Today's Readings and Stuff -- Monday, 10 February, 2014 UPDATED

Monday.  Starting over with a new week.

Yesterday was rough.  I posted pretty early, then snoozed a bit.  Woke to outside temps in the low teens, and the temp inside bidding to fall below the 50's.  Seems the heat was out, the furnace not working.  This is an old gas furnace, one with a pilot light instead of a glow plug.  And the pilot light had blown out during the night.  So much for our morning plans, hoped to go to church and such.  Instead, we spent most of our day trying to get heat back on in out little place.  Sister-in-law's husband came by, knowledgeable in these things, and he was at length able to get the thing re-lit.  Good thing too, as we just aren't able to afford a call, especially on a weekend, from a HVAC tech, not when a Sunday service call STARTS at around $150.  And can go way way up from there.  So we were very very grateful to have heat back on, especially when a look at the weather forecasts for the coming week has several sub-zero lows predicted.  Not good.  God is good, all the time, but that does not mean that the circumstances will always be good ones.

and updated.  Wrote most of this around midnight, prepping for the day.  Woke up to around 11 degrees outside, and mid-50's inside.  Furnace out again, and resisted all efforts to relight.  Called for a service tech, they showed up in an hour or two.  An hour and $105 later, we had heat and a new thermocouple in the  furnace.  Then Dear Wife called for a tech to install a stand-alone ventless gaslog type heater she'd bought at a GREAT deal over the weekend.  Tech quoted a $272 total to run line and install.  Got $150 deposit off me, and will be back with the parts Wednesday.  Oh, and he detected a gas leak in our gas stove.  Dear Wife got back on line and found us a used gas range for about $200 delivered, and will be delivered Wednesday morning.  Hope to inveigle the guy doing the heater install into blessing this range.  We were planning to replace that stove anyway, the oven temp was not controllable and it seems likely that there was an internal gas leak since the odor dissipated once we cut off the line to it.  Since we are anticipating sub-zero and near-zero lows for the next week or so. that matter of heat is an important matter to us.

Should be an interesting week.  Dear Wife is scheduled for major oral surgery Tuesday, at which time the plan is to remove virtually of her remaining teeth, beginning with all of them in the upper jaw, and most of them in the lower.  They are anticipating a healing period of 6-8 weeks afterward, before any move is made towards dentures, etc.  I suspect that she will become weary of apple sauce, malto-meal, broth, and the like, long before that occurs.

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The Old Testament reading is chapters 10, 11, and 12 of Leviticus.
Just as now, there are those who choose to ignore the Lord's commands in order to "do their own thing" in worship.   Ignoring the Lord's will is not worship, it is disobedience.  There are consequences.  We see an example of that here.

Leviticus 10

1	And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not.
2	And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD.
3	Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the LORD spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace.
4	And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said unto them, Come near, carry your brethren from before the sanctuary out of the camp.
5	So they went near, and carried them in their coats out of the camp; as Moses had said.
6	And Moses said unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar, his sons, Uncover not your heads, neither rend your clothes; lest ye die, and lest wrath come upon all the people: but let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which the LORD hath kindled.
7	And ye shall not go out from the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: for the anointing oil of the LORD is upon you. And they did according to the word of Moses.
8	And the LORD spake unto Aaron, saying,
9	Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations:
10	And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean;
11	And that ye may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the LORD hath spoken unto them by the hand of Moses.
12	And Moses spake unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar, his sons that were left, Take the meat offering that remaineth of the offerings of the LORD made by fire, and eat it without leaven beside the altar: for it is most holy:
13	And ye shall eat it in the holy place, because it is thy due, and thy sons' due, of the sacrifices of the LORD made by fire: for so I am commanded.
14	And the wave breast and heave shoulder shall ye eat in a clean place; thou, and thy sons, and thy daughters with thee: for they be thy due, and thy sons' due, which are given out of the sacrifices of peace offerings of the children of Israel.
15	The heave shoulder and the wave breast shall they bring with the offerings made by fire of the fat, to wave it for a wave offering before the LORD; and it shall be thine, and thy sons' with thee, by a statute for ever; as the LORD hath commanded.
16	And Moses diligently sought the goat of the sin offering, and, behold, it was burnt: and he was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, the sons of Aaron which were left alive, saying,
17	Wherefore have ye not eaten the sin offering in the holy place, seeing it is most holy, and God hath given it you to bear the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the LORD?
18	Behold, the blood of it was not brought in within the holy place: ye should indeed have eaten it in the holy place, as I commanded.
19	And Aaron said unto Moses, Behold, this day have they offered their sin offering and their burnt offering before the LORD; and such things have befallen me: and if I had eaten the sin offering to day, should it have been accepted in the sight of the LORD?
20	And when Moses heard that, he was content.

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 cloven-footed, 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 cloven-footed, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean to you.
8	Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcass 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 carcasses 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 cuckoo, 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 carcass of them shall be unclean until the even.
25	And whosoever beareth ought of the carcass of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even.
26	The carcasses of every beast which divideth the hoof, and is not cloven-footed, 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 carcass shall be unclean until the even.
28	And he that beareth the carcass 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 carcass 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 carcass shall be unclean.
37	And if any part of their carcass 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 carcass fall thereon, it shall be unclean unto you.
39	And if any beast, of which ye may eat, die; he that toucheth the carcass thereof shall be unclean until the even.
40	And he that eateth of the carcass of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: he also that beareth the carcass 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.
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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The New Testament reading is verses 1-19 of 26th chapter in the Gospel of Matthew.  Beginning the transition towards the Last Supper.  A very very intense time.

Matthew 26:1-19

1	And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said unto his disciples,
2	Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.
3	Then assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas,
4	And consulted that they might take Jesus by subtilty, and kill him.
5	But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar among the people.
6	Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper,
7	There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat.
8	But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste?
9	For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor.
10	When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me.
11	For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always.
12	For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial.
13	Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her.
14	Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests,
15	And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.
16	And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him.
17	Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the passover?
18	And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at thy house with my disciples.
19	And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready the passover.