We appear so far to have escaped the awful tornadoes that tore up Texas today. I confess to being grateful that we have -- at this point -- escaped. At the same time, those are real people going through this. May the Lord watch over them.
This is Holy Week, reminding us of the Crucifixion and the Resurrection. A time for thought and prayer and meditating on the Lord's work on our behalf.
The Old Testament reading for today is from the book of the Judges, chapters 10 and 11.
1 | And after Abimelech there arose to defend Israel Tola the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar; and he dwelt in Shamir in mount Ephraim. |
2 | And he judged Israel twenty and three years, and died, and was buried in Shamir. |
3 | And after him arose Jair, a Gileadite, and judged Israel twenty and two years. |
4 | And he had thirty sons that rode on thirty ass colts, and they had thirty cities, which are called Havothjair unto this day, which are in the land of Gilead. |
5 | And Jair died, and was buried in Camon. |
6 | And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsook the LORD, and served not him. |
7 | And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the children of Ammon. |
8 | And that year they vexed and oppressed the children of Israel: eighteen years, all the children of Israel that were on the other side Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead. |
9 | Moreover the children of Ammon passed over Jordan to fight also against Judah, and against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim; so that Israel was sore distressed. |
10 | And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, saying, We have sinned against thee, both because we have forsaken our God, and also served Baalim. |
11 | And the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Did not I deliver you from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines? |
12 | The Zidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites, did oppress you; and ye cried to me, and I delivered you out of their hand. |
13 | Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will deliver you no more. |
14 | Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation. |
15 | And the children of Israel said unto the LORD, We have sinned: do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee; deliver us only, we pray thee, this day. |
16 | And they put away the strange gods from among them, and served the LORD: and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel. |
17 | Then the children of Ammon were gathered together, and encamped in Gilead. And the children of Israel assembled themselves together, and encamped in Mizpeh. |
18 | And the people and princes of Gilead said one to another, What man is he that will begin to fight against the children of Ammon? he shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead. |
1 | Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor, and he was the son of an harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah. |
2 | And Gilead's wife bare him sons; and his wife's sons grew up, and they thrust out Jephthah, and said unto him, Thou shalt not inherit in our father's house; for thou art the son of a strange woman. |
3 | Then Jephthah fled from his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob: and there were gathered vain men to Jephthah, and went out with him. |
4 | And it came to pass in process of time, that the children of Ammon made war against Israel. |
5 | And it was so, that when the children of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to fetch Jephthah out of the land of Tob: |
6 | And they said unto Jephthah, Come, and be our captain, that we may fight with the children of Ammon. |
7 | And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, Did not ye hate me, and expel me out of my father's house? and why are ye come unto me now when ye are in distress? |
8 | And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, Therefore we turn again to thee now, that thou mayest go with us, and fight against the children of Ammon, and be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead. |
9 | And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, If ye bring me home again to fight against the children of Ammon, and the LORD deliver them before me, shall I be your head? |
10 | And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, The LORD be witness between us, if we do not so according to thy words. |
11 | Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and captain over them: and Jephthah uttered all his words before the LORD in Mizpeh. |
12 | And Jephthah sent messengers unto the king of the children of Ammon, saying, What hast thou to do with me, that thou art come against me to fight in my land? |
13 | And the king of the children of Ammon answered unto the messengers of Jephthah, Because Israel took away my land, when they came up out of Egypt, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and unto Jordan: now therefore restore those lands again peaceably. |
14 | And Jephthah sent messengers again unto the king of the children of Ammon: |
15 | And said unto him, Thus saith Jephthah, Israel took not away the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon: |
16 | But when Israel came up from Egypt, and walked through the wilderness unto the Red sea, and came to Kadesh; |
17 | Then Israel sent messengers unto the king of Edom, saying, Let me, I pray thee, pass through thy land: but the king of Edom would not hearken thereto. And in like manner they sent unto the king of Moab: but he would not consent: and Israel abode in Kadesh. |
18 | Then they went along through the wilderness, and compassed the land of Edom, and the land of Moab, and came by the east side of the land of Moab, and pitched on the other side of Arnon, but came not within the border of Moab: for Arnon was the border of Moab. |
19 | And Israel sent messengers unto Sihon king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon; and Israel said unto him, Let us pass, we pray thee, through thy land into my place. |
20 | But Sihon trusted not Israel to pass through his coast: but Sihon gathered all his people together, and pitched in Jahaz, and fought against Israel. |
21 | And the LORD God of Israel delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they smote them: so Israel possessed all the land of the Amorites, the inhabitants of that country. |
22 | And they possessed all the coasts of the Amorites, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and from the wilderness even unto Jordan. |
23 | So now the LORD God of Israel hath dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel, and shouldest thou possess it? |
24 | Wilt not thou possess that which Chemosh thy god giveth thee to possess? So whomsoever the LORD our God shall drive out from before us, them will we possess. |
25 | And now art thou any thing better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? did he ever strive against Israel, or did he ever fight against them, |
26 | While Israel dwelt in Heshbon and her towns, and in Aroer and her towns, and in all the cities that be along by the coasts of Arnon, three hundred years? why therefore did ye not recover them within that time? |
27 | Wherefore I have not sinned against thee, but thou doest me wrong to war against me: the LORD the Judge be judge this day between the children of Israel and the children of Ammon. |
28 | Howbeit the king of the children of Ammon hearkened not unto the words of Jephthah which he sent him. |
29 | Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead, and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed over unto the children of Ammon. |
30 | And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands, |
31 | Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD's, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering. |
32 | So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the LORD delivered them into his hands. |
33 | And he smote them from Aroer, even till thou come to Minnith, even twenty cities, and unto the plain of the vineyards, with a very great slaughter. Thus the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel. |
34 | And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: and she was his only child; beside her he had neither son nor daughter. |
35 | And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble me: for I have opened my mouth unto the LORD, and I cannot go back. |
36 | And she said unto him, My father, if thou hast opened thy mouth unto the LORD, do to me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth; forasmuch as the LORD hath taken vengeance for thee of thine enemies, even of the children of Ammon. |
37 | And she said unto her father, Let this thing be done for me: let me alone two months, that I may go up and down upon the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my fellows. |
38 | And he said, Go. And he sent her away for two months: and she went with her companions, and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains. |
39 | And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she knew no man. And it was a custom in Israel, |
40 | That the daughters of Israel went yearly to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year. |
This evening, verses 1-36 from the 9th chapter of the Gospel of Luke.
1 | Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. |
2 | And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick. |
3 | And he said unto them, Take nothing for your journey, neither staves, nor scrip, neither bread, neither money; neither have two coats apiece. |
4 | And whatsoever house ye enter into, there abide, and thence depart. |
5 | And whosoever will not receive you, when ye go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them. |
6 | And they departed, and went through the towns, preaching the gospel, and healing every where. |
7 | Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by him: and he was perplexed, because that it was said of some, that John was risen from the dead; |
8 | And of some, that Elias had appeared; and of others, that one of the old prophets was risen again. |
9 | And Herod said, John have I beheaded: but who is this, of whom I hear such things? And he desired to see him. |
10 | And the apostles, when they were returned, told him all that they had done. And he took them, and went aside privately into a desert place belonging to the city called Bethsaida. |
11 | And the people, when they knew it, followed him: and he received them, and spake unto them of the kingdom of God, and healed them that had need of healing. |
12 | And when the day began to wear away, then came the twelve, and said unto him, Send the multitude away, that they may go into the towns and country round about, and lodge, and get victuals: for we are here in a desert place. |
13 | But he said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they said, We have no more but five loaves and two fishes; except we should go and buy meat for all this people. |
14 | For they were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, Make them sit down by fifties in a company. |
15 | And they did so, and made them all sit down. |
16 | Then he took the five loaves and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed them, and brake, and gave to the disciples to set before the multitude. |
17 | And they did eat, and were all filled: and there was taken up of fragments that remained to them twelve baskets. |
18 | And it came to pass, as he was alone praying, his disciples were with him: and he asked them, saying, Whom say the people that I am? |
19 | They answering said, John the Baptist; but some say, Elias; and others say, that one of the old prophets is risen again. |
20 | He said unto them, But whom say ye that I am? Peter answering said, The Christ of God. |
21 | And he straitly charged them, and commanded them to tell no man that thing; |
22 | Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day. |
23 | And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. |
24 | For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. |
25 | For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away? |
26 | For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels. |
27 | But I tell you of a truth, there be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the kingdom of God. |
28 | And it came to pass about an eight days after these sayings, he took Peter and John and James, and went up into a mountain to pray. |
29 | And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering. |
30 | And, behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias: |
31 | Who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem. |
32 | But Peter and they that were with him were heavy with sleep: and when they were awake, they saw his glory, and the two men that stood with him. |
33 | And it came to pass, as they departed from him, Peter said unto 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: not knowing what he said. |
34 | While he thus spake, there came a cloud, and overshadowed them: and they feared as they entered into the cloud. |
35 | And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him. |
36 | And when the voice was past, Jesus was found alone. And they kept it close, and told no man in those days any of those things which they had seen. |
