Chapter – 20 ‘Planning a trip out East’
The next week Valentine and his grandpa were in the small city of Uniontown to purchase some feed for the livestock. While they were there; they drove by the nursery that his former mother-in-law now owned. It reminded him that he needed to make time to visit with her. He wanted Rebekah to meet her as well.
Back in Brooklyn, Rebekah’s Grandpa Jesse had just received a letter from his youngest grandson, Yosef. Yosef and his new bride, Leah, were going to visit Brooklyn later in the year over thanksgiving weekend. Grandpa was thinking, “It would be nice if Rebekah along with Ruth’s daughter could also be with the family.” He would soon write his granddaughter and invite her and her new husband for the weekend. Then he wondered, “Where could Reuben be?”
The letter from grandpa arrived in the afternoon mail a week later. It was a two page note with several topics of information. Rebekah thought, “Looks like grandpa was excited and wrote whatever came to his mind at the moment.”
Rebekah showed the letter to Valentine when he stepped through the door that evening. They talked and then he commented, “I’m going to the shower and then let’s eat in town; I would like to pay a surprise visit to Mar’yam. I think we should invite her to ride with us to Brooklyn over the thanksgiving weekend.” Half an hour later they were on their way. They drove by the Nursery and Mar’yam was just locking it up so Valentine pulled in and rolled down his window as he drove near to her. “Let’s go have dinner at Parkers,” he said.
Less than fifteen minutes later they pulled into the town’s favorite place to eat. It was a little late and the majority of the crowd had eaten and were gone by now. Mar’yam was surprised to see a beautiful lady with Valentine; “she had features like her Rachel might have had if she were still living,” she was thinking.
Before the evening was over Mar’yam was aware of the family plan for thanksgiving and she would consider going home for a few days. She had thought many times about the story of David and Bathsheba, how the child had died because of the sins of the two adults. It was hard for her to imagine Rachel dying from a sin she had committed but God is God and though we don’t always understand; HE makes choices on who to be gracious to Exod.33:19 and sometimes there is a sin that leads to death Romans 6:16–Romans 6:23. She often had thought, “God, it should have been me who died, not Rachel.” II Samuel 11:1-5, II Samuel 12:18. Those were hard times that left her crying well into many a night.
As they left the restaurant, Valentine stopped and put his arms around Mar’yam and whispered “I love you” as he hugged her. Rebekah took her hand and also pulled her close and she to whispered, “I would like to be your friend when you need one.”
As Valentine and Rebekah drove home she commented, “Mar’yam’s eyes have a hurt to them; I hope she will go to Brooklyn with us. I think it’s been hard on her for these last thirty years being gone from her family, don’t you?” They talked as they rode and determined to make it a point to include her in some family time.
It was Tuesday again, Valentine and grandpa were at breakfast visiting and waiting for the young preacher boy to arrive. He was late and missed the breakfast but he had a good message. It was titled, “What kind of prayers does God answer” He told the men that we needed to FOCUS and acknowledge God for being all-knowing and powerful Daniel 9:3, not someone to flippantly say a few words of your wants too. Next he said, “Keep praying for an answer, and don’t give up. Sometimes the answer from God comes from HIS Word; the Holy Scriptures. When a person has faith and has put their trust in the Lord, the Word we read is like the spiritual nourishment we need for that day.” He told the men that praying was something a person can do anytime but not to close their eyes driving down the road, it could be dangerous. The men all agreed and responded, “Amen.”
Grandpa commented as they left the restaurant, “Great way to start the day, son.”
Attached
Exodus 33:18-20, Moses said, “I pray YOU, show me YOUR glory!” 19 And God said, “I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the Lord before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion.” 20 But He said, “You cannot see My face…[God makes some choices because HE is God; HE is CEO of the Universe in today’s terms.]
Romans 6:16, Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? [Each of us make the Choice to serve, don’t we. – A slave could also be called, a servant.]
Romans 3:23, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. [You and I are a part of the ‘ALL’]
2 Samuel 11:1-5, Then it happened in the spring, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him and all Israel, and they destroyed the sons of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed at Jerusalem. 2 Now when evening came David arose from his bed and walked around on the roof of the king’s house, and from the roof he saw a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful in appearance. 3 So David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, “Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” 4 David sent messengers and took her, and when she came to him, he lay with her; and when she had purified herself from her uncleanness, she returned to her house. 5 The woman conceived; and she sent and told David, and said, “I am pregnant.”
[David made a bad Choice; then a 2nd one when Uriah was left to die.]
2 Samuel 12:18, Then it happened on the seventh day that the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, “Behold, while the child was still alive, we spoke to him and he did not listen to our voice. How then can we tell him that the child is dead, since he might do himself harm!” [ Question – Could this have been a sin unto death? 1 John 5:16 ]
I don’t think so; what do you think; actually, only God knows
DG