Today's Readings and Stuff -- Saturday, 20

A few days ago, our "high" temperature was about +9. Today, it is 59 as I speak, and 61 is predicted.  But by next weekend, we'll have had one "high" of +30 next (not this) Sunday and Monday are expected to have "high" temperatures in the upper 20's.  And people wonder about the high incidences of sinusitis and other maladies arising, or at least aggravated by, rapid and frequent and extreme changes in temperature, humidity, and atmospheric pressure.  All too often "doctored" in this area by large volumes of beverage alcohol and all the issues that arise in turn from that.
Wife is trying to recover from being out & about yesterday.  So now we have a big pot of home made chili on the stove.  Three cans of chili beans, three cans of diced tomatoes, some ground beef, some spices, and a few other items.  Going to be enough there for a big (though late) lunch, some to put into the refrigerator for meals this week, and more to go into the freezer for use thereafter.  Joining the home made vegetable beef soup.  Tuesday (when her Disability check hits) we plan to go to another grocery: we need potatoes, something generally not found in the Farmer's Market in February in this part of the world.  We'll make some home made potato soup (a Dutchman's comfort food) and related.  Saves a lot of money, but also ensures that there are no ingredients that upset her system:  things like MSG make her violently ill.

I've got clothes in the dryer and another load to go soon (I do virtually all the laundry and all the dishwashing and most of the other around-the-house chores:  part of being a care-giver).

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The Old Testament reading is chapters 3 and 4 of Numbers.
Probably all of us at times get into one of those funks, when we feel useless, unappreciated, un-needed, and living a vain and pointless existence.  I get that a lot.    Yet here we see a record from several THOUSAND years ago.  Obscure  people and groupings in a far-distant place, people with odd names and no pictures to go with them.  But not one of them was there for no purpose.  The Lord had a need and a use for every one of them.  Here we see some of there top-level assignments.  I sometimes envy that.  But all of them also had a life beyond that.  They were sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, neighbors and cousins and fellow travelers in a harsh environment, surrounded by enemies and with their every crumb of food provided by an invisible Presence.  They had children to rear and train, duties of all kinds to carry out, some of which would be recognizable today.
And the Lord planned for it and provided for it.  I wonder what kinds of things they told their kids in the evenings.  I wonder what those kids grew up to be.  All foreseen by the Lord.   And some of those names are listed here, for us to see and know about.
No, we aren't forgotten and of no purpose.

Numbers 3 

1	These also are the generations of Aaron and Moses in the day that the LORD spake with Moses in mount Sinai.
2	And these are the names of the sons of Aaron; Nadab the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
3	These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests which were anointed, whom he consecrated to minister in the priest's office.
4	And Nadab and Abihu died before the LORD, when they offered strange fire before the LORD, in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children: and Eleazar and Ithamar ministered in the priest's office in the sight of Aaron their father.
5	And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
6	Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister unto him.
7	And they shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole congregation before the tabernacle of the congregation, to do the service of the tabernacle.
8	And they shall keep all the instruments of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the charge of the children of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle.
9	And thou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron and to his sons: they are wholly given unto him out of the children of Israel.
10	And thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall wait on their priest's office: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.
11	And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
12	And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn that openeth the matrix among the children of Israel: therefore the Levites shall be mine;
13	Because all the firstborn are mine; for on the day that I smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I hallowed unto me all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast: mine shall they be: I am the LORD.
14	And the LORD spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying,
15	Number the children of Levi after the house of their fathers, by their families: every male from a month old and upward shalt thou number them.
16	And Moses numbered them according to the word of the LORD, as he was commanded.
17	And these were the sons of Levi by their names; Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari.
18	And these are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families; Libni, and Shimei.
19	And the sons of Kohath by their families; Amram, and Izehar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
20	And the sons of Merari by their families; Mahli, and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to the house of their fathers.
21	Of Gershon was the family of the Libnites, and the family of the Shimites: these are the families of the Gershonites.
22	Those that were numbered of them, according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, even those that were numbered of them were seven thousand and five hundred.
23	The families of the Gershonites shall pitch behind the tabernacle westward.
24	And the chief of the house of the father of the Gershonites shall be Eliasaph the son of Lael.
25	And the charge of the sons of Gershon in the tabernacle of the congregation shall be the tabernacle, and the tent, the covering thereof, and the hanging for the door of the tabernacle of the congregation,
26	And the hangings of the court, and the curtain for the door of the court, which is by the tabernacle, and by the altar round about, and the cords of it for all the service thereof.
27	And of Kohath was the family of the Amramites, and the family of the Izeharites, and the family of the Hebronites, and the family of the Uzzielites: these are the families of the Kohathites.
28	In the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, were eight thousand and six hundred, keeping the charge of the sanctuary.
29	The families of the sons of Kohath shall pitch on the side of the tabernacle southward.
30	And the chief of the house of the father of the families of the Kohathites shall be Elizaphan the son of Uzziel.
31	And their charge shall be the ark, and the table, and the candlestick, and the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary wherewith they minister, and the hanging, and all the service thereof.
32	And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall be chief over the chief of the Levites, and have the oversight of them that keep the charge of the sanctuary.
33	Of Merari was the family of the Mahlites, and the family of the Mushites: these are the families of Merari.
34	And those that were numbered of them, according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, were six thousand and two hundred.
35	And the chief of the house of the father of the families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail: these shall pitch on the side of the tabernacle northward.
36	And under the custody and charge of the sons of Merari shall be the boards of the tabernacle, and the bars thereof, and the pillars thereof, and the sockets thereof, and all the vessels thereof, and all that serveth thereto,
37	And the pillars of the court round about, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords.
38	But those that encamp before the tabernacle toward the east, even before the tabernacle of the congregation eastward, shall be Moses, and Aaron and his sons, keeping the charge of the sanctuary for the charge of the children of Israel; and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.
39	All that were numbered of the Levites, which Moses and Aaron numbered at the commandment of the LORD, throughout their families, all the males from a month old and upward, were twenty and two thousand.
40	And the LORD said unto Moses, Number all the firstborn of the males of the children of Israel from a month old and upward, and take the number of their names.
41	And thou shalt take the Levites for me (I am the LORD) instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel; and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstlings among the cattle of the children of Israel.
42	And Moses numbered, as the LORD commanded him, all the firstborn among the children of Israel.
43	And all the firstborn males by the number of names, from a month old and upward, of those that were numbered of them, were twenty and two thousand two hundred and threescore and thirteen.
44	And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
45	Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle; and the Levites shall be mine: I am the LORD.
46	And for those that are to be redeemed of the two hundred and threescore and thirteen of the firstborn of the children of Israel, which are more than the Levites;
47	Thou shalt even take five shekels apiece by the poll, after the shekel of the sanctuary shalt thou take them: (the shekel is twenty gerahs:)
48	And thou shalt give the money, wherewith the odd number of them is to be redeemed, unto Aaron and to his sons.
49	And Moses took the redemption money of them that were over and above them that were redeemed by the Levites:
50	Of the firstborn of the children of Israel took he the money; a thousand three hundred and threescore and five shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary:
51	And Moses gave the money of them that were redeemed unto Aaron and to his sons, according to the word of the LORD, as the LORD commanded Moses.

Numbers 4

1	And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
2	Take the sum of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, after their families, by the house of their fathers,
3	From thirty years old and upward even until fifty years old, all that enter into the host, to do the work in the tabernacle of the congregation.
4	This shall be the service of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation, about the most holy things:
5	And when the camp setteth forward, Aaron shall come, and his sons, and they shall take down the covering vail, and cover the ark of testimony with it:
6	And shall put thereon the covering of badgers' skins, and shall spread over it a cloth wholly of blue, and shall put in the staves thereof.
7	And upon the table of showbread they shall spread a cloth of blue, and put thereon the dishes, and the spoons, and the bowls, and covers to cover withal: and the continual bread shall be thereon:
8	And they shall spread upon them a cloth of scarlet, and cover the same with a covering of badgers' skins, and shall put in the staves thereof.
9	And they shall take a cloth of blue, and cover the candlestick of the light, and his lamps, and his tongs, and his snuffdishes, and all the oil vessels thereof, wherewith they minister unto it:
10	And they shall put it and all the vessels thereof within a covering of badgers' skins, and shall put it upon a bar.
11	And upon the golden altar they shall spread a cloth of blue, and cover it with a covering of badgers' skins, and shall put to the staves thereof:
12	And they shall take all the instruments of ministry, wherewith they minister in the sanctuary, and put them in a cloth of blue, and cover them with a covering of badgers' skins, and shall put them on a bar:
13	And they shall take away the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth thereon:
14	And they shall put upon it all the vessels thereof, wherewith they minister about it, even the censers, the fleshhooks, and the shovels, and the basins, all the vessels of the altar; and they shall spread upon it a covering of badgers' skins, and put to the staves of it.
15	And when Aaron and his sons have made an end of covering the sanctuary, and all the vessels of the sanctuary, as the camp is to set forward; after that, the sons of Kohath shall come to bear it: but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die. These things are the burden of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation.
16	And to the office of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest pertaineth the oil for the light, and the sweet incense, and the daily meat offering, and the anointing oil, and the oversight of all the tabernacle, and of all that therein is, in the sanctuary, and in the vessels thereof.
17	And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron saying,
18	Cut ye not off the tribe of the families of the Kohathites from among the Levites:
19	But thus do unto them, that they may live, and not die, when they approach unto the most holy things: Aaron and his sons shall go in, and appoint them every one to his service and to his burden:
20	But they shall not go in to see when the holy things are covered, lest they die.
21	And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
22	Take also the sum of the sons of Gershon, throughout the houses of their fathers, by their families;
23	From thirty years old and upward until fifty years old shalt thou number them; all that enter in to perform the service, to do the work in the tabernacle of the congregation.
24	This is the service of the families of the Gershonites, to serve, and for burdens:
25	And they shall bear the curtains of the tabernacle, and the tabernacle of the congregation, his covering, and the covering of the badgers' skins that is above upon it, and the hanging for the door of the tabernacle of the congregation,
26	And the hangings of the court, and the hanging for the door of the gate of the court, which is by the tabernacle and by the altar round about, and their cords, and all the instruments of their service, and all that is made for them: so shall they serve.
27	At the appointment of Aaron and his sons shall be all the service of the sons of the Gershonites, in all their burdens, and in all their service: and ye shall appoint unto them in charge all their burdens.
28	This is the service of the families of the sons of Gershon in the tabernacle of the congregation: and their charge shall be under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.
29	As for the sons of Merari, thou shalt number them after their families, by the house of their fathers;
30	From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old shalt thou number them, every one that entereth into the service, to do the work of the tabernacle of the congregation.
31	And this is the charge of their burden, according to all their service in the tabernacle of the congregation; the boards of the tabernacle, and the bars thereof, and the pillars thereof, and sockets thereof,
32	And the pillars of the court round about, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords, with all their instruments, and with all their service: and by name ye shall reckon the instruments of the charge of their burden.
33	This is the service of the families of the sons of Merari, according to all their service, in the tabernacle of the congregation, under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.
34	And Moses and Aaron and the chief of the congregation numbered the sons of the Kohathites after their families, and after the house of their fathers,
35	From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entereth into the service, for the work in the tabernacle of the congregation:
36	And those that were numbered of them by their families were two thousand seven hundred and fifty.
37	These were they that were numbered of the families of the Kohathites, all that might do service in the tabernacle of the congregation, which Moses and Aaron did number according to the commandment of the LORD by the hand of Moses.
38	And those that were numbered of the sons of Gershon, throughout their families, and by the house of their fathers,
39	From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entereth into the service, for the work in the tabernacle of the congregation,
40	Even those that were numbered of them, throughout their families, by the house of their fathers, were two thousand and six hundred and thirty.
41	These are they that were numbered of the families of the sons of Gershon, of all that might do service in the tabernacle of the congregation, whom Moses and Aaron did number according to the commandment of the LORD.
42	And those that were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, throughout their families, by the house of their fathers,
43	From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entereth into the service, for the work in the tabernacle of the congregation,
44	Even those that were numbered of them after their families, were three thousand and two hundred.
45	These be those that were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the word of the LORD by the hand of Moses.
46	All those that were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron and the chief of Israel numbered, after their families, and after the house of their fathers,
47	From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that came to do the service of the ministry, and the service of the burden in the tabernacle of the congregation.
48	Even those that were numbered of them, were eight thousand and five hundred and fourscore,
49	According to the commandment of the LORD they were numbered by the hand of Moses, every one according to his service, and according to his burden: thus were they numbered of him, as the LORD commanded Moses.

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The New Testament reading is verses 22-35 in the 3rd chapter of the Gospel of Mark.

Mark 3:22-35

22	And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils.
23	And he called them unto him, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan?
24	And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
25	And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.
26	And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end.
27	No man can enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house.
28	Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme:
29	But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation.
30	Because they said, He hath an unclean spirit.
31	There came then his brethren and his mother, and, standing without, sent unto him, calling him.
32	And the multitude sat about him, and they said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee.
33	And he answered them, saying, Who is my mother, or my brethren?
34	And he looked round about on them which sat about him, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!
35	For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.

Today's Readings and Stuff -- Friday, 19 February, 2016

Next-to-last Friday in February.  Little by little, step by step, closer and closer .......
At least the weather has improved.  Slightly.  VERY temporarily.  We made it into the 40's today.  Tonight's low is predicted to be about 10 degrees higher than was the "high" of a few days ago.  A temporary condition, again.  By this time next week, we are expected to be back in a Deep Freeze, with horrid snow storms raging around us.
Dear Wife had a doctor appointment at 08:00 this morning.  She'd had me set an 05:00 alarm, giving time for shower, some other preparation, etc.  The cats, however, woke me at 03:00, and gave me no relief until I arose and put out a can of food.  And could not get back to sleep, even though I'd only had about 3-1/2 hours at that point.  So I just lay there, until 05:00.  At which point she directed a further 15 minutes of snooze.  Then she rose, showered (leaving not a drop of hot water, so I got no shower), dressed, had me make toast etc for her.  We left the house around 07:25, made it to doctor on time (barely --  not helped by roads in lousy condition and traffic signal arrangements orchestrated by halfwit demons).  We were at the doctor office for about 90 minutes, came home.  Vegged a bit.  Then headed out for the next doctor appointment, this one for the eyes (she's legally blind, and the cataracts and glaucoma are a worry).  We were there about another 90 minutes.  Stopped for our once-per-month lunch date, then off to Wally World to pick up a prescription and a few items not gotten yesterday.  And finally home, just before sunset.  Got stuff put away, made dinner, ate.  And now sitting at keyboard.
Not the most excitement I've ever had, but it is what it is.
TV news full of the political news and a party primary in South Carolina tomorrow.

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The Old Testament reading is chapters 1 and 2 of the book of Numbers.
This is, for me, one of the odd ones, and was long in my "who cares?" category.  Lots of references to long-dead people with odd-sounding names, all far from here and a long, long time ago.  Who cares?
The Lord did!  And does!
Each of us, each and every single one of us, is known individually by the Lord, and He thinks it's important.  That should mean something. 

He gave some instructions on things.  Evidently, He thought those things were important as well.

Numbers 1

1	And the LORD spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tabernacle of the congregation, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying,
2	Take ye the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, after their families, by the house of their fathers, with the number of their names, every male by their polls;
3	From twenty years old and upward, all that are able to go forth to war in Israel: thou and Aaron shall number them by their armies.
4	And with you there shall be a man of every tribe; every one head of the house of his fathers.
5	And these are the names of the men that shall stand with you: of the tribe of Reuben; Elizur the son of Shedeur.
6	Of Simeon; Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.
7	Of Judah; Nahshon the son of Amminadab.
8	Of Issachar; Nethaneel the son of Zuar.
9	Of Zebulun; Eliab the son of Helon.
10	Of the children of Joseph: of Ephraim; Elishama the son of Ammihud: of Manasseh; Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur.
11	Of Benjamin; Abidan the son of Gideoni.
12	Of Dan; Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai.
13	Of Asher; Pagiel the son of Ocran.
14	Of Gad; Eliasaph the son of Deuel.
15	Of Naphtali; Ahira the son of Enan.
16	These were the renowned of the congregation, princes of the tribes of their fathers, heads of thousands in Israel.
17	And Moses and Aaron took these men which are expressed by their names:
18	And they assembled all the congregation together on the first day of the second month, and they declared their pedigrees after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, by their polls.
19	As the LORD commanded Moses, so he numbered them in the wilderness of Sinai.
20	And the children of Reuben, Israel's eldest son, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
21	Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Reuben, were forty and six thousand and five hundred.
22	Of the children of Simeon, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, those that were numbered of them, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
23	Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Simeon, were fifty and nine thousand and three hundred.
24	Of the children of Gad, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
25	Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Gad, were forty and five thousand six hundred and fifty.
26	Of the children of Judah, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
27	Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Judah, were threescore and fourteen thousand and six hundred.
28	Of the children of Issachar, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
29	Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Issachar, were fifty and four thousand and four hundred.
30	Of the children of Zebulun, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
31	Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Zebulun, were fifty and seven thousand and four hundred.
32	Of the children of Joseph, namely, of the children of Ephraim, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
33	Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Ephraim, were forty thousand and five hundred.
34	Of the children of Manasseh, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
35	Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Manasseh, were thirty and two thousand and two hundred.
36	Of the children of Benjamin, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
37	Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Benjamin, were thirty and five thousand and four hundred.
38	Of the children of Dan, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
39	Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Dan, were threescore and two thousand and seven hundred.
40	Of the children of Asher, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
41	Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Asher, were forty and one thousand and five hundred.
42	Of the children of Naphtali, throughout their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;
43	Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Naphtali, were fifty and three thousand and four hundred.
44	These are those that were numbered, which Moses and Aaron numbered, and the princes of Israel, being twelve men: each one was for the house of his fathers.
45	So were all those that were numbered of the children of Israel, by the house of their fathers, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war in Israel;
46	Even all they that were numbered were six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty.
47	But the Levites after the tribe of their fathers were not numbered among them.
48	For the LORD had spoken unto Moses, saying,
49	Only thou shalt not number the tribe of Levi, neither take the sum of them among the children of Israel:
50	But thou shalt appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of testimony, and over all the vessels thereof, and over all things that belong to it: they shall bear the tabernacle, and all the vessels thereof; and they shall minister unto it, and shall encamp round about the tabernacle.
51	And when the tabernacle setteth forward, the Levites shall take it down: and when the tabernacle is to be pitched, the Levites shall set it up: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.
52	And the children of Israel shall pitch their tents, every man by his own camp, and every man by his own standard, throughout their hosts.
53	But the Levites shall pitch round about the tabernacle of testimony, that there be no wrath upon the congregation of the children of Israel: and the Levites shall keep the charge of the tabernacle of testimony.
54	And the children of Israel did according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so did they.

Numbers 2 

1	And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
2	Every man of the children of Israel shall pitch by his own standard, with the ensign of their father's house: far off about the tabernacle of the congregation shall they pitch.
3	And on the east side toward the rising of the sun shall they of the standard of the camp of Judah pitch throughout their armies: and Nahshon the son of Amminadab shall be captain of the children of Judah.
4	And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were threescore and fourteen thousand and six hundred.
5	And those that do pitch next unto him shall be the tribe of Issachar: and Nethaneel the son of Zuar shall be captain of the children of Issachar.
6	And his host, and those that were numbered thereof, were fifty and four thousand and four hundred.
7	Then the tribe of Zebulun: and Eliab the son of Helon shall be captain of the children of Zebulun.
8	And his host, and those that were numbered thereof, were fifty and seven thousand and four hundred.
9	All that were numbered in the camp of Judah were an hundred thousand and fourscore thousand and six thousand and four hundred, throughout their armies. These shall first set forth.
10	On the south side shall be the standard of the camp of Reuben according to their armies: and the captain of the children of Reuben shall be Elizur the son of Shedeur.
11	And his host, and those that were numbered thereof, were forty and six thousand and five hundred.
12	And those which pitch by him shall be the tribe of Simeon: and the captain of the children of Simeon shall be Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.
13	And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were fifty and nine thousand and three hundred.
14	Then the tribe of Gad: and the captain of the sons of Gad shall be Eliasaph the son of Reuel.
15	And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were forty and five thousand and six hundred and fifty.
16	All that were numbered in the camp of Reuben were an hundred thousand and fifty and one thousand and four hundred and fifty, throughout their armies. And they shall set forth in the second rank.
17	Then the tabernacle of the congregation shall set forward with the camp of the Levites in the midst of the camp: as they encamp, so shall they set forward, every man in his place by their standards.
18	On the west side shall be the standard of the camp of Ephraim according to their armies: and the captain of the sons of Ephraim shall be Elishama the son of Ammihud.
19	And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were forty thousand and five hundred.
20	And by him shall be the tribe of Manasseh: and the captain of the children of Manasseh shall be Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur.
21	And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were thirty and two thousand and two hundred.
22	Then the tribe of Benjamin: and the captain of the sons of Benjamin shall be Abidan the son of Gideoni.
23	And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were thirty and five thousand and four hundred.
24	All that were numbered of the camp of Ephraim were an hundred thousand and eight thousand and an hundred, throughout their armies. And they shall go forward in the third rank.
25	The standard of the camp of Dan shall be on the north side by their armies: and the captain of the children of Dan shall be Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai.
26	And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were threescore and two thousand and seven hundred.
27	And those that encamp by him shall be the tribe of Asher: and the captain of the children of Asher shall be Pagiel the son of Ocran.
28	And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were forty and one thousand and five hundred.
29	Then the tribe of Naphtali: and the captain of the children of Naphtali shall be Ahira the son of Enan.
30	And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were fifty and three thousand and four hundred.
31	All they that were numbered in the camp of Dan were an hundred thousand and fifty and seven thousand and six hundred. They shall go hindmost with their standards.
32	These are those which were numbered of the children of Israel by the house of their fathers: all those that were numbered of the camps throughout their hosts were six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty.
33	But the Levites were not numbered among the children of Israel; as the LORD commanded Moses.
34	And the children of Israel did according to all that the LORD commanded Moses: so they pitched by their standards, and so they set forward, every one after their families, according to the house of their fathers.

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The New Testament reading is verses 1-21 in the 3rd chapter of the Gospel of Mark.

Mark 3:1-21

1	And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand.
2	And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him.
3	And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth.
4	And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace.
5	And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.
6	And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him.
7	But Jesus withdrew himself with his disciples to the sea: and a great multitude from Galilee followed him, and from Judaea,
8	And from Jerusalem, and from Idumaea, and from beyond Jordan; and they about Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they had heard what great things he did, came unto him.
9	And he spake to his disciples, that a small ship should wait on him because of the multitude, lest they should throng him.
10	For he had healed many; insomuch that they pressed upon him for to touch him, as many as had plagues.
11	And unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God.
12	And he straitly charged them that they should not make him known.
13	And he goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto him whom he would: and they came unto him.
14	And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach,
15	And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils:
16	And Simon he surnamed Peter;
17	And James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and he surnamed them Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder:
18	And Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Canaanite,
19	And Judas Iscariot, which also betrayed him: and they went into an house.
20	And the multitude cometh together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.
21	And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself.

Today's Readings and Stuff -- Thursday, 18 February 2019

Next-to-last Thursday in February.  Ready for Winter to be nothing but an unpleasant memory.
There are, sadly, at least two more hurdles.  First, the weathercasters tell us that the next few days are going to be nice, with highs above freezing and some in the 40's, even the upper 40's.  Yippee!  And then, next week, another bout of ghastly storms and hideously low temperatures.  Snow and ice and all of that.  After that, perhaps, another short break. 
But then we look ahead to one of the unfortunate traditions of the area.  Not a planned tradition, a voluntary custom.  Just a Thing that all-too-often occurs.  The St. Patrick's Day Blizzard tradition.  St. Patrick's Day, March 17th.  Mark it on the calendar.  That will be an eventful week anyway:  Sunday the 13th begins Daylight Savings Time around here, then St. Pat's on the 17th, then first day of Spring on the 20th.  Now, Spring doesn't mean green grass, sunshine, flip-flops, etc.  Not here.  We've often had SNOW a month, or more, into Spring.  It is, nonetheless, a happy reminder and date marker.  Can't come soon enough.
Oh, and living where we do, with a very high proportion of -- at least -- "cultural Catholics with either Irish or Italian ancestry, St. Pat's is a Very Big Deal.  For those who don't know, St. Patrick was originally Italian, or at least of Italian parentage, who ended up in Ireland bringing the faith to the pagans there.  Some of my Italian friends always referred to him as Pasquale.  I have no opinion.  But there are many churches and at least two schools nearby named St. Patrick's.
So that's something.  Still a month off though.

Dear Wife is still ailing, so I "got" to make a Wally World run earlier.  Off over hill and dale through the ice and snow.  It was all of 10 degrees outside when I woke.  Up to 28 now, with a low of 16.  Cold, but beats the sub-zero temps of a few days ago.  Tomorrow is supposed to make it up to 49 and may hit 60 by Saturday.  We shall see.
The nearest WallyWorld is across the line into Pennsylvania.  I have many relatives, on both sides, who live in PA.  They like it.  I hate it.  There may be a more inept bunch of dolts in the world than PennDOT (the water department in Flint, for example), but not many.  The roads are dreadful, the planning of them a disgrace, and the arrangement of traffic signals would embarrass a sheltered workshop.  From the time I leave home until I arrive at the destination, I pass 21 traffic lights.  This morning, I stopped at Every.Single,One.  All.  Several of which turned green, just so you could see, a block away, the next one turning red.  Several of which had ZERO traffic going the other way.  Operated solely on a timer.  Some of which NEVER have ANY cross traffic.  But still operate.
PENNDOT is run by idiots.  But then, ODOT (the Ohio version) is little better, if at all.
This, particularly in PA, due to Harrisburg being the Only Source of True Wisdom in the entire commonwealth, means all decisions are made by far-distant anonymous (and unfireable) bureaucrats with a sick sense of humor.

Oh , well.  Every one has a pet peeve.  Bad roads and stupid traffic signals are mine.

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The Old Testament reading is chapters 26 and 27 of Leviticus.  This completes the walk through Leviticus.
Some direct commands, and dire warnings here.  Lots of promises that IF the people will obey the Lord, they will be blessed.  If they refuse, the consequences will be harsh.
Then I look at our world, and particularly our nation.  We too -- and I include myself -- have not only failed to obey, we've loudly refused to do so.  And yet expect His blessings, which now we regard as just the natural order of things.  Except it's not.  This will not turn out well.

Leviticus 26

1	Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I am the LORD your God.
2	Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the LORD.
3	If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them;
4	Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.
5	And your threshing shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time: and ye shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely.
6	And I will give peace in the land, and ye shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid: and I will rid evil beasts out of the land, neither shall the sword go through your land.
7	And ye shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword.
8	And five of you shall chase an hundred, and an hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight: and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword.
9	For I will have respect unto you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, and establish my covenant with you.
10	And ye shall eat old store, and bring forth the old because of the new.
11	And I set my tabernacle among you: and my soul shall not abhor you.
12	And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people.
13	I am the LORD your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, that ye should not be their bondmen; and I have broken the bands of your yoke, and made you go upright.
14	But if ye will not hearken unto me, and will not do all these commandments;
15	And if ye shall despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judgments, so that ye will not do all my commandments, but that ye break my covenant:
16	I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.
17	And I will set my face against you, and ye shall be slain before your enemies: they that hate you shall reign over you; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you.
18	And if ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins.
19	And I will break the pride of your power; and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass:
20	And your strength shall be spent in vain: for your land shall not yield her increase, neither shall the trees of the land yield their fruits.
21	And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me; I will bring seven times more plagues upon you according to your sins.
22	I will also send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of your children, and destroy your cattle, and make you few in number; and your high ways shall be desolate.
23	And if ye will not be reformed by me by these things, but will walk contrary unto me;
24	Then will I also walk contrary unto you, and will punish you yet seven times for your sins.
25	And I will bring a sword upon you, that shall avenge the quarrel of my covenant: and when ye are gathered together within your cities, I will send the pestilence among you; and ye shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy.
26	And when I have broken the staff of your bread, ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall deliver you your bread again by weight: and ye shall eat, and not be satisfied.
27	And if ye will not for all this hearken unto me, but walk contrary unto me;
28	Then I will walk contrary unto you also in fury; and I, even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins.
29	And ye shall eat the flesh of your sons, and the flesh of your daughters shall ye eat.
30	And I will destroy your high places, and cut down your images, and cast your carcasses upon the carcasses of your idols, and my soul shall abhor you.
31	And I will make your cities waste, and bring your sanctuaries unto desolation, and I will not smell the savor of your sweet odors.
32	And I will bring the land into desolation: and your enemies which dwell therein shall be astonished at it.
33	And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste.
34	Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate, and ye be in your enemies' land; even then shall the land rest, and enjoy her sabbaths.
35	As long as it lieth desolate it shall rest; because it did not rest in your sabbaths, when ye dwelt upon it.
36	And upon them that are left alive of you I will send a faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies; and the sound of a shaken leaf shall chase them; and they shall flee, as fleeing from a sword; and they shall fall when none pursueth.
37	And they shall fall one upon another, as it were before a sword, when none pursueth: and ye shall have no power to stand before your enemies.
38	And ye shall perish among the heathen, and the land of your enemies shall eat you up.
39	And they that are left of you shall pine away in their iniquity in your enemies' lands; and also in the iniquities of their fathers shall they pine away with them.
40	If they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, with their trespass which they trespassed against me, and that also they have walked contrary unto me;
41	And that I also have walked contrary unto them, and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled, and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity:
42	Then will I remember my covenant with Jacob, and also my covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the land.
43	The land also shall be left of them, and shall enjoy her sabbaths, while she lieth desolate without them: and they shall accept of the punishment of their iniquity: because, even because they despised my judgments, and because their soul abhorred my statutes.
44	And yet for all that, when they be in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break my covenant with them: for I am the LORD their God.
45	But I will for their sakes remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the heathen, that I might be their God: I am the LORD.
46	These are the statutes and judgments and laws, which the LORD made between him and the children of Israel in mount Sinai by the hand of Moses.

Leviticus 27

1	And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2	Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When a man shall make a singular vow, the persons shall be for the LORD by thy estimation.
3	And thy estimation shall be of the male from twenty years old even unto sixty years old, even thy estimation shall be fifty shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary.
4	And if it be a female, then thy estimation shall be thirty shekels.
5	And if it be from five years old even unto twenty years old, then thy estimation shall be of the male twenty shekels, and for the female ten shekels.
6	And if it be from a month old even unto five years old, then thy estimation shall be of the male five shekels of silver, and for the female thy estimation shall be three shekels of silver.
7	And if it be from sixty years old and above; if it be a male, then thy estimation shall be fifteen shekels, and for the female ten shekels.
8	But if he be poorer than thy estimation, then he shall present himself before the priest, and the priest shall value him; according to his ability that vowed shall the priest value him.
9	And if it be a beast, whereof men bring an offering unto the LORD, all that any man giveth of such unto the LORD shall be holy.
10	He shall not alter it, nor change it, a good for a bad, or a bad for a good: and if he shall at all change beast for beast, then it and the exchange thereof shall be holy.
11	And if it be any unclean beast, of which they do not offer a sacrifice unto the LORD, then he shall present the beast before the priest:
12	And the priest shall value it, whether it be good or bad: as thou valuest it, who art the priest, so shall it be.
13	But if he will at all redeem it, then he shall add a fifth part thereof unto thy estimation.
14	And when a man shall sanctify his house to be holy unto the LORD, then the priest shall estimate it, whether it be good or bad: as the priest shall estimate it, so shall it stand.
15	And if he that sanctified it will redeem his house, then he shall add the fifth part of the money of thy estimation unto it, and it shall be his.
16	And if a man shall sanctify unto the LORD some part of a field of his possession, then thy estimation shall be according to the seed thereof: an homer of barley seed shall be valued at fifty shekels of silver.
17	If he sanctify his field from the year of jubilee, according to thy estimation it shall stand.
18	But if he sanctify his field after the jubilee, then the priest shall reckon unto him the money according to the years that remain, even unto the year of the jubilee, and it shall be abated from thy estimation.
19	And if he that sanctified the field will in any wise redeem it, then he shall add the fifth part of the money of thy estimation unto it, and it shall be assured to him.
20	And if he will not redeem the field, or if he have sold the field to another man, it shall not be redeemed any more.
21	But the field, when it goeth out in the jubilee, shall be holy unto the LORD, as a field devoted; the possession thereof shall be the priest's.
22	And if a man sanctify unto the LORD a field which he hath bought, which is not of the fields of his possession;
23	Then the priest shall reckon unto him the worth of thy estimation, even unto the year of the jubilee: and he shall give thine estimation in that day, as a holy thing unto the LORD.
24	In the year of the jubilee the field shall return unto him of whom it was bought, even to him to whom the possession of the land did belong.
25	And all thy estimations shall be according to the shekel of the sanctuary: twenty gerahs shall be the shekel.
26	Only the firstling of the beasts, which should be the LORD's firstling, no man shall sanctify it; whether it be ox, or sheep: it is the LORD's.
27	And if it be of an unclean beast, then he shall redeem it according to thine estimation, and shall add a fifth part of it thereto: or if it be not redeemed, then it shall be sold according to thy estimation.
28	Notwithstanding no devoted thing, that a man shall devote unto the LORD of all that he hath, both of man and beast, and of the field of his possession, shall be sold or redeemed: every devoted thing is most holy unto the LORD.
29	None devoted, which shall be devoted of men, shall be redeemed; but shall surely be put to death.
30	And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD's: it is holy unto the LORD.
31	And if a man will at all redeem ought of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof.
32	And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the LORD.
33	He shall not search whether it be good or bad, neither shall he change it: and if he change it at all, then both it and the change thereof shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed.
34	These are the commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses for the children of Israel in mount Sinai.

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The New Testament reading is chapter 2 in the Gospel of Mark.
Jesus is already at odds with the "Establishment".
But I love the story in verses  3-12.   There is a great song that goes with that.

Mark 2

1	And again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house.
2	And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them.
3	And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four.
4	And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay.
5	When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.
6	But there was certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts,
7	Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?
8	And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts?
9	Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?
10	But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,)
11	I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.
12	And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.
13	And he went forth again by the sea side; and all the multitude resorted unto him, and he taught them.
14	And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him.
15	And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed him.
16	And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners?
17	When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
18	And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast: and they come and say unto him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not?
19	And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.
20	But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days.
21	No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse.
22	And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles.
23	And it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields on the sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn.
24	And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful?
25	And he said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungred, he, and they that were with him?
26	How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him?
27	And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:
28	Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.