Today's Readings and Stuff -- Thursday, 28 January 2021

 Well, we seem to be fully in the grip of the Ice Giants who seem to exercise rule over this part of the world.  A pox upon them all.  But we're into the 20°F range, and had a fair amount of snow falling earlier.  Horrible stuff!  But we're making a bit of headway:  if I read the charts correctly, by Saturday, just a few days hence, we'll be up to 10 whole hours of "day", certainly some improvement.  And, in just over three weeks from thence, we are expected to be at the 11 hour "day" point.  Official "spring" in less than two months from now.  We'll still have wretched weather and snow as well (had snow last year around the 9th of May!) but it's progress.  Makes a person envy the bears who can hibernate through the season.  

Our world is in uproar and trouble.  Nothing new about that, pretty much been the case since the Fall.  I have to believe that the Lord foresaw all of this before He made the worlds, and He's wiser than I.  So there is a purpose and direction to it all, even if we can't see it.  Just have to trust Him.

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EXODUS 16

Manna and Quail Provided

1The entire Israelite community departed from Elim and came to the Wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had left the land of Egypt.  2The entire Israelite community grumbled  against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. 3The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by pots of meat and ate all the bread we wanted. Instead, you brought us into this wilderness to make this whole assembly die of hunger! ” 

4Then the Lord said to Moses, “I am going to rain bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. This way I will test them to see whether or not they will follow My instructions.  5On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather on other days.” 

6So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites: “This evening you will know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt;  7in the morning you will see the Lord’s glory because He has heard your complaints about Him. For who are we that you complain about us? ”  8Moses continued, “The Lord will give you meat to eat this evening and more than enough bread in the morning, for He has heard the complaints that you are raising against Him. Who are we? Your complaints are not against us but against the Lord.” 

9Then Moses told Aaron, “Say to the entire Israelite community, ‘Come before the Lord, for He has heard your complaints.’ ” 10As Aaron was speaking to the entire Israelite community, they turned toward the wilderness, and there in a cloud the Lord’s glory appeared. 

11The Lord spoke to Moses, 12“I have heard the complaints of the Israelites. Tell them: At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will eat bread until you are full. Then you will know that I am Yahweh your God.”

13So at evening quail  came and covered the camp. In the morning there was a layer of dew all around the camp. 14When the layer of dew evaporated, there were fine flakes on the desert surface, as fine as frost on the ground. 15When the Israelites saw it, they asked one another, “What is it? ” because they didn’t know what it was.

Moses told them, “It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat.  16This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Gather as much of it as each person needs to eat. You may take two quarts  per individual, according to the number of people each of you has in his tent.’ ”

17So the Israelites did this. Some gathered a lot, some a little. 18When they measured it by quarts,  the person who gathered a lot had no surplus, and the person who gathered a little had no shortage. Each gathered as much as he needed to eat.  19Moses said to them, “No one is to let any of it remain until morning.” 20But they didn’t listen to Moses; some people left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and smelled. Therefore Moses was angry with them.

21They gathered it every morning. Each gathered as much as he needed to eat, but when the sun grew hot, it melted. 22On the sixth day they gathered twice as much food, four quarts  apiece, and all the leaders of the community came and reported this to Moses. 23He told them, “This is what the Lord has said: ‘Tomorrow is a day of complete rest, a holy Sabbath  to the Lord. Bake what you want to bake, and boil what you want to boil, and set aside everything left over to be kept until morning.’ ”

24So they set it aside until morning as Moses commanded, and it didn’t smell or have any maggots in it. 25“Eat it today,” Moses said, “because today is a Sabbath to the Lord. Today you won’t find any in the field. 26For six days you may gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will be none.”

27Yet on the seventh day some of the people went out to gather, but they did not find any. 28Then the Lord said to Moses, “How long will you  refuse to keep My commands  and instructions? 29Understand that the Lord has given you the Sabbath; therefore on the sixth day He will give you two days’ worth of bread. Each of you stay where you are; no one is to leave his place on the seventh day.” 30So the people rested on the seventh day.

31The house of Israel named the substance manna.   It resembled coriander seed, was white, and tasted like wafers made with honey. 32Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Two quarts  of it are to be preserved throughout your generations, so that they may see the bread I fed you in the wilderness when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.’ ”

33Moses told Aaron, “Take a container and put two quarts  of manna in it. Then place it before the Lord to be preserved throughout your generations.” 34As the Lord commanded Moses, Aaron placed it before the testimony  to be preserved.

35The Israelites ate manna for 40 years, until they came to an inhabited land. They ate manna until they reached the border of the land of Canaan.  36(Two quarts are  a tenth of an ephah.)

EXODUS 17

Water from the Rock

1The entire Israelite community left the Wilderness of Sin, moving from one place to the next according to the Lord’s command. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink.  2So the people complained to Moses, “Give us water to drink.”

“Why are you complaining to me? ” Moses replied to them. “Why are you testing  the Lord? ”

3But the people thirsted there for water, and grumbled against Moses. They said, “Why did you ever bring us out of Egypt to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst? ” 

4Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What should I do with these people? In a little while they will stone me! ” 

5The Lord answered Moses, “Go on ahead of the people and take some of the elders of Israel with you. Take the staff you struck the Nile with in your hand and go. 6I am going to stand there in front of you on the rock at Horeb; when you hit the rock, water  will come out of it and the people will drink.” Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7He named the place Massah  and Meribah   because the Israelites complained, and because they tested the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us or not? ”

The Amalekites Attack

8At Rephidim, Amalek   came and fought against Israel. 9Moses said to Joshua,  “Select some men for us and go fight against Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the hilltop with God’s staff in my hand.”

10Joshua did as Moses had told him, and fought against Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11While Moses held up his hand,  Israel prevailed, but whenever he put his hand  down, Amalek prevailed.  12When Moses’ hands grew heavy, they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat down on it. Then Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other so that his hands remained steady until the sun went down. 13So Joshua defeated Amalek and his army  with the sword.

14The Lord then said to Moses, “Write this down on a scroll as a reminder and recite it to Joshua: I will completely blot out the memory of Amalek under heaven.” 

15And Moses built an altar  and named it, “The Lord Is My Banner.”  16He said, “Indeed, my hand is lifted up toward  the Lord’s throne. The Lord will be at war with Amalek from generation to generation.”

EXODUS 18

Jethro’s Visit

1Moses’ father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian,  heard about everything that God had done for Moses and His people Israel, and how the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt.

2Now Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, had taken in Zipporah,  Moses’ wife, after he had sent her back, 3along with her two sons, one of whom was named Gershom (because Moses had said, “I have been a foreigner in a foreign land”)   4and the other Eliezer (because he had said, “The God of my father was my helper and delivered me from Pharaoh’s sword”). 

5Moses’ father-in-law Jethro, along with Moses’ wife and sons, came to him in the wilderness where he was camped at the mountain of God.  6He sent word to Moses, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons.”

7So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, bowed down,  and then kissed him. They asked each other how they had been  and went into the tent. 8Moses recounted to his father-in-law all that the Lord had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, all the hardships that confronted them on the way, and how the Lord delivered them. 

9Jethro rejoiced over all the good things the Lord had done for Israel when He rescued them from the power of the Egyptians. 10“Praise the Lord,”  Jethro exclaimed, “who rescued you from Pharaoh and the power of the Egyptians and snatched the people from the power of the Egyptians. 11Now I know that Yahweh is greater than all gods, because He did wonders when the Egyptians acted arrogantly against Israel.”  

12Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and sacrifices to God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat a meal with Moses’ father-in-law in God’s presence.

13The next day Moses sat down to judge the people, and they stood around Moses from morning until evening. 14When Moses’ father-in-law saw everything he was doing for them he asked, “What is this thing you’re doing for the people? Why are you alone sitting as judge, while all the people stand around you from morning until evening? ”

15Moses replied to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God. 16Whenever they have a dispute, it comes to me, and I make a decision between one man and another. I teach them God’s statutes and laws.” 

17“What you’re doing is not good,” Moses’ father-in-law said to him. 18“You will certainly wear out both yourself and these people who are with you, because the task is too heavy for you. You can’t do it alone.  19Now listen to me; I will give you some advice, and God be with you. You be the one to represent the people before God and bring their cases to Him. 20Instruct them about the statutes and laws, and teach them the way to live and what they must do.  21But you should select from all the people able men, God-fearing, trustworthy, and hating bribes.  Place them over the people as commanders of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens.  22They should judge the people at all times. Then they can bring you every important case but judge every minor case themselves. In this way you will lighten your load,  and they will bear it with you.  23If you do this, and God so directs you, you will be able to endure, and also all these people will be able to go home satisfied.” 

24Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said. 25So Moses chose able men from all Israel and made them leaders over the people as commanders of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. 26They judged the people at all times; they would bring the hard cases to Moses, but they would judge every minor case themselves.

27Then Moses said good-bye to his father-in-law, and he journeyed to his own land. 

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MATTHEW 19

The Rich Young Ruler

16Just then someone came up and asked Him,  “Teacher, what good must I do to have eternal life? ” 

17“Why do you ask Me about what is good? ”  He said to him. “There is only One who is good.  If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” 

18“Which ones? ” he asked Him. Jesus answered:

Do not murder;

do not commit adultery;

do not steal;

do not bear false witness; 

19honor your father and your mother;

and love your neighbor as yourself.  

20“I have kept all these,”  the young man told Him. “What do I still lack? ”

21“If you want to be perfect,”  Jesus said to him, “go, sell your belongings and give to the poor,  and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.”

22When the young man heard that command, he went away grieving, because he had many possessions.

Possessions and the Kingdom

23Then Jesus said to His disciples, “I assure you: It will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven!  24Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 

25When the disciples heard this, they were utterly astonished and asked, “Then who can be saved? ”

26But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” 

27Then Peter responded to Him, “Look, we have left everything and followed You. So what will there be for us? ”

28Jesus said to them, “I assure you: In the Messianic Age,   when the Son of Man sits on His glorious throne,  you who have followed Me will also sit on 12 thrones, judging the 12 tribes of Israel. 29And everyone who has left houses, brothers or sisters, father or mother,  children, or fields because of My name will receive 100 times more and will inherit eternal life.  30But many who are first will be last, and the last first.