Today's Readings and Stuff -- Saturday, 21 April 2018

We woke to a "nice warm" 27°.  But no snow, for which we are quite thankful.  As this is going onto the screen, we are all the way up to 54°, which is much better.  The forecast for the next 10 days has us above the freezing point every night, though sometimes not by much. How reliable that will be is yet to be seen.  But we are up to 13 hours and 34 minutes of "day", which improves more than 2-1/2 minutes every day.  Better by far than what we had back in late December. just 4 months ago.

Let's see.
We have a washer!!  Yay!!.   The weather was, at long last decent enough that I could wrestle our dryer out of our tiny laundry area onto the back porch.  That created JUST enough room so that I could swing the washer around 90° for access to some things.  I pulled the thing apart, well, largely.  Was able to access what was needed.  Got the new switch in and all buttoned up and it works.  Dear Wife was an enormous help;  I had never ever done this before, not ever.  She had worked for a little while for one of those "payday advance"/rent-to-own furniture joints about 15 years ago, before we had to move across state lines three times.  She'd had an opportunity (requirement) to help the repair guys on returned/re-poed appliances, and seen what is involved and how to do it.  In fact, our washer came from there, one of the repossessed ones so we only had to pay the balance due: we've  had it for nearly 15 years, it's done well by us, so I can't complain and are grateful for it. So we have this issue dealt with, for the nonce at least.

Took Niece's dog on a 2-mile walk afterwards.  She and hubby and kids are en route now from Disney World in Florida, due back some time tomorrow.  They're driving, and plan to spend the night on the North Carolina-South Carolina line, or so I hear, so they should be rolling in tomorrow.  So I won't have to be squiring their dog around.  Might take him on walks anyway, might not.

Tomorrow is likely to be a bit odd.  Got a message from an old friend from about 40+ years ago.  He and I had gone separate ways, meaning no acrimony but we were fully involved in other stuff.  Then he married a friend's niece, had a kid by her, then she got "interested" in other guys and they divorced.  He remarried and moved far away.   (she remarried too, four times).  I married and moved numerous times, far away.  I've seen him twice since we came back to the area.  Once being at the funeral last year for the daughter of his first marriage, and the other being right before her passing.  We've both changed a good bit in the intervening years.  Both of us now Christian, which no one  would have believed.  He is now a staunch Roman Catholic, which I would not have recommended but that's between him and the Lord.  His marriage is now around 39 years' duration, so I guess it stuck.  And he wants to get together tomorrow after we both are out of church worship services.  So we shall see.  We've all of us changed a good bit, and not just in age.  Not sure what he wants to talk about.  Perhaps another of our long-lost friends has died: there have been quite a few such.  I guess this comes with our current age.

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Today's Reading, chapters 9 and 10 in the book of the Judges. 
This is rough reading.  This is Israel after the time of Moses, Joshua, and Caleb.  This is well into the "the people did evil in the eyes of the Lord" period, which is awful in an individual and catastrophic in the case of a nation and culture.  Need examples??  I think the lesson is being repeated.
as a reminder, the name "Jerubbaal" means Gideon.

Judges 9

1  And Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem unto his mother's brethren, and communed with them, and with all the family of the house of his mother's father, saying,

2  Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all the men of Shechem, Whether is better for you, either that all the sons of Jerubbaal, which are threescore and ten persons, reign over you, or that one reign over you? remember also that I am your bone and your flesh..

3  And his mother's brethren spake of him in the ears of all the men of Shechem all these words: and their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech; for they said, He is our brother.

4  And they gave him threescore and ten pieces of silver out of the house of Baal–berith, wherewith Abimelech hired vain and light persons, which followed him.

5  And he went unto his father's house at Ophrah, and slew his brethren the sons of Jerubbaal, being threescore and ten persons, upon one stone: notwithstanding yet Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left; for he hid himself.

6  And all the men of Shechem gathered together, and all the house of Millo, and went, and made Abimelech king, by the plain of the pillar that was in Shechem

7  And when they told it to Jotham, he went and stood in the top of mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and cried, and said unto them, Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you.

8  The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou over us.

9  But the olive tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honour God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?

10  And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, and reign over us.

11  But the fig tree said unto them, Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees?

12  Then said the trees unto the vine, Come thou, and reign over us.

13  And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?

14  Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou, and reign over us.

15  And the bramble said unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow: and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon.

16  Now therefore, if ye have done truly and sincerely, in that ye have made Abimelech king, and if ye have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have done unto him according to the deserving of his hands;

17  (For my father fought for you, and adventured his life far, and delivered you out of the hand of Midian:

18  And ye are risen up against my father's house this day, and have slain his sons, threescore and ten persons, upon one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his maidservant, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your brother;)

19  If ye then have dealt truly and sincerely with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice ye in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you:

20  But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the men of Shechem, and the house of Millo; and let fire come out from the men of Shechem, and from the house of Millo, and devour Abimelech.

21  And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother.

22  When Abimelech had reigned three years over Israel,

23  Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech:

24  That the cruelty done to the threescore and ten sons of Jerubbaal might come, and their blood be laid upon Abimelech their brother, which slew them; and upon the men of Shechem, which aided him in the killing of his brethren.

25  And the men of Shechem set liers in wait for him in the top of the mountains, and they robbed all that came along that way by them: and it was told Abimelech.

26  And Gaal the son of Ebed came with his brethren, and went over to Shechem: and the men of Shechem put their confidence in him.

27  And they went out into the fields, and gathered their vineyards, and trode the grapes, and made merry, and went into the house of their god, and did eat and drink, and cursed Abimelech.

28  And Gaal the son of Ebed said, Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? is not he the son of Jerubbaal? and Zebul his officer? serve the men of Hamor the father of Shechem: for why should we serve him?

29  And would to God this people were under my hand! then would I remove Abimelech. And he said to Abimelech, Increase thine army, and come out.

30  And when Zebul the ruler of the city heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, his anger was kindled.kindled: or, hot

31  And he sent messengers unto Abimelech privily, saying, Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his brethren be come to Shechem; and, behold, they fortify the city against thee.

32  Now therefore up by night, thou and the people that is with thee, and lie in wait in the field:

33  And it shall be, that in the morning, as soon as the sun is up, thou shalt rise early, and set upon the city: and, behold, when he and the people that is with him come out against thee, then mayest thou do to them as thou shalt find occasion.

34  And Abimelech rose up, and all the people that were with him, by night, and they laid wait against Shechem in four companies.

35  And Gaal the son of Ebed went out, and stood in the entering of the gate of the city: and Abimelech rose up, and the people that were with him, from lying in wait.

36  And when Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, Behold, there come people down from the top of the mountains. And Zebul said unto him, Thou seest the shadow of the mountains as if they were men.

37  And Gaal spake again and said, See there come people down by the middle of the land, and another company come along by the plain of Meonenim.

38  Then said Zebul unto him, Where is now thy mouth, wherewith thou saidst, Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him? is not this the people that thou hast despised? go out, I pray now, and fight with them.

39  And Gaal went out before the men of Shechem, and fought with Abimelech.

40  And Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him, and many were overthrown and wounded, even unto the entering of the gate.

41  And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah: and Zebul thrust out Gaal and his brethren, that they should not dwell in Shechem.

42  And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people went out into the field; and they told Abimelech.

43  And he took the people, and divided them into three companies, and laid wait in the field, and looked, and, behold, the people were come forth out of the city; and he rose up against them, and smote them.

44  And Abimelech, and the company that was with him, rushed forward, and stood in the entering of the gate of the city: and the two other companies ran upon all the people that were in the fields, and slew them.

45  And Abimelech fought against the city all that day; and he took the city, and slew the people that was therein, and beat down the city, and sowed it with salt.

46  And when all the men of the tower of Shechem heard that, they entered into an hold of the house of the god Berith.

47  And it was told Abimelech, that all the men of the tower of Shechem were gathered together.

48  And Abimelech gat him up to mount Zalmon, he and all the people that were with him; and Abimelech took an axe in his hand, and cut down a bough from the trees, and took it, and laid it on his shoulder, and said unto the people that were with him, What ye have seen me do, make haste, and do as I have done.

49  And all the people likewise cut down every man his bough, and followed Abimelech, and put them to the hold, and set the hold on fire upon them; so that all the men of the tower of Shechem died also, about a thousand men and women.

50  Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and encamped against Thebez, and took it.

51  But there was a strong tower within the city, and thither fled all the men and women, and all they of the city, and shut it to them, and gat them up to the top of the tower.

52  And Abimelech came unto the tower, and fought against it, and went hard unto the door of the tower to burn it with fire.

53  And a certain woman cast a piece of a millstone upon Abimelech's head, and all to brake his skull.

54  Then he called hastily unto the young man his armourbearer, and said unto him, Draw thy sword, and slay me, that men say not of me, A woman slew him. And his young man thrust him through, and he died.

55  And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed every man unto his place.

56  Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren:

57  And all the evil of the men of Shechem did God render upon their heads: and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.

Judges 10

1  And after Abimelech there arose to defend Israel Tola the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar; and he dwelt in Shamir in mount Ephraim.

2  And he judged Israel twenty and three years, and died, and was buried in Shamir.

3  And after him arose Jair, a Gileadite, and judged Israel twenty and two years.

4  And he had thirty sons that rode on thirty ass colts, and they had thirty cities, which are called Havoth–jair unto this day, which are in the land of Gilead.Havoth–jair: or, the villages of Jair

5  And Jair died, and was buried in Camon.

6  And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord, and served Baalim, and Ashtoreth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsook the Lord, and served not him.

7  And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the children of Ammon.

8  And that year they vexed and oppressed the children of Israel: eighteen years, all the children of Israel that were on the other side Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead.

9  Moreover the children of Ammon passed over Jordan to fight also against Judah, and against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim; so that Israel was sore distressed.

10  And the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, saying, We have sinned against thee, both because we have forsaken our God, and also served Baalim.

11  And the Lord said unto the children of Israel, Did not I deliver you from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines?

12  The Zidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites, did oppress you; and ye cried to me, and I delivered you out of their hand.

13  Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will deliver you no more.

14   Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation.

15  And the children of Israel said unto the Lord, We have sinned: do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee; deliver us only, we pray thee, this day.

16  And they put away the strange gods from among them, and served the Lord: and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.

17  Then the children of Ammon were gathered together, and encamped in Gilead. And the children of Israel assembled themselves together, and encamped in Mizpah.

18  And the people and princes of Gilead said one to another, What man is he that will begin to fight against the children of Ammon? he shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.