Today's Readings and Stuff-- Friday, 19 February 2021

This has been a heck of a week, hasn't it.  Ice storms, bitter cold, illnesses, all kinds of stuff.  We've made it through, so far at least.  Even got some of the ice chipped off the drive and walkways and can get outside and to the car.  Spent an hour or so yesterday just getting the ice off of it, took it around the block to check.  Had to go to the Pharmacy today to pick up one of Wife's prescription refills after having gone through some hoops to get the doctor to authorize same.  Had another one, a VERY high dollar one delivered to us via FedEx, so she should be good on that for a month or two.  So it's not been a total waste of time.  And we've been asked to go next door tomorrow night so that Wife's niece and her husband can go to some event.  So we'll spend two or three hours there.  Be good for Wife and good for the kids too, we've been a big part of their lives about forever.  So it's good.

The readings below hit me hard for some reasons.  Take the portion from the Numbers.  This will be a record of 30-some years, in contrast to Exodus, the major portion of which covered just about a year.  Or Leviticus, which covered a pretty short section as the Lord transmitted the Law and the organization.  But the Numbers records the period of the change in the culture and the attitudes of this great assembly transitioning from slaves in Egypt to the Lord's host heading towards the Promised Land.  NOT an easy transition.  As we shall see.  And certainly not without some setbacks and bumps along the way.  But a "sea change" nonetheless.

Likewise, we see some pretty big stuff in the reading in Mark.  Jesus has called His disciples.  A term, by the way, for a condition that is, sadly, largely lost in our world.  Note that back when He was calling them, the use of the term "immediately" is often found.  And then He, with them in tow, was making quite a stir in the land.  Upsetting some of the "settled" arrangements.  So much so that the religious leaders, the Pharisees, found themselves making common cause with the Herodian loyalists.  Sadly, such arrangements are still to be found in modern times.  Examples are not hard to find, unfortunately.

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Numbers 1, 2

NUMBERS 1

The Census of Israel

1The Lord spoke to Moses in the tent of meeting  in the Wilderness of Sinai,  on the first day of the second month of the second year  after Israel’s departure from the land of Egypt: 2“Take a census  of the entire Israelite community by their clans and their ancestral houses, counting the names of every male one by one. 3You and Aaron are to register those who are 20 years old or more by their military divisions — everyone who can serve in Israel’s army.   4A man from each tribe is to be with you, each one the head of his ancestral house.  5These are the names of the men who are to assist you:

Elizur son of Shedeur  from Reuben;

6Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai from Simeon;

7Nahshon son of Amminadab from Judah;

8Nethanel son of Zuar from Issachar;

9Eliab son of Helon from Zebulun;

10from the sons of Joseph:

Elishama son of Ammihud from Ephraim,

Gamaliel son of Pedahzur from Manasseh;

11Abidan son of Gideoni from Benjamin;

12Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai from Dan;

13Pagiel son of Ochran from Asher;

14Eliasaph son of Deuel  from Gad;

15Ahira son of Enan from Naphtali.

16These are the men called from the community; they are leaders of their ancestral tribes,  the heads of Israel’s clans.” 

17So Moses and Aaron took these men who had been designated by name,  18and they assembled the whole community on the first day of the second month. They recorded their ancestry by their clans and their ancestral houses, counting one by one the names of those 20 years old or more, 19just as the Lord commanded Moses. He registered them in the Wilderness of Sinai:

20The descendants of Reuben,  the firstborn of Israel: according to their family records by their clans and their ancestral houses, counting one by one the names of every male 20 years old or more, everyone who could serve in the army, 21those registered for the tribe of Reuben numbered 46,500.

22The descendants of Simeon:  according to their family records by their clans and their ancestral houses, those registered counting one by one the names of every male 20 years old or more, everyone who could serve in the army, 23those registered for the tribe of Simeon numbered 59,300.

24The descendants of Gad:  according to their family records by their clans and their ancestral houses, counting the names of those 20 years old or more, everyone who could serve in the army, 25those registered for the tribe of Gad numbered 45,650.

26The descendants of Judah:  according to their family records by their clans and their ancestral houses, counting the names of those 20 years old or more, everyone who could serve in the army, 27those registered for the tribe of Judah numbered 74,600.

28The descendants of Issachar:  according to their family records by their clans and their ancestral houses, counting the names of those 20 years old or more, everyone who could serve in the army, 29those registered for the tribe of Issachar numbered 54,400.

30The descendants of Zebulun:  according to their family records by their clans and their ancestral houses, counting the names of those 20 years old or more, everyone who could serve in the army, 31those registered for the tribe of Zebulun numbered 57,400.

32The descendants of Joseph: 

The descendants of Ephraim:  according to their family records by their clans and their ancestral houses, counting the names of those 20 years old or more, everyone who could serve in the army, 33those registered for the tribe of Ephraim numbered 40,500.

34The descendants of Manasseh:  according to their family records by their clans and their ancestral houses, counting the names of those 20 years old or more, everyone who could serve in the army, 35those registered for the tribe of Manasseh numbered 32,200.

36The descendants of Benjamin:  according to their family records by their clans and their ancestral houses, counting the names of those 20 years old or more, everyone who could serve in the army, 37those registered for the tribe of Benjamin numbered 35,400.

38The descendants of Dan:  according to their family records by their clans and their ancestral houses, counting the names of those 20 years old or more, everyone who could serve in the army, 39those registered for the tribe of Dan numbered 62,700.

40The descendants of Asher:  according to their family records by their clans and their ancestral houses, counting the names of those 20 years old or more, everyone who could serve in the army, 41those registered for the tribe of Asher numbered 41,500.

42The descendants of Naphtali:  according to their family records by their clans and their ancestral houses, counting the names of those 20 years old or more, everyone who could serve in the army, 43those registered for the tribe of Naphtali numbered 53,400.

44These are the men Moses and Aaron registered, with the assistance of the 12 leaders of Israel; each represented his ancestral house. 45So all the Israelites 20 years old or more, everyone who could serve in Israel’s army, were registered by their ancestral houses. 46All those registered numbered 603,550. 

Duties of the Levites

47But the Levites  were not registered with them by their ancestral tribe. 48For the Lord had told Moses: 49“Do not register or take a census of the tribe of Levi with the other Israelites. 50Appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of the testimony, all its furnishings, and everything in it. They are to transport the tabernacle and all its articles, take care of it, and camp around it. 51Whenever the tabernacle is to move, the Levites are to take it down, and whenever it is to stop at a campsite, the Levites are to set it up. Any unauthorized  person who comes near it must be put to death. 

52“The Israelites are to camp by their military divisions, each man with his encampment and under his banner. 53The Levites are to camp around the tabernacle of the testimony and watch over it, so that no wrath will fall on the Israelite community.”  54The Israelites did everything just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

NUMBERS 2

Organization of the Camps

1The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron: 2“The Israelites are to camp under their respective banners beside the flags of their ancestral houses. They are to camp around the tent of meeting at a distance from it:

3Judah’s military divisions  will camp on the east side toward the sunrise under their banner. The leader of the descendants of Judah is Nahshon  son of Amminadab. 4His military division numbers 74,600. 5The tribe of Issachar will camp next to it. The leader of the Issacharites is Nethanel son of Zuar. 6His military division numbers 54,400. 7The tribe of Zebulun will be next. The leader of the Zebulunites is Eliab son of Helon. 8His military division numbers 57,400. 9The total number in their military divisions who belong to Judah’s encampment is 186,400; they will move out first.

10Reuben’s military divisions will camp on the south side under their banner. The leader of the Reubenites is Elizur son of Shedeur. 11His military division numbers 46,500. 12The tribe of Simeon will camp next to it. The leader of the Simeonites is Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai. 13His military division numbers 59,300. 14The tribe of Gad will be next. The leader of the Gadites is Eliasaph son of Deuel.  15His military division numbers 45,650. 16The total number in their military divisions who belong to Reuben’s encampment is 151,450; they will move out second.

17The tent of meeting is to move out with the Levites’ camp, which is in the middle of the camps. They are to move out just as they camp, each in his place,  with their banners.

18Ephraim’s military divisions will camp on the west side under their banner. The leader of the Ephraimites is Elishama son of Ammihud. 19His military division numbers 40,500. 20The tribe of Manasseh will be next to it. The leader of the Manassites is Gamaliel son of Pedahzur. 21His military division numbers 32,200. 22The tribe of Benjamin will be next. The leader of the Benjaminites is Abidan son of Gideoni. 23His military division numbers 35,400. 24The total in their military divisions who belong to Ephraim’s encampment number 108,100; they will move out third.

25Dan’s military divisions will camp on the north side under their banner. The leader of the Danites is Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai. 26His military division numbers 62,700. 27The tribe of Asher will camp next to it. The leader of the Asherites is Pagiel son of Ochran. 28His military division numbers 41,500. 29The tribe of Naphtali will be next. The leader of the Naphtalites is Ahira son of Enan. 30His military division numbers 53,400. 31The total number who belong to Dan’s encampment is 157,600; they are to move out last, with their banners.”

32These are the Israelites registered by their ancestral houses. The total number in the camps by their military divisions is 603,550. 33But the Levites were not registered among the Israelites, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 

34The Israelites did everything the Lord commanded Moses; they camped by their banners in this way and moved out the same way, each man by his clan and by his ancestral house. 

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Mark 3:1-21

MARK 3

The Man with the Paralyzed Hand

1Now  He entered the synagogue  again, and a man was there who had a paralyzed  hand. 2In order to accuse  Him, they were watching Him closely  to see whether He would heal  him on the Sabbath.  3He told the man with the paralyzed hand, “Stand before us.”  4Then He said to them, “Is it lawful  on the Sabbath to do what is good  or to do what is evil,  to save life  or to kill? ”  But they were silent.  5After looking around at them with anger  and sorrow at the hardness  of their hearts, He told the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out, and his hand was restored.  6Immediately the Pharisees  went out and started plotting  with the Herodians  against Him, how they might destroy  Him.

Ministering to the Multitude

7Jesus  departed with His disciples to the sea, and a large crowd followed from Galilee,  Judea,  8Jerusalem,  Idumea, beyond the Jordan,  and around Tyre  and Sidon.  The large crowd came to Him because they heard about everything He was doing. 9Then He told His disciples to have a small boat  ready for Him, so the crowd would not crush Him. 10Since He had healed  many, all who had diseases were pressing toward Him to touch  Him. 11Whenever the unclean  spirits  saw Him, those possessed fell down  before Him and cried out, “You are the Son of God! ”  12And He would strongly warn  them not to make Him known. 

The 12 Apostles

13Then  He went up the mountain  and summoned those He wanted, and they came to Him. 14He also appointed 12 — He also named them apostles   — to be with Him, to send them out to preach,  15and to have authority to  drive out demons.

16He appointed the Twelve:  

To Simon,  He gave the name Peter; 

17and to James  the son of Zebedee, 

and to his brother John, 

He gave the name “Boanerges”

(that is, “Sons of Thunder” );

18Andrew; 

Philip  and Bartholomew;

Matthew  and Thomas; 

James the son of Alphaeus,

and Thaddaeus;

Simon the Zealot, 

19and Judas Iscariot,  

who also betrayed Him.

A House Divided

20Then He went home, and the crowd gathered again so that they were not even able to eat.  21When His family  heard this, they set out to restrain Him, because they said, “He’s out of His mind.”