Today's Readings and Stuff -- Tuesday, 20 February 2018

AMAZING what a good night's sleep does for you.  We shut the cats out of the bedroom when we headed that way.  They fussed and complained for a good while, which we ignored.  So we didn't have a small girl cat roaming over us beginning around 04:30, nor a larger boy cat "doing his business" on the blankets (or on me).  But we also didn't have any heat in there: all our heat comes from a gas fireplace in the living room.  But it was (by local standards) a reasonably "warm" night for this time of year.  So we went down like trees.  I hadn't had a good night sleep since late last week, so it was most welcome.

Later today, off to the doctor's office.  A reprise of the visit last month, which necessitated some "labs" for both of us and a mammogram for her.  Results were shared with us electronically, and appear OK.
And she has another doctor appointment a week hence, an endocrinologist.  Part of the reality of her "complex condition".

My Social Security check hit the bank this morning, so she's busily electronically paying the seriously overdue utility bills.  And also ordering refills on some of her meds.  The intent/hope/plan is to swing by the grocery store en route home from the doctor and pick up a couple  of on-sale items.  She's VERY good at this.

In my early movement this morning, I came across a quote from the estimable J. C. Ryle:

"We must beware of thinking too much about our meals, our furniture, our houses, and all those many things which concern the life of the body.  We must strive to live like people whose first thoughts are about the immortal soul.  We must endeavor to pass through the world like people who are not yet at home, and are not so troubled about the fare they meet with on the road and at the inn.  Blessed are they who feel like pilgrims and strangers in this life, and whose best things are all to come!"

That's beyond dispute.
Now, having said that, we still have to pay the correct amount of attention to the world.  Faith in the Lord does not excuse us from looking  both ways before crossing the street, and there are other realities we have to recognize.  The key of course is that little word "correct".

And, this morning in bed, two songs, neither of them in some of the hymnals.  Worthwhile still.
Pay attention to the words, please do.


Stayed Upon Jehovah    a congregational singing version of it here. 
this one is in some hymnals.  Not all.

Like a river glorious, is God's perfect peace, 
Over all victorious, in its bright increase; 
Perfect, yet it floweth, fuller every day, 
Perfect, yet it groweth, deeper all the way. 

Stayed upon Jehovah, hearts are fully blest 
Finding, as He promised, perfect peace and rest. 

Hidden in the hollow of His blessed hand, 
Never foe can follow, never traitor stand; 
Not a surge of worry, not a shade of care, 
Not a blast of hurry touch the spirit there. 

Stayed upon Jehovah, hearts are fully blest 
Finding, as He promised, perfect peace and rest. 

Every joy or trial falleth from above, 
Traced upon our dial by the Sun of Love; 
We may trust Him fully all for us to do. 
They who trust Him wholly find Him wholly true. 

Stayed upon Jehovah, hearts are fully blest 
Finding, as He promised, perfect peace and rest.

and also,

Living He Loved Me

if that don't light your fire,  your wood's wet

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The Old Testament reading for the day is chapters 11 and 12 of Leviticus.  This begins with the commands regarding things like food that is permitted and that which is forbidden, and then gets into other matters, such as circumcision, even the timing of it.  I understand that some countries, and I believe that Iceland is one of them, that are banning the practice of circumcision.  Probably a way of further oppressing their small Jewish population:  I note that the barbarism of female genital mutilation (which is NOT a parallel, by the way), is NOT being forbidden.   Another example of "selective outrage", such idiocy being frequent among the liberals.

 Leviticus 11

 1  And the Lord spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying unto them,

2  Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, These are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth.

3  Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that shall ye eat.

4  Nevertheless these shall ye not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the hoof: as the camel, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.

5  And the coney, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.

6  And the hare, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.

7  And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean to you.

8  Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcase shall ye not touch; they are unclean to you.

9  These shall ye eat of all that are in the waters: whatsoever hath fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, them shall ye eat.

10  And all that have not fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers, of all that move in the waters, and of any living thing which is in the waters, they shall be an abomination unto you:

11  They shall be even an abomination unto you; ye shall not eat of their flesh, but ye shall have their carcases in abomination.

12  Whatsoever hath no fins nor scales in the waters, that shall be an abomination unto you.

13  And these are they which ye shall have in abomination among the fowls; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray,

14  And the vulture, and the kite after his kind;

15  Every raven after his kind;

16  And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind,

17  And the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl,

18  And the swan, and the pelican, and the gier eagle,

19  And the stork, the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat.

20  All fowls that creep, going upon all four, shall be an abomination unto you.

21  Yet these may ye eat of every flying creeping thing that goeth upon all four, which have legs above their feet, to leap withal upon the earth;

22  Even these of them ye may eat; the locust after his kind, and the bald locust after his kind, and the beetle after his kind, and the grasshopper after his kind.

23  But all other flying creeping things, which have four feet, shall be an abomination unto you.

24  And for these ye shall be unclean: whosoever toucheth the carcase of them shall be unclean until the even.

25  And whosoever beareth ought of the carcase of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even.

26  The carcases of every beast which divideth the hoof, and is not clovenfooted, nor cheweth the cud, are unclean unto you: every one that toucheth them shall be unclean.

27  And whatsoever goeth upon his paws, among all manner of beasts that go on all four, those are unclean unto you: whoso toucheth their carcase shall be unclean until the even.

28  And he that beareth the carcase of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: they are unclean unto you.

29  These also shall be unclean unto you among the creeping things that creep upon the earth; the weasel, and the mouse, and the tortoise after his kind,

30  And the ferret, and the chameleon, and the lizard, and the snail, and the mole.

31  These are unclean to you among all that creep: whosoever doth touch them, when they be dead, shall be unclean until the even.

32  And upon whatsoever any of them, when they are dead, doth fall, it shall be unclean; whether it be any vessel of wood, or raiment, or skin, or sack, whatsoever vessel it be, wherein any work is done, it must be put into water, and it shall be unclean until the even; so it shall be cleansed.

33  And every earthen vessel, whereinto any of them falleth, whatsoever is in it shall be unclean; and ye shall break it.

34  Of all meat which may be eaten, that on which such water cometh shall be unclean: and all drink that may be drunk in every such vessel shall be unclean.

35  And every thing whereupon any part of their carcase falleth shall be unclean; whether it be oven, or ranges for pots, they shall be broken down: for they are unclean, and shall be unclean unto you.

36  Nevertheless a fountain or pit, wherein there is plenty of water, shall be clean: but that which toucheth their carcase shall be unclean.

37  And if any part of their carcase fall upon any sowing seed which is to be sown, it shall be clean.

38  But if any water be put upon the seed, and any part of their carcase fall thereon, it shall be unclean unto you.

39  And if any beast, of which ye may eat, die; he that toucheth the carcase thereof shall be unclean until the even.

40  And he that eateth of the carcase of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: he also that beareth the carcase of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even.

41  And every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth shall be an abomination; it shall not be eaten.

42  Whatsoever goeth upon the belly, and whatsoever goeth upon all four, or whatsoever hath more feet among all creeping things that creep upon the earth, them ye shall not eat; for they are an abomination.

43  Ye shall not make yourselves abominable with any creeping thing that creepeth, neither shall ye make yourselves unclean with them, that ye should be defiled thereby.yourselves abominable

44  For I am the Lord your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

45  For I am the Lord that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.

46  This is the law of the beasts, and of the fowl, and of every living creature that moveth in the waters, and of every creature that creepeth upon the earth:

47  To make a difference between the unclean and the clean, and between the beast that may be eaten and the beast that may not be eaten.

Leviticus 12

 1  And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

2  Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a woman have conceived seed, and born a man child: then she shall be unclean seven days; according to the days of the separation for her infirmity shall she be unclean.

3  And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.

4  And she shall then continue in the blood of her purifying three and thirty days; she shall touch no hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying be fulfilled.

5  But if she bear a maid child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her separation: and she shall continue in the blood of her purifying threescore and six days.

6  And when the days of her purifying are fulfilled, for a son, or for a daughter, she shall bring a lamb of the first year for a burnt offering, and a young pigeon, or a turtledove, for a sin offering, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, unto the priest

7  Who shall offer it before the Lord, and make an atonement for her; and she shall be cleansed from the issue of her blood. This is the law for her that hath born a male or a female.

8  And if she be not able to bring a lamb, then she shall bring two turtles, or two young pigeons; the one for the burnt offering, and the other for a sin offering: and the priest shall make an atonement for her, and she shall be clean

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Today, Psalm 37

Psalm 37

A Psalm of David.

1  Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.

2  For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.

3  Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed

4  Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

5  Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

6  And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.

7  Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

8  Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.

9  For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.

10  For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.

11  But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

12  The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth.plotteth: or, practiseth

13  The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming.

14  The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation.such…: Heb. the upright of way

15  Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken.

16  A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked.

17  For the arms of the wicked shall be broken: but the Lord upholdeth the righteous.

18  The Lord knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever.

19  They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.

20  But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.the fat: Heb. the preciousness

21  The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth.

22  For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off.

23  The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.ordered: or, established

24  Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.

25  I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.

26  He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed.ever: Heb. all the day

27  Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore.

28  For the Lord loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.

29  The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.

30  The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment.

31  The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.steps: or, goings

32  The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him.

33  The Lord will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged.

34  Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.

35  I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree

36  Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.

37  Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace.

38  But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off.

39  But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord: he is their strength in the time of trouble.

40  And the Lord shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.

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The New Testament reading today is chapter 9 in the Gospel of Mark.
The Transfiguration.   Need I say more?   That is certainly one of those "I wish I could have been there" moments.  ( and that's the title of a great song too).  But, again, remember that of those present at that wonderful moment, when things got tough, they all ran like rabbits.  Would I, would any of us, have done better?  Not sure, which is a terrible reproach.

 Mark 9

1  And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.

2  And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them.

3  And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them.

4  And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus.

5  And Peter answered and said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.

6  For he wist not what to say; for they were sore afraid.

7  And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him.

8  And suddenly, when they had looked round about, they saw no man any more, save Jesus only with themselves.

9  And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead.

10  And they kept that saying with themselves, questioning one with another what the rising from the dead should mean.

11  And they asked him, saying, Why say the scribes that Elias must first come?

12  And he answered and told them, Elias verily cometh first, and restoreth all things; and how it is written of the Son of man, that he must suffer many things, and be set at nought.

13  But I say unto you, That Elias is indeed come, and they have done unto him whatsoever they listed, as it is written of him.

14  And when he came to his disciples, he saw a great multitude about them, and the scribes questioning with them.

15  And straightway all the people, when they beheld him, were greatly amazed, and running to him saluted him.

16 And he asked the scribes, What question ye with them?

17  And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit;

18  And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not.

19  He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me.

20  And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming.

21And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child.

22And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us.

23Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.

24And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

25When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him.

26And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead.

27But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose.

28And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out?

29  And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.

30 And they departed thence, and passed through Galilee; and he would not that any man should know it.

31For he taught his disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day.

32But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask him.

33And he came to Capernaum: and being in the house he asked them, What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way?

34But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest.

35  And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.

36And he took a child, and set him in the midst of them: and when he had taken him in his arms, he said unto them,

37 Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me.

38And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us.

39  But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me.

40 For he that is not against us is on our part.

41 For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.

42 And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.

43 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:

44 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

45 And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:

46 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

47 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire:

48 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

49 For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt.

50 Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.

Today's Reading and Stuff --- Sunday, 11 February 2018

ICE on the roads.  A good bit of it.  Church services iffy, Bible study cancelled.  As of this moment, no sign of road trucks on our street, a hill.  I may be staying home today.

This week will have a weird juxtaposition of two events.  This coming Wednesday, February 14th, will be Ash Wednesday AND it will also be St. Valentine's Day.
 
I grew up in a VERY conservative Christian denomination.  We recognized and celebrated Christmas and Easter.  A small commemoration of Palm Sunday.  Period.  Not Lent.  Not Pentecost.  Not the big calendar of "saint's days" that the Catholics, both Roman and Orthodox, celebrate.  But, living as we do in an area with a great many of the Roman Catholic, Orthodox Catholics of many stripes, (even a Polish National Catholic church) as well as the Byzantine Rite groups, we are at least somewhat aware of the biggies on the calendar.  So, we are aware that this coming Wednesday will be marked as Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, the countdown to Easter.  There are and will be those around us who do mark this period, which is not a bad thing, even if I don't share in it.  For the unaware, Easter (in the western tradition) is marked on the first of April.   It is not a bad thing to meditate prayerfully during this time on the meaning of Easter and the Cross.  And the Resurrection.  Hint:  it's not about colored eggs and cute bunnies.  I note that more than a few churches will be having "events" in the run-up to Easter that are little more than the eggs and bunnies and candy.  Bunnies are cute and I like chocolate too, but that is not what this is all about.

Valentine's Day, whatever it might once have signified, has become a day in which guys are expected to send cards, flowers, and fancy chocolates to the woman (hopefully, singular) that is important in their (our) lives.  And, yes, we've all known some abuses of that practice.  When I was a kid in grade school, we were "expected" to get some of those cheap valentine cards and provide one to EVERY member of the class.  And a nicer one for the teacher.  Just the way it was.  I somehow suspect that the practice is now deemed to be dreadfully improper, using whatever terms of outrage are popular this week.  But remnants of the practice remain.  The mass media is full of ads for various Valentine's Day products that one is expected to purchase.

I do find the contrast between the two events in a single day to be interesting.  Valentine's Day has degenerated into a tribute paid to ensure "warm feelings" on the part of the person getting the gift, even if that person is your One True Love.  Ash Wednesday, in contrast, is the beginning of the process that commemorates Christ's love for us, the Crucifixion that is payment for our sin.  He got NOTHING out of the deal.
Yet both are, in a rare event, on the same day.


Yesterday got weird.  As most know, we have some cats.  I'm not a pet lover and could have gotten along just fine without them.  But Wife, and the girls too, during their years with us, wanted cats.  So, we got cat.  First one, then another, etc.  Back before my retirement and our long relocation, when Wife's health began to take a serious and scary downturn, I was working in an awful situation.  As in, 60--70 hours a week, with as much as an hour's commute each way, and for about half my "normal" salary.  During her sometimes frightening days and nights, I simply could not be there for her as I would have "normally" been.  She had taken a "rescue" kitten,  one that wasn't expected to live, and had nursed him through.  As a result, he was and to this day remains, totally devoted to her.  He somehow senses when she is in misery and pain, and will not leave her.  I'll find her on the recliner, feet up, blanket on her, and the cat on her lap gazing at her face.  She derives a good bit of comfort from this, and that is a good thing.
But he has been sick for the last week  or more.  She thinks that he caught our colds (or crud, or whatever it was) that we've only slowly left behind.  He disappeared before noon.  As cat owners can testify, cats seem to have a key to an alternate universe, so such is not totally unexpected.  But we found ourselves suspecting that he'd crawled off into some weird place to die.  I was crawling under beds, tables, inside closets, under dressers and chests and even went outside just in case he'd slipped past me.  Nothing.  And Wife's face fell, and kept falling.  I really began to think we'd have to wait until the remains began to smell, not really what you want.
And then.....
I found him about 7 p.m., finally.  He'd somehow managed to wedge himself into a linen closet that had the doors closed.  And then couldn't get out, and wasn't responding when we called his name.  So Wife is happier now.  And the sheets and pillowcases that he was lying on are a bit worse for the experience, so I'll be spending Monday doing laundry  to get the urine smell out, etc.
I think hugging cats (or dogs or hamsters or whatever) is downright weird.  But most people think I'm weird for that, and perhaps they're right.


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Today, chapters 33 and 34 of the Exodus.
I like the image of Moses and his shining face after having spent time with the Lord.  Why not?  If we have been spending time with the Lord, shouldn't it show?

Exodus 33

1  And the Lord said unto Moses, Depart, and go up hence, thou and the people which thou hast brought up out of the land of Egypt, unto the land which I sware unto Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, Unto thy seed will I give it:

2  And I will send an angel before thee; and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite:

3  Unto a land flowing with milk and honey: for I will not go up in the midst of thee; for thou art a stiffnecked people: lest I consume thee in the way.

4  And when the people heard these evil tidings, they mourned: and no man did put on him his ornaments.

5  For the Lord had said unto Moses, Say unto the children of Israel, Ye are a stiffnecked people: I will come up into the midst of thee in a moment, and consume thee: therefore now put off thy ornaments from thee, that I may know what to do unto thee.

6  And the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments by the mount Horeb.

7  And Moses took the tabernacle, and pitched it without the camp, afar off from the camp, and called it the Tabernacle of the congregation. And it came to pass, that every one which sought the Lord went out unto the tabernacle of the congregation, which was without the camp.

8  And it came to pass, when Moses went out unto the tabernacle, that all the people rose up, and stood every man at his tent door, and looked after Moses, until he was gone into the tabernacle.

9  And it came to pass, as Moses entered into the tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended, and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the Lord talked with Moses.

10  And all the people saw the cloudy pillar stand at the tabernacle door: and all the people rose up and worshipped, every man in his tent door.

11  And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.

12  And Moses said unto the Lord, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight.

13  Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people.

14  And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.

15  And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.

16  For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.

17  And the Lord said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name.

18  And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.

19  And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.

20  And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.

21  And the Lord said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock:

22  And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by:

23  And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.

 Exodus 34

1  And the Lord said unto Moses, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first: and I will write upon these tables the words that were in the first tables, which thou brakest.

2  And be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning unto mount Sinai, and present thyself there to me in the top of the mount.

3  And no man shall come up with thee, neither let any man be seen throughout all the mount; neither let the flocks nor herds feed before that mount.

4  And he hewed two tables of stone like unto the first; and Moses rose up early in the morning, and went up unto mount Sinai, as the Lord had commanded him, and took in his hand the two tables of stone.

5  And the Lord descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord.

6  And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,

7  Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.

8  And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped.

9  And he said, If now I have found grace in thy sight, O Lord, let my Lord, I pray thee, go among us; for it is a stiffnecked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for thine inheritance.

10  And he said, Behold, I make a covenant: before all thy people I will do marvels, such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation: and all the people among which thou art shall see the work of the Lord: for it is a terrible thing that I will do with thee.

11  Observe thou that which I command thee this day: behold, I drive out before thee the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite.

12  Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee:

13  But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves:images: Heb. statues

14  For thou shalt worship no other god: for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:

15  Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice;

16  And thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after their gods.

17  Thou shalt make thee no molten gods.

18  The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep. Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, as I commanded thee, in the time of the month Abib: for in the month Abib thou camest out from Egypt.

19  All that openeth the matrix is mine; and every firstling among thy cattle, whether ox or sheep, that is male.sheep: or, kid

20  But the firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb: and if thou redeem him not, then shalt thou break his neck. All the firstborn of thy sons thou shalt redeem. And none shall appear before me empty.lamb: or, kid

21  Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest: in earing time and in harvest thou shalt rest.

22  And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year's end.year's end: Heb. revolution of the year

23  Thrice in the year shall all your men children appear before the Lord God, the God of Israel.

24  For I will cast out the nations before thee, and enlarge thy borders: neither shall any man desire thy land, when thou shalt go up to appear before the Lord thy God thrice in the year.

25  Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leaven; neither shall the sacrifice of the feast of the passover be left unto the morning.

26  The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring unto the house of the Lord thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk.

27  And the Lord said unto Moses, Write thou these words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel.

28  And he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.

 29  And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him.

30  And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him.

31  And Moses called unto them; and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned unto him: and Moses talked with them.

32  And afterward all the children of Israel came nigh: and he gave them in commandment all that the Lord had spoken with him in mount Sinai.

33  And till Moses had done speaking with them, he put a veil on his face.

34  But when Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him, he took the veil off, until he came out. And he came out, and spake unto the children of Israel that which he was commanded.

35  And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone: and Moses put the veil upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him.

Today's Readings and Stuff -- Wednesday, 15 November 2017

Middle of the month of November.  The Winter Solstice is now about 5 weeks away, that roughly corresponding with the day of the year with the shortest "day" part of the 24 hours.  We're already pretty dark by 4:20 p.m. or so, and this living in a dark cave for half the year isn't my ideal. But it comes with the territory.

"More, More About Jesus" was the song that came to me in the middle of the night, right into my dreams.  Not the worst thing to have happen, is it?  I truly don't understand what is going on with all of these.  As I've said, some of these are those I haven't encountered in years, sometimes decades.  Others, sure, from recent experience.  But they affect me, my mood and all, and they seem to have much to do with the direction of my thoughts for the day and sometimes longer.  The emphases (plural, note) of the moment or day or days. 


==  Some new links that others might find interesting

• there's a site called "Bareknuckle Bible:  Loving the truth even when it doesn't feel good"  I generally like it, check on it frequently.  Current post up is entitled Disappointed Dreams And Higher Things.  With the sub-head of We mourn the life we think should have been, yet it’s hard to remain sad when we discover God has written a better script for us.    Good stuff. 
• those of us who grew up in the stricter sectors of the Anabaptist movement were sometimes made aware of a reference on the early life -- and deaths -- of those involved in that movement, some of them to include my own ancestors, or so I was always told.  That standard work is a book entitled "Martyr's Mirror".  It details the sometimes hideous persecutions suffered by those early Anabaptists in the movement we associated with the Hutterites, Mennonites, Baptists and the like, primarily at the hands of the European elites associated with the "Reform" movements, the Lutherans, the Calvinists (like the Presbyterians) and the like, and on occasion the Roman Catholics as well.  The book is one of the many that I don't have, but the work is up on the 'Net, and for free as well.  Check it out.  See Martyr's Mirror online\

Wife heard more about the condition of her cousin now in her 4th day in the hospital with a bacterial pneumonia infection.  Tough case,  And, now, we hear that one of her grandsons, all of about 12 years old, was hauled into the ER last night.   Some similar symptoms.  They ran tests, including the X-ray stuff, etc.  They pumped him full of meds and got  him re-hydrated, but clearly there is something going on up there. 


 As has been noted in the past, we (meaning Wife) have some cats.  Two of which have "weak stomachs", meaning that they start barfing when we give them food with grains inside.  Not real common but not real rare either.  Inasmuch as my "take them to the taxidermist" sensible suggestion was ignored (at best), the alternative is to seek out and acquire the costlier versions.  On our, to say the least, limited circumstances, that's a constant challenge,  Dear Wife is tied in, via the "social media" to some local "buy-sell-trade" groups.  This morning, she got a "notice" that someone had some stuff for sale for about half of the going price in a store, even if it was available.  Cans of cat food comprised of things like venison!  So, off we went on about a 7-mile trip for a "meet" at a Big Box store in the area.  After an exchange of $14, we drove off with around $50 retail value of cat food, enough to last through the end of January!  So that's done.
So it's been "fun".  I just had to do a laundry load that consisted primarily  of a small blanket, a.k.a. "throw" under which she's usually to be found, but which had acquired evidence of the "rescue" kitten's less than great personal hygiene practices.  With a second one to go into that process in a few minutes.

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The Old Testament reading today is chapters 10, 11, and 12 of the book of Ezekiel.

Ezekiel 10

1 Then I looked, and, behold, in the firmament that was above the head of the cherubims there appeared over them as it were a sapphire stone, as the appearance of the likeness of a throne. 2 And he spake unto the man clothed with linen, and said, Go in between the wheels, even under the cherub, and fill thine hand with coals of fire from between the cherubims, and scatter them over the city. And he went in in my sight. 3 Now the cherubims stood on the right side of the house, when the man went in; and the cloud filled the inner court. 4 Then the glory of the LORD went up from the cherub, and stood over the threshold of the house; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the LORD's glory. 5 And the sound of the cherubims' wings was heard even to the outer court, as the voice of the Almighty God when he speaketh. 6 And it came to pass, that when he had commanded the man clothed with linen, saying, Take fire from between the wheels, from between the cherubims; then he went in, and stood beside the wheels. 7 And one cherub stretched forth his hand from between the cherubims unto the fire that was between the cherubims, and took thereof, and put it into the hands of him that was clothed with linen: who took it, and went out. 8 And there appeared in the cherubims the form of a man's hand under their wings. 9 And when I looked, behold the four wheels by the cherubims, one wheel by one cherub, and another wheel by another cherub: and the appearance of the wheels was as the colour of a beryl stone. 10 And as for their appearances, they four had one likeness, as if a wheel had been in the midst of a wheel. 11 When they went, they went upon their four sides; they turned not as they went, but to the place whither the head looked they followed it; they turned not as they went. 12 And their whole body, and their backs, and their hands, and their wings, and the wheels, were full of eyes round about, even the wheels that they four had. 13 As for the wheels, it was cried unto them in my hearing, O wheel. 14 And every one had four faces: the first face was the face of a cherub, and the second face was the face of a man, and the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle. 15 And the cherubims were lifted up. This is the living creature that I saw by the river of Chebar. 16 And when the cherubims went, the wheels went by them: and when the cherubims lifted up their wings to mount up from the earth, the same wheels also turned not from beside them. 17 When they stood, these stood; and when they were lifted up, these lifted up themselves also: for the spirit of the living creature was in them. 18 Then the glory of the LORD departed from off the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubims. 19 And the cherubims lifted up their wings, and mounted up from the earth in my sight: when they went out, the wheels also were beside them, and every one stood at the door of the east gate of the LORD's house; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above. 20 This is the living creature that I saw under the God of Israel by the river of Chebar; and I knew that they were the cherubims. 21 Every one had four faces apiece, and every one four wings; and the likeness of the hands of a man was under their wings. 22 And the likeness of their faces was the same faces which I saw by the river of Chebar, their appearances and themselves: they went every one straight forward.

Ezekiel 11

1 Moreover the spirit lifted me up, and brought me unto the east gate of the LORD's house, which looketh eastward: and behold at the door of the gate five and twenty men; among whom I saw Jaazaniah the son of Azur, and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, princes of the people. 2 Then said he unto me, Son of man, these are the men that devise mischief, and give wicked counsel in this city: 3 Which say, It is not near; let us build houses: this city is the caldron, and we be the flesh. 4 Therefore prophesy against them, prophesy, O son of man. 5 And the Spirit of the LORD fell upon me, and said unto me, Speak; Thus saith the LORD; Thus have ye said, O house of Israel: for I know the things that come into your mind, every one of them. 6 Ye have multiplied your slain in this city, and ye have filled the streets thereof with the slain. 7 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Your slain whom ye have laid in the midst of it, they are the flesh, and this city is the caldron: but I will bring you forth out of the midst of it. 8 Ye have feared the sword; and I will bring a sword upon you, saith the Lord GOD. 9 And I will bring you out of the midst thereof, and deliver you into the hands of strangers, and will execute judgments among you. 10 Ye shall fall by the sword; I will judge you in the border of Israel; and ye shall know that I am the LORD. 11 This city shall not be your caldron, neither shall ye be the flesh in the midst thereof; but I will judge you in the border of Israel: 12 And ye shall know that I am the LORD: for ye have not walked in my statutes, neither executed my judgments, but have done after the manners of the heathen that are round about you. 13 And it came to pass, when I prophesied, that Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died. Then fell I down upon my face, and cried with a loud voice, and said, Ah Lord GOD! wilt thou make a full end of the remnant of Israel? 14 Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 15 Son of man, thy brethren, even thy brethren, the men of thy kindred, and all the house of Israel wholly, are they unto whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, Get you far from the LORD: unto us is this land given in possession. 16 Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Although I have cast them far off among the heathen, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet will I be to them as a little sanctuary in the countries where they shall come. 17 Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even gather you from the people, and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel. 18 And they shall come thither, and they shall take away all the detestable things thereof and all the abominations thereof from thence. 19 And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh: 20 That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God. 21 But as for them whose heart walketh after the heart of their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their way upon their own heads, saith the Lord GOD. 22 Then did the cherubims lift up their wings, and the wheels beside them; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above. 23 And the glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city, and stood upon the mountain which is on the east side of the city. 24 Afterwards the spirit took me up, and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God into Chaldea, to them of the captivity. So the vision that I had seen went up from me. 25 Then I spake unto them of the captivity all the things that the LORD had shewed me.

Ezekiel 12

1 The word of the LORD also came unto me, saying, 2 Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they are a rebellious house. 3 Therefore, thou son of man, prepare thee stuff for removing, and remove by day in their sight; and thou shalt remove from thy place to another place in their sight: it may be they will consider, though they be a rebellious house. 4 Then shalt thou bring forth thy stuff by day in their sight, as stuff for removing: and thou shalt go forth at even in their sight, as they that go forth into captivity. 5 Dig thou through the wall in their sight, and carry out thereby. 6 In their sight shalt thou bear it upon thy shoulders, and carry it forth in the twilight: thou shalt cover thy face, that thou see not the ground: for I have set thee for a sign unto the house of Israel. 7 And I did so as I was commanded: I brought forth my stuff by day, as stuff for captivity, and in the even I digged through the wall with mine hand; I brought it forth in the twilight, and I bare it upon my shoulder in their sight. 8 And in the morning came the word of the LORD unto me, saying, 9 Son of man, hath not the house of Israel, the rebellious house, said unto thee, What doest thou? 10 Say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; This burden concerneth the prince in Jerusalem, and all the house of Israel that are among them. 11 Say, I am your sign: like as I have done, so shall it be done unto them: they shall remove and go into captivity. 12 And the prince that is among them shall bear upon his shoulder in the twilight, and shall go forth: they shall dig through the wall to carry out thereby: he shall cover his face, that he see not the ground with his eyes. 13 My net also will I spread upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare: and I will bring him to Babylon to the land of the Chaldeans; yet shall he not see it, though he shall die there. 14 And I will scatter toward every wind all that are about him to help him, and all his bands; and I will draw out the sword after them. 15 And they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall scatter them among the nations, and disperse them in the countries. 16 But I will leave a few men of them from the sword, from the famine, and from the pestilence; that they may declare all their abominations among the heathen whither they come; and they shall know that I am the LORD. 17 Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 18 Son of man, eat thy bread with quaking, and drink thy water with trembling and with carefulness; 19 And say unto the people of the land, Thus saith the Lord GOD of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and of the land of Israel; They shall eat their bread with carefulness, and drink their water with astonishment, that her land may be desolate from all that is therein, because of the violence of all them that dwell therein. 20 And the cities that are inhabited shall be laid waste, and the land shall be desolate; and ye shall know that I am the LORD. 21 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 22 Son of man, what is that proverb that ye have in the land of Israel, saying, The days are prolonged, and every vision faileth? 23 Tell them therefore, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will make this proverb to cease, and they shall no more use it as a proverb in Israel; but say unto them, The days are at hand, and the effect of every vision. 24 For there shall be no more any vain vision nor flattering divination within the house of Israel. 25 For I am the LORD: I will speak, and the word that I shall speak shall come to pass; it shall be no more prolonged: for in your days, O rebellious house, will I say the word, and will perform it, saith the Lord GOD. 26 Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying. 27 Son of man, behold, they of the house of Israel say, The vision that he seeth is for many days to come, and he prophesieth of the times that are far off. 28 Therefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; There shall none of my words be prolonged any more, but the word which I have spoken shall be done, saith the Lord GOD.

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The New Testament reading here is verses 1-19 of chapter 11 of the epistle to the Hebrews.
Faith.  A big subject, and a vital one.  This is one that we could, and probably should, spend quite a long time in "chewing over".  I recommend it.

Hebrews 11:1-19

1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2 For by it the elders obtained a good report. 3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. 4 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh. 5 By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. 6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. 7 By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. 8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. 9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: 10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. 11 Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable. 13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 14 For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. 15 And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. 16 But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city. 17 By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18 Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: 19 Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.