March 14

NT: Luke 1:26-56
Even after I have read Luke a MILLION times, especially the birth story, I just realized today that Mary was not pregnant when she went to visit Elizabeth. For some reason, all these years, I had assumed that she was and the reason she had gone to Elizabeth was the time honored tradition of sending the pregnant young girl to visit her aunt.
Here is a lovely rendition of the sung Magnificat as well as beautiful imagery of the visit of Gabriel to Mary.


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Gabriel is mentioned in only one other book of the Bible – Daniel 9:21. However, the Talmud and Midrash talk about Gabriel, the Archangel of God, extensively. Just another hash mark for Luke being a good Jewish scholarly boy.

OT -- Numbers 21:1-22:20
The story of Balaam clearly resonates with the rabbis. There is page after page after page of commentary on this one gentile ‘prophet’. Later on, in the Talmud, Balaam is mentioned again as one of the seven prophets (others include JOB!!! and his four friends (did you realize they were gentiles?)) and is held in great esteem. After all, he thwarted the plans of kings to destroy the Children of Israel. Still later, Balaam is mentioned in the letter of John and also in the extra-Biblical sources of Josephus. I plan on doing more research for tomorrow’s post.

Psalm 57
“I am in the midst of lions, I lie among ravenous beasts”. While I do not currently feel that way, I have on occasions. I’ve marked this psalm as one when under assailment. And I don’t think it necessarily has to be physical. Sometimes it is emotional or mental. Maybe even spiritual.
I am really glad to have had this time to simmer in the psalms. I did not really have a good working knowledge of them and where to turn in times of trouble or despair.

I have been planting my garden this week and my body is full of aches and creaks that I don’t normally have. But it is good to be out in God’s wonderful creation of Atlanta spring and I wish you the joy of the loveliness that I have immersed in.