recently read 'sussana wesley' (the mother of john and charles) by charles ludwig
she was raised according to what i might call 'the methodical method'...to do the same thing at the same time is the best way i can describe it. this morning i had the impression that God intended me, at 60, to become like a little child and begin to train myself
(give me a new heart, Lord..a heart that desires only to obey You..otherwise i can only become a methodist who deservingly goes to hell)
according to this method. after a life of little thought as to what happened last and what would come next..we'll see what happens, but even on the first day it is causing me to think very differently and to be a bit more focused and 'sharpened'. probably will last through tomorrow morning...but i hope not. i only have half a nano second left here with nothing done for Jesus Christ..
148.3...thankful for what he had learned, john later wrote to his mother and asked her to outline the methods she used in raising and educating her children. in a letter dated july 24, 1732, susanna replied:
the children were always put into a regular method of living in such things as they were capable of, from their birth; as in dressing and undressing, changing their linen, etc. the first quarter commonly passed in sleep, after that they were, if possible, laid into their cradle awake, and rocked to sleep.
when turned a year old (and some before) they were taught to fear the rod and to cry softly, by which means they escaped abundance of correction, the family usually lived in as much quietness as if there had not been a child among them.
as soon as they were grown pretty strong they were confined to three meals a day. at dinner their little table and chairs were set by ours. if they wanted aught they whispered to the maid. drinking or eating between meals was never allowed, unless in case of sickness. nor were they suffered to go into the kitchen to ask anything of the servants when they were at meat: if it was known that they did so, they were certainly beat, and the servants severely reprimanded.
at six oclock, as soon as family prayer was over, they had their supper; at seven the maid washed them, and beginning at the youngest, she undressed them and got them to bed by eight, at which time she left them in their several rooms awake.
susanna then went on to describe how and why she disciplined her children.
in order to form the minds of children, the first thing to be done is to conquer their will. to inform the understanding is a work of time, and must...proceed by slow degrees. i call cruel, parents who permit their children to get habits which they know must be afterwards broken.
after many more observations on that subject, susanna wrote about how she gave religious instructions to her little ones.
our children were taught as soon as they could speak the Lord's prayer, which they were made to say at rising and bedtime, to which, as they grew bigger, were added a short prayer for their parents...and some portion of scripture as their memories could bear. they were very early made to distinguish the sabbath from other days. they were taught to be still at family prayers, and to ask a blessing immediately after, which they used to do by signs, before they could kneel or speak.
they were quickly made to understand they could have nothing they cried for, and instructed to speak handsomely for what they wanted. they were not suffered to ask even the lowest servant for aught without saying, 'pray give me such a thing.
taking God's name in vain, cursing and swearing, profanity, obscenity, rude, ill bred names, were never heard among them; nor were they ever permitted to call each other by their proper names without the addition of brother or sister.
there was no such thing as loud playing or talking...everyone was kept close to business for six hours of school.
on day susanna was teaching a difficult rule of grammar, and kezzy could not understand it. patiently, susanna went over it again and again. then, noticing a shadow, she lifted her eyes and discovered that samuel had been listening. shaking his head, he commented, 'i wonder at your patience, sukey. you have told that child twenty times that same thing.
susanna smiled. 'if i had satisfied myself by mentioning it only nineteen times, i should have lost all my labor. it was the twentieth time that crowned it.
155.last ..her dream of producing children who would help change the world still continued. to enable her to do this, she produced a set of rules. here they are as she later outlined them to her son john.
1. it had been observed that cowardice and fear of punishment often lead children into lying. to prevent this a law was made that whoever was charged with a fault of which they were guilty, if they would ...confess it and promise to ament (they) should not be beaten.
2. that no sinful action, as lying, pilfering at church or on the Lord's day, disobedience, quarrelling, etc. should ever pass unpunished..
3. that no child should ever be chided or beat twice for the same fault, and that if they amended they should never be upbraided with it afterwards.
4. that every signal act of obedience, especially when it crossed upon their own inclingations, shold always be commended, and frequently rewarded according to the merits of the case.
5. that if ever any child performed an act of obedience, or did anything with an intention to please, though the performanced was not well, yet the obedience and intention should be kindly accepted, and the child with sweetness directed how to do better for the future.
6. that propriety (the rights of property) be ...preserved, and none suffered to invade the property of another in the smallest manner, thoughit were but the value of a farthing or a pin, which they might not take from the owner without, much less against, his consent.
7. that promises be strictly observed; and a gift once bestowed, and so the right passed away from the donor, be not resumed, but left to the disposal of him to who it was given, unless it were conditional, and the condition of the oboligation not performed.
8. that no girl be taught to work till she can read very well.
Friday, November 2, 2012
Saturday, October 27, 2012
10.27.2012 RUMINATIONS - PSALM 135.15
the apostle john ends his first epistle to the church with this command,
'little children, KEEP YOURSELF FROM IDOLS. amen'
joy is the reality that JESUS..alone..IS ENOUGH.
idols are anyone, anything that we live for..other than Jesus.
to live for anything, no matter how small..no matter how hidden from general view..or even our conscious mind..no matter for how short a time is a sin of the darkest dye..we stand naked and black before God.
this is what the bible calls 'falling short of the glory of God'. He deserves 100% of us..the one who created us, paid the price of our redemption from sin and its penalty by His death on the cross..the one who has from eternity past until the moment of our completed redemption (standing without fault 'before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy' jude 24), suffered/suffers/will suffer because He is not yet our all.
Jesus' commandment, 'BE PERFECT as your Father in heaven is perfect' seals the doom of our continuous attempts to either try to be or flee.
in living for any other than God 100% we not only break the second commandment (no idols) but the first (have no other god before Me) in seeking to be our own god.
not only this condemnation comes but brings no kind of deep satisfaction which we crave. jeremiah 2.13 'My people have committed two evils
they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living water,
to hew for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, which can hold no water.'
the ongoing futility of our lives is portrayed in the picture given in psalm 135.15f:
'the idols of the heathen
(that would be you and me every time we seek 'life' in anything outside of the LIFE of Jesus Christ within us and vouchsafed to us forever)
are silver and gold,
the work of men's hands.
they have mouths, but they speak not:
eyes have they, but they see not;
they have ears, but they hear not;
neither is there any breath in their mouths.
THEY THAT MAKE THEM
ARE LIKE THEM (lifeless)
so is every one that trusteth in them.
..taken from spurgeon's treasury of david, vol. 7.156..
15f..'the rev. john thomas, a missionary in india, was one day travelling alone through the country, when he saw a great number of people waiting near an idol temple. he went up to them and as soon as the doors were opened, he walked into the temple. seeing an idol raised above the people, he walked boldly up to it, held up hos hand and asked for silence. he then put his fingers on its eyes, and said,
'it has eyes, but it cannot see!
it has ears, but it cannot hear!
it has a nose, but it cannot smell! it has hands, but it cannot handle!
it has a mouth, but it cannot speak! neither is any breath in it!
instead of doing injury to him for affronting their god and themselves, the natives were all surprised; and an old brahmin was so convinced of his folly by what mr. thomas said, that he also cried our,
'it has feet, but cannot run away!
the people raise a shout and being ashamed of their stupidity, they left the temple, and went to their homes. from 'the new cyclopaedia of illustrative anecdote, 1875
18'like them shall be those making them, every one who (is) trusting in them'
if the meaning had been simply, those who make them ARE like them, hebrew usage would have required the verb to be suppressed. its insertion, therefore, in the future form requires it to be rendered strictly, SHALL BE ie. in fate as well as character..see isaiah 1.31 joseph addison alexander.
'like unto them'
a singular phenomenon, known as the Spectre of the Bocken, is seen on a certain mountain in germany. the traveller who at dawn stands on the topmost ridge beholds a colossal shadowy spectre. but in fact it is only his own shadow projected upon the morning mists by the rising sun; and it imitates, or course, every movement of its creator. so heathen (all?) nations have mistaken their own image for Deity. their gods display human frailties and passions and scanty virtues, projected and magnified upon the heavens, just as small figures on the slide of a magic lantern are projected, magnified and illuminated upon a white sheet.
from elan foster's new cyclopaedia of illustrations, 1870
'little children, KEEP YOURSELF FROM IDOLS. amen'
joy is the reality that JESUS..alone..IS ENOUGH.
idols are anyone, anything that we live for..other than Jesus.
to live for anything, no matter how small..no matter how hidden from general view..or even our conscious mind..no matter for how short a time is a sin of the darkest dye..we stand naked and black before God.
this is what the bible calls 'falling short of the glory of God'. He deserves 100% of us..the one who created us, paid the price of our redemption from sin and its penalty by His death on the cross..the one who has from eternity past until the moment of our completed redemption (standing without fault 'before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy' jude 24), suffered/suffers/will suffer because He is not yet our all.
Jesus' commandment, 'BE PERFECT as your Father in heaven is perfect' seals the doom of our continuous attempts to either try to be or flee.
in living for any other than God 100% we not only break the second commandment (no idols) but the first (have no other god before Me) in seeking to be our own god.
not only this condemnation comes but brings no kind of deep satisfaction which we crave. jeremiah 2.13 'My people have committed two evils
they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living water,
to hew for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, which can hold no water.'
the ongoing futility of our lives is portrayed in the picture given in psalm 135.15f:
'the idols of the heathen
(that would be you and me every time we seek 'life' in anything outside of the LIFE of Jesus Christ within us and vouchsafed to us forever)
are silver and gold,
the work of men's hands.
they have mouths, but they speak not:
eyes have they, but they see not;
they have ears, but they hear not;
neither is there any breath in their mouths.
THEY THAT MAKE THEM
ARE LIKE THEM (lifeless)
so is every one that trusteth in them.
..taken from spurgeon's treasury of david, vol. 7.156..
15f..'the rev. john thomas, a missionary in india, was one day travelling alone through the country, when he saw a great number of people waiting near an idol temple. he went up to them and as soon as the doors were opened, he walked into the temple. seeing an idol raised above the people, he walked boldly up to it, held up hos hand and asked for silence. he then put his fingers on its eyes, and said,
'it has eyes, but it cannot see!
it has ears, but it cannot hear!
it has a nose, but it cannot smell! it has hands, but it cannot handle!
it has a mouth, but it cannot speak! neither is any breath in it!
instead of doing injury to him for affronting their god and themselves, the natives were all surprised; and an old brahmin was so convinced of his folly by what mr. thomas said, that he also cried our,
'it has feet, but cannot run away!
the people raise a shout and being ashamed of their stupidity, they left the temple, and went to their homes. from 'the new cyclopaedia of illustrative anecdote, 1875
18'like them shall be those making them, every one who (is) trusting in them'
if the meaning had been simply, those who make them ARE like them, hebrew usage would have required the verb to be suppressed. its insertion, therefore, in the future form requires it to be rendered strictly, SHALL BE ie. in fate as well as character..see isaiah 1.31 joseph addison alexander.
'like unto them'
a singular phenomenon, known as the Spectre of the Bocken, is seen on a certain mountain in germany. the traveller who at dawn stands on the topmost ridge beholds a colossal shadowy spectre. but in fact it is only his own shadow projected upon the morning mists by the rising sun; and it imitates, or course, every movement of its creator. so heathen (all?) nations have mistaken their own image for Deity. their gods display human frailties and passions and scanty virtues, projected and magnified upon the heavens, just as small figures on the slide of a magic lantern are projected, magnified and illuminated upon a white sheet.
from elan foster's new cyclopaedia of illustrations, 1870
10.27.2012 LORD, HELP ME WEEP..then start sowing!!! - PSALM 126
(note: is it not true that if i come to the place where i am weeping over the sins of others i will have to sow to them the only answer for their great need)
1'when the Lord turned again the captivity of zion, we were like them that dream.
2then was our mouth filled with laughter and our tongue with singing
then said they among the heathen,
'the Lord hath done great things for them.
3the Lord hath done great things for us
whereof we are glad.
4turn again our captivity, O Lord, as the streams in the south.
5they that sow in tears shall reap in joy.
6he that goeth forth and weepeth,
bearing precious seed,
shall doubtless come again with rejoicing,
bringing his sheaves with him.
..taken from the treasury of david by spurgeon, vol 7.12f
..we see here not only that zion
(note: in scripture does not this word always refer to the church redeemed and triumphant? or maybe the church which ultimately will be both redeemed and triumphant? not sure..but think so..)
abides, but that her joy returns after sorrow.
abiding is not enough, fruitfulness is added...
'turning captivity' by no means requires an actual removal into banishment to fill out the idea;
rescue from any dire affliction or crushing tyranny would be fitly described as 'captivity turned'.
indeed, the passage is not applicable to captives in babylon,
for it is zion itself which is in captivity and not a part of her citizens:
the holy city was in sorrow and distress;
though it could not be removed, the prosperity could be diminished.
some dark cloud lowered over the beloved capital and its citizens prayed
'turn our captivity Lord..
..the word 'turn would seem to be the keynote of the song:
it is a psalm of conversion-conversion from captivity;
and it may well be used to set forth the rapture of a pardoned soul when the anger of the Lord is turned away from it.
we will call it,
'leading captivity captive'.
1'when the Lord turned again the captivity of zion, we were like them that dream..'
..being in trouble, the gracious pilgrims remember for their comfort times of national woe which were3 succeeded by remarkable deliverances.
..each man said to himself,
'is this a dream? O if it be a dream,
let me sleep on and do not wake me yet.
..let us look to the prison houses from which we have been set free. oh, me, what captives we have been!
..this verse will have a higher fulfilment in the day of the final overthrow of the powers of darkness..
..when Jehovah appeared he did not merely lift us out of despondency, he raised us into wondering happiness.
2'then said they among the heathen..'...it is a blessed thing when saints set sinners talking about the lovingkindness of the Lord;
and it is equally blessed when the saints who are hidden away in the world hear of what the Lord has done for His church..
3'..we are glad'..there is so little of happiness abroad that if we possess a full share of it we ought not to hide our light under a bushel, but let it shine on all that are in the house.
4'turn again our captivity Lord..'
..nothing strengthens faith more effectually than the memory of a previous experience.
'as the streams of the south'
even as the Lord sends floods adown the dry beds
(note: called wadi..a part of the deathly dry desert areas which, when rain comes, is turned quickly into a flowing, rushing torrent...just as quickly to dry up and die away after the rain..)
of southern torrents after long droughts, so can He sill our wasted and wearied spirits with floods of holy delight.
5'they that sow in tears shall reap in joy'
..'sorrow is our sowing, rejoicing shall be our reaping.
if there were no sowing in tears there would be no reaping in joy.
if we were never captives we could never lead our captivity captive.
our mouth had never been filled with holy laughter
if it had not been first filled with the bitterness of grief..
..when a man's heart is so stirred that he weeps over the sins of others, he is elect to usefulness.
WINNERS OF SOULS ARE FIRST WEEPERS FOR SOULS.
(note: of which i am, horribly, an absolute stranger.)
..when our own hears are broken with grief at man's transgression
we shall break other men's heart:
tears of earnestness beget tears of repentance:
'deep calleth unto deep'..
6..it is somewhat singular to find this promise of fruitfulness in close contact with return from captivity;
and yet it is so in our won experience,
for when our own soul is revived the souls of others are blessed by our labours.
all the above commentary is by spurgeon
1.as by the Lord's permission they were led into captivity,
so only by His power they were set at liberty.. john hume in 'the jewes deliverance, 1628
'the captivity of zion'
..why? what was zion?
we know it was but a hill in jerusalem, on the north side.
why is that hill so honoured?
no reason in the world but this,-
that upon it the temple was built;
and so, that zion is much spoken of and much made of, it is only for the temple's sake.
'when we remembered thee, O zion'
that was their greatest grief.
that their greatest grief and this their greatest joy.. lancelot andrews, 1555-1626
'in Jehovah's turning (to) the turning of zion' meaning
to return to the return, or
meet those returning, as it were, half way.
the hebrew noun denotes conversion, in its spiritual sense,
and the verb god's gracious condescension in accepting or responding to it. joshep addison alexander
..
1'when the Lord turned again the captivity of zion, we were like them that dream.
2then was our mouth filled with laughter and our tongue with singing
then said they among the heathen,
'the Lord hath done great things for them.
3the Lord hath done great things for us
whereof we are glad.
4turn again our captivity, O Lord, as the streams in the south.
5they that sow in tears shall reap in joy.
6he that goeth forth and weepeth,
bearing precious seed,
shall doubtless come again with rejoicing,
bringing his sheaves with him.
..taken from the treasury of david by spurgeon, vol 7.12f
..we see here not only that zion
(note: in scripture does not this word always refer to the church redeemed and triumphant? or maybe the church which ultimately will be both redeemed and triumphant? not sure..but think so..)
abides, but that her joy returns after sorrow.
abiding is not enough, fruitfulness is added...
'turning captivity' by no means requires an actual removal into banishment to fill out the idea;
rescue from any dire affliction or crushing tyranny would be fitly described as 'captivity turned'.
indeed, the passage is not applicable to captives in babylon,
for it is zion itself which is in captivity and not a part of her citizens:
the holy city was in sorrow and distress;
though it could not be removed, the prosperity could be diminished.
some dark cloud lowered over the beloved capital and its citizens prayed
'turn our captivity Lord..
..the word 'turn would seem to be the keynote of the song:
it is a psalm of conversion-conversion from captivity;
and it may well be used to set forth the rapture of a pardoned soul when the anger of the Lord is turned away from it.
we will call it,
'leading captivity captive'.
1'when the Lord turned again the captivity of zion, we were like them that dream..'
..being in trouble, the gracious pilgrims remember for their comfort times of national woe which were3 succeeded by remarkable deliverances.
..each man said to himself,
'is this a dream? O if it be a dream,
let me sleep on and do not wake me yet.
..let us look to the prison houses from which we have been set free. oh, me, what captives we have been!
..this verse will have a higher fulfilment in the day of the final overthrow of the powers of darkness..
..when Jehovah appeared he did not merely lift us out of despondency, he raised us into wondering happiness.
2'then said they among the heathen..'...it is a blessed thing when saints set sinners talking about the lovingkindness of the Lord;
and it is equally blessed when the saints who are hidden away in the world hear of what the Lord has done for His church..
3'..we are glad'..there is so little of happiness abroad that if we possess a full share of it we ought not to hide our light under a bushel, but let it shine on all that are in the house.
4'turn again our captivity Lord..'
..nothing strengthens faith more effectually than the memory of a previous experience.
'as the streams of the south'
even as the Lord sends floods adown the dry beds
(note: called wadi..a part of the deathly dry desert areas which, when rain comes, is turned quickly into a flowing, rushing torrent...just as quickly to dry up and die away after the rain..)
of southern torrents after long droughts, so can He sill our wasted and wearied spirits with floods of holy delight.
5'they that sow in tears shall reap in joy'
..'sorrow is our sowing, rejoicing shall be our reaping.
if there were no sowing in tears there would be no reaping in joy.
if we were never captives we could never lead our captivity captive.
our mouth had never been filled with holy laughter
if it had not been first filled with the bitterness of grief..
..when a man's heart is so stirred that he weeps over the sins of others, he is elect to usefulness.
WINNERS OF SOULS ARE FIRST WEEPERS FOR SOULS.
(note: of which i am, horribly, an absolute stranger.)
..when our own hears are broken with grief at man's transgression
we shall break other men's heart:
tears of earnestness beget tears of repentance:
'deep calleth unto deep'..
6..it is somewhat singular to find this promise of fruitfulness in close contact with return from captivity;
and yet it is so in our won experience,
for when our own soul is revived the souls of others are blessed by our labours.
all the above commentary is by spurgeon
1.as by the Lord's permission they were led into captivity,
so only by His power they were set at liberty.. john hume in 'the jewes deliverance, 1628
'the captivity of zion'
..why? what was zion?
we know it was but a hill in jerusalem, on the north side.
why is that hill so honoured?
no reason in the world but this,-
that upon it the temple was built;
and so, that zion is much spoken of and much made of, it is only for the temple's sake.
'when we remembered thee, O zion'
that was their greatest grief.
that their greatest grief and this their greatest joy.. lancelot andrews, 1555-1626
'in Jehovah's turning (to) the turning of zion' meaning
to return to the return, or
meet those returning, as it were, half way.
the hebrew noun denotes conversion, in its spiritual sense,
and the verb god's gracious condescension in accepting or responding to it. joshep addison alexander
..
Friday, October 26, 2012
10.26.2012 LARRY NORMAN - 'REMIXING THIS PLANET
taken from the cd info..
-norman was the planet's first christian rock artist.
-he started writing his songs in 1956..signed a world wide recording contract with capitol records in 1966
-within 10 years his music helped to change the gospel music scene radically from one dominated by whit southern gospel quartets
first ten albums recorded:
1967-we need a whole lot more of Jesus (and a lot less rock and roll)
1968-both sides of people
1969-upon this rock
1970-street level
1971-bootleg
1972-only visiting this planet
1973-so long ago in the garden
1975-in another land
1976-something new under the son
1977-voyage of the vigilant
when voyage of the vigilant was refused for release, larry decided to create an independent distribution system.
he started street level records in 1978 and his albums went all over the world and by passed the major american companies.
in 1980 larry started phydeaux records to distribute his more controversial projects directly to people who wanted his music. at the end of 1980 he left america, moved to england and continued touring europe and countries beyond. he began performing with different bands and recording most of his rehearsals and performances. he navigated his own musical path which was nowhere near the middle of the road.
in 1996 larry celebrated his birthday on the world wide web and used the internet to welcome hundreds of people from around the world to a seven hour virtual party.
street level cafe/cyberia hosted the 'radio babylon'soiree and utilized three different computers in america and one in ireland. the real time conference with fellow internauts included live CU-see me video for those who wanted to see inside the studio.
for rare albums, videos, compact discs, t-shirts, cassettes and moonrocks write to
street level cafe @ cyberia
3760 market street NE- 306
salem, oregon 97301
te. 503.391.1175
-norman was the planet's first christian rock artist.
-he started writing his songs in 1956..signed a world wide recording contract with capitol records in 1966
-within 10 years his music helped to change the gospel music scene radically from one dominated by whit southern gospel quartets
first ten albums recorded:
1967-we need a whole lot more of Jesus (and a lot less rock and roll)
1968-both sides of people
1969-upon this rock
1970-street level
1971-bootleg
1972-only visiting this planet
1973-so long ago in the garden
1975-in another land
1976-something new under the son
1977-voyage of the vigilant
when voyage of the vigilant was refused for release, larry decided to create an independent distribution system.
he started street level records in 1978 and his albums went all over the world and by passed the major american companies.
in 1980 larry started phydeaux records to distribute his more controversial projects directly to people who wanted his music. at the end of 1980 he left america, moved to england and continued touring europe and countries beyond. he began performing with different bands and recording most of his rehearsals and performances. he navigated his own musical path which was nowhere near the middle of the road.
in 1996 larry celebrated his birthday on the world wide web and used the internet to welcome hundreds of people from around the world to a seven hour virtual party.
street level cafe/cyberia hosted the 'radio babylon'soiree and utilized three different computers in america and one in ireland. the real time conference with fellow internauts included live CU-see me video for those who wanted to see inside the studio.
for rare albums, videos, compact discs, t-shirts, cassettes and moonrocks write to
street level cafe @ cyberia
3760 market street NE- 306
salem, oregon 97301
te. 503.391.1175
10.26.2012 this morning considering PSALM 55.17
taken from spurgeon's treasury of david, vol.3.21
'evening and morning and at noon, will i PRAY and CRY ALOUD: and He shall hear my voice... king james
" COMPLAIN MURMUR " new american standard
complain (7878 siach)- muse, meditate, complain, talk of; murmur (1993 hamah) -growl, roar, be boisterous
..'to begin, continue, and end the day with God is supreme wisdom...
'and cry aloud'..he would give a tongue to his complaint
he would be very earnest in his pleas with heaven.
some cry aloud who never say a word.
it is the bell of the heart that rings loudest in heaven.
some read it, 'i will nurse and murmur
deep heart thoughts should be attended with inarticulate but vehement utterances of grief.
blessed be God, moaning is translatable in heaven.
a father's heart reads a child's heart. spurgeon
'evening and morning and at noon will i pray
this was the custom of pious hebrews. see dan. 4.10. the hebrews began their day in the evening and hence..evening first...
this was observed in the primitive church; but thetimes in different places were various. adam clarke
the three principal parts of the day are mentioned, not as marking special times set apart for prayer, but as a poetical expression fro
'the whole day
'at all times
'without ceasing j.j. stewart perowne
if our poor, frail bodies need refreshment from food three times a day, who, that knows his own weakness, will say that we need not as frequent refreshment for our poor frail spirits? william s. plumer, 1867
i can no more believe him to be frequent and spiritual in ejaculatory prayer, who neglects the season of solemn prayer, than i can believe that he keeps every day in the week a sabbath, who neglects to keep that one which God hath appointted. william gurnall, 1617-79
there is no limited time in the court of heaven for hearing petitions. it is not like the court of earthly princes, for there is a free access any day of the week,any hour of the day, or the night, any minute of the hour. as the lawyer saith of the king, for having his due...so may i say of the godly, for making his prayers and granting his requests..no time unseasonable, so the heart be seasoned with faith; no non term in God's court of requests. He keeps continually open house for all comers and goers; and indeed, most for comers, then goers.
His eyes are always open to behold our tears
His ears are always open to hear our groans
His heart also and His bowels are always open and never shut up so fast,
but they will yearn and turn within Him,
if our misery be never so little.
for as we have not an high priest to pray by
'that cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities;
so neither have we a God to pray to, that shall see us in distress,
and hear us cal and cry and never be moved. zachary bogan 1625-59
'and cry aloud' the word here employed properly means to murmur; to make a humming sound; to sigh; to growl; to groan. here the language means that he would give utterance to his deep feelings in appropriate tones-
whether words, sighs or groans. albert barnes
'evening and morning and at noon, will i PRAY and CRY ALOUD: and He shall hear my voice... king james
" COMPLAIN MURMUR " new american standard
complain (7878 siach)- muse, meditate, complain, talk of; murmur (1993 hamah) -growl, roar, be boisterous
..'to begin, continue, and end the day with God is supreme wisdom...
'and cry aloud'..he would give a tongue to his complaint
he would be very earnest in his pleas with heaven.
some cry aloud who never say a word.
it is the bell of the heart that rings loudest in heaven.
some read it, 'i will nurse and murmur
deep heart thoughts should be attended with inarticulate but vehement utterances of grief.
blessed be God, moaning is translatable in heaven.
a father's heart reads a child's heart. spurgeon
'evening and morning and at noon will i pray
this was the custom of pious hebrews. see dan. 4.10. the hebrews began their day in the evening and hence..evening first...
this was observed in the primitive church; but thetimes in different places were various. adam clarke
the three principal parts of the day are mentioned, not as marking special times set apart for prayer, but as a poetical expression fro
'the whole day
'at all times
'without ceasing j.j. stewart perowne
if our poor, frail bodies need refreshment from food three times a day, who, that knows his own weakness, will say that we need not as frequent refreshment for our poor frail spirits? william s. plumer, 1867
i can no more believe him to be frequent and spiritual in ejaculatory prayer, who neglects the season of solemn prayer, than i can believe that he keeps every day in the week a sabbath, who neglects to keep that one which God hath appointted. william gurnall, 1617-79
there is no limited time in the court of heaven for hearing petitions. it is not like the court of earthly princes, for there is a free access any day of the week,any hour of the day, or the night, any minute of the hour. as the lawyer saith of the king, for having his due...so may i say of the godly, for making his prayers and granting his requests..no time unseasonable, so the heart be seasoned with faith; no non term in God's court of requests. He keeps continually open house for all comers and goers; and indeed, most for comers, then goers.
His eyes are always open to behold our tears
His ears are always open to hear our groans
His heart also and His bowels are always open and never shut up so fast,
but they will yearn and turn within Him,
if our misery be never so little.
for as we have not an high priest to pray by
'that cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities;
so neither have we a God to pray to, that shall see us in distress,
and hear us cal and cry and never be moved. zachary bogan 1625-59
'and cry aloud' the word here employed properly means to murmur; to make a humming sound; to sigh; to growl; to groan. here the language means that he would give utterance to his deep feelings in appropriate tones-
whether words, sighs or groans. albert barnes
10.26.2012 PAID MY FREAKIN' $111!
i had thought that my freakin' old nature had been chained..if not tamed..by bringing it to the Lord. instead of having a significant period of 'going off' mentally, i thought i had realized...especially when yesterday i gunned the engine and still had seen the red before exiting the intersections..2 of them. that experience, i thought, had confirmed me in the final decision..to pay my fine like a 'good boy' that i ain't. no way. this morning i pulled up to park, going the wrong direction, right outside the souderton district judge deitelhaus' (sp?) office. i came in and..of course..no one in sight..petulantly went out and grabbed my gideons new testament (!!!!) to read while i WAITED. (what a contrast between inward and outward..) upon entering the second time the judge himself with a kindly smile and a gentle voice asked it i could turn the car around...it was liable to a traffic citation! inwardly fuming but with a returning 'kindly..gentle' demeanor went out a second time to turn the car.
after being stopped for 'running the traffic signal' at state and county line roads on the night of the 24th i protested (gently) that i never had seen the red (whether in actuality this was suppressed and flooded over by the slimy subconscious part of my old nature within i do not know..) and that i would be obliged to challenge this in court..
after a fair amount of time with a flow of internal justification (the 'points' actually written down for reference in forming my speech in court) directly after...
the next day the course was to follow, during my time with God (i can't stomach calling Him Lord in the midst of the recounting of all my rebellion against Him..but by His grace He moved me back to 'before Him'
1. suppose i AM actually right and the officer (my old flesh hates police and all authority figures seeing them all as one disagreeable lump of OPPRESSION foisted upon mankind (i have to be honest here for as i write i am seeing the truth of this) BY GOD). mistaken. i pondered..
2. do You have a purpose in this for me?....
3. ...a thought materializes...how many times have i, 'misjudging' of course, actually went through an intersection on a red light..
4. another thought: what would be the charge for each if $111 was divided between the all..
5. not much...
6. another thought..this is really, far from being a travesty of justice, the gentle, kindly warning of God...
7. another...possibly to protect either or both myself and others..
8. You have recently provided so much work for pay...more grace..
9. ok..Lord..i'll pay.
i thought after that it was settled and the peace of God once again reigned...but then all those wicked outcropings this morning again...the mystery of iniquity!
was drawn near to God this morning by a time of listening to larry norman songs. was brought to concern again...as his music has done before in me..over whether i REALLY am saved. was recently so concerned though reading the story of john wesley's conversion and how his moravian friends brought him to concern by the question, 'do you have the witness within?' wow..i think i do but if so i am a spiritual schizophrenic: one part of me is constantly, if not actively roiling in sin, fighting against it's constant temptations and inroads
one part of me is filled with a sense of Jesus' loving, peaceful, at times overwhelmingly gracious presence..i think..
I'M TIRED OF NOT HAVING, though, WHAT LARRY NORMAN 'HAS'. the last sweet prick of do i have the total joyful confidence as norman when he sings in 'joyful delta day' (about the second coming of the Lord) about that glorious day when 'THE CAPTIVES WILL BE RELEASED!!!!
...norman was a sinning saint just like me but even in the face of that he had the confidence that he was one day going to be released!
i won't go on...but i ask that God give me a DIVINELY FOMENTED DISSATISFACTION until all of me is all for Him..here and now...
after being stopped for 'running the traffic signal' at state and county line roads on the night of the 24th i protested (gently) that i never had seen the red (whether in actuality this was suppressed and flooded over by the slimy subconscious part of my old nature within i do not know..) and that i would be obliged to challenge this in court..
after a fair amount of time with a flow of internal justification (the 'points' actually written down for reference in forming my speech in court) directly after...
the next day the course was to follow, during my time with God (i can't stomach calling Him Lord in the midst of the recounting of all my rebellion against Him..but by His grace He moved me back to 'before Him'
1. suppose i AM actually right and the officer (my old flesh hates police and all authority figures seeing them all as one disagreeable lump of OPPRESSION foisted upon mankind (i have to be honest here for as i write i am seeing the truth of this) BY GOD). mistaken. i pondered..
2. do You have a purpose in this for me?....
3. ...a thought materializes...how many times have i, 'misjudging' of course, actually went through an intersection on a red light..
4. another thought: what would be the charge for each if $111 was divided between the all..
5. not much...
6. another thought..this is really, far from being a travesty of justice, the gentle, kindly warning of God...
7. another...possibly to protect either or both myself and others..
8. You have recently provided so much work for pay...more grace..
9. ok..Lord..i'll pay.
i thought after that it was settled and the peace of God once again reigned...but then all those wicked outcropings this morning again...the mystery of iniquity!
was drawn near to God this morning by a time of listening to larry norman songs. was brought to concern again...as his music has done before in me..over whether i REALLY am saved. was recently so concerned though reading the story of john wesley's conversion and how his moravian friends brought him to concern by the question, 'do you have the witness within?' wow..i think i do but if so i am a spiritual schizophrenic: one part of me is constantly, if not actively roiling in sin, fighting against it's constant temptations and inroads
one part of me is filled with a sense of Jesus' loving, peaceful, at times overwhelmingly gracious presence..i think..
I'M TIRED OF NOT HAVING, though, WHAT LARRY NORMAN 'HAS'. the last sweet prick of do i have the total joyful confidence as norman when he sings in 'joyful delta day' (about the second coming of the Lord) about that glorious day when 'THE CAPTIVES WILL BE RELEASED!!!!
...norman was a sinning saint just like me but even in the face of that he had the confidence that he was one day going to be released!
i won't go on...but i ask that God give me a DIVINELY FOMENTED DISSATISFACTION until all of me is all for Him..here and now...
Thursday, October 25, 2012
10.25.2012 PSALM 134
taken from spurgeon's treasury of david..a commentary on the psalms..
title-a song of degrees. we have now reached the last of the gradual psalms the pilgrims are going home and are singing the last song in their psalter. they leave early in the moring, before the day has fully commenced, for the journey is long for many of them. while yet the nigh lingers they are on the move. sas soon as they are outside the gates they see tyhe guards upon the temple wall and the lamps shining from the windows of the chambers which surround the snactuary; therefore, moved by the sight, they chant a farewell to the perpetual attendants upon the holy shrine. their parting exhortation arouses the priests to pronounce upon them a blessing out of the holy place: this benediction is contained in the third verse. the priests as good as say,
'you have desired us to bless the Lod and now we pray the Lord to bless you.
the psalm teaches us to pray for those who are continually ministering before the Lord and
it invites all ministers to pronounce benedictions upon their loving and prayerful people.
text
v1. behold, bless ye the lord, all ye servants of the lord, which by night stand in the house of the Lord.
2. lift up your hands in the sanctuary and bless the Lord.
3. the Lord that made heaven and earth bless thee out of zion.
v2 'lift up your hands in the snctuary'
(note: one night at my chosen place of worshipping the Lord, mision evangelica in souderton, the pastor made a statement to this effect,
'everyone should lift up their hands to the Lord...for this is commanded in scripture
i had always 'intended' to check this out with a search in strong's concordance of the words 'lift up', 'hands', but due to the fact that i still have a huge mass of depraved rebellion against authority figures, in this case the pastor, i had not yet 'gotten around' to this.
here before me lies the truth of his statement.
now i have still to overcome the difficulty of doing anything 'on command' by another sinful human being. a fair amount of this occurs in worship at this location..not so much to be intolerable..but enough to be grating on each occasion. my practice is to ignore it roundly..except on the rare occasion when the Spirit within radifies. i shall need to adjust my outward behavior..crying to the Lord to give me a softening of heart and a producing within somewhat of a semblance of wholehearted worship to accompany the outer physical adjustment.)
in the holy place they must be busy, full of strength, wide awake, energetic and moved with holy ardour.
hands, heart, and every other part of their manhood must be upraised, elevated and consecrated to the adoring service of the lord.
as the angels praise God day without night, so must the angels of the churches be instant in season and out of season.
'and bless the Lor' this is their main business. they are to bless men by their teaching,
but they must yet more bless Jehovah with their worship.
too often men look at public worship only from the side of its usefulness to the people:
but the other matter is of even higher importance:
we must see to it that the Lord God is adored, extolled and had in reverance.
for a second time the word 'bless' is used, and applied to Jehovah.
bless the Lord, o my oul, and let every other soul bless Him.
there will be no drowsiness about even midnight devotion if the heart is set upon blessing God in Christ Jesus, which is the gospel translation of God in the snactuary. exposition of v2 by spurgeon
whole psalthe last cloud of smoke from the evening sacrifice has mixed with the blue sky,
the last note of the evening humn has died away on the ear.
the watch is being set for the night.
the 24 levites, the 3 priests and the captain of the guard,
whose duty it was to keep ward from sunset to sunrise over the hallowed precincts,
are already at their several posts,
and the mutitude are retiring through the gates, which will soon be shut.
to many of them to open no more.
but they cannot depart without one last expression of the piety that fills their hearts;
and turning to the watchers on tower and battlement,
they address them in holy song, in what was at once a brotherly admonition and touching prayer:
'behold, bless ye the lord, all ye servants of the Lord, which by night stand in the house of the Lord.
lift up your hands in the sanctuary and bless the Lord.
the pious guard are not unprepared for the appeal
and from thier lofty heights
in words that float over the peopled city and down into the quiet valley of the kedron,
like the melody or angels, they respond to each worshipper who thus addressed them with a benedictory farewell:
'the Lrod bless thee out of zion, even he who made heaven and earth. robert nisbet
the tabernacle and temple were served by priests during the night as well as the day.
those priests renewed the altar fire, fed the lamps and guared the sacred structure from intusion and..plunder.
the psalm before us was prepared for the priests who served the sacred place by night.
they were in dange of slumbering;
and they were in danger of idle reverie.
oh, how much time is wasted in mere reverie-
in letting thought wander and wander and wander! the priests were in danger, we say,
of slumbering, of idle reverie, of vain thougts, of useless meditation, and of profitless talk:
and thereforeit is written,-
'behold, bless ye the Lord, all ye servants of the Lord, which by night stand in the house of the lord.
is it your duty to spend the night in watching?
then spend the night in worship.
do not let the time of watching be idle, wasted time;
but when others are slumbering and sleeping and you are necessarily watchfu, sustain the prasies of God's house;
let there be praise in zion-still prasie by night as well as by day!
'lift up you hands in the sanctuary and bless the lord. samuel martin. 1817-78
v2 'lift up your hands..the lifting up of the hands was a gesture in prayer,
it was an intimation of their expectation of receiving blessings from the Lord, and
it was also an acknowledgment of their having received the the same. samuel eyles pierce
'in the sanctuary. the hebrew word signifying holiness as well as the holy place may here be taken in the former sense, the latter having been sufficiently expressed (verse 1) by 'the house of the Lord..
the priests (which are here spoken to) before their officiating,
which is here expressed by lifting up their hands,
were obliged to was their hands henry hammond
v3 'the Lord that made heaven and earth...the priestly benediction brings God before us in a twofold character. He is described first as the creator of the univers.
He is described, in the second place as dwelling 'in zion' .
in the first aspect, he is represented as the God of nature;
in the second as the God of grace.
when i contemplate Him as the creator of the universe, ther is abundant proof that He can bnless me.
when i contemplate Him as dwelling in the churc,
there is aboundant proof that he wil bless me.
both elements are essential to our faith. n.m'michael
as the priest were called upon to bless God in behalf of the people,
so here they bless the people in behalf of God.
between the verses we may suppose the previous request to be complied with.
the priests, having blessed God, turn and bless the people.
the obvious allusion to the sacerdotal blessing..number 6
title-a song of degrees. we have now reached the last of the gradual psalms the pilgrims are going home and are singing the last song in their psalter. they leave early in the moring, before the day has fully commenced, for the journey is long for many of them. while yet the nigh lingers they are on the move. sas soon as they are outside the gates they see tyhe guards upon the temple wall and the lamps shining from the windows of the chambers which surround the snactuary; therefore, moved by the sight, they chant a farewell to the perpetual attendants upon the holy shrine. their parting exhortation arouses the priests to pronounce upon them a blessing out of the holy place: this benediction is contained in the third verse. the priests as good as say,
'you have desired us to bless the Lod and now we pray the Lord to bless you.
the psalm teaches us to pray for those who are continually ministering before the Lord and
it invites all ministers to pronounce benedictions upon their loving and prayerful people.
text
v1. behold, bless ye the lord, all ye servants of the lord, which by night stand in the house of the Lord.
2. lift up your hands in the sanctuary and bless the Lord.
3. the Lord that made heaven and earth bless thee out of zion.
v2 'lift up your hands in the snctuary'
(note: one night at my chosen place of worshipping the Lord, mision evangelica in souderton, the pastor made a statement to this effect,
'everyone should lift up their hands to the Lord...for this is commanded in scripture
i had always 'intended' to check this out with a search in strong's concordance of the words 'lift up', 'hands', but due to the fact that i still have a huge mass of depraved rebellion against authority figures, in this case the pastor, i had not yet 'gotten around' to this.
here before me lies the truth of his statement.
now i have still to overcome the difficulty of doing anything 'on command' by another sinful human being. a fair amount of this occurs in worship at this location..not so much to be intolerable..but enough to be grating on each occasion. my practice is to ignore it roundly..except on the rare occasion when the Spirit within radifies. i shall need to adjust my outward behavior..crying to the Lord to give me a softening of heart and a producing within somewhat of a semblance of wholehearted worship to accompany the outer physical adjustment.)
in the holy place they must be busy, full of strength, wide awake, energetic and moved with holy ardour.
hands, heart, and every other part of their manhood must be upraised, elevated and consecrated to the adoring service of the lord.
as the angels praise God day without night, so must the angels of the churches be instant in season and out of season.
'and bless the Lor' this is their main business. they are to bless men by their teaching,
but they must yet more bless Jehovah with their worship.
too often men look at public worship only from the side of its usefulness to the people:
but the other matter is of even higher importance:
we must see to it that the Lord God is adored, extolled and had in reverance.
for a second time the word 'bless' is used, and applied to Jehovah.
bless the Lord, o my oul, and let every other soul bless Him.
there will be no drowsiness about even midnight devotion if the heart is set upon blessing God in Christ Jesus, which is the gospel translation of God in the snactuary. exposition of v2 by spurgeon
whole psalthe last cloud of smoke from the evening sacrifice has mixed with the blue sky,
the last note of the evening humn has died away on the ear.
the watch is being set for the night.
the 24 levites, the 3 priests and the captain of the guard,
whose duty it was to keep ward from sunset to sunrise over the hallowed precincts,
are already at their several posts,
and the mutitude are retiring through the gates, which will soon be shut.
to many of them to open no more.
but they cannot depart without one last expression of the piety that fills their hearts;
and turning to the watchers on tower and battlement,
they address them in holy song, in what was at once a brotherly admonition and touching prayer:
'behold, bless ye the lord, all ye servants of the Lord, which by night stand in the house of the Lord.
lift up your hands in the sanctuary and bless the Lord.
the pious guard are not unprepared for the appeal
and from thier lofty heights
in words that float over the peopled city and down into the quiet valley of the kedron,
like the melody or angels, they respond to each worshipper who thus addressed them with a benedictory farewell:
'the Lrod bless thee out of zion, even he who made heaven and earth. robert nisbet
the tabernacle and temple were served by priests during the night as well as the day.
those priests renewed the altar fire, fed the lamps and guared the sacred structure from intusion and..plunder.
the psalm before us was prepared for the priests who served the sacred place by night.
they were in dange of slumbering;
and they were in danger of idle reverie.
oh, how much time is wasted in mere reverie-
in letting thought wander and wander and wander! the priests were in danger, we say,
of slumbering, of idle reverie, of vain thougts, of useless meditation, and of profitless talk:
and thereforeit is written,-
'behold, bless ye the Lord, all ye servants of the Lord, which by night stand in the house of the lord.
is it your duty to spend the night in watching?
then spend the night in worship.
do not let the time of watching be idle, wasted time;
but when others are slumbering and sleeping and you are necessarily watchfu, sustain the prasies of God's house;
let there be praise in zion-still prasie by night as well as by day!
'lift up you hands in the sanctuary and bless the lord. samuel martin. 1817-78
v2 'lift up your hands..the lifting up of the hands was a gesture in prayer,
it was an intimation of their expectation of receiving blessings from the Lord, and
it was also an acknowledgment of their having received the the same. samuel eyles pierce
'in the sanctuary. the hebrew word signifying holiness as well as the holy place may here be taken in the former sense, the latter having been sufficiently expressed (verse 1) by 'the house of the Lord..
the priests (which are here spoken to) before their officiating,
which is here expressed by lifting up their hands,
were obliged to was their hands henry hammond
v3 'the Lord that made heaven and earth...the priestly benediction brings God before us in a twofold character. He is described first as the creator of the univers.
He is described, in the second place as dwelling 'in zion' .
in the first aspect, he is represented as the God of nature;
in the second as the God of grace.
when i contemplate Him as the creator of the universe, ther is abundant proof that He can bnless me.
when i contemplate Him as dwelling in the churc,
there is aboundant proof that he wil bless me.
both elements are essential to our faith. n.m'michael
as the priest were called upon to bless God in behalf of the people,
so here they bless the people in behalf of God.
between the verses we may suppose the previous request to be complied with.
the priests, having blessed God, turn and bless the people.
the obvious allusion to the sacerdotal blessing..number 6
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