Happy Saturday!
MUCH nicer weather today, better predicted for tomorrow and Monday!
Thinking real hard about the windows. Like many others in this region, we try to seal up the drafts in our hovel, using heat-shrink plastic film on the windows. It really does help, some at least. But when the weather starts to improve, you pull the film off and dispose of it. And that allows us to crack a window, let some fresh air in, and begin to air out the place that's been sealed up since late October-early November. Or before: we've had snow in October before.
So, perhaps, I can do that today or Monday.
That changes some other things. The cats will be able to smell and to hear the sounds and smells of the outside, which includes the feral cats in the neighborhood. There are quite a few. One of them used to be one our "inside" cats that ran off. We will also be able to hear the chained up Great Dane from Next Door that barks All Day and All Night. Now we'll be able to hear him better. What "fun"!?😬
Song of the day ( came into my head during the night) "Take The Name Of Jesus With You". A good one, but haven't sung it for years. Don't know why.
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Our Old Testament reading today is the book of Ruth.
This is one of my personal favorites, and I've been planning to write a study based around it. Perhaps this is the time to do it.
Ruth is one of those amazing accounts. A woman who was not one of the "Good People", not one of the "Chosen People", the children of Israel. Yet, in an utterly improbable chain of circumstances, was brought into the line, grafted in as it were. And she is counted an ancestress of David the King, and of Jesus. The Lord was showing us something here, and the people as well.
As a side note, verses 16 and 17 of chapter 1 were part of the vows when Dear Wife and I were married. There's a lot of personal meaning here for me.
Ruth 1
1 Now it came
to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in
the land. And a certain man of Bethlehemjudah went to sojourn in the
country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.
2 And the name of the man was
Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons
Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehemjudah. And they came into
the country of Moab, and continued there.
3 And Elimelech Naomi's husband died; and she was left, and her two sons. 4
And they took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one was
Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelled there about ten
years. 5 And
Mahlon and Chilion died also both of them; and the woman was left of her
two sons and her husband.
6 Then she arose with her daughters in law, that she might
return from the country of Moab: for she had heard in the country of
Moab how that the LORD had visited his people in giving them bread.
7 Wherefore she
went forth out of the place where she was, and her two daughters in law
with her; and they went on the way to return unto the land of Judah.
8 And Naomi said
unto her two daughters in law, Go, return each to her mother's house:
the LORD deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with
me. 9 The LORD
grant you that ye may find rest, each of you in the house of her
husband. Then she kissed them; and they lifted up their voice, and wept.
10 And they said unto her, Surely we will return with thee unto thy people. 11
And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will ye go with me? are
there yet any more sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?
12 Turn again, my
daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have an husband. If I should
say, I have hope, if I should have an husband also to night, and should
also bear sons; 13
Would ye tarry for them till they were grown? would ye stay for them
from having husbands? nay, my daughters; for it grieveth me much for
your sakes that the hand of the LORD is gone out against me.
14 And they lifted up
their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother in law; but
Ruth clave unto her. 15
And she said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone back unto her people,
and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister in law.
16 And Ruth said, Entreat me
not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither
thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people
shall be my people, and thy God my God:
17 Where thou diest, will I die, and there
will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but
death part thee and me.
18 When she saw that she was stedfastly minded to go with her,
then she left speaking unto her.
19 So they two went until they came to Bethlehem.
And it came to pass, when they were come to Bethlehem, that all the city
was moved about them, and they said, Is this Naomi?
20 And she said unto them, Call
me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly
with me. 21 I
went out full and the LORD hath brought me home again empty: why then
call ye me Naomi, seeing the LORD hath testified against me, and the
Almighty hath afflicted me?
22 So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter
in law, with her, which returned out of the country of Moab: and they
came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest.
Ruth 2
1 And Naomi
had a kinsman of her husband's, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of
Elimelech; and his name was Boaz.
2 And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me
now go to the field, and glean ears of corn after him in whose sight I
shall find grace. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter.
3 And she went, and came,
and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and her hap was to light on a
part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the kindred of
Elimelech. 4
And, behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said unto the reapers, The
LORD be with you. And they answered him, The LORD bless thee.
5 Then said Boaz unto
his servant that was set over the reapers, Whose damsel is this?
6 And the servant
that was set over the reapers answered and said, It is the Moabitish
damsel that came back with Naomi out of the country of Moab:
7 And she said, I pray
you, let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves: so she
came, and hath continued even from the morning until now, that she
tarried a little in the house.
8 Then said Boaz unto Ruth, Hearest thou not, my
daughter? Go not to glean in another field, neither go from hence, but
abide here fast by my maidens:
9 Let thine eyes be on the field that they do reap, and
go thou after them: have I not charged the young men that they shall
not touch thee? and when thou art athirst, go unto the vessels, and
drink of that which the young men have drawn.
10 Then she fell on her face, and bowed
herself to the ground, and said unto him, Why have I found grace in
thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a
stranger? 11
And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath fully been showed me, all
that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since the death of thine
husband: and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land
of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not
heretofore. 12
The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the
LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.
13 Then she said, Let me
find favor in thy sight, my lord; for that thou hast comforted me, and
for that thou hast spoken friendly unto thine handmaid, though I be not
like unto one of thine handmaidens.
14 And Boaz said unto her, At mealtime come thou
hither, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she
sat beside the reapers: and he reached her parched corn, and she did
eat, and was sufficed, and left.
15 And when she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded
his young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and
reproach her not: 16
And let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her, and leave
them, that she may glean them, and rebuke her not.
17 So she gleaned in the field
until even, and beat out that she had gleaned: and it was about an ephah
of barley. 18
And she took it up, and went into the city: and her mother in law saw
what she had gleaned: and she brought forth, and gave to her that she
had reserved after she was sufficed.
19 And her mother in law said unto her, Where
hast thou gleaned to day? and where wroughtest thou? blessed be he that
did take knowledge of thee. And she showed her mother in law with whom
she had wrought, and said, The man's name with whom I wrought to day is
Boaz. 20 And
Naomi said unto her daughter in law, Blessed be he of the LORD, who hath
not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead. And Naomi said
unto her, The man is near of kin unto us, one of our next kinsmen.
21 And Ruth the
Moabitess said, He said unto me also, Thou shalt keep fast by my young
men, until they have ended all my harvest.
22 And Naomi said unto Ruth her daughter in
law, It is good, my daughter, that thou go out with his maidens, that
they meet thee not in any other field.
23 So she kept fast by the maidens of Boaz to
glean unto the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest; and dwelt
with her mother in law.
Ruth 3
1 Then Naomi
her mother in law said unto her, My daughter, shall I not seek rest for
thee, that it may be well with thee?
2 And now is not Boaz of our kindred, with whose
maidens thou wast? Behold, he winnoweth barley to night in the
threshingfloor. 3
Wash thyself therefore, and anoint thee, and put thy raiment upon thee,
and get thee down to the floor: but make not thyself known unto the
man, until he shall have done eating and drinking.
4 And it shall be, when he lieth
down, that thou shalt mark the place where he shall lie, and thou shalt
go in, and uncover his feet, and lay thee down; and he will tell thee
what thou shalt do. 5 And she said unto her, All that thou sayest unto me I will do. 6
And she went down unto the floor, and did according to all that her
mother in law bade her.
7 And when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry,
he went to lie down at the end of the heap of corn: and she came softly,
and uncovered his feet, and laid her down.
8 And it came to pass at midnight, that
the man was afraid, and turned himself: and, behold, a woman lay at his
feet. 9 And he
said, Who art thou? And she answered, I am Ruth thine handmaid: spread
therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman.
10 And he said,
Blessed be thou of the LORD, my daughter: for thou hast showed more
kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, inasmuch as thou
followedst not young men, whether poor or rich.
11 And now, my daughter, fear not; I
will do to thee all that thou requirest: for all the city of my people
doth know that thou art a virtuous woman.
12 And now it is true that I am thy near
kinsman: howbeit there is a kinsman nearer than I.
13 Tarry this night, and it shall
be in the morning, that if he will perform unto thee the part of a
kinsman, well; let him do the kinsman's part: but if he will not do the
part of a kinsman to thee, then will I do the part of a kinsman to thee,
as the LORD liveth: lie down until the morning.
14 And she lay at his feet until the
morning: and she rose up before one could know another. And he said, Let
it not be known that a woman came into the floor.
15 Also he said, Bring the vail
that thou hast upon thee, and hold it. And when she held it, he measured
six measures of barley, and laid it on her: and she went into the city.
16 And when
she came to her mother in law, she said, Who art thou, my daughter? And
she told her all that the man had done to her.
17 And she said, These six measures of
barley gave he me; for he said to me, Go not empty unto thy mother in
law. 18 Then
said she, Sit still, my daughter, until thou know how the matter will
fall: for the man will not be in rest, until he have finished the thing
this day.
Ruth 4
1 Then went
Boaz up to the gate, and sat him down there: and, behold, the kinsman of
whom Boaz spake came by; unto whom he said, Ho, such a one! turn aside,
sit down here. And he turned aside, and sat down.
2 And he took ten men of the elders
of the city, and said, Sit ye down here. And they sat down.
3 And he said unto the
kinsman, Naomi, that is come again out of the country of Moab, selleth a
parcel of land, which was our brother Elimelech's:
4 And I thought to advertise thee,
saying, Buy it before the inhabitants, and before the elders of my
people. If thou wilt redeem it, redeem it: but if thou wilt not redeem
it, then tell me, that I may know: for there is none to redeem it beside
thee; and I am after thee. And he said, I will redeem it.
5 Then said Boaz, What day
thou buyest the field of the hand of Naomi, thou must buy it also of
Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the
dead upon his inheritance.
6 And the kinsman said, I cannot redeem it for myself, lest
I mar mine own inheritance: redeem thou my right to thyself; for I
cannot redeem it. 7
Now this was the manner in former time in Israel concerning redeeming
and concerning changing, for to confirm all things; a man plucked off
his shoe, and gave it to his neighbor: and this was a testimony in
Israel. 8
Therefore the kinsman said unto Boaz, Buy it for thee. So he drew off
his shoe. 9
And Boaz said unto the elders, and unto all the people, Ye are witnesses
this day, that I have bought all that was Elimelech's, and all that was
Chilion's and Mahlon's, of the hand of Naomi.
10 Moreover Ruth the Moabitess, the
wife of Mahlon, have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of
the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut off
from among his brethren, and from the gate of his place: ye are
witnesses this day. 11
And all the people that were in the gate, and the elders, said, We are
witnesses. The LORD make the woman that is come into thine house like
Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel: and do
thou worthily in Ephratah, and be famous in Bethlehem:
12 And let thy house be like
the house of Pharez, whom Tamar bare unto Judah, of the seed which the
LORD shall give thee of this young woman.
13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife:
and when he went in unto her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bare
a son. 14 And
the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be the LORD, which hath not left
thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel.
15 And he
shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old
age: for thy daughter in law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee
than seven sons, hath born him.
16 And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her
bosom, and became nurse unto it.
17 And the women her neighbors gave it a name,
saying, There is a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed: he
is the father of Jesse, the father of David.
18 Now these are the generations of Pharez: Pharez begat Hezron, 19 And Hezron begat Ram, and Ram begat Amminadab, 20 And Amminadab begat Nahshon, and Nahshon begat Salmon, 21 And Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed, 22 And Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David.
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Our New Testament passage is verses 29-54 of Luke chapter 11
Luke 11:29-54
29 And when
the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an
evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it,
but the sign of Jonas the prophet.
30 For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so
shall also the Son of man be to this generation.
31 The queen of the south shall rise
up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and condemn them:
for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of
Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.
32 The men of Nineve shall rise
up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they
repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is
here.
33 No
man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place,
neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in
may see the light.
34
The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single,
thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy
body also is full of darkness.
35 Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness.
36
If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the
whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle
doth give thee light.
37 And as he spake, a certain Pharisee besought him to dine with
him: and he went in, and sat down to meat.
38 And when the Pharisee saw it, he
marvelled that he had not first washed before dinner.
39 And the Lord said unto him,
Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter;
but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness.
40 Ye fools, did not he that
made that which is without make that which is within also?
41 But rather give alms of
such things as ye have; and, behold, all things are clean unto you.
42 But woe unto
you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and
pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and
not to leave the other undone.
43 Woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye love the uppermost
seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets.
44 Woe unto you, scribes and
Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are as graves which appear not, and the
men that walk over them are not aware of them.
45 Then answered one of the lawyers,
and said unto him, Master, thus saying thou reproachest us also.
46 And he said, Woe
unto you also, ye lawyers! for ye lade men with burdens grievous to be
borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers.
47 Woe unto
you! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers
killed them.
48
Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers: for they
indeed killed them, and ye build their sepulchres.
49 Therefore also said the wisdom
of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they
shall slay and persecute:
50 That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from
the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation;
51 From the blood of
Abel unto the blood of Zacharias which perished between the altar and
the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this
generation.
52
Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye
entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered.
53 And as he
said these things unto them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to urge
him vehemently, and to provoke him to speak of many things:
54 Laying wait for him,
and seeking to catch something out of his mouth, that they might accuse
him.
