March 16

Okay, I am sorry. I just realized that I had read the scripture for Friday rather than Thursday. As it is 9:45 and I am still reeling from Daylight savings time, well, this will just have to do. I will go back and read the scripture for March 15. If you feel like it, you could read the scripture and either comment on the blog or email me your comments and I will post them as the commentary for March 15. So very sorry!
My email: sylvia.mcadam@yahoo.com
NT – Luke 2:1-35
Such familiar words. I felt like I could have the capacity of simply going, well, yeah, I’ve heard those a time or two.
I decided to focus on the action verbs. Here is a partial list:
Issued, belonged, register, pledged, expecting, gave birth, wrapped, placed, keeping watch, appeared, shone, were terrified, Do Not Be Afraid, lying, praising, peace, see, found, spread, amazed, treasured, glorifying, circumcise, name, completed, present, offer, called, revealed, moved, promised, dismiss, prepared, marveled, blessed, destined, pierced.
This is another reason why I love Luke. Things HAPPEN in this gospel. In the space of 35 verses, the above and MORE happens. And it seems like each one of the verses has antecedents in books of the OT that we have already read.

Proverb 11:14
“For lack of guidance a nation falls, but many advisers make victory sure.”
I am still listening to Herman Wouk’s Winds of War. Today, I listened to the section where the fictional German Commander gives his explanation of the invasion of Norway. He makes the statement that Hitler took over the army, constantly meddled in the affairs and objectives of the army and when high ranking officials contradicted him, he had them dismissed and /or killed. He also makes the statement (which our protagonist Victor Henry denies) that Churchill was the same way.
Thus, his megalomania was never challenged.
Is this true of all situations? Or is there ever a case where the leader and the leader alone should make the decisions? What if we extrapolate that all the way to God? Who advises him?
In our OT – Numbers 24:1-25:18, it seems that Moses frequently advises God. God gets really mad and Moses either falls face down or makes atonement for the sin. In this case, the men of Israel were ‘indulging’ with Moabite women and another in the leadership of the Children of Israel intervenes with God. I am not sure that I would call them advisers, but clearly, God is listening to humans.
You will recall that Moab was created when Lot got his two daughters pregnant after Sodom fell and they ran off to the caves. In his defense, the girls got him drunk but really, that isn’t an excuse.
The Moabite women tried to seduce the masses but their allies, the Midianites, aimed really high. They went after the leaders of Israel. The law says that cohabitation with a gentile is punishable by death. Moses apparently forgot this but not Phinehas. Thus, Phinehas was elevated to his grandfather Aaron’s spot. This was a clear transfer of power. Tomorrow, we will read of Moses’.