China teetering?
NY Times story reveals proof for anyone with open eyes that China's prosperity is a fragile thing. For decades China relied on a stream of people flowing into the city. Now they're pushing them out by demolishing schools. Brand-new cities standing empty are a warning of frightening things to come.
Here and there around Danbury after Hurricane Irene
No one died near us, thank God. However, the Danbury Mall turned into a lake in which people actually swam... Maybe they were trying to grab a few amoebas and end it all.
Mayor Mark Boughton, who's known around here as "Big Poppa" and, rapper-like, refers to Danbury as "D-Block," raised a firestorm by taking on CL&P and other assorted people with clout. I'm glad Boughton possesses not only clout but Klout. And a lot of patience, as he showed when he invited an angry and vulgar tweeter over his house for a grilled burger - Boughton also being in the dark like his fellow Danburians.
Accused by some of having ridiculous expectations when 700,000 were in the dark, Boughton pushed whomever needed pushing and I had power when I woke up - even though when I went to bed it was pitch black and there was a tree resting on wires just 1/4 mile up my street.
One could see here and there branches and trees, even a whopper, that had hit a tree. Clean-up appears to be swift and thorough. School is pushed back a few days to make sure all the roads are open and can handle intense traffic. People are hanging out all day at the retro McDonald's grabbing free Wi-Fi as if to say, "Whatever."
Danbury is the most liveable city in Connecticut. Not only do we have low crime and pre-recession style unemployment, but people are nice to each other even under stress and there were a couple of Dunkin' Donuts open no matter what nature could throw at us.
Updating: U.S. loses AAA credit rating from S&P
Clearly they did Obama a favor by giving them the weekend. If this had come out when the markets were at their midday low, the Dow might have lost another 500-750 points.
And, S&P's outlook is negative.
S&P Calculations in Possible US Downgrade Were Off by 'Trillions': Source - CNBC
I'm not so naive as to believe that politics and business aren't the same thing at some level, but this shows the degree to which purely partisan considerations have influenced economic decisions.
How in the name of green grass can two parties sit together and be trillions of dollars off in their calculations due to a "mathematical error?"
I suspect it's because in the real world businesspersons don't have the luxury of using press release numbers and they don't get to revise their figures downwards, etc.
Thoughts on the Unconstitutionality of Shari'a Law in the U. S. from a Recovering Lawyer
Under the Article IV of the US Constitution, the Federal Government must guarantee to each state a republican form of government. A fortiori the States must ensure that they have a republican form of government.
This Constitutional provision (and the parameters of a "republican form of government") has seldom been construed by the courts, but the Supreme Court has held that this is a political question and consequently it is up to the Congress and not the Courts to determine whether a State's form of government in fact renders it a republic or not.
Islamic Shari'a law is of course an all-encompassing theocratic system predicated upon Muslim supremacy over all mankind. This necessitates religious discrimination and also mandates severe legal disabilities for those who are not Muslims. It is therefore far more oppressive than a constitutional monarchy or any other system the Founders might reasonably have contemplated when drafting the Constitution of the United States.
In my opinion, incorporating any portion of Shari'a law renders a government, ipso facto, not a republican form of government and therefore to that extent illegitimate in the American system, as the Federal government is obligated to prevent such an outcome.
In The Federalist Papers No. 43, future President James Madison wrote in support of the guarantee clause:
...who can say what experiments [in State governments] may be produced by the caprice of particular States, by the ambition of enterprising leaders, or by the intrigues and influence of foreign powers?... Whenever the States may choose to substitute other republican forms, they have a right to do so, and to claim the federal guaranty for the latter. The only restriction imposed on them is, that they shall not exchange republican for antirepublican Constitutions; a restriction which, it is presumed, will hardly be considered as a grievance.
The creeping acceptance of Shari'a in American courts and business practices certainly qualifies as the intrigue and influence of foreign powers. If it does not, then nothing on this Earth will.
Taking Madison's reasoning further into the arena of modern judicial combat, implementing any degree of Shari'a would violate the generous human rights provisions which are found in American State Constitutions and would constitute per se an illegal attempt (by the Legislature or a court as the case may be) to deny a person the protections of the Constitution of the State or limit the possible applicability of protections of the US Constitution to persons within that State.
This may seem extreme to some but an American should feel no more obligated to obey Shari'a (regardless of what the Legislature or a Court does) than he would be to obey a person who set up a monarchy in his State.
Reference: Article IV, U.S. Constitution at Wikipedia.
Well, now we know where Mark Driscoll stands on the Hell controversy.
Psalm 7: The Slandered Saint
(1a) <Shiggaion of David, which he sang to the LORD, concerning the words of Cush the Benjamite.>
Spurgeon said we could call Psalm 7 the Song of the Slandered Saint, and that is certainly accurate. We do not know much about what gave rise to this psalm, but it has been suggested that the villain, Cush, is one of Saul’s supporters or captains who has been bringing Saul a bad report. The fact that this Cush is a Benjamite could support this, as Saul was of the tribe of Benjamin. These events could also have taken place later, as the enmity between Benjamin and David went on for some time.
This is another psalm of trouble. David cries out to God concerning the evil of the wicked and is teaching people that what they sow in wickedness they will surely reap. Finally, at the end of the Psalm, he expresses confidence that God will vindicate him because he has been righteous in this matter.
Shiggaion is a word that means this is a wild song. It is said to come from a word meaning to reel around as though drunken. It is a song of passionate intensity. On Psalm 7 and Habakkuk 3 are referred to with this title.
(1b) O LORD my God, in You do I put my trust; save me from all those who persecute me, and deliver me.
(2) Lest he tear my soul like a lion, rending it in pieces, while there is none to deliver.
(3) O LORD my God, if I have done this; if there be iniquity in my hands,
(4) If I have rewarded evil to him that was at peace with me; (yea, I have delivered him that without cause is mine enemy)
(5) Let the enemy persecute my soul, and take it; yea, let him tread down my life on the earth, and lay my honor in the dust. Selah.
David expresses trust in the Lord in the face of persecution. This was no accident – this was deliberate and deadly persecution. Remember that Saul in his madness would love to have killed David. Saul was no doubt willing to pay a good bounty to anyone who could deliver David’s head, and even had scores of priests killed because they had helped him.
The lion image is a very vivid one. David, having been a shepherd, had seen what lions could do and in at least one instance had battled and killed one to protect his flock.
David makes a deal or a bargain with God – if he, David, had truly done what he was being accused of doing, he told God that the enemy could have his soul and trample his body on the ground. This was another graphic image from ancient warfare and one which David had certainly seen – men being run over by horses or even chariots. He was willing to undergo this kind of mangling if he were lying.
David had not rewarded good with evil; indeed, he had actually delivered people who were his enemies for no reason at all. Jesus said that if we only love those who love us there is no reward, for even pagans do as much. David foreshadowed the love of God in Christ by loving those who were his enemies.
This section ends with a “selah,” as the musicians would continue their “wild song” and we would reflect on David’s innocence and the rightness of his heart in the matter, seeing he was blessing his enemies.
(6) Arise, O LORD, in Your anger, lift Yourself up because of the rage of my enemies, and awake for me to the judgment that You have commanded.
(7) So shall the congregation of the people surround You; for their sakes therefore return on high.
Here is another request, so frequent in the first few Psalms, for God to arise. From David’s perspective, God has not been doing very much on his behalf! He needs to remind God that his enemies are raging, and that these are the kinds of people who “shoot first and ask questions later.”
Still David knows that God is just, and so he assumes that God has already decided to do something about the situation. Therefore he asks God: awake to the judgment You have commanded.
The result of God’s favor towards David will be that the people will surround God. This means they will surround Him in worship, or it may mean they will come around Him to make petitions for deliverance as David has been doing. The picture of returning on high means to return to the high throne of judgment so He can make commands for His people to be delivered.
(8) The LORD shall judge the people: judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness, and according to my integrity that is in me.
(9) Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God tries the hearts and reins.
(10) My defense is from God, who saves the upright in heart.
(11) God judges the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.
He is confident that God will judge the people, and asks to be judged according to his righteousness in the matter.
(12) If he does not turn, He will sharpen His sword; He has bent His bow, and made it ready.
(13) He has also prepared for him the instruments of death; he ordains His arrows against the persecutors.
(14) Behold, he labors with iniquity, and has conceived mischief, and brought forth falsehood.
(15) He made a pit, and dug it, and has fallen into the ditch which he made.
(16) His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own crown.
(17) I will praise the LORD according to his righteousness: and will sing praise to the name of the LORD most high.
God will inevitably judge the wicked - often using those very implements he had designed against the righteous.
Pentagon not warned of Saudi move in Bahrain
This supports what's being reported by more questionable news sites, that the Saudi king was infuriated by the Administration's sudden rejection of Mubarak, a close friend of the king. It appears that the Saudis are not talking to us and while they will take our money - for now - they are in pure survival mode.
We need to pray that the Iranians will not inflame this further by taking more warlike measures in support of the Shiite majority in Bahrain, home of the US Navy's 5th fleet.
Psalm 6: The Lord Has Heard My Supplication
Psalm 6 is another Psalm of trouble in which David reaches out to the Lord, except this time in more distress of soul. We have more of a window into David’s distress than in previous Psalms, and he reaches a new depth of honesty as he shares his pain. Here he has the sense that God may possibly be against him.
This is another “imprecatory psalm,” in which David actively prays against his enemies. Again, under the New Testament we do not pray these kinds of prayers – unless they are our spiritual enemies.
This Psalm is also directed to the Chief Musician. The word sheminith here means “the eighth,” or perhaps an octave. It may mean a song sung by low voices, and it has been suggested that a low tone would fit the mood. It may also be an eight-stringed instrument that is being referred to.
1 O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger, neither chasten me in Your hot displeasure.
2 Have mercy on me, O LORD; for I am weak; O LORD, heal me, for my bones are troubled.
3 My soul is also sorely troubled, but You, O LORD, how long?
- David fears that the Lord is rebuking him in anger. David knew that God was entitled to rebuke him if He thought it was necessary – but the idea that God might exercise His wrath against David was too much to bear. The Bible says that God reserves wrath for His enemies.
- Next, he appeals to God’s mercy. Because God has experienced human weakness, He knows full well the limitations of our nature. The weakness of David had even extended beyond his soul and into his physical being. His bones had become troubled.
- In verse 3 he becomes almost defiant. His soul is troubled and he asks God how long it will be?
4 Return, O LORD, deliver my soul, oh save me for Your mercies' sake.
5 For in death there is no remembrance of You; in the grave who shall give You thanks?
6 I am weary with my groaning; all night I make my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears.
7 My eye is consumed because of grief; it grows old because of all my enemies.
- The next section is more argumentative. He asks for God to return. It is not as if God actually goes anywhere… He is omnipresent! This is an example of what is called anthropomorphism: ascribing human characteristics to God. This is a common device in the Scriptures which helps us to understand God. The Bible speaks about God’s wings, etc., but we are not to understand that God has actual wings, as God is a spirit. But to human beings, the sense that God is not fighting for us makes us feel as though God is distant, and we have no better words with which to talk about the experience.
- In verse 5 there is a difficult topic – the idea that the dead do not praise God. We must remember certain things here. David’s revelation of the afterlife was limited. Only with the New Testament did mankind receive a complete revelation of what occurs after death. This does not mean that David was in error; he could not have been in error because he was speaking Scripture by the Spirit. In fact, the situation of those in the grave (sheol) was different before Christ. Before Christ both the righteous and the unrighteous dead were together in the underworld. In Ephesians 4 we read how Jesus led captivity captive, and we believe that this is a reference to His loosing the righteous dead from that compartment within the underworld called “Abraham’s Bosom.”
- Still, the dead give God no praise in the sense that they cannot add any longer to the praise of God in this world.
- In verses 6 and 7, David poetically describes His weeping in the night seasons. The tears of the righteous are precious to God. Jesus Himself wept in moments of strong emotion. This was not viewed as unmanly in any way, nor too emotional for the realm of religion.
8 Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity; for the LORD has heard the voice of my weeping.
9 The LORD has heard my supplication; the LORD will receive my prayer.
10 Let all my enemies be ashamed and exceedingly troubled; let them return and be ashamed suddenly.
- David concludes the song with one of his typical warning to the unrighteous. “Workers of iniquity” is a stronger phrase than “sinner.” These are people who practice and devise evil, and spread it. Although they might have mocked David in his weakness and illness, he wants them to know that God has heard him.
- The word supplication in Hebrew carries the idea of asking for mercy and grace. Many times we do not know how to pray as we should – we do not know what to ask for. David had practiced the wisdom of simply asking for God’s mercy in his situation. This type of praying asks for God’s grace, mixed together with His wisdom. For God knows what is best for us and what will also bring Him glory.
- When David was being chastened by God (and all Israel with him) he was given the choice of three different judgments. His response was to ask for the mercy of the Lord and to let God pick. He said, ” I am in great trouble; let us fall now into the hand of the LORD; for his mercies are great: and let me not fall into the hand of man.” (2 Sam. 24)
- David said the Lord would receive his prayer. It is important to know that God does not receive all prayers. David had said himself that if he regarded iniquity in his heart the Lord would not hear him. (Psalm 66:18) There are many other things besides sin that can keep our prayers from being hindered, such as trouble in marriages (1 Peter 3:7) and praying with a double mind. (James 1:8) May our hearts be pure so that nothing will hinder our prayer and our abiding in Christ!
Psalm 5: Surrounded With Favor
1 < To the chief Musician upon Nehiloth, A Psalm of David. > Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation.
2 Hearken to the voice of my cry, my King, and my God, for I will pray to You.
3 You shall hear my voice in the morning, O LORD; in the morning I will direct my prayer to You, and will look up.
4 For You are not a God who has pleasure in wickedness, neither shall evil dwell with You.
5 The foolish shall not stand in Your sight: You hate all workers of iniquity.
6 You shall destroy those who speak lies; the LORD will detest the bloody and deceitful man.
7 But as for me, I will come into Your house in the multitude of Your mercy, and in thy fear I will worship toward Your holy temple.
8 Lead me, O LORD, in Your righteousness because of my enemies; make Your way straight before my face.
9 For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; their inward part is wickedness; their throat is an open grave; they flatter with their tongue.
10 Hold them guilty, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions; for they have rebelled against You.
11 But let all those who put their trust in You rejoice: let them shout for joy always, because You defend them; and let those who love Your name be joyful in You.
12 For You, LORD, will bless the righteous; with favor You will surround him as with a shield.
The Fifth Psalm is yet another Psalm of David when he is encountering trouble. Like the two previous psalms, this one has an explanatory note: it is directed to the Chief Musician, and it is to be performed on nehiloth, which means flutes.
Psalm 5 carries the same pattern as the previous Psalms – starting with a man being attacked by unrighteous enemies. It carries a great description of the evil of men and particularly of their words. In Paul’s letter to the Romans, he uses David’s description in a list of Scriptures to show how evil and depraved the human race is without God. David closes with a ringing declaration of the protection and blessing of God which will surround the righteous with favor.
1 < To the chief Musician upon Nehiloth, A Psalm of David. > Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation.
2 Hearken to the voice of my cry, my King, and my God, for I will pray to You.
3 You shall hear my voice in the morning, O LORD; in the morning I will direct my prayer to You, and will look up.
A. In Verse 1 David asks God to hear His words. We know that God is hearing but yet our humanity moves us to ask God to “pay attention,” as it were.
B. He also asks God to consider his meditation. This is a word which means something like a complaint. It also carries the idea of inward moaning and groaning. In the New Testament we have something similar in the sighs and groans of the Spirit within us. David was not above complaining to God, and indeed pouring out one’s complaint to God is seen in the Psalms as something spiritually healthy. Pouring out one’s complaint to others may actually keep us from meeting God and receiving help in the matter!
C. In Verse 2, David is reminding God that he belongs to Him – calling Him “my King and my God.” It is a wonderful thing to belong to God and be able to say with confidence that He is indeed our God. Jesus of course completed the picture by reconciling us to God, so that we can call Him Father, too. And the Son has become our Friend. Wonderful love of God!
D. David says that he will pray in the morning. What better way to start the day than with prayer to God? The famous Bible commentator Matthew Henry said, “Let prayer be the key of the morning and the bolt of the evening.”
E. He also says he will look up. Praying at the beginning of the day enables us to look Heavenward and get God’s perspective on the day, rather than living under the sun.
4 For You are not a God who has pleasure in wickedness, neither shall evil dwell with You.
5 The foolish shall not stand in Your sight: You hate all workers of iniquity.
6 You shall destroy those who speak lies; the LORD will detest the bloody and deceitful man.
7 But as for me, I will come into Your house in the multitude of Your mercy, and in thy fear I will worship toward Your holy temple.
A. In Verse 4, David knows that he must stay in God’s path to enjoy the favor of the Lord. God takes no pleasure in wickedness. You cannot bring about good by doing what is detestable to the Lord, no matter how lofty your motives may seem.
B. Evil will not dwell with God. Spurgeon said it best when he said, “He will not afford it the meanest shelter. Neither on earth nor in heaven shall evil share the mansion of God. Oh, how foolish are we if we attempt to entertain two guests so hostile to one another as Christ Jesus and the devil! Rest assured, Christ will not live in the parlour of our hearts if we entertain the devil in the cellar of our thoughts.”
C. The foolish will not stand in His sight: the fool is the one who has said in his heart that there is no God (Ps. 53). Those who live their lives carelessly, as though there were no God, will pay the consequence. They will be brought before God but not remain with Him.
D. God hates workers of iniquity. We know that God so loved the world that He gave His Son, but it was necessary for the Son to suffer precisely because God is angry with the wicked everyday, as David said in Psalm 7. The Bible never whitewashes man’s sin nor does it pretend that the wrath of God is not coming against those who work iniquity. This is just as true in the New Testament as in the Old. In Romans 1 we read that the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness. It should be obvious to all who read the Word that God will judge the world.
E. Because God is truth, His Word speaks often against lying. We do not need to elaborate here on how wicked a lie is nor the destruction it can cause. Murderous and deceitful people will have no place in God’s Kingdom.
8 Lead me, O LORD, in Your righteousness because of my enemies; make Your way straight before my face.
9 For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; their inward part is wickedness; their throat is an open grave; they flatter with their tongue.
10 Hold them guilty, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions; for they have rebelled against You.
A. David asks to be led in God’s path, not his own – a good piece of wisdom! He knows he needs to be led by God because of man’s treachery.
B. This is a classic description of the wickedness of men as expressed in their speech. In addition to lying, the sin of flattery is mentioned here. Flattery is not harmless, as many think. Flattery is the beginning of manipulation and deception.
C. David prays that they will fall by their own counsels. This is an interesting prayer and it reflects the belief of the Jewish people that God uses the evil a man plans against others to destroy the man himself. Proverbs 26:27 says that he who digs a pit will fall into it. We also have the biblical example of Haman, hanged on the very gallows he had prepared for Mordecai in Esther 7.
11 But let all those who put their trust in You rejoice: let them shout for joy always, because You defend them; and let those who love Your name be joyful in You.
12 For You, LORD, will bless the righteous; with favor You will surround him as with a shield.
A. David ends with a call to the righteous to rejoice. It always calls for faith to rejoice head of time for what God will do – indeed, we could say that this is the very essence of faith! Only a living faith can thank God for what He has promised, confident that it has already been granted.
B. We can shout for joy because He is fighting for us. He will indeed bless the righteous and with favor surround us like a shield. The word “surround” here also has the meaning of “crowning.” The picture is certainly one of protection, but there is also a picture that our adornment from God will be a crown of favor on our head!
