Today's Readings and Stuff -- Wednesday, 13 June 2018

Mid-week already!  Nearing the mid-point of the year as well.   And, as bad from my standpoint, we are nearing the end of Spring, and approaching Summer.  The bad point of that is that it marks the longest "day" of the year, and from thence the "day" portion  of the 24 hour span begins to shorten, heading towards Winter, the shortest day.  Seems like a metaphor for Death.  Anyway, the "day" portion of Wednesday is 15 hours 6 minutes, gaining a mere 28 seconds by tomorrow.  And gaining even less the day thereafter.  A small thing, perhaps, to most.  But it's something that I watch, particularly since having retreated to the Frozen Lands.
Next-door Niece doesn't go in to work until around 4:30 p.m.  Husband is evidently not working his under-the-table job today, so the "sitting" with the kids (mostly the great-nephew) may not be an issue today or tomorrow.  So she's in "recovery mode" from yesterday.

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Today, chapters 11 and 12 of 2nd Kings.
This can be discouraging.  Should be, probably.   Plots and schemes, the pursuit of power, and some pretty awful conduct.  We see it today, of course:  the nature of un-regenerate people is the same now as it was a few thousand years ago.  And it's not always for high stakes like kingdoms and such.  I've seen conduct only slightly less awful for much lower stakes.  Most of us have.  I was watching earlier this very year some of the maneuvering within the royal house in Saudi-infested Arabia, with the current crown prince throwing a whole bunch of his brothers (or, properly, half-brothers, part of the result of plural marriage in these societies) into prison or at least into rough housing with guards preventing escape.

2nd Kings 11

1  And when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal.

2  But Jehosheba, the daughter of king Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king's sons which were slain; and they hid him, even him and his nurse, in the bedchamber from Athaliah, so that he was not slain.

3  And he was with her hid in the house of the Lord six years. And Athaliah did reign over the land.

4  And the seventh year Jehoiada sent and fetched the rulers over hundreds, with the captains and the guard, and brought them to him into the house of the Lord, and made a covenant with them, and took an oath of them in the house of the Lord, and shewed them the king's son.

5  And he commanded them, saying, This is the thing that ye shall do; A third part of you that enter in on the sabbath shall even be keepers of the watch of the king's house;

6  And a third part shall be at the gate of Sur; and a third part at the gate behind the guard: so shall ye keep the watch of the house, that it be not broken down.

7  And two parts of all you that go forth on the sabbath, even they shall keep the watch of the house of the Lord about the king.

8  And ye shall compass the king round about, every man with his weapons in his hand: and he that cometh within the ranges, let him be slain: and be ye with the king as he goeth out and as he cometh in.

9  And the captains over the hundreds did according to all things that Jehoiada the priest commanded: and they took every man his men that were to come in on the sabbath, with them that should go out on the sabbath, and came to Jehoiada the priest.

10  And to the captains over hundreds did the priest give king David's spears and shields, that were in the temple of the Lord.

11  And the guard stood, every man with his weapons in his hand, round about the king, from the right corner of the temple to the left corner of the temple, along by the altar and the temple.

12  And he brought forth the king's son, and put the crown upon him, and gave him the testimony; and they made him king, and anointed him; and they clapped their hands, and said, God save the king.

13  And when Athaliah heard the noise of the guard and of the people, she came to the people into the temple of the Lord.

14  And when she looked, behold, the king stood by a pillar, as the manner was, and the princes and the trumpeters by the king, and all the people of the land rejoiced, and blew with trumpets: and Athaliah rent her clothes, and cried, Treason, Treason.

15  But Jehoiada the priest commanded the captains of the hundreds, the officers of the host, and said unto them, Have her forth without the ranges: and him that followeth her kill with the sword. For the priest had said, Let her not be slain in the house of the Lord.

16  And they laid hands on her; and she went by the way by the which the horses came into the king's house: and there was she slain.

17  And Jehoiada made a covenant between the Lord and the king and the people, that they should be the Lord's people; between the king also and the people.

18  And all the people of the land went into the house of Baal, and brake it down; his altars and his images brake they in pieces thoroughly, and slew Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. And the priest appointed officers over the house of the Lord.

19  And he took the rulers over hundreds, and the captains, and the guard, and all the people of the land; and they brought down the king from the house of the Lord, and came by the way of the gate of the guard to the king's house. And he sat on the throne of the kings.

20  And all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was in quiet: and they slew Athaliah with the sword beside the king's house.

21  Seven years old was Jehoash when he began to reign.

2nd Kings 12

1  In the seventh year of Jehu Jehoash began to reign; and forty years reigned he in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Zibiah of Beer–sheba.

2  And Jehoash did that which was right in the sight of the Lord all his days wherein Jehoiada the priest instructed him.

3  But the high places were not taken away: the people still sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places.

4  And Jehoash said to the priests, All the money of the dedicated things that is brought into the house of the Lord, even the money of every one that passeth the account, the money that every man is set at, and all the money that cometh into any man's heart to bring into the house of the Lord

5  Let the priests take it to them, every man of his acquaintance: and let them repair the breaches of the house, wheresoever any breach shall be found.

6  But it was so, that in the three and twentieth year of king Jehoash the priests had not repaired the breaches of the house.

7  Then king Jehoash called for Jehoiada the priest, and the other priests, and said unto them, Why repair ye not the breaches of the house? now therefore receive no more money of your acquaintance, but deliver it for the breaches of the house.

8  And the priests consented to receive no more money of the people, neither to repair the breaches of the house.

9  But Jehoiada the priest took a chest, and bored a hole in the lid of it, and set it beside the altar, on the right side as one cometh into the house of the Lord: and the priests that kept the door put therein all the money that was brought into the house of the Lord.

10  And it was so, when they saw that there was much money in the chest, that the king's scribe and the high priest came up, and they put up in bags, and told the money that was found in the house of the Lord.

11  And they gave the money, being told, into the hands of them that did the work, that had the oversight of the house of the Lord: and they laid it out to the carpenters and builders, that wrought upon the house of the Lord,

12  And to masons, and hewers of stone, and to buy timber and hewed stone to repair the breaches of the house of the Lord, and for all that was laid out for the house to repair it.

13  Howbeit there were not made for the house of the Lord bowls of silver, snuffers, basins, trumpets, any vessels of gold, or vessels of silver, of the money that was brought into the house of the Lord:

14  But they gave that to the workmen, and repaired therewith the house of the Lord.

15  Moreover they reckoned not with the men, into whose hand they delivered the money to be bestowed on workmen: for they dealt faithfully.

16  The trespass money and sin money was not brought into the house of the Lord: it was the priests'.

17  Then Hazael king of Syria went up, and fought against Gath, and took it: and Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem.

18  And Jehoash king of Judah took all the hallowed things that Jehoshaphat, and Jehoram, and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own hallowed things, and all the gold that was found in the treasures of the house of the Lord, and in the king's house, and sent it to Hazael king of Syria: and he went away from Jerusalem.

19  And the rest of the acts of Joash, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

20  And his servants arose, and made a conspiracy, and slew Joash in the house of Millo, which goeth down to Silla.

21  For Jozachar the son of Shimeath, and Jehozabad the son of Shomer, his servants, smote him, and he died; and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David: and Amaziah his son reigned in his stead.

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Today, Psalm 118

Psalm 118

1  O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever.

2  Let Israel now say, that his mercy endureth for ever.

3  Let the house of Aaron now say, that his mercy endureth for ever.

4  Let them now that fear the Lord say, that his mercy endureth for ever.

5  I called upon the Lord in distress: the Lord answered me, and set me in a large place.

6  The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?

7  The Lord taketh my part with them that help me: therefore shall I see my desire upon them that hate me.

8  It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.

9  It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.

10  All nations compassed me about: but in the name of the Lord will I destroy them.

11  They compassed me about; yea, they compassed me about: but in the name of the Lord I will destroy them.

12  They compassed me about like bees; they are quenched as the fire of thorns: for in the name of the Lord I will destroy them.

13  Thou hast thrust sore at me that I might fall: but the Lord helped me.

14  The Lord is my strength and song, and is become my salvation.

15  The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tabernacles of the righteous: the right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly.

16  The right hand of the Lord is exalted: the right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly.

17  I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord.

18  The Lord hath chastened me sore: but he hath not given me over unto death.

19  Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will go into them, and I will praise the Lord:

20  This gate of the Lord, into which the righteous shall enter.

21  I will praise thee: for thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation.

22  The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.

23  This is the Lord's doing; it is marvellous in our eyes.

24  This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

25  Save now, I beseech thee, O Lord: O Lord, I beseech thee, send now prosperity.

26  Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the Lord: we have blessed you out of the house of the Lord.

27  God is the Lord, which hath shewed us light: bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar.

28  Thou art my God, and I will praise thee: thou art my God, I will exalt thee.

29  O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.

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Today, a new  beginning.  Chapter 1 in the Epistle to the Romans.
I've related this before, but ......
About 10 years ago, the kids got me a study Bible for Christmas (or birthday, there's only a 10-day difference).  The commentator prefaced Romans with an account of a great preacher who, upon assuming the pulpit at a new charge, opened his Bible and preached Romans 1, verse 1.  Week 2, he preached Romans 1, verse 2, and did not quite finish.  Week 3, he took up in verse 2 and continued in verse 3.  For three and a half years, he preached from the Epistle to the Romans, every week.  And, as the commentary related, the church exploded.  The pews were filled, as were the balconies and the galleries, and more besides.  Yes, the Good News can, and sometimes does, have that effect.  Why should we be surprised?  God at work, after all. This is, as we used to say, Good Stuff.  Get into it.  How would you present what is here??
Look at verse 1.  Look hard.  See that first word?  The word is "Paul".  But that was not the name  his earthly father gave him, is it?  No, his original name was "Saul".  The name "Saul" implies importance and status.  ,  The name "Paul" is anything but:  it means "small" and connotes humility.  What changed?  He had an encounter with the Lord, didn't he?  Yes.  And it changed him, changed his nature and attitude, changed what he was.  Meeting the Lord changes people.  Changes us.  Changed me.  It's supposed to.  And it changed his motivations and life direction.  As it should all of us.  He was "called".  He was "separated".  And he boldly and consistently proclaimed Jesus Christ thereafter.  As we should.   That was a very contentious thing even to say.  Still is.  What does it mean to be "called"?  What does it mean to be "separated"?  What is the "gospel of God"?
See what I mean?  This one verse is the subject of many sermons.  And life-changes.

But read the rest of the passage as well.  The world he describes sounds very much like ours.

Romans 1

1  Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,

2  (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,)

3  Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;

4  And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:

5  By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name:

6  Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ:

7  To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

8  First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.

9  For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers;

10  Making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you.

11  For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established;

12  That is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.

13  Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles.

14  I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise.

15  So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.

16  For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

17  For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

18  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

19  Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.

20  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

21  Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

22  Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

23  And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.

24  Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:

25  Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

26  For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:

27  And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.

28  And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;

29  Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,

30  Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,

31  Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:

32  Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

Today's Readings and Stuff -- Monday, 16 March, 2015

the last week of Winter and the day before St. Patrick's Day.  The latter is, at least in these parts, an excuse to drink to excess.  Not that some people around here need much excuse.  Not sure how this honors a historic religious figure, but then there are many things I do not understand, so what is one more added to the list.

The official end of winter interests me far more.  But we still have piles and piles of snow on the ground here, a good bit of it right outside my door.  And that's after about a week of temperatures above freezing: we're supposed to hit 62 here today.  I hope the snow is gone by end of week, but we were told yesterday that there is a chance of snow showers or "freezing mix" tomorrow, which I could do without.  Living in the part of the nation "famous" for having the most overcast skies in the Lower 48, the thought of blue skies and sunshine seems a forlorn hope, but you never know.

Dear Wife is next door, "watching" the beloved grand-niece.  I am trying to deal with some of the accumulated mess that seems to pile up every winter in this cave dwelling of ours.  An awful lot like cleaning out a cow barn, though it does smell better than that:  I have done that too.

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The Old Testament reading is chapter 28 of Deuteronomy. 

Deuteronomy 28

1	And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:
2	And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.
3	Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.
4	Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.
5	Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store.
6	Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.
7	The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways.
8	The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
9	The LORD shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, and walk in his ways.
10	And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee.
11	And the LORD shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers to give thee.
12	The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow.
13	And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them:
14	And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.
15	But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:
16	Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field.
17	Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store.
18	Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.
19	Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and cursed shalt thou be when thou goest out.
20	The LORD shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me.
21	The LORD shall make the pestilence cleave unto thee, until he have consumed thee from off the land, whither thou goest to possess it.
22	The LORD shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish.
23	And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron.
24	The LORD shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed.
25	The LORD shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies: thou shalt go out one way against them, and flee seven ways before them: and shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth.
26	And thy carcass shall be meat unto all fowls of the air, and unto the beasts of the earth, and no man shall fray them away.
27	The LORD will smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed.
28	The LORD shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart:
29	And thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy ways: and thou shalt be only oppressed and spoiled evermore, and no man shall save thee.
30	Thou shalt betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her: thou shalt build an house, and thou shalt not dwell therein: thou shalt plant a vineyard, and shalt not gather the grapes thereof.
31	Thine ox shall be slain before thine eyes, and thou shalt not eat thereof: thine ass shall be violently taken away from before thy face, and shall not be restored to thee: thy sheep shall be given unto thine enemies, and thou shalt have none to rescue them.
32	Thy sons and thy daughters shall be given unto another people, and thine eyes shall look, and fail with longing for them all the day long; and there shall be no might in thine hand.
33	The fruit of thy land, and all thy labors, shall a nation which thou knowest not eat up; and thou shalt be only oppressed and crushed alway:
34	So that thou shalt be mad for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.
35	The LORD shall smite thee in the knees, and in the legs, with a sore botch that cannot be healed, from the sole of thy foot unto the top of thy head.
36	The LORD shall bring thee, and thy king which thou shalt set over thee, unto a nation which neither thou nor thy fathers have known; and there shalt thou serve other gods, wood and stone.
37	And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations whither the LORD shall lead thee.
38	Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and shalt gather but little in; for the locust shall consume it.
39	Thou shalt plant vineyards, and dress them, but shalt neither drink of the wine, nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them.
40	Thou shalt have olive trees throughout all thy coasts, but thou shalt not anoint thyself with the oil; for thine olive shall cast his fruit.
41	Thou shalt beget sons and daughters, but thou shalt not enjoy them; for they shall go into captivity.
42	All thy trees and fruit of thy land shall the locust consume.
43	The stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee very high; and thou shalt come down very low.
44	He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him: he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail.
45	Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee:
46	And they shall be upon thee for a sign and for a wonder, and upon thy seed for ever.
47	Because thou servedst not the LORD thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things;
48	Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the LORD shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee.
49	The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand;
50	A nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor show favor to the young:
51	And he shall eat the fruit of thy cattle, and the fruit of thy land, until thou be destroyed: which also shall not leave thee either corn, wine, or oil, or the increase of thy kine, or flocks of thy sheep, until he have destroyed thee.
52	And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and fenced walls come down, wherein thou trustedst, throughout all thy land: and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land, which the LORD thy God hath given thee.
53	And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters, which the LORD thy God hath given thee, in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee:
54	So that the man that is tender among you, and very delicate, his eye shall be evil toward his brother, and toward the wife of his bosom, and toward the remnant of his children which he shall leave:
55	So that he will not give to any of them of the flesh of his children whom he shall eat: because he hath nothing left him in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee in all thy gates.
56	The tender and delicate woman among you, which would not adventure to set the sole of her foot upon the ground for delicateness and tenderness, her eye shall be evil toward the husband of her bosom, and toward her son, and toward her daughter,
57	And toward her young one that cometh out from between her feet, and toward her children which she shall bear: for she shall eat them for want of all things secretly in the siege and straitness, wherewith thine enemy shall distress thee in thy gates.
58	If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, THE LORD THY GOD;
59	Then the LORD will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed, even great plagues, and of long continuance, and sore sicknesses, and of long continuance.
60	Moreover he will bring upon thee all the diseases of Egypt, which thou wast afraid of; and they shall cleave unto thee.
61	Also every sickness, and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law, them will the LORD bring upon thee, until thou be destroyed.
62	And ye shall be left few in number, whereas ye were as the stars of heaven for multitude; because thou wouldest not obey the voice of the LORD thy God.
63	And it shall come to pass, that as the LORD rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so the LORD will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to bring you to nought; and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest to possess it.
64	And the LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone.
65	And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the LORD shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind:
66	And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life:
67	In the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were even! and at even thou shalt say, Would God it were morning! for the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.
68	And the LORD shall bring thee into Egypt again with ships, by the way whereof I spake unto thee, Thou shalt see it no more again: and there ye shall be sold unto your enemies for bondmen and bondwomen, and no man shall buy you.

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The New Testament reading is verses 27-47 in Mark chapter 15.  We will conclude Mark tomorrow, Lord willing.
This is the death and burial of Jesus the Christ.  It is dark and somber, as dark and somber a time as the world has ever seen.  But ......

Mark 15:27-47

27	And with him they crucify two thieves; the one on his right hand, and the other on his left.
28	And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors.
29	And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days,
30	Save thyself, and come down from the cross.
31	Likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes, He saved others; himself he cannot save.
32	Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him.
33	And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.
34	And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
35	And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calleth Elias.
36	And one ran and filled a spunge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let alone; let us see whether Elias will come to take him down.
37	And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost.
38	And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.
39	And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God.
40	There were also women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome;
41	(Who also, when he was in Galilee, followed him, and ministered unto him;) and many other women which came up with him unto Jerusalem.
42	And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath,
43	Joseph of Arimathaea, an honourable counsellor, which also waited for the kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus.
44	And Pilate marvelled if he were already dead: and calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any while dead.
45	And when he knew it of the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph.
46	And he bought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulchre which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulchre.
47	And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses beheld where he was laid.

Today's Readings and Stuff -- Friday, 06 February, 2015

early afternoon here, and the tmep is all the way up to 23 degrees, if you can imagine it.  Our former home in the Deep South is now registering 48.  Not hot, but not freezing.  

I had to run to bank this morning -- had a bill that needed to be paid by noon and had to put some money in the account to do it -- and found the car doors frozen shut.  Climbed in through back hatch, crawled over seats, and was able to bang the driver door enough to get it open.  Scraped a whole lot of snow and ice off the windows so I could see, made the trip, and came back.  Main roads in pretty good shape as far as snow and ice.

The roads themselves, meaning the roadway surface, not so much.  Craters and potholes, some quite large, everywhere.  Part of living around here.  And that's not completely a function just of the awful weather.  As some know, my background is as a mechanical engineer, with emphasis on manufacturing systems, with some design work in matters directed specifically to that.  So I haven't designed, say, pumps or engines or furnaces or such.  What I have done is design and optimize systems incorporating such and more into larger systems and means to employ them efficiently towards manufacturing other products. 
But my original dream was to be a Civil Engineer, to design and construct bridges, roads, buildings, water systems, and the like.  Not being from a wealthy family, I had to work while in school.  Not just to pay tuition and books and all of that, but to pay rent, buy a car and maintain it, buy food and clothes and pay the electric bill and all of that.  Took a while.  In the course of that, I found some employment with local operations that were involved in some aspects of the construction side of civil engineering projects in this region, and got a close-up view of How Things Are Done Here.  Having seen far more than I wished of the utter corruption, bribery, nepotism, incompetence, union thugs, Mafia thugs (literally), Democrat Party thugs (with considerable overlap with the two groups previous), and bad practices, I went down and changed my declared major.

Now, the reason I stuck that in there has to do with the roads and their condition.  Due in very large part to all the corruption, the money allocated for road construction and upkeep has some unusual if not well recorded expenses.  Like to pay off the Powers That Be to get the contract. Like to pay off the Inspectors so that the contractors et al can recoup their losses by skimping on the specs.  Like paying for the "featherbedding" of union workers.  Like a whole lot of similar things.  The methods and techniques and Best Practices for building and maintaining roads and bridges in this climate are fairly well known and documented.  And ignored.  The old joke, and it's not a joke, was that for example on a road surfacing project, the inspector would be a college student (I knew a few) there to ensure, for example, that the contract specification of 3" of asphaltic cement rolled and compacted to a thickness of 1-1/2", would be handed a hundred dollar bill at the start of the day's work, and be "asked" to get coffee for the crew, and no need to hurry back.  In other words, "take a hike and we'll see you tomorrow".  So a few minutes later, the asphalting machine would have the outlet opening cranked down to 2",  and off they'd go.  Joke was that the surfacing was so thin that the pavement at the start end of the overall job would be breaking up before the job was done at the far end.  And that was too often true.  Now factor in substandard road base, which among other things is part of the sub-surface drainage and support, and you have dips and stress fractures.  Which in turn provide a neat place for water to intrude.  Now add in the freeze-thaw cycle.  And you get awful roads with huge craters.  Now on top of all of that, add in the overweight trucks that ply the roads, leading to per-wheel loads greatly in excess of the roadway's capacity, and everything gets much worse, fast.
And this is accepted as "just the way it is here". 
And this is why culture counts and morals matter.  Bad character leads to a lot of things.

Dear Wife was supposed to accompany me on the trip to the bank.  Went outside to get in car and she started throwing up in the driveway.  So she's back in bed.  Has a big plastic bowl beside her in case the heaves come around again.  Such a life we have.

I drove by miles and miles of snow-covered woods and fields, no green or leaves or signs of life anywhere.  Under a gray and dismal sky, for which this area is justly noted.  It is easy to see why so many people, sometimes including me, get despondent and discouraged during this season.  They have no hope.  Occasional happiness, often alcohol induced, but joy is very rare.  And that includes in the churches.  Lots of "cultural Christians", though fewer every year.  But very few "on fire" ones.  Doesn't take many, but we seem to be below the critical level.  Is that why we were sent here?

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The Old Testament reading is chapters 39 and 40 of the Exodus.  More on the construction and furnishing of the Tabernacle and the system of worship to be carried out by the Lord's people in their journey and, indeed, until the Temple.  And even then, in that far-distant time, the pattern was set.  By the Lord, This was not a time for "do your own thing", this was a time to pay close attention to what the Lord said.
Note something here, something we rarely notice.  There are commands here about washing their clothes and themselves.  Remember where they were?  In the desert!!  No laundromats around, no boxes of Tide or whatever, no hot showers.  Not much water either, which is normal in deserts.  The water to be used for this was precious and guarded.  And this use would probably make it unsuitable for drinking or any other normal use.  Think the Lord didn't know that?  Yet it was commanded, and I have to regard the use of it here as an act of worship.  But then, Who provided that water in the first place?  I think He's good for it.

Exodus 39 

1	And of the blue, and purple, and scarlet, they made cloths of service, to do service in the holy place, and made the holy garments for Aaron; as the LORD commanded Moses.
2	And he made the ephod of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen.
3	And they did beat the gold into thin plates, and cut it into wires, to work it in the blue, and in the purple, and in the scarlet, and in the fine linen, with cunning work.
4	They made shoulderpieces for it, to couple it together: by the two edges was it coupled together.
5	And the curious girdle of his ephod, that was upon it, was of the same, according to the work thereof; of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen; as the LORD commanded Moses.
6	And they wrought onyx stones inclosed in ouches of gold, graven, as signets are graven, with the names of the children of Israel.
7	And he put them on the shoulders of the ephod, that they should be stones for a memorial to the children of Israel; as the LORD commanded Moses.
8	And he made the breastplate of cunning work, like the work of the ephod; of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen.
9	It was foursquare; they made the breastplate double: a span was the length thereof, and a span the breadth thereof, being doubled.
10	And they set in it four rows of stones: the first row was a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle: this was the first row.
11	And the second row, an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond.
12	And the third row, a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst.
13	And the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper: they were inclosed in ouches of gold in their inclosings.
14	And the stones were according to the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a signet, every one with his name, according to the twelve tribes.
15	And they made upon the breastplate chains at the ends, of wreathed work of pure gold.
16	And they made two ouches of gold, and two gold rings; and put the two rings in the two ends of the breastplate.
17	And they put the two wreathed chains of gold in the two rings on the ends of the breastplate.
18	And the two ends of the two wreathed chains they fastened in the two ouches, and put them on the shoulderpieces of the ephod, before it.
19	And they made two rings of gold, and put them on the two ends of the breastplate, upon the border of it, which was on the side of the ephod inward.
20	And they made two other golden rings, and put them on the two sides of the ephod underneath, toward the forepart of it, over against the other coupling thereof, above the curious girdle of the ephod.
21	And they did bind the breastplate by his rings unto the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it might be above the curious girdle of the ephod, and that the breastplate might not be loosed from the ephod; as the LORD commanded Moses.
22	And he made the robe of the ephod of woven work, all of blue.
23	And there was an hole in the midst of the robe, as the hole of an habergeon, with a band round about the hole, that it should not rend.
24	And they made upon the hems of the robe pomegranates of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twined linen.
25	And they made bells of pure gold, and put the bells between the pomegranates upon the hem of the robe, round about between the pomegranates;
26	A bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate, round about the hem of the robe to minister in; as the LORD commanded Moses.
27	And they made coats of fine linen of woven work for Aaron, and for his sons,
28	And a mitre of fine linen, and goodly bonnets of fine linen, and linen breeches of fine twined linen,
29	And a girdle of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, of needlework; as the LORD commanded Moses.
30	And they made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and wrote upon it a writing, like to the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD.
31	And they tied unto it a lace of blue, to fasten it on high upon the mitre; as the LORD commanded Moses.
32	Thus was all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation finished: and the children of Israel did according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so did they.
33	And they brought the tabernacle unto Moses, the tent, and all his furniture, his taches, his boards, his bars, and his pillars, and his sockets,
34	And the covering of rams' skins dyed red, and the covering of badgers' skins, and the vail of the covering,
35	The ark of the testimony, and the staves thereof, and the mercy seat,
36	The table, and all the vessels thereof, and the showbread,
37	The pure candlestick, with the lamps thereof, even with the lamps to be set in order, and all the vessels thereof, and the oil for light,
38	And the golden altar, and the anointing oil, and the sweet incense, and the hanging for the tabernacle door,
39	The brazen altar, and his grate of brass, his staves, and all his vessels, the laver and his foot,
40	The hangings of the court, his pillars, and his sockets, and the hanging for the court gate, his cords, and his pins, and all the vessels of the service of the tabernacle, for the tent of the congregation,
41	The cloths of service to do service in the holy place, and the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and his sons' garments, to minister in the priest's office.
42	According to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so the children of Israel made all the work.
43	And Moses did look upon all the work, and, behold, they had done it as the LORD had commanded, even so had they done it: and Moses blessed them.

Exodus 40 

1	And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2	On the first day of the first month shalt thou set up the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation.
3	And thou shalt put therein the ark of the testimony, and cover the ark with the vail.
4	And thou shalt bring in the table, and set in order the things that are to be set in order upon it; and thou shalt bring in the candlestick, and light the lamps thereof.
5	And thou shalt set the altar of gold for the incense before the ark of the testimony, and put the hanging of the door to the tabernacle.
6	And thou shalt set the altar of the burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation.
7	And thou shalt set the laver between the tent of the congregation and the altar, and shalt put water therein.
8	And thou shalt set up the court round about, and hang up the hanging at the court gate.
9	And thou shalt take the anointing oil, and anoint the tabernacle, and all that is therein, and shalt hallow it, and all the vessels thereof: and it shall be holy.
10	And thou shalt anoint the altar of the burnt offering, and all his vessels, and sanctify the altar: and it shall be an altar most holy.
11	And thou shalt anoint the laver and his foot, and sanctify it.
12	And thou shalt bring Aaron and his sons unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and wash them with water.
13	And thou shalt put upon Aaron the holy garments, and anoint him, and sanctify him; that he may minister unto me in the priest's office.
14	And thou shalt bring his sons, and clothe them with coats:
15	And thou shalt anoint them, as thou didst anoint their father, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office: for their anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations.
16	Thus did Moses: according to all that the LORD commanded him, so did he.
17	And it came to pass in the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, that the tabernacle was reared up.
18	And Moses reared up the tabernacle, and fastened his sockets, and set up the boards thereof, and put in the bars thereof, and reared up his pillars.
19	And he spread abroad the tent over the tabernacle, and put the covering of the tent above upon it; as the LORD commanded Moses.
20	And he took and put the testimony into the ark, and set the staves on the ark, and put the mercy seat above upon the ark:
21	And he brought the ark into the tabernacle, and set up the vail of the covering, and covered the ark of the testimony; as the LORD commanded Moses.
22	And he put the table in the tent of the congregation, upon the side of the tabernacle northward, without the vail.
23	And he set the bread in order upon it before the LORD; as the LORD had commanded Moses.
24	And he put the candlestick in the tent of the congregation, over against the table, on the side of the tabernacle southward.
25	And he lighted the lamps before the LORD; as the LORD commanded Moses.
26	And he put the golden altar in the tent of the congregation before the vail:
27	And he burnt sweet incense thereon; as the LORD commanded Moses.
28	And he set up the hanging at the door of the tabernacle.
29	And he put the altar of burnt offering by the door of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation, and offered upon it the burnt offering and the meat offering; as the LORD commanded Moses.
30	And he set the laver between the tent of the congregation and the altar, and put water there, to wash withal.
31	And Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet thereat:
32	When they went into the tent of the congregation, and when they came near unto the altar, they washed; as the LORD commanded Moses.
33	And he reared up the court round about the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the hanging of the court gate. So Moses finished the work.
34	Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.
35	And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.
36	And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys:
37	But if the cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up.
38	For the cloud of the LORD was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.

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The New Testament reading is verses 1-22 of the 24th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew.  Jesus is talking about some things that are of interest to all of us, the prophetic future. 

Matthew 24:1-22

1	And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.
2	And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
3	And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
4	And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
5	For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
6	And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7	For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8	All these are the beginning of sorrows.
9	Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.
10	And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
11	And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
12	And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
13	But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
14	And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
15	When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
16	Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
17	Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:
18	Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.
19	And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
20	But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:
21	For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22	And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.