Another Midrash

God why do You make a mockery of me, when I just tell the nations the truth? Why do You give me into their hands, and cause them to have their way, and cause my vision to fail? Do You love sin? Do You love oppression and violence? Why do You cause the sinner to rejoice, and the repentant to be in misery? Why do You cause trouble for the righteous, and give a smooth way to the wicked? Selah… I know… for there is no righteous judgment in the land, and sin is elevated, therefore the righteous suffer, and must so until Thou establish truth again. Why do the selfish and abominable get their meat, and those who have waited for You for decades find themselves about to be cast out in shame? Why do You let the dogs have love, and the patient saints, who would do good with Your gifts, why do You cause them to pine after Your commandments? Do You favor the wicked? Selah. No, it is that the judgment is nigh the land, and the thieves, liars, dogs and sorcerers shall be brought to an end. For while my drink is shortened, and my needs are not met, You plentifully give shelter to the wicked, and I ask why? Why do You show favor to the wicked? Why do lies get established, and why is the truth cast down? Why are strange things being done, and nobody tells the truth? And the one who tells the truth, You strike as if a false prophet, and all Your people mock? No, LORD, establish me, for I am Your Servant and have not lied. Yet You gave me over to the Accusers and mockers, and have not established me. Yet, You shall at the time appointed, return and establish judgment. For I am Your servant. And I shall perpetually worship You. For You are good, and I seek Your face so mercy shall be set aside for me, great and tall, and I shall drink of living waters, and eat the fruit of life.

The War of Beelzebub

Walking down the park path,
Flies number in the hundreds
Swarming my hair, my face,
My back, my sides, my belly.
Biting everything they can gnaw.
Such it is, Beelzebub rises
From the Gehenna,
And the war is ferocious...
The flies, his minions,
His rioters and drunkards and philistines
They swarm the world, and bit
All who pass by.
Soon, Wisdom releases her arrows
And the Dragon Flies
Like Seraphim come,
And they eat the flies 
One by one, and their numbers
Lessen, and their larva
Cannot be grown to multiply.

Herod’s Temple

The temple under construction by Herod---
It need be destroyed by Roman might;
For it was not good being built by him.
For now I understand the political climate---
A gentile made the Temple great
For the greatness of his kingdom.
And the Jews loved it, but God hated it.
How it is, that that Ruler King of Tyre
Sealeth up the Sum, and seals the temple
Yet it is unlawful, and must be toppled down
By the very villains who raised it.

License to Kill by Bob Dylan Interpretation

Man thinks 'cause he rules the earth, he can do with it as he please
And if things don't change soon, he will
Oh, man has invented his doom.
First step was touching the moon.

Man invented his doom, by touching the moon--we have the capabilities to destroy the earth with space weapons and nuclear war.

Now, there's a woman on my block.
She just sit there as the night grow still.
She say who gonna take away his license to kill?

The woman is Wisdom---"She cries out in the street, 'turn ye here at my reproof." She wants man to have his license to kill taken away---as man has the license to fight wars indiscriminately, and make lawful war, like is happening in Israel right now and Ukraine.

Now, they take him and they teach him
And they groom him for life
And they set him on a path where he's bound to get ill
Then they bury him with stars
Sell his body like they do used cars

The schools and television groom you for life--it teaches you how to have your life, and be distracted. But, it sells you through the capitalist machine... you're a product for corporations, your body a tool to produce for the engine of commerce.

Now, there's a woman on my block
She just sit there facin' the hill
She say who gonna take away his license to kill?

Now, he's hell bent for destruction
He's afraid and confused
And his brain has been mismanaged with great skill
All he believes are his eyes
And his eyes, they just tell him lies

Man is hell bent on destruction---will destroy themselves through nuclear war. He's afraid by the news--such as the war in Vietnam---and he's mismanaged with great skill, believing his eyes, that there  seems to be peace. But, his eyes are telling him  lies... there is no peace.

But there's a woman on my block
Sitting there in a cold chill
She say who gonna take away his license to kill?

You may be noisemaker, spirit maker, heartbreaker, backbreaker;
leave no stone unturned
May be an actor in a plot, that might be all that you got
till your error you clearly learn

The plot of life, is to get rich, get all you can out of life, do the things you want to do to make life easy and enjoy your produce. You could be a very happy person, and spirited, and tough. But you're only an actor in the plot... kind of like an extra, as the world goes by, and your error you clearly learn is that you're not that important. You feel center to the stage, but you're just an extra.

Now he worships at an altar
Of a stagnant pool
And when he sees his reflection, he's fulfilled
Oh, man is opposed to fair play
He wants it all and he wants it his way

The reflection is the television,  giving us our reflection, and the News and our programs we consume, which are brainwashing us. When we see our reflection, we're fulfilled. Some have said this is like Narcissus, staring at his reflection and hearing Echo behind him; maybe Wisdom is Echo? Kind of reminds me of my story St. George and the Dragon. And instead of looking back at Wisdom, and receiving her, we're selfishly glutting ourselves on the entertainment, and our reflections, as the world moves on, and we're only a minor character in this world,  thinking we're the central point, or the fulcrum of it. We all have this egotism, trying to make our way in life, get the goal of a good life.

Now, there's a woman on my block.
She just sit there as the night grow still.
She say who gonna take away his license to kill?

Dylan, Bob. License to Kill. Bob Dylan.com. Web. https://www.bobdylan.com/songs/license-kill/ 6.15.25

Echinacea

The echinacea is sprouting, some already purple;
The mulberries are half ripe, and half white.
The daisies are coming out in large numbers---
Some spring flowers are growing,
The veronica, and the wild strawberries.
Today is Father's Day, and dad makes bread
In the kitchen, as my brother's coming over.
The chicories have not sprouted;
The tomatoes are sprouting their orange florets
In the pottage we bought early this summer.
Some green fruits are hanging on the branch.
The Triune is seen late at night; soon to arise.

I write this poem last night, as strife occurs in the kitchen:

"Things fall apart.
"We both forebode.
"You do provide.
"Simple words; best
"Words. I love you."

The zucchini is little shoots, but my dad pruned it
And the tomatoes, their foliage
In the pot, decaying to the roots.
We need pruned to grow healthy and strong,
Yet one day we die, and our bodies become the feed
For the roots of grass. 
But hopefully long and happy life precedes it;
For there is nothing better here
Than to eat, drink, and enjoy your labor under the sun;
To grow, to drink, to knead, to shepherd.

A Word Study on The Most Controversial Verse in the Bible

Deuteronomy:22 If a man be found lying with a woman married to an husband, then they shall both of them die, both the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shalt thou put away evil from Israel.

23 If a damsel that is a virgin be betrothed unto an husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her;

24 Then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city, and ye shall stone them with stones that they die; the damsel, because she cried not, being in the city; and the man, because he hath humbled his neighbour's wife: so thou shalt put away evil from among you.

 25 But if a man find a betrothed damsel in the field, and the man force her, and lie with her: then the man only that lay with her shall die.

26 But unto the damsel thou shalt do nothing; there is in the damsel no sin worthy of death: for as when a man riseth against his neighbour, and slayeth him, even so is this matter:

27 For he found her in the field, and the betrothed damsel cried, and there was none to save her.

Word there for "Force" is:

[H2388] (chazaq/khaw-zak') a primitive root; to 
fasten upon; hence, to seize, be strong (figuratively, 
courageous, causatively strengthen, cure, help, 
repair, fortify), obstinate; to bind, restrain, conquer
:--aid, amend, X calker, catch, cleave, confirm, be 
constant, constrain, continue, be of good (take) 
courage(-ous, -ly), encourage (self), be established, 
fasten, force, fortify, make hard, harden, help, (lay) 
hold (fast), lean, maintain, play the man, mend, 
become (wax) mighty, prevail, be recovered, repair, 
retain, seize, be (wax) sore, strengthen (self), be 
stout, be (make, shew, wax) strong(-er), be sure, 
take (hold), be urgent, behave self valiantly, 
withstand.

28 If a man find a damsel that is a virgin, which is not betrothed, and lay hold on her, and lie with her, and they be found;

29 Then the man that lay with her shall give unto the damsel's father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife; because he hath humbled her, he may not put her away all his days.

Word there for "Lay Hold on Her" is:

[H8610] (taphas/taw-fas') a primitive root; to 
manipulate, i.e. seize; chiefly to capture, wield, 
specifically, to overlay; figuratively, to use 
unwarrantably:--catch, handle, (lay, take) hold (on, 
over), stop, X surely, surprise, take.

Genesis 4:21 And his brother's name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ.

H8610 is the same word used here for "Handle".

Exodus 22:16 And if a man entice a maid that is not betrothed, and lie with her, he shall surely endow her to be his wife.

17 If her father utterly refuse to give her unto him, he shall pay money according to the dowry of virgins.

The word "Entice" is:

[H6601] (pathah/paw-thaw') a primitive root; to 
open, i.e. be (causatively, make) roomy; usually 
figuratively (in a mental or moral sense) to be 
(causatively, make) simple or (in a sinister way) 
delude:--allure, deceive, enlarge, entice, flatter, 
persuade, silly (one). 

The difference between the Bride Price in Exodus and Deuteronomy, is the level of enticement. The first is the moral grey area which Me Too addresses, where a woman half consents, but doesn't resist. The second is when the woman is persuaded fully. But, in both cases the woman is to be married, by the father's wish. 

But if the woman fights, and resists--even if not very well, as some women are extremely timid--and cried out, it is rape, and only the man will be put to death.