Today's Readings and Stuff -- Thursday, 29 March 2018

This day is not starting well.  I may be revising during the day as matters progress, or degenerate.

Wife is sick.  Has been sick for two weeks now, and by that I mean even sicker than her "usual" maladies that would devastate most people.  She's been running a fever, having serious congestion, pain in the forehead and sinus, trouble breathing, and a good bit else.  We were up a good bit of the night, she finally decided around 03:30 that she needed to try lying on a semi-reclined recliner rather than a bed with a bit of elevation beneath the head.  So we did that.  (which of course encouraged the cats to think it was morning and time for breakfast, with one climbing up my leg in an effort to encourage speed on the matter.  Did NOT improve my mood).  With one thing after another, it was after 05:00 before I could lay down for a bit.  When I got up, she called the doctor office and we have an appointment at 11:45.  So we shall see.

She was scheduled to "watch" the niece's kids next door, but for all we know she'll be in hospital by that time, and in any event probably too weak to do it, let alone the danger of "sharing" an illness, particularly with the 9-month-old.  So the kids' grandmother, all of two doors away in the other direction, will be asked to take the helm for the day.  Best we can do.  In a pinch, I could do it (and have) but the womenfolk seem to prefer other womenfolk (sounds very sexist, but you don't push the ocean back with a fork).  So that is the tentative plan.

More later, perhaps.

Oh, and just got a call from a "headhunter", I think he has a potential job near Atlanta.  Afraid I can't do it. 

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Deuteronomy 23

 1  He that is wounded in the stones, or hath his privy member cut off, shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord.

2  A bastard shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord; even to his tenth generation shall he not enter into the congregation of the Lord.

3  An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the Lord for ever:

4  Because they met you not with bread and with water in the way, when ye came forth out of Egypt; and because they hired against thee Balaam the son of Beor of Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse thee.

5  Nevertheless the Lord thy God would not hearken unto Balaam; but the Lord thy God turned the curse into a blessing unto thee, because the Lord thy God loved thee.

6  Thou shalt not seek their peace nor their prosperity all thy days for ever.

7  Thou shalt not abhor an Edomite; for he is thy brother: thou shalt not abhor an Egyptian; because thou wast a stranger in his land.

8  The children that are begotten of them shall enter into the congregation of the Lord in their third generation.

9  When the host goeth forth against thine enemies, then keep thee from every wicked thing.

10  If there be among you any man, that is not clean by reason of uncleanness that chanceth him by night, then shall he go abroad out of the camp, he shall not come within the camp:

11  But it shall be, when evening cometh on, he shall wash himself with water: and when the sun is down, he shall come into the camp again.

12  Thou shalt have a place also without the camp, whither thou shalt go forth abroad:

13  And thou shalt have a paddle upon thy weapon; and it shall be, when thou wilt ease thyself abroad, thou shalt dig therewith, and shalt turn back and cover that which cometh from thee

14  For the Lord thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before thee; therefore shall thy camp be holy: that he see no unclean thing in thee, and turn away from thee.

15  Thou shalt not deliver unto his master the servant which is escaped from his master unto thee:

16  He shall dwell with thee, even among you, in that place which he shall choose in one of thy gates, where it liketh him best: thou shalt not oppress him.

17  There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel.

18  Thou shalt not bring the hire of a whore, or the price of a dog, into the house of the Lord thy God for any vow: for even both these are abomination unto the Lord thy God.

19  Thou shalt not lend upon usury to thy brother; usury of money, usury of victuals, usury of any thing that is lent upon usury:

20  Unto a stranger thou mayest lend upon usury; but unto thy brother thou shalt not lend upon usury: that the Lord thy God may bless thee in all that thou settest thine hand to in the land whither thou goest to possess it.

21  When thou shalt vow a vow unto the Lord thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it: for the Lord thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee.

22  But if thou shalt forbear to vow, it shall be no sin in thee.

23  That which is gone out of thy lips thou shalt keep and perform; even a freewill offering, according as thou hast vowed unto the Lord thy God, which thou hast promised with thy mouth.

24  When thou comest into thy neighbour's vineyard, then thou mayest eat grapes thy fill at thine own pleasure; but thou shalt not put any in thy vessel.

25  When thou comest into the standing corn of thy neighbour, then thou mayest pluck the ears with thine hand; but thou shalt not move a sickle unto thy neighbour's standing corn.

Deuteronomy 24

1  When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house.

2  And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another man's wife.

3  And if the latter husband hate her, and write her a bill of divorcement, and giveth it in her hand, and sendeth her out of his house; or if the latter husband die, which took her to be his wife;

4  Her former husband, which sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after that she is defiled; for that is abomination before the Lord: and thou shalt not cause the land to sin, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.

5  When a man hath taken a new wife, he shall not go out to war, neither shall he be charged with any business: but he shall be free at home one year, and shall cheer up his wife which he hath taken.

6  No man shall take the nether or the upper millstone to pledge: for he taketh a man's life to pledge.

7  If a man be found stealing any of his brethren of the children of Israel, and maketh merchandise of him, or selleth him; then that thief shall die; and thou shalt put evil away from among you.

8  Take heed in the plague of leprosy, that thou observe diligently, and do according to all that the priests the Levites shall teach you: as I commanded them, so ye shall observe to do.

9  Remember what the Lord thy God did unto Miriam by the way, after that ye were come forth out of Egypt.

10  When thou dost lend thy brother any thing, thou shalt not go into his house to fetch his pledge.

11  Thou shalt stand abroad, and the man to whom thou dost lend shall bring out the pledge abroad unto thee.

12  And if the man be poor, thou shalt not sleep with his pledge:

13  In any case thou shalt deliver him the pledge again when the sun goeth down, that he may sleep in his own raiment, and bless thee: and it shall be righteousness unto thee before the Lord thy God.

14  Thou shalt not oppress an hired servant that is poor and needy, whether he be of thy brethren, or of thy strangers that are in thy land within thy gates:

15  At his day thou shalt give him his hire, neither shall the sun go down upon it; for he is poor, and setteth his heart upon it: lest he cry against thee unto the Lord, and it be sin unto thee.

16  The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.

17  Thou shalt not pervert the judgment of the stranger, nor of the fatherless; nor take a widow's raiment to pledge:

18  But thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt, and the Lord thy God redeemed thee thence: therefore I command thee to do this thing.

19  When thou cuttest down thine harvest in thy field, and hast forgot a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go again to fetch it: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow: that the Lord thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hands.

20  When thou beatest thine olive tree, thou shalt not go over the boughs again: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow.

21  When thou gatherest the grapes of thy vineyard, thou shalt not glean it afterward: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow.

22  And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt: therefore I command thee to do this thing.

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Psalm 65

 

To the chief Musician, A Psalm and Song of David.

 

1  Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Zion: and unto thee shall the vow be performed.

2  O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come.

3  Iniquities prevail against me: as for our transgressions, thou shalt purge them away.

4  Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple.

5  By terrible things in righteousness wilt thou answer us, O God of our salvation; who art the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off upon the sea:

6  Which by his strength setteth fast the mountains; being girded with power:

7  Which stilleth the noise of the seas, the noise of their waves, and the tumult of the people.

8  They also that dwell in the uttermost parts are afraid at thy tokens: thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice.rejoice: or, sing

9  Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it: thou greatly enrichest it with the river of God, which is full of water: thou preparest them corn, when thou hast so provided for it.

10  Thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly: thou settlest the furrows thereof: thou makest it soft with showers: thou blessest the springing thereof.

11  Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness.

12  They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness: and the little hills rejoice on every side.

13  The pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys also are covered over with corn; they shout for joy, they also sing.

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Luke 20

1  And it came to pass, that on one of those days, as he taught the people in the temple, and preached the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes came upon him with the elders,

2  And spake unto him, saying, Tell us, by what authority doest thou these things? or who is he that gave thee this authority?

3  And he answered and said unto them, I will also ask you one thing; and answer me:

4  The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men?

5  And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why then believed ye him not?

6  But and if we say, Of men; all the people will stone us: for they be persuaded that John was a prophet.

7  And they answered, that they could not tell whence it was.

8  And Jesus said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things.

9  Then began he to speak to the people this parable; A certain man planted a vineyard, and let it forth to husbandmen, and went into a far country for a long time.

10 And at the season he sent a servant to the husbandmen, that they should give him of the fruit of the vineyard: but the husbandmen beat him, and sent him away empty.

11 And again he sent another servant: and they beat him also, and entreated him shamefully, and sent him away empty.

12 And again he sent a third: and they wounded him also, and cast him out.

13 Then said the lord of the vineyard, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son: it may be they will reverence him when they see him.

14 But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, This is the heir: come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.

15 So they cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What therefore shall the lord of the vineyard do unto them?

16 He shall come and destroy these husbandmen, and shall give the vineyard to others. And when they heard it, they said, God forbid.

17 And he beheld them, and said, What is this then that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner?

18 Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

19  And the chief priests and the scribes the same hour sought to lay hands on him; and they feared the people: for they perceived that he had spoken this parable against them.

20  And they watched him, and sent forth spies, which should feign themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words, that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor.

21  And they asked him, saying, Master, we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly, neither acceptest thou the person of any, but teachest the way of God truly:

22  Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar, or no?

23  But he perceived their craftiness, and said unto them, Why tempt ye me?

24  Shew me a penny. Whose image and superscription hath it? They answered and said, Caesar's.

25  And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar's, and unto God the things which be God's.

26  And they could not take hold of his words before the people: and they marvelled at his answer, and held their peace.

27  Then came to him certain of the Sadducees, which deny that there is any resurrection; and they asked him,

28  Saying, Master, Moses wrote unto us, If any man's brother die, having a wife, and he die without children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.

29  There were therefore seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and died without children.

30  And the second took her to wife, and he died childless.

31  And the third took her; and in like manner the seven also: and they left no children, and died.

32  Last of all the woman died also.

33  Therefore in the resurrection whose wife of them is she? for seven had her to wife.

34  And Jesus answering said unto them, The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage:

35 But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage:

36 Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.

37 Now that the dead are raised, even Moses shewed at the bush, when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.

38  For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him.

39  Then certain of the scribes answering said, Master, thou hast well said.

40  And after that they durst not ask him any question at all.

41  And he said unto them, How say they that Christ is David's son?

42  And David himself saith in the book of Psalms, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,

43 Till I make thine enemies thy footstool.

44  David therefore calleth him Lord, how is he then his son?

45  Then in the audience of all the people he said unto his disciples,

46  Beware of the scribes, which desire to walk in long robes, and love greetings in the markets, and the highest seats in the synagogues, and the chief rooms at feasts;

47 Which devour widows' houses, and for a shew make long prayers: the same shall receive greater damnation.

 

Today's Readings and Stuff -- Wednesday, 28 March 2018

This was set to "publish" around 09:00.  But didn't.  Our chronic and ever-worsening issues with our Internet provider (Spectrum) resulted in it going into some sort of limbo.  We've been dealing with significant amounts of horrid service for 4-1/2 years now, and it not only isn't improving, it's worsening.  A tech is supposed to be coming  out to see us on Monday, and perhaps he can work some magic. 

Happy Wednesday.  No, I'm not going to do the camel not so funny jokes.  Never did like that whole schtick, which may go back to the years and years, going back to about 1975, when I was often working 7 days a week, with two or three jobs the norm, and then at then end being required to work 6 days 60-70 hours per week, for 40 hours pay.  So Wednesday was just another day, and, frankly, Friday was the same, so was  Saturday, and all too often Sunday was as well.  But it is a marker of another day marked off the calendar.
Still have some snow on the ground around here, or more properly, did first thing this morning.  Seems to be gone now.  No word yet if prognostications from last weekend of snow on Saturday, are still being touted.  I saw a report earlier today that predicts, based on solar activity levels and some other things, that by the year 2060, the earth will be into something resembling the Little Ice Age.  Or worse.  I don't expect to be around here then (amazed I've lasted this long), but if that happens it won't be good.  Hard to grow crops on top of glaciers.  Check out, some time, how much of our food comes from places like South Dakota.  Or Minnesota.  Or Wisconsin.  Could get into tight rations, and then the wars really get going.  It's happened before, the record is more than a bit scary.



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Deuteronomy19

1  When the Lord thy God hath cut off the nations, whose land the Lord thy God giveth thee, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their cities, and in their houses

2  Thou shalt separate three cities for thee in the midst of thy land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee to possess it.

3  Thou shalt prepare thee a way, and divide the coasts of thy land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee to inherit, into three parts, that every slayer may flee thither.

4  And this is the case of the slayer, which shall flee thither, that he may live: Whoso killeth his neighbour ignorantly, whom he hated not in time past;

5  As when a man goeth into the wood with his neighbour to hew wood, and his hand fetcheth a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the head slippeth from the helve, and lighteth upon his neighbour, that he die; he shall flee unto one of those cities, and live:

6  Lest the avenger of the blood pursue the slayer, while his heart is hot, and overtake him, because the way is long, and slay him; whereas he was not worthy of death, inasmuch as he hated him not in time past.

7  Wherefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt separate three cities for thee.

8  And if the Lord thy God enlarge thy coast, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, and give thee all the land which he promised to give unto thy fathers;

9  If thou shalt keep all these commandments to do them, which I command thee this day, to love the Lord thy God, and to walk ever in his ways; then shalt thou add three cities more for thee, beside these three:

10  That innocent blood be not shed in thy land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and so blood be upon thee.

11  But if any man hate his neighbour, and lie in wait for him, and rise up against him, and smite him mortally that he die, and fleeth into one of these cities:

12  Then the elders of his city shall send and fetch him thence, and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die.

13  Thine eye shall not pity him, but thou shalt put away the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with thee.

14  Thou shalt not remove thy neighbour's landmark, which they of old time have set in thine inheritance, which thou shalt inherit in the land that the Lord thy God giveth thee to possess it.

15  One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established.

16  If a false witness rise up against any man to testify against him that which is wrong;

17  Then both the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before the Lord, before the priests and the judges, which shall be in those days;

18  And the judges shall make diligent inquisition: and, behold, if the witness be a false witness, and hath testified falsely against his brother;

19  Then shall ye do unto him, as he had thought to have done unto his brother: so shalt thou put the evil away from among you.

20  And those which remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil among you.

21  And thine eye shall not pity; but life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

Deuteronomy 20

1When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the Lord thy God is with thee, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

2And it shall be, when ye are come nigh unto the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak unto the people,

3And shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them;faint: Heb. be tendertremble: Heb. make haste

4For the Lord your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.

5And the officers shall speak unto the people, saying, What man is there that hath built a new house, and hath not dedicated it? let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man dedicate it.

6And what man is he that hath planted a vineyard, and hath not yet eaten of it? let him also go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man eat of it.eaten…: Heb. made it common

7And what man is there that hath betrothed a wife, and hath not taken her? let him go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man take her.

8And the officers shall speak further unto the people, and they shall say, What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? let him go and return unto his house, lest his brethren's heart faint as well as his heart.faint: Heb. melt

9And it shall be, when the officers have made an end of speaking unto the people, that they shall make captains of the armies to lead the people.to lead…: Heb. to be in the head of the people

10When thou comest nigh unto a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace unto it.

11And it shall be, if it make thee answer of peace, and open unto thee, then it shall be, that all the people that is found therein shall be tributaries unto thee, and they shall serve thee.

12And if it will make no peace with thee, but will make war against thee, then thou shalt besiege it:

13And when the Lord thy God hath delivered it into thine hands, thou shalt smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword:

14But the women, and the little ones, and the cattle, and all that is in the city, even all the spoil thereof, shalt thou take unto thyself; and thou shalt eat the spoil of thine enemies, which the Lord thy God hath given thee.take: Heb. spoil

15Thus shalt thou do unto all the cities which are very far off from thee, which are not of the cities of these nations.

16But of the cities of these people, which the Lord thy God doth give thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth:

17But thou shalt utterly destroy them; namely, the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee:

18That they teach you not to do after all their abominations, which they have done unto their gods; so should ye sin against the Lord your God.

19When thou shalt besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof by forcing an axe against them: for thou mayest eat of them, and thou shalt not cut them down (for the tree of the field is man's life) to employ them in the siege:for the…: or, for, O man, the tree of the field is to be employed in the siegeto employ…: Heb. to go from before thee

20Only the trees which thou knowest that they be not trees for meat, thou shalt destroy and cut them down; and thou shalt build bulwarks against the city that maketh war with thee, until it be subdued.


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Today's song comes from verse 1 here. 

Psalm 63

A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.

 

1  O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is

2  To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.

3  Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.

4  Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.

5  My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:

6  When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.

7  Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.

8  My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.

9  But those that seek my soul, to destroy it, shall go into the lower parts of the earth.

10  They shall fall by the sword: they shall be a portion for foxes.They shall fall…: Heb. They shall make him run out like water by the hands of

11  But the king shall rejoice in God; every one that sweareth by him shall glory: but the mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped.

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Luke 18

1And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;

2Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:

3 And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.

4 And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;

5 Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.

6And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith.

7 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?

8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

9And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:

10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.

11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.

12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.

14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

15And they brought unto him also infants, that he would touch them: but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them.

16But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.

17 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.

18And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?

19And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.

20 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother.

21And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up.

22Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.

23And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich.

24And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!

25 For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

26And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved?

27And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.

28Then Peter said, Lo, we have left all, and followed thee.

29And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake,

30 Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting.

31  Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished.

32  For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on:

33  And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again.

34  And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.

35  And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging:

36  And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant.

37  And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by.

38  And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me.

39  And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me.

40  And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him,

41  Saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight.

42  And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee.

43  And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.

Today's Readings and Stuff -- Tuesday, 27 March 2018

Happy Tuesday to all.  Supposed to be a pleasant day, by local standards at least.  Wife's got another cold or something.  She's on the recliner, with Mucinex and Alka-seltzer Cold (the Wally Mart versions of both) in her, under blankets, and with an orange cat on her lap for warmth and mutual comfort.
Getting some reading in the last day or so.  I've always been a "reader", ever since the day that I could.  So were my parents, my brothers and sister, and our kids.  Wife's vision is too bad for much of that now, but with the library and other access we have, she can immerse herself in audio books, and does, about all day.  Currently in one by Lois Tverberg, pretty much along the lines of Ray Vander Laan themes, seeing the Bible and the life and times of Jesus and the patriarchs in the way that they did, which is often somewhat different from how we see things.  For example, for us a gray and rainy day, like today, is a "down" type of thing.  But for them, living always half a step from famine at the edge of a desert, rain was a tremendous blessing.  We forget that, and much else.  We're accustomed to twisting a tap, and water, even hot water, gushes out.  We, Wife and I, were reminded of that this winter when we went 2-1/2 weeks without water due to piping problems here.  Now we know how great a blessing it is.  Good to give thanks for that.
So when I hear Janet Paschal, herself a cancer survivor, sing "It Won't Rain Always", I have to take the message in context.

I saw something earlier  on "social media" from someone I know, a pastor at a predominantly black church near Montgomery, Alabama.  Good guy, he's bi-vocational (meaning he also has a "regular job") and we used to talk at his "regular job".  But it reminded me that there are, in that area but also around here and elsewhere, church leaders who have decided to refer to themselves as "prophet" and "prophetess" and to promote their services as being "prophetic explosions" or the like.  I'm more than a bit nervous about that.  I won't get into the whole issue of the continuance of the spiritual gift of  prophecy.  There are good, strong arguments on both sides of that.  Like others, I've groaned when I hear someone claim, "yes, the Bible says thus and so.  But we've had new revelation!".  Sorry, no.  And, when I read the commands (not suggestions) from the Lord, as here, for dealing with false prophets, I'm even less confident of these claims.  I've seen more than a few proved wrong.
We sometimes tell a story of one.  Wife and I were married on September 10, 1988.  A long-time friend of hers had agreed to come to the ceremony (a VERY low budget thing) and sing somethings appropriate for the occasion.  But she was, and is, tied in with one of these "prophecy" bunch, and they'd been informed that THAT VERY DAY was, per a prophetic vision, to be the Day Of The Rapture.  So, rather than come, she literally stayed  home to pack!  Don't laugh, that's exactly how the Jehovah Witnesses began, look it up some time. 
I'm not calling for the JW's, or these various self proclaimed prophets to be stoned to death.  But I don't want to stand too close, in case lightning strikes.  Your mileage may vary.

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Deuteronomy 17

  
1  Thou shalt not sacrifice unto the Lord thy God any bullock, or sheep, wherein is blemish, or any evil favouredness: for that is an abomination unto the Lord thy God.

2  If there be found among you, within any of thy gates which the Lord thy God giveth thee, man or woman, that hath wrought wickedness in the sight of the Lord thy God, in transgressing his covenant,

3  And hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them, either the sun, or moon, or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded;

4  And it be told thee, and thou hast heard of it, and enquired diligently, and, behold, it be true, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought in Israel:

5  Then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman, which have committed that wicked thing, unto thy gates, even that man or that woman, and shalt stone them with stones, till they die.

6  At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.

7  The hands of the witnesses shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterward the hands of all the people. So thou shalt put the evil away from among you.

8  If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, being matters of controversy within thy gates: then shalt thou arise, and get thee up into the place which the Lord thy God shall choose;

9  And thou shalt come unto the priests the Levites, and unto the judge that shall be in those days, and enquire; and they shall shew thee the sentence of judgment:

10  And thou shalt do according to the sentence, which they of that place which the Lord shall choose shall shew thee; and thou shalt observe to do according to all that they inform thee:

11  According to the sentence of the law which they shall teach thee, and according to the judgment which they shall tell thee, thou shalt do: thou shalt not decline from the sentence which they shall shew thee, to the right hand, nor to the left.

12  And the man that will do presumptuously, and will not hearken unto the priest that standeth to minister there before the Lord thy God, or unto the judge, even that man shall die: and thou shalt put away the evil from Israel.

13  And all the people shall hear, and fear, and do no more presumptuously.

14  When thou art come unto the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, and shalt possess it, and shalt dwell therein, and shalt say, I will set a king over me, like as all the nations that are about me;

15  Thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the Lord thy God shall choose: one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee: thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which is not thy brother.

16  But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the Lord hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.

17  Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.

18  And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites:

19  And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them:

20  That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel.

Deuteronomy 18

1  The priests the Levites, and all the tribe of Levi, shall have no part nor inheritance with Israel: they shall eat the offerings of the Lord made by fire, and his inheritance.

2  Therefore shall they have no inheritance among their brethren: the Lord is their inheritance, as he hath said unto them.

3  And this shall be the priest's due from the people, from them that offer a sacrifice, whether it be ox or sheep; and they shall give unto the priest the shoulder, and the two cheeks, and the maw.

4  The firstfruit also of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the first of the fleece of thy sheep, shalt thou give him.

5  For the Lord thy God hath chosen him out of all thy tribes, to stand to minister in the name of the Lord, him and his sons for ever.

6  And if a Levite come from any of thy gates out of all Israel, where he sojourned, and come with all the desire of his mind unto the place which the Lord shall choose;

7  Then he shall minister in the name of the Lord his God, as all his brethren the Levites do, which stand there before the Lord.

8  They shall have like portions to eat, beside that which cometh of the sale of his patrimony

9  When thou art come into the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations.

10  There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,

11  Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.

12  For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord: and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee.

13  Thou shalt be perfect with the Lord thy God.perfect: or, upright, or, sincere

14  For these nations, which thou shalt possess, hearkened unto observers of times, and unto diviners: but as for thee, the Lord thy God hath not suffered thee so to do.

15  The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;

16  According to all that thou desiredst of the Lord thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not.

17  And the Lord said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken.

18  I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.

19  And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.

20  But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.

21  And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the Lord hath not spoken?

22  When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.

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again, and it really should be a motto, I Shall Not Be Moved

Psalm 62

To the chief Musician, to Jeduthun, A Psalm of David.

1  Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation.

2  He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved.

3  How long will ye imagine mischief against a man? ye shall be slain all of you: as a bowing wall shall ye be, and as a tottering fence.

4  They only consult to cast him down from his excellency: they delight in lies: they bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly. Selah.

5  My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.

6  He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved.

7  In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.

8  Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.

9  Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie: to be laid in the balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity.

10  Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery: if riches increase, set not your heart upon them.

11  God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God

12  Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy: for thou renderest to every man according to his work.

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Luke 17

1  Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come!

2 It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.

3 Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.

4  And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.

5  And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.

6  And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.

7  But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat?

8  And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink?

9  Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not.

10  So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.

11  And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.

12And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:

13  And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.

14  And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.

15  And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,

16  And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.

17  And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?

18  There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.

19  And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.

20  And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:

21  Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

22  And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it.

23  And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them.

24  For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day.

25 But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation.

26  And as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.

27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.

28  Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;

29  But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.

30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.

31 In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back.

32  Remember Lot's wife.

33  Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.

34  I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.

35 Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

36  Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

37 And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.