Reading from Friday, April 9

Hey ho. So today was interesting. It started with a very stressful rush to the vet because Kreacher threw up and then wouldn't move. Turns out he was fine and just barfed as dogs sometimes do. Then we had our friends the Soles join us for the day which is spectacular. But then at the end of the day we had a toilet issue that is, as of this writing, still unresolved.

Reading for April 9
Deuteronomy 33:1-29
The previous section of text was Moses singing a song about how the Israelites were going to rebel against God and basically how awful they were, but now Moses is faced with his own mortality and he now sings a song of blessing on the Israelites. He says something encouraging about each of the tribes of Israel. Nothing too eventful though, so we'll leave it there.

Luke 13:1-21
This really got me:

 ⁶Then he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. ⁷So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, 'For three years now I've been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven't found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?'
 ⁸" 'Sir,' the man replied, 'leave it alone for one more year, and I'll dig around it and fertilize it. ⁹If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.' "

I read it several times because I really didn't understand it on the first read. I'm sure I still don't have it completely right, but here's what I think it means: God represents the vineyard owner. The tree is humanity, and the fruit is obedience to God. After centuries of waiting for humanity to return to the goodness God wanted from them, God decided to just give up and start over. "The man who took care of the vineyard" represents Jesus, who gives humanity a second chance. 

Psalm 78:65-72
This psalm goes on forever. This continues the history of the people, nothing super exciting here.

Proverbs 12:25
 ²⁵ An anxious heart weighs a man down,
       but a kind word cheers him up.

Alright - this is my personal challenge to anyone reading this: use today as an opportunity to give a kind word to a stranger who looks like they may need it. I take the challenge on myself as well.


OK - goodnight friends.