Today's Readings and Stuff -- Monday, 17 November 2014

cold here, very cold, and likely to be so for several days.  We're staying in today.  Niece and husband and small child are off on a weekend trip, celebrating niece's 28th birthday, so Dear Wife is not doing her normal routine of "watching" the child on a Monday.  That's normally on the schedule, but not today.  So she's under a pile of blankets on the couch watching some awful TV show on a "reality" channel.  She and I have both found real bodies, and dealt with horribly injured people and ghastly situations.  I didn't find it entertaining then, and still don't.  She maintains what I consider to be a morbid fascination with such.  Not the most awful thing ever, I guess.
Waiting for Spring, and it's not even Winter officially yet.  Yuck.

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The Old Testament passage is chapter 16 in the book of Ezekiel.  Only one, but it's long.  A recitation, perhaps, of the sins of Israel that let to judgement by the Lord, and much pain as a result.  Much of it seems drawn from last night's news, but some of the worst behaviors the Lord recounts, are similar to behaviors CELEBRATED by the "glitterati" so beloved by the "leaders" of our nation and what passes for Western culture these days.  I know how it turned out for Israel in those days and my heart tells me it can happen again.  And perhaps it already is happening.

Ezekiel 16

1	Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2	Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations,
3	And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto Jerusalem; Thy birth and thy nativity is of the land of Canaan; thy father was an Amorite, and thy mother an Hittite.
4	And as for thy nativity, in the day thou wast born thy navel was not cut, neither wast thou washed in water to supple thee; thou wast not salted at all, nor swaddled at all.
5	None eye pitied thee, to do any of these unto thee, to have compassion upon thee; but thou wast cast out in the open field, to the lothing of thy person, in the day that thou wast born.
6	And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live.
7	I have caused thee to multiply as the bud of the field, and thou hast increased and waxen great, and thou art come to excellent ornaments: thy breasts are fashioned, and thine hair is grown, whereas thou wast naked and bare.
8	Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love; and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea, I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord GOD, and thou becamest mine.
9	Then washed I thee with water; yea, I throughly washed away thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil.
10	I clothed thee also with broidered work, and shod thee with badgers' skin, and I girded thee about with fine linen, and I covered thee with silk.
11	I decked thee also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain on thy neck.
12	And I put a jewel on thy forehead, and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thine head.
13	Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver; and thy raiment was of fine linen, and silk, and broidered work; thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, and oil: and thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou didst prosper into a kingdom.
14	And thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty: for it was perfect through my comeliness, which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord GOD.
15	But thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and playedst the harlot because of thy renown, and pouredst out thy fornications on every one that passed by; his it was.
16	And of thy garments thou didst take, and deckedst thy high places with divers colours, and playedst the harlot thereupon: the like things shall not come, neither shall it be so.
17	Thou hast also taken thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and madest to thyself images of men, and didst commit whoredom with them,
18	And tookest thy broidered garments, and coveredst them: and thou hast set mine oil and mine incense before them.
19	My meat also which I gave thee, fine flour, and oil, and honey, wherewith I fed thee, thou hast even set it before them for a sweet savour: and thus it was, saith the Lord GOD.
20	Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne unto me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to be devoured. Is this of thy whoredoms a small matter,
21	That thou hast slain my children, and delivered them to cause them to pass through the fire for them?
22	And in all thine abominations and thy whoredoms thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, when thou wast naked and bare, and wast polluted in thy blood.
23	And it came to pass after all thy wickedness, (woe, woe unto thee! saith the LORD GOD;)
24	That thou hast also built unto thee an eminent place, and hast made thee an high place in every street.
25	Thou hast built thy high place at every head of the way, and hast made thy beauty to be abhorred, and hast opened thy feet to every one that passed by, and multiplied thy whoredoms.
26	Thou hast also committed fornication with the Egyptians thy neighbours, great of flesh; and hast increased thy whoredoms, to provoke me to anger.
27	Behold, therefore I have stretched out my hand over thee, and have diminished thine ordinary food, and delivered thee unto the will of them that hate thee, the daughters of the Philistines, which are ashamed of thy lewd way.
28	Thou hast played the whore also with the Assyrians, because thou wast unsatiable; yea, thou hast played the harlot with them, and yet couldest not be satisfied.
29	Thou hast moreover multiplied thy fornication in the land of Canaan unto Chaldea; and yet thou wast not satisfied therewith.
30	How weak is thine heart, saith the LORD GOD, seeing thou doest all these things, the work of an imperious whorish woman;
31	In that thou buildest thine eminent place in the head of every way, and makest thine high place in every street; and hast not been as an harlot, in that thou scornest hire;
32	But as a wife that committeth adultery, which taketh strangers instead of her husband!
33	They give gifts to all whores: but thou givest thy gifts to all thy lovers, and hirest them, that they may come unto thee on every side for thy whoredom.
34	And the contrary is in thee from other women in thy whoredoms, whereas none followeth thee to commit whoredoms: and in that thou givest a reward, and no reward is given unto thee, therefore thou art contrary.
35	Wherefore, O harlot, hear the word of the LORD:
36	Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thy filthiness was poured out, and thy nakedness discovered through thy whoredoms with thy lovers, and with all the idols of thy abominations, and by the blood of thy children, which thou didst give unto them;
37	Behold, therefore I will gather all thy lovers, with whom thou hast taken pleasure, and all them that thou hast loved, with all them that thou hast hated; I will even gather them round about against thee, and will discover thy nakedness unto them, that they may see all thy nakedness.
38	And I will judge thee, as women that break wedlock and shed blood are judged; and I will give thee blood in fury and jealousy.
39	And I will also give thee into their hand, and they shall throw down thine eminent place, and shall break down thy high places: they shall strip thee also of thy clothes, and shall take thy fair jewels, and leave thee naked and bare.
40	They shall also bring up a company against thee, and they shall stone thee with stones, and thrust thee through with their swords.
41	And they shall burn thine houses with fire, and execute judgments upon thee in the sight of many women: and I will cause thee to cease from playing the harlot, and thou also shalt give no hire any more.
42	So will I make my fury toward thee to rest, and my jealousy shall depart from thee, and I will be quiet, and will be no more angry.
43	Because thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, but hast fretted me in all these things; behold, therefore I also will recompense thy way upon thine head, saith the Lord GOD: and thou shalt not commit this lewdness above all thine abominations.
44	Behold, every one that useth proverbs shall use this proverb against thee, saying, As is the mother, so is her daughter.
45	Thou art thy mother's daughter, that lotheth her husband and her children; and thou art the sister of thy sisters, which lothed their husbands and their children: your mother was an Hittite, and your father an Amorite.
46	And thine elder sister is Samaria, she and her daughters that dwell at thy left hand: and thy younger sister, that dwelleth at thy right hand, is Sodom and her daughters.
47	Yet hast thou not walked after their ways, nor done after their abominations: but, as if that were a very little thing, thou wast corrupted more than they in all thy ways.
48	As I live, saith the Lord GOD, Sodom thy sister hath not done, she nor her daughters, as thou hast done, thou and thy daughters.
49	Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.
50	And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good.
51	Neither hath Samaria committed half of thy sins; but thou hast multiplied thine abominations more than they, and hast justified thy sisters in all thine abominations which thou hast done.
52	Thou also, which hast judged thy sisters, bear thine own shame for thy sins that thou hast committed more abominable than they: they are more righteous than thou: yea, be thou confounded also, and bear thy shame, in that thou hast justified thy sisters.
53	When I shall bring again their captivity, the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, and the captivity of Samaria and her daughters, then will I bring again the captivity of thy captives in the midst of them:
54	That thou mayest bear thine own shame, and mayest be confounded in all that thou hast done, in that thou art a comfort unto them.
55	When thy sisters, Sodom and her daughters, shall return to their former estate, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former estate, then thou and thy daughters shall return to your former estate.
56	For thy sister Sodom was not mentioned by thy mouth in the day of thy pride,
57	Before thy wickedness was discovered, as at the time of thy reproach of the daughters of Syria, and all that are round about her, the daughters of the Philistines, which despise thee round about.
58	Thou hast borne thy lewdness and thine abominations, saith the LORD.
59	For thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even deal with thee as thou hast done, which hast despised the oath in breaking the covenant.
60	Nevertheless I will remember my covenant with thee in the days of thy youth, and I will establish unto thee an everlasting covenant.
61	Then thou shalt remember thy ways, and be ashamed, when thou shalt receive thy sisters, thine elder and thy younger: and I will give them unto thee for daughters, but not by thy covenant.
62	And I will establish my covenant with thee; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD:
63	That thou mayest remember, and be confounded, and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame, when I am pacified toward thee for all that thou hast done, saith the Lord GOD.

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The New Testament reading is chapter 12 in the letter to the Hebrews, the next-to-final chapter in this work.

Hebrews 12 

1	Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
2	Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
3	For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
4	Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.
5	And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:
6	For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
7	If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
8	But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.
9	Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?
10	For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.
11	Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
12	Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;
13	And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.
14	Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:
15	Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;
16	Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.
17	For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.
18	For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest,
19	And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more:
20	(For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart:
21	And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:)
22	But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
23	To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
24	And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things that that of Abel.
25	See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven:
26	Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.
27	And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.
28	Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:
29	For our God is a consuming fire.

Today's Readings and STuff -- Sunday, 16 November 2014

a somewhat quieter day after a bit of a week.  Dear Wife remains essentially horizontal. She's stayed in pajamas all day, just feeling lousy.  She did get up long enough to make a couple waffles for dinner and then went back to horizontal.  Spiking fevers off and on, as has been the case for more than a week.  Makes it tough on her.
We have a storm front hitting momentarily.  A bunch of snow is predicted to be hitting about any minute now, could be up to 8 inches.   The wind patterns for such things in this area are notoriously chancy, with the difference between half food of snow and a light dusting sometimes only a few miles and no more.   So I am not certain what the morning will reveal.  The snow event is predicted to commence any moment and extend through tomorrow at least, and possibly noon Tuesday, with very cold temperatures and strong wind gusts.  Temps at night could get into the low teens.  I miss the South.
We don't have to go anywhere tomorrow, at least to my knowledge.  Tuesday is another matter.  The retirement check is expected to hit the bank Tuesday morning, which is good: I put $10 in the tank today, leaving us about $5.  Total.  And some loose change. So Tuesday, we hope to make it out in the weather to hit her allergist for the week's ration of shots to deal with her severe allergies.  Being violently allergic to wheat is no fun.  Wheat, I said, not gluten.  Wheat itself.  And that is probably a permanent condition.  The allergies to soy and to corn (maize) are there also, but the shots, and further concoctions down the road are expected to largely remedy that.  It does make cooking, particularly on a tight budget, difficult.  There are certainly alternatives out there, alternatives to wheat flour made from lentils, sweet potato, rice, and others, but they range from expensive to very costly and really aren't as good.  But that is what we have.  So we need to stack the pantry, big time.
Church attendance this morning was a bit sparse.  The church I've been visiting has a congregation that has an average member age over 50, and the cold weather is tough on old bones.  Pastor went off on a sabbatical for a week, so one of the deacons (his son, in fact) took over for the day.  Did well.
And tomorrow, should it come, is another day.  Try again.

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The Old Testament reading for the day is chapters 13, 14, 15 of the book of Ezekiel.  He had a ministry that was full of warnings and prophecies of great events, including doom for the nation due to Israel's wickedness. 
Think it can't happen again?

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Ezekiel 13 

1	And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2	Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel that prophesy, and say thou unto them that prophesy out of their own hearts, Hear ye the word of the LORD;
3	Thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!
4	O Israel, thy prophets are like the foxes in the deserts.
5	Ye have not gone up into the gaps, neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel to stand in the battle in the day of the LORD.
6	They have seen vanity and lying divination, saying, The LORD saith: and the LORD hath not sent them: and they have made others to hope that they would confirm the word.
7	Have ye not seen a vain vision, and have ye not spoken a lying divination, whereas ye say, The LORD saith it; albeit I have not spoken?
8	Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye have spoken vanity, and seen lies, therefore, behold, I am against you, saith the Lord GOD.
9	And mine hand shall be upon the prophets that see vanity, and that divine lies: they shall not be in the assembly of my people, neither shall they be written in the writing of the house of Israel, neither shall they enter into the land of Israel; and ye shall know that I am the Lord GOD.
10	Because, even because they have seduced my people, saying, Peace; and there was no peace; and one built up a wall, and, lo, others daubed it with untempered morter:
11	Say unto them which daub it with untempered morter, that it shall fall: there shall be an overflowing shower; and ye, O great hailstones, shall fall; and a stormy wind shall rend it.
12	Lo, when the wall is fallen, shall it not be said unto you, Where is the daubing wherewith ye have daubed it?
13	Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even rend it with a stormy wind in my fury; and there shall be an overflowing shower in mine anger, and great hailstones in my fury to consume it.
14	So will I break down the wall that ye have daubed with untempered morter, and bring it down to the ground, so that the foundation thereof shall be discovered, and it shall fall, and ye shall be consumed in the midst thereof: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
15	Thus will I accomplish my wrath upon the wall, and upon them that have daubed it with untempered morter, and will say unto you, The wall is no more, neither they that daubed it;
16	To wit, the prophets of Israel which prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and which see visions of peace for her, and there is no peace, saith the Lord GOD.
17	Likewise, thou son of man, set thy face against the daughters of thy people, which prophesy out of their own heart; and prophesy thou against them,
18	And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe to the women that sew pillows to all armholes, and make kerchiefs upon the head of every stature to hunt souls! Will ye hunt the souls of my people, and will ye save the souls alive that come unto you?
19	And will ye pollute me among my people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, to slay the souls that should not die, and to save the souls alive that should not live, by your lying to my people that hear your lies?
20	Wherefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against your pillows, wherewith ye there hunt the souls to make them fly, and I will tear them from your arms, and will let the souls go, even the souls that ye hunt to make them fly.
21	Your kerchiefs also will I tear, and deliver my people out of your hand, and they shall be no more in your hand to be hunted; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
22	Because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, by promising him life:
23	Therefore ye shall see no more vanity, nor divine divinations: for I will deliver my people out of your hand: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

Ezekiel 14

1	Then came certain of the elders of Israel unto me, and sat before me.
2	And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
3	Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be enquired of at all by them?
4	Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I the LORD will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols;
5	That I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are all estranged from me through their idols.
6	Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Repent, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations.
7	For every one of the house of Israel, or of the stranger that sojourneth in Israel, which separateth himself from me, and setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to a prophet to enquire of him concerning me; I the LORD will answer him by myself:
8	And I will set my face against that man, and will make him a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of my people; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
9	And if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the LORD have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel.
10	And they shall bear the punishment of their iniquity: the punishment of the prophet shall be even as the punishment of him that seeketh unto him;
11	That the house of Israel may go no more astray from me, neither be polluted any more with all their transgressions; but that they may be my people, and I may be their God, saith the Lord GOD.
12	The word of the LORD came again to me, saying,
13	Son of man, when the land sinneth against me by trespassing grievously, then will I stretch out mine hand upon it, and will break the staff of the bread thereof, and will send famine upon it, and will cut off man and beast from it:
14	Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord GOD.
15	If I cause noisome beasts to pass through the land, and they spoil it, so that it be desolate, that no man may pass through because of the beasts:
16	Though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters; they only shall be delivered, but the land shall be desolate.
17	Or if I bring a sword upon that land, and say, Sword, go through the land; so that I cut off man and beast from it:
18	Though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they only shall be delivered themselves.
19	Or if I send a pestilence into that land, and pour out my fury upon it in blood, to cut off from it man and beast:
20	Though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter; they shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness.
21	For thus saith the Lord GOD; How much more when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast?
22	Yet, behold, therein shall be left a remnant that shall be brought forth, both sons and daughters: behold, they shall come forth unto you, and ye shall see their way and their doings: and ye shall be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, even concerning all that I have brought upon it.
23	And they shall comfort you, when ye see their ways and their doings: and ye shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, saith the Lord GOD.

Ezekiel 15

1	And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2	Son of man, what is the vine tree more than any tree, or than a branch which is among the trees of the forest?
3	Shall wood be taken thereof to do any work? or will men take a pin of it to hang any vessel thereon?
4	Behold, it is cast into the fire for fuel; the fire devoureth both the ends of it, and the midst of it is burned. Is it meet for any work?
5	Behold, when it was whole, it was meet for no work: how much less shall it be meet yet for any work, when the fire hath devoured it, and it is burned?
6	Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; As the vine tree among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so will I give the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
7	And I will set my face against them; they shall go out from one fire, and another fire shall devour them; and ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I set my face against them.
8	And I will make the land desolate, because they have committed a trespass, saith the Lord GOD.

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The New Testament reading is verses 20-40 of chapter 11 in the letter to the Hebrews.
Faith.  

Hebrews 11:20-40

20	By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.
21	By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff.
22	By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones.
23	By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king's commandment.
24	By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter;
25	Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;
26	Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.
27	By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.
28	Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them.
29	By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned.
30	By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days.
31	By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.
32	And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:
33	Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions.
34	Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.
35	Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:
36	And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:
37	They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;
38	(Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
39	And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:
40	God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.

Today;s Readings and Stuff -- Monday, 06 October 2014

It is now a year since we relocated from central Alabama to NE Ohio.  We've already had temperatures into the 30's and it's only the first week of October.  By this time next month, we'll probably have seen snow.  And by that time, we'll probably have seen sub-freezing temperatures.  The weather is not one of those things I'd missed during our 20-some years of living in the South.  Dear Wife had missed family, terribly.  We had a get-together Saturday evening.  We picked up her aunt -- she in her late 70's who is back in a cancer situation, and drove another 40-some miles for an evening with HER sister - or half sister at least -- and HER daughters.  Aunt Jo had not seen my wife since she was a baby and most of the cousins had never seen her at all.  Some were in from Indiana, some from North Carolina, and the like.  We didn't get back home until midnight and were so weary from the ordeal we missed church yesterday.
Probably worth doing, and probably also the last meeting between them.

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The morning's Old Testament reading is chapters 34, 35, and 36 of Isaiah.

Isaiah 34 

1	Come near, ye nations, to hear; and hearken, ye people: let the earth hear, and all that is therein; the world, and all things that come forth of it.
2	For the indignation of the LORD is upon all nations, and his fury upon all their armies: he hath utterly destroyed them, he hath delivered them to the slaughter.
3	Their slain also shall be cast out, and their stink shall come up out of their carcases, and the mountains shall be melted with their blood.
4	And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree.
5	For my sword shall be bathed in heaven: behold, it shall come down upon Idumea, and upon the people of my curse, to judgment.
6	The sword of the LORD is filled with blood, it is made fat with fatness, and with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams: for the LORD hath a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of Idumea.
7	And the unicorns shall come down with them, and the bullocks with the bulls; and their land shall be soaked with blood, and their dust made fat with fatness.
8	For it is the day of the LORD's vengeance, and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion.
9	And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch.
10	It shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up for ever: from generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it for ever and ever.
11	But the cormorant and the bittern shall possess it; the owl also and the raven shall dwell in it: and he shall stretch out upon it the line of confusion, and the stones of emptiness.
12	They shall call the nobles thereof to the kingdom, but none shall be there, and all her princes shall be nothing.
13	And thorns shall come up in her palaces, nettles and brambles in the fortresses thereof: and it shall be an habitation of dragons, and a court for owls.
14	The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the wild beasts of the island, and the satyr shall cry to his fellow; the screech owl also shall rest there, and find for herself a place of rest.
15	There shall the great owl make her nest, and lay, and hatch, and gather under her shadow: there shall the vultures also be gathered, every one with her mate.
16	Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read: no one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate: for my mouth it hath commanded, and his spirit it hath gathered them.
17	And he hath cast the lot for them, and his hand hath divided it unto them by line: they shall possess it for ever, from generation to generation shall they dwell therein.

Isaiah 35 

1	The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.
2	It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the LORD, and the excellency of our God.
3	Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees.
4	Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.
5	Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
6	Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.
7	And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes.
8	And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.
9	No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there:
10	And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Isaiah 36 

1	Now it came to pass in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah, that Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the defenced cities of Judah, and took them.
2	And the king of Assyria sent Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem unto king Hezekiah with a great army. And he stood by the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller's field.
3	Then came forth unto him Eliakim, Hilkiah's son, which was over the house, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, Asaph's son, the recorder.
4	And Rabshakeh said unto them, Say ye now to Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence is this wherein thou trustest?
5	I say, sayest thou, (but they are but vain words) I have counsel and strength for war: now on whom dost thou trust, that thou rebellest against me?
6	Lo, thou trustest in the staff of this broken reed, on Egypt; whereon if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all that trust in him.
7	But if thou say to me, We trust in the LORD our God: is it not he, whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away, and said to Judah and to Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this altar?
8	Now therefore give pledges, I pray thee, to my master the king of Assyria, and I will give thee two thousand horses, if thou be able on thy part to set riders upon them.
9	How then wilt thou turn away the face of one captain of the least of my master's servants, and put thy trust on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?
10	And am I now come up without the LORD against this land to destroy it? the LORD said unto me, Go up against this land, and destroy it.
11	Then said Eliakim and Shebna and Joah unto Rabshakeh, Speak, I pray thee, unto thy servants in the Syrian language; for we understand it: and speak not to us in the Jews' language, in the ears of the people that are on the wall.
12	But Rabshakeh said, Hath my master sent me to thy master and to thee to speak these words? hath he not sent me to the men that sit upon the wall, that they may eat their own dung, and drink their own piss with you?
13	Then Rabshakeh stood, and cried with a loud voice in the Jews' language, and said, Hear ye the words of the great king, the king of Assyria.
14	Thus saith the king, Let not Hezekiah deceive you: for he shall not be able to deliver you.
15	Neither let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD, saying, The LORD will surely deliver us: this city shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria.
16	Hearken not to Hezekiah: for thus saith the king of Assyria, Make an agreement with me by a present, and come out to me: and eat ye every one of his vine, and every one of his fig tree, and drink ye every one the waters of his own cistern;
17	Until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of corn and wine, a land of bread and vineyards.
18	Beware lest Hezekiah persuade you, saying, the LORD will deliver us. Hath any of the gods of the nations delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?
19	Where are the gods of Hamath and Arphad? where are the gods of Sepharvaim? and have they delivered Samaria out of my hand?
20	Who are they among all the gods of these lands, that have delivered their land out of my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?
21	But they held their peace, and answered him not a word: for the king's commandment was, saying, Answer him not.
22	Then came Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, that was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, the son of Asaph, the recorder, to Hezekiah with their clothes rent, and told him the words of Rabshakeh.

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The New Testament reading is chapter 2 of the letter to the Phillipians.

Philippians 2

1	If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies,
2	Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.
3	Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
4	Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
5	Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
6	Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
7	But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
8	And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
9	Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
10	That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
11	And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
12	Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
13	For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
14	Do all things without murmurings and disputings:
15	That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;
16	Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.
17	Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all.
18	For the same cause also do ye joy, and rejoice with me.
19	But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timotheus shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort, when I know your state.
20	For I have no man likeminded, who will naturally care for your state.
21	For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's.
22	But ye know the proof of him, that, as a son with the father, he hath served with me in the gospel.
23	Him therefore I hope to send presently, so soon as I shall see how it will go with me.
24	But I trust in the Lord that I also myself shall come shortly.
25	Yet I supposed it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, and companion in labour, and fellowsoldier, but your messenger, and he that ministered to my wants.
26	For he longed after you all, and was full of heaviness, because that ye had heard that he had been sick.
27	For indeed he was sick nigh unto death: but God had mercy on him; and not on him only, but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.
28	I sent him therefore the more carefully, that, when ye see him again, ye may rejoice, and that I may be the less sorrowful.
29	Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness; and hold such in reputation:
30	Because for the work of Christ he was nigh unto death, not regarding his life, to supply your lack of service toward me.

Today's Readings and Stuff == Saturday, 20 September, 2014

been a long, bumpy week.  Dear Wife has had a raging case of vasculitis, inflammation of the blood vessels, in her legs.  Makes all her skin hurt, touching anything is painful, bruising in several places.  We were worried about blood clots breaking loose, went to doctor Monday.  He took a look and ordered ultrasound to check for that and related issues.  Came back OK for that, which doesn't help the pain or anything.  Called the rheumatologist's office and we went in Thursday so they could pump her full of of heavy-duty steroids to address the problem.  The issue may be related to her various autoimmune diseases.  And she's been pretty much off her feet since, mostly with the feet elevated.  I am her primary caregiver, one reason that I haven't been knocking on doors looking for a job.
So it's been pretty hairy and pretty scary.  And I've been neglecting posting for over a week.  Sorry, but her needs take precedence.
Having said that, the Old Testament passage for today is chapters 10, 11, and 12 in the book of Ecclesiastes.  This book is part of the grouping called the Wisdom literature, and the Jews classify it with the "Writings".  Lots of good observations and advice.

Ecclesiastes 10

1	Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour.
2	A wise man's heart is at his right hand; but a fool's heart at his left.
3	Yea also, when he that is a fool walketh by the way, his wisdom faileth him, and he saith to every one that he is a fool.
4	If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for yielding pacifieth great offences.
5	There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, as an error which proceedeth from the ruler:
6	Folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in low place.
7	I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth.
8	He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh an hedge, a serpent shall bite him.
9	Whoso removeth stones shall be hurt therewith; and he that cleaveth wood shall be endangered thereby.
10	If the iron be blunt, and he do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct.
11	Surely the serpent will bite without enchantment; and a babbler is no better.
12	The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself.
13	The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness: and the end of his talk is mischievous madness.
14	A fool also is full of words: a man cannot tell what shall be; and what shall be after him, who can tell him?
15	The labour of the foolish wearieth every one of them, because he knoweth not how to go to the city.
16	Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning!
17	Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!
18	By much slothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through.
19	A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all things.
20	Curse not the king, no not in thy thought; and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter.

Ecclesiastes 11

1	Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.
2	Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.
3	If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth: and if the tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be.
4	He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.
5	As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all.
6	In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good.
7	Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun:
8	But if a man live many years, and rejoice in them all; yet let him remember the days of darkness; for they shall be many. All that cometh is vanity.
9	Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment.
10	Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh: for childhood and youth are vanity.

Ecclesiastes 12

1	Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;
2	While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain:
3	In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened,
4	And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of musick shall be brought low;
5	Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets:
6	Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.
7	Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
8	Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity.
9	And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs.
10	The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth.
11	The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.
12	And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
13	Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
14	For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

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The New Testament reading is verses 16-33 of chapter 11 in 2nd Corinthians.

II Corinthians 11:16-33

16	I say again, Let no man think me a fool; if otherwise, yet as a fool receive me, that I may boast myself a little.
17	That which I speak, I speak it not after the Lord, but as it were foolishly, in this confidence of boasting.
18	Seeing that many glory after the flesh, I will glory also.
19	For ye suffer fools gladly, seeing ye yourselves are wise.
20	For ye suffer, if a man bring you into bondage, if a man devour you, if a man take of you, if a man exalt himself, if a man smite you on the face.
21	I speak as concerning reproach, as though we had been weak. Howbeit whereinsoever any is bold, (I speak foolishly,) I am bold also.
22	Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I.
23	Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft.
24	Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.
25	Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;
26	In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;
27	In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.
28	Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.
29	Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not?
30	If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities.
31	The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is blessed for evermore, knoweth that I lie not.
32	In Damascus the governor under Aretas the king kept the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desirous to apprehend me:
33	And through a window in a basket was I let down by the wall, and escaped his hands.