1 And the children of Israel set forward, and pitched in the plains of Moab on this side Jordan by Jericho.
2 And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. 3 And Moab was sore afraid of the people, because they were many:and Moab was distressed because of the children of Israel.
4
And Moab said unto the elders of Midian, Now shall this company lick up
all that are round about us, as the ox licketh up the grass of the
field.
And Balak the son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at that time. 5 He sent messengers therefore unto Balaam the son of Beor to Pethor, which is by the river of the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying,
Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt:behold, they cover the
face of the earth, and they abide over against me:6 Come now therefore, I
pray thee, curse me this people; for they are too mighty for
me:peradventure I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may
drive them out of the land:for I wot that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed.
7 And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand; and they came unto Balaam, and spake unto him the words of Balak.
8
And he said unto them, Lodge here this night, and I will bring you word
again, as the Lord shall speak unto me:and the princes of Moab abode
with Balaam.
9 And God came unto Balaam, and said, What men are these with thee?
10
And Balaam said unto God, Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, hath
sent unto me, saying, 11 Behold, there is a people come out of Egypt,
which covereth the face of the earth:come now, curse me them;
peradventure I shall be able to overcome them, and drive them out.
12 And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people:for they are blessed.
(This should have ended the matter ... but Balaam wanted the reward the world could give to him.)
13
And Balaam rose up in the morning, and said unto the princes of Balak,
Get you into your land:for the Lord refuseth to give me leave to go with
you. 14 And the princes of Moab rose up, and they went unto Balak, and
said, Balaam refuseth to come with us.
15 And Balak sent yet again princes, more, and more honourable than they.
16 And they came to Balaam, and said to him, Thus saith Balak the son
of Zippor, Let nothing, I pray thee, hinder thee from coming unto me:17 For I will promote thee unto very great honour, and I will do whatsoever thou sayest unto me:come therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people.
18
And Balaam answered and said unto the servants of Balak, If Balak would
give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word
of the Lord my God, to do less or more.
(Words
spoken by Balaam sound right ... but Balaam's heart desires that which
Balak can give him so he is going to go to God and see if God will
approve him ... perhaps God has changed HIS mind, Balaam must think.)
19 Now therefore, I pray you, tarry ye also here this night, that I may know what the Lord will say unto me more.
20
And God came unto Balaam at night, and said unto him, If the men come
to call thee, rise up, and go with them; but yet the word which I shall
say unto thee, that shalt thou do.
21 And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and went with the princes of Moab.
22 And God's anger was kindled because he went:and the angel of the Lord stood in the way for an adversary against him.
(God
told Balaam he could go ... Balaam wanted to go and this is exactly
what he desired to hear from God so he could do what he wanted to do ...
so Balaam went and God was very angry because Balaam chose this way and
acted on his own desires to go with Balak's men.)
Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him.
23 And the ass saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand:and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field:and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way.
24 But the angel of the Lord stood in a path of the vineyards, a wall being on this side, and a wall on that side. 25 And when the ass saw the angel of the Lord, she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam's foot against the wall:and he smote her again.
26
And the angel of the Lord went further, and stood in a narrow place,
where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left. 27 And when the ass saw the angel of the Lord, she fell down under Balaam:and Balaam's anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with a staff.
28 And the Lord opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?
29
And Balaam said unto the ass, Because thou hast mocked me:I would there
were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee.
30
And the ass said unto Balaam, Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast
ridden ever since I was thine unto this day? was I ever wont to do so
unto thee?
And he said, Nay.
31
Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the
Lord standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand:and he bowed
down his head, and fell flat on his face.
32 And the angel of the Lord said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I went out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before
me:33 And the ass saw me, and turned from me these three times:unless
she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain thee, and saved her
alive.
(perverse: showing a deliberate and obstinate desire to behave in a way that is unreasonable or unacceptable, often in spite of the consequences ... stubborn: having or showing dogged determination not to change one's attitude or position on something, especially in spite of good arguments to do so)
34 And Balaam said unto the angel of the Lord, I have sinned; for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me:now therefore, if it displease thee, I will get me back again.
(It won't work to try to go back and do what God said to do when you have already rejected that word.)
35
And the angel of the Lord said unto Balaam, Go with the men:but only
the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou shalt speak.
So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.
36 And when Balak heard that Balaam was
come, he went out to meet him unto a city of Moab, which is in the
border of Arnon, which is in the utmost coast.
37 And Balak said unto Balaam, Did I not earnestly send unto thee to call thee? wherefore camest thou not unto me? am I not able indeed to promote thee to honour?
38
And Balaam said unto Balak, Lo, I am come unto thee:have I now any
power at all to say any thing? the word that God putteth in my mouth,
that shall I speak.
(Balaam's words sound
right but that perverseness is still in Balaam ... Later in NT book of
II Peter 2, we read about Balaam and it is described by Peter as "the madness of the prophet."
II
Peter 2 ... 14 Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease
from sin; beguiling unstable souls:an heart they have exercised with
covetous practices; cursed children:15 Which have forsaken the right
way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the
son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; 16 But was rebuked
for his iniquity:the dumb ass speaking with man's voice forbad the madness of the prophet.
Balaam is also referred to in the NT book of Jude:
8 Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities. 9
Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed
about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing
accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee. 10 But these speak evil of
those things which they know not:but what they know naturally, as brute
beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves. 11 Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.
12
These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you,
feeding themselves without fear:clouds they are without water, carried
about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead,)
39 And Balaam went with Balak, and they came unto
Kirjathhuzoth. 40 And Balak offered oxen and sheep, and sent to Balaam,
and to the princes that were with him. 41 And it came to pass on the
morrow, that Balak took Balaam, and brought him up into the high places
of Baal, that thence he might see the utmost part of the people.
Numbers 23 ...1 And Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven oxen and seven rams.
2 And Balak did as Balaam had spoken; and Balak and Balaam offered on every altar a bullock and a ram.
3 And Balaam said unto Balak, Stand by thy burnt offering, and I will go:peradventure the Lord will come to meet me:and whatsoever he sheweth me I will tell thee.
And he went to an high place. 4 And God met Balaam:and he said unto him, I have prepared seven altars, and I have offered upon every altar a bullock and a ram.
5 And the Lord put a word in Balaam's mouth, and said, Return unto Balak, and thus thou shalt speak. 6
And he returned unto him, and, lo, he stood by his burnt sacrifice, he,
and all the princes of Moab. 7 And he took up his parable, and said,
Balak the king of Moab hath brought me from Aram,
out of the mountains of the east, saying,
Come, curse me Jacob,
and come, defy Israel.
8 How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed?
or how shall I defy, whom the Lord hath not defied?
9 For from the top of the rocks I see him,
and from the hills I behold him:
lo, the people shall dwell alone,
and shall not be reckoned among the nations.
10 Who can count the dust of Jacob,
and the number of the fourth part of Israel?
Let me die the death of the righteous,
and let my last end be like his!
11 And Balak said unto Balaam, What hast thou done unto me? I took thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast blessed them altogether.
12 And he answered and said, Must I not take heed to speak that which the Lord hath put in my mouth?
13
And Balak said unto him, Come, I pray thee, with me unto another place,
from whence thou mayest see them:thou shalt see but the utmost part of
them, and shalt not see them all:and curse me them from thence.
14
And he brought him into the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and
built seven altars, and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar.
15 And he (Balaam) said unto Balak, Stand here by thy burnt offering, while I meet the Lord yonder.
16 And the Lord met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, Go again unto Balak, and say thus.
17
And when he (Balaam) came to him (Balak), behold, he stood by his burnt
offering, and the princes of Moab with him. And Balak said unto him,
What hath the Lord spoken?
18 And he (Balaam) took up his parable, and said,
Rise up, Balak, and hear;
hearken unto me, thou son of Zippor:
19 God is not a man, that he should lie;
neither the son of man, that he should repent:
hath he said, and shall he not do it?
or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
20 Behold, I have received commandment to bless:and he hath blessed;
and I cannot reverse it.
21 He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob,
neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel:
the Lord his God is with him,
and the shout of a king is among them.
22 God brought them out of Egypt;
(God brought us out of the bondage of this world)
he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn.
23 Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob,
neither is there any divination against Israel:
according to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel,
What hath God wrought!
24 Behold, the people shall rise up as a great lion,
and lift up himself as a young lion:
he shall not lie down until he eat of the prey,
and drink the blood of the slain.
25 And Balak said unto Balaam, Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all.
26 But Balaam answered and said unto Balak, Told not I thee, saying, All that the Lord speaketh, that I must do?
27 And Balak said unto Balaam, Come, I pray thee, I will bring thee unto another place; peradventure it will please God that thou mayest curse me them from thence.
28 And Balak brought Balaam unto the top of Peor, that looketh toward Jeshimon.
29 And Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven bullocks and seven rams.
30 And Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar.
Numbers 24 ... 1 And when Balaam saw that it pleased the
Lord to bless Israel, he went not, as at other times, to seek for
enchantments, but he set his face toward the wilderness.
2 And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel abiding in his tents according to their tribes; and the spirit of God came upon him.
3 And he took up his parable, and said,
Balaam the son of Beor hath said,
and the man whose eyes are open hath said:
4 He hath said, which heard the words of God,
which saw the vision of the Almighty,
falling into a trance, but having his eyes open:
5 How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob,
and thy tabernacles, O Israel!
6 As the valleys are they spread forth,
as gardens by the river's side,
as the trees of lign aloes which the Lord hath planted,
and as cedar trees beside the waters.
7 He shall pour the water out of his buckets,
and his seed shall be in many waters,
and his king shall be higher than Agag,
and his kingdom shall be exalted.
8 God brought him forth out of Egypt;
he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn:
he shall eat up the nations his enemies,
and shall break their bones, and pierce them through with his arrows.
9 He couched, he lay down as a lion,
and as a great lion:who shall stir him up?
Blessed is he that blesseth thee,
and cursed is he that curseth thee.
10 And Balak's anger was kindled against Balaam, and he smote his hands together:and Balak said unto Balaam, I called thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast altogether blessed them these three times. 11 Therefore now flee thou to thy place:I thought to promote thee unto great honour; but, lo, the Lord hath kept thee back from honour.
12
And Balaam said unto Balak, Spake I not also to thy messengers which
thou sentest unto me, saying, 13 If Balak would give me his house full
of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the commandment of the Lord, to
do either good or bad of mine own mind; but what the Lord saith, that
will I speak? 14 And now, behold, I go unto my people:come therefore, and I will advertise thee what this people shall do to thy people in the latter days.
15 And he took up his parable, and said,
Balaam the son of Beor hath said,
and the man whose eyes are open hath said:
16 He hath said, which heard the words of God,
and knew the knowledge of the most High,
which saw the vision of the Almighty,
falling into a trance, but having his eyes open:
17 I shall see him, but not now:
I shall behold him, but not nigh:
there shall come a Star out of Jacob,
and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel,
and shall smite the corners of Moab,
and destroy all the children of Sheth.
18 And Edom shall be a possession,
Seir also shall be a possession for his enemies;
and Israel shall do valiantly.
19 Out of Jacob shall come he that shall have dominion,
and shall destroy him that remaineth of the city.
20 And when he looked on Amalek, he took up his parable, and said,
Amalek was the first of the nations;
but his latter end shall be that he perish for ever.
21 And he looked on the Kenites, and took up his parable, and said,
Strong is thy dwelling place,
and thou puttest thy nest in a rock.
22 Nevertheless the Kenite shall be wasted,
until Asshur shall carry thee away captive.
23 And he took up his parable, and said,
Alas, who shall live when God doeth this!
24 And ships shall come from the coast of Chittim,
and shall afflict Asshur, and shall afflict Eber,
and he also shall perish for ever.
25 And Balaam rose up, and went and returned to his place:and Balak also went his way.
(Providing daily encouragement for the body of Christ by the Spirit of God to help the church in the end times.)
Wednesday, July 8, 2015
Tuesday, July 7, 2015
Luke 3 ... Reading through the Bible
1 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar,
Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of
Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of
Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene, 2 Annas and Caiaphas
being the high priests,
the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. 3 And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins;
4 As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying,
The voice of one crying in the wilderness,
Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
5 Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low;
and the crooked shall be made straight,
and the rough ways shall be made smooth;
6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.
7 Then said he (John) to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
8 Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance,
and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
9 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
10 And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then?
11 He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.
12 Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do? 13 And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you.
14 And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.
15 And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not; 16 John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water;
but one mightier than I cometh (Jesus), the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:
17 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable.
18 And many other things in his exhortation preached he unto the people.
19 But Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias his brother Philip's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, 20 Added yet this above all, that he shut up John in prison.
21 Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened,
22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.
23 And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph,
which was the son of Heli, 24 Which was the son of Matthat,
which was the son of Levi, which was the son of Melchi,
which was the son of Janna, which was the son of Joseph,
25 Which was the son of Mattathias, which was the son of Amos,
which was the son of Naum, which was the son of Esli,
which was the son of Nagge, 26 Which was the son of Maath,
which was the son of Mattathias, which was the son of Semei,
which was the son of Joseph, which was the son of Juda,
27 Which was the son of Joanna, which was the son of Rhesa,
which was the son of Zorobabel, which was the son of Salathiel,
which was the son of Neri, 28 Which was the son of Melchi,
which was the son of Addi, which was the son of Cosam,
which was the son of Elmodam, which was the son of Er,
29 Which was the son of Jose, which was the son of Eliezer,
which was the son of Jorim, which was the son of Matthat,
which was the son of Levi, 30 Which was the son of Simeon,
which was the son of Juda, which was the son of Joseph,
which was the son of Jonan, which was the son of Eliakim,
31 Which was the son of Melea, which was the son of Menan,
which was the son of Mattatha, which was the son of Nathan,
which was the son of David, 32 Which was the son of Jesse,
which was the son of Obed, which was the son of Booz,
which was the son of Salmon, which was the son of Naasson,
33 Which was the son of Aminadab, which was the son of Aram,
which was the son of Esrom, which was the son of Phares,
which was the son of Juda, 34 Which was the son of Jacob,
which was the son of Isaac, which was the son of Abraham,
which was the son of Thara, which was the son of Nachor,
35 Which was the son of Saruch, which was the son of Ragau,
which was the son of Phalec, which was the son of Heber,
which was the son of Sala, 36 Which was the son of Cainan,
which was the son of Arphaxad, which was the son of Sem,
which was the son of Noe, which was the son of Lamech,
37 Which was the son of Mathusala, which was the son of Enoch,
which was the son of Jared, which was the son of Maleleel,
which was the son of Cainan, 38 Which was the son of Enos,
which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam,
which was the son of God.
the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. 3 And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins;
4 As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying,
The voice of one crying in the wilderness,
Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
5 Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low;
and the crooked shall be made straight,
and the rough ways shall be made smooth;
6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.
7 Then said he (John) to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
8 Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance,
and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
9 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
10 And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then?
11 He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.
12 Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do? 13 And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you.
14 And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.
15 And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not; 16 John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water;
but one mightier than I cometh (Jesus), the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:
17 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable.
18 And many other things in his exhortation preached he unto the people.
19 But Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias his brother Philip's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, 20 Added yet this above all, that he shut up John in prison.
21 Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened,
22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.
23 And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph,
which was the son of Heli, 24 Which was the son of Matthat,
which was the son of Levi, which was the son of Melchi,
which was the son of Janna, which was the son of Joseph,
25 Which was the son of Mattathias, which was the son of Amos,
which was the son of Naum, which was the son of Esli,
which was the son of Nagge, 26 Which was the son of Maath,
which was the son of Mattathias, which was the son of Semei,
which was the son of Joseph, which was the son of Juda,
27 Which was the son of Joanna, which was the son of Rhesa,
which was the son of Zorobabel, which was the son of Salathiel,
which was the son of Neri, 28 Which was the son of Melchi,
which was the son of Addi, which was the son of Cosam,
which was the son of Elmodam, which was the son of Er,
29 Which was the son of Jose, which was the son of Eliezer,
which was the son of Jorim, which was the son of Matthat,
which was the son of Levi, 30 Which was the son of Simeon,
which was the son of Juda, which was the son of Joseph,
which was the son of Jonan, which was the son of Eliakim,
31 Which was the son of Melea, which was the son of Menan,
which was the son of Mattatha, which was the son of Nathan,
which was the son of David, 32 Which was the son of Jesse,
which was the son of Obed, which was the son of Booz,
which was the son of Salmon, which was the son of Naasson,
33 Which was the son of Aminadab, which was the son of Aram,
which was the son of Esrom, which was the son of Phares,
which was the son of Juda, 34 Which was the son of Jacob,
which was the son of Isaac, which was the son of Abraham,
which was the son of Thara, which was the son of Nachor,
35 Which was the son of Saruch, which was the son of Ragau,
which was the son of Phalec, which was the son of Heber,
which was the son of Sala, 36 Which was the son of Cainan,
which was the son of Arphaxad, which was the son of Sem,
which was the son of Noe, which was the son of Lamech,
37 Which was the son of Mathusala, which was the son of Enoch,
which was the son of Jared, which was the son of Maleleel,
which was the son of Cainan, 38 Which was the son of Enos,
which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam,
which was the son of God.
Psalm 139 ... Prayers to God & Promises from God to the Church
1 O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me.
2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising,
thou understandest my thought afar off.
3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down,
and art acquainted with all my ways.
4 For there is not a word in my tongue,
but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether.
5 Thou hast beset me behind and before,
and laid thine hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is high, I cannot attain unto it.
7 Whither shall I go from thy spirit?
or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there:
if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
9 If I take the wings of the morning,
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
10 Even there shall thy hand lead me,
and thy right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me;
even the night shall be light about me.
12 Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee;
but the night shineth as the day:
the darkness and the light are both alike to Thee.
13 For thou hast possessed my reins:
thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.
14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made:
marvellous are thy works;
and that my soul knoweth right well.
15 My substance was not hid from thee,
when I was made in secret,
16 Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect;
and in thy book all my members were written,
which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.
17 How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God!
how great is the sum of them!
18 If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand:
when I awake, I am still with thee.
19 Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God:
depart from me therefore, ye bloody men.
20 For they speak against thee wickedly,
and thine enemies take thy name in vain.
21 Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee?
and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?
22 I hate them with perfect hatred:
I count them mine enemies.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart:
try me, and know my thoughts:
24 And see if there be any wicked way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
Comments by Joan Boney...
The darkness and the light are the same to God. Nothing is hidden from God. It is impossible to flee from God.
Jonah 1
1 Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.
3 But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish:so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.
4 But the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken.
5 Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep. 6 So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not.
7 And they said every one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah.
8 Then said they unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us; What is thine occupation? and whence comest thou? what is thy country? and of what people art thou?
9 And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land.
10 Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him, Why hast thou done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them.
11 Then said they unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us? for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous.
12 And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you:for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you.
13 Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land; but they could not:for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them. 14 Wherefore they cried unto the Lord, and said, We beseech thee, O Lord, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not upon us innocent blood:for thou, O Lord, hast done as it pleased thee.
15 So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea:and the sea ceased from her raging. 16 Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the Lord, and made vows.
17 Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
No one can flee from God. Where can you hide from God?
David tried to hide ... David committed murder in order to hide his sin. But God worked the circumstances so that all knew ... And though God kept David alive, there was penalty for sin. The child died. The sword was against David's house all his life. His son rose up against David and fought him. Yet David was described as a man after God's own heart.
Acts 13:22 And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave their testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.
A man after the heart of God is a man who wants to know the will of God so he can do the will of God. By the Holy Spirit we know the heart of God for the Holy Spirit of God searches the heart of God to reveal God's will to the NT church.
I Cor. 2 ... for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
The spirit knows what is in our heart ... what we are really thinking ...
We might hide from man and pretend otherwise, but we can never hide from God.
Hebrews 4:13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in His sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.
==========
Psalm 139 ...
3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down,
and art acquainted with all my ways.
==========
5 Thou hast beset me behind and before,
and laid Thine hand upon me.
God knows our past, our future ... and certainly what we are doing right now.
So often in the past people said to me, "We know God's hand is upon you ..." Long before I started work in the ministry this was said to me. Truly it was so for God called me and made the way for me to go and made it very plain to me how I was to go so I couldn't go any other way.
When God took them through the Red Sea, the wall on the right and left was water so they couldn't turn right or left. Pharaoh was behind chasing them so they couldn't turn and go back to Egypt. They had to go straight ahead. This is what God does with us. There is only one way to go.
If you belong to God, God's hand is upon you too ... You can try to turn but you will make things even harder on yourself by doing this, just as Jonah did. And Jonah eventually did exactly what God said to do though he put himself through a lot of hardship to get to that point.
Psalm 32:9 Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.
==========
Psalm 139 ...
13 For THOU hast possessed my reins:
God determines the time we live on this earth and the exact places where we live. Acts 17 ... And Paul said this is so we would reach out to HIM ... For in HIM we live, and move, and have our being.
Life is in God ... our life is in God.
Death is in this world. The world might excite our flesh for a bit but the end of the gluttony will be death and we will not find our life in this world.
There is only one way for us to go ...
Jn. 15 ... Jesus said ...1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away:and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
5 I am the vine, ye are the branches:He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit:for without me ye can do nothing.
6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. 8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you:continue ye in my love. 10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.
11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising,
thou understandest my thought afar off.
3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down,
and art acquainted with all my ways.
4 For there is not a word in my tongue,
but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether.
5 Thou hast beset me behind and before,
and laid thine hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is high, I cannot attain unto it.
7 Whither shall I go from thy spirit?
or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there:
if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
9 If I take the wings of the morning,
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
10 Even there shall thy hand lead me,
and thy right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me;
even the night shall be light about me.
12 Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee;
but the night shineth as the day:
the darkness and the light are both alike to Thee.
13 For thou hast possessed my reins:
thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.
14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made:
marvellous are thy works;
and that my soul knoweth right well.
15 My substance was not hid from thee,
when I was made in secret,
16 Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect;
and in thy book all my members were written,
which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.
17 How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God!
how great is the sum of them!
18 If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand:
when I awake, I am still with thee.
19 Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God:
depart from me therefore, ye bloody men.
20 For they speak against thee wickedly,
and thine enemies take thy name in vain.
21 Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee?
and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?
22 I hate them with perfect hatred:
I count them mine enemies.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart:
try me, and know my thoughts:
24 And see if there be any wicked way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
Comments by Joan Boney...
The darkness and the light are the same to God. Nothing is hidden from God. It is impossible to flee from God.
Jonah 1
1 Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.
3 But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish:so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.
4 But the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken.
5 Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep. 6 So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not.
7 And they said every one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah.
8 Then said they unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us; What is thine occupation? and whence comest thou? what is thy country? and of what people art thou?
9 And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land.
10 Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him, Why hast thou done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them.
11 Then said they unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us? for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous.
12 And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you:for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you.
13 Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land; but they could not:for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them. 14 Wherefore they cried unto the Lord, and said, We beseech thee, O Lord, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not upon us innocent blood:for thou, O Lord, hast done as it pleased thee.
15 So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea:and the sea ceased from her raging. 16 Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the Lord, and made vows.
17 Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
No one can flee from God. Where can you hide from God?
David tried to hide ... David committed murder in order to hide his sin. But God worked the circumstances so that all knew ... And though God kept David alive, there was penalty for sin. The child died. The sword was against David's house all his life. His son rose up against David and fought him. Yet David was described as a man after God's own heart.
Acts 13:22 And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave their testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.
A man after the heart of God is a man who wants to know the will of God so he can do the will of God. By the Holy Spirit we know the heart of God for the Holy Spirit of God searches the heart of God to reveal God's will to the NT church.
I Cor. 2 ... for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
The spirit knows what is in our heart ... what we are really thinking ...
We might hide from man and pretend otherwise, but we can never hide from God.
Hebrews 4:13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in His sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.
==========
Psalm 139 ...
3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down,
and art acquainted with all my ways.
==========
5 Thou hast beset me behind and before,
and laid Thine hand upon me.
God knows our past, our future ... and certainly what we are doing right now.
So often in the past people said to me, "We know God's hand is upon you ..." Long before I started work in the ministry this was said to me. Truly it was so for God called me and made the way for me to go and made it very plain to me how I was to go so I couldn't go any other way.
When God took them through the Red Sea, the wall on the right and left was water so they couldn't turn right or left. Pharaoh was behind chasing them so they couldn't turn and go back to Egypt. They had to go straight ahead. This is what God does with us. There is only one way to go.
If you belong to God, God's hand is upon you too ... You can try to turn but you will make things even harder on yourself by doing this, just as Jonah did. And Jonah eventually did exactly what God said to do though he put himself through a lot of hardship to get to that point.
Psalm 32:9 Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.
==========
Psalm 139 ...
13 For THOU hast possessed my reins:
God determines the time we live on this earth and the exact places where we live. Acts 17 ... And Paul said this is so we would reach out to HIM ... For in HIM we live, and move, and have our being.
Life is in God ... our life is in God.
Death is in this world. The world might excite our flesh for a bit but the end of the gluttony will be death and we will not find our life in this world.
There is only one way for us to go ...
Jn. 15 ... Jesus said ...1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away:and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
5 I am the vine, ye are the branches:He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit:for without me ye can do nothing.
6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. 8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you:continue ye in my love. 10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.
11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
Numbers 21 ... Viewing the works of God through scripture
I Cor. 10 ...1 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; 2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat; 4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink:for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them:and that Rock was Christ. 5 But with many of them God was not well pleased:for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. 7 Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. 8 Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. 9 Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. 10 Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.
11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples:and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. upon whom the ends of the world are come.
==========
Numbers 21 ... 1 And when king Arad the Canaanite, which dwelt in the south, heard tell that Israel came by the way of the spies; then he fought against Israel, and took some of them prisoners. 2 And Israel vowed a vow unto the Lord, and said, If thou wilt indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities. 3 And the Lord hearkened to the voice of Israel, and delivered up the Canaanites; and they utterly destroyed them and their cities:and he called the name of the place Hormah.
4 And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom:and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.
5 And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.
6 And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.
7 Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee; pray unto the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.
8 And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole:and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. 9 And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.
Murmuring against God and against ministers appointed by God will not bring favorable consequences to you. All these scriptures should teach us that.
When discouraged, what must we do? We must not ignore the discouragement. We must instead be very diligent to take spiritual action which is by prayer, turning to God with all our heart, asking God to help us and to show us HIS way in the midst of the discouragement. We have so many examples in the Old Testament showing the great danger when we fail to turn to God.
All these thing happened, says Paul, for ensamples:and they are written for our admonition, I Cor. 10
==========
Numbers 21 ... 21 And Israel sent messengers unto Sihon king of the Amorites, saying, 22 Let me pass through thy land:we will not turn into the fields, or into the vineyards; we will not drink of the waters of the well:but we will go along by the king's high way, until we be past thy borders. 23 And Sihon would not suffer Israel to pass through his border:but Sihon gathered all his people together, and went out against Israel into the wilderness:and he came to Jahaz, and fought against Israel. 24 And Israel smote him with the edge of the sword, and possessed his land from Arnon unto Jabbok, even unto the children of Ammon:for the border of the children of Ammon was strong. 25 And Israel took all these cities:and Israel dwelt in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all the villages thereof. 26 For Heshbon was the city of Sihon the king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab, and taken all his land out of his hand, even unto Arnon.
==========
Numbers 21 ... 31 Thus Israel dwelt in the land of the Amorites. 32 And Moses sent to spy out Jaazer, and they took the villages thereof, and drove out the Amorites that were there.
33 And they turned and went up by the way of Bashan:and Og the king of Bashan went out against them, he, and all his people, to the battle at Edrei.
34 And the Lord said unto Moses, Fear him not:for I have delivered him into thy hand, and all his people, and his land; and thou shalt do to him as thou didst unto Sihon king of the Amorites, which dwelt at Heshbon.
35 So they smote him, and his sons, and all his people, until there was none left him alive:and they possessed his land.
When God tells us something that is what we do and it works. This is always our path.
God prepares the way as we are led by Him
Pam Padgett ... teacher
Mark 14:12 And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the passover, his disciples said unto him (Jesus), Where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou mayest eat the passover? 13 And he sendeth forth two of his disciples, and saith unto them, Go ye into the city, and there shall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water: follow him. 14 And wheresoever he shall go in, say ye to the goodman of the house, The Master saith, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples?
15 And he will shew you a large upper room furnished and prepared: there make ready for us.
16 And his disciples went forth, and came into the city, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover.
When God leads us to do something, we find that what is needed to do the work is available as we take each step shown to us by the Holy Spirit. We are sometimes amazed as we find how the way is prepared before us.
It still causes me to marvel in God to recall how HE showed us to start this blog and how we found the way prepared for us ...
A little more than three years ago Joan was shown in a dream to start this blog and she asked me to set it up. At the time I didn't know what a blog was, and prayed asking God how to do this. Step by step I was shown what a blog was and how to set it up.
There were multiple blog publishing services, each with tools and templates to use. As I prayed about which service to use for this blog I kept having the thought that we needed a "simple" blog. The important thing is the messages, not having an elaborate page nor such things as animation. Blogger had a template that allowed us to setup a very simple, straight-forward blog page.
As I looked into Blogger more, I was surprised that computers for the blog were already in place and available, there was no charge for setting up and having a blog here, and we could publish as much as we wanted. This amazed me! When I had worked as a computer programmer, one of the first things we needed to do when starting a new project was to make sure we had computers to run what we developed. Often projects were delayed until funding for new computers was secured and the computers were purchased and setup. So having all of this already taken care of was more than I ever imagined possible.
Starting this blog was like walking through a gate, going step by step as led by the Holy Spirit, entering into what was already prepared. Within a couple days after Joan had the dream showing to do this, the blog was setup and we were using it.
And since the internet is already in place and reaches countries around the world, the blog began to be read by people in various countries. The worldwide reach of the blog hadn't initially occurred to us and we were delighted to see this.
Then when we needed a way to help people find the blog and prayed about this, we were led to purchase ads. We had plenty of money to purchase the ads. And we learned the ads link easily with Blogger.
The way was completely prepared when God gave the dream showing to start this blog. Even things we had no idea would be needed were already in place.
Starting the blog was not our own idea. But when God showed us to do this, we simply took each step we were shown to take by God.
Mark 14:12 And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the passover, his disciples said unto him (Jesus), Where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou mayest eat the passover? 13 And he sendeth forth two of his disciples, and saith unto them, Go ye into the city, and there shall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water: follow him. 14 And wheresoever he shall go in, say ye to the goodman of the house, The Master saith, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples?
15 And he will shew you a large upper room furnished and prepared: there make ready for us.
16 And his disciples went forth, and came into the city, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover.
When God leads us to do something, we find that what is needed to do the work is available as we take each step shown to us by the Holy Spirit. We are sometimes amazed as we find how the way is prepared before us.
It still causes me to marvel in God to recall how HE showed us to start this blog and how we found the way prepared for us ...
A little more than three years ago Joan was shown in a dream to start this blog and she asked me to set it up. At the time I didn't know what a blog was, and prayed asking God how to do this. Step by step I was shown what a blog was and how to set it up.
There were multiple blog publishing services, each with tools and templates to use. As I prayed about which service to use for this blog I kept having the thought that we needed a "simple" blog. The important thing is the messages, not having an elaborate page nor such things as animation. Blogger had a template that allowed us to setup a very simple, straight-forward blog page.
As I looked into Blogger more, I was surprised that computers for the blog were already in place and available, there was no charge for setting up and having a blog here, and we could publish as much as we wanted. This amazed me! When I had worked as a computer programmer, one of the first things we needed to do when starting a new project was to make sure we had computers to run what we developed. Often projects were delayed until funding for new computers was secured and the computers were purchased and setup. So having all of this already taken care of was more than I ever imagined possible.
Starting this blog was like walking through a gate, going step by step as led by the Holy Spirit, entering into what was already prepared. Within a couple days after Joan had the dream showing to do this, the blog was setup and we were using it.
And since the internet is already in place and reaches countries around the world, the blog began to be read by people in various countries. The worldwide reach of the blog hadn't initially occurred to us and we were delighted to see this.
Then when we needed a way to help people find the blog and prayed about this, we were led to purchase ads. We had plenty of money to purchase the ads. And we learned the ads link easily with Blogger.
The way was completely prepared when God gave the dream showing to start this blog. Even things we had no idea would be needed were already in place.
Starting the blog was not our own idea. But when God showed us to do this, we simply took each step we were shown to take by God.
Monday, July 6, 2015
Luke 2 ... Reading through the Bible
1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree
from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. 2 (And this
taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) 3 And all
went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) 5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. 6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14 Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace, good will toward men.
15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. 17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. 18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
21 And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called Jesus, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
22 And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord; 23 (As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;) 24 And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.
25 And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. 26 And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ.
27 And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, 28 Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, 29 Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: 30 For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, 31 Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;
32 A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
33 And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him.
34 And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; 35 (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.
36 And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; 37 And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.
38 And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.
39 And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth.
40 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.
41 Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover. 42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast. 43 And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it. 44 But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day's journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance. 45 And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him.
46 And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. 47 And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.
48 And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. 49 And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business? 50 And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them.
51 And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.
52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.
4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) 5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. 6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14 Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace, good will toward men.
15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. 17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. 18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
21 And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called Jesus, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
22 And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord; 23 (As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;) 24 And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.
25 And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. 26 And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ.
27 And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, 28 Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, 29 Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: 30 For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, 31 Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;
32 A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
33 And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him.
34 And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; 35 (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.
36 And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; 37 And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.
38 And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.
39 And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth.
40 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.
41 Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover. 42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast. 43 And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it. 44 But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day's journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance. 45 And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him.
46 And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. 47 And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.
48 And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. 49 And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business? 50 And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them.
51 And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.
52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.
Psalm 138 ... Prayers to God & Promises from God to the Church
1 I will praise thee with my whole heart:
before the gods will I sing praise unto thee.
2 I will worship toward thy holy temple,
and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth:
for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.
3 In the day when I cried thou answeredst me,
and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul.
4 All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O Lord,
when they hear the words of thy mouth.
5 Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the Lord:
for great is the glory of the Lord.
6 Though the Lord be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly:
but the proud he knoweth afar off.
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me:
thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies,
and thy right hand shall save me.
8 The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me:
thy mercy, O Lord, endureth for ever:
forsake not the works of thine own hands.
Comments by Joan Boney ...
4 All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O Lord,
when they hear the words of thy mouth.
When God reveals HIMSELF, they will hear ... even "kings" ...
God revealed HIMSELF to Paul. And when that happened Paul heard ... and sang a new song after that revelation ...
Acts 9 ... 1 And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,
2 And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.
3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus:and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord?
And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest:it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?
And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. 7 And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.
8 And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man:but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus. 9 And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink.
10 And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord. 11 And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus:for, behold, he prayeth, 12 And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight. 13 Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem:14 And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name. 15 But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way:for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:16 For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake.
17 And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. 18 And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales:and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.
19 And when he had received meat, he was strengthened. Then was Saul certain days with the disciples which were at Damascus. 20 And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God.
21 But all that heard him were amazed, and said; Is not this he that destroyed them which called on this name in Jerusalem, and came hither for that intent, that he might bring them bound unto the chief priests? 22 But Saul increased the more in strength, and confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is very Christ.
==========
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, Thou wilt revive me:
... Thy right hand shall save me.
before the gods will I sing praise unto thee.
2 I will worship toward thy holy temple,
and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth:
for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.
3 In the day when I cried thou answeredst me,
and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul.
4 All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O Lord,
when they hear the words of thy mouth.
5 Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the Lord:
for great is the glory of the Lord.
6 Though the Lord be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly:
but the proud he knoweth afar off.
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me:
thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies,
and thy right hand shall save me.
8 The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me:
thy mercy, O Lord, endureth for ever:
forsake not the works of thine own hands.
Comments by Joan Boney ...
4 All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O Lord,
when they hear the words of thy mouth.
When God reveals HIMSELF, they will hear ... even "kings" ...
God revealed HIMSELF to Paul. And when that happened Paul heard ... and sang a new song after that revelation ...
Acts 9 ... 1 And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,
2 And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.
3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus:and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord?
And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest:it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?
And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. 7 And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.
8 And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man:but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus. 9 And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink.
10 And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord. 11 And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus:for, behold, he prayeth, 12 And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight. 13 Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem:14 And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name. 15 But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way:for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:16 For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake.
17 And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. 18 And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales:and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.
19 And when he had received meat, he was strengthened. Then was Saul certain days with the disciples which were at Damascus. 20 And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God.
21 But all that heard him were amazed, and said; Is not this he that destroyed them which called on this name in Jerusalem, and came hither for that intent, that he might bring them bound unto the chief priests? 22 But Saul increased the more in strength, and confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is very Christ.
==========
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, Thou wilt revive me:
... Thy right hand shall save me.
Numbers 20 ... Viewing the works of God through scripture
1 Then came the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, into the desert of Zin in the first month:and the people abode in Kadesh; and Miriam died there, and was buried there.
2 And there was no water for the congregation:and they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron.
3 And the people chode with Moses, and spake, saying, Would God that we had died when our brethren died before the Lord! 4 And why have ye brought up the congregation of the Lord into this wilderness, that we and our cattle should die there? 5 And wherefore have ye made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in unto this evil place? it is no place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; neither is there any water to drink.
6 And Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they fell upon their faces:and the glory of the Lord appeared unto them.
7 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 8 Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock:so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.
9 And Moses took the rod from before the Lord, as he commanded him. 10 And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock? 11 And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice:and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.
12 And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.
13 This is the water of Meribah; because the children of Israel strove with the Lord, and he was sanctified in them.
14 And Moses sent messengers from Kadesh unto the king of Edom, Thus saith thy brother Israel, Thou knowest all the travail that hath befallen us:15 How our fathers went down into Egypt, and we have dwelt in Egypt a long time; and the Egyptians vexed us, and our fathers:16 And when we cried unto the Lord, he heard our voice, and sent an angel, and hath brought us forth out of Egypt:and, behold, we are in Kadesh, a city in the uttermost of thy border:
17 Let us pass, I pray thee, through thy country:we will not pass through the fields, or through the vineyards, neither will we drink of the water of the wells:we will go by the king's high way, we will not turn to the right hand nor to the left, until we have passed thy borders.
18 And Edom said unto him, Thou shalt not pass by me, lest I come out against thee with the sword.
19 And the children of Israel said unto him, We will go by the high way:and if I and my cattle drink of thy water, then I will pay for it:I will only, without doing any thing else, go through on my feet.
20 And he said, Thou shalt not go through. And Edom came out against him with much people, and with a strong hand.
21 Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his border:wherefore Israel turned away from him.
22 And the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, journeyed from Kadesh, and came unto mount Hor. 23 And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in mount Hor, by the coast of the land of Edom, saying, 24 Aaron shall be gathered unto his people:for he shall not enter into the land which I have given unto the children of Israel, because ye rebelled against my word at the water of Meribah.
25 Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up unto mount Hor:26 And strip Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son:and Aaron shall be gathered unto his people, and shall die there.
27 And Moses did as the Lord commanded:and they went up into mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation. 28 And Moses stripped Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son; and Aaron died there in the top of the mount:and Moses and Eleazar came down from the mount. 29 And when all the congregation saw that Aaron was dead, they mourned for Aaron thirty days, even all the house of Israel.
==========
We see even Moses, as great a man of God as he was, could not go against God's word without penalty.
God told Moses to speak to the rock and it would give water for the people.
Moses was grieved with the people and he took the rod and struck the rock twice and water came out.
But in doing something other than what God told him to do, he failed to "sanctify" God in the sight of the people.
If we do something other than what God tells us to do we lift up ourselves and make ourselves great in the sight of the people and if we do that we will fail to "sanctify" God in the sight of the people.
We wait on God and do what HE tells us. This also keeps pride down in us for we know we didn't do that thing that might seem great. God told us to do it therefore it was God who did it, not us.
Asking God for wisdom
Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet
James 1 ... 5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
This is a promise from God. "It shall be given him", when we ask God for wisdom.
In my neighborhood, houses are close together, about 10 ft. apart. Each house has an outside air conditioning unit and these are often very loud. In the alley closest to my bedroom there are 5 air conditioning units.
I've had a great deal of trouble with high pitched sounds coming into my bedroom.
I prayed, asking God for help and asking God to show me what to do about this ... and asking God not to let me do anything that would not work.
At the other end of the house, I have my TV and sound equipment. I've been putting acoustical boards on the walls in this room and I thought these might help with the sound problem in the bedroom. So I carried 3 of the panels into the bedroom area. But in the night there was a very high pitched sound that started up so I found I was still having difficulty.
I had almost given up. Then I wondered what would happen if I put the acoustical boards up against the sliding glass doors in the bedroom. I tried that and there seemed to be a significant improvement. Glass can transmit sound. It may be that the problem I was having was not with the walls but with that door.
We can think one thing is the problem and be completely off course. But God, who created all things, knows what will help us and in James 1 we have the promise that if we will ask God for wisdom, HE will give it to us.
James 1 ... 5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
This is a promise from God. "It shall be given him", when we ask God for wisdom.
In my neighborhood, houses are close together, about 10 ft. apart. Each house has an outside air conditioning unit and these are often very loud. In the alley closest to my bedroom there are 5 air conditioning units.
I've had a great deal of trouble with high pitched sounds coming into my bedroom.
I prayed, asking God for help and asking God to show me what to do about this ... and asking God not to let me do anything that would not work.
At the other end of the house, I have my TV and sound equipment. I've been putting acoustical boards on the walls in this room and I thought these might help with the sound problem in the bedroom. So I carried 3 of the panels into the bedroom area. But in the night there was a very high pitched sound that started up so I found I was still having difficulty.
I had almost given up. Then I wondered what would happen if I put the acoustical boards up against the sliding glass doors in the bedroom. I tried that and there seemed to be a significant improvement. Glass can transmit sound. It may be that the problem I was having was not with the walls but with that door.
We can think one thing is the problem and be completely off course. But God, who created all things, knows what will help us and in James 1 we have the promise that if we will ask God for wisdom, HE will give it to us.
Sunday, July 5, 2015
Luke 1 ... Reading through the Bible
1 Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a
declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, 2
Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were
eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; 3 It seemed good to me also,
having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to
write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,
4 That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.
(Theophilus means "lover of God." It appears Luke was writing this epistle to all those persons who are lovers of God. and not to one person named "Theophilus".)
5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
7 And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.
8 And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course, 9 According to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. 10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense.
11 And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. 14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.
15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink;
and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.
16 And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.
17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
18 And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.
19 And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. 20 And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.
21 And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple. 22 And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless. 23 And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house.
24 And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying, 25 Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.
26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, 27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. 29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. 31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.
32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest:
and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever;
and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.
37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.
38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
39 And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda; 40 And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth.
41 And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:
42 And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. 43 And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.
45 And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.
46 And Mary said,
My soul doth magnify the Lord,
47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
48 For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden:
for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
49 For he that is mighty hath done to me great things;
and holy is his name.
50 And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.
51 He hath shewed strength with his arm;
he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
52 He hath put down the mighty from their seats,
and exalted them of low degree.
53 He hath filled the hungry with good things;
and the rich he hath sent empty away.
54 He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy;
55 As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.
56 And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house.
57 Now Elisabeth's full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son. 58 And her neighbours and her cousins heard how the Lord had shewed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her.
59 And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father. 60 And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John. 61 And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name. 62 And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called. 63 And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all.
64 And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God.
65 And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Judaea. 66 And all they that heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall this be! And the hand of the Lord was with him.
67 And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying,
68 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel;
for he hath visited and redeemed his people,
69 And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;
70 As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:
71 That we should be saved from our enemies,
and from the hand of all that hate us;
72 To perform the mercy promised to our fathers,
and to remember his holy covenant;
73 The oath which he sware to our father Abraham,
74 That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear,
75 In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.
76 And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest:
for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;
77 To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins,
78 Through the tender mercy of our God;
whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us,
79 To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.
80 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel.
(Theophilus means "lover of God." It appears Luke was writing this epistle to all those persons who are lovers of God. and not to one person named "Theophilus".)
5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
7 And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.
8 And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course, 9 According to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. 10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense.
11 And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. 14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.
15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink;
and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.
16 And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.
17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
18 And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.
19 And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. 20 And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.
21 And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple. 22 And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless. 23 And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house.
24 And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying, 25 Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.
26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, 27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. 29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. 31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.
32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest:
and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever;
and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.
37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.
38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
39 And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda; 40 And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth.
41 And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:
42 And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. 43 And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.
45 And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.
46 And Mary said,
My soul doth magnify the Lord,
47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
48 For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden:
for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
49 For he that is mighty hath done to me great things;
and holy is his name.
50 And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.
51 He hath shewed strength with his arm;
he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
52 He hath put down the mighty from their seats,
and exalted them of low degree.
53 He hath filled the hungry with good things;
and the rich he hath sent empty away.
54 He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy;
55 As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.
56 And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house.
57 Now Elisabeth's full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son. 58 And her neighbours and her cousins heard how the Lord had shewed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her.
59 And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father. 60 And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John. 61 And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name. 62 And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called. 63 And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all.
64 And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God.
65 And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Judaea. 66 And all they that heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall this be! And the hand of the Lord was with him.
67 And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying,
68 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel;
for he hath visited and redeemed his people,
69 And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;
70 As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:
71 That we should be saved from our enemies,
and from the hand of all that hate us;
72 To perform the mercy promised to our fathers,
and to remember his holy covenant;
73 The oath which he sware to our father Abraham,
74 That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear,
75 In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.
76 And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest:
for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;
77 To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins,
78 Through the tender mercy of our God;
whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us,
79 To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.
80 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel.
Psalm 137 ... Prayers to God & Promises from God to the Church
1 By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept,
when we remembered Zion.
2 We hanged our harps
upon the willows in the midst thereof.
3 For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song;
and they that wasted us required of us mirth,
saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion.
4 How shall we sing the Lord 's song
in a strange land?
5 If I forget thee, O Jerusalem,
let my right hand forget her cunning.
6 If I do not remember thee,
let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.
7 Remember, O Lord, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem;
who said, Rase it, rase it, even to the foundation thereof.
8 O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed;
happy shall he be, that rewardeth thee
as thou hast served us.
9 Happy shall he be, that taketh
and dasheth thy little ones against the stones.
Comments by Joan Boney
They were carried away captive into Babylon (the world) because of their sins against God.
But how can we sing of the Lord in a strange land? They say "sing" but they do not like it when we speak of God and of HIS works. Sometimes as we speak of God they even grimace. They love it when we sing their song, of this world, of men's accomplishments, praising men. But they do not like praise to God. They want us to be like themselves.
Though we serve in captivity for a season, God is always faithful to deliver HIS people, HIS children.
when we remembered Zion.
2 We hanged our harps
upon the willows in the midst thereof.
3 For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song;
and they that wasted us required of us mirth,
saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion.
4 How shall we sing the Lord 's song
in a strange land?
5 If I forget thee, O Jerusalem,
let my right hand forget her cunning.
6 If I do not remember thee,
let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.
7 Remember, O Lord, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem;
who said, Rase it, rase it, even to the foundation thereof.
8 O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed;
happy shall he be, that rewardeth thee
as thou hast served us.
9 Happy shall he be, that taketh
and dasheth thy little ones against the stones.
Comments by Joan Boney
They were carried away captive into Babylon (the world) because of their sins against God.
But how can we sing of the Lord in a strange land? They say "sing" but they do not like it when we speak of God and of HIS works. Sometimes as we speak of God they even grimace. They love it when we sing their song, of this world, of men's accomplishments, praising men. But they do not like praise to God. They want us to be like themselves.
Though we serve in captivity for a season, God is always faithful to deliver HIS people, HIS children.
Numbers 18 ... Viewing the works of God through scripture
(God says) 6
And I, behold, I have taken your brethren the Levites from among the
children of Israel:to you they are given as a gift for the Lord, to do
the service of the tabernacle of the congregation.
... 7 Therefore thou and thy sons with thee shall keep your priest's office for every thing of the altar, and within the vail; and ye shall serve:I have given your priest's office unto you as a service of gift:and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.
(The stranger who tries to do the priest's work will be put to death ... God appoints whom HE wills to the work of the ministry ... No man can "achieve" this nor appoint himself. Even in NT this is the case and the man who tries to appoint himself will suffer serious consequences and so will those who follow such ... God says, "They and their followers will die.")
Eph. 4 ... 8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. 9 (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)
11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; 15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
==========
In the OT, the Levites had no inheritance with the other tribes. They were separated by God for the service of the tabernacle of God. But God did give the Levites the best of the fruits of the land through the offerings the people gave to God.
Numbers 18 ... 12 All the best of the oil, and all the best of the wine, and of the wheat, the firstfruits of them which they shall offer unto the Lord, them have I given thee. 13 And whatsoever is first ripe in the land, which they shall bring unto the Lord, shall be thine; every one that is clean in thine house shall eat of it. 14 Every thing devoted in Israel shall be thine.
... 20 And the Lord spake unto Aaron, Thou shalt have no inheritance in their land, neither shalt thou have any part among them:I am thy part and thine inheritance among the children of Israel. 21 And, behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they serve, even the service of the tabernacle of the congregation.
==========
Numbers 19 ... 11 He that toucheth the dead body of any man shall be unclean seven days.
Being around the dead is very dangerous ... the death rubs off on you. I would not put myself around a physically unliving body ... nor do I want to be around the living dead. I know I have to fight to be restored after being around the living dead.
... 7 Therefore thou and thy sons with thee shall keep your priest's office for every thing of the altar, and within the vail; and ye shall serve:I have given your priest's office unto you as a service of gift:and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.
(The stranger who tries to do the priest's work will be put to death ... God appoints whom HE wills to the work of the ministry ... No man can "achieve" this nor appoint himself. Even in NT this is the case and the man who tries to appoint himself will suffer serious consequences and so will those who follow such ... God says, "They and their followers will die.")
Eph. 4 ... 8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. 9 (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)
11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; 15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
==========
In the OT, the Levites had no inheritance with the other tribes. They were separated by God for the service of the tabernacle of God. But God did give the Levites the best of the fruits of the land through the offerings the people gave to God.
Numbers 18 ... 12 All the best of the oil, and all the best of the wine, and of the wheat, the firstfruits of them which they shall offer unto the Lord, them have I given thee. 13 And whatsoever is first ripe in the land, which they shall bring unto the Lord, shall be thine; every one that is clean in thine house shall eat of it. 14 Every thing devoted in Israel shall be thine.
... 20 And the Lord spake unto Aaron, Thou shalt have no inheritance in their land, neither shalt thou have any part among them:I am thy part and thine inheritance among the children of Israel. 21 And, behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they serve, even the service of the tabernacle of the congregation.
==========
Numbers 19 ... 11 He that toucheth the dead body of any man shall be unclean seven days.
Being around the dead is very dangerous ... the death rubs off on you. I would not put myself around a physically unliving body ... nor do I want to be around the living dead. I know I have to fight to be restored after being around the living dead.
Blessing of a broken car windshield
Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet
The last time I went to have my hair cut, a pick-up truck in front of me threw a stone which hit my car windshield powerfully and caused a significant break in the windshield.
My insurance does not cover my own vehicle because my car is 21 years old and I did not take out comprehensive insurance on a car that old.
So I knew I would have to pay for a new windshield. There is plenty of money to do this so that would be no problem.
Then I realized what a "blessing" it was that this happened to force me to get a new windshield.
On a previous windshield breakage, the windshield that was installed was slightly distorted. It made it difficult to see clearly when driving. This new windshield is much clearer. I'm glad to have it.
And a little side story which is also a blessing: We are required to display inspection stickers on our cars, on the front windshield. I have the new sticker and had been wondering how I could get the old sticker removed and the new sticker placed on my windshield. I had been praying about this.
The man came yesterday to install the windshield and he put the new inspection sticker on the new windshield so here was another problem taken care of.
The last time I went to have my hair cut, a pick-up truck in front of me threw a stone which hit my car windshield powerfully and caused a significant break in the windshield.
My insurance does not cover my own vehicle because my car is 21 years old and I did not take out comprehensive insurance on a car that old.
So I knew I would have to pay for a new windshield. There is plenty of money to do this so that would be no problem.
Then I realized what a "blessing" it was that this happened to force me to get a new windshield.
On a previous windshield breakage, the windshield that was installed was slightly distorted. It made it difficult to see clearly when driving. This new windshield is much clearer. I'm glad to have it.
And a little side story which is also a blessing: We are required to display inspection stickers on our cars, on the front windshield. I have the new sticker and had been wondering how I could get the old sticker removed and the new sticker placed on my windshield. I had been praying about this.
The man came yesterday to install the windshield and he put the new inspection sticker on the new windshield so here was another problem taken care of.
Saturday, July 4, 2015
Mark 16 ... Reading through the Bible
1 And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the
mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might
come and anoint him. 2 And very early in the morning the first day of
the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun. 3 And
they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the
door of the sepulchre? 4 And when they looked, they saw that the stone
was rolled away: for it was very great.
5 And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted. 6 And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him.
7 But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you. 8 And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulchre; for they trembled and were amazed: neither said they any thing to any man; for they were afraid.
9 Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils. 10 And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept. 11 And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not.
12 After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country. 13 And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them.
14 Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.
15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. 17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. 20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.
5 And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted. 6 And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him.
7 But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you. 8 And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulchre; for they trembled and were amazed: neither said they any thing to any man; for they were afraid.
9 Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils. 10 And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept. 11 And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not.
12 After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country. 13 And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them.
14 Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.
15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. 17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. 20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.
Psalm 136 ... Prayers to God & Promises from God to the Church
1 O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good:
for his mercy endureth for ever.
2 O give thanks unto the God of gods:
for his mercy endureth for ever.
3 O give thanks to the Lord of lords:
for his mercy endureth for ever.
4 To him who alone doeth great wonders:
for his mercy endureth for ever.
5 To him that by wisdom made the heavens:
for his mercy endureth for ever.
6 To him that stretched out the earth above the waters:
for his mercy endureth for ever.
7 To him that made great lights:
for his mercy endureth for ever:
8 The sun to rule by day:
for his mercy endureth for ever:
9 The moon and stars to rule by night:
for his mercy endureth for ever.
10 To him that smote Egypt in their firstborn:
for his mercy endureth for ever:
11 And brought out Israel from among them:
for his mercy endureth for ever:
12 With a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm:
for his mercy endureth for ever.
13 To him which divided the Red sea into parts:
for his mercy endureth for ever:
14 And made Israel to pass through the midst of it:
for his mercy endureth for ever:
15 But overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red sea:
for his mercy endureth for ever.
16 To him which led his people through the wilderness:
for his mercy endureth for ever.
17 To him which smote great kings:
for his mercy endureth for ever:
18 And slew famous kings:
for his mercy endureth for ever:
19 Sihon king of the Amorites:
for his mercy endureth for ever:
20 And Og the king of Bashan:
for his mercy endureth for ever:
21 And gave their land for an heritage:
for his mercy endureth for ever:
22 Even an heritage unto Israel his servant:
for his mercy endureth for ever.
23 Who remembered us in our low estate:
for his mercy endureth for ever:
24 And hath redeemed us from our enemies:
for his mercy endureth for ever.
25 Who giveth food to all flesh:
for his mercy endureth for ever.
26 O give thanks unto the God of heaven:
for his mercy endureth for ever.
Comments by Joan Boney
We see God giving to all, to the just and the unjust, through HIS creation, the sun, the moon, the stars. As we continue in this Psalm, it shifts emphasis to the people of God to HIS chosen and we see God making a way for HIS people.
11 And brought out Israel from among them:
for his mercy endureth for ever:
12 With a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm:
for his mercy endureth for ever.
God did not allow HIS people to be destroyed. God always had a way of escape for HIS people. And God separated HIS people. God did not allow HIS people to be destroyed by the unjust. God made HIS people just and saved them.
God sent HIS people into the wilderness. God led HIS people through the wilderness. God brought HIS people to a desired place.
Romans 9 ...
6 Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:7 Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children:but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. 8 That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God:but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. 9 For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sara shall have a son.
10 And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; 11 (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;) 12 It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. 13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.
14 What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.
15 For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
16 So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.
17 For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.
18 Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.
19 Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will?
20 Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? 21 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?
22 What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:23 And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, 24 Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?
for his mercy endureth for ever.
2 O give thanks unto the God of gods:
for his mercy endureth for ever.
3 O give thanks to the Lord of lords:
for his mercy endureth for ever.
4 To him who alone doeth great wonders:
for his mercy endureth for ever.
5 To him that by wisdom made the heavens:
for his mercy endureth for ever.
6 To him that stretched out the earth above the waters:
for his mercy endureth for ever.
7 To him that made great lights:
for his mercy endureth for ever:
8 The sun to rule by day:
for his mercy endureth for ever:
9 The moon and stars to rule by night:
for his mercy endureth for ever.
10 To him that smote Egypt in their firstborn:
for his mercy endureth for ever:
11 And brought out Israel from among them:
for his mercy endureth for ever:
12 With a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm:
for his mercy endureth for ever.
13 To him which divided the Red sea into parts:
for his mercy endureth for ever:
14 And made Israel to pass through the midst of it:
for his mercy endureth for ever:
15 But overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red sea:
for his mercy endureth for ever.
16 To him which led his people through the wilderness:
for his mercy endureth for ever.
17 To him which smote great kings:
for his mercy endureth for ever:
18 And slew famous kings:
for his mercy endureth for ever:
19 Sihon king of the Amorites:
for his mercy endureth for ever:
20 And Og the king of Bashan:
for his mercy endureth for ever:
21 And gave their land for an heritage:
for his mercy endureth for ever:
22 Even an heritage unto Israel his servant:
for his mercy endureth for ever.
23 Who remembered us in our low estate:
for his mercy endureth for ever:
24 And hath redeemed us from our enemies:
for his mercy endureth for ever.
25 Who giveth food to all flesh:
for his mercy endureth for ever.
26 O give thanks unto the God of heaven:
for his mercy endureth for ever.
Comments by Joan Boney
We see God giving to all, to the just and the unjust, through HIS creation, the sun, the moon, the stars. As we continue in this Psalm, it shifts emphasis to the people of God to HIS chosen and we see God making a way for HIS people.
11 And brought out Israel from among them:
for his mercy endureth for ever:
12 With a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm:
for his mercy endureth for ever.
God did not allow HIS people to be destroyed. God always had a way of escape for HIS people. And God separated HIS people. God did not allow HIS people to be destroyed by the unjust. God made HIS people just and saved them.
God sent HIS people into the wilderness. God led HIS people through the wilderness. God brought HIS people to a desired place.
Romans 9 ...
6 Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:7 Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children:but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. 8 That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God:but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. 9 For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sara shall have a son.
10 And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; 11 (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;) 12 It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. 13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.
14 What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.
15 For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
16 So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.
17 For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.
18 Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.
19 Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will?
20 Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? 21 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?
22 What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:23 And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, 24 Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?
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