If you're going to play songs, you wanna use .mp3 format. That's not quite as simple. After some research, I found it's not difficult if you use a freely available library called NAudio. Your code must reference this library, whose code is contained in file NAudio.dll

Your code must reference this library, whose code is contained in file NAudio.dll (downloadable here). I should note that the following code will suffice equally well whether you wish to play .wav or .mp3 files.

<script src="https://gist.github.com/kyrathasoft/607c71059fc608224279c3da5ddabfc2.js"></script>

First published: 1946

MEIHEM IN CE KLASRUM by Dolton Edwards

BECAUSE WE ARE STILL BEARING SOME OF THE SCARS OF OUR BRIEF SKIRMISH with II-B English, it is natural that we should be enchanted by Mr. George Bernard Shaw's current campaign for a simplified alphabet.

Obviously, as Mr. Shaw points out, English spelling is in much need of a general overhauling and streamlining. However, our own resistance to any changes requiring a large expenditure of mental effort in the near future would cause us to view with some apprehension the possibility of some day receiving a morning paper printed in-to us-Greek.

Our own plan would achieve the same end as the legislation proposed by Mr. Shaw, but in a less shocking manner, as it consists merely of an acceleration of the normal processes by which the language is continually modernized.

As a catalytic agent, we would suggest that a National Easy Language Week be proclaimed, which the President would inaugurate, outlining some short cut to concentrate on during the week, and to be adopted during the ensuing year. All school children would be given a holiday, the lost time being the equivalent of that gained by the spelling short cut.

In 1946, for example, we would urge the elimination of the soft c, for which we would substitute "s." Sertainly, such an improvement would be selebrated in all sivic-minded sircles as being suffisiently worth the trouble, and students in all sities in the land would be reseptive toward any change eliminating the nesessity of learning the differense between the two letters.

In 1947, sinse only the hard "c" would be left, it would be possible to substitute "k" for it, both letters being pronounsed identikally. Imagine how greatly only two years of this prosess would klarify the konfusion in the minds of students. Already we would have eliminated an entire letter from the alphabet. Typewriters and linotypes kould all be built with one less letter, and a11 the manpower and materials previously devoted to making "c's" kould be turned toward raising the national standard of living.

In the fase of so many notable improvements, it is easy to foresee that by 1948, "National Easy Language Week" would be a pronounsed sukses. All skhool tshildren would be looking forward with konsiderable exsitement to the holiday, and in a blaze of national publisity it would be announsed that the double konsonant "ph" no longer existed, and that the sound would henseforth be written "f" in all words, This would make sutsh words as "fonograf" twenty persent shorter in print.

By 1949, public interest in a fonetik alfabet kan be expekted to have inkreased to the point where a more radikal step forward kan be taken without fear of undue kritisism. We would therefore urge the elimination, at that time, of al unesesary double leters, whitsh, although quite harmles, have always ben a nuisanse in the language and a desided deterent to akurate speling. Try it yourself in the next leter you write, and se if both writing and reading are not fasilitated.

With so mutsh progres already made, it might be posible in 1950 to delve further into the posibilities of fonetik speling. After due konsideration of the reseption aforded the previous steps, it should be expedient by this time to spel al difthongs fonetikaly. Most students do not realize that the long "i" and "y," as in "time" and "by," are aktualy the difthong "ai," as it is writen in "aisle" and that the long "a" in "fate," is in reality the difthong "ei" as in "rein." Although perhaps not imediately aparent, the saving in taime and efort wil be tremendous when we leiter elimineite the sailent "e," as meide posible bai this last tsheinge.

For, as is wel known, the horible mes of "e's' apearing in our writen language is kaused prinsipaly bai the present nesesity of indikeiting whether a vowel is long or short. Therefore, in 1951 we kould simply elimineit al sailent "e's," and kontinu to read and wrait merily along as though we wer in an atomik ag of edukation.

In 1951 we would urg a greit step forward. Sins bai this taim it would have ben four years sins anywun had usd the leter "c," we would sugest that the "National Easy Languag Wek" for 1951 be devoted to substitution of "c" for "Th." To be sur it would be som taim befor peopl would bekom akustomd to reading ceir newspapers and buks wic sutsh sentenses in cem as "Ceodor caught he had cre cousand cistls crust crough ce cik of his cumb."

In ce seim maner, bai meiking eatsh leter hav its own sound and cat sound only, we kould shorten ce language stil mor. In 1952 we would elimineit ce "y"; cen in 1953 we kould us ce leter to indikeit ce "sh" sound, cerbai klarifaiing words laik yugar and yur, as wel as redusing bai wun mor leter al words laik "yut," "yore" and so forc. Cink, cen, of al ce benefits to be geind bai ce distinktion whitsh wil cen be meid between words laik:

ocean    now writen     oyean
machine   "    "        mayin
racial    "    "        reiyial

Al sutsh divers weis of wraiting wun sound would no longer exist. and whenever wun kaim akros a "y" sound he would know exaktli what to wrait.

Kontinuing cis proses, year after year, we would eventuali hav a reali sensibl writen langug. By 1975, wi ventyur tu sei, cer wud bi no mor uv ces teribli trublsum difikultis, wic no tu leters usd to indikeit ce seim nois, and laikwais no tu noises riten wic ce seim leter. Even Mr. Yaw, wi beliv, wud be hapi in ce noleg cat his drims fainili keim tru.

"Fayth is a sure confidence of thynges which are hoped for and a certayntie of thynges which are not sene."

- Hebrews 11:1 (Tyndale translation)

Recap

There were some peripheral things that we discussed last week:

• church historians Eusebius and Origen
• R. C. Sproul and his wife, Vesta
• the terms exegesis, hermeneutics, homiletics, and theology

But the core of our lesson last week was about faith; we examined its biblical definition (Heb 1:1):

Faith is the reality of what we hope for, the proof of what we don't see. - Hebrews 11:1, Common English Bible

By contrast, the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines faith as: firm belief in something for which there is no proof. Let's read that secular dictionary definition of 'faith' once more, with emphasis on the last two words.

The following Bible translations speak of 'faith' as equivalent with 'proof':

• Common English Bible
• Holman Christian Standard Bible
• Hebrew Names Version
• Lexham English Bible
• World English Bible

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Lesson Intro for 10/9/2022

What we're going to learn by studying the life of Abram is that our knowledge of God should lead us to obedient, trusting, forward-looking faith, even when we do not see all of the details.

Let's take a quick trip through Scripture and identify the hallmarks of faith -- those tell-tale signs that indicate that real faith is present:

• the only means of salvation (Eph. 2:8)
• our only way to please God (Heb. 1:6)
• essential if we are not to fall away from God (Heb 3:12)
• Jesus is the object of that saving faith (Rom. 3:22)
• faith shows itself through works (Jam. 2:14)
• produces peace (Psa. 42:11)
• activates God's power in our lives (Matt. 17:20)

Clearly, faith must permeate every area of our lives as Christians, and we'll gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of faith as we study the lives of Abraham and those of his descendants.

---

Way back around 2000 BC God called a man named Abram to leave his home and journey to the promised land. If he obeyed God he would be blessed, his descendants would outnumber the sand on the seashore and the stars in the sky. God also intimated that one of those descendants would be the Savior of the world.

Would someone read Genesis 11: 27-32?

27 This is the account of Terah’s family line. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot. 28 While his father Terah was still alive, Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, in the land of his birth. 29 Abram and Nahor both married. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milkah; she was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milkah and Iskah. 30 Now Sarai was childless because she was not able to conceive. 31 Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Haran, they settled there. 32 Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Harran.

Harran (HAH-run) first appears in the Book of Genesis as the home of Terah (TEH-ruh) and his descendants, and as Abraham's temporary home. Later biblical passages list Harran among some cities and lands subjugated by Assyrian rulers. Haran was a major ancient city in northwest Mesopotamia —a river city on the caravan route between the east and west. In the present day, Harran is a village, in southeastern Turkey.

We know that after the Lord called Abram from Ur of the Chaldees, he settled in Harran for many years (Gen 11:31; Acts 7:2-4). Abram grew prosperous during the time he lived in Harran. When he was 75 years old, the Lord told him to go to the land of Canaan:

Let's take a look on a map and see where Genesis 11 introduces us to Abram:

Mesopotamia was a fertile crescent stretching from the eastern Mediterranean to the northern Persian Gulf. Two mighty rivers, the Euphrates and the Tigris, flowed southwest, eventually joining together before emptying into the Persian Gulf.

According to tradition, the city of Ur in southern Mesopotamia was named after the man who founded the first settlement there. The city's other biblical link is to the patriarch Abraham who left Ur at God's direction and traveled with his father, Terah, to settle in the land of Canaan. This claim has been contested by some scholars who believe that Abraham's home was further north in Mesopotamia in a place called Ura, near the city of Harran.

One subset of scholars thinks that the writers of the biblical narrative in the Book of Genesis confused the two cities, Ur and Ura. If we hold the Bible to be inerrant, because it is the inspired word of God, then we can and should discount this scholarly criticism.

Would someone read Genesis 12:1-5 for us?

Let me draw your attention to verse 1 in Genesis chapter 12: The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

Notice the phrase 'had said'. If anyone can tell me the name of that verb tense, I'll buy your lunch. [Pause for response] Nobody? It's the Past Perfect tense. The Past Perfect expresses the idea that something occurred before another action in the past.

God had spoken to Abram when Abram was still living in Ur. God’s command is only revisited in Genesis 12:1-3 because it serves as a transitional segue to explain why Abram left Haran and headed out for Canaan.

By the way, if we need any more scriptural evidence that God spoke to Abram in Ur rather than in Haran, we find it in Acts 7:2-4, which says of Stephen appearing before the Sanhedrin Council:

And he said, “Brethren and fathers, listen: The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran, and said to him, ‘Get out of your country and from your relatives, and come to a land that I will show you.’ Then he came out of the land of the Chaldeans and dwelt in Haran. And from there, when his father was dead, He moved him to this land in which you now dwell.” (N.K.J.V., emphasis mine)

Notice that Abram’s partial past obedience did not take God’s promise away. Instead, it meant the fulfillment of the promise was delayed until Abram was ready to do what the LORD told him to do. Who knows how many years Abram dwelled in Haran before his father died at the age of 205?

The Bible doesn’t tell us how long Abram, Sarai, Terah, and Lot lived in the city of Haran. It does, however, provide us with several clues that indicate that the stay was substantial. First, Genesis 11:31 in the K.J.V and the N.K.J.V. says they “dwelt” there, and many other translations use the word “settled” rather than “dwelt.” Second, Genesis 12:5 lets us know that the group lived there long enough to acquire servants. Third, the stay was long enough for Terah, who was healthy enough to make the six-hundred-mile journey from Ur to Haran, to die.

This is a part of Abram’s story that rarely gets mentioned. We’re talking about months, perhaps years, that he spent out of the will of God in Haran. Call it stopping short. Call it partial obedience. Call it something else. But the bottom line is that God wanted Abram in Canaan, and he settled down to a comfortable life in Haran.

In the Biblical account, it is only after we read the words “Terah died in Haran” that we read the words:

Now let's look on the map and see where the cities of Ur and Haran were, in relation to each other:

Haran was some 600 miles northwest of the city of Ur, a very long journey to be made on foot. So, at 75 years old, Abraham is instructed by God, for at least the second time, to travel to "the land I will show you." God didn't even specify the destination. He just told Abraham I will lead you to a new land, and Abraham obeyed God, because he had faith.

Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. (Genesis 12:1-3, KJV)

The way the story reads, Terah’s death was the event that prompted Abram to get back to doing what God had told him to do. The death of his elderly father didn’t require him to chart a new course but instead finish one that he had previously begun.

So, as Abram, Sarai, and their servants uprooted from Haran and headed out for Canaan, were Abram’s days of stopping short finally behind him? No, they weren’t. Remember that Abram had initially allowed two extra people to accompany him when had left Ur. His dad Terah was one of them, and Terah was now dead. But what about Lot, Abram's nephew? Dare I say that Abram now had a second chance to sever ties with him and get more in line with God’s original vision for the journey? All Abram had to do was either leave Lot in Haran or send him back to Ur. As we know, however, he did neither. Genesis 12:5 says:

Then Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they departed to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan. (N.K.J.V., emphasis mine)

What's the application to us today? God is still the same in our day and age. He is unchanging. How many of us had delayed the delivery of God's blessings because we delayed, because we tarried? Okie, this takes me back to times you've talked about what a relief it was to finally answer your calling to preach. I'm sure you've seen your blessing multiply many fold since then.

And looking at the last of verse 5 in Genesis 12, we read they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there. Isn't that a great example to us as modern day Christians? God asks us to embark on a journey. He doesn't fully stipulate the destination, but when we choose to obey Him in faith, we will always arrive where He wants us to be.

More important than Abram’s faith was God’s promise. Notice how often God says I will in these verses. Genesis chapter 11 is all about the plans of man. Genesis chapter 12 is all about the plans of God.

Look at verse 2:

“I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.

God promised to make a nation from Abram. He will have children and grandchildren and further descendants, enough to populate a great nation. There is no more honored name in history than the name of Abram, who is honored by Jews, Muslims, and Christians.

This promise – inherited by the covenant descendants of Abram, the Jewish people – remains true today and is a root reason for the decline and death of many empires. Historically speaking, nations that have treated the Jewish people well have often been blessed, and the converse is also true. When the Greeks overran Palestine and desecrated the altar in the Jewish temple, they were soon conquered by Rome. When Rome killed Paul and many others, and destroyed Jerusalem under Titus, Rome soon fell. Spain was reduced to a fifth-rate nation after the Inquisition against the Jews; Poland fell after the pogroms; Hitler’s Germany went down after its orgies of anti-Semitism; Britain lost her empire when she broke her faith with Israel.

Look at the concluding phrase in verse 3:

and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.

This amazing promise was fulfilled in the Messiah that came from Abram’s lineage. God’s blessing to Abram was not for his own sake, or even the sake of the Jewish nation to come. It was for the whole world, for all the families of the earth through Jesus Christ.

Galatians 3:8-9 tells us And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.” So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.

Revelation 5:9 tells us they sang a new song, saying:

“You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation (Revelation 5:9).

The work of Jesus will touch every people group on the earth, and it all began with God's promise to Abram, who would later be called Abraham. So we're going to be looking at Abraham's dual journeys, one physical, the other a journey of faith, and next Sunday we'll continue with Abraham's journey from Haran to Canaan:

We all know how the story is going to unfold. Abram would certainly become a giant of faith, even being the father of the believing (Galatians 3:7); yet he did not start as a hero of faith. We see Abram as an example of growing in faith and obedience. In addition to embarking on a physical journey, Abram was embarking on a journey of personal growth, which is the evitable result for each of us when we respond, by faith, to God's direction in our lives.

And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the Apostles. - Acts 2:43

Ten Hebrew nouns and eight verbs reference 'fear'. The Greek words 'phobos' and 'phobeo' later stand in for their Hebrew counterparts. 'Phobos' alluded to panicked flight, or the object or cause of fear, or it could allude to reverential respect. 'Phobeo' was 'to terrify'.

In the Septuagint (sep-TWO-uh-jint), these Greek words phobos and phobeo are consistently used to translate those eighteen Hebrew nouns and verbs relating to fear.

When we think about fear, we can imagine a semantic continuum, from mild unease all the way to stark terror. Septuagint derives from the Latin versio septuaginta interpretetum, i.e., translation of the seventy interpreters*.

By around 354 CE, these translated Hebrew scriptures were beginning to be commonly referred to as The Septuaginta. According to legend, 72 Jewish scholars were tasked by Ptolemy II, the Greek pharoah of Egypt, to translate the Torah (Genesis through Deuteronomy) from Hebrew to Greek, for inclusion in the Library of Alexandria.

What prompted my interest in the word fear as it is often used in scripture is Acts 2:43: and fear came upon every soul: and many wonders were done by the Apostles. Our Wednesday night Bible study group questioned the precise nature of that fear. Some other translations make it clear that this 'fear' was awed reverence and worshipful respect for the Lord, who was the source of these wonders and signs. The Amplified Bible reads A sense of awe was felt by everyone. The Common English Bible says much the same, and elaborates God performed many wonders and signs through the apostles.

The scriptures frequently make reference to such reverential fear: Ex 14:31; Lk 1:12; Ge 31:42,53; Acts 2:43

All throughout Deuteronomy is the theme of fearful obedience to the Lord as the proper outgrowth of recognizing his sovereignty.

The English clergyman William Durnall famously wrote We fear fear so much because we fear God so little. He authored a length book expounding upon Ephesians 6. It is freely available in PDF, mobi, and epub formats.

So then, the fear of the Lord is the reverential awe and worshipful stance we assume toward the Almighty God. Proverbs 9:10 reads The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

One time many years ago, the king of Hungary found himself depressed and unhappy. He sent for his brother, a good-natured but rather indifferent prince. The king said to him, "I am a great sinner; I fear to meet God." But the prince only laughed at him. This didn't help the king's disposition any. Though he was a believer, the king had gotten a glimpse of his guilt for the way he'd been living lately, and he seriously wanted help. In those days it was customary if the executioner sounded a trumpet before a man's door at any hour, it was a signal that he was to be led to his execution. The king sent the executioner in the dead of night to sound the fateful blast at his brother's door. The prince realized with horror what was happening. Quickly dressing, he stepped to the door and was seized by the executioner, and dragged pale and trembling into the king's presence. In an agony of terror he fell on his knees before his brother and begged to know how he had offended him. "My brother," answered the king, "if the sight of a human executioner is so terrible to you, shall not I, having grievously offended God, fear to be brought before the judgment seat of Christ?"

The term "fear of the Lord" is not a popular one today.

a. Those who do not follow Christ think there is no reason to.

b. Those who do follow Christ don't want to mention it because it might scare someone away.

c. So it is neither politically or religiously correct in our society.

Yet, the Bible talks about it a lot...in fact the phrase is mentioned 73 times in the NLT!

1 Peter 1:17-25 reads 17 Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear. 18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. 20 He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. 21 Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.

22 Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.[a] 23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. 24 For, “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, 25 but the word of the Lord endures forever.” And this is the word that was preached to you.

David McCullough in his book MORNINGS ON HORSEBACK tells this story about young Teddy Roosevelt: “Mittie (his mother) had found he was so afraid of the Madison Square Church that he refused to set foot inside if alone. He was terrified, she discovered, of something called the ‘zeal.’ It was crouched in the dark corners of the church ready to jump at him, he said. When she asked what a zeal might be, he said he was not sure, but thought it was probably a large animal like an alligator or a dragon. He had heard the minister read about if from the Bible. Using a concordance, she read him those passages containing the word ZEAL until suddenly, very excited, he told her to stop. The line was from the Book of John, 2:17: “And his disciples remembered that it was written, ‘The ZEAL of thine house hath eaten me up.”’

People are still justifiably afraid to come near the “zeal” of the Lord, for they are perfectly aware it could “eat them up” if they aren’t one of His. Our Lord is good, but He isn’t safe.

Let's take another look at Proverbs 9:10. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. If that is true, and it is, then fear of the Lord is not a barrier or hindrance, but is instead a breakthrough to growth and eternal fulfillment. But the word 'fear' requires clarification, doesn't it? After all, the Bible says the following in 1 John 4:18 -- Perfect love casts out fear.

Aha! So there must be two kinds of fear. There is the dreadful fear that will fall upon the unrighteous: And said to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb." - Revelation 6:16

It is important that we Christians have the proper, reverential fear and awe of the Lord. Yet, unfortunately, we are perhaps more saturated with the heathen culture than we sometimes realize, a culture whose media often portrays God as a kindly old grandfatherly, white-bearded figure. But Hebrews 10:27 states But only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume all adversaries. Fortunately, God freely offers us shelter from this wrath, through Christ. And not just shelter: we are justified and adopted as God's children.

John Calvin, the great Reformer, wrote: justified by faith is he who, excluded from the righteousness of works, grasps the righteousness of Christ through faith, and clothed in it appears in God's sight not as a sinner but as a righteous man. By faith in Him we receive not only forgiveness, but also a righteous standing before God.

As Christians, we are truly blessed in that we literally have nothing to fear, either in this earthly life or in eternity. Romans 8:1 tells us There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

Dropping down a few verses to Romans 8:15... For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father."

If, then, we no longer have a spirit of bondage to fear of punishment, who then do some Christians seem to still wrestle with that fear? Lack of grounding in scriptural doctrine, and because of the attacks of Satan and his demons. I think it very easy for those who diligently seek the Lord, to be attacked by Satan, the Accuser. Although the blood of Christ has cleansed and continues to cleanse us, the devil will continue to whisper condemnation to our consciences. This is spiritual warfare (Eph 6:13; 2 Cor 10:4)

Let's end with Romans 8:38-39:

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I've discovered Tekumel via The Petal Hack. The latter is around 68 pages in length. So far, I'm liking what I'm reading. As noted in previous posts, I'm looking for a system that feels right for solo playing.

Over the next few Sundays, I want us to step into the life of Abraham and his descendants. Perhaps the first thing to spring to my mind when thinking of the patriarch Abraham is his great faith.

Faith is defined by the Dictionary of Bible Themes as a constant outlook of trust towards God, whereby human beings abandon all reliance on their own efforts and put their full confidence in Him, his word and his promises. As Christians, we know that faith is foundational to our relationship with God and we can trace that theme throughout Scripture.

We'll start our examination of Abraham's life and faith by taking a look at Hebrews chapter 11, where faith is defined as follows: Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. (Heb 11:1-2). Abraham was a stranger and a pilgrim in the land of Canaan, just as Christians today should be foreigners to the ways of the world. We'll dig into the scripture momentarily, but first let's back up a step and think a bit about the epistle to the Hebrews.

We've studied the Gospel of John in our Wednesday night Bible study, using a book written by the American, Reformed theologian, R. C. Sproul, and we're currently studying Acts with a study guide by the same Presbyterian pastor.

Interestingly, Sproul preached his final sermon on Hebrews 2:1–4 on Sunday, November 26, 2017. That's 59 Sunday School lessons ago, if you're counting each Sunday. His final sentence in that sermon was this: “So I pray with all my heart that God will awaken each one of us today to the sweetness, the loveliness, the glory of the gospel declared by Christ.” By Wednesday of that week, he developed a cold that continued to worsen. He entered the hospital on Saturday, December 2, 2017, and passed away on December 14th at the age of 78.

Sproul was acutely aware of his own sin and of God’s mercy and grace in forgiving him. This was the cause of his desire to be kind to others. Most Sundays on the short drive home from church, R. C. would ask his wife, Vesta, if he had been kind to people in the sermon. [Okie, do you ask Tammy for a critique each Sunday on the ride home?]

Hebrews

• authorship debate
• intended audience
• broad thematic strokes
  • supremacy of Christ
  • the superiority of grace over law
  • necessity of faith in order to please God
  • warning not to fall away

Hebrews - Who Wrote It?

The apostle Paul wrote about half of the New Testament. Specifically, some say he only wrote thirteen of the twenty-seven books of New Testament, while others say fourteen. So which is it—thirteen or fourteen? The difference of opinion is over one book: Hebrews. Who was its author?

The letter closes with the words "Grace be with you all" (Hebrews 13:25), which is the same closing found in each of Paul’s known letters (see Romans 16:20; 1 Corinthians 16:23; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Galatians 6:18; Ephesians 6:24; Philippians 4:23; Colossians 4:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:28; 2 Thessalonians 3:18; 1 Timothy 6:21; 2 Timothy 4:22; Titus 3:15; and Philemon 25). This is one reason that many laity and scholars have, historically, attributed Hebrews to Paul.

And indeed, church tradition teaches that Paul wrote the book of Hebrews, and until the 1800s, the issue was closed. However, though a vast majority of Christians—both and scholars and the laity—still believe Paul wrote the book, there are some tempting reasons to think otherwise.

There is no salutation, the letter simply begins with the assertion that Jesus, the Son of God, has appeared, atoned for our sins, and is now seated at the right hand of God in heaven (Hebrews 1:1-4). It's not like Paul to fail to begin a letter with a salutation. Some sort of personal salutation from Paul appears in all of his thirteen known letters. So it would seem that writing anonymously is not his usual method; therefore, the reasoning goes, Hebrews cannot be one of his letters.

Second, the overall composition and style is that of a person who is a very sophisticated writer. Even though he was certainly a sophisticated communicator, Paul stated that he purposely did not speak with a commanding vocabulary (1 Corinthians 1:17; 2:1; 2 Corinthians 11:6):

1 Cor 1:17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

1 Cor 2:1 And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.

2 Cor 11:6 I may indeed be untrained as a speaker, but I do have knowledge. We have made this perfectly clear to you in every way.

Some attribute Luke as its writer; others suggest Hebrews may have been written by Barnabas, Silas, Philip, or Aquila. There is some archaeological evidence that the biblical Priscilla was a person of major influence in the early Church. Some have suggested that she wrote Hebrews. Others think the style of writing more indicative of a polished orator such as Apollo.

In his The History of the Church, third century Greek historian Eusebius quotes the Egyptian historian Origen: If I were asked my personal opinion, I would say that the matter is the Apostle's but the phraseology and construction are those of someone who remembered the Apostle's teaching and wrote his own interpretation of what his master had said. So if any church regards this epistle as Paul's, it should be commended for so doing, for the primitive Church had every justification for handing it down as his. Who wrote the epistle is known to God alone: the accounts that have reached us suggest that it was either Clement, who became Bishop of Rome, or Luke, who wrote the gospel and the Acts.

Origen of Alexandria, also known as Origen Adamantius, was an early Christian scholar, ascetic, and theologian who was born and spent the first half of his career in Alexandria. He was a prolific writer who wrote roughly 2,000 treatises in multiple branches of theology, including textual criticism, biblical exegesis and hermeneutics, and homiletics.

If you read that last bit quickly, it almost sounds like some sort of medical diagnosis: exegesis and hermeneutics, and homiletics. That sound to you like something that requires an E.R. visit and some stout antibiotics?

And that word ‘hermaneutics’? I first thought that sounded like when a veterinarian neuters an animal.

Definition of theology: a scholar who studies of the nature of God and religious truth.

Definition of exegesist: one who critically dissects and explains the meaning of scripture.

Definition of hermeneutics: the study of, or teaching of, the methodology of exegesis.

Definition of homilectics: that branch of theology which treats of homilies or sermons, and the best method of preparing and delivering them.

On First Principles by Origen of Alexandria, written around 220-230 AD, is one of the most important and contentious works of early Christianity. It provoked controversy when written, provoked further debate when translated into Latin by Rufinus in the fourth century, and was the subject, together with its author, of condemnation in the sixth century. As a result, the work no longer survives intact in the original Greek. We only have the complete work in the Latin translation of Rufinus, and of course in later English translations.

In other works by the historian Origen, Hebrews is attributed to Paul's authorship. In the 4th century, Jerome and Augustine of Hippo supported Paul's authorship: the Church largely agreed to include Hebrews as the fourteenth letter of Paul, and affirmed this authorship until the Reformation. Scholars argued that in the 13th chapter of Hebrews, Timothy is referred to as a companion. Timothy was Paul's missionary companion in the same way Jesus sent disciples out in pairs. The writer also states that he wrote the letter from "Italy", which also at the time fits Paul.[29] The difference in style is explained as simply an adjustment to a distinct audience, to the Jewish Christians who were being persecuted and pressured to go back to traditional Judaism.[30]

Regardless of the human hand that held the pen, the Holy Spirit of God is the divine author of all Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16).

Hebrews - What Are The Broad Strokes?

Theologically speaking, scholars generally regard the book of Hebrews to be second in importance only to Paul’s letter to the Romans in the New Testament.

The book of Hebrews plumbs the depths of Christianity by addressing many false beliefs, missteps, and hardships that believers faced. In this get-back-to-basics book, the author was writing with the purpose of clarifying that only Christ, not sacred traditions or new ideas, was to be the center of a life of faith.

The late Dr. Walter Martin, founder of the Christian Research Institute and writer of the best-selling book Kingdom of the Cults, quipped in his usual tongue-in-cheek manner that the Book of Hebrews was written by a Hebrew to other Hebrews telling the Hebrews to stop acting like Hebrews. In truth, many of the early Jewish believers were slipping back into the rites and rituals of Judaism in order to escape the mounting persecution. This letter, then, is an exhortation for those persecuted believers to continue in the grace of Jesus Christ.

The book of Hebrews was written primarily to Jews who had converted to Christianity, but were now perhaps a little unsure as to the person of Christ.

Jesus is portrayed throughout as the perfect revelation of God and superior to Angels, Moses, Melchizedek or the Priesthood; and indeed was the Perfect Sacrifice that instituted the New Covenant. (Chaps 5-10)

It’s natural to read this book in view of our daily life, but it’s better to read it in light of who it was written to: men and women who were wrestling with faith in a life and death way that we may never experience. Hebrews wasn’t written merely for the purpose of correction or encouragement but also to fortify their souls because they were in desperate need. It is mentioned several times throughout this book that the audience was a specific group of believers who were facing persecution for their faith. With this solemn purpose in mind, we can look to Hebrews when life feels complicated, we feel our faith wavering and we need our souls realigned to truth.

Among the many topics the book covers, one topic it speaks to most extensively is faith. The author wanted the readers to hold fast to their commitment to God no matter what came their way. Faith in Christ was the foundation for this level of commitment.

According to Hebrews 11, faith is believing that God exists, that he rewards those who seek him and that we can hope in him because his promises will always be true. After the author defines faith, they put flesh on it in ways that both the intended readers and Christians today can look to to understand how to live an authentic life of faith.

---

Now let's turn our attention to Hebrews, chapter 11: I'll be reading from the New International Version. The New International Version (NIV) is a translation made by more than one hundred scholars working from the best available Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts. It was conceived in 1965 when, after several years of study by committees from the Christian Reformed Church and the National Association of Evangelicals, a trans-denominational and international group of scholars met at Palos Heights, Illinois, and agreed on the need for a new translation in contemporary English. Their conclusion was endorsed by a large number of church leaders who met in Chicago in 1966. Responsibility for the version was delegated to a self-governing body of fifteen Biblical scholars, the Committee on Bible Translation, and in 1967, the New York Bible Society (now Biblica) generously undertook the financial sponsorship of the project.

The translation of each book was assigned to a team of scholars, and the work was thoroughly reviewed and revised at various stages by three separate committees. The Committee submitted the developing version to stylistic consultants who made invaluable suggestions. Samples of the translation were tested for clarity and ease of reading by various groups of people. In short, perhaps no other translation has been made by a more thorough process of review and revision.

The Committee held to certain goals for the NIV: that it be an Accurate, Beautiful, Clear, and Dignified translation suitable for public and private reading, teaching, preaching, memorizing, and liturgical use. The translators were united in their commitment to the authority and infallibility of the Bible as God's Word in written form. They agreed that faithful communication of the meaning of the original writers demands frequent modifications in sentence structure (resulting in a "thought-for-thought" translation) and constant regard for the contextual meanings of words.

In 1973 the New Testament was published. The Committee carefully reviewed suggestions for revisions and adopted a number of them, which they incorporated into the first printing of the entire Bible in 1978. Additional changes were made in 1983. In 2020, Zondervan published another updated version with 100 new articles and over 1,000 new study notes.

11 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for.

3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

4 By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.

5 By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

7 By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.

8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11 And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.

13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. 14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

17 By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18 even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” 19 Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.

20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.

21 By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.

22 By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions concerning the burial of his bones.

23 By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.

24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and the application of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.

29 By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.

30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days.

31 By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.

32 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35 Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were put to death by stoning;[e] they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.

39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, 40 since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

links to peruse in preparing SS lesson for 10/9/2022: https://knoji.com/article/facts-about-the-hebrews/

I ran my two groups and did my notes today. This afternoon and evening I added some more pictures of A (some had me and M in them too). I read through Blood and Treasure this evening. Nice OSR flavor. I still need to read Labyrinth Lord, but B&T might be a contender for my solo system.

This morning, I went to the track and walked three miles. It was the first real exercise I've had in months. I've been cutting back on my eating since August 21. So, almost a month, now. I haven't weighed yet. We don't have a scale. If I can remember, I'll weigh at my mother-in-law's tomorrow when we go over for lunch.

For breakfast, I had granola with blueberries. For lunch, salmon with vegetables, and for supper I had beef and broccoli with rice.

<a href="/content/images/AllanAtSixMonths.jpg""> Last night I started reading Stars Without Numbers. I'm thinking about using it as the system for a solo game. I've been reading a lot of hype about Ironsworn and Starforged. I haven't yet given either a proper read-through.

Psalm 84:2 -- My soul longed and even yearned for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.

David's ability to find joy in a decidedly un-joyous circumstance is noteworthy. He is aware that his present situation is not forever. With firm conviction, he looks forward to an eternity with God. He believed that his pain/suffering would be replaced by the joy he would know in "the courts of the Lord."

Septuagint - the pre-Christian Greek translation of the Old Testament books of the Law. This is where we first find references to "Psalms" and "Psalter" and to stringed instruments and songs to accompany them. Our English word "psalm" comes from the Septuagint translation of the Hebrew word "mizmor," a word meaning 'melody of praise'.

Genesis 15 makes reference to the Lord as Abraham's king/sovereign. Dt. 33:29 - "He is your shield and helper..."; 2 Samuel 22:3 - "...my shield and the horn of my salvation"; Psalm 7:10 - "My shield in God Most High..."; Psalm 84:9 - "Look on our shield, O God"

At the time Psalm 84 was written, David son of Jessie had been anointed king, but not yet recognized as king over all Israel. In fact, Saul pursued David, intent on killing him. David was no longer the king's right-hand man. Though wedded to Saul's daughter, Michal, David is hiding in caves from Saul's men, who scoured the countryside for him.

Psalm 84:3 - Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young - a place near your altar, Lord Almighty, my King and my God.

David yearns to once more be favored with attendance on the Lord's altar. This refers both to the altar of sacrifice and the altar of incense, both of which typify Christ (see Hebrews 13:10: this 'altar' David speaks of foreshadows the coming of the Christ). Remember, the Old Testament is the New Testament concealed; the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed. St. Augustine is often cited as the source for the famous quote. However, its true origin is the Bible itself (see Luke 24:44 - this is what I told you while I was still with you. Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms.)

Psalm 84:4 - Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you. Selah (pronounced suh-LAH, occurs 39 times in the Psalms. Selah was a girl's name of Hebrew origin meaning "praise, pause". It is used 74 times in the Hebrew Bible, the canonical collection of Hebrew scriptures that includes the Torah, the Nev'im (knee-vee-IM), and the Ketuvim (keh-TUH-vim). To be sure, the precise origin and meaning of the Selah is debated by biblical scholars. It may mean "to exalt, to praise" or -- when seen in scripture -- it may be an instruction to stop, listen, and meditate upon the scriptures.

The various mizmorim were sometimes songs, sometimes poems, sometimes prayers. Those that were prayers specifically were called tephillot (TEF-let). For instance, Psalms 72 is a tephillot - the prayers of David, son of Jesse.

The Psalms are a collection of collections. They were gathered over a span of centuries and likely were put into their final form by post-exillic priests or other temple personnel (recall the Babylonian conquest of Judah).

The Hebrew Bible (Torah, Nev'im, and Ketuvim) became our modern day Old Testament. Except for a few passages in Aramaic, appearing mainly in the apocalyptic book of Daniel, these scriptures were written originally in Hebrew during the period from 1200 to 100 BCE. Note that BCE stands for Before Common Era. The designation BCE came into use by biblical scholars in the early 1700s AD.

So then, when did the Psalter begin to be referred to as the "Book of Psalms"? See Luke 20:42 and Acts 1:20.

Our modern Psalms are divided into five books:

• Book I (chapters 1-42)
• Book II (chapters 43-72)
• Book III (chapters 73-89)
• Book IV (chapters 90-106)
• Book V (chapters 107-150)

Books I and II were probably pre-exilic. Why this division of the Psalms into five books? Perhaps in imitation of the five books of the Law written by Moses.

My last login was six days ago on the 5th. This has been a pretty good weekend. Found out that H may be pregnant. I took mother to breakfast at Betty's yesterday morning, then went through my brother's clothes. Tough, that. It's been twelve days since my brother passed.

I've gotten quite a bit of programming done for my diet.exe project; it's a console app in my repo that I'm building into a tool that can interact with my daily diet data in my Zim default notebook.

Also, this evening, I started reading through Paul Bimler's Solo Adventurer's Toolkit. I'm thinking about trying to walk a couple miles at the track in the morning, then grabbing a steak-and-cheese bagel from McDonald's.