Today's Readings and Stuff. -- Thursday, 06 April, 2017
Just a quiet day. Dear Wife over next door with the Great-Niece as mom is at work. I'm here, running the vacuum cleaner and doing laundry and such. Staring at the walls. Occasional VERY heavy rain and wind, thermometer falling fast.
Listening to dog barking next door, hours and hours. Neighbor got married, died two months later or so. Dog was his. The "grieving widow" spends most of her time gone: went to Michigan last weekend and was gone for about four days, leaving dog chained up in a fenced in area about 40 feet from our bedroom window. Without over-much in the way of food or water and no companionship whatever. Neighbor on other side finally took some food over, which was nice but which didn't pause the incessant barking. Not the worst problem in human history, but one of those aggravations we could have happily done without.
Gray and rainy day. With a prediction for SNOW tonight and tomorrow morning. SNOW!! In April!! Yes, it happens, going to happen again it appears. We saw this morning that we have some sort of purple flowers that have appeared. Don't know if they'll survive this.
And the gray and dreary has matched my mood. Every go around feeling like you are re-living an old bad dream, one you originally had some time back, one that was gray and drear? That's been me today. Not sure if it's a premonition of something or what. Not much in the "joy of the Lord" frame of mind today.
Song of the Day: I See The Lord
I believe Ron Kenoly first brought this piece. In a choral setting, it is something! I was blessed to be part of two church chorus groups, in two states at that, who sang this. It has an enormous amount of meaning for me. The text is from Isaiah 6:1-8, which has been on my mind lately.
=========================================
==========================================
Our passage in the Old Testament is chapters 18 and 19 of Judges. Again, a repeated phrase.
Judges 18
1 In those
days there was no king in Israel: and in those days the tribe of the
Danites sought them an inheritance to dwell in; for unto that day all
their inheritance had not fallen unto them among the tribes of Israel.
2 And the
children of Dan sent of their family five men from their coasts, men of
valor, from Zorah, and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land, and to search
it; and they said unto them, Go, search the land: who when they came to
mount Ephraim, to the house of Micah, they lodged there.
3 When they were by the house
of Micah, they knew the voice of the young man the Levite: and they
turned in thither, and said unto him, Who brought thee hither? and what
makest thou in this place? and what hast thou here?
4 And he said unto them, Thus and
thus dealeth Micah with me, and hath hired me, and I am his priest.
5 And they said
unto him, Ask counsel, we pray thee, of God, that we may know whether
our way which we go shall be prosperous.
6 And the priest said unto them, Go in peace:
before the LORD is your way wherein ye go.
7 Then the five men departed, and came to
Laish, and saw the people that were therein, how they dwelt careless,
after the manner of the Zidonians, quiet and secure; and there was no
magistrate in the land, that might put them to shame in any thing; and
they were far from the Zidonians, and had no business with any man.
8 And they came
unto their brethren to Zorah and Eshtaol: and their brethren said unto
them, What say ye? 9
And they said, Arise, that we may go up against them: for we have seen
the land, and, behold, it is very good: and are ye still? be not
slothful to go, and to enter to possess the land.
10 When ye go, ye shall come unto a
people secure, and to a large land: for God hath given it into your
hands; a place where there is no want of any thing that is in the earth.
11 And there
went from thence of the family of the Danites, out of Zorah and out of
Eshtaol, six hundred men appointed with weapons of war.
12 And they went up, and
pitched in Kirjathjearim, in Judah: wherefore they called that place
Mahanehdan unto this day: behold, it is behind Kirjathjearim.
13 And they passed
thence unto mount Ephraim, and came unto the house of Micah.
14 Then answered the five
men that went to spy out the country of Laish, and said unto their
brethren, Do ye know that there is in these houses an ephod, and
teraphim, and a graven image, and a molten image? now therefore consider
what ye have to do. 15
And they turned thitherward, and came to the house of the young man the
Levite, even unto the house of Micah, and saluted him.
16 And the six hundred men
appointed with their weapons of war, which were of the children of Dan,
stood by the entering of the gate.
17 And the five men that went to spy out the land
went up, and came in thither, and took the graven image, and the ephod,
and the teraphim, and the molten image: and the priest stood in the
entering of the gate with the six hundred men that were appointed with
weapons of war. 18
And these went into Micah's house, and fetched the carved image, the
ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image. Then said the priest unto
them, What do ye? 19
And they said unto him, Hold thy peace, lay thine hand upon thy mouth,
and go with us, and be to us a father and a priest: is it better for
thee to be a priest unto the house of one man, or that thou be a priest
unto a tribe and a family in Israel?
20 And the priest's heart was glad, and he took
the ephod, and the teraphim, and the graven image, and went in the midst
of the people. 21
So they turned and departed, and put the little ones and the cattle and
the carriage before them.
22 And when they were a good way from the house of Micah,
the men that were in the houses near to Micah's house were gathered
together, and overtook the children of Dan.
23 And they cried unto the children of
Dan. And they turned their faces, and said unto Micah, What aileth thee,
that thou comest with such a company?
24 And he said, Ye have taken away my gods
which I made, and the priest, and ye are gone away: and what have I
more? and what is this that ye say unto me, What aileth thee?
25 And the children of
Dan said unto him, Let not thy voice be heard among us, lest angry
fellows run upon thee, and thou lose thy life, with the lives of thy
household. 26
And the children of Dan went their way: and when Micah saw that they
were too strong for him, he turned and went back unto his house.
27 And they took the
things which Micah had made, and the priest which he had, and came unto
Laish, unto a people that were at quiet and secure: and they smote them
with the edge of the sword, and burnt the city with fire.
28 And there was no
deliverer, because it was far from Zidon, and they had no business with
any man; and it was in the valley that lieth by Bethrehob. And they
built a city, and dwelt therein.
29 And they called the name of the city Dan, after
the name of Dan their father, who was born unto Israel: howbeit the name
of the city was Laish at the first.
30 And the children of Dan set up the graven
image: and Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, he and his
sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of
the land. 31
And they set them up Micah's graven image, which he made, all the time
that the house of God was in Shiloh.
Judges 19
1 And it came
to pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel, that there was
a certain Levite sojourning on the side of mount Ephraim, who took to
him a concubine out of Bethlehemjudah.
2 And his concubine played the whore against
him, and went away from him unto her father's house to Bethlehemjudah,
and was there four whole months.
3 And her husband arose, and went after her, to speak
friendly unto her, and to bring her again, having his servant with him,
and a couple of asses: and she brought him into her father's house: and
when the father of the damsel saw him, he rejoiced to meet him.
4 And his father in
law, the damsel's father, retained him; and he abode with him three
days: so they did eat and drink, and lodged there.
5 And it came to pass on the fourth
day, when they arose early in the morning, that he rose up to depart:
and the damsel's father said unto his son in law, Comfort thine heart
with a morsel of bread, and afterward go your way.
6 And they sat down, and did eat
and drink both of them together: for the damsel's father had said unto
the man, Be content, I pray thee, and tarry all night, and let thine
heart be merry. 7
And when the man rose up to depart, his father in law urged him:
therefore he lodged there again.
8 And he arose early in the morning on the fifth day
to depart; and the damsel's father said, Comfort thine heart, I pray
thee. And they tarried until afternoon, and they did eat both of them.
9 And when the
man rose up to depart, he, and his concubine, and his servant, his
father in law, the damsel's father, said unto him, Behold, now the day
draweth toward evening, I pray you tarry all night: behold, the day
groweth to an end, lodge here, that thine heart may be merry; and to
morrow get you early on your way, that thou mayest go home.
10 But the man would not
tarry that night, but he rose up and departed, and came over against
Jebus, which is Jerusalem; and there were with him two asses saddled,
his concubine also was with him.
11 And when they were by Jebus, the day was far
spent; and the servant said unto his master, Come, I pray thee, and let
us turn in into this city of the Jebusites, and lodge in it.
12 And his master said
unto him, We will not turn aside hither into the city of a stranger,
that is not of the children of Israel; we will pass over to Gibeah.
13 And he said
unto his servant, Come, and let us draw near to one of these places to
lodge all night, in Gibeah, or in Ramah.
14 And they passed on and went their way; and
the sun went down upon them when they were by Gibeah, which belongeth
to Benjamin. 15
And they turned aside thither, to go in and to lodge in Gibeah: and
when he went in, he sat him down in a street of the city: for there was
no man that took them into his house to lodging.
16 And, behold, there came an old man
from his work out of the field at even, which was also of mount
Ephraim; and he sojourned in Gibeah: but the men of the place were
Benjamites. 17
And when he had lifted up his eyes, he saw a wayfaring man in the
street of the city: and the old man said, Whither goest thou? and whence
comest thou? 18
And he said unto him, We are passing from Bethlehemjudah toward the
side of mount Ephraim; from thence am I: and I went to Bethlehemjudah,
but I am now going to the house of the LORD; and there is no man that
receiveth me to house.
19 Yet there is both straw and provender for our asses; and
there is bread and wine also for me, and for thy handmaid, and for the
young man which is with thy servants: there is no want of any thing.
20 And the old
man said, Peace be with thee; howsoever let all thy wants lie upon me;
only lodge not in the street.
21 So he brought him into his house, and gave provender
unto the asses: and they washed their feet, and did eat and drink.
22 Now as they were
making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, certain sons of
Belial, beset the house round about, and beat at the door, and spake to
the master of the house, the old man, saying, Bring forth the man that
came into thine house, that we may know him.
23 And the man, the master of the house,
went out unto them, and said unto them, Nay, my brethren, nay, I pray
you, do not so wickedly; seeing that this man is come into mine house,
do not this folly. 24
Behold, here is my daughter a maiden, and his concubine; them I will
bring out now, and humble ye them, and do with them what seemeth good
unto you: but unto this man do not so vile a thing.
25 But the men would not hearken
to him: so the man took his concubine, and brought her forth unto them;
and they knew her, and abused her all the night until the morning: and
when the day began to spring, they let her go.
26 Then came the woman in the dawning
of the day, and fell down at the door of the man's house where her lord
was, till it was light.
27 And her lord rose up in the morning, and opened the doors
of the house, and went out to go his way: and, behold, the woman his
concubine was fallen down at the door of the house, and her hands were
upon the threshold. 28
And he said unto her, Up, and let us be going. But none answered. Then
the man took her up upon an ass, and the man rose up, and gat him unto
his place. 29
And when he was come into his house, he took a knife, and laid hold on
his concubine, and divided her, together with her bones, into twelve
pieces, and sent her into all the coasts of Israel.
30 And it was so, that all that
saw it said, There was no such deed done nor seen from the day that the
children of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt unto this day:
consider of it, take advice, and speak your minds.
========================================
=========================================
Our New Testament reading is verses 25-42 of Luke chapter 10.
Luke 10:25-42
25 And,
behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what
shall I do to inherit eternal life?
26 He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? 27
And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy
heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all
thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.
28 And he said unto him, Thou hast answered
right: this do, and thou shalt live.
29 But he, willing to justify himself, said unto
Jesus, And who is my neighbour?
30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down
from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of
his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
31 And by chance
there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he
passed by on the other side.
32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came
and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.
33 But a certain Samaritan, as he
journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on
him, 34 And
went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set
him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
35 And on the
morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the
host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest
more, when I come again, I will repay thee.
36 Which now of these three, thinkest
thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?
37 And he said, He that
shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.
38 Now it
came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a
certain woman named Martha received him into her house.
39 And she had a sister
called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word.
40 But Martha was
cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou
not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore
that she help me. 41
And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful
and troubled about many things:
42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that
good part, which shall not be taken away from her.
