Today's Readings and Stuff -- Thursday, 26 February 2015

only  a few more days of February.  At 2:30 in the afternoon, we are "up" to almost 16 degrees, with a low tonight of -3 and tomorrow night of -14.  Which is the lowest by far on the horizon over the next 10 days, so perhaps, PERHAPS, this will mark the end of the horrible cold.  Then again, we hear from friends near Knoxville, TN that they had 6 inches of snow yesterday and last night, and the area is shut down with many roads marked by TENNDOT as "impassable".  And with thousands still without electrical power after the weekend's storms.  We have -- still -- heat and light and water.  So we are grateful.  Shower worked well enough for Dear Wife to have a hot shower this morning and I hope to have same this evening.  So we've been blessed and others are not so well off.

WE got word this morning that my wife's brother-in-law (sister's husband) was at doctor this morning and the findings are not good.  Definitely well into the diabetic range, considerable evidence of kidney damage probably associated with that, and other issues too.  Having spent much of the last 20-some years swilling Pepsi as an alternative to water or the like may have contributed to that.  So that's another issue.

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The Old Testament reading today is chapters 16 and 17 in the book of Numbers.
I have, unfortunately been around some churches in turmoil with fights over doctrine, leadership, even over music.  Sometimes the motives are good, if the attitudes and words are not: I have no problem with people striving to know and to do as the Lord has directed and to honor Him.  Sadly, that is not always the case.  Here we see some fights over leadership and direction, and the attitude that "my opinion is as good as yours, and there are more with me, so we''re right".  Very democratic.  And very, very wrong.  And there are results to that, results that are hard on noncombatants too.  As is too often the case.  Hard to out vote the Lord.

Numbers 16

1	Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men:
2	And they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown:
3	And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD?
4	And when Moses heard it, he fell upon his face:
5	And he spake unto Korah and unto all his company, saying, Even to morrow the LORD will show who are his, and who is holy; and will cause him to come near unto him: even him whom he hath chosen will he cause to come near unto him.
6	This do; Take you censers, Korah, and all his company;
7	And put fire therein, and put incense in them before the LORD to morrow: and it shall be that the man whom the LORD doth choose, he shall be holy: ye take too much upon you, ye sons of Levi.
8	And Moses said unto Korah, Hear, I pray you, ye sons of Levi:
9	Seemeth it but a small thing unto you, that the God of Israel hath separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself to do the service of the tabernacle of the LORD, and to stand before the congregation to minister unto them?
10	And he hath brought thee near to him, and all thy brethren the sons of Levi with thee: and seek ye the priesthood also?
11	For which cause both thou and all thy company are gathered together against the LORD: and what is Aaron, that ye murmur against him?
12	And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab: which said, We will not come up:
13	Is it a small thing that thou hast brought us up out of a land that floweth with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, except thou make thyself altogether a prince over us?
14	Moreover thou hast not brought us into a land that floweth with milk and honey, or given us inheritance of fields and vineyards: wilt thou put out the eyes of these men? we will not come up.
15	And Moses was very wroth, and said unto the LORD, Respect not thou their offering: I have not taken one ass from them, neither have I hurt one of them.
16	And Moses said unto Korah, Be thou and all thy company before the LORD, thou, and they, and Aaron, to morrow:
17	And take every man his censer, and put incense in them, and bring ye before the LORD every man his censer, two hundred and fifty censers; thou also, and Aaron, each of you his censer.
18	And they took every man his censer, and put fire in them, and laid incense thereon, and stood in the door of the tabernacle of the congregation with Moses and Aaron.
19	And Korah gathered all the congregation against them unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto all the congregation.
20	And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
21	Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.
22	And they fell upon their faces, and said, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and wilt thou be wroth with all the congregation?
23	And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
24	Speak unto the congregation, saying, Get you up from about the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.
25	And Moses rose up and went unto Dathan and Abiram; and the elders of Israel followed him.
26	And he spake unto the congregation, saying, Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest ye be consumed in all their sins.
27	So they gat up from the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, on every side: and Dathan and Abiram came out, and stood in the door of their tents, and their wives, and their sons, and their little children.
28	And Moses said, Hereby ye shall know that the LORD hath sent me to do all these works; for I have not done them of mine own mind.
29	If these men die the common death of all men, or if they be visited after the visitation of all men; then the LORD hath not sent me.
30	But if the LORD make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down quick into the pit; then ye shall understand that these men have provoked the LORD.
31	And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them:
32	And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods.
33	They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation.
34	And all Israel that were round about them fled at the cry of them: for they said, Lest the earth swallow us up also.
35	And there came out a fire from the LORD, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men that offered incense.
36	And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
37	Speak unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, that he take up the censers out of the burning, and scatter thou the fire yonder; for they are hallowed.
38	The censers of these sinners against their own souls, let them make them broad plates for a covering of the altar: for they offered them before the LORD, therefore they are hallowed: and they shall be a sign unto the children of Israel.
39	And Eleazar the priest took the brazen censers, wherewith they that were burnt had offered; and they were made broad plates for a covering of the altar:
40	To be a memorial unto the children of Israel, that no stranger, which is not of the seed of Aaron, come near to offer incense before the LORD; that he be not as Korah, and as his company: as the LORD said to him by the hand of Moses.
41	But on the morrow all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, Ye have killed the people of the LORD.
42	And it came to pass, when the congregation was gathered against Moses and against Aaron, that they looked toward the tabernacle of the congregation: and, behold, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the LORD appeared.
43	And Moses and Aaron came before the tabernacle of the congregation.
44	And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
45	Get you up from among this congregation, that I may consume them as in a moment. And they fell upon their faces.
46	And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer, and put fire therein from off the altar, and put on incense, and go quickly unto the congregation, and make an atonement for them: for there is wrath gone out from the LORD; the plague is begun.
47	And Aaron took as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the congregation; and, behold, the plague was begun among the people: and he put on incense, and made an atonement for the people.
48	And he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed.
49	Now they that died in the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, beside them that died about the matter of Korah.
50	And Aaron returned unto Moses unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and the plague was stayed.

Numbers 17 

1	And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2	Speak unto the children of Israel, and take of every one of them a rod according to the house of their fathers, of all their princes according to the house of their fathers twelve rods: write thou every man's name upon his rod.
3	And thou shalt write Aaron's name upon the rod of Levi: for one rod shall be for the head of the house of their fathers.
4	And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation before the testimony, where I will meet with you.
5	And it shall come to pass, that the man's rod, whom I shall choose, shall blossom: and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel, whereby they murmur against you.
6	And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, and every one of their princes gave him a rod apiece, for each prince one, according to their fathers' houses, even twelve rods: and the rod of Aaron was among their rods.
7	And Moses laid up the rods before the LORD in the tabernacle of witness.
8	And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds.
9	And Moses brought out all the rods from before the LORD unto all the children of Israel: and they looked, and took every man his rod.
10	And the LORD said unto Moses, Bring Aaron's rod again before the testimony, to be kept for a token against the rebels; and thou shalt quite take away their murmurings from me, that they die not.
11	And Moses did so: as the LORD commanded him, so did he.
12	And the children of Israel spake unto Moses, saying, Behold, we die, we perish, we all perish.
13	Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the LORD shall die: shall we be consumed with dying?

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The New Testament reading is verses 33-56 in Mark chapter 6.  Feeding 5,000 men, plus women and children, all from very little.  And then Jesus goes for a stroll.  ON the water.

Mark 6:33-56

33	And the people saw them departing, and many knew him, and ran afoot thither out of all cities, and outwent them, and came together unto him.
34	And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.
35	And when the day was now far spent, his disciples came unto him, and said, This is a desert place, and now the time is far passed:
36	Send them away, that they may go into the country round about, and into the villages, and buy themselves bread: for they have nothing to eat.
37	He answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat?
38	He saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? go and see. And when they knew, they say, Five, and two fishes.
39	And he commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass.
40	And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds, and by fifties.
41	And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all.
42	And they did all eat, and were filled.
43	And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments, and of the fishes.
44	And they that did eat of the loaves were about five thousand men.
45	And straightway he constrained his disciples to get into the ship, and to go to the other side before unto Bethsaida, while he sent away the people.
46	And when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray.
47	And when even was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and he alone on the land.
48	And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them.
49	But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out:
50	For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid.
51	And he went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered.
52	For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened.
53	And when they had passed over, they came into the land of Gennesaret, and drew to the shore.
54	And when they were come out of the ship, straightway they knew him,
55	And ran through that whole region round about, and began to carry about in beds those that were sick, where they heard he was.
56	And whithersoever he entered, into villages, or cities, or country, they laid the sick in the streets, and besought him that they might touch if it were but the border of his garment: and as many as touched him were made whole.