Today's Readings and Stuff -- Monday, 14 May 2018

Happy Monday, all.

We've had several rounds of rain and storms through here today, with more expected all through the night, and perhaps tomorrow as well.  I saw a radar map a little bit ago, lots and lots of the yellow, orange, and bright red spots that indicate heavy weather, and they're heading this way.
We know more than a little bit about the storms of life.
And yet, two other things we know.
The first of these is that for many, and certainly for the people of Israel, then and now, rain was and is something to celebrate.  It's seen as a blessing, which is certainly true for those who live, precariously, on the edge of a desert.  That "land of milk and honey" is that for those who just came through the Negev, but it's certainly not like Iowa.  So we should not gripe about the rain.
The other thing is that, regardless of the moment, even in the rain, the sun is still shining on the other side of the clouds.  The circumstances of the moment, no matter what they are, are not the whole story.  We just see a small piece of that story. 
So, the song of the day is "It Won't Rain Always".  This is sung by Janet Paschal, who was just coming off cancer treatments.  I think that she knows the truth of it. 
I believe that, sometimes (not always) these bumps in the road, are put there by the devil, hoping that we'll take our attention from the Lord and focus instead on those issues.  Yes, I understand the "stone in the shoe" matters, but I've also been guilty of obsessing over the moments and, before I noticed, hours or days had passed and the truly important things, the eternal ones, had been cast aside.


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Today, chapters 29 and 30 of 1st Samuel.  There is a big change coming.
Note the location here, by the way.  Jezreel is right by Megiddo.  The valley  of Armageddon is sometimes referred to as the Valley of Jezreel.

1st Samuel 29

1  Now the Philistines gathered together all their armies to Aphek: and the Israelites pitched by a fountain which is in Jezreel.

2  And the lords of the Philistines passed on by hundreds, and by thousands: but David and his men passed on in the rearward with Achish.

3  Then said the princes of the Philistines, What do these Hebrews here? And Achish said unto the princes of the Philistines, Is not this David, the servant of Saul the king of Israel, which hath been with me these days, or these years, and I have found no fault in him since he fell unto me unto this day?

4  And the princes of the Philistines were wroth with him; and the princes of the Philistines said unto him, Make this fellow return, that he may go again to his place which thou hast appointed him, and let him not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he be an adversary to us: for wherewith should he reconcile himself unto his master? should it not be with the heads of these men?

5  Is not this David, of whom they sang one to another in dances, saying, Saul slew his thousands, and David his ten thousands?

6  Then Achish called David, and said unto him, Surely, as the Lord liveth, thou hast been upright, and thy going out and thy coming in with me in the host is good in my sight: for I have not found evil in thee since the day of thy coming unto me unto this day: nevertheless the lords favour thee not

7  Wherefore now return, and go in peace, that thou displease not the lords of the Philistines.

8  And David said unto Achish, But what have I done? and what hast thou found in thy servant so long as I have been with thee unto this day, that I may not go fight against the enemies of my lord the king?

9  And Achish answered and said to David, I know that thou art good in my sight, as an angel of God: notwithstanding the princes of the Philistines have said, He shall not go up with us to the battle.

10  Wherefore now rise up early in the morning with thy master's servants that are come with thee: and as soon as ye be up early in the morning, and have light, depart.

11  So David and his men rose up early to depart in the morning, to return into the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.

1st Samuel 30

1  And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire;

2  And had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way.

3  So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives.

4  Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.

5  And David's two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.

6  And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.

7  And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech's son, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David.

8  And David enquired at the Lord, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.

9  So David went, he and the six hundred men that were with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those that were left behind stayed.

10  But David pursued, he and four hundred men: for two hundred abode behind, which were so faint that they could not go over the brook Besor.

11  And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he did eat; and they made him drink water;

12  And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins: and when he had eaten, his spirit came again to him: for he had eaten no bread, nor drunk any water, three days and three nights.

13  And David said unto him, To whom belongest thou? and whence art thou? And he said, I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite; and my master left me, because three days agone I fell sick.

14  We made an invasion upon the south of the Cherethites, and upon the coast which belongeth to Judah, and upon the south of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire.

15  And David said to him, Canst thou bring me down to this company? And he said, Swear unto me by God, that thou wilt neither kill me, nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will bring thee down to this company.

16  And when he had brought him down, behold, they were spread abroad upon all the earth, eating and drinking, and dancing, because of all the great spoil that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah.

17  And David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the next day: and there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young men, which rode upon camels, and fled.

18  And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away: and David rescued his two wives.

19  And there was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil, nor any thing that they had taken to them: David recovered all.

20  And David took all the flocks and the herds, which they drave before those other cattle, and said, This is David's spoil.

21  And David came to the two hundred men, which were so faint that they could not follow David, whom they had made also to abide at the brook Besor: and they went forth to meet David, and to meet the people that were with him: and when David came near to the people, he saluted them.

22  Then answered all the wicked men and men of Belial, of those that went with David, and said, Because they went not with us, we will not give them ought of the spoil that we have recovered, save to every man his wife and his children, that they may lead them away, and depart.

23  Then said David, Ye shall not do so, my brethren, with that which the Lord hath given us, who hath preserved us, and delivered the company that came against us into our hand.

24  For who will hearken unto you in this matter? but as his part is that goeth down to the battle, so shall his part be that tarrieth by the stuff: they shall part alike.

25  And it was so from that day forward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel unto this day.

26  And when David came to Ziklag, he sent of the spoil unto the elders of Judah, even to his friends, saying, Behold a present for you of the spoil of the enemies of the Lord;

27  To them which were in Beth–el, and to them which were in south Ramoth, and to them which were in Jattir,

28  And to them which were in Aroer, and to them which were in Siphmoth, and to them which were in Eshtemoa,

29  And to them which were in Rachal, and to them which were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, and to them which were in the cities of the Kenites,

30  And to them which were in Hormah, and to them which were in Bor–ashan, and to them which were in Athach,

31  And to them which were in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men were wont to haunt.

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Today, Psalm 96
I got into one of those Internet disputes some years ago (OK, it was back around 1986 or so) with a big shot in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.  (No, I'd not heard of such an organization before.  I guess they're still around).  Between bouts  of him calling anyone with even a slightly different take on a matter as "false Christian scum", he held forth what I guess is some of their doctrines.  One of which is that the ONLY permitted songs are the Psalms.  I'm not sure quite how that is to line up with the words we see here about singing a new song. But according to "Rev. Steve ", nothing but the Psalms, and those in the King James version at that, are permitted.  All  others are wicked  or something.   I'm not sure that "Amazing Grace" is wicked, or several others. 

Psalm 96

1  O sing unto the Lord a new song: sing unto the Lord, all the earth.

2  Sing unto the Lord, bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day to day.

3  Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people.

4  For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods.

5  For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the Lord made the heavens.

6  Honour and majesty are before him: strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.

7  Give unto the Lord, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength.

8  Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come into his courts.

9  O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth.

10  Say among the heathen that the Lord reigneth: the world also shall be established that it shall not be moved: he shall judge the people righteously.

11  Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof.the fulness

12  Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice

13  Before the Lord: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.

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Today, chapter 7 in the Acts of the Apostles.
This is Steven, one of the first deacons of the church.  Steven is a name still used today:  both of my grandfathers bore that name.

Acts 7

1  Then said the high priest, Are these things so?

2  And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran,

3  And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall shew thee.

4  Then came he out of the land of the Chaldeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell.

5  And he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on: yet he promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no child.

6  And God spake on this wise, That his seed should sojourn in a strange land; and that they should bring them into bondage, and entreat them evil four hundred years.

7  And the nation to whom they shall be in bondage will I judge, said God: and after that shall they come forth, and serve me in this place.

8  And he gave him the covenant of circumcision: and so Abraham begat Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat the twelve patriarchs.

9  And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him,

10  And delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house.

11  Now there came a dearth over all the land of Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction: and our fathers found no sustenance.

12  But when Jacob heard that there was corn in Egypt, he sent out our fathers first.

13  And at the second time Joseph was made known to his brethren; and Joseph's kindred was made known unto Pharaoh.

14  Then sent Joseph, and called his father Jacob to him, and all his kindred, threescore and fifteen souls.

15  So Jacob went down into Egypt, and died, he, and our fathers,

16  And were carried over into Sychem, and laid in the sepulchre that Abraham bought for a sum of money of the sons of Emmor the father of Sychem.

17  But when the time of the promise drew nigh, which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt,

18  Till another king arose, which knew not Joseph.

19  The same dealt subtilly with our kindred, and evil entreated our fathers, so that they cast out their young children, to the end they might not live.

20  In which time Moses was born, and was exceeding fair, and nourished up in his father's house three months:

21  And when he was cast out, Pharaoh's daughter took him up, and nourished him for her own son.

22  And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds.

23  And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel.

24  And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian:

25  For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them: but they understood not.

26  And the next day he shewed himself unto them as they strove, and would have set them at one again, saying, Sirs, ye are brethren; why do ye wrong one to another?

27  But he that did his neighbour wrong thrust him away, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us?

28  Wilt thou kill me, as thou diddest the Egyptian yesterday?

29  Then fled Moses at this saying, and was a stranger in the land of Madian, where he begat two sons.

30  And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sinai an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush.

31  When Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight: and as he drew near to behold it, the voice of the Lord came unto him,

32  Saying, I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Then Moses trembled, and durst not behold.

33  Then said the Lord to him, Put off thy shoes from thy feet: for the place where thou standest is holy ground.

34  I have seen, I have seen the affliction of my people which is in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning, and am come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send thee into Egypt.

35  This Moses whom they refused, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge? the same did God send to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the angel which appeared to him in the bush.

36  He brought them out, after that he had shewed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red sea, and in the wilderness forty years.

37  This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear.

38  This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sinai, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us:

39  To whom our fathers would not obey, but thrust him from them, and in their hearts turned back again into Egypt,

40  Saying unto Aaron, Make us gods to go before us: for as for this Moses, which brought us out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.

41  And they made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands.

42  Then God turned, and gave them up to worship the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, O ye house of Israel, have ye offered to me slain beasts and sacrifices by the space of forty years in the wilderness?

43  Yea, ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god Remphan, figures which ye made to worship them: and I will carry you away beyond Babylon.

44  Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as he had appointed, speaking unto Moses, that he should make it according to the fashion that he had seen.

45  Which also our fathers that came after brought in with Jesus into the possession of the Gentiles, whom God drave out before the face of our fathers, unto the days of David;

46  Who found favour before God, and desired to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob.

47  But Solomon built him an house.

48  Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet,

49  Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest?

50  Hath not my hand made all these things?

51  Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.

52  Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers:

53  Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.

54  When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.

55  But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,

56  And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.

57  Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord,

58  And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul.

59  And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.

60  And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

Today's Readings and Stuff -- Friday, 11 May 2018 (with previous day's readings also)

Another Friday has arrived.  As well as a predicted "high" temperature of 62°.  And an occasional light rain falling.  Sigh.
There were some outside things I'd planned, but the weather will preclude that.  Oh, well.

And "Mother's Day " is Sunday.  This will be VERY tough.  We have two daughters.  Neither will speak to us nor acknowledge our very existence.  I hear from the one's husband from time to time, but not her.  The  other has decided that she's really a guy.  What her husband (married since 2011) things of that I don't know:  she's commandeered all of his e-mails, etc.  I do hear occasionally from his mother and brother but, in the interests of peace (and their own peace of mind), I refrain from mentioning the matter.
But it means that, again, Wife will not get a Mother's Day card, or gift, or flowers, or even a phone call.  At least from them: I kept back a few dollars and will get her some chocolates or something.  That will be the sum of it.
Doesn't help that it was 11 years ago this past week that her mother had died.  Makes for a tough time of the year.  But then, it was about five weeks prior to that day that my Mother died.  Was a tough year.
And right now, she sounds and feels awful.  Tomorrow should see the last of her 10-day regimen of heavy-duty antibiotics. If she's no better by Monday morning, back to the doctor's office or urgent care "doc in a box" operation.  If not sooner.


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 The day's readings are a bit discombobulated.  Yesterday was one of those "cyclone days", the winds of "stuff" blowing everything around and it's all out of order.  
So I bowed to force majeure and stuffed two days of readings into one.  It's not ideal, but it's the best that I could do.


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Today, in 1st Samuel

1st Samuel 21

 1  Then came David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest: and Ahimelech was afraid at the meeting of David, and said unto him, Why art thou alone, and no man with thee?

2  And David said unto Ahimelech the priest, The king hath commanded me a business, and hath said unto me, Let no man know any thing of the business whereabout I send thee, and what I have commanded thee: and I have appointed my servants to such and such a place.

3  Now therefore what is under thine hand? give me five loaves of bread in mine hand, or what there is present.present: Heb. found

4  And the priest answered David, and said, There is no common bread under mine hand, but there is hallowed bread; if the young men have kept themselves at least from women.

5  And David answered the priest, and said unto him, Of a truth women have been kept from us about these three days, since I came out, and the vessels of the young men are holy, and the bread is in a manner common, yea, though it were sanctified this day in the vessel.

6  So the priest gave him hallowed bread: for there was no bread there but the shewbread, that was taken from before the Lord, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away.

7  Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the Lord; and his name was Doeg, an Edomite, the chiefest of the herdmen that belonged to Saul.

8  And David said unto Ahimelech, And is there not here under thine hand spear or sword? for I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king's business required haste.

9  And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod: if thou wilt take that, take it: for there is no other save that here. And David said, There is none like that; give it me.

10  And David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.

11  And the servants of Achish said unto him, Is not this David the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?

12  And David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath.

13  And he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard.

14  Then said Achish unto his servants, Lo, ye see the man is mad: wherefore then have ye brought him to me?

15  Have I need of mad men, that ye have brought this fellow to play the mad man in my presence? shall this fellow come into my house?

1st Samuel 22

1  David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave Adullam: and when his brethren and all his father's house heard it, they went down thither to him.

2  And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men

3  And David went thence to Mizpeh of Moab: and he said unto the king of Moab, Let my father and my mother, I pray thee, come forth, and be with you, till I know what God will do for me.

4  And he brought them before the king of Moab: and they dwelt with him all the while that David was in the hold.

5  And the prophet Gad said unto David, Abide not in the hold; depart, and get thee into the land of Judah. Then David departed, and came into the forest of Hareth.

6  When Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men that were with him, (now Saul abode in Gibeah under a tree in Ramah, having his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing about him;)

7  Then Saul said unto his servants that stood about him, Hear now, ye Benjamites; will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, and make you all captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds;

8  That all of you have conspired against me, and there is none that sheweth me that my son hath made a league with the son of Jesse, and there is none of you that is sorry for me, or sheweth unto me that my son hath stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?

9  Then answered Doeg the Edomite, which was set over the servants of Saul, and said, I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub.

10  And he enquired of the Lord for him, and gave him victuals, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.

11  Then the king sent to call Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father's house, the priests that were in Nob: and they came all of them to the king.

12  And Saul said, Hear now, thou son of Ahitub. And he answered, Here I am, my lord.

13  And Saul said unto him, Why have ye conspired against me, thou and the son of Jesse, in that thou hast given him bread, and a sword, and hast enquired of God for him, that he should rise against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?

14  Then Ahimelech answered the king, and said, And who is so faithful among all thy servants as David, which is the king's son in law, and goeth at thy bidding, and is honourable in thine house?

15  Did I then begin to enquire of God for him? be it far from me: let not the king impute any thing unto his servant, nor to all the house of my father: for thy servant knew nothing of all this, less or more.

16  And the king said, Thou shalt surely die, Ahimelech, thou, and all thy father's house.

17And the king said unto the footmen that stood about him, Turn, and slay the priests of the Lord; because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when he fled, and did not shew it to me. But the servants of the king would not put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of the Lord.

18  And the king said to Doeg, Turn thou, and fall upon the priests. And Doeg the Edomite turned, and he fell upon the priests, and slew on that day fourscore and five persons that did wear a linen ephod.

19  And Nob, the city of the priests, smote he with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and sucklings, and oxen, and asses, and sheep, with the edge of the sword.

20  And one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped, and fled after David.

21  And Abiathar shewed David that Saul had slain the Lord's priests.

22  And David said unto Abiathar, I knew it that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul: I have occasioned the death of all the persons of thy father's house.

23  Abide thou with me, fear not: for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life: but with me thou shalt be in safeguard.

1st Samuel 23

1  Then they told David, saying, Behold, the Philistines fight against Keilah, and they rob the threshingfloors.

2  Therefore David enquired of the Lord, saying, Shall I go and smite these Philistines? And the Lord said unto David, Go, and smite the Philistines, and save Keilah.

3  And David's men said unto him, Behold, we be afraid here in Judah: how much more then if we come to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?

4  Then David enquired of the Lord yet again. And the Lord answered him and said, Arise, go down to Keilah; for I will deliver the Philistines into thine hand.

5  So David and his men went to Keilah, and fought with the Philistines, and brought away their cattle, and smote them with a great slaughter. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.

6  And it came to pass, when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled to David to Keilah, that he came down with an ephod in his hand.

7  And it was told Saul that David was come to Keilah. And Saul said, God hath delivered him into mine hand; for he is shut in, by entering into a town that hath gates and bars.

8  And Saul called all the people together to war, to go down to Keilah, to besiege David and his men.

9  And David knew that Saul secretly practised mischief against him; and he said to Abiathar the priest, Bring hither the ephod.

10  Then said David, O Lord God of Israel, thy servant hath certainly heard that Saul seeketh to come to Keilah, to destroy the city for my sake.

11  Will the men of Keilah deliver me up into his hand? will Saul come down, as thy servant hath heard? O Lord God of Israel, I beseech thee, tell thy servant. And the Lord said, He will come down.

12  Then said David, Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul? And the Lord said, They will deliver thee up.

13  Then David and his men, which were about six hundred, arose and departed out of Keilah, and went whithersoever they could go. And it was told Saul that David was escaped from Keilah; and he forbare to go forth.

14  And David abode in the wilderness in strong holds, and remained in a mountain in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God delivered him not into his hand.

15  And David saw that Saul was come out to seek his life: and David was in the wilderness of Ziph in a wood.

16  And Jonathan Saul's son arose, and went to David into the wood, and strengthened his hand in God.

17  And he said unto him, Fear not: for the hand of Saul my father shall not find thee; and thou shalt be king over Israel, and I shall be next unto thee; and that also Saul my father knoweth.

18  And they two made a covenant before the Lord: and David abode in the wood, and Jonathan went to his house.

19  Then came up the Ziphites to Saul to Gibeah, saying, Doth not David hide himself with us in strong holds in the wood, in the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of Jeshimon?

20  Now therefore, O king, come down according to all the desire of thy soul to come down; and our part shall be to deliver him into the king's hand.

21  And Saul said, Blessed be ye of the Lord; for ye have compassion on me.

22  Go, I pray you, prepare yet, and know and see his place where his haunt is, and who hath seen him there: for it is told me that he dealeth very subtilly.

23  See therefore, and take knowledge of all the lurking places where he hideth himself, and come ye again to me with the certainty, and I will go with you: and it shall come to pass, if he be in the land, that I will search him out throughout all the thousands of Judah.

24  And they arose, and went to Ziph before Saul: but David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the plain on the south of Jeshimon.

25  Saul also and his men went to seek him. And they told David: wherefore he came down into a rock, and abode in the wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard that, he pursued after David in the wilderness of Maon.

26  And Saul went on this side of the mountain, and David and his men on that side of the mountain: and David made haste to get away for fear of Saul; for Saul and his men compassed David and his men round about to take them.

27  But there came a messenger unto Saul, saying, Haste thee, and come; for the Philistines have invaded the land.

28  Wherefore Saul returned from pursuing after David, and went against the Philistines: therefore they called that place Sela–hammahlekoth

29  And David went up from thence, and dwelt in strong holds at En–gedi.

1st Samuel 24

1  And it came to pass, when Saul was returned from following the Philistines, that it was told him, saying, Behold, David is in the wilderness of En–gedi.

2  Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went to seek David and his men upon the rocks of the wild goats.

3  And he came to the sheepcotes by the way, where was a cave; and Saul went in to cover his feet: and David and his men remained in the sides of the cave.

4  And the men of David said unto him, Behold the day of which the Lord said unto thee, Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand, that thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good unto thee. Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul's robe privily.

5  And it came to pass afterward, that David's heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul's skirt.

6  And he said unto his men, The Lord forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the Lord's anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the Lord.

7  So David stayed his servants with these words, and suffered them not to rise against Saul. But Saul rose up out of the cave, and went on his way.stayed: Heb. cut off

8  David also arose afterward, and went out of the cave, and cried after Saul, saying, My lord the king. And when Saul looked behind him, David stooped with his face to the earth, and bowed himself.

9  And David said to Saul, Wherefore hearest thou men's words, saying, Behold, David seeketh thy hurt?

10  Behold, this day thine eyes have seen how that the Lord had delivered thee to day into mine hand in the cave: and some bade me kill thee: but mine eye spared thee; and I said, I will not put forth mine hand against my lord; for he is the Lord's anointed.

11  Moreover, my father, see, yea, see the skirt of thy robe in my hand: for in that I cut off the skirt of thy robe, and killed thee not, know thou and see that there is neither evil nor transgression in mine hand, and I have not sinned against thee; yet thou huntest my soul to take it.

12  The Lord judge between me and thee, and the Lord avenge me of thee: but mine hand shall not be upon thee.

13  As saith the proverb of the ancients, Wickedness proceedeth from the wicked: but mine hand shall not be upon thee.

14  After whom is the king of Israel come out? after whom dost thou pursue? after a dead dog, after a flea.

15  The Lord therefore be judge, and judge between me and thee, and see, and plead my cause, and deliver me out of thine hand.

16  And it came to pass, when David had made an end of speaking these words unto Saul, that Saul said, Is this thy voice, my son David? And Saul lifted up his voice, and wept.

17  And he said to David, Thou art more righteous than I: for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil.

18  And thou hast shewed this day how that thou hast dealt well with me: forasmuch as when the Lord had delivered me into thine hand, thou killedst me not.

19  For if a man find his enemy, will he let him go well away? wherefore the Lord reward thee good for that thou hast done unto me this day.

20  And now, behold, I know well that thou shalt surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in thine hand.

21  Swear now therefore unto me by the Lord, that thou wilt not cut off my seed after me, and that thou wilt not destroy my name out of my father's house.

22  And David sware unto Saul. And Saul went home; but David and his men gat them up unto the hold.

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Today, in the Psalms
Have we not all, at one time or another, shared that thought of verse 3 in Psalm 94?  But note verse 12 in so doing.

Psalm 94

1  O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongeth; O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, shew thyself.

2  Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth: render a reward to the proud.

3   Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph?

4  How long shall they utter and speak hard things? and all the workers of iniquity boast themselves?

5  They break in pieces thy people, O Lord, and afflict thine heritage.

6  They slay the widow and the stranger, and murder the fatherless.

7  Yet they say, The Lord shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it.

8  Understand, ye brutish among the people: and ye fools, when will ye be wise?

9  He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? he that formed the eye, shall he not see?

10  He that chastiseth the heathen, shall not he correct? he that teacheth man knowledge, shall not he know?

11  The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity.

12  Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O Lord, and teachest him out of thy law;

13  That thou mayest give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pit be digged for the wicked.

14  For the Lord will not cast off his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance.

15  But judgment shall return unto righteousness: and all the upright in heart shall follow it.

16  Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?

17  Unless the Lord had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence.almost: or, quickly

18  When I said, My foot slippeth; thy mercy, O Lord, held me up.

19  In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul.

20  Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frameth mischief by a law?

21  They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood.

22  But the Lord is my defence; and my God is the rock of my refuge.

23  And he shall bring upon them their own iniquity, and shall cut them off in their own wickedness; yea, the Lord our God shall cut them off.

Psalm 95

1  O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.

2  Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.

3  For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.

4  In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also.

5  The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land.

6  O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker.

7  For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice,

8  Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness

9  When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work.

10  Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways:

11  Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest.

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And, in the Acts of the Apostles.  There is a great deal here that should be "chewed over", verse by verse and sometimes phrases within a single verse.  This is terribly important stuff, and has much to do with the Church today: what we believe and why, what and how we do some  things and why.

Acts 5

1  But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession,

2  And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet.

3  But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?

4  Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.

5  And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things.

6  And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him.

7  And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in.

8  And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much.

9  Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out.

10  Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband.

11  And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.

12  And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people; (and they were all with one accord in Solomon's porch.

13  And of the rest durst no man join himself to them: but the people magnified them.

14  And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women.)

15  Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them.

16  There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one.

17  Then the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him, (which is the sect of the Sadducees,) and were filled with indignation,

18  And laid their hands on the apostles, and put them in the common prison.

19  But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said,

20  Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life.

21  And when they heard that, they entered into the temple early in the morning, and taught. But the high priest came, and they that were with him, and called the council together, and all the senate of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought.

22  But when the officers came, and found them not in the prison, they returned, and told,

23  Saying, The prison truly found we shut with all safety, and the keepers standing without before the doors: but when we had opened, we found no man within.

24  Now when the high priest and the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these things, they doubted of them whereunto this would grow.

25  Then came one and told them, saying, Behold, the men whom ye put in prison are standing in the temple, and teaching the people.

26  Then went the captain with the officers, and brought them without violence: for they feared the people, lest they should have been stoned.

27  And when they had brought them, they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them,

28  Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us.

29  Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.

30  The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree.

31  Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.

32  And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.

33  When they heard that, they were cut to the heart, and took counsel to slay them.

34  Then stood there up one in the council, a Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, had in reputation among all the people, and commanded to put the apostles forth a little space;

35  And said unto them, Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what ye intend to do as touching these men.

36  For before these days rose up Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: who was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered, and brought to nought.

37  After this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of the taxing, and drew away much people after him: he also perished; and all, even as many as obeyed him, were dispersed.

38  And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought:

39  But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.

40  And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.

41  And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.

42  And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.

Acts 6

1  And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.

2  Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables.

3  Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.

4  But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.

5  And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch:

6  Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them.

7  And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.

8  And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people.

9  Then there arose certain of the synagogue, which is called the synagogue of the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and of Asia, disputing with Stephen.

10  And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake.

11  Then they suborned men, which said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God.

12  And they stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon him, and caught him, and brought him to the council,

13  And set up false witnesses, which said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and the law:

14  For we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs which Moses delivered us.

15  And all that sat in the council, looking stedfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel.