#formula onr

[love44lew]

just like him . max verstappen

彡driver max verstappen

彡genre drunk!max verstappen x gn!reader, angst to fluff

彡summary max comes home drunk after a long night of partying and celebrating another wdc

၊၊||၊ this story has been haunting me for weeks now and im always busy with school or just dont have motivation to write but im glad to finally get the last of it on this sunday evening. enjoy and ty for reading!! ၊၊||၊

彡warnings alcohol, mentions of child abuse

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max stumbles into the door after too damn long trying to get that stupid lock. why was the damn door locked anyway? he roughly plops down on the floor, kicking his shoes off and tossing them to the side without any second thought about them. he’s woozy and his head feels like its full of water and he can barely stand up straight—it was a long night of drinking and celebrating securing the drivers championship.

you would’ve went, but you weren’t feeling too well and even though max had insisted to stay home with you, you refused to let him miss out on celebrating such an achievement; hesitantly he went.

after a long 3 hours of drinking, dancing, partying him and his father had a long talk. a deep one, about his childhood. once again he’d taken credit for max’s achievements, once again telling max he should be grateful for the years of ‘tough parenting’. still the same stupid ass excuse he had to brag about how beating your kids made them world champions, what a way to ruin a night.

max stumbled into the kitchen, the house being left dimly lit since you’d expected him to come home late.

his head—the pounding became unbearable. ever since that talk with him the effects of the alcohol we’re hitting him harder then they should’ve for the amount he drank. he wasn’t drugged, was he? maybe his fathers words is what drugged him—but instead of sending him into a high, they sent him into a deep dysphoria.

he bent over, resting his temple on the cold marble of the island—the sensation easing his dizziness.

water, he needs water. but he couldn’t move from the position he was now.

“max..?” you called from up the stairs.

he just groaned in response

you smiled to yourself as you scurried down the stairs, knowing how he gets when he’s drunk. you were feeling much better than you were before, after throwing up and taking a nap, of course. “maxie,” the nickname rolled sweetly off your tongue, your tone much more comforting and soft. you turned the corner, spotting his tall figure hunched over the countertop his leg bouncing uncontrollably.

“hey, lets get you upstairs, hm?” you rubbed circles on his back as you picked up his arm and swung it over your shoulders. he’s heavy to say the least, so it wasn’t easy getting him up.

“y/n” max mumbled, stopping you at the base of the steps and using your shoulders to help him sit on them.

“yes max”

in your head, you celebrated being able to rest your shoulders for a couple minutes before helping him upstairs

“can you just be honest with me for one second here” his voice was hoarse and low, he could barely make eye contact with you. you can already understand this was a bad trip.

“always, love” your brows furrowed, his tone rising concern within you. there was a pause before he cleared his throat and his ocean blue orbs, that now appeared an almost dark grey in this lighting.

“do you think i’ll turn out like him” he almost whispered, just enough so you can hear him semi-clearly. the words stabbed you in the chest, where could he be getting these thoughts from. and whose ‘him’?

“him..?” you repeated, tilting your head to the side “max what are you talking about?”

“my dad” his eyes finally locked with yours “do you think im gonna turn out like him? what if the day comes where i would try to hurt you, if its by words or trying to put my hands on you? i never want to do that, i dont want that—thats not love. what we have, i feel this is love, but what if it wont be anymore, because of me?..” his eyes became sad, desperate and ashamed with himself, disappointed in himself for something he’s never done but the thought that he could possibly even try to hurt you makes him want to just curl up in a ball and cry.

“max-“ you reached a comforting hand out to him, just for him to reject it.

“no— i dont want to hurt you. you should go and find another guy who wouldn’t ever do that to you. im just like my fuckin dad, i even see his face in the mirror just to remind me of the doom im destined to” he hunches over, buring his face in his hands.

at this point you didnt even know what to say. you obviously are aware of the complex relationship max has with his father but he never never voiced these thoughts to you before, especially when hes drunk. hes all silly and quiet and sleepy usually, something must’ve happened to make him like this. everyone has their fears of inheriting their parents bad characteristics, max has told you about stuff he tries to do differently than him, but you never imagined it being this bad.

max is such a kind soul, he couldn’t even kill a spider. he has no reason to rage if he’s already taking all his frustrations out on track. outside the car he’s a calm dude, you’ve never heard him yell or be nasty to his engineers when he wasn’t on track. of course he has his occasional attitude towards the authority but never further than that. every time he acted out, hes worked hard to fix whatever caused him to do so.

the best thing you could do is just wait for him to finish talking so you could voice your thoughts, which you did so. you sat next to him, resting your head on his shoulder until he calmed town and flushed out all the words he had pent up in his brain. the two of you sat as his sobs filled the silence between you. saying something right away didnt feel like the right move anyway.

“you dont have to be him. youre not gonna be him because youre already better than him. max, youre still in your 20s and look all that you’ve accomplished—stuff he couldn’t dream to do in his entire life. you dont have a reason to end up like him because youre not a fuckin failure.” it might have been a little too much to talk so harshly about his dad, because its his dad. but whatever he did or said to him before he arrived home has caused the love of your life hysterical and paranoid for the future, so right now, he didn’t deserve the babying he receives from everyone around him and max. his sobs had calmed down at this point, the pause was enough for you to continue.

“and about me— i dont want anyone else. of course we’ll have our disagreements, we’ll piss each other off eventually. we’ll exchange words we dont mean and then we’ll immediately regret it after, thats just how things are. but id rather do that with you than another person because i’ll only ever want you. we’re in this together baby—and as long as i have you, theres always something to fight for because you’re worth fighting for. i made that decision the day i fell in love with you, and i never looked back since.” your heart, chest, and throat burned with every word that left your mouth. like confessing your love wasn’t hard enough the first time, here you are pouring it all out again. you keep your heart so sacred, all the world can fight for it and you’d still be stuck on that person you gave it all to. that person being max.

“i can only tell you how i feel, i cant convince you to think otherwise. but remember, i gave YOU my everything because thats the only thing i have to offer. i chose you because i see something in you that nobody else saw before, or sometimes dont even see now—“ not even your own father

“and now its my job to help you see those things within yourself.” your soft hands cupped his face so the two of you could fix on one another once again.

“just think about that”

his saddened eyes widened, like you had planted something in his mind. he melted into your touch, his eyes closing and his cheeks growing a deeper rose than before.

“i love you so much, i dont deserve you” he kissed your hands while mumbling his love for you.

“i love you too, but i disagree” you leaned in closer and kissed the bridge of his nose. he just sighed softly, he didnt feel like staring another debate on who loves who more. maybe in the morning.

max wrapped his arms around your waist, pulling you in closer and resting his head on your chest. you wrapped your arms around him, planting a soft kiss on the top of his head. the two of you sat in silence, enveloping in one anothers warmth. his home was right here, with you.

“im thirsty” max mumbles, breaking the silence between you two. you chuckled silently. “okay baby” you helped him stand up and up the stairs, leading him to your room. max threw himself onto the bed. you turned around to fetch some water but a tired hand tugged your wrist.

“dont go” he nuzzled into your palm, his lips brushing over your fingers. “im not going anywhere honey, im just getting water for you” max whined in protest, his face was flushed into your hand like it was his only source of warmth— tingles fluttered your heart at the sight.

“you need water, do you want to be hungover tomorrow?” you leaned on your hip and narrowed your eyes curiously.

“no i need you, now come here im cold” he pouts, tugging your hand harder causing you to fall onto the bed with a cushioned thud. before you could even react, a needy, pouty max had already latched his body onto yours tightly, nuzzling into your shoulder and allowing the scent of his lover consume his senses.

you sighed softly, the messiness of his hair and the way his arms hug your body made you not want to move. your body relaxed in his arms as max’s soft snores muffled into the cloth of your (his) sweater. you raked your fingers through his soft blonde locks until you too eventually fell into your own sleep. the two of you tangled in each other, sleeping peacefully knowing that you both will always have a shoulder to lean on.

[maxedes]

manifesting manifesting manifesting

[yourlocalpurplekinnie]

I honestly completely agree though. Like I find myself drawn to those generations more for some reason?? Although I did have a huge interest spike in vrains at onr point (which is the more serious kind) it’s more of an anomaly than anything.

Like lately Go Rush and Sevens have been plaguing my mind??? Especially Sevens because - while I think I’ve made more posts about Go Rush (at least I think do??) Sevens has been in my minds for MONTHS.

Especially Luke bro.

But like I keep seeing people praising 5Ds and stuff but it hasn’t really peaked my interest. I’m gonna be honest I have no finished it while I’ve watched Sevens fully and even more and then Zexal I’ve rewatched that quite a bit and DONT GET ME STARTED OF GX. That was my favourite for a while when I was into Yugioh a few years back (which faded after a few years but came back with a rewatch of GX before this year started) but I moved onto Arc V.

And Arc V is a generation I would consider on the sillier side (especially the earlier episodes).

Like I was into DM when I first got into Yugioh but like I wasn’t as obsessed with it as when I got into GX and Arc V.

Just the sillier and more light-hearted generations have my heart. And the fact that some people are so ready to just not give them a chance because it doesn’t live up to the exact same serious formula that they love 5Ds for </3 even though they have their moments to be serious but they just don’t let that consume their whole identity.

I think in general I've noticed that I prefer the light-hearted Yugioh series over the "dark serious" ones.

GX, Zexal, Go Rush (the third of which I'm very currently invested in), they all in my opinion get much darker as they go on but overall, yes, they are on the more light-hearted or at least hopeful side. And Sevens, which is second or third on my personal ranking, is THE most light-hearted Yugioh series by far and I absolutely love it.

I don't mind the darker narratives, y'all know how much I love GX season 3 and I consider that way darker than anything in the token "dark series" 5Ds, but I wanna have fun shenanigans in my silly card game show too. To me, GX and Zexal in particular just balance those two sides the best out of the franchise.

[thisisyourdriverspeaking]

Get yourself a partner who looks at you the way Nicky looks at his helmet

[kanyeismyenemy]

Writing is so weird because onr minute you’re looking up what it feels like to get stabbed and the next your googling the Roche limit formula

[winterfurst]

[Idk if tumblr is gonna work so imma post it again & elaborate a bit more but

I just imagine tosh helping ed with his homework (giving him a whole bunch of tips on how to study for certain subjects and how to do certain formulas) at the park and

Kit seeing and getting jealous like little siblings do. Like "excuse me IM THE ONLY ONR THAT GETS TO HELP MY BROTHER."

Or something like that.

Idk maybe its dumb but xD]

[drmonte75-blog]

An Ordinary Commentary by Ordinary Men  

“Living to Glorify God Brings Satisfaction to the Soul” 

#Christianity #Church #Bible #Commentary  

ordinarycommentary.blogspot.com

Types of Righteousness and Religion Matthew 6:1-18 Our Lord warns His followers against counterfeit spirituality seeking to be seen and praised by men.

Harvey Goodwin—Verse 1: “In these verses our Lord applies to the subject of almsgiving, to what we commonly call in these days charity, the same spiritual principles according to which He has already explained and expanded several of the Laws of the Old Testament. All the men of our Lord’s time would admit almsgiving to the poor to be a great duty; but then many of them held or seemed to hold that there was virtue in the mere giving, independently of the spirit in which it was done, so that a man might make his charitable doings redound to his own praise, sounding a trumpet when he was going to distribute his alms, and the rest. Our Lord declares that, of which we can have no doubt when we hear it asserted, namely, that in the sight of God such almsgiving can have no virtue, no beauty, no excellence: the spirit which can alone render almsgiving pleasing to Him who sees the heart is the simple spirit of love, which withdraws itself from observation, seeks not its own, is unselfish, desiring to do what is charitable for the sake of charity only. But mark the awful emphasis, and something like irony, with which our Saviour says of those who make parade of their charity, Verily I say unto you, They have their reward; yes, they have their reward; they wish to gain the attention of mankind, and they gain it; they wish for applause, and they have it; they are pleased when they hear people say, ‘What a liberal man he is! and they have plenty of pleasure such as this. But what does it all amount to? what treasure is laid up in heaven by mere earthly applause? what satisfaction can it be to have cheated men into the belief of our excellent qualities, if the rottenness of our hearts is open and undisguised in the sight of Him who sees in secret, and who knows the thoughts and intents of the heart? They have their reward, have it already in this present world, and a poor unsatisfactory delusive reward it is.” 42 Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Verses 2-4: “'2. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.' We must not copy the loud charity of certain vainglorious persons: their character is hypocritical, their manner is ostentatious, their aim is to be seen of men, their reward is in the present. That reward is a very poor one, and is soon over. To stand with a penny in one hand and a trumpet in the other is the posture of hypocrisy. ‘Glory of men’ is a thing which can be bought: but honour from God is a very different thing. This is an advertising age, and too many are saying, ‘Behold my liberality!” Those who have Jesus for their King must wear his livery of humility, and not the scarlet trappings of a purse-proud generosity, which blows its own trumpet, not only in the streets, but even in the synagogues. We cannot expect two rewards for the same action: if we have it now we shall not have it hereafter. Unrewarded alms will alone count in the record of the last day. 3, 4. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: that thine atms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shalt reward thee openly. Seek secrecy for your good deeds. Do not even see your own virtue. Hide from yourself that which you yourself have done that is commendable; for the proud contemplation of your own generosity may tarnish all your alms. Keep the thing so secret that even you yourself are hardly aware that you are doing anything at all praiseworthy. Let God be present, and you will have enough of an audience. He will reward you, reward you ‘openly’, reward you as a Father rewards a child, reward you as one who saw what you did, and knew that you did it wholly unto him. Lord, help me, when I am doing good, to keep my left hand out of it, that I may have no sinister motive, and no desire to have a present reward of praise among my fellow-men” 43 William Nast—Verse 5: “Verse 5. The Jews attached to prayer a still greater importance than even to fasting and almsgiving, but had reduced it to a mere mechanical performance. They prayed three times a day, at nine o'clock, A.M., at twelve o'clock, and at three o'clock, P. M., and resorted to the synagogue for prayer on the Sabbath, on Monday, and Thursday. Many a zealous Jew spent nine hours a day in prayer. Nor did they go for public prayer only to the synagogue, but, like the Roman Catholics, also for private prayer, because greater efficacy was ascribed to prayer in the synagogue. The Pharisees managed it so—this is implied in ‘they love’—that they were overtaken by the hour of prayer while on their way to the synagogue, that the people might see them pray and praise their piety. It is evident from the context that these remarks of our Lord are not directed against common or public prayer—a duty resting on express Divine command—but against performing private prayer in public places..” 44 Adam Clarke—Verse 6: “But thou, when thou prayest. This is a very impressive and emphatic address. But thou! whosoever thou art, Jew, Pharisee, Christian—enter into thy closet. Prayer is the most secret intercourse of the soul with God, and as it were the conversation of one heart with another. The world is too profane and treacherous to be of the secret. We must shut the door against it: endeavour to forget it, with all the affairs which busy and amuse it. Prayer requires retirement, at least of the heart; for this may be fitly termed the closet in the house of God, which house the body of every real Christian is, 1 Cor. iii. 16. To this closet we ought to retire even in public prayer, and in the midst of company. Reward thee openly. What goodness is there equal to this of God! to give, not only what we ask, and more than we ask, but to reward even prayer itself! How great advantage is it to serve a prince who places prayers in the number of services, and reckons to his subjects’ account, even their trust and confidence in begging all things of him!” 45 James Morison—Verse 7: “But, in addition to secrecy as regards men, take heed as regards another matter, namely, the fitting mood of mind in relation to God, when engaged in praying, use not vain repetitions: ‘Battering’ away at God, as it were, and ‘blattering’ (Luther has it, viel plujypern). ‘Babble’ not in prayer, in the spirit of those worshippers of Baal ‘who called on his name from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us’ (1 Kings xviii. 26), or of those worshippers of Diana who ‘about the space of two hours cried out, Great is Diana of the Ephesians’ (Acts xix. 34). As the Gentiles do; for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking: They think that in heaping word upon word, and persistently holding on with their speechifying, they shall secure attention and a hearing. Such multiplication of speaking is utterly in vain. ‘It proceedeth,’ as good David Dickson remarks, ‘from a base misconception of God.’ It is well observed however by Augustin that there is a great difference between much speaking and much praying. And even repetitiousness, when it is not wordiness but the expression of intensity of desire, will not be unacceptable to the Hearer of prayer. Such repetitiousness will not be immoderate. It is found in many of the psalms; and it was characteristic of our Saviour’s own prayer in the garden of Gethsemane, when He again and again ‘prayed, saying the same words’ (Matt. xxvi. 44).” 46 James Glentworth Butler—Verse 8: “Your Father knoweth what ye need. Prayer is the preparation and the enlargement of the heart for the receiving of the divine gift; which, indeed, God is always prepared to give, but we are not always prepared to receive. In the act of prayer there is a purging of the spiritual eye, which thus is averted from the things earthly that darken it, and becomes receptive of the divine light—able not to endure only the brightness of that light, but to rejoice in it with an ineffable joy. In the earnest asking is the enlargement of the heart for the abundant receiving; even as in it is also the needful preparation for the receiving with a due thankfulness; while, on the contrary, the good which came unsought would too often remain the unacknowledged also. Prayer is not designed to inform God, but to give man a sight of his misery, to humble his heart, to excite his desire, to inflame his faith, to animate his hope, to raise his soul toward heaven, and to put him in mind that there is his Father, his country, his inheritance. He is a Father to whom we pray; let us go to him with confidence; he knows our wants; let us remove far from us all anxious disquiet and concern.” 47 Edwin Wilbur Rice—Verse 9: “After this manner, or ‘thus.’ Jesus gives a pattern or specimen of true prayer. Thus it was understood by nearly all the early fathers and by the majority of evangelical Christians. Some hold that he gave this as a formula always to be used. Others say this is against his teaching in v. 7; and that he did not make the use of this particular form obligatory on his followers. There is no historical evidence, so far as known, that it was used as a formula of prayer by the apostles themselves. It is to be accepted as a proper mode of prayer, and it may be used in the worship of God privately or publicly, but always and only in accord with the principle already declared by Jesus—not to use display or vain repetitions in praying. Onr Father. ‘The Lord’s Prayer,’ so called because the Lord gave it as a pattern, might more accurately be called ‘The Model Prayer.’ It is usually divided into three parts: 1, preface; 2, petitions.; 3, conclusion. The Latin fathers and the Lutheran Church make the number of the petitions seven. The Greek and Reformed Churches and the Westminster divines make the number six, by making only one petition of the first part of v. 13, while the others divide it into two petitions. The works written on this ‘Model Prayer’ would make an immense library. The Preface is literally ‘Father of us, who art in the heavens;’ ‘our,’ not my, implying the brotherhood of the human race, especially of believers. The ‘fatherhood of God’ was an old thought in the Jewish worship. It seems a common thought of the race. The Vedas of India, the Zend-Avesta of Persia, Greek literature, as Plato and Plutarch, and the older Baal worship, have the same idea. It seems to be a relic of God's earliest revelation of himself in patriarchal times. But Jesus brings it into a new form and touches it with a new life. First Petition. Hallowed he thy name. That is, help us and others to revere, hallow, sanctify and make holy God’s name and being. Reverence lies at the foundation of all true prayer. 48 Phillip Schaff—Verse 10: “Thy kingdom come (second petition). The Messiah’s kingdom, which in organized form had not yet come, but was proclaimed by the Lord Himself, as at hand. It did speedily come, as opposed to the Old Testament theocracy; but in its fulness, including the triumph of Christ’s kingdom over the kingdom of darkness it has not yet come. For this coming we now pray and the prayer is answered, in part by every success of the gospel, and will be answered entirely when the King comes again. A missionary petition, but not less a prayer for our own higher sanctification and for the second coming of Christ. —Thy will be done as in heaven, so on earth (Third petition). ‘Heaven’ and ‘earth,’ put for their inhabitants. As by pure angels, so by men. The idea of human doing is prominent, our will subordinate to God’s will. ‘As’ expresses similarity in kind and completeness.” 49 Matthew Henry—Verse 11: “Give us this day our daily bread. Because our natural being is necessary to our spiritual well-being in this world, therefore, after the things of God’s glory, kingdom, and will, we pray for the necessary supports and comforts of this present life, which are the gifts of God, and must be asked of him,—Bread for the day approaching, for all the remainder of our lives. Bread for the time to come, or bread for our being and subsistence, that which is agreeable to our condition in the world, (Prov. 30.8.) food convenient for us and our families, according to our rank and station. Every word here has a lesson in it: (1.) We ask for bread; that teaches us sobriety and temperance; we ask for bread, not dainties, not superfluities; that which is wholesome, though it be not nice. (2.) We ask for our bread; that teaches us honesty and industry: we do not ask for the bread out of other people’s mouths, not the bread of deceit, (Prov. 20.13.) not the bread of idleness, (Prov. 31.27.) but the bread honestly gotten. (3.) We ask for our daily bread; which teaches us not to take thought for the morrow, (ch. 6.34.) but constantly to depend upon divine providence, as those that live from hand to mouth. (4.) We beg of God to give it us, not sell it us, nor lend it us, but give it. The greatest of men must be beholden to the mercy of God for their daily bread. (5.) We pray, ‘Give it to us; not to me only, but to others in common with me.’ This teaches us charity, and a compassionate concern for the poor and needy. It intimates also, that we ought to pray with our families; we and our house-holds eat together, and therefore ought to pray together. (6.) We pray that God would give it us this day; which teaches us to renew the desire of our souls toward God, as the wants of our bodies are renewed; as duly as the day comes, we must pray to our heavenly Father, and reckon we should as well go a day without meat, as without prayer.” 50 John Bird Sumner—Verses 12-13: “And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us. We are, then, trespassers: we need forgiveness. Our hearts must be ill-instructed in the divine law, if they do not tell us that it is so. And he who lives through mercy, must show mercy. An unforgiving spirit would mar the effect even of this Christian prayer, because it would betray a most unchristian state of mind. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. There are temptations which ‘are common to men.’ We see throughout all Scripture, that it is God’s will that his people should be tried. But who, that knows his frailty, and the infirmity of his best purposes, will not pray that he may be kept from temptation, and delivered from the evil one?” 51 Joseph Addison Alexander—Verses 14-15: “14. For, if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15. But, if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. The next two verses, as already stated, purport to give a reason for something in the previous context, which can only be the last clause of v. 12. As if he had said, ‘In asking for forgiveness, you must stand prepared to exercise it also, for unless you are, you cannot be forgiven, not because the one is the condition of the other, but because the two must go together, and the absence of the one proves the absence of the other.’ The verb four times repeated here is the same with that in v. 12; but instead of the word delts another figure is employed, that of a fall or false step, rendered in the English versions, trespass, and intended to express the same idea, that of sin, which may be considered either as a debt due to the divine justice, or as a lapse from the straight course of moral rectitude. The fulness and precision with which the alternative is here presented may appear superfluous, but adds to the solemnity of the assurance, and would no doubt strengthen the impression on the minds of the original hearers. In this, as in the whole preceding context, God is still presented in his fatherly relation to all true believers; as if to intimate that even that relation, tender as it is, would give no indulgence to an unforgiving spirit.” 52 Charles John Elliott—Verse 16: “(16) When ye fast.—Fasting had risen under the teaching of the Pharisees into a new prominence. Under the Law there had been but the one great fast of the Day of Atonement, on which men were ‘to afflict their souls’ (Lev. xxiii.27; Num. xxix.7), and practice had interpreted that phrase as meaning total abstinence from food. Other fasts were occasional, in times of distress or penitence, as in Joel i.14, ii.15; or as part of a policy affecting to be religions zeal (1 Kings xxi.9, 12); or as the expression of personal sorrow (1 Sam. xx.34; 2 Sam. xii 16; Ezra x.6; Neh. i.4; et al.). These were observed with an ostentatious show of affliction which called forth the indignant sarcasm of the prophets (Isa. lviii.5). The ‘sackcloth’ took the place of the usual raiment, ‘ashes’ on the head, of the usual unguents (Neh. ix.1; Ps. xxxv. 13). The tradition of the Pharisees, starting from the true principle that fasting was one way of attaining self-control, and that as a discipline it was effectual in proportion as it was systematic, fixed on the fasts ‘twice in the week,’ specified in the prayer of the Pharisee (Luke xviii.12); and the second and fifth days of the week were fixed, and connected with some vague idea that Moses went up Mount Sinai on the one, and descended on the other. Our Lord, we may note, does not blame the principle, or even the rule, on which the Pharisees acted. He recognises fasting, as He recognises almsgiving and prayer, and is content to warn His disciples against the ostentation that vitiates all three, the secret self-satisfaction under the mask of contrition, the ‘pride that apes humility.’ The very words, ‘when thou fastest’ contain an implied command. Of a sad countenance.—Strictly, of sullen look, moroseness of affected austerity rather than of real sorrow. They disfigure their faces.—The verb is the same as that translated ‘corrupt’ in verse 19. Here it points to the unwashed face and the untrimmed hair, possibly to the ashes sprinkled on both, that men might know and admire the rigorous asceticism.” 53 Charles Rosenbury Erdman—Verses 17-18: “Very popular with the Jews among whom Christ lived, was that of fasting. If this is practiced in order to show to God our sorrow for sin; or if it is involved in our devotion to his service, it is right and commendable; but if it is employed as a means of winning the approval and praise of men, it is hypocrisy and pretense. Jesus insists that fasting, and all forms of self-denial, should be in secret; we are not to parade our sacrifices; we are not to make capital out of our devotion. We are to have regard only to the Father who is in secret, who sees in secret and who surely will reward.” 54 Endnote: 42   Harvey Goodwin, A Commentary on the Gospel of S. Matthew (Cambridge: Deighton, Bell and Company, 1857), 93-94. 43   Charles H. Spurgeon, The Gospel of the Kingdom: A Popular Exposition of the Gospel According to Matthew (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1893), 32. 44   William Nast, A Commentary on the Gospels of Matthew and Mark (Cincinnati: Poe & Hitchcock, 1864), 262. 45   Adam Clarke, The New Testament of Our Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew to the Acts), Volume 1 (New York: Lane & Scott, 1850), 84. 46   James Morrison, A Practical Commentary on the Gospel According to St. Matthew (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1895), 88. 47   J. Glentworth Butler, The Bible Work (or Bible Readers Commentary) The New Testament, in Two Volumes, Volume 1 (New York: Funk & Wagnalls, 1889), 157. 48   Edwin W. Rice, Commentary on the Gospel According to Matthew (Philadelphia: The American Sunday School Union, 1897), 79. 49   Philip Shaff, A Popular Commentary on the New Testament, Volume 1 (New York: Charles Scribner��s Sons, 1891), 67. 50   Matthew Henry, An Exposition of the Old and New Testament, Volume 5 (Philadelphia: Edward Barrington & George D. Haswell, 1825), 67. 51   John Bird Sumner, A Practical Exposition of the Gospels of St. Matthew and St. Mark, in the Form of Lectures (London: Hatchard & Son, 1831), 70. 52   Joseph Addison Alexander, The Gospel According to Matthew (New York: Charles Scribner, 1861), 176. 53   Charles John Ellicott, A New Testament Commentary for English Readers (Matthew-John), Volume 1 (Edinburg: The Calvin Translation Society, 1884), 26. 54   Charles Rosenbury Erdman, The Gospel of Matthew: An Exposition (Philadelphia: The Westminister Press, 1920), 56.

[curiumm]

okay gogle play On Reflection by Gentle Giant

[mindthump]

Hollywood, Model Planes, and Atomic Bombs: Office of Naval Research Support for Vertical Envelopment http://ift.tt/2t0CEBg

Lost amid a large 8,000 box series from the long disestablished Bureau of Aeronautics (Record Group 72 in National Archives-speak) in a classified stack at the National Archives in College Park lies a 500-page document whose ominous mushroom cloud cover artwork supported its Confidential classification marking. The light blue/green cover simply bore the words “Assault” and the official seal and title of the Office of Naval Research in Washington DC.  Once inside the cover, though, a reader will find the makings of an extraordinary tale.

In a story that has been retold many times, the U.S. Marine Corps viewed the results of the first nuclear weapons effects test, the July 1946 Operation CROSSROADS, with significant concern. Despite the Navy and Marine Corps’ proven formula of amphibious warfare success during the lately concluded Second World War, the outcome of the two nuclear weapons detonations in Bikini Atoll was that large groupings of amphibious shipping and their support warships that made victory possible in almost every theater of World War II were now frighteningly vulnerable to the new weapon of mass destruction.

The solution was dispersal, spreading shipping, landing craft, support warships, and Marines out along the target coast to defeat the nuclear threat. However, that solution simply caused another problem: how to bring enough Marines to the decisive point to defeat the defenders.  If the landing forces were dispersed, a well-disposed defender could annihilate the smaller Marine formations in detail before they could join inland to overwhelm the defenders or capture key terrain.

There were technological solutions seemingly close at hand—the helicopter and large flying boats. A special board appointed by the 20th Commandant of the Marine Corps, General Lemuel C. Shepherd Jr., looked at the dispersal problem in some detail.  The board members, Colonels Merrill Twining and Edward Dyer and Lieutenant Colonel Samuel Shaw examined various means of keeping amphibious assault forces out of atomic danger while quickly concentrating Marines to defeat a defending force.

General Shepherd’s special board surveyed this scene and recognized that current helicopter technology was not going to put a lot of Marines on the beach very quickly, and that the flying boat was a longer term option, if it ever was an option at all. They spoke with the helicopter manufacturers, especially with Igor Sikorsky and one Frank Piaseki of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  Piaseki had some original ideas about large helicopters, and, together, the two men convinced the board members that a helicopter capable of a 5,000 pound payload was possible.

While the Navy’s Bureau of Aeronautics (BuAer) had the mandate to develop the large flying boat program, the Marines took upon themselves the task of sponsoring a large helicopter program through the same Bureau, as BuAer had the authority for the procurement of aircraft for the Marine Corps. As it turned out, the 5,000 pound payload helicopter was a bit ambitious for the technologies of the late 1940’s, so an interim capability of 3,500 pounds was sought for the Marine’s new assault helicopter.  A decade later the Marines ended up with the versatile Sikorsky HUS/UH-34 series as the 3,500 pound payload helicopter and the monstrous Sikorsky HR2S/CH-37 as the 5,000 pound payload helicopter. Both aircraft utilized piston engines, so their performances at higher weights and temperatures was always problematic.  It was not until the mid-1960’s that designers included compact gas turboshaft engines in their designs, finally manufacturing helicopters capable of consistently meeting Marine requirements first established in 1946.

It must have been sometime in 1947 that the Amphibious Branch of the Navy’s Office of Naval Research (ONR) became involved with the evolution of the new vertical envelopment doctrine that sought a way to overcome the limited payload capabilities of contemporary helicopters. Captured under the title: “A Study of a Third Dimensional Assault Techniques for Amphibious Operations”, this sizeable work was the product of contract N7-ONR-296 Task Order 1 awarded to the Radioplane Company.  The final bound report classified CONFIDENTIAL is dated 1 April 1948; however, a perusal of the pages show sections of the report that were completed as early as July 1947.

The Radioplane Company was an unusual choice for this particular contract. Founded in 1934 by British actor Reginald Denny (Anna Karenina, Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House), the company’s experience up through 1947 was based upon the manufacture of expendable target drone aircraft that were essentially larger versions of hobbyists’ radio-controlled models the company sold during the prewar years.  Radioplane’s OQ-2/3 series of target drones were built in the company’s Van Nuys, California facility by the thousands, giving nascent antiaircraft gunners from all of the Armed Services an opportunity to learn key gunnery skills. Outside of the building of target drones, Radioplane’s major claim to fame in being the employer of a young Norma Jeane Dougherty, later known as Marilyn Monroe, who was discovered by an Army Air Forces photographer working in the Radioplane factory. Radioplane had never designed or built a manned aircraft prior to their receipt of the ONR contract.

The ONR study, given the short title of “Project ASSAULT”, sought to overcome the problems of projecting a ground force into an amphibious objective defended by atomic weapons. Radioplane proposed the use of radio-controlled aircraft, each carrying a single Marine above the radioactive contamination on the ground and into the objective. The study broke down into eight sections that dealt with the definition of the mission, flight paths, power plants, aerodynamics, stabilization and control, launching, deceleration and landing, and, finally, structures. There was also a final report that discussed the ASSAULT vehicle.

The study began with a foreword written by CAPT W. H. Leahy, the Assistant Chief for Research for ONR. Leahy was the son of Fleet Admiral William D. Leahy, then Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief, President Harry Truman. The foreword contained the six performance objectives that established the preliminary requirements for the study:

A vehicle payload of 300 pounds

Flight controlled by remote or forward position or ground remote station

Adaptable for rapid launch from a ship or limited launching area

Capable of rapid deceleration for safe landings in areas with natural obstacles such as forests and irregular terrain

Flight range of 25 mile radius

Vehicle can be used for logistics support with a payload of 300 pounds

The study then continues with five detailed sections that discussed the amphibious warfare mission, possible ASSAULT craft flight paths, possible power plants for ASSAULT craft, the aerodynamics of various ASSAULT craft, and, finally, stabilization and control of the proposed ASSAULT aircraft. The bottom line for the proposed ASSAULT vehicles became:

It can then be seen that the ideal situation would be one in which the Assault trooper could step into a vehicle which would then be launched to deliver him automatically to his destination.

The final report offered a range of technical concepts, each concept differing by its designed cruising speed, which ranged from 250 mph, to 400 mph, and finally to 550 mph. A fourth concept embraced the use of an assault pod to be launched by a parent aircraft. All of the proposed ASSAULT vehicles shared the characteristics of being easily controlled in flight, tough enough to make a rough landing while preserving the occupant, and cheap enough to be built in some quantity. The proposed 250 mph aircraft resembled an up-scaled target drone, sized large enough to carry one Marine safely from ship to objective. The recommended power plant was air-cooled Continental E 185-1 opposed 6-cylinder engine of 250 hp, most famously used in the Beechcraft Bonanza general aviation aircraft and deemed capable of moving the proposed ASSAULT vehicle at 250 mph. The landing gear was two skids attached to the fuselage ahead of the straight 32-foot wings. The aircraft was to be catapult-launched, and, when reaching its objective, would have been slowed by a parachute-like controllable sleeve and an air-launched arresting gear—essentially a harpoon driven into the ground and attached to the airframe by a nylon rope.

The proposed 400 mph aircraft was a bit more daring in design, being based upon a turbojet-powered airframe. The fuselage was of a high mid-wing type with a pod-and-boom layout for the twin endplate tail. The author identified the Flader Model XJ-55-FF-1 engine with 700 pounds of thrust as the power plant. The XJ-55 was proposed as the propulsion for a postwar drone aircraft called the XQ-2, so it seemed to be a natural fit in a small airframe designed by a company with radio-controlled aircraft experience. Landing a faster vehicle within tight space constraints required even more ingenuity than the 250 mph proposal, so wings contained split flaps and the fuselage sported skids underneath, a 28 foot airfoil parachute, and, finally, ten 2,000 pound thrust retro-rockets. After the flaps slowed the aircraft to an appropriate speed, the parachute would deploy, suspending the fuselage in a horizontal attitude below the canopy.   A proximity device would trigger the retrorockets, thus ensuring a relatively soft landing for the embarked Marine.

Radioplane continued their report with a description of a 550 mph aircraft, showing what design compromises were necessary to produce a faster vehicle. To gain the desired speed, this third ASSAULT design depended upon rocket power; however, the specific type of rocket engine was not mentioned, unlike the engines on the 250 mph and 400 mph proposals. The final report of the study only mentioned the fact that the two engines would be bi-liquid propellant, one engine to be of 1,150 lbs thrust and the second to be of 500 lbs thrust, and would be similar to the type manufactured by Reaction Motors, Inc or of equivalent design and performance. For landing this high performance vehicle, split flaps on the narrow, tapered wings would again be needed. As in the 400 mph proposal vehicle, the aircraft would deploy a tail-mounted parachute. This time the aircraft would be lowered nose-first to the ground rather than using the complicated parachute suspension system on the 400 mph aircraft that kept the fuselage horizontal. The 550 mph ASSAULT vehicle would then use twelve retro-rockets fitted in the tail to slow the aircraft further. A hydraulically-buffered nose probe would take the remaining landing shock, the probe sticking into the ground to keep the airframe upright after landing.

The final ASSAULT vehicle was a simple pod with no wings. However, deceleration and landing processes would be similar to the aircraft-configured ASSAULT vehicles—a parachute to initially slow down the vehicle, a retro-rocket to slow the pod completely, an air-launched arresting gear system, landing leg skids to take the impact of landing, and, finally, a fixed wooden skid to take the punishment of an emergency landing. The report included sketches of the pod as well as its carrier aircraft, in this case a Grumman F7F-1. The drawing suggests that the aircraft carry two pods, one on pylons under each wing. The study’s report made it clear that the preferred aircraft type for an ASSAULT pod mission was a fighter aircraft. The ASSAULT pod required none of the radio controls necessary for the other vehicles mentioned in the report, and it would require the services of an escort carrier (CVE) to base the fighter aircraft, the pods, and the Marines necessary to conduct the ASSAULT pod operation.

While there were many unsolved problems with Radioplane’s concept for conducting vertical envelopment operations in the first decade after World War II, ideas generated by such unconventional thinking foreshadowed the great changes in aerospace and defense technology that took place over the next fifty years.  Indeed, in the world in which we live it is difficult to be unaware of drones and their impact on military operations, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR)operations, and even in commercial delivery services and popular culture.  However, all of this technology had to start someplace, and Radioplane is one of the places where it started.

[smartwebhostingblog]

GLD: Is 'It' Happening?

New Post has been published on http://openstackservers.com/gld-is-it-happening/

GLD: Is 'It' Happening?

Introduction

On Friday, the dollar index fell to a low not seen since late 2014. Continued weakness in the dollar will lead to inflation in all dollar-based commodities like gold, crude oil and agricultural products.

Next week, the U.S. financial markets will have a shortened holiday week. There are big political issues looming, like a potential shutdown of the U.S. government, and an ongoing battle over immigration reform. As a result, the week ahead could see continued volatility in the U.S. dollar – either up or down. These moves in the dollar will likely affect gold, crude oil and other commodities – one way or another.

Is IT Happening?

Is this the beginning of the dollar collapse? Is that why Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have risen so far, so fast? Does the pending yuan-based oil futures contract lead to the end of the petro-dollar? Is that why oil has risen so far, so fast? Is IT happening??

Will the U.S. government shutdown close its doors amid political posturing and theater? Will the political climate in Washington, D.C. get even worse? Will the Democrats invoke articles of impeachment on Donald Trump? Will the U.S. and its allies attack Iran?

Should I go “all in” on the SPDR Gold Trust (GLD) to profit from all of these potential events? Or will all of these storylines get resolved, and leave the gold bulls, once again, kicking air instead of a football – and landing flat on their backs?

Gold Divergence from Real Interest Rates

The price of gold has historically had a close correlation with real interest rates. Since the beginning of 2017, however, gold and real interest rates have seen increasing divergence. Is this a sign that we have entered a new era where the old correlations are no longer valid? Possibly.

For the price of gold and real rates to converge again, 5-year real rates would need to fall precipitously below zero. Or gold would need to fall below the 2016 lows. Or, some combination of the two. We can see that real interest rates have hit a peak in late December of every year since 2013 before correcting lower.

Gold is money. However, it is currently traded as a paper derivative. I can’t (and won’t attempt to) predict the day when gold will be set free from its paper chains. I view physical precious metals as a store of value and an insurance policy to protect against macro market risks.

Meanwhile, since I closely track gold and silver, I also swing trade “paper” gold and silver on a short term basis – both long and short – with an eye on several traditional and proprietary indicators.

GLD Charts

The weekly gold chart continues to look bullish, although is nearing an over-bought RSI signal. On a purely technical basis, I would expect at least a pull-back to the uptrend line and/or $124 at some point.

On the daily chart, we can see that GLD came back into a prior uptrend channel. If GLD continues upward, then in hindsight we might describe the drop below the channel as a “bullish under-throw.” GLD is over-bought on the daily RSI.

Gold COT Report

I view the gold COT to be neutral, perhaps slightly cautionary. In the week ending January 9th, the net commercial short interest increased by 23%. When price increases, the commercial banks tend to create paper gold to satisfy paper gold demand.

Peaks in net commercial short interest have almost always coincided with nearby sell-offs, and valleys in commercial short interest have almost always coincided with nearby rises in price. One should be careful when trying to “time” tops or bottoms based upon the COT report, for at least two reasons: 1) the COT report is published on Fridays with Tuesday’s data, so it is three trading days old, and 2) the bullion banks have demonstrated patience in covering their shorts, and it could take many weeks for the COT data to look meaningful in hindsight.

While the gold commercial short interest has increased rapidly from its recent low, it only recently crossed over its 3-year average. And net commercial interest is below recent highs.

Gold OPEX Price Magnet

I closely track the options market for gold, crude oil and natural gas and have created a program to calculate OPEX price magnets for these commodities. Here is a recent history of the gold futures price versus the calculated OPEX magnets.

Since June 2017, the futures and OPEX price magnets have tended to converge onr or before the options expiration date. The next option expiration date for COMEX gold is January 25th, 2018.

The OPEX price magnets that I have developed are related to the “max pain” theory. This Youtube video does a good job at describing the “max pain” theory. There are free max pain calculators online for publicly traded stocks; however, the OPEX price magnets are in my view more relevant and are calculated on futures contracts.

Conclusion

Rising gold prices, a weakening U.S. dollar and divergent real interest rates may provide evidence that gold is regaining its luster as a unique “safe haven” asset. Historically important correlations appear to be broken, and the dollar is setting multi-year lows. Add to this mix increasing political and geo-political risks, and we may have a formula for “IT” to happen. Gold could soon be free of its paper chains, and ETFs like GLD could continue to rise in value – and perhaps move sharply higher.

On the other hand, we might be witnessing beginning-of-the-year allocations and adjustments that become an eventual “nothing burger” for GLD and other gold-related investments. If we continue in the old paradigm, then I see reasons to be cautious for paper gold investments like GLD. GLD is over-bought on its daily RSI, and real interests rates could drag lower. Moreover, the nearby gold OPEX magnet suggests that gold could pull back before the end of January.

I wish all of you the best of luck navigating this interesting market.

Disclaimer

This article was written for information purposes, and is not a recommendation to buy or sell any securities. I never intend to give personal financial advice in any of my articles. All my articles are subject to the disclaimer found here.

This article is similar to information that I post daily and weekly in my subscription service. If you are interested in research like this, you might consider Commodity Conquest.  In addition to coverage of gold, silver and crude oil, I also conduct in-depth coverage of many energy and commodity firms.  Here is a verifiable summary of my completed trades since launching my service in June 2017.

I am currently offering a two week free trial.  In addition to my daily content, I also have good input from my subscribers in the chat section.  Come and check it out.

Disclosure: I/we have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours.

I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Additional disclosure: I am always net long precious metals in various forms, and currently hold out-of-the-money GLD puts as a hedge.

[awesomecolorfulcollectorwombat]

GLD: Is 'It' Happening?

New Post has been published on http://openstackservers.com/gld-is-it-happening/

GLD: Is 'It' Happening?

Introduction

On Friday, the dollar index fell to a low not seen since late 2014. Continued weakness in the dollar will lead to inflation in all dollar-based commodities like gold, crude oil and agricultural products.

Next week, the U.S. financial markets will have a shortened holiday week. There are big political issues looming, like a potential shutdown of the U.S. government, and an ongoing battle over immigration reform. As a result, the week ahead could see continued volatility in the U.S. dollar – either up or down. These moves in the dollar will likely affect gold, crude oil and other commodities – one way or another.

Is IT Happening?

Is this the beginning of the dollar collapse? Is that why Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have risen so far, so fast? Does the pending yuan-based oil futures contract lead to the end of the petro-dollar? Is that why oil has risen so far, so fast? Is IT happening??

Will the U.S. government shutdown close its doors amid political posturing and theater? Will the political climate in Washington, D.C. get even worse? Will the Democrats invoke articles of impeachment on Donald Trump? Will the U.S. and its allies attack Iran?

Should I go “all in” on the SPDR Gold Trust (GLD) to profit from all of these potential events? Or will all of these storylines get resolved, and leave the gold bulls, once again, kicking air instead of a football – and landing flat on their backs?

Gold Divergence from Real Interest Rates

The price of gold has historically had a close correlation with real interest rates. Since the beginning of 2017, however, gold and real interest rates have seen increasing divergence. Is this a sign that we have entered a new era where the old correlations are no longer valid? Possibly.

For the price of gold and real rates to converge again, 5-year real rates would need to fall precipitously below zero. Or gold would need to fall below the 2016 lows. Or, some combination of the two. We can see that real interest rates have hit a peak in late December of every year since 2013 before correcting lower.

Gold is money. However, it is currently traded as a paper derivative. I can’t (and won’t attempt to) predict the day when gold will be set free from its paper chains. I view physical precious metals as a store of value and an insurance policy to protect against macro market risks.

Meanwhile, since I closely track gold and silver, I also swing trade “paper” gold and silver on a short term basis – both long and short – with an eye on several traditional and proprietary indicators.

GLD Charts

The weekly gold chart continues to look bullish, although is nearing an over-bought RSI signal. On a purely technical basis, I would expect at least a pull-back to the uptrend line and/or $124 at some point.

On the daily chart, we can see that GLD came back into a prior uptrend channel. If GLD continues upward, then in hindsight we might describe the drop below the channel as a “bullish under-throw.” GLD is over-bought on the daily RSI.

Gold COT Report

I view the gold COT to be neutral, perhaps slightly cautionary. In the week ending January 9th, the net commercial short interest increased by 23%. When price increases, the commercial banks tend to create paper gold to satisfy paper gold demand.

Peaks in net commercial short interest have almost always coincided with nearby sell-offs, and valleys in commercial short interest have almost always coincided with nearby rises in price. One should be careful when trying to “time” tops or bottoms based upon the COT report, for at least two reasons: 1) the COT report is published on Fridays with Tuesday’s data, so it is three trading days old, and 2) the bullion banks have demonstrated patience in covering their shorts, and it could take many weeks for the COT data to look meaningful in hindsight.

While the gold commercial short interest has increased rapidly from its recent low, it only recently crossed over its 3-year average. And net commercial interest is below recent highs.

Gold OPEX Price Magnet

I closely track the options market for gold, crude oil and natural gas and have created a program to calculate OPEX price magnets for these commodities. Here is a recent history of the gold futures price versus the calculated OPEX magnets.

Since June 2017, the futures and OPEX price magnets have tended to converge onr or before the options expiration date. The next option expiration date for COMEX gold is January 25th, 2018.

The OPEX price magnets that I have developed are related to the “max pain” theory. This Youtube video does a good job at describing the “max pain” theory. There are free max pain calculators online for publicly traded stocks; however, the OPEX price magnets are in my view more relevant and are calculated on futures contracts.

Conclusion

Rising gold prices, a weakening U.S. dollar and divergent real interest rates may provide evidence that gold is regaining its luster as a unique “safe haven” asset. Historically important correlations appear to be broken, and the dollar is setting multi-year lows. Add to this mix increasing political and geo-political risks, and we may have a formula for “IT” to happen. Gold could soon be free of its paper chains, and ETFs like GLD could continue to rise in value – and perhaps move sharply higher.

On the other hand, we might be witnessing beginning-of-the-year allocations and adjustments that become an eventual “nothing burger” for GLD and other gold-related investments. If we continue in the old paradigm, then I see reasons to be cautious for paper gold investments like GLD. GLD is over-bought on its daily RSI, and real interests rates could drag lower. Moreover, the nearby gold OPEX magnet suggests that gold could pull back before the end of January.

I wish all of you the best of luck navigating this interesting market.

Disclaimer

This article was written for information purposes, and is not a recommendation to buy or sell any securities. I never intend to give personal financial advice in any of my articles. All my articles are subject to the disclaimer found here.

This article is similar to information that I post daily and weekly in my subscription service. If you are interested in research like this, you might consider Commodity Conquest.  In addition to coverage of gold, silver and crude oil, I also conduct in-depth coverage of many energy and commodity firms.  Here is a verifiable summary of my completed trades since launching my service in June 2017.

I am currently offering a two week free trial.  In addition to my daily content, I also have good input from my subscribers in the chat section.  Come and check it out.

Disclosure: I/we have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours.

I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Additional disclosure: I am always net long precious metals in various forms, and currently hold out-of-the-money GLD puts as a hedge.

[lazilysillyprince]

GLD: Is 'It' Happening?

New Post has been published on http://openstackservers.com/gld-is-it-happening/

GLD: Is 'It' Happening?

Introduction

On Friday, the dollar index fell to a low not seen since late 2014. Continued weakness in the dollar will lead to inflation in all dollar-based commodities like gold, crude oil and agricultural products.

Next week, the U.S. financial markets will have a shortened holiday week. There are big political issues looming, like a potential shutdown of the U.S. government, and an ongoing battle over immigration reform. As a result, the week ahead could see continued volatility in the U.S. dollar – either up or down. These moves in the dollar will likely affect gold, crude oil and other commodities – one way or another.

Is IT Happening?

Is this the beginning of the dollar collapse? Is that why Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have risen so far, so fast? Does the pending yuan-based oil futures contract lead to the end of the petro-dollar? Is that why oil has risen so far, so fast? Is IT happening??

Will the U.S. government shutdown close its doors amid political posturing and theater? Will the political climate in Washington, D.C. get even worse? Will the Democrats invoke articles of impeachment on Donald Trump? Will the U.S. and its allies attack Iran?

Should I go “all in” on the SPDR Gold Trust (GLD) to profit from all of these potential events? Or will all of these storylines get resolved, and leave the gold bulls, once again, kicking air instead of a football – and landing flat on their backs?

Gold Divergence from Real Interest Rates

The price of gold has historically had a close correlation with real interest rates. Since the beginning of 2017, however, gold and real interest rates have seen increasing divergence. Is this a sign that we have entered a new era where the old correlations are no longer valid? Possibly.

For the price of gold and real rates to converge again, 5-year real rates would need to fall precipitously below zero. Or gold would need to fall below the 2016 lows. Or, some combination of the two. We can see that real interest rates have hit a peak in late December of every year since 2013 before correcting lower.

Gold is money. However, it is currently traded as a paper derivative. I can’t (and won’t attempt to) predict the day when gold will be set free from its paper chains. I view physical precious metals as a store of value and an insurance policy to protect against macro market risks.

Meanwhile, since I closely track gold and silver, I also swing trade “paper” gold and silver on a short term basis – both long and short – with an eye on several traditional and proprietary indicators.

GLD Charts

The weekly gold chart continues to look bullish, although is nearing an over-bought RSI signal. On a purely technical basis, I would expect at least a pull-back to the uptrend line and/or $124 at some point.

On the daily chart, we can see that GLD came back into a prior uptrend channel. If GLD continues upward, then in hindsight we might describe the drop below the channel as a “bullish under-throw.” GLD is over-bought on the daily RSI.

Gold COT Report

I view the gold COT to be neutral, perhaps slightly cautionary. In the week ending January 9th, the net commercial short interest increased by 23%. When price increases, the commercial banks tend to create paper gold to satisfy paper gold demand.

Peaks in net commercial short interest have almost always coincided with nearby sell-offs, and valleys in commercial short interest have almost always coincided with nearby rises in price. One should be careful when trying to “time” tops or bottoms based upon the COT report, for at least two reasons: 1) the COT report is published on Fridays with Tuesday’s data, so it is three trading days old, and 2) the bullion banks have demonstrated patience in covering their shorts, and it could take many weeks for the COT data to look meaningful in hindsight.

While the gold commercial short interest has increased rapidly from its recent low, it only recently crossed over its 3-year average. And net commercial interest is below recent highs.

Gold OPEX Price Magnet

I closely track the options market for gold, crude oil and natural gas and have created a program to calculate OPEX price magnets for these commodities. Here is a recent history of the gold futures price versus the calculated OPEX magnets.

Since June 2017, the futures and OPEX price magnets have tended to converge onr or before the options expiration date. The next option expiration date for COMEX gold is January 25th, 2018.

The OPEX price magnets that I have developed are related to the “max pain” theory. This Youtube video does a good job at describing the “max pain” theory. There are free max pain calculators online for publicly traded stocks; however, the OPEX price magnets are in my view more relevant and are calculated on futures contracts.

Conclusion

Rising gold prices, a weakening U.S. dollar and divergent real interest rates may provide evidence that gold is regaining its luster as a unique “safe haven” asset. Historically important correlations appear to be broken, and the dollar is setting multi-year lows. Add to this mix increasing political and geo-political risks, and we may have a formula for “IT” to happen. Gold could soon be free of its paper chains, and ETFs like GLD could continue to rise in value – and perhaps move sharply higher.

On the other hand, we might be witnessing beginning-of-the-year allocations and adjustments that become an eventual “nothing burger” for GLD and other gold-related investments. If we continue in the old paradigm, then I see reasons to be cautious for paper gold investments like GLD. GLD is over-bought on its daily RSI, and real interests rates could drag lower. Moreover, the nearby gold OPEX magnet suggests that gold could pull back before the end of January.

I wish all of you the best of luck navigating this interesting market.

Disclaimer

This article was written for information purposes, and is not a recommendation to buy or sell any securities. I never intend to give personal financial advice in any of my articles. All my articles are subject to the disclaimer found here.

This article is similar to information that I post daily and weekly in my subscription service. If you are interested in research like this, you might consider Commodity Conquest.  In addition to coverage of gold, silver and crude oil, I also conduct in-depth coverage of many energy and commodity firms.  Here is a verifiable summary of my completed trades since launching my service in June 2017.

I am currently offering a two week free trial.  In addition to my daily content, I also have good input from my subscribers in the chat section.  Come and check it out.

Disclosure: I/we have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours.

I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Additional disclosure: I am always net long precious metals in various forms, and currently hold out-of-the-money GLD puts as a hedge.

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GLD: Is 'It' Happening?

New Post has been published on http://openstackservers.com/gld-is-it-happening/

GLD: Is 'It' Happening?

Introduction

On Friday, the dollar index fell to a low not seen since late 2014. Continued weakness in the dollar will lead to inflation in all dollar-based commodities like gold, crude oil and agricultural products.

Next week, the U.S. financial markets will have a shortened holiday week. There are big political issues looming, like a potential shutdown of the U.S. government, and an ongoing battle over immigration reform. As a result, the week ahead could see continued volatility in the U.S. dollar – either up or down. These moves in the dollar will likely affect gold, crude oil and other commodities – one way or another.

Is IT Happening?

Is this the beginning of the dollar collapse? Is that why Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have risen so far, so fast? Does the pending yuan-based oil futures contract lead to the end of the petro-dollar? Is that why oil has risen so far, so fast? Is IT happening??

Will the U.S. government shutdown close its doors amid political posturing and theater? Will the political climate in Washington, D.C. get even worse? Will the Democrats invoke articles of impeachment on Donald Trump? Will the U.S. and its allies attack Iran?

Should I go “all in” on the SPDR Gold Trust (GLD) to profit from all of these potential events? Or will all of these storylines get resolved, and leave the gold bulls, once again, kicking air instead of a football – and landing flat on their backs?

Gold Divergence from Real Interest Rates

The price of gold has historically had a close correlation with real interest rates. Since the beginning of 2017, however, gold and real interest rates have seen increasing divergence. Is this a sign that we have entered a new era where the old correlations are no longer valid? Possibly.

For the price of gold and real rates to converge again, 5-year real rates would need to fall precipitously below zero. Or gold would need to fall below the 2016 lows. Or, some combination of the two. We can see that real interest rates have hit a peak in late December of every year since 2013 before correcting lower.

Gold is money. However, it is currently traded as a paper derivative. I can’t (and won’t attempt to) predict the day when gold will be set free from its paper chains. I view physical precious metals as a store of value and an insurance policy to protect against macro market risks.

Meanwhile, since I closely track gold and silver, I also swing trade “paper” gold and silver on a short term basis – both long and short – with an eye on several traditional and proprietary indicators.

GLD Charts

The weekly gold chart continues to look bullish, although is nearing an over-bought RSI signal. On a purely technical basis, I would expect at least a pull-back to the uptrend line and/or $124 at some point.

On the daily chart, we can see that GLD came back into a prior uptrend channel. If GLD continues upward, then in hindsight we might describe the drop below the channel as a “bullish under-throw.” GLD is over-bought on the daily RSI.

Gold COT Report

I view the gold COT to be neutral, perhaps slightly cautionary. In the week ending January 9th, the net commercial short interest increased by 23%. When price increases, the commercial banks tend to create paper gold to satisfy paper gold demand.

Peaks in net commercial short interest have almost always coincided with nearby sell-offs, and valleys in commercial short interest have almost always coincided with nearby rises in price. One should be careful when trying to “time” tops or bottoms based upon the COT report, for at least two reasons: 1) the COT report is published on Fridays with Tuesday’s data, so it is three trading days old, and 2) the bullion banks have demonstrated patience in covering their shorts, and it could take many weeks for the COT data to look meaningful in hindsight.

While the gold commercial short interest has increased rapidly from its recent low, it only recently crossed over its 3-year average. And net commercial interest is below recent highs.

Gold OPEX Price Magnet

I closely track the options market for gold, crude oil and natural gas and have created a program to calculate OPEX price magnets for these commodities. Here is a recent history of the gold futures price versus the calculated OPEX magnets.

Since June 2017, the futures and OPEX price magnets have tended to converge onr or before the options expiration date. The next option expiration date for COMEX gold is January 25th, 2018.

The OPEX price magnets that I have developed are related to the “max pain” theory. This Youtube video does a good job at describing the “max pain” theory. There are free max pain calculators online for publicly traded stocks; however, the OPEX price magnets are in my view more relevant and are calculated on futures contracts.

Conclusion

Rising gold prices, a weakening U.S. dollar and divergent real interest rates may provide evidence that gold is regaining its luster as a unique “safe haven” asset. Historically important correlations appear to be broken, and the dollar is setting multi-year lows. Add to this mix increasing political and geo-political risks, and we may have a formula for “IT” to happen. Gold could soon be free of its paper chains, and ETFs like GLD could continue to rise in value – and perhaps move sharply higher.

On the other hand, we might be witnessing beginning-of-the-year allocations and adjustments that become an eventual “nothing burger” for GLD and other gold-related investments. If we continue in the old paradigm, then I see reasons to be cautious for paper gold investments like GLD. GLD is over-bought on its daily RSI, and real interests rates could drag lower. Moreover, the nearby gold OPEX magnet suggests that gold could pull back before the end of January.

I wish all of you the best of luck navigating this interesting market.

Disclaimer

This article was written for information purposes, and is not a recommendation to buy or sell any securities. I never intend to give personal financial advice in any of my articles. All my articles are subject to the disclaimer found here.

This article is similar to information that I post daily and weekly in my subscription service. If you are interested in research like this, you might consider Commodity Conquest.  In addition to coverage of gold, silver and crude oil, I also conduct in-depth coverage of many energy and commodity firms.  Here is a verifiable summary of my completed trades since launching my service in June 2017.

I am currently offering a two week free trial.  In addition to my daily content, I also have good input from my subscribers in the chat section.  Come and check it out.

Disclosure: I/we have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours.

I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Additional disclosure: I am always net long precious metals in various forms, and currently hold out-of-the-money GLD puts as a hedge.

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Suffering is one long moment. We cannot divide it by seasons. We can only record its moods, and chronicle their return. With us time itself does not progress. It revolves. It seems to circle round one centre of pain. The paralysing immobility of a life, every cicrcumstance of which is regulated after an unchangeable pattern, so that we eat and drink and walk and lie down an pray, or kneel at least for prayer, according to the inflexible laws of an iron formula - this immobile quality, that makes each dreadful day in the very minutest detail like its brother, seems to communicate itself to those external forces the very essence of whose existence is ceaseless change. Of seed-time or harvest, of the reapers bending over the corn, or the grape-gatherers threading through the vines, of the grass in the orchad made with with broken blossoms, or strewn with fallen fruit, we know nothing, and can know nothing. For us there is only one season, the season of Sorrow. The very sun and moon seem taken from us. Outside, the day may be blue and gold, but the light that creeps down through the thickly-muffled gless of the small ironbarred window beneath which one sits is grey and niggard. It is always twilight in one's cell, as it is always midnight in one's heart. And in the sphere of thought, no less than in the sphere of time, motion is no more. The thing that you personally have long ago forgotten, onr can easily forget, is happening to me right now, and will happen to me again tomorrow. Remember this, and you will be able to understand a little of why I am writing to you, and in this manner writing.

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"It was an incredible job done by the team. Today was a dream" 

[drmonte75-blog]

An Ordinary Commentary by Ordinary Men   "Living to Glorify God Brings Satisfaction to the Soul" ordinarycommentary.blogspot.com

Types of Righteousness and ReligionMatthew 6:1-18Our Lord warns His followers against counterfeit spirituality seeking to be seen and praised by men.Harvey Goodwin—Verse 1: “In these verses our Lord applies to the subject of almsgiving, to what we commonly call in these days charity, the same spiritual principles according to which He has already explained and expanded several of the Laws of the Old Testament. All the men of our Lord’s time would admit almsgiving to the poor to be a great duty; but then many of them held or seemed to hold that there was virtue in the mere giving, independently of the spirit in which it was done, so that a man might make his charitable doings redound to his own praise, sounding a trumpet when he was going to distribute his alms, and the rest. Our Lord declares that, of which we can have no doubt when we hear it asserted, namely, that in the sight of God such almsgiving can have no virtue, no beauty, no excellence: the spirit which can alone render almsgiving pleasing to Him who sees the heart is the simple spirit of love, which withdraws itself from observation, seeks not its own, is unselfish, desiring to do what is charitable for the sake of charity only.📷But mark the awful emphasis, and something like irony, with which our Saviour says of those who make parade of their charity, Verily I say unto you, They have their reward; yes, they have their reward; they wish to gain the attention of mankind, and they gain it; they wish for applause, and they have it; they are pleased when they hear people say, ‘What a liberal man he is! and they have plenty of pleasure such as this. But what does it all amount to? what treasure is laid up in heaven by mere earthly applause? what satisfaction can it be to have cheated men into the belief of our excellent qualities, if the rottenness of our hearts is open and undisguised in the sight of Him who sees in secret, and who knows the thoughts and intents of the heart? They have their reward, have it already in this present world, and a poor unsatisfactory delusive reward it is.” 42Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Verses 2-4: “'2. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.' We must not copy the loud charity of certain vainglorious persons: their character is hypocritical, their manner is ostentatious, their aim is to be seen of men, their reward is in the present. That reward is a very poor one, and is soon over. To stand with a penny in one hand and a trumpet in the other is the posture of hypocrisy. ‘Glory of men’ is a thing which can be bought: but honour from God is a very different thing. This is an advertising age, and too many are saying, ‘Behold my liberality!” Those who have Jesus for their King must wear his livery of humility, and not the scarlet trappings of a purse-proud generosity, which blows its own trumpet, not only in the streets, but even in the synagogues. We cannot expect two rewards for the same action: if we have it now we shall not have it hereafter. Unrewarded alms will alone count in the record of the last day.📷3, 4. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: that thine atms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shalt reward thee openly. Seek secrecy for your good deeds. Do not even see your own virtue. Hide from yourself that which you yourself have done that is commendable; for the proud contemplation of your own generosity may tarnish all your alms. Keep the thing so secret that even you yourself are hardly aware that you are doing anything at all praiseworthy. Let God be present, and you will have enough of an audience. He will reward you, reward you ‘openly’, reward you as a Father rewards a child, reward you as one who saw what you did, and knew that you did it wholly unto him.Lord, help me, when I am doing good, to keep my left hand out of it, that I may have no sinister motive, and no desire to have a present reward of praise among my fellow-men” 43William Nast—Verse 5: “Verse 5. The Jews attached to prayer a still greater importance than even to fasting and almsgiving, but had reduced it to a mere mechanical performance. They prayed three times a day, at nine o'clock, A.M., at twelve o'clock, and at three o'clock, P. M., and resorted to the synagogue for prayer on the Sabbath, on Monday, and Thursday. Many a zealous Jew spent nine hours a day in prayer. Nor did they go for public prayer only to the synagogue, but, like the Roman Catholics, also for private prayer, because greater efficacy was ascribed to prayer in the synagogue. The Pharisees managed it so—this is implied in ‘they love’—that they were overtaken by the hour of prayer while on their way to the synagogue, that the people might see them pray and praise their piety. It is evident from the context that these remarks of our Lord are not directed against common or public prayer—a duty resting on express Divine command—but against performing private prayer in public places..” 44📷Adam Clarke—Verse 6: “But thou, when thou prayest. This is a very impressive and emphatic address. But thou! whosoever thou art, Jew, Pharisee, Christian—enter into thy closet. Prayer is the most secret intercourse of the soul with God, and as it were the conversation of one heart with another. The world is too profane and treacherous to be of the secret. We must shut the door against it: endeavour to forget it, with all the affairs which busy and amuse it. Prayer requires retirement, at least of the heart; for this may be fitly termed the closet in the house of God, which house the body of every real Christian is, 1 Cor. iii. 16. To this closet we ought to retire even in public prayer, and in the midst of company.📷Reward thee openly. What goodness is there equal to this of God! to give, not only what we ask, and more than we ask, but to reward even prayer itself! How great advantage is it to serve a prince who places prayers in the number of services, and reckons to his subjects’ account, even their trust and confidence in begging all things of him!” 45James Morison—Verse 7: “But, in addition to secrecy as regards men, take heed as regards another matter, namely, the fitting mood of mind in relation to God, when engaged in praying, use not vain repetitions: ‘Battering’ away at God, as it were, and ‘blattering’ (Luther has it, viel plujypern). ‘Babble’ not in prayer, in the spirit of those worshippers of Baal ‘who called on his name from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us’ (1 Kings xviii. 26), or of those worshippers of Diana who ‘about the space of two hours cried out, Great is Diana of the Ephesians’ (Acts xix. 34). As the Gentiles do; for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking: They think that in heaping word upon word, and persistently holding on with their speechifying, they shall secure attention and a hearing. Such multiplication of speaking is utterly in vain. ‘It proceedeth,’ as good David Dickson remarks, ‘from a base misconception of God.’ It is well observed however by Augustin that there is a great difference between much speaking and much praying. And even repetitiousness, when it is not wordiness but the expression of intensity of desire, will not be unacceptable to the Hearer of prayer. Such repetitiousness will not be immoderate. It is found in many of the psalms; and it was characteristic of our Saviour’s own prayer in the garden of Gethsemane, when He again and again ‘prayed, saying the same words’ (Matt. xxvi. 44).” 46📷James Glentworth Butler—Verse 8: “Your Father knoweth what ye need. Prayer is the preparation and the enlargement of the heart for the receiving of the divine gift; which, indeed, God is always prepared to give, but we are not always prepared to receive. In the act of prayer there is a purging of the spiritual eye, which thus is averted from the things earthly that darken it, and becomes receptive of the divine light—able not to endure only the brightness of that light, but to rejoice in it with an ineffable joy. In the earnest asking is the enlargement of the heart for the abundant receiving; even as in it is also the needful preparation for the receiving with a due thankfulness; while, on the contrary, the good which came unsought would too often remain the unacknowledged also. Prayer is not designed to inform God, but to give man a sight of his misery, to humble his heart, to excite his desire, to inflame his faith, to animate his hope, to raise his soul toward heaven, and to put him in mind that there is his Father, his country, his inheritance. He is a Father to whom we pray; let us go to him with confidence; he knows our wants; let us remove far from us all anxious disquiet and concern.” 47📷Edwin Wilbur Rice—Verse 9: “After this manner, or ‘thus.’ Jesus gives a pattern or specimen of true prayer. Thus it was understood by nearly all the early fathers and by the majority of evangelical Christians. Some hold that he gave this as a formula always to be used. Others say this is against his teaching in v. 7; and that he did not make the use of this particular form obligatory on his followers. There is no historical evidence, so far as known, that it was used as a formula of prayer by the apostles themselves. It is to be accepted as a proper mode of prayer, and it may be used in the worship of God privately or publicly, but always and only in accord with the principle already declared by Jesus—not to use display or vain repetitions in praying.📷Onr Father. ‘The Lord’s Prayer,’ so called because the Lord gave it as a pattern, might more accurately be called ‘The Model Prayer.’ It is usually divided into three parts: 1, preface; 2, petitions.; 3, conclusion. The Latin fathers and the Lutheran Church make the number of the petitions seven. The Greek and Reformed Churches and the Westminster divines make the number six, by making only one petition of the first part of v. 13, while the others divide it into two petitions. The works written on this ‘Model Prayer’ would make an immense library. The Preface is literally ‘Father of us, who art in the heavens;’ ‘our,’ not my, implying the brotherhood of the human race, especially of believers. The ‘fatherhood of God’ was an old thought in the Jewish worship. It seems a common thought of the race. The Vedas of India, the Zend-Avesta of Persia, Greek literature, as Plato and Plutarch, and the older Baal worship, have the same idea. It seems to be a relic of God's earliest revelation of himself in patriarchal times. But Jesus brings it into a new form and touches it with a new life.First Petition. Hallowed he thy name. That is, help us and others to revere, hallow, sanctify and make holy God’s name and being. Reverence lies at the foundation of all true prayer. 48Phillip Schaff—Verse 10: “Thy kingdom come (second petition). The Messiah’s kingdom, which in organized form had not yet come, but was proclaimed by the Lord Himself, as at hand. It did speedily come, as opposed to the Old Testament theocracy; but in its fulness, including the triumph of Christ’s kingdom over the kingdom of darkness it has not yet come. For this coming we now pray and the prayer is answered, in part by every success of the gospel, and will be answered entirely when the King comes again. A missionary petition, but not less a prayer for our own higher sanctification and for the second coming of Christ. —Thy will be done as in heaven, so on earth (Third petition). ‘Heaven’ and ‘earth,’ put for their inhabitants. As by pure angels, so by men. The idea of human doing is prominent, our will subordinate to God’s will. ‘As’ expresses similarity in kind and completeness.” 49📷Matthew Henry—Verse 11: “Give us this day our daily bread. Because our natural being is necessary to our spiritual well-being in this world, therefore, after the things of God’s glory, kingdom, and will, we pray for the necessary supports and comforts of this present life, which are the gifts of God, and must be asked of him,—Bread for the day approaching, for all the remainder of our lives. Bread for the time to come, or bread for our being and subsistence, that which is agreeable to our condition in the world, (Prov. 30.8.) food convenient for us and our families, according to our rank and station.📷Every word here has a lesson in it: (1.) We ask for bread; that teaches us sobriety and temperance; we ask for bread, not dainties, not superfluities; that which is wholesome, though it be not nice. (2.) We ask for our bread; that teaches us honesty and industry: we do not ask for the bread out of other people’s mouths, not the bread of deceit, (Prov. 20.13.) not the bread of idleness, (Prov. 31.27.) but the bread honestly gotten. (3.) We ask for our daily bread; which teaches us not to take thought for the morrow, (ch. 6.34.) but constantly to depend upon divine providence, as those that live from hand to mouth. (4.) We beg of God to give it us, not sell it us, nor lend it us, but give it. The greatest of men must be beholden to the mercy of God for their daily bread. (5.) We pray, ‘Give it to us; not to me only, but to others in common with me.’ This teaches us charity, and a compassionate concern for the poor and needy. It intimates also, that we ought to pray with our families; we and our house-holds eat together, and therefore ought to pray together. (6.) We pray that God would give it us this day; which teaches us to renew the desire of our souls toward God, as the wants of our bodies are renewed; as duly as the day comes, we must pray to our heavenly Father, and reckon we should as well go a day without meat, as without prayer.” 50John Bird Sumner—Verses 12-13: “And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us. We are, then, trespassers: we need forgiveness. Our hearts must be ill-instructed in the divine law, if they do not tell us that it is so. And he who lives through mercy, must show mercy. An unforgiving spirit would mar the effect even of this Christian prayer, because it would betray a most unchristian state of mind.📷And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. There are temptations which ‘are common to men.’ We see throughout all Scripture, that it is God’s will that his people should be tried. But who, that knows his frailty, and the infirmity of his best purposes, will not pray that he may be kept from temptation, and delivered from the evil one?” 51Joseph Addison Alexander—Verses 14-15: “14. For, if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15. But, if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. The next two verses, as already stated, purport to give a reason for something in the previous context, which can only be the last clause of v. 12. As if he had said, ‘In asking for forgiveness, you must stand prepared to exercise it also, for unless you are, you cannot be forgiven, not because the one is the condition of the other, but because the two must go together, and the absence of the one proves the absence of the other.’ The verb four times repeated here is the same with that in v. 12; but instead of the word delts another figure is employed, that of a fall or false step, rendered in the English versions, trespass, and intended to express the same idea, that of sin, which may be considered either as a debt due to the divine justice, or as a lapse from the straight course of moral rectitude. The fulness and precision with which the alternative is here presented may appear superfluous, but adds to the solemnity of the assurance, and would no doubt strengthen the impression on the minds of the original hearers. In this, as in the whole preceding context, God is still presented in his fatherly relation to all true believers; as if to intimate that even that relation, tender as it is, would give no indulgence to an unforgiving spirit.” 52📷Charles John Elliott—Verse 16: “(16) When ye fast.—Fasting had risen under the teaching of the Pharisees into a new prominence. Under the Law there had been but the one great fast of the Day of Atonement, on which men were ‘to afflict their souls’ (Lev. xxiii.27; Num. xxix.7), and practice had interpreted that phrase as meaning total abstinence from food. Other fasts were occasional, in times of distress or penitence, as in Joel i.14, ii.15; or as part of a policy affecting to be religions zeal (1 Kings xxi.9, 12); or as the expression of personal sorrow (1 Sam. xx.34; 2 Sam. xii 16; Ezra x.6; Neh. i.4; et al.). These were observed with an ostentatious show of affliction which called forth the indignant sarcasm of the prophets (Isa. lviii.5). The ‘sackcloth’ took the place of the usual raiment, ‘ashes’ on the head, of the usual unguents (Neh. ix.1; Ps. xxxv. 13). The tradition of the Pharisees, starting from the true principle that fasting was one way of attaining self-control, and that as a discipline it was effectual in proportion as it was systematic, fixed on the fasts ‘twice in the week,’ specified in the prayer of the Pharisee (Luke xviii.12); and the second and fifth days of the week were fixed, and connected with some vague idea that Moses went up Mount Sinai on the one, and descended on the other. Our Lord, we may note, does not blame the principle, or even the rule, on which the Pharisees acted. He recognises fasting, as He recognises almsgiving and prayer, and is content to warn His disciples against the ostentation that vitiates all three, the secret self-satisfaction under the mask of contrition, the ‘pride that apes humility.’ The very words, ‘when thou fastest’ contain an implied command.📷Of a sad countenance.—Strictly, of sullen look, moroseness of affected austerity rather than of real sorrow.They disfigure their faces.—The verb is the same as that translated ‘corrupt’ in verse 19. Here it points to the unwashed face and the untrimmed hair, possibly to the ashes sprinkled on both, that men might know and admire the rigorous asceticism.” 53Charles Rosenbury Erdman—Verses 17-18: “Very popular with the Jews among whom Christ lived, was that of fasting. If this is practiced in order to show to God our sorrow for sin; or if it is involved in our devotion to his service, it is right and commendable; but if it is employed as a means of winning the approval and praise of men, it is hypocrisy and pretense. Jesus insists that fasting, and all forms of self-denial, should be in secret; we are not to parade our sacrifices; we are not to make capital out of our devotion. We are to have regard only to the Father who is in secret, who sees in secret and who surely will reward.” 54📷Endnote:42   Harvey Goodwin, A Commentary on the Gospel of S. Matthew (Cambridge: Deighton, Bell and Company, 1857), 93-94.43   Charles H. Spurgeon, The Gospel of the Kingdom: A Popular Exposition of the Gospel According to Matthew (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1893), 32.44   William Nast, A Commentary on the Gospels of Matthew and Mark (Cincinnati: Poe & Hitchcock, 1864), 262.45   Adam Clarke, The New Testament of Our Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew to the Acts), Volume 1 (New York: Lane & Scott, 1850), 84.46   James Morrison, A Practical Commentary on the Gospel According to St. Matthew (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1895), 88.47   J. Glentworth Butler, The Bible Work (or Bible Readers Commentary) The New Testament, in Two Volumes, Volume 1 (New York: Funk & Wagnalls, 1889), 157.48   Edwin W. Rice, Commentary on the Gospel According to Matthew (Philadelphia: The American Sunday School Union, 1897), 79.49   Philip Shaff, A Popular Commentary on the New Testament, Volume 1 (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1891), 67.50   Matthew Henry, An Exposition of the Old and New Testament, Volume 5 (Philadelphia: Edward Barrington & George D. Haswell, 1825), 67.51   John Bird Sumner, A Practical Exposition of the Gospels of St. Matthew and St. Mark, in the Form of Lectures (London: Hatchard & Son, 1831), 70.52   Joseph Addison Alexander, The Gospel According to Matthew (New York: Charles Scribner, 1861), 176.53   Charles John Ellicott, A New Testament Commentary for English Readers (Matthew-John), Volume 1 (Edinburg: The Calvin Translation Society, 1884), 26.54   Charles Rosenbury Erdman, The Gospel of Matthew: An Exposition (Philadelphia: The Westminister Press, 1920), 56.