Today's Readings -- 22 May 2011

Whew! This weekend is flying past. They often do, of course, or so it seems.
It has been a good few days (my excuse for the late posting) to have with my Beloved. We see each other so little these days, and her frequent and increasingly serious illnesses have stressed those times as well. But we live in the moment and have to trust the Lord for the future. I haven't really achieved that, but it seems to be the direction we are in.

Today's reading in the Old Testament is chapters 6 and 7 from 1st Chronicles. There are a lot of names here, names that ring strangely on our ears. Yet these were real people, with all of the joys and trials that we know ourselves. They had earaches and mouthy kids and loving mothers and all of that. We know them only, vaguely, by their names. Yet the Lord knew the hairs on their heads as well as He does ours, and their lives were under His gaze as well. They too were in His plan, so don't think you are not. You are.

I Chronicles 6

1	The sons of Levi; Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
2	And the sons of Kohath; Amram, Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel.
3	And the children of Amram; Aaron, and Moses, and Miriam. The sons also of Aaron; Nadab, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
4	Eleazar begat Phinehas, Phinehas begat Abishua,
5	And Abishua begat Bukki, and Bukki begat Uzzi,
6	And Uzzi begat Zerahiah, and Zerahiah begat Meraioth,
7	Meraioth begat Amariah, and Amariah begat Ahitub,
8	And Ahitub begat Zadok, and Zadok begat Ahimaaz,
9	And Ahimaaz begat Azariah, and Azariah begat Johanan,
10	And Johanan begat Azariah, (he it is that executed the priest's office in the temple that Solomon built in Jerusalem:)
11	And Azariah begat Amariah, and Amariah begat Ahitub,
12	And Ahitub begat Zadok, and Zadok begat Shallum,
13	And Shallum begat Hilkiah, and Hilkiah begat Azariah,
14	And Azariah begat Seraiah, and Seraiah begat Jehozadak,
15	And Jehozadak went into captivity, when the LORD carried away Judah and Jerusalem by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar.
16	The sons of Levi; Gershom, Kohath, and Merari.
17	And these be the names of the sons of Gershom; Libni, and Shimei.
18	And the sons of Kohath were, Amram, and Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel.
19	The sons of Merari; Mahli, and Mushi. And these are the families of the Levites according to their fathers.
20	Of Gershom; Libni his son, Jahath his son, Zimmah his son,
21	Joah his son, Iddo his son, Zerah his son, Jeaterai his son.
22	The sons of Kohath; Amminadab his son, Korah his son, Assir his son,
23	Elkanah his son, and Ebiasaph his son, and Assir his son,
24	Tahath his son, Uriel his son, Uzziah his son, and Shaul his son.
25	And the sons of Elkanah; Amasai, and Ahimoth.
26	As for Elkanah: the sons of Elkanah; Zophai his son, and Nahath his son,
27	Eliab his son, Jeroham his son, Elkanah his son.
28	And the sons of Samuel; the firstborn Vashni, and Abiah.
29	The sons of Merari; Mahli, Libni his son, Shimei his son, Uzza his son,
30	Shimea his son, Haggiah his son, Asaiah his son.
31	And these are they whom David set over the service of song in the house of the LORD, after that the ark had rest.
32	And they ministered before the dwelling place of the tabernacle of the congregation with singing, until Solomon had built the house of the LORD in Jerusalem: and then they waited on their office according to their order.
33	And these are they that waited with their children. Of the sons of the Kohathites: Heman a singer, the son of Joel, the son of Shemuel,
34	The son of Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Eliel, the son of Toah,
35	The son of Zuph, the son of Elkanah, the son of Mahath, the son of Amasai,
36	The son of Elkanah, the son of Joel, the son of Azariah, the son of Zephaniah,
37	The son of Tahath, the son of Assir, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah,
38	The son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, the son of Israel.
39	And his brother Asaph, who stood on his right hand, even Asaph the son of Berachiah, the son of Shimea,
40	The son of Michael, the son of Baaseiah, the son of Malchiah,
41	The son of Ethni, the son of Zerah, the son of Adaiah,
42	The son of Ethan, the son of Zimmah, the son of Shimei,
43	The son of Jahath, the son of Gershom, the son of Levi.
44	And their brethren the sons of Merari stood on the left hand: Ethan the son of Kishi, the son of Abdi, the son of Malluch,
45	The son of Hashabiah, the son of Amaziah, the son of Hilkiah,
46	The son of Amzi, the son of Bani, the son of Shamer,
47	The son of Mahli, the son of Mushi, the son of Merari, the son of Levi.
48	Their brethren also the Levites were appointed unto all manner of service of the tabernacle of the house of God.
49	But Aaron and his sons offered upon the altar of the burnt offering, and on the altar of incense, and were appointed for all the work of the place most holy, and to make an atonement for Israel, according to all that Moses the servant of God had commanded.
50	And these are the sons of Aaron; Eleazar his son, Phinehas his son, Abishua his son,
51	Bukki his son, Uzzi his son, Zerahiah his son,
52	Meraioth his son, Amariah his son, Ahitub his son,
53	Zadok his son, Ahimaaz his son.
54	Now these are their dwelling places throughout their castles in their coasts, of the sons of Aaron, of the families of the Kohathites: for theirs was the lot.
55	And they gave them Hebron in the land of Judah, and the suburbs thereof round about it.
56	But the fields of the city, and the villages thereof, they gave to Caleb the son of Jephunneh.
57	And to the sons of Aaron they gave the cities of Judah, namely, Hebron, the city of refuge, and Libnah with her suburbs, and Jattir, and Eshtemoa, with their suburbs,
58	And Hilen with her suburbs, Debir with her suburbs,
59	And Ashan with her suburbs, and Bethshemesh with her suburbs:
60	And out of the tribe of Benjamin; Geba with her suburbs, and Alemeth with her suburbs, and Anathoth with her suburbs. All their cities throughout their families were thirteen cities.
61	And unto the sons of Kohath, which were left of the family of that tribe, were cities given out of the half tribe, namely, out of the half tribe of Manasseh, by lot, ten cities.
62	And to the sons of Gershom throughout their families out of the tribe of Issachar, and out of the tribe of Asher, and out of the tribe of Naphtali, and out of the tribe of Manasseh in Bashan, thirteen cities.
63	Unto the sons of Merari were given by lot, throughout their families, out of the tribe of Reuben, and out of the tribe of Gad, and out of the tribe of Zebulun, twelve cities.
64	And the children of Israel gave to the Levites these cities with their suburbs.
65	And they gave by lot out of the tribe of the children of Judah, and out of the tribe of the children of Simeon, and out of the tribe of the children of Benjamin, these cities, which are called by their names.
66	And the residue of the families of the sons of Kohath had cities of their coasts out of the tribe of Ephraim.
67	And they gave unto them, of the cities of refuge, Shechem in mount Ephraim with her suburbs; they gave also Gezer with her suburbs,
68	And Jokmeam with her suburbs, and Bethhoron with her suburbs,
69	And Aijalon with her suburbs, and Gathrimmon with her suburbs:
70	And out of the half tribe of Manasseh; Aner with her suburbs, and Bileam with her suburbs, for the family of the remnant of the sons of Kohath.
71	Unto the sons of Gershom were given out of the family of the half tribe of Manasseh, Golan in Bashan with her suburbs, and Ashtaroth with her suburbs:
72	And out of the tribe of Issachar; Kedesh with her suburbs, Daberath with her suburbs,
73	And Ramoth with her suburbs, and Anem with her suburbs:
74	And out of the tribe of Asher; Mashal with her suburbs, and Abdon with her suburbs,
75	And Hukok with her suburbs, and Rehob with her suburbs:
76	And out of the tribe of Naphtali; Kedesh in Galilee with her suburbs, and Hammon with her suburbs, and Kirjathaim with her suburbs.
77	Unto the rest of the children of Merari were given out of the tribe of Zebulun, Rimmon with her suburbs, Tabor with her suburbs:
78	And on the other side Jordan by Jericho, on the east side of Jordan, were given them out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer in the wilderness with her suburbs, and Jahzah with her suburbs,
79	Kedemoth also with her suburbs, and Mephaath with her suburbs:
80	And out of the tribe of Gad; Ramoth in Gilead with her suburbs, and Mahanaim with her suburbs,
81	And Heshbon with her suburbs, and Jazer with her suburbs.

I Chronicles 7

1	Now the sons of Issachar were, Tola, and Puah, Jashub, and Shimrom, four.
2	And the sons of Tola; Uzzi, and Rephaiah, and Jeriel, and Jahmai, and Jibsam, and Shemuel, heads of their father's house, to wit, of Tola: they were valiant men of might in their generations; whose number was in the days of David two and twenty thousand and six hundred.
3	And the sons of Uzzi; Izrahiah: and the sons of Izrahiah; Michael, and Obadiah, and Joel, Ishiah, five: all of them chief men.
4	And with them, by their generations, after the house of their fathers, were bands of soldiers for war, six and thirty thousand men: for they had many wives and sons.
5	And their brethren among all the families of Issachar were valiant men of might, reckoned in all by their genealogies fourscore and seven thousand.
6	The sons of Benjamin; Bela, and Becher, and Jediael, three.
7	And the sons of Bela; Ezbon, and Uzzi, and Uzziel, and Jerimoth, and Iri, five; heads of the house of their fathers, mighty men of valor; and were reckoned by their genealogies twenty and two thousand and thirty and four.
8	And the sons of Becher; Zemira, and Joash, and Eliezer, and Elioenai, and Omri, and Jerimoth, and Abiah, and Anathoth, and Alameth. All these are the sons of Becher.
9	And the number of them, after their genealogy by their generations, heads of the house of their fathers, mighty men of valor, was twenty thousand and two hundred.
10	The sons also of Jediael; Bilhan: and the sons of Bilhan; Jeush, and Benjamin, and Ehud, and Chenaanah, and Zethan, and Tharshish, and Ahishahar.
11	All these the sons of Jediael, by the heads of their fathers, mighty men of valor, were seventeen thousand and two hundred soldiers, fit to go out for war and battle.
12	Shuppim also, and Huppim, the children of Ir, and Hushim, the sons of Aher.
13	The sons of Naphtali; Jahziel, and Guni, and Jezer, and Shallum, the sons of Bilhah.
14	The sons of Manasseh; Ashriel, whom she bare: (but his concubine the Aramitess bare Machir the father of Gilead:
15	And Machir took to wife the sister of Huppim and Shuppim, whose sister's name was Maachah;) and the name of the second was Zelophehad: and Zelophehad had daughters.
16	And Maachah the wife of Machir bare a son, and she called his name Peresh; and the name of his brother was Sheresh; and his sons were Ulam and Rakem.
17	And the sons of Ulam; Bedan. These were the sons of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh.
18	And his sister Hammoleketh bare Ishod, and Abiezer, and Mahalah.
19	And the sons of Shemidah were, Ahian, and Shechem, and Likhi, and Aniam.
20	And the sons of Ephraim; Shuthelah, and Bered his son, and Tahath his son, and Eladah his son, and Tahath his son,
21	And Zabad his son, and Shuthelah his son, and Ezer, and Elead, whom the men of Gath that were born in that land slew, because they came down to take away their cattle.
22	And Ephraim their father mourned many days, and his brethren came to comfort him.
23	And when he went in to his wife, she conceived, and bare a son, and he called his name Beriah, because it went evil with his house.
24	(And his daughter was Sherah, who built Bethhoron the nether, and the upper, and Uzzensherah.)
25	And Rephah was his son, also Resheph, and Telah his son, and Tahan his son.
26	Laadan his son, Ammihud his son, Elishama his son.
27	Non his son, Jehoshuah his son.
28	And their possessions and habitations were, Bethel and the towns thereof, and eastward Naaran, and westward Gezer, with the towns thereof; Shechem also and the towns thereof, unto Gaza and the towns thereof:
29	And by the borders of the children of Manasseh, Bethshean and her towns, Taanach and her towns, Megiddo and her towns, Dor and her towns. In these dwelt the children of Joseph the son of Israel.
30	The sons of Asher; Imnah, and Isuah, and Ishuai, and Beriah, and Serah their sister.
31	And the sons of Beriah; Heber, and Malchiel, who is the father of Birzavith.
32	And Heber begat Japhlet, and Shomer, and Hotham, and Shua their sister.
33	And the sons of Japhlet; Pasach, and Bimhal, and Ashvath. These are the children of Japhlet.
34	And the sons of Shamer; Ahi, and Rohgah, Jehubbah, and Aram.
35	And the sons of his brother Helem; Zophah, and Imna, and Shelesh, and Amal.
36	The sons of Zophah; Suah, and Harnepher, and Shual, and Beri, and Imrah,
37	Bezer, and Hod, and Shamma, and Shilshah, and Ithran, and Beera.
38	And the sons of Jether; Jephunneh, and Pispah, and Ara.
39	And the sons of Ulla; Arah, and Haniel, and Rezia.
40	All these were the children of Asher, heads of their father's house, choice and mighty men of valor, chief of the princes. And the number throughout the genealogy of them that were apt to the war and to battle was twenty and six thousand men.

The New Testament passage is verses 21-36 from chapter 8 in the Gospel of John. Listen as Jesus speaks. His words were for us as well.

John 8:21-36

21	Then said Jesus again unto them, I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins: whither I go, ye cannot come.
22	Then said the Jews, Will he kill himself? because he saith, Whither I go, ye cannot come.
23	And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world.
24	I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.
25	Then said they unto him, Who art thou? And Jesus saith unto them, Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning.
26	I have many things to say and to judge of you: but he that sent me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him.
27	They understood not that he spake to them of the Father.
28	Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.
29	And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.
30	As he spake these words, many believed on him.
31	Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
32	And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
33	They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?
34	Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
35	And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.
36	If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

Today's Readings -- 21 May 2011

It is nice to be home on a Saturday evening. Last week, I worked Friday night, got home around 0600, filed some reports,, did some needed household chores, and got to bed around 0800. Back up around 2:00 pm, more chores and some "us" time with Dear Wife, then into the shower, pack a lunch, and off to work all night. Uncompensated, as always. What is German for "many broken promises"? Should be the company name, it certainly seems to be the motto and philosophy.

The Old Testament passage for the day is chapters 3, 4, and 5 from 1st Chronicles. Much/most of this is a record of the genealogy of some of the major figures in Hebrew history going back to the time of Jacob, and extending through the descendants of David. Not bad, if full of names we find odd. Until the last few verses. Then things get bad, and raiders take captives. All because, as the verse reads,

25 And they transgressed against the God of their fathers, and went a whoring after the gods of the people of the land, whom God destroyed before them.

Verses like that always worry me. It can happen again, and it could be fairly said of our own nation and culture.

I Chronicles 3

1	Now these were the sons of David, which were born unto him in Hebron; the firstborn Amnon, of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess; the second Daniel, of Abigail the Carmelitess:
2	The third, Absalom the son of Maachah the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur: the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith:
3	The fifth, Shephatiah of Abital: the sixth, Ithream by Eglah his wife.
4	These six were born unto him in Hebron; and there he reigned seven years and six months: and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years.
5	And these were born unto him in Jerusalem; Shimea, and Shobab, and Nathan, and Solomon, four, of Bathshua the daughter of Ammiel:
6	Ibhar also, and Elishama, and Eliphelet,
7	And Nogah, and Nepheg, and Japhia,
8	And Elishama, and Eliada, and Eliphelet, nine.
9	These were all the sons of David, beside the sons of the concubines, and Tamar their sister.
10	And Solomon's son was Rehoboam, Abia his son, Asa his son, Jehoshaphat his son,
11	Joram his son, Ahaziah his son, Joash his son,
12	Amaziah his son, Azariah his son, Jotham his son,
13	Ahaz his son, Hezekiah his son, Manasseh his son,
14	Amon his son, Josiah his son.
15	And the sons of Josiah were, the firstborn Johanan, the second Jehoiakim, the third Zedekiah, the fourth Shallum.
16	And the sons of Jehoiakim: Jeconiah his son, Zedekiah his son.
17	And the sons of Jeconiah; Assir, Salathiel his son,
18	Malchiram also, and Pedaiah, and Shenazar, Jecamiah, Hoshama, and Nedabiah.
19	And the sons of Pedaiah were, Zerubbabel, and Shimei: and the sons of Zerubbabel; Meshullam, and Hananiah, and Shelomith their sister:
20	And Hashubah, and Ohel, and Berechiah, and Hasadiah, Jushabhesed, five.
21	And the sons of Hananiah; Pelatiah, and Jesaiah: the sons of Rephaiah, the sons of Arnan, the sons of Obadiah, the sons of Shechaniah.
22	And the sons of Shechaniah; Shemaiah: and the sons of Shemaiah; Hattush, and Igeal, and Bariah, and Neariah, and Shaphat, six.
23	And the sons of Neariah; Elioenai, and Hezekiah, and Azrikam, three.
24	And the sons of Elioenai were, Hodaiah, and Eliashib, and Pelaiah, and Akkub, and Johanan, and Dalaiah, and Anani, seven.

I Chronicles 4

1	The sons of Judah; Pharez, Hezron, and Carmi, and Hur, and Shobal.
2	And Reaiah the son of Shobal begat Jahath; and Jahath begat Ahumai, and Lahad. These are the families of the Zorathites.
3	And these were of the father of Etam; Jezreel, and Ishma, and Idbash: and the name of their sister was Hazelelponi:
4	And Penuel the father of Gedor, and Ezer the father of Hushah. These are the sons of Hur, the firstborn of Ephratah, the father of Bethlehem.
5	And Ashur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah.
6	And Naarah bare him Ahuzam, and Hepher, and Temeni, and Haahashtari. These were the sons of Naarah.
7	And the sons of Helah were, Zereth, and Jezoar, and Ethnan.
8	And Coz begat Anub, and Zobebah, and the families of Aharhel the son of Harum.
9	And Jabez was more honorable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow.
10	And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.
11	And Chelub the brother of Shuah begat Mehir, which was the father of Eshton.
12	And Eshton begat Bethrapha, and Paseah, and Tehinnah the father of Irnahash. These are the men of Rechah.
13	And the sons of Kenaz; Othniel, and Seraiah: and the sons of Othniel; Hathath.
14	And Meonothai begat Ophrah: and Seraiah begat Joab, the father of the valley of Charashim; for they were craftsmen.
15	And the sons of Caleb the son of Jephunneh; Iru, Elah, and Naam: and the sons of Elah, even Kenaz.
16	And the sons of Jehaleleel; Ziph, and Ziphah, Tiria, and Asareel.
17	And the sons of Ezra were, Jether, and Mered, and Epher, and Jalon: and she bare Miriam, and Shammai, and Ishbah the father of Eshtemoa.
18	And his wife Jehudijah bare Jered the father of Gedor, and Heber the father of Socho, and Jekuthiel the father of Zanoah. And these are the sons of Bithiah the daughter of Pharaoh, which Mered took.
19	And the sons of his wife Hodiah the sister of Naham, the father of Keilah the Garmite, and Eshtemoa the Maachathite.
20	And the sons of Shimon were, Amnon, and Rinnah, Benhanan, and Tilon. And the sons of Ishi were, Zoheth, and Benzoheth.
21	The sons of Shelah the son of Judah were, Er the father of Lecah, and Laadah the father of Mareshah, and the families of the house of them that wrought fine linen, of the house of Ashbea,
22	And Jokim, and the men of Chozeba, and Joash, and Saraph, who had the dominion in Moab, and Jashubilehem. And these are ancient things.
23	These were the potters, and those that dwelt among plants and hedges: there they dwelt with the king for his work.
24	The sons of Simeon were, Nemuel, and Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, and Shaul:
25	Shallum his son, Mibsam his son, Mishma his son.
26	And the sons of Mishma; Hamuel his son, Zacchur his son, Shimei his son.
27	And Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters: but his brethren had not many children, neither did all their family multiply, like to the children of Judah.
28	And they dwelt at Beersheba, and Moladah, and Hazarshual,
29	And at Bilhah, and at Ezem, and at Tolad,
30	And at Bethuel, and at Hormah, and at Ziklag,
31	And at Bethmarcaboth, and Hazarsusim, and at Bethbirei, and at Shaaraim. These were their cities unto the reign of David.
32	And their villages were, Etam, and Ain, Rimmon, and Tochen, and Ashan, five cities:
33	And all their villages that were round about the same cities, unto Baal. These were their habitations, and their genealogy.
34	And Meshobab, and Jamlech, and Joshah, the son of Amaziah,
35	And Joel, and Jehu the son of Josibiah, the son of Seraiah, the son of Asiel,
36	And Elioenai, and Jaakobah, and Jeshohaiah, and Asaiah, and Adiel, and Jesimiel, and Benaiah,
37	And Ziza the son of Shiphi, the son of Allon, the son of Jedaiah, the son of Shimri, the son of Shemaiah;
38	These mentioned by their names were princes in their families: and the house of their fathers increased greatly.
39	And they went to the entrance of Gedor, even unto the east side of the valley, to seek pasture for their flocks.
40	And they found fat pasture and good, and the land was wide, and quiet, and peaceable; for they of Ham had dwelt there of old.
41	And these written by name came in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and smote their tents, and the habitations that were found there, and destroyed them utterly unto this day, and dwelt in their rooms: because there was pasture there for their flocks.
42	And some of them, even of the sons of Simeon, five hundred men, went to mount Seir, having for their captains Pelatiah, and Neariah, and Rephaiah, and Uzziel, the sons of Ishi.
43	And they smote the rest of the Amalekites that were escaped, and dwelt there unto this day.

I Chronicles 5

1	Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel, (for he was the firstborn; but forasmuch as he defiled his father's bed, his birthright was given unto the sons of Joseph the son of Israel: and the genealogy is not to be reckoned after the birthright.
2	For Judah prevailed above his brethren, and of him came the chief ruler; but the birthright was Joseph's:)
3	The sons, I say, of Reuben the firstborn of Israel were, Hanoch, and Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.
4	The sons of Joel; Shemaiah his son, Gog his son, Shimei his son,
5	Micah his son, Reaia his son, Baal his son,
6	Beerah his son, whom Tilgathpilneser king of Assyria carried away captive: he was prince of the Reubenites.
7	And his brethren by their families, when the genealogy of their generations was reckoned, were the chief, Jeiel, and Zechariah,
8	And Bela the son of Azaz, the son of Shema, the son of Joel, who dwelt in Aroer, even unto Nebo and Baalmeon:
9	And eastward he inhabited unto the entering in of the wilderness from the river Euphrates: because their cattle were multiplied in the land of Gilead.
10	And in the days of Saul they made war with the Hagarites, who fell by their hand: and they dwelt in their tents throughout all the east land of Gilead.
11	And the children of Gad dwelt over against them, in the land of Bashan unto Salcah:
12	Joel the chief, and Shapham the next, and Jaanai, and Shaphat in Bashan.
13	And their brethren of the house of their fathers were, Michael, and Meshullam, and Sheba, and Jorai, and Jachan, and Zia, and Heber, seven.
14	These are the children of Abihail the son of Huri, the son of Jaroah, the son of Gilead, the son of Michael, the son of Jeshishai, the son of Jahdo, the son of Buz;
15	Ahi the son of Abdiel, the son of Guni, chief of the house of their fathers.
16	And they dwelt in Gilead in Bashan, and in her towns, and in all the suburbs of Sharon, upon their borders.
17	All these were reckoned by genealogies in the days of Jotham king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam king of Israel.
18	The sons of Reuben, and the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh, of valiant men, men able to bear buckler and sword, and to shoot with bow, and skillful in war, were four and forty thousand seven hundred and threescore, that went out to the war.
19	And they made war with the Hagarites, with Jetur, and Nephish, and Nodab.
20	And they were helped against them, and the Hagarites were delivered into their hand, and all that were with them: for they cried to God in the battle, and he was intreated of them; because they put their trust in him.
21	And they took away their cattle; of their camels fifty thousand, and of sheep two hundred and fifty thousand, and of asses two thousand, and of men an hundred thousand.
22	For there fell down many slain, because the war was of God. And they dwelt in their steads until the captivity.
23	And the children of the half tribe of Manasseh dwelt in the land: they increased from Bashan unto Baalhermon and Senir, and unto mount Hermon.
24	And these were the heads of the house of their fathers, even Epher, and Ishi, and Eliel, and Azriel, and Jeremiah, and Hodaviah, and Jahdiel, mighty men of valor, famous men, and heads of the house of their fathers.
25	And they transgressed against the God of their fathers, and went a whoring after the gods of the people of the land, whom God destroyed before them.
26	And the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria, and the spirit of Tilgathpilneser king of Assyria, and he carried them away, even the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh, and brought them unto Halah, and Habor, and Hara, and to the river Gozan, unto this day.

This evening, verses 1-20 from chapter 8 of the Gospel of John.

John 8:1-20

1	Jesus went unto the mount of Olives.
2	And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them.
3	And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,
4	They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.
5	Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?
6	This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.
7	So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
8	And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.
9	And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
10	When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
11	She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
12	Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
13	The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearest record of thyself; thy record is not true.
14	Jesus answered and said unto them, Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true: for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither I go.
15	Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man.
16	And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me.
17	It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true.
18	I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me.
19	Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also.
20	These words spake Jesus in the treasury, as he taught in the temple: and no man laid hands on him; for his hour was not yet come.

A Personal Update

Just a brief note in the unlikely event that anyone is interested.

Dear Wife is out of the hospital again. She has spent most of the last week at home, more-or-less flat on her back. I did take her in for some additional tests on Tuesday and the results were not too bad. She is in enormous pain as a result of the swelling and related trauma which in turn are a result of the cardiac catheterization she underwent the week before. The docs chose to go in via the femoral artery rather than the carotid, which is fine, but it appears that they nicked a lymph node in the process, and this combined with everything else AND the underlying autoimmune isses, have led to hematoma and related problems.
She is feeling a little better tonight, we went out for lunch this afternoon for the first in a VERY long time. It was fun, but she was on that leg for a lot more than she has been for more than a week, and her body wasn't used to it. So we shall see.
As any observer can see, I have been terribly remiss in these postings lately, for which my apologies. I take the Word of God very seriously, and think we neglect its regular study as a mistake. But what with the ministry to my own wife, my less-than-wonderful work situation, and my own issues, there just have not been enough hours in the day. Apologies.

Today 14 May 2011 brief

we've had another interlude here for which my apologies.
Dear Wife has been having some potentially serious health issues, has been in and out of the hospital several times, and was in as an out-patient yesterday for a cardiac catheterization. Not a trivial exercise even under the best of circumstances, which this wasn't, and aggravated by her chronic reaction to the iodine that must be used in this procedure.

so things have been difficult around here. I just worked all night, came home, and removed the bandage over the plug where the entry via the femoral artery was made. We seem to have gone through that OK. So now I can get a few hours of sleep. I "get" to work tonight, Saturday night. For free, one of the "benefits" of a salary position.

hope to be back later.

Today's Readings -- 09 May 2011

Sigh. Monday. Now we get to go Do It Again. And, adding to that, this will be one of my 6-day workweeks. Six days 0f ten hours each. For which I will receive exactly zero OT compensation. Zero, zip, zero, nada. I will be working around those whose compensation for Friday will be approximately $370. Ditto for Saturday. I will get zero. It is not my ideal situation, to be away from my Dear One under that circumstance.
But, as we say, low pay beats no pay.
Yesterday was Mothers' Day. A good thing, to be sure. It's just tough for those of use who lost our mothers several years ago. Some good memories there, but bittersweet as well. I shall see my mom again, some day. That is worth much. And we don't want to be a drag on those who are so fortunate as to have their mothers, and sometimes more generations than that, still with us. A great blessing.

This morning's reading continues in 1st Kings with chapters 19 and 29. We are continuing the story of Elijah and the situation with Ahab and Jezebel and the worship of Ba'al. Following after false gods did not begin there. Nor did it end there, we still have the false cult of Islam, for example. There are consequences. We see some of them here and saw others yesterday. There will be more tomorrow. It will happen again.

I Kings 19

1	And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword.
2	Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time.
3	And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there.
4	But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.
5	And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat.
6	And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again.
7	And the angel of the LORD came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee.
8	And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God.
9	And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah?
10	And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.
11	And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake:
12	And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.
13	And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?
14	And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.
15	And the LORD said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when thou comest, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria:
16	And Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel: and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room.
17	And it shall come to pass, that him that escapeth the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay: and him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay.
18	Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.
19	So he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth: and Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle upon him.
20	And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee. And he said unto him, Go back again: for what have I done to thee?
21	And he returned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto the people, and they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him.

I Kings 20

1	And Benhadad the king of Syria gathered all his host together: and there were thirty and two kings with him, and horses, and chariots; and he went up and besieged Samaria, and warred against it.
2	And he sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel into the city, and said unto him, Thus saith Benhadad,
3	Thy silver and thy gold is mine; thy wives also and thy children, even the goodliest, are mine.
4	And the king of Israel answered and said, My lord, O king, according to thy saying, I am thine, and all that I have.
5	And the messengers came again, and said, Thus speaketh Benhadad, saying, Although I have sent unto thee, saying, Thou shalt deliver me thy silver, and thy gold, and thy wives, and thy children;
6	Yet I will send my servants unto thee to morrow about this time, and they shall search thine house, and the houses of thy servants; and it shall be, that whatsoever is pleasant in thine eyes, they shall put it in their hand, and take it away.
7	Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, Mark, I pray you, and see how this man seeketh mischief: for he sent unto me for my wives, and for my children, and for my silver, and for my gold; and I denied him not.
8	And all the elders and all the people said unto him, Hearken not unto him, nor consent.
9	Wherefore he said unto the messengers of Benhadad, Tell my lord the king, All that thou didst send for to thy servant at the first I will do: but this thing I may not do. And the messengers departed, and brought him word again.
10	And Benhadad sent unto him, and said, The gods do so unto me, and more also, if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls for all the people that follow me.
11	And the king of Israel answered and said, Tell him, Let not him that girdeth on his harness boast himself as he that putteth it off.
12	And it came to pass, when Ben-hadad heard this message, as he was drinking, he and the kings in the pavilions, that he said unto his servants, Set yourselves in array. And they set themselves in array against the city.
13	And, behold, there came a prophet unto Ahab king of Israel, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Hast thou seen all this great multitude? behold, I will deliver it into thine hand this day; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD.
14	And Ahab said, By whom? And he said, Thus saith the LORD, Even by the young men of the princes of the provinces. Then he said, Who shall order the battle? And he answered, Thou.
15	Then he numbered the young men of the princes of the provinces, and they were two hundred and thirty two: and after them he numbered all the people, even all the children of Israel, being seven thousand.
16	And they went out at noon. But Benhadad was drinking himself drunk in the pavilions, he and the kings, the thirty and two kings that helped him.
17	And the young men of the princes of the provinces went out first; and Benhadad sent out, and they told him, saying, There are men come out of Samaria.
18	And he said, Whether they be come out for peace, take them alive; or whether they be come out for war, take them alive.
19	So these young men of the princes of the provinces came out of the city, and the army which followed them.
20	And they slew every one his man: and the Syrians fled; and Israel pursued them: and Benhadad the king of Syria escaped on an horse with the horsemen.
21	And the king of Israel went out, and smote the horses and chariots, and slew the Syrians with a great slaughter.
22	And the prophet came to the king of Israel, and said unto him, Go, strengthen thyself, and mark, and see what thou doest: for at the return of the year the king of Syria will come up against thee.
23	And the servants of the king of Syria said unto him, Their gods are gods of the hills; therefore they were stronger than we; but let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they.
24	And do this thing, Take the kings away, every man out of his place, and put captains in their rooms:
25	And number thee an army, like the army that thou hast lost, horse for horse, and chariot for chariot: and we will fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they. And he hearkened unto their voice, and did so.
26	And it came to pass at the return of the year, that Benhadad numbered the Syrians, and went up to Aphek, to fight against Israel.
27	And the children of Israel were numbered, and were all present, and went against them: and the children of Israel pitched before them like two little flocks of kids; but the Syrians filled the country.
28	And there came a man of God, and spake unto the king of Israel, and said, Thus saith the LORD, Because the Syrians have said, The LORD is God of the hills, but he is not God of the valleys, therefore will I deliver all this great multitude into thine hand, and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
29	And they pitched one over against the other seven days. And so it was, that in the seventh day the battle was joined: and the children of Israel slew of the Syrians an hundred thousand footmen in one day.
30	But the rest fled to Aphek, into the city; and there a wall fell upon twenty and seven thousand of the men that were left. And Benhadad fled, and came into the city, into an inner chamber.
31	And his servants said unto him, Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings: let us, I pray thee, put sackcloth on our loins, and ropes upon our heads, and go out to the king of Israel: peradventure he will save thy life.
32	So they girded sackcloth on their loins, and put ropes on their heads, and came to the king of Israel, and said, Thy servant Benhadad saith, I pray thee, let me live. And he said, Is he yet alive? he is my brother.
33	Now the men did diligently observe whether any thing would come from him, and did hastily catch it: and they said, Thy brother Benhadad. Then he said, Go ye, bring him. Then Benhadad came forth to him; and he caused him to come up into the chariot.
34	And Ben-hadad said unto him, The cities, which my father took from thy father, I will restore; and thou shalt make streets for thee in Damascus, as my father made in Samaria. Then said Ahab, I will send thee away with this covenant. So he made a covenant with him, and sent him away.
35	And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said unto his neighbor in the word of the LORD, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man refused to smite him.
36	Then said he unto him, Because thou hast not obeyed the voice of the LORD, behold, as soon as thou art departed from me, a lion shall slay thee. And as soon as he was departed from him, a lion found him, and slew him.
37	Then he found another man, and said, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man smote him, so that in smiting he wounded him.
38	So the prophet departed, and waited for the king by the way, and disguised himself with ashes upon his face.
39	And as the king passed by, he cried unto the king: and he said, Thy servant went out into the midst of the battle; and, behold, a man turned aside, and brought a man unto me, and said, Keep this man: if by any means he be missing, then shall thy life be for his life, or else thou shalt pay a talent of silver.
40	And as thy servant was busy here and there, he was gone. And the king of Israel said unto him, So shall thy judgment be; thyself hast decided it.
41	And he hasted, and took the ashes away from his face; and the king of Israel discerned him that he was of the prophets.
42	And he said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Because thou hast let go out of thy hand a man whom I appointed to utter destruction, therefore thy life shall go for his life, and thy people for his people.
43	And the king of Israel went to his house heavy and displeased, and came to Samaria.

========

This evening, chapter 2 of the Gospel of John. Here we see Jesus at a party where He does His first recorded miracle. He finishes by cleansing the Temple. I think He was making a point here.

John 2

1	And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there:
2	And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage.
3	And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine.
4	Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.
5	His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.
6	And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece.
7	Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim.
8	And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it.
9	When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom,
10	And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now.
11	This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.
12	After this he went down to Capernaum, he, and his mother, and his brethren, and his disciples: and they continued there not many days.
13	And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
14	And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting:
15	And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables;
16	And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise.
17	And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.
18	Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things?
19	Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.
20	Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?
21	But he spake of the temple of his body.
22	When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said.
23	Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did.
24	But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men,
25	And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.