Esther 9'21-23: Purim set up as two days to celebrate when their sorrow and mourning was changed to joy and celebration. They would have feasting and give presents of food to one another and gifts to the poor.
Luke 12:11: Don't worry what you will say when you are brought before the authorities. The Holy Spirit will teach you what to say.
Esther 8: King Xerxes writes a new decree to protect the Jews and allow them to plunder their enemies.... Nothing in this book about God protecting them Just Esther, Xerxes and their own military prowess. Seems this is where all countries get in trouble, foreign alliances and forgetting to let God take revenge.
Revelation 2:8-11: To the church at Smyrna: there will be persecution, but you'll be alright in the end.
Psalm 122:6-7: Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May those who love you be secure. May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels.
Esther 7: Esther asks the king to save her people. He asks who has ordered them destroyed. She says, Haman, his advisor. The king has Haman impaled.
Revelation 1:9-20: John says he heard a voice and it said to write down what he sees in a vision and send it to the seven churches.
I'm getting along in life, almost 72 years old. Looking back, I mostly did things to keep the higher-ups off my back and to make enough money to pay the bills. Not a great scorecard, but it is what it is. But through it all I've met lots of great people. Not famous and important people, although some of them knew famous and important people. But just regular people who did great things. And what's a great thing? Just doing things that make other people's lives better. I'm going to try to write down the stories of these people.
Acts 5:27:32: The Council tells the apostles that they weren't supposed to preach their new doctrine. The apostles say we have to obey God, not human authority.
Revelation 1:8: I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.
John 20:19:31: Thomas wasn't with the disciples when Jesus appeared, so he didn't believe. When he saw Jesus he believed. Jesus says, blessed are those that have not seen but still believe..... I always say, anyone in the universe, shouldn't have to believe or have faith. All the facets of the Universe should be readily apparent.
1st Samuel 17:33-51: Saul questions David's ability. He said, I've killed bears and lions who have come after my sheep. This Philistine is no problem. David goes out with his slingshot. Goliath scoffs at David's challenge. David says it is God who will deliver you to me. Then he puts the stone in the sling and hits Goliath right in the forehead and kills him.
1st Samuel 17:24-32: David hears everyone talking about Goliath. He says, who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he defies the armies of the living God? Then he tells Saul, don't worry, I'll take care of this guy.
Acts 5:17-26: The high priest and Sadducees have the apostles arrested, but during the night, an angel unlocks the jail and tells them to go back to the temple and teach the people about this new life. When the Sanhedrin(the whole Jewish Council) meets in the morning they find the jail empty and the apostles back at the temple. They send their soldiers to escort the apostles to meet with them.
Psalm 150: the last Psalm, a song of praise to God.
1st Samuel 17:1-23: the first part of David vs Goliath. Davide takes food to his brothers, who are with Saul's army, and he hears Goliath's challenge.
Acts 5:12-16: the believers meet at Solomon's Portico and the apostles heal many.
2nd Samuel 6:1-15: They were taking the ark to Jerusalem from where it had been after Philistines gave it back. The oxen pulling the cart stumbled, and a guy named Uzzah touched the ark to keep it from falling. The passage says, God struck him down, but for all we know David might have. Whoever, it begs the question that some hyped up religious relic is more sacred than life?
Judges 4:17-23;5:24-31: Jael invites Sisera, the leader of the army fighting Israel, and kills him while he is sleeping. In Chapter 5, they write a song about her..... Do we really need stories like this in the Bible?
Revelation 12:1-12: A dazzling woman has a baby. A dragon waits to kill it. Baby taken to heaven and woman is hidden for 1260 days. Michael the archangel drives the dragon out of heaven and it falls to the earth where it rampages for, I suppose, 1260 days..... Theoretically, this is all coded theology, but who needs this stuff? Was the writer eating those funny mushrooms or wacky weed?
Psalm 118:22: The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone...... For Christians, this verse represents Christ. For Jews, maybe Israel, rejected by the world, but the cornerstone of monotheism.
Joshua 10:16-27: Joshua kills 5 Amorite kings..... I guess it was too much of a stretch back in those days, to conclude a peace treaty with them.
1st Corinthians 5:8: sincerity and truth.
Genesis 1:3: Let there be light.
Psalm 136:1: God's steadfast love endures forever.
Psalm 46:10: Be still.
Psalm 16:11: God shows me the path of life.
Proverbs 8:19: Wisdom's fruit is better than gold.
Proverbs 9:6: Lay aside immaturity and live and walk in way of insight.
Psalm 19:14: Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable to God, my rock and redeemer.
Ezekiel 36:26: A new heart God will give you and a new spirit within you.
Psalm 143:10b: Let your good spirit lead me on a level path.
Luke 24: The women see the empty tomb, but the men don't believe them.(Men discount women at their peril). Jesus appears to disciples on the Emmaus road and then to the disciples in Jerusalem.
John 20:11-18: Mary Magdalene sees Jesus.
Acts 19:34: God shows no partiality.
Job 14:1-14: Man isn't like a tree that can come back to life. We lay down and don't wake up. But then in verses 13-14: Oh that you would hide me in Sheol, that you would conceal me until your wrath is past, that you would appoint me a set time and remember me. If mortals die, will they live again? All the days of my service I would wait until my release should come. ..... I think maybe we live in the memories of others.
Lamentations 3:1-9, 19-24: The writer is locked away in the tomb, his prayers unanswered. But then in the last verses: But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him." .....Even in our darkest moments, we can hope that someone is getting help.
Psalm 31:1-4: God is our refuge and fortress.
1st Peter 4:1-8: Love one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.
Matthew 27:57-66: Joseph of Arimathea buries Jesus's body in the tomb and the Pharisees post a guard.
John 19:38-42: Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus wrap Jesus's body in spices and linen and bury him in the tomb.
Isaiah 52:13-53-12: The suffering servant, Jesus to Christians, Israel to the Jews, The Earth to me. The whole New Testament in one chapter.
Psalm 22: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?......verse 29:To him, indeed, shall all who sleep in the earth bow down; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, and I shall live for him.
Hebrews 4:14-16;5:7-9 Jesus understands us, Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
John 18:1-19:42: Jesus suffered under Pontius Pilate,was crucified, died and was buried.
Exodus 12:1-14: God institutes the Passover.
Psalm 116:1-2,12-19: God inclined his ear to me and heard my voice.
John 13:1-17,31-35: Jesus washes the disciples' feet and tells them to love one another.
Corinthians 11:23-26: Paul lays out the celebration of the Lord's Supper.
Psalm 70: Let all who seek God rejoice and be glad.
Hebrews 12:1-3: Let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us.
John 13: 21-32: Another passage where John is dissing Judas. It's not like Jesus needs a betrayer. He's preaching openly in the Temple daily and if the authorities were afraid of the crowds, they could nab him on the way back to Bethany for the night.
These are crazy times. My wife's always thinking about some government agent coming to the door to demand a loyalty oath and what will happen when we refuse. And it makes me think of Cheech and Chong." We don't need no stinkin' badges." We don't need no stinkin' ID. We don't need no registration. Because none of it matters. Since 1789, one party or another does their thing and the American taxpayer gets to pick up the pieces. And I mean that American literally. From Point Barrow to Punta Arenas, the average person gets to wade thru the mess up to their **s in alligators, figure out their best course of action and get on with their lives. Tax the rich? Tax cuts for middle class? Healthcare for everyone? C'mon, these 2,000 page bills are so full of loopholes the pages look like they were used for machine gun practice. Can no one write a concise one page bill? Sure, but there are so many lawyers and lobbyists passing money both ways, no one wants to do it. When the stock market goes down, I always wish it will keep going back to the 500 the DOW was at in 1975. Then maybe people will put their money back in savings and the S&Ls will have plenty to lend out for mortgages and there will be plenty of housing as the hedge funds will be no more to bid up the price of housing. And maybe the federal government will go bankrupt and sink into the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers and the states and counties can run things in loosely configured regional groups. And if the people of D.C. want to get in on things, their best bet is to become part of Maryland.
Isaiah 49:1-7: God says his servant will not only restore Israel, but be a light to the nations, and bring salvation to all the world.
Psalm 71:1-14: God is my rock and my fortress. God is my hope, my trust, from my youth. From my birth I have leaned upon you, my protector since my mother's womb.
1st Corinthians 1:18-31: Paul proclaims Christ crucified. Foolishness to most people..... Most people want to live forever, building companies and monuments. God says dying isn't the end. Christ's servant life lives on in those who believe and become servants also.
John 12:20-36: Jesus says, very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain, but if it dies it bears much fruit.....Jesus dies and is resurrected as the body of people of the earth. He says in verse 32, when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself.
Isaiah 42:1-9: God's servant is given as a covenant to the people, a light unto the nations; to let the blind see, free the prisoners, bring light to those in darkness.
Psalm 36:5-11: All people may take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
Hebrews 9:11-15: Paul says we are redeemed by Jesus's death.... I don't agree. No one should have to die for the cleansing of our sins. That's between each person and the Holy Spirit. People will say that no one can understand the mysteries of God. That's like saying only a lawyer can understand legal documents. If things can't be understood, they need to be re-written.
Psalm 118:1-2,19-29: verse 24 is the best for starting your day: This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Isaiah 50:4-9a: Every morning God wakes my ear to listen. Do I care who insults me? It is God who helps me; who will declare me guilty? ...... Just make doubly sure it's God you are listening to.
Luke 19:28-40: Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a colt and the people shout, Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!
Luke 22:14-23:56: The Lord's Supper, a dispute about who is the greatest disciple. Jesus says, the greatest must become like the youngest, the leader like one who serves. Jesus is arrested, beaten, tried before the Council, sentenced by Pilate and the crucified. The curtain of the temple was torn in two and Jesus breathes his last. Joseph of Arimathea buries Jesus in a brand new tomb.
Philippians 2:5-11: Jesus, though he was in the form of God, humbled himself and was obedient to death. God exalted him. ....An example for all of us. We all come from God, and if we live our life and die, we've done our part. We all add something to the mix.
Leviticus 23:1-8: God tells Moses to set up the religious festivals. The Seventh day is always a day of rest......Not for God but for your average worker to get a day off. Like in the Middle Ages when people were celebrating Saints' days. Not to celebrate the saints, but to give people a day off.
Luke 22:1-13: Judas supposedly take money to betray Jesus and Jesus sends Peter and John to set up the Passover meal. ...I don't think Judas betrayed Jesus. Pharisees or anyone could knock him off anytime. He didn't need the money as Jesus and crew were being bankrolled by a few rich women. I think the gospel writer was just trying to badmouth Judas and make Peter and John look good to set up the hierarchy of the church. The big shots always have to put the little guy in his place.
Isaiah 54:1-10: God says just like in the days of Noah, I said I'd never cover the earth with water again, now, I won't forsake you, I'll have compassion on you. The question is , can you trust God? Or even, is he in a position to guarantee anything. He wasn't there for the Holocaust. Some of these writings are just to keep the theologians and religious leaders in business. Ultimately, every person has to define God for themselves.
Hebrews 2:10-18: Paul expounds more on Jesus as the atonement for sin and to free people from their fear of death. Why this fear of death? I guess everyone has an anxiety about it. I had a precursor to it going under anesthesia for a colonoscopy ( which is kind of like death, at least the prep for it🙂) But the dark just closed in from my peripheral vision and the light blanked out. I woke up from that, but in death I wouldn't. Seems simple enough.
Psalm 31:9-16: Another Psalm where David is lamenting his adversaries, persecutors and enemies. Again, I say, you could have stayed a shepherd and as a king, you should take a look at how you treat people.
Isaiah 53:10-12: The suffering servant chapter that Christians believe foreshadows Jesus. But I think maybe the suffering servant is the world. It takes the brunt of our bad choices and greed, but only for so long.
Hebrews 2:1-9: Paul says Jesus was made lower than the angels but now is crowned with glory because he tasted death for everyone. The idea that something has to die as expiation for wrong deeds doesn't make sense. Just do better next time.
Habakkuk 3:2-15: The power of God described as military victories.
Luke 18:31-34: Jesus predicts his death and resurrection. The disciples are clueless. No one seems to ask follow-up questions. Where are Woodward and Bernstein when you need them?
Judges 9:7-15: This passage is the parable of the trees. Abimelech is trying to set himself up as king and Jotham tells this parable to tell the people, the only king you need is God. The same thing Samuel told them later and to this day, people are trying to set themselves up as king, I'm not naming any names, Netanyahu.
1st John 2:18-28: This passage is a warning about the anti-christs. It makes it sound ominous, but these people who went out on their own, were probably just people who had different ideas about what Jesus meant to them. Nothing to get excited about here. A little freedom of religion never hurt anyone, except maybe those Jim Jones people who drank the kool-aid.
Exodus 40:1-15: The tabernacle is set up and Aaron and his sons installed as priests.
Psalm 20: Some take pride in chariots, and some in horses, but our pride is in the name of the Lord our God....... Israel didn't always follow this precept, but put their hope in military might and foreign alliances, just like they do today.
Hebrews 10:19-25: Encourage one another to love and good deeds and meeting together.
Isaiah 43:16-21: God says, I am about to do a new thing. I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. The wild animals will honor me......Reading before and after this passage, it seems like God is saying, I'll never forget Israel, but anyone who follows me, I will take into the fold.
Philippians 3:4b-14: Part of this was gone over before, but in 13, I like what Paul says, forget what lies behind and look forward to what lies ahead.
John 12:1-8: Mary anoints Jesus with expensive perfume. Judas asks why wasn't the perfume wasn't sold and the money used to help the poor? Then the writer, John? says Judas didn't care about the poor, he was thief who took money out of the common purse.... Just the way this reads, it sounds like John is jealous of Judas and wanted to portray him in a bad light. It raises questions in my mind whether the big shot disciples, Peter, James and John, just pulled a power play on the other disciples after Jesus was gone and maybe the other disciples were the better ones and more exemplified Jesus's teachings.
They talk about the invasion at our borders, but our borders have never been where they are on a map. Our military and intelligence agencies have always expanded our borders way beyond our geographical borders. In 1846 we went to war to expand our borders into Mexico. And various soldiers of fortune in the 1800s tried to foment regime change in Central America. And our military spent lots of time in Cuba and Central America in the early 20th century. Then in 1854, Matthew Perry took and armed ship to force Japan to trade with us. In 1898, we declared war on Spain to expand our borders to Guam and Philippines. Also, in early 1900s we had gunboats patrolling China's rivers. In 1973, the CIA fomented the demise of Allende's government in Chile. I think a lot of the people coming across the border are not legitimately seeking asylum. They are seeking better economic opportunities, but they are basically following the tendrils of the U.S.'s expanded borders back to their source.
Exodus 12:21-27: Moses sets up the passover, when the Israelites smear the blood of the lamb on their doorposts and the destroying angel passes over their houses when it kills the first born of Egypt..... Always seems like the plagues against the Egyptians were over kill. Your average Egyptian was no better off than the Israelites. Seems like if Israelites were tired of the slavery, they could have snuck off a few at a time during the night.
John 12: 45-57: Jesus had just raised Lazarus from the dead, and the Pharisees were at their wits end and planned to kill Jesus because the people liked him too much. So Jesus disappeared for awhile. This whole thing doesn't make sense. Seems like Pharisees could have had spies watching Jesus all the time and knocked him off anytime....... The Jesus I think about was a poor but civic-minded carpenter in Nazareth who couldn't afford traipsing around the countryside. I'm sure there was some divine guy that the religion is based on, but the whole thing is overblown for me.
In my life I just worked to pay the bills and if I saved anything it went into savings accounts and CDs. I had 401ks later in life but they were on those low risk bonds-stocks funds. I know a lot of regular people have money losing value now, but there's also a lot of greedy hedge funds and people like Gates, Bezos, Musk, and Zuckerberg who are losing money, so I figure that's good. I remember in 1975 the Dow was at 500, so no big deal now. And I figure it's a good thing, Feds are cutting off funds, because feds shouldn't be in education or healthcare. If feds and state weren't taking so much taxes from us, we could afford to fund it locally. George Washington said avoid foreign alliances. Eisenhower warned us about the military industrial complex. So if the cheap stuff stops coming in, well that's the way it goes. There's cotton grown in this country and I figure I have a needle and thread I can make my own pants. Im not saying they'd be anything flashy but whatever. And if coffee goes up, well, during the Civil War they used parched corn to make coffee. Trump isn't very smart, but maybe this whole episode will make us more self-sufficient. And if the car industry goes down the drain, maybe more people will take public transit. But please no more on the #73 and #77 in Portland. This is all my opinion, but if it doesn't suit you, then think up something, but don't give me any of this political party stuff. One party wants to give us everything and the other party wants to take it away. Nobody out there wants to do what's good for the whole country.
Isaiah 43:8-15: God is saying to the people of Israel, I'm your God and don't you forget it!
Philippians 2:25-3:1: Paul is sending Epaphroditus to the Philippians, along with Timothy. Paul's always sending people or letters to churches, like he's the only one who knows anything about religion. Which makes a lot of his stuff kind of suspect, like he is trying to orchestrate this new Christian religion for his own purposes.
Psalm 126: The last two verses are nice: May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy. Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves.
Isaiah 43:1-7: Talking about redeeming Israel but the last verse: everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made. Israel is the stand in for the whole world's redemption.
Philippians 2:19-24: Paul is sending Timothy to the Philippians. He says some are just seeking their own interests, not those of Jesus. But Timothy is a good guy, genuinely concerned about the Philippians' welfare and serving in the work of the gospel.
2nd Kings 4:1-7: A widow is being hounded by her creditors. She has a little oil. Elisha says to her and her children, gather all your empty vessels and start pouring. The oil lasted until all the vessels were filled. Then she sold some oil to pay off her creditors and lived off the rest.
Luke 9:10-17: Jesus feeds the 5000 and 12 baskets are leftover.
These passages are reminiscent of church potlucks where there always seems to be enough food, no matter who shows up.
Leviticus 25:1-19: After 6 years of planting and harvesting the land, there shall be a sabbatical year. No planting this year to let the land rest and revive. After 49 years, there shall be a Jubilee year. All land shall be returned to the original owners and all persons in bondage shall be released. Pretty good deal.
Revelation 19:9-10: The last sentence in verse 9 says, These are the true words of God. The only way we'll ever know the true words of God is if the sky opens up and he talks to us. Otherwise, everyone and their brother and sister seems to know what's God's word is and they aren't bashful in telling us.
