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On the last day of Passover, we read verses from the book of Isaiah as the haftorah.1 This reading includes many wondrous prophecies about the era of Moshiach.

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The Raincoat

by Ada Limón

When the doctor suggested surgery

and a brace for all my youngest years,

my parents scrambled to take me

to massage therapy, deep tissue work,

osteopathy, and soon my crooked spine

unspooled a bit, I could breathe again,

and move more in a body unclouded

by pain. My mom would tell me to sing

songs to her the whole forty-five minute

drive to Middle Two Rock Road and forty-

five minutes back from physical therapy.

She’d say, even my voice sounded unfettered

by my spine afterward. So I sang and sang,

because I thought she liked it. I never

asked her what she gave up to drive me,

or how her day was before this chore. Today,

at her age, I was driving myself home from yet

another spine appointment, singing along

to some maudlin but solid song on the radio,

and I saw a mom take her raincoat off

and give it to her young daughter when

a storm took over the afternoon. My god,

I thought, my whole life I’ve been under her

raincoat thinking it was somehow a marvel

that I never got wet.

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Genesis 41:52 Verse Concepts He named the second Ephraim, “For,” he said, “God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”

Psalm 147:3 Verse Concepts He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds.

Isaiah 61:1 Verse Concepts The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, Because the Lord has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners;

Psalm 34:18 Verse Concepts The Lord is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Proverbs 10:22 Verse Concepts It is the blessing of the Lord that makes rich, And He adds no sorrow to it.

John 16:20 Verse Concepts Truly, truly, I say to you, that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will grieve, but your grief will be turned into joy.

Source: https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/God-Healing-Sorrow

1 There is a place of quiet rest, Near to the heart of God, A place where sin cannot molest, Near to the heart of God.

Chorus: O Jesus, blest Redeemer Sent from the heart of God, Hold us who wait before Thee Near to the heart of God.

2 There is a place of comfort sweet, Near to the heart of God, A place where we our Savior meet, Near to the heart of God. (Chorus)

3 There is a place of full release Near to the heart of God, A place where all is joy and peace, Near to the heart of God. (Chorus)

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The works of Mrs. Anne Steele, complete in two volumes : comprehending poems on subjects chiefly devotional; and miscellaneous pieces in prose and verse ; heretofore published under the title of Theodosia : Steele, Anne, 1717-1778 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

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“O what a wonderful, wonderful day, day I will never forget;

After I’d wandered in darkness away, Jesus my Savior I met.

O what a tender, compassionate friend, He met the need of my heart;

Shadows dispelling, with joy I am telling, He made all the darkness depart.

Heaven came down and glory filled my soul,

When at the cross the Savior made me whole;

My sins were washed away and my night was turned to day,

Heaven came down and glory filled my soul!”

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But King Solomon loved many foreign women, as well as the daughter of Pharaoh: women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites— 2from the nations of whom the Lord had said to the children of Israel, “You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you. Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love. 3And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart. 4For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not [a]loyal to the Lord his God, as was the heart of his father David. 5For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom[b] the abomination of the Ammonites. 6Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and did not fully follow the Lord, as did his father David. 7Then Solomon built a [c]high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, on the hill that is east of Jerusalem, and for Molech the abomination of the people of Ammon. 8And he did likewise for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.

9So the Lord became angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned from the Lord God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, 10and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he did not keep what the Lord had commanded. 11Therefore the Lord said to Solomon, “Because you have done this, and have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant. 12Nevertheless I will not do it in your days, for the sake of your father David; I will tear it out of the hand of your son. 13However I will not tear away the whole kingdom; I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of My servant David, and for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen.”

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A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief

A poor wayfaring Man of grief Hath often crossed me on my way, Who sued so humbly for relief That I could never answer nay. I had not power to ask his name, Whereto he went, or whence he came; Yet there was something in his eye That won my love; I knew not why.

Once, when my scanty meal was spread, He entered; not a word he spake, Just perishing for want of bread. I gave him all; he blessed it, brake, And ate, but gave me part again. Mine was an angel’s portion then, For while I fed with eager haste, The crust was manna to my taste.

I spied him where a fountain burst Clear from the rock; his strength was gone. The heedless water mocked his thirst; He heard it, saw it hurrying on. I ran and raised the suff’rer up; Thrice from the stream he drained my cup, Dipped and returned it running o’er; I drank and never thirsted more.

’Twas night; the floods were out; it blew A winter hurricane aloof. I heard his voice abroad and flew To bid him welcome to my roof. I warmed and clothed and cheered my guest And laid him on my couch to rest; Then made the earth my bed, and seemed In Eden’s garden while I dreamed.

Stripped, wounded, beaten nigh to death, I found him by the highway side. I roused his pulse, brought back his breath, Revived his spirit, and supplied Wine, oil, refreshment—he was healed. I had myself a wound concealed, But from that hour forgot the smart, And peace bound up my broken heart.

In pris’n I saw him next, condemned To meet a traitor’s doom at morn. The tide of lying tongues I stemmed, And honored him ’mid shame and scorn. My friendship’s utmost zeal to try, He asked if I for him would die. The flesh was weak; my blood ran chill, But my free spirit cried, “I will!”

Then in a moment to my view The stranger started from disguise. The tokens in His hands I knew; The Savior stood before mine eyes. He spake, and my poor name He named, “Of Me thou hast not been ashamed. These deeds shall thy memorial be; Fear not, thou didst them unto Me.”

James Montgomery was born November 4, 1771, in  Irvine, Ayrshire, Scotland.

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1Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of [a]God! Therefore the world does not know [b]us, because it did not know Him. 2Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 3And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

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1 My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness; I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus' name.

Refrain: On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand: all other ground is sinking sand; all other ground is sinking sand.

2 When darkness veils his lovely face, I rest on his unchanging grace; in every high and stormy gale, my anchor holds within the veil. [Refrain]

3 His oath, his covenant, his blood, support me in the whelming flood; when all around my soul gives way, he then is all my hope and stay. [Refrain]

4 When he shall come with trumpet sound, O may I then in him be found: dressed in his righteousness alone, faultless to stand before the throne. 

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God’s Second Appearance to Solomon

1And it came to pass, when Solomon had finished building the house of the Lord and the king’s house, and all Solomon’s desire which he wanted to do, 2that the Lord appeared to Solomon the second time, as He had appeared to him at Gibeon. 3And the Lord said to him: “I have heard your prayer and your supplication that you have made before Me; I have consecrated this house which you have built to put My name there forever, and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually. 4Now if you walk before Me as your father David walked, in integrity of heart and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded you, and��if you keep My statutes and My judgments, 5then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, as I promised David your father, saying, ‘You shall not fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.’ 6But if you or your sons at all [a]turn from following Me, and do not keep My commandments and My statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them, 7then I will [b]cut off Israel from the land which I have given them; and this house which I have consecrated for My name I will cast out of My sight. Israel will be a proverb and a byword among all peoples. 8And as for this house, which is exalted, everyone who passes by it will be astonished and will hiss, and say, ‘Why has the Lord done thus to this land and to this house?’ 9Then they will answer, ‘Because they forsook the Lord their God, who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, and worshiped them and served them; therefore the Lord has brought all this calamity on them.’ ”

1 Christ is our Corner-stone, On Him alone we build; With His true saints alone The courts of heav'n are filled. On His great love Our hopes we place Of present grace And joys above.

2 Oh, then, with hymns of praise These hallowed courts shall ring; Our voices we will raise, The Three in One to sing And thus proclaim In joyful song, Both loud and long, That glorious name.

3 Here, gracious God, do Thou Forevermore draw nigh: Accept each faithful vow And mark each suppliant sigh. In copious show'r On all who pray Each holy day, Thy blessing pour.

4 Here may we gain from heav'n The grace which we implore, And may that grace, once giv'n, Be with us evermore Until that day When all the blest To endless rest Are called away!

Amen.

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The Ark Brought into the Temple

1Now Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the chief fathers of the children of Israel, to King Solomon in Jerusalem, that they might bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the City of David, which is Zion. 2Therefore all the men of Israel assembled with King Solomon at the feast in the month of [a]Ethanim, which is the seventh month. 3So all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark. 4Then they brought up the ark of the Lord, the [b]tabernacle of meeting, and all the holy furnishings that were in the tabernacle. The priests and the Levites brought them up. 5Also King Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel who were assembled with him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen that could not be counted or numbered for multitude. 6Then the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the temple, to the Most Holy Place, under the wings of the cherubim. 7For the cherubim spread their two wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim overshadowed the ark and its poles. 8The poles extended so that the [c]ends of the poles could be seen from the holy place, in front of the inner sanctuary; but they could not be seen from outside. And they are there to this day. 9Nothing was in the ark except the two tablets of stone which Moses put there at Horeb, when the Lord made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt.

10And it came to pass, when the priests came out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the Lord, 11so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.

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M1. Prayer on my Birthday My Lord and my God, in Thee I live, move and have my being in life or death. “I will praise Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.” Thou wast my stay when I was in my mother’s womb; my substance was not hid from Thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. “Thine eyes did see my substance, being yet imperfect; and in Thy book all my members were written which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.” Today I recall the day of my birth, which is the beginning not only of temporal, but also of spiritual life, inasmuch as I was soon brought to Holy Baptism, where I was reconciled to God, cleansed of my sin by the washing of regeneration, and received the Holy Ghost. For this I earnestly thank and praise Thee. This day reminds me, to Thy praise, God, my Creator, that I was not only born into this world, but that Thou hast brought me to a place where Thy name is truly known and Thy holy word taught in all purity, by means of which I was through Thee brought to true faith. I also thank Thee, Lord Jesus Christ, for all the benefits Thou hast showered upon me as to body and soul, from the day of my birth up to this present hour. Thou hast nourished and kept me; Thou hast protected my life in manifold ways by Thy holy angels, who always see the face of the Father in heaven, and hast daily provided me in rich measure with food and clothing. Moreover, through Thy word Thou hast conveyed to me spiritual and imperishable gifts; in Holy Baptism, the washing of regeneration, Thou hast given me the assurance that I am a new creature and a first-fruit of Jesus Christ, granting me forgiveness of sin, the Holy Spirit and eternal life for an inheritance. And though ofttimes, from weakness of the flesh or perversity of mind, I have forsaken my God, ignored His commandments, and have, by many gross sins transgressed more than seventy times seven against God in heaven and my neighbor on earth, Thou didst not enter into judgment with me, nor visit me with sudden, well-deserved punishment. O God, Holy Spirit, how shamefully I have spent my life, how seriously I faltered, yea committed grievous sins many a time. But Thou, O God, Holy Ghost, hast sought me, the lost sheep, so often, and led me back into the right path; Thou hast sanctified, comforted, governed, and kept me in my calling: Thou hast stayed the devil and warded off innumerable dangers of body and soul – dangers that long ago would have caused my ruin, if Thou hadst not stood by me. O Holy Trinity, I pray Thee to grant a happy birth, forgiveness of sins and eternal life to all that are to see the light of day. Let not this anniversary of my birth, I pray Thee, or any of my future days, be marred by mortal sin, I ever being of my sinful extraction and depravity. Preserve me in health and life, until I reach the appointed goal. Grant patience in sufferings and trials. Comfort me in every misfortune and distress. Daily grant, I beseech Thee, forgiveness of my sins, as well as steadfastness unto my soul’s salvation, that I may serve Thee unto the end in true, saving faith and a good conscience. Amen

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Acts 5:3

But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?But Peter said ... - Peter could have known this only by "revelation." It was the manifest design of Ananias to deceive; nor was there any way of detecting him but by its being revealed to him by the Spirit of God. As it was an instance of enormous wickedness, and as it was very important to detect and punish the crime, it was made known to Peter directly by God.

Why hath Satan - Great deeds of wickedness in the Scripture are traced to the influence of Satan. Compare Luke 23:3; John 13:27. Especially is Satan called the "father of lies," John 8:44-45. Compare Genesis 3:1-5. As this was an act of "falsehood," or an attempt to deceive, it is with great propriety traced to the influence of Satan. The sin of Ananias consisted in his "yielding" to the temptation. Nowhere in the Bible are people supposed to be free from guilt from the mere fact that they have been "tempted" to commit it. God requires them to "resist" temptation; and if they "yield" to it, they must be punished.

Filled thine heart - A man's "heart" or "mind" is "full" of a thing when he is "intent on it"; when he is strongly "impelled to it"; or when he is fully occupied with it. The expression here means that he was "strongly impelled" or "excited" by Satan to this crime.

To lie to - To attempt to deceive. The deception which he meant to practice was to keep back a "part" of the price, while he "pretended" to bring the whole of it; thus "tempting" God, and supposing that he could not detect the fraud.

The Holy Ghost - τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον to pneuma to hagion. The main inquiry here is, whether the apostle Peter intended to designate in this place the "third person" of the Trinity; or whether he meant to speak of God "as God," without any reference to the distinction of persons; or whether he referred to the "divine influence" which inspired the apostles, without reference to the special offices which are commonly ascribed to the Holy Spirit. Or, in other words, is there a "distinction" here recognized between the Father and the Holy Spirit? That there "is," will be apparent from the following considerations:

(1) If no such distinction is "intended," it is remarkable that Peter did not use the usual and customary "name" of God. It does not appear why he guarded it so carefully as to denote that this offence was committed against the "Holy Spirit," and "the Spirit of the Lord," Acts 5:9.

(2) the name used here is the one employed in the Scriptures to designate the third person of the Trinity, as implying a distinction from the Father. See Matthew 3:16; Matthew 1:18, Matthew 1:20; Matthew 3:11; Matthew 12:32; Matthew 28:19; Mark 1:8; Mark 3:29; Mark 12:36; Luke 12:10; John 14:26; John 7:39; John 20:22; Acts 4:8; Acts 5:32, etc.

(3) Peter intended, doubtless, to designate an offence as committed particularly against the person, or influence, by which he and the other apostles were inspired. Ananias supposed that he could escape detection, and the offence was one, therefore, against the Inspirer of the apostles. Yet that was the Holy Spirit as "distinct from the Father." See John 14:16-17, John 14:26; John 15:26; John 16:7-11; John 20:22. Compare Acts 5:32. The offence, therefore, being against him who was "sent" by the Father, and who was appointed to a particular work, clearly supposes that the Holy Spirit is distinct from the Father.

(4) a further incidental proof of this may be found in the fact that the sin here committed was one of special magnitude - so great as to be deemed worthy of the immediate and signal vengeance of God. Yet the sin against the Holy Spirit is uniformly represented to be of this description. Compare Matthew 12:31-32; Mark 3:28-29. As these sins evidently coincide in enormity, it is clear that the same class of sins is referred to in both places; or, in other words, the sin of Ananias was against the third person of the Trinity. Two remarks may be made here:

(1) The Holy Spirit is a distinct Person from the Father and the Son; or, in other words, there is a distinction of some kind in the divine nature that may be designated by the word "person." This is clear from the fact that sin is said to have been committed against him - a sin which it was supposed could not be detected. "Sin" cannot be committed against an "attribute" of God, or an "influence" from God. We cannot "lie unto" an attribute, or against wisdom, or power, or goodness; nor can we "lie unto" an "influence," merely, of the Most High. Sin is committed against a "Being," not against an "attribute"; and as a sin is here charged on Ananias against "the Holy Spirit," it follows that the Holy Spirit has a "personal" existence, or that there is such a distinction in the divine essence that it may be proper to "specify" a sin as committed especially against him. In the same way sin may be represented as committed especially against the "Father" when his "name" is blasphemed; when his "dominion" is denied; when his mercy in sending his Son is called in question. Sin may be represented as committed against "the Son" when his atonement is denied; his divinity assailed; his character derided, or his invitations slighted. And thus sin may be represented as committed against "the Holy Spirit" when his office of renewing the heart, or sanctifying the soul, is called in question, or when "his" work is ascribed to some malign or other influence. See Mark 3:22-30. And as sin against the Son proves that he is in some sense distinct from the Father, so does sin against the Holy Spirit prove that in some sense he is distinct from the Father and the Son.

(2) the Holy Spirit is divine. This is proved, because he is represented here as being able to search the heart, and to detect insincerity and hypocrisy. Compare Jeremiah 17:10; 1 Chronicles 28:9; 1 Corinthians 2:10, "The Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God"; Revelation 2:23. And he is expressly "called" God. See the notes on Acts 5:4.

Acts 5:4

Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.Whiles it remained - As long as it remained unsold. This place proves that there was no "obligation" imposed on the disciples to sell their property. They who did it, did it voluntarily; and it does not appear that it was done by all, or expected to be done by all.

And after it was sold ... - Even after the property was sold, and Ananias had the money, still there was no obligation on him to devote it in this way. He had the disposal of it still. The apostle mentions this to show him that his offence was especially aggravated. He was not "compelled" to sell his property - he had not even the poor pretence that he was "obliged" to dispose of it, and was "tempted" to withhold it for his own use. It was "all" his, and might have been retained if he had chosen.

Thou hast not lied unto men - Unto people "only," or, it is not your "main" and "chief" offence that you have attempted to deceive people. It is true that Ananias "had" attempted to deceive the apostles, and it is true, also, that this was a crime; but still, the principal magnitude of the offence was that he had attempted to deceive "God." So small was his crime as committed against "men" that it was lost sight of by the apostles, and the great, crowning sin of attempting to deceive "God" was brought fully into view. Thus, David also saw his sin as committed against "God" to be so enormous that he lost sight of it as an offence to man, and said, "Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight," Psalm 51:4.

But unto God - It has been "particularly" and "eminently" against God. This is true, because:

(1) He had professedly "devoted" it to God. The act, therefore, had express and direct reference to him.

(2) it was an attempt to deceive him. It implied the belief of Ananias that God would not detect the crime, or see the motives of the heart.

(3) it is the prerogative of God to judge of sincerity and hypocrisy; and this was a case, therefore, which came under his special notice. Compare Psalm 139:1-4. The word "God" here is evidently used in its plain and obvious sense as denoting the "supreme divinity," and the use of the word here shows that the Holy Spirit is "divine." The whole passage demonstrates, therefore, one of the important doctrines of the Christian religion, that the Holy Spirit is distinct from the Father and the Son, and yet is divine.

Acts 5 Barnes' Notes (biblehub.com)

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James Carr - The Dark End of the Street (Official Audio)

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1And it was on the eighth day, that Moses summoned Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel.2And he said to Aaron, "Take for yourself a bull calf as a sin offering, and a ram as a burnt offering, [both] unblemished, and bring [them] near before the Lord.3And to the children of Israel, you shall speak, saying, 'Take a he goat as a sin offering; and a calf and a lamb, [both] in their first year and [both] unblemished, as a burnt offering,

4and an ox and a ram as peace offerings, to slaughter before the Lord, and a meal offering mixed with oil, for today the Lord is appearing to you.' "5And they took what Moses had commanded, to the front of the Tent of Meeting, and the entire community approached and stood before the Lord.6And Moses said, "This is the thing the Lord has commanded; do [it], and the glory of the Lord will appear to you."7And Moses said to Aaron, "Approach the altar and perform your sin offering and your burnt offering, atoning for yourself and for the people, and perform the people's sacrifice, atoning for them, as the Lord has commanded.

8So Aaron approached the altar and slaughtered his sin offering calf.9And Aaron's sons brought forward the blood to him, and he dipped his finger into the blood, placing [some] on the horns of the altar, and he poured the blood at the base of the altar.10And the fat, the kidneys, and the diaphragm with the liver from the sin offering, he caused to [go up in] smoke on the altar, as the Lord had commanded Moses.11And he burned the flesh and the hide in fire, outside the camp.

12And he slaughtered the burnt offering. And Aaron's sons presented the blood to him, and he dashed it on the altar, around.13And they presented the burnt offering to him in its [prescribed] pieces, along with the head. And he caused [them] to [go up in] smoke on the altar.14And he washed the innards and the legs, and he caused [them] to [go up in] smoke on the altar, along with the burnt offering.

15And he brought forward the people's sacrifice; he took the people's sin offering goat, slaughtered it, and made it a sin offering, like the first one.16And he brought forward the burnt offering and prepared it according to the law.

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What’s So Special About Your Jewish Birthday?

Art by Sefira Lightstone

Be Grateful

First and foremost, a birthday is a day to feel grateful. It's a day for parents to be grateful to G‑d for the precious gift He granted them. A day for the Jewish nation to be grateful for the addition of a new member of the nation-family. And, of course, it is a day for the birthday celebrant to express gratitude to G‑d for the gift of life.

This is the day when you were given the mandate to change the world. The day when G‑d entrusted you with the mission to challenge a world that is hostile to spirituality and transform it into G‑d's private sanctum. And in accomplishing this goal, you, too, were given the ability to achieve incredible spiritual heights—heights unimaginable to the soul before it was dispatched from its lofty heavenly abode to inhabit a physical body.

Celebrating a birthday is also a demonstration of confidenceCelebrating a birthday is thus also a demonstration of confidence. Confidence that you are and will continue to be worthy of G‑d's trust. No matter the obstacles, you will persevere and live up to G‑d's expectations of you.

This day takes on additional significance if you are above the age of bar or bat mitzvah. The word "mitzvah" means commandments, but is also related to the word "tzaveta," which means "connection." Fulfilling G‑d's commandments is the vehicle through which we connect to G‑d. Until bar and bat mitzvah, mitzvot are primarily an educational experience—the commandment element kicking in upon adulthood. That means greater responsibility, but an infinitely greater connection, too. Your birthday is also the anniversary of that momentous occasion.

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Portion of Reading

We are careful to veil most of the expressions of the flesh before others, but safely behind the walls of our own homes, we have a tendency to let it all hang out—all the anger, all the temper, all the unkindness and inconsiderateness, all the selfish demands, all the pride, all the childish behavior. And as a result, many Christian homes are riddled with wrangling and strife. But when some concerned Christian who might be able to help us asks how things are going at home, we quickly reply, “Oh, just great, great. Yes sir, we’re getting along better than we ever did.” And we excuse our dishonesty by telling ourselves that what goes on in our home is a private matter, nobody’s business but our own. But the dishonesty increases our burden of guilt, and the guilt leads to further defensiveness and irritability, and the irritability produces greater dissension and discord in the home. It’s one of Satan’s favorite traps.