The other thing emerged after an end of term meeting over yum cha with colleagues from schools I've taught Mathematics at. We have been meeting since 1995, and some have retired, and some have children. We don't always talk shop, but I was struck with the comment of one who remarked their school did well at Math education, but wasn't placing better as parents tended to over do the work of their children with tutors. Asian dominant community, and the kids excel at the material, but are not au fait with the enrichment material which is the aim of the education department to show students at the top end of achievement. The kids are flooded with moderate level material and understand the basic mechanics, but high level maths is about comprehension with modelling and tool use required of students to answer the questions. So it isn't enough to be able to apply a trigonometric rule, a good student would be able to construct a diagram from given detail, pick the right tool and apply it correctly. It isn't the school's fault students don't do that. Neither is it the student's fault. It is a cultural problem involving the parents and their expectation of schools .. they feel a school is merely an accreditation service which will grade their child. Instead, a school in Australia tries to give students opportunities to excel. Students don't have to all be good at the same things. This isn't the whole issue, however. Because in many ways there are problems directly related to that school. Anti intellectualism dominates left wing thinking, and this limits the students drive to excel. AGW believing Science faculty, an English faculty that prizes mediocrity. The students do well at Math, but are limited by bad teaching in other faculties.
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Happy birthday and many happy returns to those born on this day, along with
- 1173 – Louis I, Duke of Bavaria (d. 1231)
- 1732 – Richard Arkwright, English businessman and inventor, invented the Water frame (d. 1792)
- 1790 – Jean-François Champollion, French scholar, philologist, and orientalist (d. 1832)
- 1805 – Joseph Smith, American religious leader, founder and leader of the Latter Day Saint movement (d. 1844)
- 1918 – Helmut Schmidt, German politician, 5th Chancellor of Germany
- 1922 – Micheline Ostermeyer, French athlete and pianist (d. 2001)
- 1938 – Bob Kahn, American computer scientist and engineer, co-developed the Transmission Control Protocol
- 1939 – La Lupe, Cuban-American salsa singer (d. 1992)
- 1940 – Jorma Kaukonen, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna)
- 1949 – Adrian Belew, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (King Crimson, Tom Tom Club, and The Bears)
- 1951 – Anthony Phillips, English guitarist and songwriter (Genesis)
- 1967 – Carla Bruni, Italian-French singer-songwriter and model
- 1971 – Corey Haim, Canadian-American actor (d. 2010)
- 1992 – Jeff Schlupp, German footballer
Matches
- 484 – Huneric dies and is succeeded by his nephew Gunthamund, who becomes king of the Vandals. During his reign the Catholics are free from persecutions.
- 679 – King Dagobert II is murdered in a hunting accident.
- 1572 – Theologian Johann Sylvan executed in Heidelberg for his heretical Antitrinitarian beliefs.
- 1688 – As part of the Glorious Revolution, King James II of England flees England to Paris, France after being deposed in favor of his nephew, William of Orange and his daughter Mary.
- 1783 – George Washington resigns as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army at the Maryland State House in Annapolis, Maryland.
- 1823 – A Visit from St. Nicholas, also known as The Night Before Christmas, is published anonymously
- 1893 – The opera Hansel and Gretel by Engelbert Humperdinck is first performed.
- 1938 – Discovery of the first modern coelacanth in South Africa.
- 1947 – The transistor is first demonstrated at Bell Laboratories.
- 1948 – Seven Japanese convicted of war crimes by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East are executed at Sugamo Prison inTokyo, Japan.
- 1954 – First successful kidney transplant is performed by J. Hartwell Harrison and Joseph Murray.
- 1970 – The North Tower of the World Trade Center in Manhattan, New York, New York is topped out at 1,368 feet (417 m), making it the tallest building in the world.
- 1972 – The 16 survivors of the Andes flight disaster are rescued after 73 days, having survived by cannibalism.
Despatches
- 484 – Huneric, Vandal king
- 1568 – Roger Ascham, English educator and scholar (b. 1515)
- 1834 – Thomas Malthus, English demographer and economist (b. 1766)
- 1948 – Hideki Tōjō, Japanese general and politician, 40th Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1884)
PREPARE THE HOOPS
Tim Blair – Monday, December 23, 2013 (5:14pm)
An interesting view on the Disability Support Pension:
Labor’s parliamentary secretary Ed Husic defended the scheme, saying people often had to jump through hoops to qualify for the benefit …“It is unclear whether or not they will basically be forcing all new people to go through regular tests, or the people who have jumped through hoops to get DSP to be able to retain it.”
Via reader Hanrahan, who notes: “Sort of rules themselves out.”
CAPITAL CITY BAIL-OUT
Tim Blair – Monday, December 23, 2013 (5:03am)
===EMPATHY USED
Tim Blair – Monday, December 23, 2013 (3:57am)
Caring leftist Victoria Rollison feels for her assembly line brothers:
I myself felt the loss of Holden acutely because I am South Australian. I know how important the car manufacturing industry is to my State’s community and economy, and I understand that it is now gone forever thanks to Abbott and his team’s incompetence …Using my empathy, I can guess that Holden workers are scared, anxious, disappointed and angry about their company leaving Australia.
This followed Victoria’s anguished open letter to Holden boss Mike Devereux:
I implore you Mike. Don’t let Australia’s village idiot of a Prime Minister ruin this great country through sheer ideological fundamentalism and intellectual inadequacy. And please let me know if there’s anything I can do to help keep Holden here.
Buying a new Holden would help. Readers are invited to speculate in comments about the car Victoria currently owns. If she provides proof that it’s a non-secondhand, locally-made Holden, I’ll walk into my nearest Holden dealer and hand over a $250 donation.
ABC WAX CHECKER
Tim Blair – Monday, December 23, 2013 (3:10am)
Official ABC wax checker Red Symons is on the case:
A Melbourne waxing salon owner is demanding an apology from ABC breakfast radio host Red Symons after she said he humiliated and mocked her staff and clients.The owner of Brazilica in Smith Street, Collingwood, said the former Skyhooks lead guitarist stopped as he was walking down the bustling street just after 6.30pm on Wednesday and began firing inappropriate questions at the women working and waiting at the salon …[Brazilica owner Georgia] said she enjoyed working on the colourful shopping and entertainment strip but felt Symons behaviour had gone too far. “Why does a 50-year-plus man in a respected media job think he can come and pick on young girls and make sexist comments?” she asked.“Why does he feel it’s OK to humiliate and embarrass young girls in their workplace and heckle female clients about their choice of grooming?”
Good questions. Symons’s apology doesn’t amount to much:
Remarkably, the radio host’s antics didn’t provoke the usual tsunami of online rage. Perhaps Symons has ABC immunity.
Remarkably, the radio host’s antics didn’t provoke the usual tsunami of online rage. Perhaps Symons has ABC immunity.
ISSUE FACED
Tim Blair – Monday, December 23, 2013 (2:33am)
“If you have 200 Twitter followers, Joke X gets you targeted for annihilation,” observes Iowahawk. “If your name is Sarah Silverman, it gets you an HBO series.”
Excellent call. Take a look.
CLOCK TOASTIE
Tim Blair – Monday, December 23, 2013 (2:01am)
It’s a well-known fact that loss makes you throw things:
Here’s another scene of British domestic distress, presumably caused by six weeks of unemployment in 1991.
Here’s another scene of British domestic distress, presumably caused by six weeks of unemployment in 1991.
THE ONE REPLACED BY THE ONESIE
Tim Blair – Monday, December 23, 2013 (1:42am)
Barack Obama’s onesie boy takes control:
As for the Commander in Plaid’s desire to “talk about getting health insurance”, let’s have him sit down with Doug and Ginger Chapman:
As for the Commander in Plaid’s desire to “talk about getting health insurance”, let’s have him sit down with Doug and Ginger Chapman:
The cheapest insurance plan they can find through the new federal marketplace in New Hampshire will cost their family of four about $1,000 a month, 12 percent of their annual income of around $100,000 and more than they have ever paid before.Even more striking, for the Chapmans, is this fact: If they made just a few thousand dollars less a year — below $94,200 — their costs would be cut in half, because a family like theirs could qualify for federal subsidies …Because their plan is being canceled, [Ms. Chapman] is looking for new coverage for her family, which includes Mr. Chapman, 55, a retired fireman who works on a friend’s farm, and her two sons. “That’s an insane amount of money,” she said of their new premium. “How are you supposed to pay that?”
Onesie boy shows the way. Sell your adult clothes and never leave the house.
(Via Habib)
SWANN DIVE FOR PAK CHOI XI
Tim Blair – Monday, December 23, 2013 (1:16am)
Planning is overrated. As an example, I give you the English cricket team, currently getting whipped like common idiots at venues across Australia.
Continue reading 'SWANN DIVE FOR PAK CHOI XI'SHAVING CUT
Tim Blair – Monday, December 23, 2013 (12:35am)
By all means be nice to boat people. But let’s also respect the facts
Andrew Bolt December 23 2013 (7:58am)
Writer Susan Metcalfe in The Age:
===Refugees have arrived in Australia by boat for years. Most are now contributing citizens, grateful just to be here, in spite of how we have treated them.A Department of Immigration survey of refugees:
Around 85% of Humanitarian entrants’ households are in receipt of Centrelink payments, while around 28% of Skilled migrants’ households make use of Centrelink payments…Happy to have a debate on whether we should be more welcoming of boat people. But I have no tolerance for articles in which fine feelings are substituted for facts.
HRC source: Tim Wilson is a sceptic so shouldn’t be a freedom commissioner
Andrew Bolt December 23 2013 (7:25am)
One Human Rights
Commissioner - or senior staffer - wishes to deny employment to someone
who does not hold a fashionable religious belief. This anonymous member
of our morality police is speaking about Tim Wilson, the new freedom
commissioner:
What next? A sign over the HRC door: “No Catholics or sceptics need apply”?
By the way, are Jews comfortable with a member of the HRC using the 6 million victims of the Holocaust as a prop to demonise those who simply doubt the world is warming as fast and dangerously as the likes of Al Gore claimed? I mean, “Denier”? Get some sense of proportion.
UPDATE
The Human Rights Commission colludes with the Sydney Morning Herald to smear and ostracise Wilson in a way the commission would surely deplore if done to any new employee in private business:
Better still, of course, she could resign.
Does the Left realise how disgusting it appears in this whole episode? Censorious, vindictive, intolerant, abusive and so very threatened by someone whose agenda is simply to bring more freedom.
Marx once promised workers they could lose their chains. Now his intellectual heirs demand more of them.
===He has got no relevant qualifications at all. He has been a climate change denier, has done no law, little policy, he has an arts degree and a masters in something but he had no technical qualifications in this field at all. I would say most of the staff are better qualified than Tim is.How is Wilson’s climate scepticism relevant to his ability to protect freedom, and especially free speech? Whoever made that gutlessly anonymous sledge is unfit to be a member of the Human Rights Commission, which seems to be treated by its denizens as a private club for the Left.
What next? A sign over the HRC door: “No Catholics or sceptics need apply”?
By the way, are Jews comfortable with a member of the HRC using the 6 million victims of the Holocaust as a prop to demonise those who simply doubt the world is warming as fast and dangerously as the likes of Al Gore claimed? I mean, “Denier”? Get some sense of proportion.
UPDATE
The Human Rights Commission colludes with the Sydney Morning Herald to smear and ostracise Wilson in a way the commission would surely deplore if done to any new employee in private business:
Tim Wilson’s appointment as human rights commissioner could lead to cuts to a program on school bullying as the Australian Human Rights Commission accommodates his six-figure salary without any extra funding from the government…I have a suggestion for Triggs. She’s very well off. Why didn’t she donate her own salary to keep those programs going? Or does she put her own comfort above the safety of poor, abused children?
(HRC president) Professor Triggs said she and the other commissioners would meet in January to decide where cuts would come from to make room for Mr Wilson’s salary but suggested an anti-bullying program and a program on education for older Australians might be in the firing line.
Better still, of course, she could resign.
Does the Left realise how disgusting it appears in this whole episode? Censorious, vindictive, intolerant, abusive and so very threatened by someone whose agenda is simply to bring more freedom.
Marx once promised workers they could lose their chains. Now his intellectual heirs demand more of them.
Berry good
Andrew Bolt December 22 2013 (5:23pm)
Finest in Tasmania, according to the Tasmanian Agricultural Society this year. Can’t imagine a raspberry jam on the mainland to beat it. Sue told us it’s not just the quality of the berries but the way she cooks it. Not too long.
Best Italian restaurant in Hobart, we were told. We had no reason to doubt it.
UPDATE
Reader Clownfish:
The best Italian I’ve found in Hobart is Cafe Coltura.Reader Robert:
Da Angelo’s is good but you missed the bakery just up Hampden Rd. 50m., Jackman and Mc.Ross, and there is the Ball& Chain at the bottom of Kelly’s steps for a good steak.I think the point is there are a lot of good, well run small businesses in Tasmania but it is suffering from vastly too much over-governance, as well as Bass Strait. For example, Hobart has a population of roughly 200,000 souls and there are four councils, Hobart, Glenorchy, Clarence and Kingborough. As well there has been loss of a lot of industry due to closure and re-location. e.g. Stanley toolworks, Silk & Textiles, Sanitarium, Paper mills, Repco, the Woollen Mill in Launceston.UPDATE
Lost in the argument about whether MONA has great art works or merely pretentious is this: a rich man has used his wealth to create something that will delight many and provoke the rest.
So the first response to MONA - even from its critics - must surely be to say thank you to creator David Walsh.
True, I found few exhibits to give me what I’m always after - an insight and sense of urgent communication. But that’s not to say none were there. For instance, I was very struck with a room full of televisions, each showing some Turkish man or woman talking about their life. Each anonymous, each individual. From a mass, many singular voices.
And the two Buddhas - the steel mold contemplating the crumbling cast:
WWW.UNITED-CHURCH.CA
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Ninja ginger cookies
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Large coat sale in Copenhagen, Denmark, 1936
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Darling Harbour
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By people who don't understand or care about Jesus .. they would rather desperate poor people drowned and were exploited by pirates .. they are that compassionate. - ed===
Michelle Malkin
Cracker Barrel does a 180: ‘Today, we are putting all our Duck Dynasty products back in our stores.’ ==> http://twitchy.com/2013/
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Andreas Herrmann
Organisten sind die perfekten Lehrer: Sie haben jahrelang studiert, wie man mit Pfeifen umgeht.
Organisten sind die perfekten Klempner: sie seit Jahren, wie man mit Rohren befassen studiert haben. - ed
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www.theage.com.au
I kinda expect Trolls from the Age - ed===
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Zaya Toma
Proud to be one of the first to drive on Reconciliation Road, which was opened by Andrew Rohan MP today. The road connects Fairfield to Blacktown through Greystanes.
Andrew Rohan keeps his promises - ed===
go.referralcandy.com
http://graphicstock.refr.cc/Q85L4JW===
Gold, Cabochon Ruby and Diamond Flower Earclips, Van Cleef & Arpels
My love, soon it will be your day .. ed
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San Francisco, Holiday Style.
Just a quick snap I did as we were walking back to our cars. Makes a good cover photo here on facebook.
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4 her
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www.israelvideonetwork.com
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“The best job-creation program in human history is the free market and the entrepreneurship it generates,” >
http://www.learnliberty.org/videos/does-government-create-jobs
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The government thinks too many people are on disabled pensions. One was recently charged with offences relating to being at the centre of a network financing young men to fight with al-Qaeda in Syria. The finance was alleged to come from crimes including ATM ram-raids.
Read more:http://bit.ly/18FN35O
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C'è sempre un inizio, in qualsiasi cosa si fa. Se non si inizia...Non si potrà dire: "IO, almeno, ci ho provato!" Coraggio? Chiamiamolo coraggio, dai. Il coraggio non si pesa come il pane. Il coraggio non è sempre, anzi quasi Mai, un atto eclatante, eccezionale...
Il coraggio è normalità...Istinto e reazione, se vuoi...Così, come quando Ti tuffi in mare e devi, ad un dato momento, risalire, cercare l'aria...come una cosa necessaria. Il coraggio è nelle piccole cose, in cose piccolissime, in cose a cui credi, in cose per cui piangi, in cose per le quali...Ti chiedi "Vale la pena vivere?" e Ti rispondi, semplicemente, "Sì, cazzo, vale la pena!"
PABLO T
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www.jta.org
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palwatch.org
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wordfromjerusalem.com
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newsblaze.com
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www.timesofisrael.com
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www.timesofisrael.com
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calevbenyefuneh.blogspot.com
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Utter and offensive audacity….to presume sovereignty over a sovereign nation; what an affront.
"Based on the work that a team of some 160 US officials…..drew up defining what it thought would be necessary for Israel's security….."
"On two visits earlier this month Kerry presented to PA President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu…..
….security “ideas” based on the work that a team of some 160 US officials, headed by retired US Marine Corps Gen. John Allen, drew up defining what it thought would be necessary for Israel’s security if a Palestinian state were created." -Jpost
www.jpost.com
===Liberman on Bat Yam bus attack: Terror never rests - Jpost
"The 'quiet periods' which we enjoy are thanks to the important preventive work done all the time by the security services, and not because the terrorists have taken a time out because of the diplomatic negotiations or any other reason."
Continue to the link, reading this and more articles at ...….http://paper.li/
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http://algemeiner.com/2013/12/22/hamas-repping-certified-self-loathing-jewish-lawyer-indicted-over-3
www.algemeiner.com
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calevbenyefuneh.blogspot.se
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pjmedia.com
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Pastor Rick Warren
Join me live at @saddlebackchurch Lake Forest this week, at one of our campuses, or online every hour as I teach on "The Greatest Gifts You'll Ever Get" this Christmas.#giftsofchristmas www.saddleback.com/onlinecampus===
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DECEMBER
2013
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- 1793 – French Revolution: The Royalistcounterrevolutionary army was decisively defeated in the Battle of Savenay, although fighting continued in the War in the Vendée for years afterward.
- 1888 – During a bout of mental illness, Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh (pictured) stalked his friend French painter Paul Gauguin with a razor, and then afterwards cut off the lower part of his own left ear and gave it to a prostitute.
- 1913 – U.S. President Woodrow Wilson signed theFederal Reserve Act, establishing a central bankingsystem of the United States, the Federal Reserve.
- 1938 – A South African fisher discovered the first living specimen of a coelacanth, long believed to be extinct.
- 1954 – Drs. Joseph Murray and J. Hartwell Harrisonperformed the first successful kidney transplant.
Events[edit]
- 484 – Huneric dies and is succeeded by his nephew Gunthamund, who becomes king of the Vandals. During his reign the Catholics are free from persecutions.
- 558 – Chlothar I is crowned.
- 583 – Maya queen Yohl Ik'nal is crowned ruler of Palenque.
- 679 – King Dagobert II is murdered in a hunting accident.
- 962 – Arab–Byzantine Wars: Under the future Emperor Nicephorus Phocas, Byzantine troops stormed the city of Aleppo.
- 1572 – Theologian Johann Sylvan executed in Heidelberg for his heretical Antitrinitarian beliefs.
- 1688 – As part of the Glorious Revolution, King James II of England flees England to Paris, France after being deposed in favor of his nephew, William of Orange and his daughter Mary.
- 1783 – George Washington resigns as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army at the Maryland State House in Annapolis, Maryland.
- 1793 – The Battle of Savenay, decisive defeat of the royalist counter-revolutionaries in War in the Vendéeduring the French Revolution.
- 1823 – A Visit from St. Nicholas, also known as The Night Before Christmas, is published anonymously.
- 1893 – The opera Hansel and Gretel by Engelbert Humperdinck is first performed.
- 1913 – The Federal Reserve Act is signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson, creating the Federal Reserve System.
- 1914 – World War I: Australian and New Zealand troops arrive in Cairo, Egypt.
- 1916 – World War I: Battle of Magdhaba – Allied forces defeat Turkish forces in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula.
- 1919 – Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919 becomes law in the United Kingdom.
- 1921 – Visva-Bharati University is inaugurated.
- 1936 – Colombia becomes a signatory to the Buenos Aires copyright treaty.
- 1936 – First flight of the Vickers Wellington bomber.
- 1938 – Discovery of the first modern coelacanth in South Africa.
- 1940 – World War II: Greek submarine Papanikolis (Y-2) sinks the Italian motor ship Antonietta.
- 1941 – World War II: After 15 days of fighting, the Imperial Japanese Army occupies Wake Island.
- 1947 – The transistor is first demonstrated at Bell Laboratories.
- 1948 – Seven Japanese convicted of war crimes by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East are executed at Sugamo Prison inTokyo, Japan.
- 1954 – First successful kidney transplant is performed by J. Hartwell Harrison and Joseph Murray.
- 1958 – Dedication of Tokyo Tower, the world's highest self-supporting iron tower.
- 1968 – The 82 sailors from the USS Pueblo are released after eleven months of internment in North Korea.
- 1970 – The North Tower of the World Trade Center in Manhattan, New York, New York is topped out at 1,368 feet (417 m), making it the tallest building in the world.
- 1970 – The Democratic Republic of the Congo officially becomes a single-party state.
- 1972 – A 6.5 magnitude earthquake strikes the Nicaraguan capital of Managua killing more than 10,000.
- 1972 – The 16 survivors of the Andes flight disaster are rescued after 73 days, having survived by cannibalism.
- 1979 – Soviet war in Afghanistan: Soviet Union forces occupy Kabul, the Afghan capital.
- 1982 – The United States Environmental Protection Agency announces it has identified dangerous levels of dioxin in the soil of Times Beach, Missouri.
- 1986 – Voyager, piloted by Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager, lands at Edwards Air Force Base in California becoming the first aircraft to fly non-stop around the world without aerial or ground refueling.
- 1990 – History of Slovenia: In a referendum, 88.5% of Slovenia's overall electorate vote for independence from Yugoslavia.
- 2002 – A MQ-1 Predator is shot down by an Iraqi MiG-25.
- 2003 – PetroChina Chuandongbei natural gas field explosion, Guoqiao, Kai County, Chongqing, China, killing at least 234.
- 2007 – An agreement is made for the Kingdom of Nepal to be abolished and the country to become a federal republic with the Prime Minister becoming head of state.
Births[edit]
- 1173 – Louis I, Duke of Bavaria (d. 1231)
- 1513 – Thomas Smith, English diplomat and scholar (d. 1577)
- 1582 – Severo Bonini, Italian composer (d. 1663)
- 1597 – Martin Opitz, German poet (d. 1639)
- 1613 – Carl Gustaf Wrangel, Swedish military commander (d. 1676)
- 1621 – Heneage Finch, 1st Earl of Nottingham, English politician (d. 1682)
- 1621 – Edmund Berry Godfrey, English magistrate (d. 1678)
- 1689 – Joseph Bodin de Boismortier, French composer (d. 1755)
- 1690 – Pamheiba, Indian emperor (d. 1751)
- 1713 – Maruyama Gondazaemon, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 3rd Yokozuna (d. 1749)
- 1732 – Richard Arkwright, English businessman and inventor, invented the Water frame (d. 1792)
- 1743 – Ippolit Bogdanovich, Russian poet (d. 1803)
- 1750 – Frederick Augustus I of Saxony (d. 1827)
- 1758 – Nathan Wilson, American politician (d. 1834)
- 1777 – Alexander I of Russia (d. 1825)
- 1790 – Jean-François Champollion, French scholar, philologist, and orientalist (d. 1832)
- 1804 – Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve, French critic (d. 1869)
- 1805 – Joseph Smith, American religious leader, founder and leader of the Latter Day Saint movement (d. 1844)
- 1812 – Samuel Smiles, Scottish author (d. 1904)
- 1819 – Jan Jakob Lodewijk ten Kate, Dutch poet and clergyman (d. 1889)
- 1822 – Wilhelm Bauer, German engineer (d. 1875)
- 1839 – János Murkovics, Slovene-Hungarian author and educator (d. 1917)
- 1843 – Richard Conner, American soldier, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1924)
- 1854 – Henry B. Guppy, English botanist (d. 1926)
- 1864 – Princess Zorka of Montenegro (d. 1890)
- 1867 – Madam C. J. Walker, American businesswoman and philanthropist (d. 1919)
- 1874 – Viggo Wiehe, Danish actor (d. 1956)
- 1878 – Stephen Timoshenko, Ukrainian-American engineer (d. 1972)
- 1885 – Pierre Brissaud, French painter (d. 1964)
- 1896 – Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, Italian author (d. 1957)
- 1899 – Rambriksh Benipuri, Indian Hindi writer (d. 1968)
- 1900 – Otto Soglow, American cartoonist (d. 1975)
- 1902 – Norman Maclean, American author (d. 1990)
- 1902 – Charan Singh, Indian politician, 5th Prime Minister of India (d. 1987)
- 1907 – Manuel Lopes, Cape Verdean author and poet (d. 2005)
- 1907 – James Roosevelt, American soldier and politician (d. 1991)
- 1907 – Avraham Stern, Polish Zionist leader (d. 1942)
- 1908 – Yousuf Karsh, Turkish-Canadian photographer (d. 2002)
- 1910 – Kurt Meyer, German SS officer (d. 1961)
- 1911 – Niels Kaj Jerne, English-Danish immunologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1994)
- 1911 – James Gregory, American actor (d. 2002)
- 1916 – Dino Risi, Italian director and screenwriter (d. 2008)
- 1918 – Helmut Schmidt, German politician, 5th Chancellor of Germany
- 1918 – José Greco, Italian-American dancer and choreographer (d. 2000)
- 1918 – Kumar Pallana, Indian-American actor
- 1919 – Kenneth M. Taylor, American pilot (d. 2006)
- 1921 – Guy Beaulne, French Canadian actor and director (d. 2001)
- 1922 – Micheline Ostermeyer, French athlete and pianist (d. 2001)
- 1923 – Onofre Marimón, Argentine race car driver (d. 1954)
- 1923 – Günther Schifter, Austrian journalist (d. 2008)
- 1923 – James Stockdale, American admiral, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 2005)
- 1924 – Bob Kurland, American basketball player
- 1925 – Duncan Hallas, English author and politician (d. 2002)
- 1925 – Rayner Unwin, English publisher (d. 2000)
- 1926 – Robert Bly, American poet and author
- 1928 – Chronis Aidonidis, Greek singer
- 1929 – Chet Baker, American trumpet player and singer (d. 1988)
- 1929 – Dick Weber, American bowler (d. 2005)
- 1931 – Ronnie Schell, American actor
- 1933 – Akihito, Japanese emperor
- 1935 – Paul Hornung, American football player
- 1935 – Abdul Ghani Minhat, Malaysian footballer (d. 2012)
- 1935 – Esther Phillips, American singer (d. 1984)
- 1936 – Frederic Forrest, American actor
- 1937 – Barney Rosenzweig, American screenwriter and producer
- 1937 – Avi, American author
- 1938 – Bob Kahn, American computer scientist and engineer, co-developed the Transmission Control Protocol
- 1939 – La Lupe, Cuban-American salsa singer (d. 1992)
- 1940 – Jorma Kaukonen, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna)
- 1940 – Robert Labine, Canadian politician
- 1940 – Eugene Record, American singer-songwriter and producer (The Chi-Lites) (d. 2005)
- 1941 – Tim Hardin, American singer-songwriter (d. 1980)
- 1941 – Serge Reding, Belgian weightlifter (d. 1975)
- 1942 – Quentin Bryce, Australian politician, 25th Governor-General of Australia
- 1942 – John Peterman, American businessman, founded The J. Peterman Company
- 1943 – Ron Allen, American baseball player
- 1943 – Mikhail Leonidovich Gromov, Russian-French mathematician
- 1943 – Elizabeth Hartman, American actress (d. 1987)
- 1943 – Harry Shearer, American actor
- 1943 – Queen Silvia of Sweden
- 1944 – Wesley Clark, American general
- 1945 – Adly Mansour, Interim President of Egypt
- 1946 – Edita Gruberová, Slovak soprano
- 1946 – Susan Lucci, American actress
- 1946 – John Sullivan, English screenwriter (d. 2011)
- 1946 – Ray Tabano, American musician and former Aerosmith rhythm guitarist
- 1947 – Graham Bonnet, English singer-songwriter (The Marbles, Rainbow, Anthem, and Michael Schenker Group)
- 1948 – Jim Ferguson, American guitarist, composer, author, and journalist
- 1948 – Jack Ham, American football player
- 1948 – Charles Herbert, American actor
- 1949 – Adrian Belew, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (King Crimson, Tom Tom Club, and The Bears)
- 1949 – Reinhold Weege, American screenwriter and producer (d. 2012)
- 1950 – Michael C. Burgess, American politician
- 1950 – Vicente del Bosque, Spanish footballer and manager
- 1950 – Ilchi Lee, South Korean educator and author
- 1951 – Anthony Phillips, English guitarist and songwriter (Genesis)
- 1952 – William Kristol, American politician and journalist, founded The Weekly Standard
- 1953 – Andres Alver, Estonian architect
- 1953 – Maria Vladimirovna, Grand Duchess of Russia
- 1953 – Gerrit W. Gong, American religious leader
- 1953 – Belinda Lang, English actress
- 1954 – Raivo Järvi, Estonian politician (d. 2012)
- 1955 – Carol Ann Duffy, Scottish poet and playwright
- 1956 – Michele Alboreto, Italian race car driver (d. 2001)
- 1956 – Dale Berra, American baseball player
- 1956 – Dave Murray, English guitarist and songwriter (Iron Maiden and Urchin)
- 1957 – Dan Bigras, Canadian singer and actor
- 1957 – Trisha Goddard, English television host and actress
- 1958 – Joan Severance, American actress
- 1958 – Victoria Williams, American singer-songwriter (Original Harmony Ridge Creekdippers)
- 1959 – Geoff Willis, English engineer
- 1961 – Ezzat el Kamhawi, Egyptian author
- 1961 – Carol Smillie, Scottish model and actress
- 1961 – Lorna Tolentino, Filipino actress
- 1962 – Bertrand Gachot, Belgian race car driver
- 1962 – Kang Je-gyu, South Korean director
- 1962 – Keiji Mutoh, Japanese wrestler
- 1963 – Jim Harbaugh, American football player
- 1963 – Jess Harnell, American voice actor and singer (Rock Sugar)
- 1963 – Donna Tartt, American author
- 1963 – Ante Zelck, German businessman
- 1964 – Eddie Vedder, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Pearl Jam, Temple of the Dog, Bad Radio, and Hovercraft)
- 1966 – Badi Assad, Brazilian singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1967 – Carla Bruni, Italian-French singer-songwriter and model
- 1967 – Tim Fountain, English playwright
- 1967 – Otis Grant, Jamaican-Canadian boxer
- 1968 – Karyn Bryant, American television host and actress
- 1968 – Quincy Jones III, English songwriter and producer
- 1968 – Manuel Rivera-Ortiz, American photographer
- 1968 – René Tretschok, German footballer
- 1968 – Lucy Bell, British-born Australian actress
- 1969 – Greg Biffle, American race car driver
- 1969 – Mary Boquitas, Mexican singer and actress
- 1969 – Martha Byrne, American actress
- 1969 – Rodney Culver, American football player (d. 1996)
- 1969 – Rob Pelinka, American basketball player, agent, and lawyer
- 1970 – Catriona Le May Doan, Canadian speed skater
- 1970 – Raymont Harris, American football player
- 1970 – Holly Samos, English radio host
- 1970 – Karine Polwart, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Burns Unit, Malinky, and The Fruit Tree Foundation)
- 1971 – Corey Haim, Canadian-American actor (d. 2010)
- 1971 – Michalis Klokidis, Greek footballer
- 1971 – Tara Palmer-Tomkinson, English model and author
- 1971 – Wim Vansevenant, Belgian cyclist
- 1971 – Masayoshi Yamazaki, Japanese singer-songwriter
- 1972 – Christian Potenza, Canadian actor
- 1974 – Agustín Delgado, Ecuadorian footballer
- 1974 – Mieszko Talarczyk, Polish-Swedish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (Nasum and Genocide Superstars) (d. 2004)
- 1975 – Sky Lopez, American porn actress
- 1975 – Thanasis Sentementes, Greek footballer
- 1975 – Vadim Sharifijanov, Russian ice hockey player
- 1975 – Lady Starlight, American singer
- 1976 – Brad Lidge, American baseball player
- 1976 – Dimitris Mavrogenidis, Greek footballer
- 1976 – Jamie Noble, American wrestler and producer
- 1977 – Matt Baker, English television host
- 1977 – Alge Crumpler, American football player
- 1977 – Jari Mäenpää, Finnish singer-songwriter and guitarist (Wintersun, Ensiferum, and Arthemesia)
- 1977 – Paul Shirley, American basketball player
- 1978 – Esthero, Canadian-American singer-songwriter and producer
- 1978 – Andra Davis, American football player
- 1978 – Jodie Marsh, English model
- 1978 – Víctor Martínez, Venezuelan baseball player
- 1978 – Estella Warren, Canadian model and actress
- 1979 – Summer Altice, American model and actress
- 1979 – Scott Gomez, American ice hockey player
- 1979 – Holly Madison, American model and actress
- 1979 – Kenny Miller, Scottish footballer
- 1980 – Elvin Ng, Singaporean actor
- 1980 – Cody Ross, American baseball player
- 1981 – Beth, Spanish singer and actress
- 1981 – Maritza Correia, American swimmer
- 1981 – Yuriorkis Gamboa, Cuban boxer
- 1981 – Agnes Milowka, Polish-Australian diver, explorer, author, and photographer (d. 2011)
- 1981 – Mario Santana, Argentine footballer
- 1982 – Brad Nelson, American baseball player
- 1982 – Thomas Rohregger, Austrian cyclist
- 1983 – Michael Chopra, English footballer
- 1983 – Hanley Ramírez, Dominican baseball player
- 1983 – Carlos Jiménez, Spanish basketball player
- 1984 – Dudu Aharon, Israeli singer
- 1984 – Josh Satin, American baseball player
- 1984 – Sebastian Werle, German rugby player
- 1985 – Harry Judd, English drummer (McFly)
- 1985 – Luke O'Loughlin, Australian actor
- 1986 – Beau Champion, Australian rugby player
- 1986 – T. J. Oshie, American ice hockey player
- 1987 – Tommaso Bellazzini, Italian footballer
- 1987 – Thomas Bourgin, French motorcycle racer (b. 2013)
- 1987 – Owen Franks, New Zealand rugby player
- 1988 – Eri Kamei, Japanese singer (Morning Musume and Tanpopo)
- 1988 – Yuka Kashino, Japanese singer and dancer (Perfume)
- 1988 – Eliana Ramos, Uruguayan model (d. 2007)
- 1989 – Liis Koger, Estonian painter and poet
- 1990 – Anna Maria Perez de Taglé, American actress and singer
- 1992 – Jeff Schlupp, German footballer
Deaths[edit]
- 484 – Huneric, Vandal king
- 558 – Childebert I, King of Paris
- 668 – Mor Gabriel, Syriac bishop and saint (b. 594)
- 679 – Dagobert II, Frankish king (b. 650)
- 910 – Saint Naum, Bulgarian missionary and scholar (b. 830)
- 918 – Conrad I of Germany (b. 890)
- 1230 – Berengaria of Navarre (b. 1165)
- 1556 – Nicholas Udall, English playwright (b. 1504)
- 1568 – Roger Ascham, English educator and scholar (b. 1515)
- 1575 – Akiyama Nobutomo, Japanese military commander (b. 1531)
- 1588 – Henry I, Duke of Guise (b. 1550)
- 1631 – Michael Drayton, English poet (b. 1563)
- 1646 – François Maynard, French poet (b. 1582)
- 1652 – John Cotton, English-American minister (b. 1585)
- 1675 – Caesar, duc de Choiseul, French marshal and diplomat (b. 1602)
- 1722 – Pierre Varignon, French mathematician (b. 1654)
- 1761 – Alastair Ruadh MacDonnell, Scottish spy (b. 1725)
- 1763 – Antoine François Prévost, French author (b. 1697)
- 1771 – Marie-Marguerite d'Youville, Canadian nun and saint, founded Grey Nuns (b. 1701)
- 1779 – Augustus Hervey, 3rd Earl of Bristol, English admiral and politician (b. 1724)
- 1789 – Charles-Michel de l'Épée, French philanthropist and educator (b. 1712)
- 1795 – Henry Clinton, English general and politician (b. 1730)
- 1805 – Pehr Osbeck, Swedish explorer (b. 1723)
- 1834 – Thomas Malthus, English demographer and economist (b. 1766)
- 1846 – Jean Baptiste Bory de Saint-Vincent, French naturalist (b. 1780)
- 1884 – John Chisum, American cattle baron (b. 1824)
- 1902 – Frederick Temple, English archbishop and academic (b. 1821)
- 1912 – Otto Schoetensack, German anthropologist (b. 1850)
- 1926 – Swami Shraddhanand, Indian educator (b. 1856)
- 1931 – Wilson Bentley, American photographer (b. 1865)
- 1939 – Anthony Fokker, Dutch aircraft manufacturer, designed the Fokker Dr.I and Fokker D.VII (b. 1890)
- 1944 – Peder Lykkeberg, Danish swimmer (b. 1878)
- 1946 – Kiki Preston, American socialite (b. 1898)
- 1946 – John A. Sampson, American gynecologist (b. 1873)
- 1948 – Akira Mutō, Japanese army commander (b. 1883)
- 1948 – Hideki Tōjō, Japanese general and politician, 40th Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1884)
- 1950 – Vincenzo Tommasini, Italian composer (b. 1878)
- 1953 – Lavrentiy Beria, Soviet politician (b. 1899)
- 1954 – René Iché, French sculptor (b. 1897)
- 1961 – Carolyn Sherwin Bailey, American children's author (b. 1875)
- 1961 – Kurt Meyer, German SS officer (b. 1910)
- 1963 – Vida Hope, English film actress (b. 1918)
- 1970 – Charles Ruggles, American actor (b. 1886)
- 1970 – Aleksander Warma, Estonian military commander (b. 1890)
- 1971 – Pasha Hristova, Bulgarian singer (b. 1946)
- 1972 – Andrei Tupolev, Soviet aircraft designer, designed the Tupolev Tu-95 and Tupolev Tu-104 (b. 1888)
- 1973 – Charles Atlas, Italian-American bodybuilder (b. 1892)
- 1973 – Irna Phillips, American screenwriter, director, and producer (b. 1901)
- 1979 – Peggy Guggenheim, American art collector (b. 1898)
- 1982 – Jack Webb, American actor, producer, and director (b. 1920)
- 1983 – Colin Middleton, Irish painter and illustrator (b. 1910)
- 1984 – Joan Lindsay, Australian author (b. 1896)
- 1992 – Vincent Fourcade, French interior designer (b. 1934)
- 1992 – Eddie Hazel, American guitarist (Funkadelic and Parliament) (b. 1950)
- 1994 – Sebastian Shaw, English actor (b. 1905)
- 1995 – Patric Knowles, English actor (b. 1911)
- 1997 – Stanley Cortez, American cinematographer (b. 1908)
- 1998 – Joe Orlando, Italian-American comics writer, artist and editor (b. 1927)
- 1998 – Michelle Thomas, American actress (b. 1969)
- 2000 – Billy Barty, American actor (b. 1924)
- 2000 – Victor Borge, Danish-American comedian, conductor, and pianist (b. 1909)
- 2000 – Noor Jehan, Indian,Pakistani Singer.(b.1926)
- 2001 – Bola Ige, Nigerian lawyer and politician, Governor of Oyo State (b. 1930)
- 2004 – P. V. Narasimha Rao, Indian politician, 9th Prime Minister of India (b. 1921)
- 2005 – Lajos Baróti, Hungarian footballer and coach (b. 1914)
- 2005 – Norman D. Vaughan, American explorer (b. 1905)
- 2006 – Charlie Drake, English comedian, actor, and singer (b. 1925)
- 2006 – Timothy J. Tobias, American composer (b. 1952)
- 2006 – Johnny Vincent, English footballer (b. 1947)
- 2007 – William Francis Ganong, Jr., American physiologist (b. 1924)
- 2007 – Michael Kidd, American dancer and choreographer (b. 1915)
- 2007 – Oscar Peterson, Canadian pianist and composer (b. 1925)
- 2009 – Robert L. Howard, American soldier, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1939)
- 2009 – Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme, Tibetan general and politician (b. 1910)
- 2009 – Edward Schillebeeckx, Belgian theologian (b. 1914)
- 2010 – K. Karunakaran, Indian politician, 7th Chief Minister of Kerala (b. 1918)
- 2010 – Fred Hargesheimer, American pilot (b. 1916)
- 2012 – Anand Abhyankar, Indian actor (b. 1963)
- 2012 – Abe Deutschendorf, American politician (b. 1935)
- 2012 – Jean Harris, American educator and murderer (b. 1923)
- 2012 – Eduardo Maiorino, Brazilian mixed martial artist (b. 1979)
- 2012 – Judy Nerat, American politician (b. 1948)
- 2012 – Pedro Toledo, Puerto Rican police officer (b. 1943)
- 2012 – Cristian Tudor, Romanian footballer (b. 1982)
- 2012 – Mike Scaccia, American musician (b. 1965)
Holidays and observances[edit]
- Birthday of the Queen Silvia, an official flag day (Sweden)
- Children’s Day (South Sudan)
- Christian Feast Day:
- Abassad (Coptic Church)
- John Cantius
- O Emmanuel
- Psote (Coptic Church)
- Thorlac Thorhallsson, patron saint of Iceland; The last day of preparations before Christmas.
- December 23 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Festivus, a holiday made popular by the sitcom Seinfeld
- HumanLight (Secular humanism in United States)
- Larentalia, in honor of Larenta. (Roman Empire)
- Night of the Radishes (Oaxaca, Mexico)
- The Emperor's Birthday, birthday of Akihito, the current Emperor of Japan. (Japan)
- Tibb's Eve (Newfoundland and Labrador)
- Victory Day (Egypt)
“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.” Luke 2:8-11 NIV
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Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon
Morning
"I will strengthen thee."
Isaiah 41:10
Isaiah 41:10
God has a strong reserve with which to discharge this engagement; for he is able to do all things. Believer, till thou canst drain dry the ocean of omnipotence, till thou canst break into pieces the towering mountains of almighty strength, thou never needest to fear. Think not that the strength of man shall ever be able to overcome the power of God. Whilst the earth's huge pillars stand, thou hast enough reason to abide firm in thy faith. The same God who directs the earth in its orbit, who feeds the burning furnace of the sun, and trims the lamps of heaven, has promised to supply thee with daily strength. While he is able to uphold the universe, dream not that he will prove unable to fulfil his own promises. Remember what he did in the days of old, in the former generations. Remember how he spake and it was done; how he commanded, and it stood fast. Shall he that created the world grow weary? He hangeth the world upon nothing; shall he who doth this be unable to support his children? Shall he be unfaithful to his word for want of power? Who is it that restrains the tempest? Doth not he ride upon the wings of the wind, and make the clouds his chariots, and hold the ocean in the hollow of his hand? How can he fail thee? When he has put such a faithful promise as this on record, wilt thou for a moment indulge the thought that he has outpromised himself, and gone beyond his power to fulfil? Ah, no! Thou canst doubt no longer.
O thou who art my God and my strength, I can believe that this promise shall be fulfilled, for the boundless reservoir of thy grace can never be exhausted, and the overflowing storehouse of thy strength can never be emptied by thy friends or rifled by thine enemies.
"Now let the feeble all be strong,
And make Jehovah's arm their song."
Evening
"The spot of his children."
Deuteronomy 32:5
Deuteronomy 32:5
What is the secret spot which infallibly betokens the child of God? It were vain presumption to decide this upon our own judgment; but God's word reveals it to us, and we may tread surely where we have revelation to be our guide. Now, we are told concerning our Lord, "to as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to as many as believed on his name." Then, if I have received Christ Jesus into my heart, I am a child of God. That reception is described in the same verse as believing on the name of Jesus Christ. If, then, I believe on Jesus Christ's name--that is, simply from my heart trust myself with the crucified, but now exalted, Redeemer, I am a member of the family of the Most High. Whatever else I may not have, if I have this, I have the privilege to become a child of God. Our Lord Jesus puts it in another shape. "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me." Here is the matter in a nutshell. Christ appears as a shepherd to his own sheep, not to others. As soon as he appears, his own sheep perceive him--they trust him, they are prepared to follow him; he knows them, and they know him--there is a mutual knowledge--there is a constant connection between them. Thus the one mark, the sure mark, the infallible mark of regeneration and adoption is a hearty faith in the appointed Redeemer. Reader, are you in doubt, are you uncertain whether you bear the secret mark of God's children? Then let not an hour pass over your head till you have said, "Search me, O God, and know my heart." Trifle not here, I adjure you! If you must trifle anywhere, let it be about some secondary matter: your health, if you will, or the title deeds of your estate; but about your soul, your never-dying soul and its eternal destinies, I beseech you to be in earnest. Make sure work for eternity.
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Today's reading: Micah 6-7, Revelation 13 (NIV)
View today's reading on Bible GatewayToday's Old Testament reading: Micah 6-7
The LORD’s Case Against Israel
1 Listen to what the LORD says:
“Stand up, plead my case before the mountains;
let the hills hear what you have to say.
let the hills hear what you have to say.
2 “Hear, you mountains, the LORD’s accusation;
listen, you everlasting foundations of the earth.
For the LORD has a case against his people;
he is lodging a charge against Israel.
listen, you everlasting foundations of the earth.
For the LORD has a case against his people;
he is lodging a charge against Israel.
3 “My people, what have I done to you?
How have I burdened you? Answer me.
4 I brought you up out of Egypt
and redeemed you from the land of slavery.
I sent Moses to lead you,
also Aaron and Miriam.
5 My people, remember
what Balak king of Moab plotted
and what Balaam son of Beor answered.
Remember your journey from Shittim to Gilgal,
that you may know the righteous acts of the LORD....”
How have I burdened you? Answer me.
4 I brought you up out of Egypt
and redeemed you from the land of slavery.
I sent Moses to lead you,
also Aaron and Miriam.
5 My people, remember
what Balak king of Moab plotted
and what Balaam son of Beor answered.
Remember your journey from Shittim to Gilgal,
that you may know the righteous acts of the LORD....”
Today's New Testament reading: Revelation 13
The Beast out of the Sea
1 The dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. 2 The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. 3 One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was filled with wonder and followed the beast. 4 People worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, “Who is like the beast? Who can wage war against it?”
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Solomon [Sŏl'omon]—peace orpeaceable. The tenth son of David, and second by Bath-sheba, and the third king of Israel who reigned for forty years (2 Sam. 5:14; 12:24 ). Solomon was also known as Jedidiah meaning, “beloved of the Lord.”
The Man Who Was Full Yet Failed
We know little of the early life of Solomon. The name given him by Nathan, but not repeated because of its sacredness, implies David’s restoration to divine favor (2 Sam. 12:25). Loved of the Lord suggests the bestowal of unusual gifts ( 2 Sam. 12:24,25). It is also evident that young Solomon was greatly influenced both by his mother and Nathan (1 Kings 1:11, 12).
With reference to the character and reign of Solomon, we cannot but agree with Alexander Whyte that, “The shipwreck of Solomon is surely the most terrible tragedy in all the world. For if ever there was a shining type of Christ in the Old Testament church, it was Solomon ... but everyday sensuality made him in the end a castaway.” Taking him all in all, Solomon stands out as a disappointing figure of Hebrew history. Think of the advantages he began with! There were the almost undisputed possession of David’s throne, immense stores of wealth laid up by his father, exceptional divinely imparted mental abilities, the love and high hopes of the people. Solomon’s start like the cloudless dawn of a summer’s morning, might have been beautiful all his life through, but it ended in gloom because he wandered into God-forbidden paths. Thus a life beginning magnificently ended miserably. The man who penned and preached a thousand wise things failed to practice the wisdom he taught.
The work of Solomon was the development of his father’s ideas of a consolidated kingdom, and what marvelous success crowned his efforts. Exercising the power of an oriental despot, he gave Israel a glory, prestige and splendor unsurpassed in the world’s history. On the whole, however, Solomon seemed to rule for his own aggrandizement and not for the welfare of the people. Doubtless Solomon’s artistic and literary gifts provided the masses with beneficial instruction, but the glory of Solomon brought the common people tears and groans. The great wealth provided by David for the building of a Temple speedily disappeared under Solomon’s lavish spending, and the people had to pay heavily by taxation and poverty for his magnificent whims. Yet Jesus said that the lilies of the field had greater glory than all the gaudy pomp and pride of Solomon.
Solomon’s ambition in the morning of his life was most commendable. His dream was a natural expression of this ambition, and his God-imparted wisdom an evidence of it (1 Kings 3 ). Then his sacrifice at Gibeon indicates that Solomon desired religion to be associated with all external magnificence. Solomon’s remarkable prayer also breathes the atmosphere of true piety and of his delight in the full recognition of God. Alas, however, Solomon came to the end of his days minus popularity and piety!
This first great naturalist the world ever saw, who wrote one thousand and five songs, three thousand proverbs and who had sagacity beyond compare, took his first step downward when he went to Egypt for his queen. A daughter of Pharaoh, sitting on the throne of David, must have shocked and saddened the godly elect of Israel. With this strange wife came her strange gods.
Then came the harem of outlandish women who caused Solomon to sin (Neh. 13:26). His wives—seven hundred of them and three hundred concubines—whom Solomon clave unto in love, turned him into an idolater ( 1 Kings 11:1-8). Polygamy on such a vast scale and concession for his wives to worship their own heathen gods was bad enough, but to share in such sacrilegious worship in sight of the Temple Solomon himself had built, was nauseating to God.
Thus sensuality and pride of wealth brought about Solomon’s deterioration. In the Book of Ecclesiastes which the king wrote, he surely depicted his own dissatisfaction with even life itself. All rivers ran into Solomon’s sea: wisdom and knowledge, wine and women, wealth and fame, music and songs; he tried them all, but all was vanity and vexation of spirit simply because God had been left out.
Of Solomon’s actual end little is known. He is described as an “old man” at sixty years of age. Whether Solomon repented and returned to God was a question warmly debated by the Early Fathers. There is no record of his repentance. He never wrote a penitential psalm like his father before him (Ps. 51 ). We have his remorse, discontent, disgust, self-contempt, “bitterer to drink than blood,” but no sobs for his sin, no plea for pardon. Thus, with such a tragic failure before us, let us take to heart the fact that Solomon’s wisdom did not teach him self-control, and that the only legacy of his violated home life was a son “ample in foolishness and lacking in understanding,” as C. W. Emmet expresses it.
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LIGHT
For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel. - Luke 2:30-32
The winter solstice on December 21, the darkest day of the year, means for many of us who live halfway between the equator and the North Pole, that we have breakfast when it is still dark outside, and that by supper, the sun has long set. That slide toward the shortest day of the year seems like sinking into a black hole. No wonder people in ancient cultures celebrated the days when the sun began to return. The prophet Malachi spoke of the healing power of light: "The sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings" (Malachi 4:2).
Eight days after Jesus' birth, when Mary and Joseph had taken him to the temple as the law required, a man named Simeon saw him, and his eyes were opened to the reality of Jesus' identity. His eyes saw God's salvation. There, in human form. At the right place at the right time. Brought to earth not by royalty, but by an ordinary couple. He saw in Jesus a brilliant light that would show the way to salvation, not just for Israel, but also for all nations.
Days were dark then. It was hard to know when deliverance from the heavy grip of the Romans might come. Roman taxation was heavy; the sight of soldiers in the streets was a constant insult; war was always just a rumor away. The occupiers built unfamiliar buildings. It was difficult to settle into a normal pattern of living, when on a whim, an emperor in a faraway land could demand a census that sent you packing your bags.
Days are dark now. Not just because it is late December, but also because today, more and more generations are turning their back on faith, because wars rage on, because so many families are losing their homes and their jobs, because every day the evening news brings more stories of murder, disaster, rape and abuse.
But even in so much darkness, the light will never be forgotten. Light is not an illusion; in fact, darkness has no real substance. It is nothing more than the absence of light.
We need to see salvation as Simeon did-here and now. We need to use this Christmas to look at the One who has been "prepared in the sight of all people" (Lk. 2:31). The public Savior; the beacon for the world; the light for revelation.
Prayer for today:
Lord, open my eyes as Simeon's eyes were opened to the Lord Jesus. Help me to see your light that I may live in truth and comfort in this dark world. And help me reflect your light to the many needy people around me.
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