💓💖 to all.
Valentine's Day. Love to all.
Dear Wife is next door with the great-niece. We had, well, SHE had, planned some sort of a special day for both the great nieces, for today. Program has been halted, the Little One has infections in both ears, feels lousy, and really should not be going outside at all. So, no thing at McDonald's, no "story time" at the library, no nothing. Wife was given a $5 gift certificate by the staff at the clinic where she did the "sleep study" last week, to be used at a Dunkin Donuts, so it appears that I'll be going on a Mission shortly. Little One, and Wife too, like the color pink, so I hope they'll have some pink donuts available. Not the most romantic setting one can imagine, but it's not so bad. Making memories with the Little One, and with Wife as well.
The one thing that I do frankly dislike about these days of her being the 'watcher", is that we both have to rise very early. As in, the alarm goes off around 05:30 or so, and I have to get up, help her get ready, feed cats, do a whole lot of "stuff". Seems to me that someone who is officially retired ought to be able to sleep in until, perhaps, 06:00 or so. Nope. I'm reminded of my dad who would say, "there's no rest for the wicked." (Looking at me for some reason). And then, "and the righteous don't need any". But he grew up on a farm. Of course, his work normally had him up very very early, so any complaints would have fallen on deaf ears. Since I spent many years working two jobs, or being a full-time employee, a part time student, and a full time husband and father, working all kinds of lousy hours, I never did get settled on a routine time to get up or eat or go to bed. Still don't have that internal clock, but the electronic ones do that for me. No rest for the wicked is right.
Heard from an old friend yesterday. Yet another death. In this case, his step-father, the one who had been the primary father figure for him. His biologic dad had maintained contact with him always, no issue there, but he had passed a few years ago, as had my friend's mother. So now, he is like me, the "old guy". Takes some getting used to, and I didn't know how to convey that. This is the same friend whose daughter died last summer, so he's been getting hit hard on all sides. Bill had to take retirement about the same time that I did, courtesy of a massive heart attack that nearly killed him. Going from being a trauma nurse to being a patient in CCU is rough, particularly when you know very well what is going on. Having to watch your daughter slowly die, knowing the issues, is probably even harder.
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Our reading in the Old Testament today is chapters 18 and 19 of the book of Leviticus.
This is a lot of instruction in the "thou shalt nots" of life. Some of it sounds like, "we wouldn't do that nasty stuff anyway!" things. Guess again. Take, for example, the prohibitions against sexual relations with close relatives. Think it doesn't happen today? It does. And was pretty common then, actually. By some accounts, an Egyptian pharaoh would as a matter of course have as wife, his own sister. Leads to some weird things genetically. But that sort of close kinship occurs today, particularly among very tribal cultures, most especially among the Arabs. Which may be a contributing factor to some of the weirdnesses in that culture. And was, I understand, pretty common among the Canaanites and other cultures in the lands where the Jews were going. The Lord was -- and is -- very direct that they -- and we -- should not adopt the practices of the peoples of the lands that would be around them. Remember the account of Lot, rescued from the destruction of Sodom? Remember that he took cover in a cave, his daughters seduced him, and both had his children. One of those children was named Moab, from whence came the Moabites. The other child was the ancestor of the Ammonites, both of those tribes were long the enemies of the descendants of Jacob and Israel. From bad beginnings, expect bad results. Still happens.
Leviticus 18
1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2
Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, I am the LORD
your God. 3
After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not
do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you,
shall ye not do: neither shall ye walk in their ordinances.
4 Ye shall do my
judgments, and keep mine ordinances, to walk therein: I am the LORD your
God. 5 Ye
shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do,
he shall live in them: I am the LORD.
6 None of you shall approach to any that is near
of kin to him, to uncover their nakedness: I am the LORD.
7 The nakedness of thy
father, or the nakedness of thy mother, shalt thou not uncover: she is
thy mother; thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.
8 The nakedness of thy father's wife
shalt thou not uncover: it is thy father's nakedness.
9 The nakedness of thy sister,
the daughter of thy father, or daughter of thy mother, whether she be
born at home, or born abroad, even their nakedness thou shalt not
uncover. 10
The nakedness of thy son's daughter, or of thy daughter's daughter, even
their nakedness thou shalt not uncover: for theirs is thine own
nakedness. 11
The nakedness of thy father's wife's daughter, begotten of thy father,
she is thy sister, thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.
12 Thou shalt not uncover the
nakedness of thy father's sister: she is thy father's near kinswoman.
13 Thou shalt
not uncover the nakedness of thy mother's sister: for she is thy
mother's near kinswoman.
14 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father's
brother, thou shalt not approach to his wife: she is thine aunt.
15 Thou shalt not
uncover the nakedness of thy daughter in law: she is thy son's wife;
thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.
16 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy
brother's wife: it is thy brother's nakedness.
17 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness
of a woman and her daughter, neither shalt thou take her son's
daughter, or her daughter's daughter, to uncover her nakedness; for they
are her near kinswomen: it is wickedness.
18 Neither shalt thou take a wife to her
sister, to vex her, to uncover her nakedness, beside the other in her
life time. 19
Also thou shalt not approach unto a woman to uncover her nakedness, as
long as she is put apart for her uncleanness.
20 Moreover thou shalt not lie carnally
with thy neighbor's wife, to defile thyself with her.
21 And thou shalt not let any of
thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane
the name of thy God: I am the LORD.
22 Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination. 23
Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith:
neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it is
confusion. 24
Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the
nations are defiled which I cast out before you:
25 And the land is defiled: therefore
I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomiteth
out her inhabitants. 26
Ye shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments, and shall not
commit any of these abominations; neither any of your own nation, nor
any stranger that sojourneth among you:
27 (For all these abominations have the men of
the land done, which were before you, and the land is defiled;)
28 That the land spue
not you out also, when ye defile it, as it spued out the nations that
were before you. 29
For whosoever shall commit any of these abominations, even the souls
that commit them shall be cut off from among their people.
30 Therefore shall ye keep
mine ordinance, that ye commit not any one of these abominable customs,
which were committed before you, and that ye defile not yourselves
therein: I am the LORD your God.
1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2
Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto
them, Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy.
3 Ye shall fear every man
his mother, and his father, and keep my sabbaths: I am the LORD your
God. 4 Turn ye
not unto idols, nor make to yourselves molten gods: I am the LORD your
God. 5 And if
ye offer a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the LORD, ye shall offer it
at your own will. 6
It shall be eaten the same day ye offer it, and on the morrow: and if
ought remain until the third day, it shall be burnt in the fire.
7 And if it be eaten
at all on the third day, it is abominable; it shall not be accepted.
8 Therefore every
one that eateth it shall bear his iniquity, because he hath profaned
the hallowed thing of the LORD: and that soul shall be cut off from
among his people. 9
And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap
the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy
harvest. 10
And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every
grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger: I
am the LORD your God.
11 Ye shall not steal, neither deal falsely, neither lie one to another. 12
And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane
the name of thy God: I am the LORD.
13 Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbor, neither
rob him: the wages of him that is hired shall not abide with thee all
night until the morning.
14 Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling-block
before the blind, but shalt fear thy God: I am the LORD.
15 Ye shall do no
unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the
poor, nor honor the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt
thou judge thy neighbor.
16 Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy
people: neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbor; I am
the LORD. 17
Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise
rebuke thy neighbor, and not suffer sin upon him.
18 Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear
any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy
neighbor as thyself: I am the LORD.
19 Ye shall keep my statutes. Thou shalt not let
thy cattle gender with a diverse kind: thou shalt not sow thy field with
mingled seed: neither shall a garment mingled of linen and woolen come
upon thee. 20
And whosoever lieth carnally with a woman, that is a bondmaid, betrothed
to an husband, and not at all redeemed, nor freedom given her; she
shall be scourged; they shall not be put to death, because she was not
free. 21 And
he shall bring his trespass offering unto the LORD, unto the door of the
tabernacle of the congregation, even a ram for a trespass offering.
22 And the priest
shall make an atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering
before the LORD for his sin which he hath done: and the sin which he
hath done shall be forgiven him.
23 And when ye shall come into the land, and shall
have planted all manner of trees for food, then ye shall count the fruit
thereof as uncircumcised: three years shall it be as uncircumcised unto
you: it shall not be eaten of.
24 But in the fourth year all the fruit thereof shall
be holy to praise the LORD withal.
25 And in the fifth year shall ye eat of the fruit
thereof, that it may yield unto you the increase thereof: I am the LORD
your God. 26
Ye shall not eat any thing with the blood: neither shall ye use
enchantment, nor observe times.
27 Ye shall not round the corners of your heads,
neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard.
28 Ye shall not make any cuttings in
your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD.
29 Do not
prostitute thy daughter, to cause her to be a whore; lest the land fall
to whoredom, and the land become full of wickedness.
30 Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the LORD. 31
Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards,
to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God.
32 Thou shalt rise up before the hoary
head, and honor the face of the old man, and fear thy God: I am the
LORD. 33 And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not vex him. 34
But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born
among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in
the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.
35 Ye shall do no unrighteousness in
judgment, in meteyard, in weight, or in measure.
36 Just balances, just weights, a
just ephah, and a just hin, shall ye have: I am the LORD your God, which
brought you out of the land of Egypt.
37 Therefore shall ye observe all my statutes,
and all my judgments, and do them: I am the LORD.
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Our reading in the New Testament is verses 32-66 of chapter 27 in the Gospel of Matthew.
The Crucifixion of our Lord.
They tried to seal the tomb. Didn't work, did it?
Matthew 27:32-66
32 And as
they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they
compelled to bear his cross.
33 And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha,
that is to say, a place of a skull,
34 They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with
gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink.
35 And they crucified him,
and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which
was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon
my vesture did they cast lots.
36 And sitting down they watched him there; 37
And set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING
OF THE JEWS. 38
Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand,
and another on the left.
39 And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads, 40
And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three
days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross.
41 Likewise
also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said,
42 He saved
others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now
come down from the cross, and we will believe him.
43 He trusted in God; let him
deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God.
44 The thieves
also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth.
45 Now from the
sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.
46 And about the
ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama
sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
47 Some of
them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calleth for
Elias. 48 And
straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with
vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink.
49 The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him. 50 Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. 51
And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to
the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;
52 And the graves were
opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,
53 And came out of the graves
after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto
many. 54 Now
when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the
earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly,
saying, Truly this was the Son of God.
55 And many women were there beholding afar
off, which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him:
56 Among which was Mary
Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of
Zebedees children. 57
When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named
Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple:
58 He went to Pilate, and begged the
body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered.
59 And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60
And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and
he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed.
61 And there was
Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre.
62 Now the
next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests
and Pharisees came together unto Pilate,
63 Saying, Sir, we remember that that
deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise
again. 64
Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day,
lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the
people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than
the first. 65
Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as
ye can. 66 So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.
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