TRUMPETS AND CYMBALS, HANDS, AND A CROSS

Last week, you read about four women in the Bible.  Josiah needed guidance and he received that guidance from the prophetess Huldah – a woman.  The Samaritan woman met Jesus and was offered living water.  Eunice and Lois were role models for Timothy.  The women of the Bible are valued by God.

Today I want you to look at three men.

TRUMPETS AND CYMBALS

Have you heard about Jeduthun?  Think hard.  Got it yet?  2 Chronicles 35:15:  The musicians, the descendants of Asaph, were in the places prescribed by David, Asaph, Heman and Juduthun the king’s seer.  Jeduthun was a musician and not just any musician.  He is listed above Psalms 39, 62, and 77.  Now that is special.  Plus he was the king’s seer, which means he had insight into what God was saying by his visions.

But, why am I using Jeduthun?  He set the psalms to music.  Music which speaks to our soul.  Many traditional and contemporary hymns (You know.  Contemporary songs written since Amazing Grace in 1772) are based on the Psalms.  Songs such as, Nearer My God To Thee, I Love To Tell The Story, I Am Not Alone, and On Eagle’s Wings. 

The scriptures name Jeduthun as chosen to give thanks to the LORD and he was responsible for the sounding of the trumpets and cymbals ….. 

HANDS

“Ananias!”  House of Judas…Saul …praying … Ananias … place hands … restore his sight?

I am sure Ananias had these thoughts:  Are you kidding me?  You want me to go where?  You want me to --- you do know this man has permission to make prisoners of any who follow you don’t you? 

“Go!”  Ananias went and placed his hands on Saul.  He said, “Brother Saul, the Lord – Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here – has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”

This story is told often.  It is told that Saul regained his sight.  A miraculous healing of body and soul.  BUT this story is about obedience.  Saul went to Damascus and waited.  Ananias faced an enemy and called him Brother.

A CROSS

Picture the three crosses.  Jesus is the focus of those gathered.  Many cry and wait for his final breath.  The two thieves are of no importance.  They have no value. 

People mock Jesus and offer him wine vinegar.  And the two thieves are .. are ignored.  Until – until one criminal insulted Jesus, “Aren’t you the Messiah?  Save yourself and us!” 

The other thief rebuked him.  “Don’t you fear God,” he said, ‘since you are under the same sentence?  We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve.  But this man has done nothing wrong.”

Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”  Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

We do not know the names of the thieves. What we do know is that one of them saw the truth.  One of them heard words that changed everything. 

MEN IN THE BIBLE

How amazing that just a few verses, sometimes only one or two, can hold such lessons for us.  Jeduthun turned words into music and inspires us to really listen to the music.  Music helps us give thanks and can touch our very soul.  Ananias and Saul faced their fears and were obedient.  The thief died with an assurance of paradise.

There are so many men in the Bible and we hear their stories.  We hear and learn.  But sometimes, we need to seek out the music maker and be inspired.  We need to look below the surface and realize how brave Ananias and Saul were to go toward the enemy.  We need to be like the thief and see the truth.

Next week I will try to tie the blogs on babies, youth, women, and men together.  How will that go?  Come back next week and see.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURES:  2 Chronicles 35:15, 1 Chronicles 16:41-42, Psalm 39, 62, 77, Acts 9:10-18, and Luke 23:32-43

AN ANSWER, A JAR, AND PASS IT ON

Last week, you read about three kids/young adults.  From Samuel we learned that when we listen, we can hear the Lord calling us.  From Josiah we learned that hearing the Word can change a heart and soul.  From Rhoda we learned that the sound of a voice can bring great joy.

Today I want you to look at the actions of four women.

AN ANSWER

Josiah (In last week’s blog) heard the words of the lost Book of the Law and his life changed and he realized that the Law had been neglected by generations.  Josiah needed guidance and sent his advisors to the prophetess, Huldah. 

Huldah said unto the advisors that the LORD was going to bring disaster to everything written in the book because the nation had forgotten Him and turned to idols.  She also stated that this would not happen until Josiah was buried in peace.

This would not necessarily be the answer I would want to hear, but the answer is not what I want you to see.  I want you to see a person who needed advice and, in a time when women were not exactly high on the status pole, a woman answered Josiah’s question. 

A JAR

I want to shout, “Stop Jesus!  If you do this you will be on the evening news – again.  You know the Jews and the Samaritans ….. “  I might as well of kept my mouth shut.  He never listens.  Yup, he is sitting down.  Why is that woman coming to the well now?  Why didn’t she get her water this morning like the other women?  Maybe this one time Jesus will not speak …. Too late.

We all know the story.  The Samaritan woman came to the well and Jesus asked her for a drink.  A simple request that ended … ended with Jesus telling the woman, “I who speak to you am he.”  No longer was she on a mission to get water.  No longer was she afraid to go among the people. 

She said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did.  Could this be the Christ?”  The Samaritans came to him, believed, and invited him to stay. 

One woman – an outcast – a woman with a bad reputation – and Jesus offered her living water.  This one woman told her town and they came to believe because they heard for themselves.

PASS IT ON

Timothy was raised by his mother, Eunice a Jewess, and his grandmother, Lois.  His father was Greek and is not mentioned in the scriptures.  Eunice and Lois must have been extraordinary examples of how to live, because in Paul’s letter to Timothy he said, “I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded now lives in you also.”  Later in the letter, Paul says, “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures…”

Eunice and Lois did not know what the future would hold for Timothy.  They did not know he would travel with Paul.  They did not know he would pastor a church in Ephesus.  They taught him how to have a sincere faith.  They taught this infant how to find salvation through faith in Jesus. 

WOMEN IN THE BIBLE

A very young king sought advice from the prophetess, Huldah.  Jesus talked with a woman most people would have shunned.  Eunice and Lois lived their lives in such a way that Timothy grew in faith and used his knowledge to lead others to find salvation.

It sometimes seems that there are very few women in the Bible.  I could be snarky and say it is because men didn’t want to acknowledge that women had worth, but it really doesn’t matter what men think.  All that matters is that God valued women.  All that matters is that Jesus considered all women children of God.  Sometime look up women of the Bible.  You know all about Mary, Martha, Esther, Miriam, and Eve, but what about Abigail, Dorcas (Tabitha), Deborah, Puah, Joanna, Jael …………

Next week will be on men.  Maybe I can find a couple hidden in a passage or two.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURES:  2 Kings 22:11-20, John 4:1-30, 2 Timothy 1:5, 3:14-15, and Acts 16:1

A VOICE IN THE NIGHT, A LOST BOOK, AND A KNOCK AT THE DOOR

Last week, you read about three babies who were born for a specific purpose.  Isaac continued the covenant line, Moses brought the Israelites out of Egypt, and John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus.  But they were adults when their service to God began.

Today I want you to consider the actions of three children/young people.

A VOICE IN THE NIGHT

Hannah wanted a child and, in her anguish, she prayed to the LORD Almighty.  Eli, the priest, heard her prayer and told her, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him”  Hannah’s prayer was answered and she named her son Samuel.  True to her word, Hannah gave Samuel to the LORD and he ministered before the LORD under Eli.

Have you ever fallen asleep and thought you heard something?  A noise?  Someone knocking on the door?  A voice?  Samuel heard a voice.  Samuel heard a voice calling his name three times.  Each time he went to Eli, but Eli had not called him.  Finally, Eli realized the LORD was calling the boy.  When the LORD came and stood there saying, “Samuel!  Samuel!” 

Are you ready for how Samuel answered this time?  Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”  I do not know how old Samuel was, but he would have still been a kid…a young boy.  And he realized he was a servant to the LORD.  And he listened!  And he continued as Israel’s leader all the days of his life.   All the days of his life!!! 

A LOST BOOK

Josiah was eight years old when he became king.  HE’S A KING?  ONLY EIGHT YEARS OLD?  Shouldn’t an eight year old be out playing with his friends and learning reading, writing, and arithmetic?  What in the world would an eight year old know about being a king?  Apparently a lot.  He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and followed completely the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left. 

When Josiah was 26, he had honest carpenters, builders, and masons begin the repair of the temple of the LORD.  This sounds like a lot for a 26 year old to undertake but what came next changed his life.  A lost book was found.  Not just any old book.  This was the Book of the Law.  When Josiah heard the words, he tore his robes.  He learned the LORD was angry because those who had gone before Josiah did not obey the words of this book, they had forsaken God, and burned incense to other gods.  The message from the LORD was severe.  His anger would burn against this place and his anger would not be quenched. 

Look back to one sentence:  When Josiah heard the words, he tore his robes.  Because Josiah had a responsive heart and humbled himself, the LORD said, “Therefore I will gather you to your ancestors, and you will be buried in peace.  Your eyes will not see all the disaster I am going to bring on this place.”  Josiah renewed the covenant in the presence of the LORD.  Then he removed shrines, mediums, and spiritists, the household gods, and idols.  Passover was celebrated.

A young boy became a young man and the Bible says:  Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the LORD as he did – with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with the Law of Moses.

Josiah reigned in Jerusalem for 31 years. 

A KNOCK AT THE DOOR

Time for you to use your imagination again.  Picture this happening:  Peter had been arrested!  People wanted to pray for him and gathered at the home of Mary, the mother of John, also called Mark.  Many people were praying and praying and praying for Peter. 

On the other side of town, an angel woke Peter up.  The angel of the Lord told him, “Quick, get up?”  Peter dressed, put on his sandals, and left the chains behind.  They passed the guards, went through the door, walked a block, and suddenly the angel left him.  Imagine Peter’s confusion.  He is out of prison, but where should he go? 

Peter was set free.  He went to Mary’s house and knocked on the door.  A servant girl named Rhoda went to answer the door.  When she heard Peter’s voice she was so overjoyed that she left him standing there and she ran back to the people, who were praying, and exclaimed, “Peter is at the door!”  But no one believed her.  “It must be his angel.”  Rhoda kept insisting and Peter kept knocking.  Finally, they opened the door and were astonished.  Peter motioned for them to be quiet.

Rhoda was Overjoyed when she recognized Peter’s voice.  She was so excited to know he was out of prison that she didn’t open the door.  She just left him standing there.  The people, in the house, were Astonished when they finally went to the door.  What wonderful emotions.

KIDS – YOUNG ADULTS – WHAT DO THEY KNOW

We often pay little attention to the kids/young adults around us. After all, what do they know? Let them be quiet and listen.  Let them learn. Let them grow up and then - and only then - will they have matured enough to be heard.  BUT sometimes, these kids and young adults can teach us a thing or two.

Samuel heard the LORD calling him and he listened and obeyed.  He didn’t make excuses.  He served --- he served for a lifetime.

Josiah became a king at eight years of age and ruled with his soul, heart, and wisdom.  He heard the lost words that changed his heart and soul.

Rhoda had Joy the moment she heard a voice.  They had been praying and just like that, their prayers were answered.  And she didn’t back down when they did not believe her.  Peter is at the door!  Rhoda was full of joy!

I guess we can learn from kids.  BUT – what about women?

TODAY’S SCRIPTURES:  1 Samuel:1 and 3, 2 Kings: 22 and 23, and Acts 12:8-17

 

LAUGHTER, A BASKET, AND SILENCE

LAUGHTER

Picture this: Sarah, Abraham’s wife, was minding her own business.  Going about her everyday activities.  You know, sweeping the floor, doing the dishes.  Trying to stay as cool as possible and working very hard to not say to Abraham, “Here I am, slaving away, in this heat, and there you are sitting at the entrance to our tent blocking the breeze.”  She thought, “Oh Sarah, he has worked hard all morning.  Let the old man sit and relax.”  Sarah went back to her chores. 

Abraham suddenly saw something.  There were three men standing nearby.  He quickly went toward the men and bowed low to the ground.  “If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, do not pass your servant by.”

Abraham stuck his head in the tent and shouted, “Bring some water!  Bake some bread.  Use the good flour.  Our guests deserve the best.”

As they were eating, they asked, “Where is your wife Sarah?”  Abraham replied, “In the tent.”

Get ready for here comes the good part.  Ready?  Remember Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah was 90 years old.  100 AND 90!  Then the LORD said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.”

Sarah laughed at the idea of her having a child at this stage of her life.  Sarah delivered a bouncing baby boy and Abraham named him Isaac, which means laughter.

A BASKET

The Pharaoh was more than a bit concerned over the birth rate of the Hebrews.  They were increasing in number and that had to stop!  The Hebrew midwives were instructed to kill every baby boy born.  Instead of killing the babies, they told the king that the Hebrew women delivered the baby before they arrived.  The king went to plan B:  ALL Hebrew baby boys are to be thrown into the Nile.

A Levite woman gave birth to a son, hid the child for three months, and then put the baby in a basket.  The basket was placed in the Nile and floated to where the Pharaoh’s daughter bathed.

The baby grew older, became the son of the Pharaoh’s daughter, and was named Moses, which means I drew him out of the water.

SILENCE

Zechariah was excited to be the one serving as priest before God.  He was to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense.  Everyone was outside praying while Zechariah lit the incense.  An angel of the Lord appeared to him and he was gripped with fear.  Oh, admit it.  If an angel of the Lord appeared to you while you were doing your morning prayers, you would be “gripped with fear.”  Back to the story.  Even though Zechariah and his wife were righteous in the sight of God, observed all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly, he was wondering what the angel wanted with him.  The angel told Zechariah to not be afraid.  I am sure he was thinking, “That is easy for you to say.  You are an angel.  The angel of the Lord.”

Then Zechariah heard the angel say, “Your prayer has been heard.  Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son and you are to call him John.”  It was at this point that Zechariah should have kept quiet.  Instead he asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this?  I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”

The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel.  I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and tell you this good news.  And now (get ready for the angel to show his power) you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.”

Elizabeth delivered a baby boy and she declared, “No! He is to be called John.”  Zechariah wrote on a tablet, “His name is John.”  John, which means God gracefully gave.

AHHHH -- A BABY

Women smile and go “ahh” when they see a baby.  Men look, nod their head, and go back to what they were doing.  We do not look at a baby and say, “This child will be an astronaut.”  Or the President.  Or a teacher.  But God had special plans for these boys.

Isaac obeyed his parents, obeyed God, and continued the covenant line.  Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, ….  And Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah.

Moses had a different life than Isaac.  His birth was hidden, he was raised in a palace, and he committed murder.  He hid until one day he said to God, “Here I am.”  With those three words, Moses became the person to bring the Israelites out of Egypt.

John was not allowed to drink wine or fermented drink and he dressed funny.  God had a special job for John.  He was to bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God and prepare the way for Jesus.

Three special babies who grew up to obey God. 

BUT — Does God also have special plans for children before they become adults? Read next week to find out.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURES: Genesis 18:1-16, 21:1-7, Exodus 1, 2:1-4, 10, and Luke 1:5-25, 57-64

BEING A WOMAN

I would like to point out a few things about being a woman.

HAIR:  We want our hair to look perfect, but that is not as easy as it sounds.  A really great beautician is the only person who can get a cow lick to cooperate.  When doing our own hair, it takes half a can of spray or number 18 mousse to control one cow lick.  Are you a woman who colors your hair?  Then your greatest hair fear is that your color will be discontinued.  When this happened to me, two very sweet, older-than-dirt ladies asked about my hair.  When I explained why I was trying a new color, they quickly said, “Well, don’t get that one again.”  I didn’t.

MAKEUP:  There are a few women who feel totally comfortable with no makeup or just a dab of lipstick.  For most women, makeup is a line item in the family budget.  A morning routine of washing our face, putting on protective cream, adding a foundation to even out skin tones, deciding what three colors of eye shadow to use, carefully applying mascara, drawing the shape of our eyebrows, using blush to make our cheeks all rosy, and topping it all off with lipstick can be done in 15 minutes.  This is not a complete list and new and improved items are available daily.  Warning:  Applying makeup should not be done while driving.

CLOTHING:  What could I say about clothes?  Having never been someone who loves to shop and because I am way past size 0… Now that is a place to start.  How can there be a size 0?  Really?  Size 0?  Fashions come and go.  Back in the good-ole-days there were clothes for church, clothes for school, and clothes for playing/work.  Wearing your shirttail out was frowned upon and skirts above the knee were scandalous.  Today, you can buy Doice & Gabbana distressed (Code for we are charging extra to rip your jeans to shreds) cargo straight-leg jeans at 40% off or a mere $1,652.  If you do not have that amount and lack any modesty whatsoever, you can get jean shorts for $607.  These shorts should only be worn, as advertisement, by women who find their source of income on street corners. 

CLOTHING SUB-CATEGORY 1:  Girdles.  We called them girdles.  Now they call them shape wear.  No matter the name, why are women still punishing themselves?  Putting on that article of elastic is a full body workout.  They go from below the breasts to mid-thigh -- how do you go pee in those things? 

CLOTHING SUB-CATEGORY 2:  Bras.  The original bra was the brilliant idea of French inventor, Herminie Cadolle.  Bless her heart.  This article of clothing, created to lift and separate, is easier to get on than a girdle, IF you can put your arms behind your back and get the hook in the right eye.  Putting on a bra should count toward your annual physical as arm/shoulder mobility and finger dexterity.

SHOES:  Wow!  A three-inch heel gives the illusion of slimmer legs.  They look sexy!  They … ruin your feet, knees, ankles, nerves, blood flow, hips, back, and contribute to the risk of falling.  Oh but those Moon Star Shoes, by Antonio Vietri, put the finishing touch to my outfit.  And they are only $20 million… yes you read that right.  Three inch heels sure are sexy!  Do not forget the pantyhose.  They can cost a few bucks or hundreds.  And no matter the cost, they are hard to put on and can get a run the first time you wear them.  After that, they make good dog chews or a way to store onions.

MENSTRUATION:  The monthly curse!  When defining menstruation, monthly is a relative term.  There is no normal “period.”  It is different for every woman.  Some suffer – really suffer – and some breeze right through it.  I always thought it would only be fair if men had the periods.  Now I know this would never work.  Men would never make it through one time of bend-over, kill-me-now cramps.  Time passes and the randomness gets even crazier.  Women can go months without having a period, think they are into that time of life, and then – wham – we have to find that box of pads we stuck in the back of the closet.  Moving on –

CHILDBIRTH:  Childbirth is a wonder and a blessing.  Some women have an easy time during delivery and some – let’s just say, some do not.  Labor hurts and, prior to the epidural women receive today; pushing out a 5-10 pound baby was painful.  And required stitches.  Women, sadly, still die from childbirth complications.  Even more heartbreaking is the number of women who abort their babies. 

BEING A WOMAN:  WHY HAVE I WRITTEN THIS?

Woman:  An adult female person,

an individual of the sex which conceives and brings forth young

Being a woman has absolutely nothing to do with hair, makeup, clothing or shoes.  Being a woman has everything to do with how God created us. 

Even if for some medical reason a woman is not able to conceive or chooses not to conceive, women have a reproductive system which makes it possible to conceive and to carry and deliver a baby.  Women are wonderfully created to breastfeed.  Women are different from men and have a wider pelvis, broader hips, larger breasts, less facial hair, higher body fat, on average are shorter, and are less muscular.

I  AM  A  WOMAN

And I am appalled that the definition of “woman” is being changed to include transgender women.  These are not women.  They are males, from very young boys to adults, who are being encouraged to enter an unrealistic lifestyle.  They are males who think tucking a penis can make them a woman or taking medication can change their sex.  They are males and, no matter what state of reality they live in, they cannot produce breast milk.  They are males who enter women’s sports and use their muscular advantage to achieve the gold, which they could not achieve when competing against other men.  They are anatomically correct males who, for some reason, think they have the right to appear naked in women’s restrooms, and locker rooms, and should be given accommodation in a female’s hotel room, prisons, and hospitals. 

God created me, in my mother’s womb, to be a woman.  And I refuse to accept this new meaning for the word woman.  A new meaning which diminishes and makes a mockery of all women. 

This blog could be rewritten and titled Being A Man.  This blog would then include the women who are encouraged to enter an unrealistic lifestyle where they think they are men and take medication to change their sex.  Where they dress and undress in men’s locker rooms and use men’s restrooms.  Where they swim in public pools topless and bind their breasts to appear flat chested.  But they are not flat chested and they are not men. 

These men and women are being encouraged to live in an unrealistic world and they are demanding that everyone affirms and joins in their delusion.  I REFUSE!