Today's Readings and Stuff -- Friday, 22 February 2018

Late and short and it's been one of "those" days and it's not over yet.

Wife had a bad night.  Littlest cat started to run around the bedroom knocking stuff over, around 03:50.  Wife hadn't been asleep very long, and this did not help.  So, Yours Truly was up, catching cat, putting cat out of bedroom, securing door against further intrusion.  Then, both of us trying to  get back to sleep, not very successfully.  Wife got up around 05:10, deciding that she just couldn't laty there any longer.  So, I helped her move to her recliner, covered her up, got her a dose of the Wally World version of the Alka-Seltzer cold fizzy stuff (works pretty well, actually), a hot drink, a thing of water.  And I went back to bed, actually slept a bit.  I got up a few hours later: having one cat running back and forth on your legs while another one, the one still recovering from upper respiratory infection after a cold, is rubbing his cold snotty nose over one's neck, is not conducive to sleep.
So, I was up.  Fed cats, got Wife, who was now waking up after finally getting a few hours of sleep, a coffee and juice and "morning meds" dose.  I got a coffee and heated up two left over biscuits from the other day.  And the day was under way.
Had started on this posting and then got diverted to some suddenly necessary errands.   It was getting on towards lunch, so in the midst of it I made her a thing of soup, which was some relief to her.
Late afternoon, A Call.  We had a Command Performance, her nephew's wife has her birthday this coming week and they wanted to take us out to dinner (their treat), possibly a payment for "watching" their kids a couple times.  So, we put on better clothes, and headed out to a medium-nice restaurant near the mall on the Ohio side.  Despite  prior arrangements, we sat outside in the semi-covered waiting area for more than an hour awaiting table for 12.  Finally got in, got served, ate.    As promised, they paid the tab.  Good so far.
But next-door Niece and husband and kids were part of the gathering.  Towards the end, they noticed a sudden swelling on the head of the 7-month-old baby, hadn't been there before and he'd not hit it on anything.  Sudden concern.  So, the party broke up and they headed straight for the ER at the Children's Hospital halfway through the county south  of us.  So we're waiting to hear what has been discovered, and the original festive atmosphere has vanished.
It's after 10:30 at night and we're tired beyond measure, but too worried to sleep right now.

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The Old Testament reading for the day is chapters 17 and 18 of Leviticus.
Some of these things, particularly in chapter 18, come under the heading of what I would once have thought "NOBODY would do that sort of awful stuff!"  Except now we know that people are doing that awful stuff.  And much of it now has legal sanction.  Worse, more than a few supposedly Christian (and Jewish) gatherings are now loud in their support for some of these awful things.

Leviticus 17

 1  And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

2  Speak unto Aaron, and unto his sons, and unto all the children of Israel, and say unto them; This is the thing which the Lord hath commanded, saying,

3  What man soever there be of the house of Israel, that killeth an ox, or lamb, or goat, in the camp, or that killeth it out of the camp,

4  And bringeth it not unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, to offer an offering unto the Lord before the tabernacle of the Lord; blood shall be imputed unto that man; he hath shed blood; and that man shall be cut off from among his people:

5  To the end that the children of Israel may bring their sacrifices, which they offer in the open field, even that they may bring them unto the Lord, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, unto the priest, and offer them for peace offerings unto the Lord.

6  And the priest shall sprinkle the blood upon the altar of the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and burn the fat for a sweet savour unto the Lord.

7  And they shall no more offer their sacrifices unto devils, after whom they have gone a whoring. This shall be a statute for ever unto them throughout their generations.

8  And thou shalt say unto them, Whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers which sojourn among you, that offereth a burnt offering or sacrifice,

9  And bringeth it not unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, to offer it unto the Lord; even that man shall be cut off from among his people.

10  And whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, that eateth any manner of blood; I will even set my face against that soul that eateth blood, and will cut him off from among his people.

11  For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.

12  Therefore I said unto the children of Israel, No soul of you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger that sojourneth among you eat blood.

13  And whatsoever man there be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, which hunteth and catcheth any beast or fowl that may be eaten; he shall even pour out the blood thereof, and cover it with dust.

14  For it is the life of all flesh; the blood of it is for the life thereof: therefore I said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh: for the life of all flesh is the blood thereof: whosoever eateth it shall be cut off.

15  And every soul that eateth that which died of itself, or that which was torn with beasts, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger, he shall both wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even: then shall he be clean.

16  But if he wash them not, nor bathe his flesh; then he shall bear his iniquity.

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 neighbour'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.Molech: Gr. Moloch

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.

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Psalm 40

To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.

1  I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.I waited…: Heb. In waiting I waited

2  He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.

3  And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.

4  Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.

5  Many, O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.

6  Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required

7  Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me,

8  I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.

9  I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O Lord, thou knowest.

10  I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation.

11  Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O Lord: let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me.

12  For innumerable evils have compassed me about: mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of mine head: therefore my heart faileth me.

13  Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me: O Lord, make haste to help me.

14  Let them be ashamed and confounded together that seek after my soul to destroy it; let them be driven backward and put to shame that wish me evil.

15  Let them be desolate for a reward of their shame that say unto me, Aha, aha.

16  Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: let such as love thy salvation say continually, The Lord be magnified.

17  But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God.

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The New Testament reading is chapter 12 in the Gospel of Mark.  Bear in mind that this is occurring during the period we sometimes call Holy Week, that period between Palm Sunday and the Crucifixion.  Yes, just a few days hence, these same  people will be howling for His death.

Mark 12

1  And he began to speak unto them by parables. A certain man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, and digged a place for the winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country.

2  And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard.

3  And they caught him, and beat him, and sent him away empty.

4  And again he sent unto them another servant; and at him they cast stones, and wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully handled.

5  And again he sent another; and him they killed, and many others; beating some, and killing some.

6  Having yet therefore one son, his wellbeloved, he sent him also last unto them, saying, They will reverence my son.

7  But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours.

8  And they took him, and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard.

9  What shall therefore the lord of the vineyard do? he will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will give the vineyard unto others.

10 And have ye not read this scripture; The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner:

11  This was the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?

12  And they sought to lay hold on him, but feared the people: for they knew that he had spoken the parable against them: and they left him, and went their way.

13  And they send unto him certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians, to catch him in his words.

14  And when they were come, they say unto him, Master, we know that thou art true, and carest for no man: for thou regardest not the person of men, but teachest the way of God in truth: Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not?

15  Shall we give, or shall we not give? But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them, Why tempt ye me? bring me a penny, that I may see it.

16  And they brought it. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? And they said unto him, Caesar's.

17  And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. And they marvelled at him.

18  Then come unto him the Sadducees, which say there is no resurrection; and they asked him, saying,

19  Master, Moses wrote unto us, If a man's brother die, and leave his wife behind him, and leave no children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.

20  Now there were seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and dying left no seed.

21  And the second took her, and died, neither left he any seed: and the third likewise.

22  And the seven had her, and left no seed: last of all the woman died also.

23  In the resurrection therefore, when they shall rise, whose wife shall she be of them? for the seven had her to wife.

24  And Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God?

25  For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven.

26  And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?

27  He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err.

28  And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?

29  And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:

30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

32  And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:

33  And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.

34  And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.

35  And Jesus answered and said, while he taught in the temple, How say the scribes that Christ is the Son of David?

36  For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool.

37  David therefore himself calleth him Lord; and whence is he then his son? And the common people heard him gladly.

38  And he said unto them in his doctrine, Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the marketplaces,

39 And the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts:

40 Which devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayers: these shall receive greater damnation.

41  And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much.

42  And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing.

43  And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury:

44   For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.