the family records  of Shem. Shem lived 100 years and fathered Arpachshad two years after the flood. 11After he fathered Arpachshad, Shem lived 500 years and fathered other sons and daughters. 12Arpachshad lived 35 years  and fathered Shelah. 13After he fathered Shelah, Arpachshad lived 403 years and fathered other sons and daughters. 14Shelah lived 30 years and fathered Eber. 15After he fathered Eber, Shelah lived 403 years and fathered other sons and daughters. 16Eber lived 34 years and fathered Peleg. 17After he fathered Peleg, Eber lived 430 years and fathered other sons and daughters. 18Peleg lived 30 years and fathered Reu. 19After he fathered Reu, Peleg lived 209 years and fathered other sons and daughters. 20Reu lived 32 years and fathered Serug. 21After he fathered Serug, Reu lived 207 years and fathered other sons and daughters. 22Serug lived 30 years and fathered Nahor. 23After he fathered Nahor, Serug lived 200 years and fathered other sons and daughters. 24Nahor lived 29 years and fathered Terah.  25After he fathered Terah, Nahor lived 119 years and fathered other sons and daughters. 26Terah lived 70 years and fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

27These are the family records of Terah. Terah fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran, and Haran fathered Lot. 28Haran died in his native land, in Ur of the Chaldeans, during his father Terah’s lifetime. 29Abram and Nahor took wives: Abram’s wife was named Sarai,  and Nahor’s wife was named Milcah.  She was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milcah and Iscah. 30Sarai was unable to conceive;  she did not have a child.

31Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot (Haran’s son), and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram’s wife, and they set out together from Ur of the Chaldeans  to go to the land of Canaan. But when they came to Haran, they settled there. 32Terah lived 205 years and died in Haran.

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We could, and  probably should, spend days and days on every verse here.  There simply are no skippable verses or phrases, there's a lot of meaning and import all around.

MATTHEW 4

The Temptation of Jesus

1Then  Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the Devil.  2After He had fasted 40 days and 40 nights,  He was hungry. 3Then the tempter approached Him and said, “If You are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” 

4But He answered, “It is written:

Man must not live on bread alone

but on every word that comes

from the mouth of God.”  

5Then the Devil took Him to the holy city,  had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple,  6and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written:

He will give His angels  orders concerning you,

and they will support you with their hands

so that you will not strike

your foot against a stone.”  

7Jesus told him, “It is also written: Do not test the Lord your God.”  

8Again, the Devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9And he said to Him, “I will give You all these things if You will fall down and worship me.” 

10Then Jesus told him, “Go away,  Satan! For it is written:

Worship the Lord your God,

and serve only  Him.” 

11Then the Devil left Him, and immediately angels came and began to serve Him. 

Ministry in Galilee

12When He heard that John had been arrested,  He withdrew into Galilee.  13He left Nazareth behind and went to live in Capernaum  by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. 14This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:

15Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,

along the sea road, beyond the Jordan,

Galilee of the Gentiles!

16The people who live in darkness

have seen a great light,

and for those living in the shadowland of death,

light has dawned.   

17From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, because the kingdom of heaven  has come near! ”

The First Disciples

18As  He was walking along the Sea of Galilee,  He saw two brothers, Simon, who was called Peter, and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea, since they were fishermen. 19“Follow Me,” He told them, “and I will make you fish for  people! ” 20Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.

21Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and He called them. 22Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed Him.

Teaching, Preaching, and Healing

23Jesus was going all over Galilee,  teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every  disease and sickness among the people.  24Then the news about Him spread throughout Syria.  So they brought to Him all those who were afflicted, those suffering from various diseases and intense pains, the demon-possessed, the epileptics, and the paralytics.  And He healed them. 25Large crowds followed Him from Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.