A while ago, some thoughts entered the forefront of this feeble and aging mind. Being formally trained in computing, a problem in compute-ability sparked some neural activity. Simply stated, this problem states how can an event, E, occur both before and after another referenced event, R. Hence, the name ERE It Be. In short, this was planned as an enrichment thought problem for any course in computing or mathematics which I might have in a teaching future. It is an "open" problem. One might say that a standard "acceptable" canned answer does not yet exist for it. Also, one might consider it solve-able by a myriad of means in computing and mathematics terms when one reasons outside the bounds placed upon him.
Yet, this evening while subconsciously working on numerous tasks and playing some Gospel music which helped regulate the ebb and flow of this thought, something from Genesis 1:1-5 called for my attention in light of the last weblog posting. Genesis 1:1-5 is as follows.
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night.
The supposition in the previous posting was that light preceded the establishment of His universe. It has been corroborated by centuries of "scientific study" that a large release of energy produced this physical world and that all matter is the composition of small units of light. Yet, the knowledge of man is mere foolishness compared with the wisdom of God. As it states, in 1 Cor 3:19-21a:
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.
And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.
Therefore let no man glory in men...
So, His Word needeth not verification, validation, or testing.
The first few verses of Gensis 1 which are the crux of this short note are intensely pithy!
From the given in these verses, we might draw the fact that His Vision for this universe, including its constituents, proceeded its realization of them with the spoken command "let there be light". This is based upon the fragment, "without form, and void".
Such support was not given in the earlier argument, On the Nature of Light.
Likely, the notion of ERE it BE was placed in my conscious thought so I might reach for scripture in resolution of this problem. This has provided a better solution than text and notes on distributed computing, novel approaches at modeling numerous dimensions, and etc.
Upon taking Theory of Computation and doing readings on man's reasoning about the infinitude of number sets, the thought that Cantor's choice for the transfinite numbers might be a faint voice telling him that he should read Psalm 119 crossed my mind. For assuming that infinity is at an attainable fixed location suggests that the Everlasting has a terminus. This must simply not be, or we shall be pitied above all creatures.
Hopefully, these note are not excessively academic. It is my goal that I reach a few in the scientific community.
I had the pleasure of meeting a leading figure in Internet development. I asked him if he was a man of faith. He gave a nebulus answer, but might have followed it with a subtle statement of faith. Some feel that discussing faith in certain public forums is unwise.
Forgive any "flight of ideas". These notes were drafted about the time that the PTA would show up knocking on doors in my neighborhood as old Charlie Brown would say. Also, pardon the antiquated popular music allusion.
Tuesday, September 27, 2016
Sunday, September 25, 2016
On the Nature of Light
This is not quite Huygens but borrows some from the outgrowth of such ideas. We as humans are naturally inquisitive. This nature might have been part of the impetus with resulted in Eve reaching for fruit from a tree which was forbidden upon the coaxing of the evil one. She might have been thinking,"it said that I would be as wise as the Lord if I ate the fruit of this tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and I wonder what such wisdom would be like."
It is a sad commentary on our foolish tendencies, proclivities, and predispositions that we must unravel each part and parcel of this cosmos which the Creator gave us. Modern physicist smash the tiniest of particles against each other after accelerating them beyond speeds at which most can imagine or comprehend traveling. The result is smaller fragments of matter. One is considered quite accomplished in this field when he can find a new tiny particle in the resulting smithereens of each new smash. Forgive the analogy, but many young children do the same so they might discover the inner workings of a new toy. If we can learn from such experiences when toys new holiday toys become broken beyond repair and we have often followed this destructive behavior by a trail of tears, we can be wise enough that we peacefully and reverently enjoy this creation of which the Lord has made us stewards.
Interestingly enough, in this day most men of letters feel that all matter is simply varying regular aggregate of light "particles" which by nature move as a wave. It was not mere chance that the Lord breathed in the ears of the writer of the Book of Beginnings that his first imperative in this new Universe was "Let there be light." This simple and complex command has actually been unfolding over the entire existence of this creations. Light shall continue coursing through this cosmos until He cries, "Halt". It shall continue forming matter and being released from matter which is unforming.
It is simple in that it opened a floodgate of blessings upon the His Creation; it is complex in that all that would occur in the moments since the onset of this command was determined by it being spoken.
As it says, His Ways and Thoughts are beyond ours. He communicates with us in anthropomorphic terms so we might understand his wishes. He imparts what we must know. Aspects of this life such as some the illusions of this world are often in existence so we might feel more comfortable. For instance, these are the beginnings of the end times. This has been proven in ways by twentieth century physicists for those who doubt Immutable Holy Scripture. Do a little reading on vector-clocks. Clocks simply stamp out a regular cadence of changes as a measure of the events which occur around us. When curious about the change of the sun and moon rising and setting, He told us that it was a day. This illusion makes us comfortable so we might track the events around us. The phases of the moon, He told us were months. The cycle of seasons he told us were a year. But, all that we can count on is that our environment changes until He says "Halt" and trouble shall last until He says the same.
This weblog has a strong Christian focus, yet numerous noble men and women among many noble faith exists. Otherwise, the One which we claim as His Son would not have stated in Matthew 25:31-46 (KIV):
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ 46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
Or, Matthew 7:18-27:
A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
With all that said, one of the most noble ways in which I saw a community deal with a wayward women who was tempting men in it was by a woman of a non-Christian faith who recognized that she had self-esteem issues and had been mistreated most of her life. Although she was a member of a faith tradition which we in this country are told is caste-based, her group of friends felt that it was best that they befriend and rehabilitate her than slander her name and publicly harass her. Is this not the type of love which Christ showed and of which he spoke? Should we as Christians not expect that such of His children receive the reward which He promised those which followed his teaching. If Rahab had not been redeemable, from where would promise of salvation be drawn.
Have a Beautiful and Blessed Week. Pardon any typos. This was a rapid draft.
It is a sad commentary on our foolish tendencies, proclivities, and predispositions that we must unravel each part and parcel of this cosmos which the Creator gave us. Modern physicist smash the tiniest of particles against each other after accelerating them beyond speeds at which most can imagine or comprehend traveling. The result is smaller fragments of matter. One is considered quite accomplished in this field when he can find a new tiny particle in the resulting smithereens of each new smash. Forgive the analogy, but many young children do the same so they might discover the inner workings of a new toy. If we can learn from such experiences when toys new holiday toys become broken beyond repair and we have often followed this destructive behavior by a trail of tears, we can be wise enough that we peacefully and reverently enjoy this creation of which the Lord has made us stewards.
Interestingly enough, in this day most men of letters feel that all matter is simply varying regular aggregate of light "particles" which by nature move as a wave. It was not mere chance that the Lord breathed in the ears of the writer of the Book of Beginnings that his first imperative in this new Universe was "Let there be light." This simple and complex command has actually been unfolding over the entire existence of this creations. Light shall continue coursing through this cosmos until He cries, "Halt". It shall continue forming matter and being released from matter which is unforming.
It is simple in that it opened a floodgate of blessings upon the His Creation; it is complex in that all that would occur in the moments since the onset of this command was determined by it being spoken.
As it says, His Ways and Thoughts are beyond ours. He communicates with us in anthropomorphic terms so we might understand his wishes. He imparts what we must know. Aspects of this life such as some the illusions of this world are often in existence so we might feel more comfortable. For instance, these are the beginnings of the end times. This has been proven in ways by twentieth century physicists for those who doubt Immutable Holy Scripture. Do a little reading on vector-clocks. Clocks simply stamp out a regular cadence of changes as a measure of the events which occur around us. When curious about the change of the sun and moon rising and setting, He told us that it was a day. This illusion makes us comfortable so we might track the events around us. The phases of the moon, He told us were months. The cycle of seasons he told us were a year. But, all that we can count on is that our environment changes until He says "Halt" and trouble shall last until He says the same.
This weblog has a strong Christian focus, yet numerous noble men and women among many noble faith exists. Otherwise, the One which we claim as His Son would not have stated in Matthew 25:31-46 (KIV):
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ 46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
Or, Matthew 7:18-27:
A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
With all that said, one of the most noble ways in which I saw a community deal with a wayward women who was tempting men in it was by a woman of a non-Christian faith who recognized that she had self-esteem issues and had been mistreated most of her life. Although she was a member of a faith tradition which we in this country are told is caste-based, her group of friends felt that it was best that they befriend and rehabilitate her than slander her name and publicly harass her. Is this not the type of love which Christ showed and of which he spoke? Should we as Christians not expect that such of His children receive the reward which He promised those which followed his teaching. If Rahab had not been redeemable, from where would promise of salvation be drawn.
Have a Beautiful and Blessed Week. Pardon any typos. This was a rapid draft.
Sunday, September 11, 2016
The Heart of a Child
Matthew 10:42
And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.
Matthew 19:4
But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 18:3-4
And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
2 Kings 22:1 - 23:25
Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty and one years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah of Boscath.
And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in all the way of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left.
And it came to pass in the eighteenth year of king Josiah, that the king sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, the scribe, to the house of the LORD, saying,
Go up to Hilkiah the high priest, that he may sum the silver which is brought into the house of the LORD, which the keepers of the door have gathered of the people:
And let them deliver it into the hand of the doers of the work, that have the oversight of the house of the LORD: and let them give it to the doers of the work which is in the house of the LORD, to repair the breaches of the house,
Unto carpenters, and builders, and masons, and to buy timber and hewn stone to repair the house.
Howbeit there was no reckoning made with them of the money that was delivered into their hand, because they dealt faithfully.
And Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the LORD. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it.
And Shaphan the scribe came to the king, and brought the king word again, and said, Thy servants have gathered the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of them that do the work, that have the oversight of the house of the LORD.
And Shaphan the scribe shewed the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath delivered me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king.
And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes.
And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Michaiah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asahiah a servant of the king's, saying,
Go ye, enquire of the LORD for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that is found: for great is the wrath of the LORD that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written concerning us.
So Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asahiah, went unto Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe; (now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the college;) and they communed with her.
And she said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Tell the man that sent you to me,
Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the words of the book which the king of Judah hath read:
Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore my wrath shall be kindled against this place, and shall not be quenched.
But to the king of Judah which sent you to enquire of the LORD, thus shall ye say to him, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, As touching the words which thou hast heard;
Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the LORD, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard thee, saith the LORD.
Behold therefore, I will gather thee unto thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered into thy grave in peace; and thine eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place. And they brought the king word again.
And the king sent, and they gathered unto him all the elders of Judah and of Jerusalem.
And the king went up into the house of the LORD, and all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the people, both small and great: and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant which was found in the house of the LORD.
And the king stood by a pillar, and made a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD, and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all their heart and all their soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people stood to the covenant.
And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, and the priests of the second order, and the keepers of the door, to bring forth out of the temple of the LORD all the vessels that were made for Baal, and for the grove, and for all the host of heaven: and he burned them without Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron, and carried the ashes of them unto Bethel.
And he put down the idolatrous priests, whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense in the high places in the cities of Judah, and in the places round about Jerusalem; them also that burned incense unto Baal, to the sun, and to the moon, and to the planets, and to all the host of heaven.
And he brought out the grove from the house of the LORD, without Jerusalem, unto the brook Kidron, and burned it at the brook Kidron, and stamped it small to powder, and cast the powder thereof upon the graves of the children of the people.
And he brake down the houses of the sodomites, that were by the house of the LORD, where the women wove hangings for the grove.
And he brought all the priests out of the cities of Judah, and defiled the high places where the priests had burned incense, from Geba to Beersheba, and brake down the high places of the gates that were in the entering in of the gate of Joshua the governor of the city, which were on a man's left hand at the gate of the city.
Nevertheless the priests of the high places came not up to the altar of the LORD in Jerusalem, but they did eat of the unleavened bread among their brethren.
And he defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the children of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter to pass through the fire to Molech.
And he took away the horses that the kings of Judah had given to the sun, at the entering in of the house of the LORD, by the chamber of Nathanmelech the chamberlain, which was in the suburbs, and burned the chariots of the sun with fire.
And the altars that were on the top of the upper chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars which Manasseh had made in the two courts of the house of the LORD, did the king beat down, and brake them down from thence, and cast the dust of them into the brook Kidron.
And the high places that were before Jerusalem, which were on the right hand of the mount of corruption, which Solomon the king of Israel had builded for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Zidonians, and for Chemosh the abomination of the Moabites, and for Milcom the abomination of the children of Ammon, did the king defile.
And he brake in pieces the images, and cut down the groves, and filled their places with the bones of men.
Moreover the altar that was at Bethel, and the high place which Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, had made, both that altar and the high place he brake down, and burned the high place, and stamped it small to powder, and burned the grove.
And as Josiah turned himself, he spied the sepulchres that were there in the mount, and sent, and took the bones out of the sepulchres, and burned them upon the altar, and polluted it, according to the word of the LORD which the man of God proclaimed, who proclaimed these words.
Then he said, What title is that that I see? And the men of the city told him, It is the sepulchre of the man of God, which came from Judah, and proclaimed these things that thou hast done against the altar of Bethel.
And he said, Let him alone; let no man move his bones. So they let his bones alone, with the bones of the prophet that came out of Samaria.
And all the houses also of the high places that were in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made to provoke the LORD to anger, Josiah took away, and did to them according to all the acts that he had done in Bethel.
And he slew all the priests of the high places that were there upon the altars, and burned men's bones upon them, and returned to Jerusalem.
And the king commanded all the people, saying, Keep the passover unto the LORD your God, as it is written in the book of this covenant.
Surely there was not holden such a passover from the days of the judges that judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel, nor of the kings of Judah;
But in the eighteenth year of king Josiah, wherein this passover was holden to the LORD in Jerusalem.
Moreover the workers with familiar spirits, and the wizards, and the images, and the idols, and all the abominations that were spied in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, did Josiah put away, that he might perform the words of the law which were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the LORD.
And like unto him was there no king before him, that turned to the LORD with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; neither after him arose there any like him.
Mark 9:42
And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.
Commentary
Remember when deciding whether or not one should take an intoxicant, fornicate, lie, cheat, steal, and etc. was simple. The answer was a resounding "No!" Remember when those things simply seemed like a part of life which was inescapable. Did you stop and wonder, "How did life end up like this?!?" This day, make your escape like Daniel seeing the first rays of sunshine as the stone was rolled away from the mouth of the lion's den.
A day in His Courts is better than ten thousand elsewhere, and it can free you from the shackles and unpleasant consequences of sin. Start by blessing a stranger. Your local shelter can surely use some of your excess. If you have limited resources yourself, take the time, and pray for someone whom you do not know. This does not require stopping them on the street, holding hands, and praying aloud. Just silently pray for them as you walk or drive past. Your days will be sunnier, your sleep will be more pleasant, and your heart will be happier. Recapture that child-like (not childish) joy and the Godly wisdom that accompanies it!
Before the next week ends, be a blessing in some child's life. Let us take this world back from the hands of the enemy for the future generations of His Kingdom.
Be Blessed.
And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.
Matthew 19:4
But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 18:3-4
And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
2 Kings 22:1 - 23:25
Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty and one years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah of Boscath.
And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in all the way of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left.
And it came to pass in the eighteenth year of king Josiah, that the king sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, the scribe, to the house of the LORD, saying,
Go up to Hilkiah the high priest, that he may sum the silver which is brought into the house of the LORD, which the keepers of the door have gathered of the people:
And let them deliver it into the hand of the doers of the work, that have the oversight of the house of the LORD: and let them give it to the doers of the work which is in the house of the LORD, to repair the breaches of the house,
Unto carpenters, and builders, and masons, and to buy timber and hewn stone to repair the house.
Howbeit there was no reckoning made with them of the money that was delivered into their hand, because they dealt faithfully.
And Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the LORD. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it.
And Shaphan the scribe came to the king, and brought the king word again, and said, Thy servants have gathered the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of them that do the work, that have the oversight of the house of the LORD.
And Shaphan the scribe shewed the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath delivered me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king.
And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes.
And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Michaiah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asahiah a servant of the king's, saying,
Go ye, enquire of the LORD for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that is found: for great is the wrath of the LORD that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written concerning us.
So Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asahiah, went unto Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe; (now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the college;) and they communed with her.
And she said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Tell the man that sent you to me,
Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the words of the book which the king of Judah hath read:
Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore my wrath shall be kindled against this place, and shall not be quenched.
But to the king of Judah which sent you to enquire of the LORD, thus shall ye say to him, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, As touching the words which thou hast heard;
Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the LORD, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard thee, saith the LORD.
Behold therefore, I will gather thee unto thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered into thy grave in peace; and thine eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place. And they brought the king word again.
And the king sent, and they gathered unto him all the elders of Judah and of Jerusalem.
And the king went up into the house of the LORD, and all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the people, both small and great: and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant which was found in the house of the LORD.
And the king stood by a pillar, and made a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD, and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all their heart and all their soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people stood to the covenant.
And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, and the priests of the second order, and the keepers of the door, to bring forth out of the temple of the LORD all the vessels that were made for Baal, and for the grove, and for all the host of heaven: and he burned them without Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron, and carried the ashes of them unto Bethel.
And he put down the idolatrous priests, whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense in the high places in the cities of Judah, and in the places round about Jerusalem; them also that burned incense unto Baal, to the sun, and to the moon, and to the planets, and to all the host of heaven.
And he brought out the grove from the house of the LORD, without Jerusalem, unto the brook Kidron, and burned it at the brook Kidron, and stamped it small to powder, and cast the powder thereof upon the graves of the children of the people.
And he brake down the houses of the sodomites, that were by the house of the LORD, where the women wove hangings for the grove.
And he brought all the priests out of the cities of Judah, and defiled the high places where the priests had burned incense, from Geba to Beersheba, and brake down the high places of the gates that were in the entering in of the gate of Joshua the governor of the city, which were on a man's left hand at the gate of the city.
Nevertheless the priests of the high places came not up to the altar of the LORD in Jerusalem, but they did eat of the unleavened bread among their brethren.
And he defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the children of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter to pass through the fire to Molech.
And he took away the horses that the kings of Judah had given to the sun, at the entering in of the house of the LORD, by the chamber of Nathanmelech the chamberlain, which was in the suburbs, and burned the chariots of the sun with fire.
And the altars that were on the top of the upper chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars which Manasseh had made in the two courts of the house of the LORD, did the king beat down, and brake them down from thence, and cast the dust of them into the brook Kidron.
And the high places that were before Jerusalem, which were on the right hand of the mount of corruption, which Solomon the king of Israel had builded for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Zidonians, and for Chemosh the abomination of the Moabites, and for Milcom the abomination of the children of Ammon, did the king defile.
And he brake in pieces the images, and cut down the groves, and filled their places with the bones of men.
Moreover the altar that was at Bethel, and the high place which Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, had made, both that altar and the high place he brake down, and burned the high place, and stamped it small to powder, and burned the grove.
And as Josiah turned himself, he spied the sepulchres that were there in the mount, and sent, and took the bones out of the sepulchres, and burned them upon the altar, and polluted it, according to the word of the LORD which the man of God proclaimed, who proclaimed these words.
Then he said, What title is that that I see? And the men of the city told him, It is the sepulchre of the man of God, which came from Judah, and proclaimed these things that thou hast done against the altar of Bethel.
And he said, Let him alone; let no man move his bones. So they let his bones alone, with the bones of the prophet that came out of Samaria.
And all the houses also of the high places that were in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made to provoke the LORD to anger, Josiah took away, and did to them according to all the acts that he had done in Bethel.
And he slew all the priests of the high places that were there upon the altars, and burned men's bones upon them, and returned to Jerusalem.
And the king commanded all the people, saying, Keep the passover unto the LORD your God, as it is written in the book of this covenant.
Surely there was not holden such a passover from the days of the judges that judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel, nor of the kings of Judah;
But in the eighteenth year of king Josiah, wherein this passover was holden to the LORD in Jerusalem.
Moreover the workers with familiar spirits, and the wizards, and the images, and the idols, and all the abominations that were spied in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, did Josiah put away, that he might perform the words of the law which were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the LORD.
And like unto him was there no king before him, that turned to the LORD with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; neither after him arose there any like him.
Mark 9:42
And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.
Commentary
Remember when deciding whether or not one should take an intoxicant, fornicate, lie, cheat, steal, and etc. was simple. The answer was a resounding "No!" Remember when those things simply seemed like a part of life which was inescapable. Did you stop and wonder, "How did life end up like this?!?" This day, make your escape like Daniel seeing the first rays of sunshine as the stone was rolled away from the mouth of the lion's den.
A day in His Courts is better than ten thousand elsewhere, and it can free you from the shackles and unpleasant consequences of sin. Start by blessing a stranger. Your local shelter can surely use some of your excess. If you have limited resources yourself, take the time, and pray for someone whom you do not know. This does not require stopping them on the street, holding hands, and praying aloud. Just silently pray for them as you walk or drive past. Your days will be sunnier, your sleep will be more pleasant, and your heart will be happier. Recapture that child-like (not childish) joy and the Godly wisdom that accompanies it!
Before the next week ends, be a blessing in some child's life. Let us take this world back from the hands of the enemy for the future generations of His Kingdom.
Be Blessed.
Sunday, September 4, 2016
Thesis Statement for My Ransom
John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Matt 5:17-20
Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Hebrews 12:6-11
For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.
Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?
For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.
Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
Revelations 3:19
As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
Proverbs 3:12-18
For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.
For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold.
She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her.
Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour.
Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.
She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.
Short Commentary
Let us be conservative in our behaviors and liberal in our compassion as given by the Example in the New Testament.
Have a Wondrously Blessed Week;
We shall place another short message online when we are able.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Matt 5:17-20
Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Hebrews 12:6-11
For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.
Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?
For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.
Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
Revelations 3:19
As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
Proverbs 3:12-18
For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.
For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold.
She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her.
Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour.
Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.
She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.
Short Commentary
Let us be conservative in our behaviors and liberal in our compassion as given by the Example in the New Testament.
Have a Wondrously Blessed Week;
We shall place another short message online when we are able.
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