Bible Reading Plan - 16 April 2014 - Deuteronomy 14-16 Notes

DEUTERONOMY 14 You are the children of the Lord your God……for you are a people holy to the Lord your God. Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, theLord has chosen you to be his treasured possession.

Eph 1:4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. 

Dt 14v3-8 CLEAN AND UNCLEAN ANIMALS

Verse 3-21 because they are God’s people at the place He will choose as a dwelling for His Name - so that you may learn to revere the Lord your God always.

Eat the tithe in the presence of the LORD.

Verses 24 and 25 Then you and your household shall eat there in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice. A joyful meal in the presence of the LORD our God, eaten by the whole family.

27, 28  And do not neglect the Levites living in your towns…..28…..so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.

Every third year the tithe was not to be taken to the sanctuary but set aside for certain less privileged classes of people in the town and near the town where they lived.  The Levites were part of this group of people  also the alien, orphans and widows who were dependent on the community.  The type of future community was to be one where the majority of people were self-sufficient.

DEUTERONOMY 15 

Verses 1-6 - God’s ways spelt out, encouraging the reduction in poverty and His promise. 

5 if only you fully obey theLord your God and are careful to follow all these commands I am giving you today. 

6 For the Lord your God will bless you as he has promised…..

And God's blessing flows when we are in right relationship with Him and want to please Him.

V7 Not to be hard-hearted or tight-fisted towards the poor.

This is much more than keeping a law. 8 Rather, be open-handed and freely lend them whatever they need. This is not mere charity and free giving - in this case it is about lending to them what they need.

V9 Be careful not to harbour this wicked thought and how you can avoid helping the poor. Think of the poor’s predicament.

10 Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. 

11 There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be open-handed towards your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.

Freeing slaves from the Hebrew nation in the 7th year. Verses 12 and 13 see to it your slave doesn’t begin his/her new freedom in a state of destitution.

13 And when you release them, do not send them away empty-handed. 14 Supply them liberally from your flock, your threshing-floor and your winepress. Give to them as the Lord your God has blessed you. GIVE TO HIM AS THE LORD YOUR GOD HAS BLESSED YOU.Remember how God loved and freed you when you were in Egypt v15.

Remember how God loved them, freed them, provided for them as sons of God. See Dt 14:1. Therefore they should treat their freed slaves as God treated them.

When you servant doesn’t want to leave you…because he loves you...he will become your servant for life - v16

To the greedy slave owner.  V18 Do not consider it a hardship to set your servant free, because their service to you these six years has been worth twice as much as that of a hired hand. And the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do.

The firstborn animals. See verse 19.

20 Each year you and your family are to eat them in the presence of the Lord your God at the place he will choose. No defects in your sacrifice - v21.

DEUTERONOMY 16

The three major festivals or pilgrimages are dealt with in this chapter:

a) Passover and Unleavened Bread. b) Weeks or "Pentecost" c) Booths

PASSOVER
V1 - spring, March, April.  Remember your new freedom and new commitments.Verses 2-9 On the 7th day there was a closing ceremony.

FESTIVAL OF HARVEST - Spring

The Festival of Weeks - also called the Feast of Harvest. A celebration essentially of the gracious provision of God in the harvest and became part of the lives of Israelite life.

Verse 10 Then celebrate the Festival of Weeks to the Lord your God by giving a freewill offering in proportion to the blessings the Lord your God has given you.

A time of rejoicing and celebrating the goodness of the Lord in providing for another year.

Verse 11 And rejoice before the Lord your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name...Verse 12 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt, and follow carefully these decrees.

FESTIVAL OF TABERNACLES/BOOTHS/HUTS Autumn

Joy!

Verse 13 Everyone to be joyful - the whole community.14 Be joyful at your festival – you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levites, the foreigners, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns.

Blessing! 15 .....For the Lord your God will bless you in all your harvest and in all the work of your hands, and your joy will be complete.

Verses 16 and 17 is a summary.

LAST SECTION - on Judges, officers of the law for general cases. V18  Similar to modern judges and policemen.  

No bribes.

19 Do not pervert justice or show partiality. Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the innocent.

To pervert justice is to act contrary to the character of God and become an object of God's curse.   God does not take a bribe.  

Dt 10:17 For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes.

Verse 21  Syncretism is repulsive to God.

Brown and white rice how to cook

How to Cook Brown Rice

March 14th, 2007 by Steve Pavlina

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Many people have trouble cooking brown rice and having it turn out decently, since it can be more temperamental than white rice.  There are also many different ways to prepare it.
Here’s the most efficient way I found to cook brown rice on a stove.  It takes about 35 minutes from when you start to when you’re eating (which is pretty good for brown rice).  This method works for both short grain and long grain brown rice.  I prefer long grain.  I’ve eaten hundreds of batches of brown rice using this method over the past 10 years.
Here are the instructions:

1. Put brown rice and water together in a pot with a lid.  Use the ratio of 1.5 cups water to 1 cup rice.  I normally make 3c rice with 4.5c water for a single batch.
2. Set the heat to maximum, and bring the rice/water to a boil uncovered.  Then put the lid on the pot, and reduce the heat to low/simmer.  If your lid has a steam valve, keep it closed.  Let the rice simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Turn off the heat, and let the rice sit in the covered pot for another 10 minutes.  It’s OK if you let the rice sit longer than 10 minutes (20 or 30 minutes is fine too), but don’t let it go any less.  I prefer my rice to be slightly chewy, not mushy, so I usually remove the lid after 10 minutes.
4. Eat and enjoy.  Be careful when you remove the lid, since a lot of steam may escape when you do.

This works for white rice too.
After the rice is cooked, I normally scoop some into a bowl, and mix it with a little tamari and 1-2 tablespoons of sesame seeds.  The sesame seeds add a lot of flavor to the rice.  Sometimes I’ll eat it with steamed veggies and blackened tempeh, both of which can be prepared while the rice is cooking.
I put the leftover rice in a plastic container in the refrigerator, which keeps well for several days.  Since I don’t use a microwave, I usually just eat the leftovers cold.  But when I’m not in the mood for cold rice, here’s another tasty dish I make from the leftover rice:

1. In a small pot, add 1 teaspoon of oil, and heat it for about 1 minute on medium heat.  I prefer dark sesame oil because it adds a lot of flavor.  Canola oil works well too.
2. Add some chopped veggies to the pot, and sauté them in the oil for a few minutes.  My favorites are onions, green onions, and bell peppers (any color).
3. Once the veggies are cooked, scoop in some of the leftover brown rice.  I like to use 2 parts rice to 1 part veggies.  Mix it well with the veggies.
4. Reduce the heat slightly to medium-low, and cook the rice/veggies for 3-4 minutes until the rice is hot, stirring about once every minute.
5. Pour in a little tamari to taste, and mix it with the rice.  Cook for another minute to sear in the flavor.
6. Turn off the heat.  Mix in 1-2 tablespoons sesame seeds.
7. Eat and enjoy.

I hope you find these recipes helpful.  Brown rice became a staple of my diet after I studied macrobiotics during the mid-90s, and I eat it almost every week.  I find it a great food for endurance activities.

Apple pie with ideal milk

Apple Pie with Ideal Milk

Ingredients
2 tablespoons milk
1 large tablespoon butter
2 eggs
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
A pinch of salt
A can of pie apples (340g)
Cinnamon
For the sauce:
1 can Ideal Milk
½ cup sugar

Method
1.  Preheat the oven to 190°C.
2.  Melt the butter and milk together in the microwave.
3.  Beat the eggs and sugar until creamy.
4.  Add in the milk mixture.
5.  Add the flour, baking powder, salt and a dash of cinnamon.
6.  Grease the pie dish with butter (or a spraying of Spray 'n Cook), and pour the batter into the dish.
7.  Place the apples on the batter.
8.  Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes.
9.  When the pie is about 10 minutes from ready, bring the sugar and Ideal Milk to the boil.
10. Pour over the pie as soon as it comes out the oven.

Tip: The batter should be shallow - it rises between the apples and looks great.

italian recipe - Cafe

METHOD

1. For the ragu: Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and sweat the vegetables until they are softened but not coloured.

2. Add the meat and cook for around 5 minutes, or until the meat is golden.

3. Add the wine and simmer to reduce completely, then add the milk and reduce again.

4. Once the milk has completely reduced, add the passata. Lower the heat to a gentle simmer and leave to cook, covered, for around 30 minutes. If it appears to have reduced too much during this time, simply add water to loosen.

5. For the bechamel: In a separate pan, melt the butter and add the flour and stir until combined to make a roux - it shouldn’t take on any colour and should remain blonde.

6. Gradually add the milk to the roux, a little at a time, whisking constantly to prevent lumps.

7. Once all the milk has been added, keep whisking over the heat for 2-3 minutes to cook out the flour and allow to thicken.

8. Remove from the heat, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and nutmeg and leave to cool. If you are using parmesan, stir it through now.

9. For the lasagne: Spread a thin layer of the béchamel over the bottom of a baking dish and place 2 sheets of pasta over the top.

10. Spread half of the remaining béchamel on top of the pasta and then spread over a third of the ragu. Sprinkle over some grated parmesan and lay over another 2 sheets of pasta.

11. Repeat this process once more with more layers of pasta, finishing with a layer of ragu. Sprinkle over a good thick sprinkling of parmesan.

12. Bake in the oven at 180C/160C fan/gas 4 for 25-30 minutes or until it is crispy and golden on the top and piping hot in the centre. Serve with a simple green salad.

INGREDIENTS

For the ragu

• 500 g lean minced beef
• 150 g pancetta or streaky bacon
• 1 carrot, finely chopped
• 1 sticks celery, finely chopped
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 200 ml milk
• 100 ml white wine
• 400 ml passata

For the béchamel

• 15 g butter
• 15 g flour
• 300 ml milk
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg, freshly grated
• 50 g grated parmesan, (optional)

To finish

• 6 sheets cooked fresh pasta, or cooked fresh spinach pasta
• parmesan, freshly grated

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How to make meatballs

Fruit Cocktail Pudding

or if easier for you….the words of the “stick to your ribs pud” - good nick-name. :)

or serve with ice-cream.  right at the end - when the oven is turned off and still hot and the sauce poured over

I stick it back into the oven for as long as seem sensible.

This is a real stick-to-your-ribs pud just for a cold winter's day. Served with a custard it is toe-curlingly good!


Ingredients:

Servings:
6-8
Units: US | Metric
Batter
2 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 eggs, beaten
1 (30 ounce) can fruit cocktail, juice included
Topping
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup coconut
4 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:

1
Mix all batter ingredients well with wooden spoon.
2
Pour into large greased pie dish.
3
Bake at 350F for 40 – 50 minutes.
4
Boil together topping ingredients for 5 minutes.
5
As pudding comes out of oven stab it all over with a knife and pour topping over.