Covenant Protestant Reformed Church
83 Clarence Street, Ballymena BT43 5DR
Rev. Angus Stewart
Lord’s Day, 27 November, 2016
“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed
by the renewing of your mind …” (Rom. 12:2)
Morning Service – 11:00 AM
The Life of Jacob (19)
The Rape at Shechem [youtube]
Scripture Reading: Genesis 33:18-34:12
Text: Genesis 33:18-34:4
I. The Places Where Jacob Stayed
II. The Rape of Dinah
Psalms: 108:1-8; 19:1-8; 26:1-8; 37:1-7
Evening Service – 6:00 PM
The Life of Jacob (20)
The Stench at Shechem [youtube]
Scripture Reading: Genesis 34
Text: Genesis 34:5-31
I. The Request of Shechem
II. The Proposal of Jacob’s Sons
III. The Slaughter of the Shechemites
Psalms: 122:1-9; 19:9-14; 60:1-6; 86:1-8
For CDs of the sermons and DVDs of the worship services, contact Stephen Murray
If you desire a pastoral visit, please contact Rev. Stewart or the elders
CPRC Website: www.cprc.co.uk • Live Webcast: https://cprc.co.uk/live-streaming/
CPRC YouTube: www.youtube.com/cprcni
CPRC Facebook: www.facebook.com/CovenantPRC
Quote to Consider
Robert Harbach: “‘Dinah … went out to see the daughters of the land,’ to have a friendly visit, to socialize, engage in ‘girl-talk’ with females her own age. Out of curiosity she went forth to catch up on the latest doings in the world, to see, to be seen, to win admiration, to take in the latest fashions, how the young people dressed, how they talked, how they danced, what were the latest shows and popular diversions, and, probably, what were the latest ‘crushes’ on the ‘cute’ sons of the land. She was like a moth fluttering about a flame. For soon, from what was undoubtedly frivolous female company she was spirited away by Prince Shechem to his house. Perhaps, as so often the case, it began as a sort of romantic flirtation and ‘date’ made on the spur of the moment, with her giddy, giggling girl friends gayly urging her off with a new found ‘ boy friend.’ But a gadding girl and a young man who has never been away from home are both liable to fall before the lightest temptations. Neither of them fit the picture in Titus 2:5, ‘to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed’” (Studies in Genesis, p. 662).
O. Palmer Robertson: “The fact that Shechem’s father appears at Jacob’s doorstep with hat in hand indicates that Dinah’s brothers were correct in their evaluation of the situation. Dinah their little sister had been raped and now was being held away from home by a burly foreigner. All during the polite negotiations that followed, this raw fact could not be forgotten. Whether willingly or by force, little Dinah was being detained by the heathen Canaanites. She was being held captive after having been violated” (The Genesis of Sex, p. 111).
Announcements (subject to God’s will)
Standard Bearers are on the back table. Subscriptions are due. Please either pay the RFPA directly on-line ($36) or pay Rev. Stewart (£29) who will pay the RFPA for you.
Monday evening’s Catechism Classes:
5:45 PM – Taylor, Josh, Corey & Katelyn (Beginners NT)
6:30 PM – Bradley & Samuel (Juniors OT)
7:15 PM – Jacob, Alex & Nathan (Heidelberg Catechism, book 2)
The Tuesday Bible Study meets at 11 AM to study the holy war in OT law.
Belgic Confession Class meets this Wednesday at 7:45 PM. Our study of Article 29 has yet to cover the marks of true Christians and of the false church.
Ladies’ Bible Study meets this Friday at 10:30 at church to consider “The Calling of Rulers and Subjects” in Proverbs.
Men’s Bible Study meets this Saturday, 3 December, at 8 PM at the Kennedys to discuss James 4:13-5:3.
The Reformed Witness Hour broadcast next Lord’s Day (Gospel 846MW at 8:30 AM) by Rev. Bruinsma is “The Benefits of Fearing Jehovah” (Ps. 25:12-13).
The next S. Wales Lecture in The Round Chapel, Margam, is on Thursday, 8 December, at 7:15 PM, by Rev. Stewart on “John Owen and the Death of Christ.”
The Lord’s Supper is scheduled for 25 December. Rev. McGeown and Rev. Stewart will be exchanging pulpits that day.
Offerings: General Fund: £653.90.
PRC News: Southwest PRC’s new trio is Revs. Griess, Eriks and R. Kleyn. First Holland PRC called Rev. Brummel. Rev. R. Kleyn received the call to be third missionary to the Philippines.
Secure Barriers
Brian D. Dykstra
Although many people believe I should be, I am not at all embarrassed to admit that some of the most interesting surveying I have done in the summer has been at the Hastings landfill. Not only did I learn much about surveying there but also the landfill supplied a lesson in ecology. A few summers ago, I saw a new cell of the landfill being constructed, and I learned how the bottom of a landfill is built to ensure that nothing hazardous seeps out of the landfill and into the groundwater.
Around the outside of the landfill are monitoring wells. Groundwater from these wells is tested regularly to determine whether anything harmful from the landfill is seeping into the groundwater. The liquid which filters its way to the bottom of the landfill is called leachate. Every morning that we entered the landfill for work, I was reminded how important it was for us to be very careful while we worked because across the street from the landfill’s main entrance was a beautiful lake. It struck me as ironic that the lake is named Leach Lake.
To ensure that nothing leaches out of the landfill into the groundwater, the bottom of the landfill must be properly designed, surveyed and constructed. Leaving out some of the components, here is your simplified landfill lesson! First, the native soils have to be graded to the proper elevation. Then there is a two-foot layer of compacted clay. A special, thick plastic liner is placed over the clay. This liner comes in large rolls which are “welded” together into a single piece. Another layer of clay is placed over the liner but this layer of compacted clay is three feet thick. Over this layer of clay is another plastic liner. A foot and a half of granular material (similar to pea gravel and works great in aquariums!) finishes the bottom of the landfill.
Finally, the bottom of the landfill is not flat but is sloped so that the leachate which forms flows to a sump. The sludge is pumped from the sump into a special tanker truck which hauls it to a specialized landfill.
A lot of money is spent constructing a landfill. I do not know how much it costs to operate earth-moving equipment each hour but it is not cheap. While I worked at the landfill, there were eighteen scrapers, two graders and a bulldozer being operated. The earth-moving company also had two men who constantly checked the elevations to make sure each layer was constructed properly. There were also mechanics who would maintain all the equipment. The employees of the earthmoving company worked twelve hours a day, seven days per week. A soil expert hired by the state checked the quality of the clay being used. Who knows how many people worked on this project whom I never saw?
The project lasted for months. As the project neared its end, one of the earth-moving workers asked me how I thought they were doing. I looked and saw that the top layer of clay was beautifully smooth and so well compacted that as I walked across it, I hardly left a footprint. I told him, “You men have done such a nice job that it will be a shame to dump trash here.”
Everyone working on the project had to do his job to ensure the safety of the landfill. From the director of the construction project (whose favourite saying was, “Trash is cash!”), down to me and the two college kids who used screwdrivers to remove stones out of the clay and hauled the stones away in five-gallon buckets, we all had our part to do. Every worker was supervised to ensure no mistakes were made.
I must admit that there were times as I hiked along on the bottom of the landfill, slogging through the dirt, carrying two armfuls of surveying equipment and pounding in stakes, that I wondered whether this investment of work and money was worth it. After all, how much longer would this environment need to be protected? The day is coming when God will clean this whole mess with purifying fire. Yet, there is a huge expenditure of work and money to protect our earthly environment.
What is the condition of our homes’ barriers against the world’s spiritual leachate? Much of the entertainment which the world has to offer has an odour resembling the active part of the landfill. How is family life portrayed? Are parents honoured as a source of godly wisdom and advice concerning life’s questions? Do friends warn each other about the perils of walking in a way contrary to God’s law or are friends merely partners in adultery? How does the world’s drama smell to God?
The world has many avenues by which its leachate can seep into covenant homes. Television offers channels by the score. Through DVDs, we can see Hollywood’s productions in the privacy of our own homes. The internet has its presentations which are only a mouse click away.
We need the barrier of God’s Word to keep the world’s sludge out of our homes. God designed the way of obedience to preserve us from worldly living. We must constantly survey our home life to check the condition of our barriers against the world. We need to be vigilant in constructing a wall of truth around our homes. We must all do our part, for what leaches into one home will seep into another.
World flight is not the answer. Antithetical living is. Walk worthy of your calling in Jesus Christ! Our homes must be a reflection of the beautiful city of Zion. Do not allow the world to dump its trash here. Keep the barriers secure!
