Jo’s Place

No other gods… (Moses was on the mountain with God for forty days and forty nights…) When the people saw how long it was taking Moses to come back down the mountain, they gathered around Aaron.  “Come on,” they said, “make us some gods who can lead us.  We don’t know what happened to this  (guy)  Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt.”  So Aaron said, “Take the gold rings from the ears of your wives and sons and daughters, and bring them to me.”  All the people took the gold rings from their ears and brought them to Aaron.  Then Aaron took the gold, melted it down, and molded it into the shape of a calf.  When the people saw  (the golden calf idol) , they exclaimed… “O Israel, these are the gods who brought you out of the land of Egypt!”  Aaron saw how excited the people were, so he built an altar in front of the calf.  Then he announced, “Tomorrow will be a festival to the Lord!”  The people got up early the next m...

Laban Pursues Jacob Three days  (after Jacob and his family left Laban’s house) , Laban was told that Jacob had fled.  So Laban gathered a group of his relatives and set out in hot pursuit.  He caught up with Jacob seven days later in the hill country of Gilead.  But the previous night God had appeared to Laban the Aramean in a dream and told him, “I’m warning you—leave Jacob alone!”  (So when)  Laban caught up with Jacob, as he was camped in the hill country of Gilead,  Laban  set up his camp not far from Jacob’s.  “What do you mean by deceiving me like this?” Laban demanded.  “How dare you drag my daughters away like prisoners of war?  Why did you slip away secretly?  Why did you deceive me?  And why didn’t you say you wanted to leave?  I would have given you a farewell feast, with singing and music, accompanied by tambourines and harps.  Why didn’t you let me kiss my daughters and grandchildren and tell them g...

“When the poor and needy search for water and there is none,  …and their tongues are parched from thirst,  …then I, the Lord, will answer them.  I, the God of Israel, will never abandon (My people).  I will open up rivers for them on the high plateaus.  I will give them fountains of water in the valleys.  I will fill the desert with pools of water.  Rivers fed by springs will flow across the parched ground.  I will plant trees in the barren desert… I am doing this so all who see this miracle will understand what it means — that it is the Lord who has done this,  …the Holy One of Israel who created it.  “Present the case for your idols,”  says the Lord.  “Let them show what they can do,”… “Let them try to tell Us what happened long ago,  …so that We may consider the evidence.  Or let them tell Us what the future holds,  …so We can know what’s going to happen.  Yes, tell Us what will occur in the days ahead....