Scripture
O God, help the king to judge as you would, and help his son to walk in godliness.
~Psalm 72
Quote
A monarchy is the best form of government if you have a good king.
~Ya-akov
Scholars are divided about the author of Psalm 72. It is attributed to Solomon but some think that David wrote it as a prayer for Solomon. I lean toward the latter although I do admit Solomon was very humble in the beginning and he could have voiced this prayer. When you read the Psalm, you see a list of things that a good king would be or do.
[1] He would judge people the right way; and treat everyone fairly. {wouldn’t play favorites}
[2] He would be a defender of the poor, rescue the children of the needy, and to crush their oppressors.
[3] His reign would be as refreshing as spring rain that transforms the grass and the flowers.
[4] The godly would flourish during his reign and experience abundant prosperity.
[5] All kings will bow before him, and all nations will serve him.
[6] He will rescue the poor and help the oppressed, who have no one to defend them.
[7] He feels pity for the weak and the needy, and he will rescue them.
[8] He will redeems the oppressed because their lives are precious to him.
[9] The people pray for him and bless His name.
[10] The King’s name endures forever.
[11] All nations are blessed through Him and bring Him praise.
After reading the list, you know that only one man can fulfill this list and that is Jesus. Like all of us, Solomon came exceeding short of being this good king. We all need a King that we can praise and love. We need a strong and mighty King who cannot be corrupted and this is what we have in Jesus. One of these days and I hope it will not be long, the entire earth will be filled with His glory. Everyone is all creation will acknowledge the KING of kings.
Unusual week to say the least and there is still one day left. I got a call from Brenda yesterday; Pat does have cancer and we hope it is contained inside the kidney. He has surgery next week so pray for Pat and Brenda Vanderford. You would not believe what this sweet couple have been through.
Today picks: I had a bad week last week. I think I got one right, maybe I will do better today. I’ll take Georgia over Kentucky. I am going out of the limb and pick SC over LSU and Auburn over Ole Miss. I will take Bama is a close one.
Hallelujah I got my room back in the house; the one Chloe took away from me. I got me a couch, chair and my computer working. Now I can listen to Christmas music every night and play cards. I do not have to watch TV. June gets her TV and den back and I have my room. I am happier than a dead pig in sunshine. I bet you young folks don’t understand that Southern adage. When a pig dies and lies in the sun, the nose draws and it reveals the pigs teeth, making it appear that the pig is smiling when actually, it is dead.
Southern Sayings That Yankee’s Don’t Understand
1. “We’re living in high cotton.”
Cotton has long been a key crop to the South’s economy, so every harvest farmers pray for tall bushes loaded with white fluffy balls in their fields. Tall cotton bushes are easier to pick and yield higher returns. If you’re living “in high cotton,” it means you’re feeling particularly successful or wealthy.
2. “She was madder than a wet hen.”
Hens sometimes enter a phase of “broodiness”{you got that right} — they’ll stop at nothing to incubate their eggs and get agitated when farmers try to collect them. Farmers used to dunk hens in cold water to “break” their broodiness. You don’t want to be around a hormonal hen after she’s had an ice bath.
3. “He could eat corn through a picket fence.”
This describes someone with an unfortunate set of buck teeth. They tend to stick up and outward, like a horse’s teeth. Imagine a horse eating a carrot, and you’ll get the picture.
4. “You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.”
A pig’s ear may look soft, pink, and shiny, but you’re not fooling anyone by calling it your new Marc Jacobs bag. A Southerner might say this about her redneck cousin who likes to decorate his house with deer antlers.
5. “You look rode hard and put up wet.”
No, this isn’t Southern sexual innuendo. The phrase refers to a key step in horse grooming — when a horse runs fast, it works up a sweat, especially under the saddle. A good rider knows to walk the horse around so it can dry off before going back to the stable. A horse will look sick and tired if you forget this step, much like a person who misses sleep.
6. “He’s as drunk as Cooter Brown.”
Cooter Brown is an infamous character in Southern lore. Legend tells that he lived on the Mason-Dixon line — the border between the North and South — during the Civil War. To avoid the draft on either side, Cooter decided to stay drunk throughout the entire war, making him ineligible for battle. Inebriated Southerners have measured their drunkenness by him ever since.
7. “She’s as happy as a dead pig in the sunshine.”
When a pig dies, presumably in a sty outside, the sun dries out its skin. This effect pulls the pig’s lips back to reveal a toothy “grin,” making it look happy even though it’s dead. This phrase describes a person who’s blissfully ignorant of reality.
8. “She’s got more nerve than Carter’s got Liver Pills.”
Carters Products started as a pill-peddling company in the latter part of the 19th century. Specifically, Carters hawked its “Little Liver Pills” so hard a Southern saying spawned from the omnipresent advertisements.
Alas, the Federal Trade Commission forced the drug-group to drop the “liver” portion of the ad, claiming it was deceptive. Carter’s “Little Liver Pills” became Carter’s “Little Pills” in 1951.
9. “I’m finer than frog hair split three ways and sanded on both ends.”
Southerners mostly use this phrase to answer, “How are you?” Even those below the Mason-Dixon know frogs don’t have hair, and the irony means to highlight just how dandy you feel. The phrase reportedly originated with Jack Bailey in 1965. {JK}
10. “He thinks the sun comes up just to hear him crow.”
On farms (not just in the South) roosters usually crow when the sun rises. Their vociferous habit wakes up the house, signaling time to work.
An extremely cocky rooster might think the sun rises simply because he crows. Similarly, an extremely cocky man might think the same when he speaks — and also that everyone should listen to him.
11. “That’s about as useful as tits on a bull.”
Surely this one needs no explanation for anyone.
12. “That thing is all catawampus.”
Some think it is akin to cater-cornered; I don’t know. I do know that Daddy used the word a lot and I always thought he was describing something that went wrong or didn’t go right. He also talked about a wampus cat that I thought was imaginary until I got to Danville and Jimmie Stephenson straightened me out. It is called a Whissit: it is a tiger with two heads. It stays in a perpetual state of constipation and is very ill tempered. Thus the expression, “Madder than a wampus cat.”
13. “He’s got enough money to burn a wet mule.”
In 1929, then-Governor of Louisiana Huey Long, nicknamed “The Kingfish,” tried to enact a five-cent tax on each barrel of refined oil to fund welfare programs. Naturally, Standard Oil threw a hissy fit and tried to impeach him on some fairly erroneous charges (including attending a drunken party with a stripper). But Long, a good ole’ boy, fought back. He reportedly said the company had offered legislators as much as $25,000 for their votes to kick him out of office — what he called “enough money to burn a wet mule.”