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The death of former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was ruled a suicide, the Worcester County District Attorney's Office announced on Thursday.
Hernandez was found hanged by a bed sheet inside his cell at the Souza Baranowski Correctional Center in Shirley, Mass., early Wednesday morning and was pronounced dead the hospital about an hour later.
The Massachusetts chief medical examiner, Dr. Henry N. Nields, concluded the "manner of death was suicide and the cause asphyxia by hanging," according a news release.
"There were no signs of a struggle, and investigators determined that Mr. Hernandez was alone at the time of the hanging," the district attorney's office said in the statement.

subset: commoncrawl


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WWT Will Leverage More Than 20 Years of NetApp Technology Innovation to Deliver Maximum Efficiency, Reliability and Performance for its Customers Most Demanding Latency-Sensitive Applications
ST. LOUIS (February 20, 2013) – World Wide Technology, Inc. (WWT), a market-leading systems integrator that provides innovative technology and supply chain solutions, today expanded its Enterprise Storage portfolio by committing to sell and support the comprehensive NetApp portfolio of flash solutions, including the new NetApp EF540 flash array. Through this offering, WWT can help its customers maximize the value of flash across the entire IT stack, improving application performance and responsiveness while significantly improving the overall efficiency of data center operations.
"WWT is leveraging cutting-edge technologies like enterprise flash storage to accelerate application performance and lower costs for enterprises harnessing cloud computing, virtualization and big data," said Bob Olwig, vice president of business strategy with WWT. "As a longstanding NetApp Star Partner, we have always worked closely with NetApp to deliver solutions that are simpler, more manageable and faster to deploy than traditional enterprise storage products. The recent NetApp enterprise flash announcement demonstrates their storage and data management leadership and provides us with a new set of products to help our customers meet their business goals and mission critical IT needs."
The NetApp flash solutions portfolio spans the IT stack – from server to storage – and include both hybrid as well as all SSD storage offerings to solve the broadest range of business challenges. The NetApp portfolio improves I/O performance and accelerates response times for a variety of applications, including database acceleration; server and desktop virtualization; and cloud infrastructure. NetApp flash solutions help customers speed overall IT performance; improve utilization of data center space; and reduce power and cooling costs.
"The new NetApp EF540 flash array and proven portfolio of storage and data management products deliver business results faster, stop over-provisioning and dramatically improve the ROI of IT investments," said Todd Palmer, vice president, Americas Channel Sales, NetApp. "We are pleased to count World Wide Technology as an early supporter of our new flash products, as WWT's sales, engineering and support teams consistently demonstrate a commitment to innovation as well as delivering and supporting the very latest technology solutions that can have a positive impact on the mission-critical IT environments of their customers."
WWT specializes in delivering and supporting advanced technology solutions in the areas of data center and virtualization; mobility and borderless networks; unified communications and collaboration; and security. The company brings a new way of thinking and a proven approach to how organizations evaluate, architect and implement technology. Through its Advanced Technology Center, WWT provides its customers with technical and engineering expertise and hands on access to the latest technology products and solutions. WWT also offers a complete array of configuration and integration services and a full suite of advanced logistics, inventory management and supply chain solutions.
About WWT (www.wwt.com)
World Wide Technology, Inc. (WWT) is a $5 billion systems integrator that provides innovative technology and supply chain solutions to the commercial, government and telecom sectors. The company brings to market a powerful blend of knowledge, infrastructure and technology to help its customers evaluate, architect and implement technology products and solutions. Based in St. Louis, WWT works closely with industry leaders including Boeing (NYSE: BA); Dell (NASDAQ: DELL); Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO); EMC (NYSE: EMC); HP (NYSE: HPQ); AT&T Inc., (NYSE: ATT); VMware (NYSE: VMW); Citrix Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CTXS); NetApp, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTAP); Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) and the U.S. Air Force. WWT employs over 2,200 people and operates more than 2 million square-feet of warehousing, distribution and integration space in more than 20 facilities throughout the world. For more information on World Wide Technology, visit www.wwt.com.
About NetApp
NetApp creates innovative storage and data management solutions that deliver outstanding cost efficiency and accelerate business breakthroughs. Our commitment to living our core values and consistently being recognized as a great place to work around the world are fundamental to our long-term growth and success, as well as the success of our pathway partners and customers. Discover our passion for helping companies around the world go further, faster at www.netapp.com. Use of the word "partner" or "partnership" does not imply a legal partnership between NetApp and any other company.
Media Contacts:
PropelMG for WWT
Ed Levens
(919) 346-5531
Jeremiah Glodoveza
(408) 822-4567


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The government has relaxed planning rules in a bid to make insulating homes easier
The clarification agreed by the Department for Energy and Climate Change and the Department for Communities and Local Governments confirms that solid wall insulation, which is commonly fitted to the external elevations of a property, will be classed as a permitted development.
These changes come in ahead of the launch of the government's Green Deal scheme at the end of the month.
Under the new rules, insulation installations will be classified as an improvement, rather than an extension or an enlargement and will not require planning permission.
Listed buildings and properties in conservation areas will still be subject to specific planning permission, and the new permitted development rules will not apply to them.
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Scale and Compass Image for Abell S1063 and Parallel Field
Abell S1063 Frontier Field (left) and Parallel Field (right)
4 billion light-years (1.2 billion parsecs)
HST>ACS/WFC: F435W (B), F606W (R), and F814W (I)
HST>WFC3/IR: F105W (Y), F125W (J), F140W (JH), and F160W (H)
These images are composites of separate exposures acquired by the WFC3/IR and ACS/WFC instruments. Several filters were used to sample various wavelengths. The color results from assigning different hues (colors) to each monochromatic (grayscale) image associated with an individual filter. In this case, the assigned colors are:
Blue: ACS/WFC F435W (B) + F606W (R)
Green: ACS/WFC F814W (I) + WFC3/IR F105W (Y)
Red: WFC3/IR F125W (J) + F140W (JH) + F160W (H)
NASA, ESA, and Z. Levay (STScI);
Acknowledgment: J. Lotz (STScI)


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Whether you are interested in delicious food, gardening, or boats, some wonderful events are coming up in Southern Maine during the month of March. As an added incentive to come come experience these great happenings, we are offering our Cabin Fever Special which features big savings on all rooms throughout March (rates are $129 – $199). Also, stay tuned for our March Madness Special which will be revealed soon. Check out all of our specials and packages by clicking here.
2013 marks the 5th year for Maine Restaurant Week. Over 70 restaurants are offering special prix fixe three-course dinners and some are also offering special $15 prix fixe lunches. Maine Maple Sunday is another upcoming event that is sure to please anyone who has affection for all things maple. The Portland Flower Show is a showcase event for anyone interested in gardening or landscaping. Rounding out the events in March are the Portland Boat Show and the Maine Boatbuilders show. The Inn at English Meadows is the perfect place to use as a base to take advantage of all of these great happenings. We have compiled details about each of these events below:
Maine Restaurant Week – March 1 -10, 2013 – Maine's reputation as a foodie destination is well deserved. Maine Restaurant Week celebrates the ingenuity and innovation of our favorite independent, locally-owned restaurants. More than 70 restaurants are participating this year, offering customers three-course prix fixe dinners priced at $22, $32, or $42. Customers love it because dining on special 3-course menus at these prices feels downright decadent. Some restaurants are also featuring prix fixe lunches for $15. Through annual fundraising, local non-profit organizations also benefit from Restaurant Week. For 2013, the target is the United Way. Check out the lineup of fantastic restaurants at the Maine Restaurant Week website.
Maine Maple Sunday – March 24, 2013 – The Maine Maple Producers Association welcomes you to join Maine's Maple Syrup Producers, statewide, as they celebrate Maine Maple Sunday. Most sugarhouses offer free maple syrup samples and demonstrations on how pure Maine maple syrup is made. Many farms offer games, activities, treats (including pancakes, maple sundaes, maple coated nuts, maple whoopie pies, maple butter, maple baked beans, and maple candy), sugarbush tours, music, and much more. This is a great opportunity to indulge your sweet tooth while peeking into the interesting process that syrup producers undertake to create their delicious amber product. The Maine Maple Producers Association has a great, interactive map that details the sugarhouses that are participating in Maple Sunday: Maple Sunday Map.
The Portland Flower Show – March 6 – 10, 2013 – Northern New England's only annual flower show. The event features spectacular garden themed exhibits, vendor booths and informational seminars. This year's theme is "Timeless Gardens." Check out the Portland Flower Show website.
Portland Boat Show – February 28 – March 3, 2013 – For boating enthusiasts, people interested in checking out the latest boating accessories, or folks looking to jump into purchasing a new boat, this event features the largest display area of any of the local boat shows, with exhibits including center console & walkaround fishing boats, bowriders, cuddy cabins, cruisers, pontoon boats, wakeboard boats, and tournament ski boats. For details, visit the Portland Boat Show website. Boating season is right around the corner.
Maine Boatbuilders Show – March 15 – 17, 2013 – The Maine Boatbuilders Show brings the best in Maine marine craftsmanship together with some of the most discerning boat enthusiasts. The show includes everything from a 50-foot day sailer displayed by Brooklin Boat Yard to Rangeley Boats' rowboats, as well as all the equipment and components in between – with each booth manned by a company owner. The show draws exhibitors from around the country and customers from around the world. Check out the Maine Boatbuilders Show website for more information.


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We will confess, on this slow holiday Thursday afternoon, that we are a sucker for Kissing Suzy Kolber's NFL Picture Captions.
This one, and the vaguely evil and hilarious Kevin Everett one, have us rolling. It's Thursday, and the holidays; we're easily tickled.
Week 16 In Captions [Kissing Suzy Kolber]


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Becoming a Main Street City in 1981 under the N.C. Department of Natural Resources and Community Development (now under the N.C. Department of Commerce) offered New Bern the chance to mobilize its forces to develop a successful revitalization project.
Becoming a Main Street City in 1981 under the N.C. Department of Natural Resources and Community Development (now under the N.C. Department of Commerce) offered New Bern the chance to mobilize its forces to develop a successful revitalization project.
In March 1981 at a public meeting of 140 citizens prior to New Bern officially becoming a participant in the state's new Main Street Program, the Main Street Resource Team from the National Trust for Historic Preservation pointed out the rehabilitation of buildings is just one of many components in downtown revitalization, however, it is a very important one and façade and sign improvements needed to be implemented as soon as possible.
The central business district building stock was deteriorated, upper floors abandoned for the most part, upper portions of a number of facades were left to crumble and often the only signs of attention were aluminum and plywood cover-ups hastily applied over historic building fabric. The backs of buildings were in poor condition due to neglect, understandable considering they were not in the public view; however, the back facades would become visually important as the interior off street parking lots were developed.
As a first step, a $30,000 Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation grant to the N.C. Main Street Program funded a full-time architect for a year to work with N.C. Main Street cities. Each city had $2,500 to use at their discretion for incentive programs or design assistance for merchants/owners who agreed to undertake façade or sign improvements. N.C. Main Street architect, Jo Ramsey was hired to work with the Main Street cities conducting workshops and providing renderings, working drawings and consultation services with selected owners who were interested in renovating the facades of their buildings.
In September 1981, City Planner, David Rowland and Swiss Bear Director, Kay Williams, submitted an application to the Kellenberger Historical Foundation and received $20,000 for design assistance in developing façade renderings and working drawings for a minimum of 10 historic buildings in the central business district to insure rehabilitation work was based on good design in keeping with the character of the building. The grant funded an architect to prepare working drawings and cost estimates based on research of the original appearance of the building and on-site consultation as needed.
The Kellenberger Design Assistance Committee included a representative from the New Bern Preservation Foundation and Historic District Commission. Participating property owners had to commit to undertake and complete the work within 12 — 18 months complying with the plans developed during the design phase.
Applications were received from 12 property owners. By the end of 1983, five of the property owners completed façade and other major improvements to their buildings. Jo Ramsey completed back façade drawings for North Carolina National Bank (NCNB), front and back drawings for Central Office Supply (Pollock Street businesses with back facades facing the new parking lot under construction) who followed through with façade renovations.
Swiss Bear acquired a grant for a New Bern Paint Bucket Project and hired Peter Sandbeck, Architectural Historian to conduct paint research on original and early paint colors and make recommendations of appropriate period colors for historic buildings being rehabbed.
Swiss Bear and the New Bern Preservation Foundation co-sponsored training sessions on the Federal Historic Preservation Tax Incentives Program, administered by the National Park Service which offered a 20 percent federal tax credit for qualified rehabilitation expenses.
City Planner, David Rowland completed tax certification applications for six downtown tax incentive projects and the Historic District Commission re-addressed its sign ordinance regulating policies in the Downtown Historic District. Swiss Bear and the N.C. Main Street Program sponsored restoration workshops for property owners conducted by architect Jo Ramsey and Peter Sandbeck.
The City and Swiss Bear worked with eight local banks creating a two million dollar low interest tax exempt loan pool used to assist with the major renovation/rehabilitation of four major downtown buildings including the Belk/O. Marks Building.
As a added incentive, the Neuse River Council was approved to administer the Small Business Administration (SBA) loan program in nine counties, including Craven, which required a business owner to put in a minimum of 10 percent, a conventional lender 50 percent and the SBA pay the remaining 40 percent for bricks and mortar projects that could be borrowed over 25 years at a fixed rate.
Swiss Bear hired Land and Community Associates, Charlottesville, Virginia to document downtown buildings and develop a series of pamphlets that were widely distributed to owners interested in renovating their buildings. The topics of the six pamphlets included the history of downtown New Bern; a commercial building inspection checklist; design and maintenance of front and rear facades; appropriate commercial signage, awnings and window displays for commercial buildings; and, planning your rehabilitation/working with architects and contractors.
By December 1986, 31 facades were restored in varying degrees. The assessed tax value on the 31 properties in 1980 was $2,057,560. In 1986, the assessed value on the 31 properties after rehabilitation and 5 new construction projects was $16,596,180.
In 1987, to keep the momentum going, I applied to the Kellenberger Historical Foundation for a $15,000 grant and developed the Downtown Façade Incentive Grant Program providing financial assistance to building owners in the Municipal Service Tax District who would improve the facades of their buildings. Grants were awarded on a 50/50 matching basis with a maximum participation of $1,000 per façade. Fourteen property owners received grants for projects ranging from replacing awnings to major renovations of the front and rear facades.
The numerous strategies produced significant results and were a catalyst for promoting good design. Over the years, the momentum continued. Today, approximately 95 percent of the facades on downtown's buildings have been rehabbed in varying degrees.
In 1980, downtown appeared beaten, bruised and neglected. Through strong leadership, a coordinated strategy, teamwork and cooperation, both public and private, façade improvements implemented in keeping with the historic character of the buildings played a major role in transforming downtown. Downtown is once again known for its distinctive "sense of place."
Susan Moffat-Thomas is executive director of Swiss Bear Downtown Development Corporation. Her column appears every other week.


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PeZBOT is a multiplayer bot-mod for Call of Duty 4 and World at War. The aim of the mod is to introduce A.I. to local multiplayer games so those who choose not to go online or prefer to practice against bots before doing so, can.
Only registered members can share their thoughts. So come on! Join the community today (totally free - or sign in with your social account on the right) and join in the conversation.
i'm still kicking!


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His idea isn't so bad as all that. Many servers use MD5 to store their passwords and thus you can use it to compare passwords, which is all that is needed for simple password authentication. Why bother? Because sometimes people run small sites but do not have the wherewithal, technical knowledge, or control of the server necessary to use an https server. However, you can use JavaScript to accomplish this deed if you are interested. I run a project that does a user authentication / session management and is meant to be used in multiple environments, and doing this in JavaScript is on the todo list because this need does exist. The main point against this is, HTML is dead :) An MD5 encryption function in XPath is something worth considering, though, so that it could be used in XForms (you could use a calculate node). I think it would be a bad idea to make it an attribute on the <secret> element, however--data manipulation like that belongs in the functional language. --John Keiser Toby Inkster wrote: >-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- >Hash: SHA1 > >- -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- >Hash: SHA1 > >On Fri, 15 Nov 2002 23:04:18 +0100 >"Xatr0z" <firstname.lastname@example.com> wrote: > >| We hope this idea will be included in the W3C standards of HTML and >| XHTML. > >I deeply hope this is a troll. > >This is a terrible idea for the following reasons: > >a) Rot13 and Base64 provide no security at all. Assuming rot13'd data is intercepted, it can be easily decoded by a 10 year old with a pen and paper. > >b) MD5 isn't even encryption -- it's a hash -- not reversible. Thus the server couldn't decode the information at the other end anyway! > >c) Why bother when we already have HTTPS? HTTPS provides security infinitely better than all the methods you have suggested. > >d) HTML is dead, there are no plans to recommend any further versions. > >- - -- >Toby A Inkster BSc ARCS >PGP: http://www.goddamn.co.uk/tobyink/node.cgi?id=12 >Web Page: http://www.goddamn.co.uk/tobyink/ >IM: AIM:inka80 ICQ:6622880 YIM:tobyink Jabber:firstname.lastname@example.com > >My pants just went to high school in the Carlsbad Caverns!!! >- -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- >Version: GnuPG v1.0.7 (GNU/Linux) > >iD8DBQE91XYVzr+BKGoqfTkRAjAyAJwIu30es9UR0UQdmsnFnDrYmb4zLACgkkH1 >P0W0EoceSB3wMrhGtfpmEpQ= >=yTWv >- -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- >-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- >Version: GnuPG v1.0.7 (GNU/Linux) > >iD8DBQE91XZfzr+BKGoqfTkRAoA+AJ9Pg03tSLoI0zaxLqQr/rjcJ5viOQCgo9k2 >N8pJC2rtKpl8wKrQ49JWjsI= >=8iL+ >-----END PGP SIGNATURE----- > > >Received on Friday, 15 November 2002 20:08:50 UTC
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.1 : Wednesday, 7 January 2015 15:06:01 UTC


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[box] UPDATE: the iPad 2 arrives on April 28. Read more. Official pricing here. [/box]
For those who have been living under a rock these past 24 hours, Apple has announced the new iPad. It's thinner and comes in two colors -ok, more than that, just Google it, the specs are all over the web.
While it will land on March 11 in the USA, a few selected countries, including Japan, will get it on March 25.
These are the known facts. Let's get to the questions.
SoftBank only?
The iPad 2 comes in more flavors than its predecessor. Besides the white & black color options, the 16, 32 & 64GB versions and the Wi-Fi only model, the iPad 3G will have two variants. This is new and this is where it could become interesting.
Apple will offer the first model with UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz) & GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz) connectivity, the same technology that existed on the first Wi-Fi + 3G model and the one used by SoftBank. Let's call it the "AT&T model". The second, however, is new: the "Verizon model" is made for CDMA EV-DO Rev. A (800, 1900 MHz).
It means that, like the iPhone 4/5, the iPad 2 could work on au/KDDI's network. The big question is then: is Softbank still in a sort-of exclusive agreement with Apple over the iPad?
When the iPad was released last May, many were caught off-guard by the fact that it was SIM-locked nationwide. No other microSIM card than SoftBank's could be put in any iPad 3G sold in Japan, the only market to have this limitation. The new models come less than 12 months later and the addition of a variant that SoftBank cannot use shouts for the end of any such deal. With the chatter around KDDI negotiating for the iPhone 5 and DoCoMo's CEO not having lost all hope on getting it -as he stated a week ago-, could it be that Cupertino's tablet also becomes carrier-independent?
Chances are not high, it seems likely that iPad buyers will be tied to SoftBank for a bit more, but it creates room for potential competition as the general SIM unlocking debate continues to rage.
Right now Apple Japan only displays the existing arrangement, with 3G models being sold by SoftBank only and the carrier only redirects to Apple in its press release. One thing seems for sure though, tethering with iOS 4.3 won't work in Japan -surely SoftBank's specific requirement.
Pricing is not known at this point, but with Apple replicating the iPad 1 price ranges in the US, Japan might very well have a similar deal, with prices being the same than last May. Apple won't let a price war happen on the device, only data plans could see some interesting movements if another mobile operator enter the game. Note that the iPad For Everybody plan by SoftBank did end on February 28, maybe making room for an iPad 2-specific offer.
It will also be interesting to see if KDDI -or any MVDO like b-mobile– will release a dedicated microSIM for imported "Verizon-model" devices. And what SoftBank reaction could then be.
The surprisingly short pre-order period in the US and the close release date in international markets could mean limited availability. Apple has obviously planned the release well and is known for its great supply chain structure, but I would be surprised if Japan receives massive amounts of iPads, not to mention "Verizon models" -if they make it here at all- at start. Be prepared to queue.
You can be officially notified about the iPad 2 news by submitting your email at Apple. And discuss if you'll get one in the community forums.


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From https://projects.propublica.org/docdollars. © Copyright 2013 Pro Publica Inc.
Payment Disclosure
Evan A. Nelson
- $367
- paid by Janssen Pharmaceuticals, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson »
- Location: Chicago, Ill.
- Payment for: Food and Beverage
- Payment for: Food and Beverage
- Reported: Jan. to Dec. 2013 Janssen Pharmaceuticals
- Search for Evan A. Nelson in Prescriber Checkup, our database of prescribing patterns within Medicare's drug program.
Notable drugs produced by Janssen Pharmaceuticals include:
- Risperdal Consta (antipsychotic for schizophrenia and Bipolar I Disorder)
- Invega (schizophrenia & schizoaffective disorder)
- Invega Sustenna (schizophrenia)
- Nucynta (painkiller)
- Nucynta ER (painkiller)
- Ortho Evra (contraceptive)
- Ortho Tri-Cyclen LO (contraceptive)
- Xarelto (reduce the risk of stroke and systemic embolism in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism)
Important notes
The reports include both the name of the health provider who performed the service and, when reported, the entity paid. They may be different.
Source: Johnson & Johnson. ProPublica last downloaded this record on Sept. 18, 2014.
I think this is my doctor — what should I do?
If your provider is listed, it's because a drug company reported paying him or her for promotional activities, meals, travel, educational items, consulting or research. Such payments are legal, but research has shown that drug-company marketing can influence what a doctor prescribes. How you can use this data »


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Here are the latest short answers to Code questions posted on our Web site. In our discussion this month, we will cover topics from Secs. 110-3(b), 240-81, 250-6(a), 250-20(d) FPN No. 1, 250-30(a), and 380-3 of the National Electrical Code (NEC).
Three-part question. I am installing a permanent generator at my home for optional standby power. I'll be using a manual double-pole/double-throw switch with a solid neutral as my transfer switch. The feeder to the subpanel from the main and the generator is 4-wire (two hots, neutral, and ground). There is no neutral-to-ground connection in the subpanel.
Q1. Is my generator considered a separately derived system?
A1. No. The NEC requires a neutral-to-ground connection for a separately derived system, such as a generator, at the separately derived system or at the first disconnect after the separately derived system [Sec. 250-30(a)]. Fine Print Note (FPN) No. 1 to Sec. 250-20(d) warns the user that the NEC doesn't consider a separately derived system an alternate AC power source if the neutral from the generator solidly interconnects to a service system neutral.
Q2. Should I make a neutral-to-ground connection at the generator?
A2. No. Since the neutral is not opened in the transfer switch, the neutral from the generator solidly interconnects to a service system neutral. Under this condition, the NEC doesn't consider the generator a separately derived system. Therefore, you must not make a neutral-to-ground connection at the generator or at its disconnect.
If you make a neutral-to-ground connection at the generator, this creates a parallel path for neutral current to flow on the neutral conductor as well as objectionable (neutral) current to flow through the grounding path in violation of Sec. 250-6(a).
Q3. Must I ground the generator to the earth?
A3. No. Since the generator is not a separately derived system, the NEC doesn't require you to ground a generator to a grounding electrode (earth).
Q. Can I install a panelboard with the main breaker upside down, so the "up" position of the handle is the "off" position?
A. No. Secs. 240-81 and 380-3 require "circuit breakers that are operated vertically be installed with the 'up' position of the handle to be the 'on' position."
Q. Is it a Code violation to wrap a stranded No. 12 wire around the post of a wiring device screw?
A. No. The NEC doesn't directly cover this scenario, but Sec. 110-3(b) requires you to install all equipment in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.
According to wiring device manufacturers, the screws on wiring devices are listed for the termination of either solid, or stranded No. 14 or No. 12 wire.


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Hayley Paige
Hemmingway - New
Hayley Paige
Hemmingway - New
sydney/melbourne boutique
YAY! You are engaged, congratulations!!!
Dress hunting can be daunting, so we have prepared some FAQs to make sure that we have covered some of your concerns. For short notice booking or immediate assistance, please call your local boutique.
Please note styles can travel between boutiques and subsequently we are unable to guarantee the availability of the styles at all times. For specific gown request, please communicate with our stores.
A-line wedding dress in beaded net and chiffon with jewel neckline with cap sleeves. Features beaded criss-cross pattern and floral lace over sheer illusion bodice, flowing circular chiffon skirt with sealed edges. Wedding gown by Hayley Paige.
Silhouette: A-line
Neckline: Jewel neckline
Colour: Alternative colours available
Style: 6911
Lead Time
We welcome brides that would like to purchase ahead of this time frame.
If your wedding day is within 8 months we have other options available to help you find your dream gown, please contact one of our boutiques for assistance.
Do you have wedding shoes in your boutiques?
Unfortunately we don't stock any of the shoes in our boutiques at the moment as we are a bit tight on space. They are only available via our online store here
Do I need to make an appointment to try on wedding gowns?
Booking an appointment is the best way to ensure we can give you the full attention of our bridal consultant. We recommend booking two weeks ahead for weekend appointments. However walk-in are welcome to browse and we will be more then happy to help you if there is a cancellation.
Which appointment type suites me? And is there any booking fee?
A bride whose wedding is more than 16 months away
DURATION: 60 Minutes
COST: $35 (redeemable at purchase on all dresses)
A bride whose wedding is within the next 12 months and are available on a weekday
DURATION: 60 Minutes
COST: Free
A bride whose wedding is within the next 12 months and prefers a weekend appointment
DURATION: 60 Minutes
COST: $35 Sydney store only (redeemable at purchase on all dresses)
A bride who has already tried on gowns in our store
DURATION: 60 Minutes
COST: Free
A bride who is looking for more of a luxury and couture style gown
DURATION: 90 Minutes
COST: $100 (redeemable at purchase on a Galia Lahav dress)
A brides who has already tried on Galia Lahav gowns in our store
DURATION: 60 Minutes
Have you found your dream dress and need some help styling your look with accessories? If so, this is the appointment for you! You don't have to be one of our brides to book this appointment. *Please note flower girls dresses are only available in our Melbourne store and shoes and bridesmaid are only sold online please contact our eCommerce department for more information on these firstname.lastname@example.com
DURATION: 20 Minutes
What's up with the booking fee?
We want all brides to have the opportunity to try on their favourite Eternal Bridal dresses which have caught their eye. Our weekend appointments are usually booked out weeks in advance, but we also experience last minute cancellations with no notification; this means a bride who have been on our waiting list has lost the opportunity to come in on that day. If you are hesitant about the booking fee as you don't know whether you will find the right dress for you; we encourage you to book in during our less busy weekdays. It's free of charge on our weekday appointments.
What is the process of making a booking online?
Once an online booking request is submitted, one of our team will contact you to confirm your appointment. Please allow 2 working days for your confirmation. If you have made an appointment request which requires a booking fee, we will contact you via phone or email to collect the booking fee. The booking request will be void if payment is not received three days before your appointment day.
What if I need to cancel the appointment?
If you cancel your appointment up to 4 days prior to your appointment time, you will not be charged for the appointment. If you cancel your appointment once payment has been taken there will be no refund of your booking fee.
What if I need to reschedule my appointment?
Reschedule can be made 2 days prior to your appointment time. The reschedule date should be within the next 4 weeks; otherwise booking fee will be void.
What if I am running late?
We recommend giving a good gap between your other appointments, allowing you time to travel to another place or take a rest. We recommend no more than 3 appointments on the same day. In case you are running late, it's always a good idea to call us. Please note, running late means your appointment time will be shorten. If you are running 40 minutes late, unfortunately your appointment and booking fee will be void. Please re-book for another day.
Who should I bring to my appointment?
Bring your closest friend or family member who you would like to share this special moment with and whose opinion you value. We recommend three members otherwise it may take focus off you.
What should I bring for my appointment?
Bring along your wedding inspirations, dresses you've liked, nude underwear. And of course bring an open mind. You may fall in love with dresses that you never thought of: LOVE at first sight.
What are the sizes of gowns available for me to try on?
Bridal gown sizes runs on a different size chart and varies between designer labels. So don't be nervous when the tag says size 6. It may equivalent to size 10 Australian size. Most of our samples sizes are equivalent to Australian size 8-14.
What is the price ranges for your gowns?
Our made-to-order gowns range from $2800-$9000; with an average between $4000-$6000. Our Galia Lahav gowns range from $9000-$23000. Don't be shy to discuss budget with your consultant. We are here to help you find the dress that suits your budget and style.
Can I take photos of me in the dresses while I am trying on?
Due to copyright; we are unable to allow photos of you in the gowns to be taken home. If you would like to compare your looks, speak to our friendly consultant, we are more than happy to take the photos using our phones to show you.
How far in advance do I need to buy my gown?
This depends on what works for you. We have bride purchases 18 months ahead and saving towards her dream gown. On the other hand we have brides come to us months before wedding date. Generally speaking, we recommend to order 8-10 months ahead of your wedding date for made-to-order gowns; and allow 10-12 months for made-to-measure gowns.
Are the alterations included in the price?
Alteration cost is a separate cost, as it varies depending on the amount of alteration required. Speak to your consultant to get an idea and set aside some budget.
What if my wedding is 6 months away?
Don't panic! We can still order a new gown on a RUSH order time frame. This means we can priorities your order. A rush order time frame requires a minimum of four and half months depending on seasons and fabric availability. Rush fee applies.
HELP! I'm getting married less than 4 months?
We offer samples off the rack, you may pick up a bargain! When you are inquiring about sample off the rack dresses, is it important to let us know your usual dress size. This way we can best help you find a dress within the short time.
How do you know my size to order?
We take your measurements and order against the designer's size chart. If you are measured in-between sizes, we mostly go with the bigger size to allow fluctuations. If you choose to go with the smaller size, we will get your consent before ordering.
Are your dresses made to measure?
We offer the Galia Lahav couture collection. This collection is made to measurement and special design changes are possible. This however does not mean the gown will fit your perfectly when it first arrives in our store. As Galia Lahav studio is base in Israel, custom fitting is required in store as part of the process.


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Incredibly soft cotton in a worsted weight. The candy shop of color tempts with an array of sweet treats ranging from rich and creamy neutrals to scrumptious saturated hues. The palette is created with low impact dyes, and a funky twist gives this 100% certified organic cotton a light and lofty hand.
* Color grown - naturally grown colors with no dyes.
Berroco Modern Cotton Yarn is a similar yarn: cotton, worsted (19-20 sts/4 in), 100 gram, and on size 7 US needles. You may also like Berroco Weekend Yarn, which is another similar yarn: worsted (19-20 sts/4 in), 4.5 sts / inch, 100 gram, and on size 7 US needles.
What about yarn that have the same look and feel? Find more yarn with a smooth / uniform texture, tender and pills.
You may enjoy taking a look at the Blue Sky Fibers Worsted Cotton July 4th Dishcloths, Blue Sky Fibers Worsted Cotton Stroller Blanket, and Blue Sky Fibers One Fish, Two Fish kits all using Blue Sky Fibers Organic Cotton Yarn.
Hopefully our suggested project ideas for Blue Sky Fibers Organic Cotton Yarn can help you come up with your next exciting new project idea!


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Level Up! is designed to allow you to improve your artwork with each and every round. "Start!" is free for ConceptArt.Org and contains quick study workshops, creative assignments, and video training from LEVEL UP! Press Start! and begin.
Get the latest information and START! here.
November 5th, 2018
Art workshops and assignments are here. Watch the free video art training program and START! your creative journey. This is the first step. Click to join us. Videos and assignments are inside.
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Your Oboe Instructor's Bios:
Big Bang Music Center
Rockin' The Central New Jersey Area!!!
Focusing upon quality of education and musical growth with significant time taken with all students to foster and develop a lifelong love of music. Providing hand-tailored private lessons taught by our highly experienced teachers.
All of our lessons are upbeat, inspiring and highly interactive since we believe these qualities make for the best possible learning environment. Our lesson programs are designed to fit each student's needs, goals and desirability. These advantages allow our students to follow achievable and sustainable music learning paths and they also make Big Bang Music Center by far the option of choice for music lessons in the New Jersey area.


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Music Tutor
Salary: £15,600 – 17,550 pro-rata
Days: Variety between 1 afternoon and 5 full days
Starting: August 27 2018
What we are looking for:
SuperStars are currently looking for a Music Tutor (or as we like to call you a... 'Music Specialist) to join our team across South Wales and the South West England for SEPTEMBER ACADEMIC YEAR start. We are looking for organised, positive, passionate individual with strong classroom management skills. Experience of working within a Primary School is desirable, experience of at least working with primary aged pupils is essential.
This role is perfect for graduates and current students seeking to go into teaching.
As a Music Specialist a typical week may include:
Who are SuperStars:
We are the award winning PPA and Holiday Course provider. To really get a feel for who we are and why we do what we do…check out our profile page on this site or find us at Facebook and of course our SuperStars webpage.
If this is an opportunity for you, please submit your interest by emailing a CV and covering letter/message our Recruitment Team by hitting APPLY NOW
SuperStars believes in developing bright futures for all children, by providing new, highly rewarding activities. Our dedicated subject specialists are committed to raising standards in schools and our ultimate goal is a simple one;
To give every child the outstanding experiences and opportunities they deserve.
We have a fantastic success rate of our staff progressing onto PGCE's and teaching careers. If you want to gain experience and a unique set of teaching skills that will set you apart, SuperStars is the place for you.
The SuperStars team is a passionate group of energetic and ambitious role-models who are 100% committed to collectively achieving our vision. We live and breathe our 12 points of culture to ensure that we consistently develop bright futures.
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Well, let's turn in our Bibles back to Genesis chapter 2. I do have an awful lot to say to you and much of the time is gone and we'll just kind of sees how it goes. This is a very important subject that we are dealing with as we go through our study of origins in the book of Genesis. We have gone through chapter 1 and discussed the details of the six-day creation of the universe, as it now exists, with the later addition of the flood that comes in Genesis 6. And then chapter 2 the attention of Moses, who is the author of the Pentateuch including the book of Genesis, the attention is focused on man. You have the creation of everything in chapter 1. But starting in chapter 2, verse 4 the focus is on man.
And as Genesis unfolds the history of origins, obviously the main issue is the story of man. Man is the one person in creation made in the image of God, designed for redemption. And so starting in chapter 2, verse 4 begins the saga of man. And it is a story that ends only at the end of all history. All of history is the story of man. And it finally will conclude when the events described at the end of the book of Revelation take place and God creates a new Heaven and a new earth, the eternal state at which point all of history is past.
As we have looked at the story of man in chapter 2 we have seen the creation of man in verses 4 to 7. We have seen the location of man in verses 8 to 14 in the Garden called Eden. We have seen the vocation of man in that same section, verse 15, God took the man, put him into the Garden of Eden to cultivate and keep it. We have seen the probation of man; God commanded him, in verses 16 and 17, to eat from anything except the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. And then we come, in verses 18 to 25, to the relation of man.
One of the features of man being created in God's image was his capacity for relationship. And that relationship, basically, at its basic point of definition is a relationship between a man and his wife. Back in chapter 1 verse 26 when the brief statement of the creation of man is given. It says, "And God said, 'Let us make man in our image according to our likeness and let them rule over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, over the cattle, over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.' And God created man in His own image, in the image of God, He created him, male and female He created them. And God blessed them and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.'"
When we come to the section before us, at the end of chapter 2, we have details of the creation of man and woman. Verse 18, expanding what was said in chapter 1, giving us more detail, says that when God created man and woman it went like this: "The Lord God said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone. So I'll make a helper suitable for him.' And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky and brought them to the man to see what he call them. And whatever the man called the living creature that was its name. And the man gave names to all the cattle and to the birds of the sky and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him."
When God man early on the sixth day, God then paraded in front of man all the animals. And gave man the opportunity to recognize them which in his wonderful mental capacity which would be unknown to any of us who are subject to fallenness and sin, he was able to determine some distinguishing characteristic about all of that parade of animals and give them a suitable name associated with that distinction. But the idea was to parade everything that was made in front of man to show him that none of that provided a suitable companion for him and certainly didn't provide anyone with whom he could procreate.
"So God," verse 21, "caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man. And he slept. And He took out of his side," literally in the Hebrew, "and then closed up the flesh at that place. And the Lord God fashioned into a woman the side, which He had taken from the man. And brought her to the man and the man said, 'This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. She shall be woman because she was taken out of man.'"
So God creates man, shows him there's no suitable helper in all the created world. Then God puts him to sleep, the first anesthesiologist and the first surgeon. God puts him to sleep and then takes a part of his side. And out of his side He creates woman. And then God defines marriage in verse 24. "For this cause," for this reason, because it is the created order, "a man shall leave his father and his mother and shall cleave to his wife. And they shall become one flesh."
So God, in creating man and woman as the first created beings, on the sixth day in the original creation, also defines for us marriage. And marriage is one man, one woman coming together to create a unique identity, all its own, for life. Defined as becoming one flesh. A man and a woman becoming one in a bond that lasts for life, that is marriage. And that is God's design for the procreation of the race. It is that that makes possible, verse 28 of chapter 1, "be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth."
And as I said to you last time, God doesn't care about the relationships of animals because they don't have relationships. They come together and procreate without relationships. But with man and woman God has designed procreation to occur between one man and one woman for life. And this is the foundational and most fulfilling relationship in all of human life. It is marriage. And Peter calls it the grace of life. One man, one woman clinging together for life, this is the best provision to ensure personal fulfillment, personal richness, well-structured families, and prosperity in society. And, as marriages go, so personal fulfillment goes, and so goes society.
Now since God has designed marriage the Bible tells us God hates divorce. That's what is says in Malachi 2:16, "I hate divorce," quoting God. And as Christians we should also hate divorce because it destroys the perfect design of God for marriage. We also have to realize however that we live in a fallen world. The reality is in a fallen world divorce does exist. But I remind you that any divorce falls short of God's ideal. The question is: Is it ever allowable, is it ever acceptable to God to go through a divorce, to be divorced? We know it's not the ideal. We know God hates it. But it is a reality. The question is: How does God view it?
And to answer that I want you to go with me to Matthew chapter 19 where we left off last time. Because in Matthew chapter 19 Jesus, who is God in human flesh, answers the question: How does God view divorce? Now in chapter 19 the Pharisees in verse 3, and this is a little review. The Pharisees come to Jesus and they test Him and they say, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause at all?" And they ask Him that because that was the popular view. The popular view at the time of Jesus was that you could divorce your wife for any reason you wanted. In fact, really if you had any sense you wouldn't tolerate anything from a woman. You would dump her at the first provocation.
The Rabbis, for example, said this, "Among those who will never behold the face of Geihinom," that is among those who will never go to hell, "is he who has had a bad wife." And the Rabbis said that's all the hell you'll ever have and God will say you've had enough and send you to Heaven, no matter how bad you are. In fact the Rabbis said this, and I quote, "Such a man is saved from hell because he has expiated his sins on earth by living with her." Well the Rabbis went even further than that. The Rabbis said, "A bad wife is like leprosy to her husband. What is the remedy? Divorce her and be cured of your leprosy." The Rabbis also said, "If a man has a bad wife it is his religious duty to divorce her."
Now, I suppose the question could be asked: What constituted a bad wife? Well, almost anything. If she said an unkind word about her mother-in-law, if she burned the bagels, anything, absolutely anything. So that the common view was that a man could divorce for any cause at all. And they were asking this question of Jesus in a public setting so that Jesus, they knew He wouldn't agree with that and they thought that would set Him against the people who held to the popular view and who had indulged themselves in many divorces. The popular answer to the answer to the question was, "Yes, it is lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason." That was the popular answer but that wasn't Jesus' answer.
Jesus answered, in verse 4, and says, "Have you not read that He, who created them from the beginning, made them male and female, and said, 'For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother and shall cleave to his wife and the two shall become one flesh. Consequently, they are no longer two but one flesh. And what therefore God has joined together let no man separate.'" When two people come together in a marriage that is God joining them together and nobody should separate them.
So Jesus takes the very opposite to the popular view. And Jesus reiterates the Genesis standard: one man, one woman coming together creating a relationship for life, a relationship that has the impramaturof God on it, or the stamp of Divine approval on it, as if God, Himself, had brought them together. Jesus goes right back to Genesis 2:24. He actually quotes from chapter 1 verse 27, I think it is, and He quotes then from Genesis chapter 2 verse 24. So He upholds the original intention: one man, one woman for life.
In the case of Adam and Eve, as I pointed out last time, divorce was not advisable. Divorce was inadvisable. Divorce was wrong. But, more than that, it was impossible since there wasn't anybody else around. Just Adam and Even, there was no one else for either of them to be interested in or to marry. No option marriage was God's ideal. And that's the way He designed in Eden.
But after the fall, conflict was inevitable and divorce became a reality. But get all the way into the New Testament and the arrival of Jesus and He refers back to the original standard. And God's attitude doesn't change. God never intended for divorce to be the standard or for divorce to even be accepted. It was never God's intention from the beginning. God hates it. One who divorces, according to Malachi 2 verses 13 to 16, "One who divorces," says the prophet, "covers his garment with wrong." It is a sin and he has a sin-splattered garment. You say, "Well, about sin? And what about a bad wife or a bad husband?" Marriage calls for forgiving love. It calls for restoring grace such as we saw illustrated with Hosea and his unfaithful wife.
So Jesus' words then, and I'm just reviewing, confirm the Divine ideal. Well then comes the compelling question, verse 7, so they said to Him, "Why then did Moses command to give her a certificate and divorce her?" And they're referring to Deuteronomy 24. The Pharisees then say, "Okay, well then why did Moses command people to get a divorce?" Well the answer is, of course, that Moses never did command that. Deuteronomy 24 is what they're talking about here; it's what they're referring to. They have twisted that text, Deuteronomy 24:1-4. The Rabbis had twisted it and turned it and conveniently manipulate it into a text that they say commands divorce for any cause at all. Well, in truth that passage does not command divorce. It doesn't condone divorce. It doesn't commend or recommend divorce. It only recognizes divorce and restricts it. It doesn't commend it. It doesn't command it. It doesn't condone it. That was their own convenient twist.
Actually, Deuteronomy 24 prohibits remarriage when divorce occurs, if you really look at it carefully. Because there shouldn't be any divorce. You see in the original Mosaic Law, you say, "Well what about somebody who commits adultery?" Well, in the original Mosaic Law if you committed adultery, what happened to you? You were executed. According Leviticus chapter 20, verse 10: adultery was a sin to be punished by death. So there was no divorce for adultery, originally because adultery resulted in capital punishment. So at the beginning in the original Mosaic Law there wasn't any grounds for divorce. And what Deuteronomy 24 is showing is if somebody does get a divorce they really are in a serious condition because if they make another marriage, that marriage constitutes adultery. And we all know how adultery should be dealt with.
So I want to teach you some things tonight because this is a very important subject and a lot of people don't understand it. But I want to teach you some things, some principles. And it's not easy get all this together so you're going to have to follow carefully. Let me say it simply, and you file this in your mind, there were then no grounds for divorce in the Old Testament law. Talking about the Mosaic Law. When God gave His law, which involved many ceremonial features, many moral features, and many civil features having to do with legality, which includes marriage. In all of God's moral and all of His civil law there is no statement in the entire Mosaic Law, in its original giving and its repetition in the book of Deuteronomy, there is no grounds for divorce given in the Old Testament law.
Now that may surprise you but it confirms God's ideal. When God puts His law down and says, "This is My law," it is ideal. Do you understand that? When you look at God's moral law, it's ideal morality. When you look at God's civil law it's His ideal law for society, for Israel. So God's law reflects the Divine ideal and that is why when you go through the Mosaic Law you're not going to find any grounds for divorce. The Old Testament doesn't record anywhere else any authorization of divorce for any specific grounds. It never says in the Old Testament, "Well if this happens you can divorce them." It never says that adultery is a grounds for divorce; it doesn't say that because under the tight application of God's law, adultery was not a grounds for divorce it was a grounds for widowhood. So He said to them, verse 8, "Because of your hardness of heart, Moses permitted you to divorce your wives. But from the beginning it has not been this way."
Let me tell you what happened. The law of God doesn't provide any grounds for divorce. But it wasn't long after the law of God was given that it became very apparent to Moses and, of course, to God that the people weren't obeying the law. Oh they had made great their profession. In Exodus 24 they said, "Everything that you've said God, all Your law, we will do it, we will do it. You can throw blood on us and bathe us in the blood signifying our covenant promise. We will do everything Your law commands. We will be obedient; we will do it." Nah, it wasn't long before they didn't do it at all. They were unfaithful to the demands of the law. It wasn't long before they began to break the first commandment and they started having other gods. And then they were just breaking all of those familiar Ten Commandments. They were breaking other commandments violating ceremonial law, civil law, and, significantly, moral law. They were disobedient.
It also became apparent that they would not carry out the execution that God had attached to at least 35 transgressions of the law. There are some elements of the Old Testament law that God says require a death penalty. And this is to preserve righteousness and protect society from chaos and self-destruction. And it wasn't very long until the people were disobedient at such a wide level; the leaders were equally disobedient at such a wide level, that nobody enforced the penalties.
I mean just take for one illustration. When God sent Israel into the land after the exodus from Egypt and 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, they finally went into the land of Canaan. They were now in the land of Canaan. Here was the people of God inside the promised land. And all in that land, all over that land, were Canaanites who idolatrous, who were pagans, who did not worship the true and living God. Whose lifestyles were filled with fornication and adultery and all kinds of imaginable and unimaginable sin including child murder, including the burying live babies in a jar in the walls of new buildings as some kind of an appeasement to the deities. They were a gross and wicked set tribal religions that occupied Canaan. And God said when you go in, you need to act as My executioner and you need to destroy the Canaanites.
They didn't do that; they didn't do it. They did not obey God in executing the Canaanites. They did not obey God in executing people who broke the moral law, which called for the death penalty. They were in a constant state of disobedience. Even their rulers, you look later when the kings came and Saul and David and Solomon and their lives are, of course, filled with iniquity. And even, I guess in some ways, the best of them, David and Solomon, with their unfaithfulness, with their many wives and women, and Solomon's beyond the ability to count. And they lived and flourished. And Solomon, of course, became wealthy and prosperous in an earthly fashion.
And God was amazingly gracious. God, Himself, could have wiped out the Canaanites. God, Himself, could have divinely executed people who broke those capital offenses that were included in His law. And occasionally He did that. That's right; occasionally God, in a divine act, executed somebody who had violated His law. It happened. You can study the Old Testament and you see at certain points God executing somebody. The ground opens and swallows somebody. Or a bear comes out of the woods and tears up some boys who were blaspheming God by blaspheming His prophet. There are times when God rained down judgment on nations. There are times when God, Himself, acted as executioner. But, frankly, Israel, who was supposed to be His executioner and uphold the integrity of His law in the world by carrying out His desire, didn't do it.
But God is merciful. And God is gracious. And so God didn't kill everybody who deserved to be killed. And aren't you glad? God was merciful. Verse 8 again, "Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you to divorce your wives." But that was never how it was supposed to be. It was concession to mercy. It was a concession to grace. It was God being compassionate. You see adulterers were not executed. And so we can assume that God allowed divorce in some cases, though it is not specifically stated in the Old Testament.
I believe that the Jews in the Old Testament had received perhaps some word from the Lord, maybe through a prophet that's not included in Scripture, or maybe with direct revelation, that divorce would be tolerated for the hardness of heart. Because when it says here that Moses because of the hardness of your heart permitted to divorce, I think Moses is reflecting something that God is tolerating. I mean Jesus is saying it was allowed within the framework of the Law of Moses. God then must have allowed it.
There are things, by the way, that the people knew that aren't recorded in Scripture. God revealed them but they weren't in the record. For example, probably the classic illustration is the fact the Cain and Abel brought sacrifices. Remember? And Cain brought a sacrifice of the fruit of the ground. And Abel brought a sacrifice of an animal. And God accepted Abel's sacrifice and rejected Cain's. There isn't anything in Genesis that tells us that God told them what to bring. But we can assume God told them what to bring because Abel knew to bring what was right and God honored it. So there are those elements in the Old Testament where God revealed something not recorded in Scripture. And I think that is true of the proper sacrifice, which Abel obeyed and Cain did not. And therefore God rejected Cain's sacrifice; and Cain, in anger, killed his faithful brother.
I think we can assume that somewhere along the line God revealed that if He was going to be merciful and not kill all the adulterers, He would allow for divorce in the case of adultery. Now you say, "Why would you think that? Why would you think that God would allow for divorce in the case of adultery?" Well, because I think that God tolerates divorce in a framework of disobedience. And there are two ways I want to illustrate that to you.
Turn, for a moment, to the tenth chapter of Ezra ... tenth chapter of Ezra. Now again, you know when you go into the Old Testament, like I did this morning, you can not just jump in there, grab a phrase, and jump back out. You have to understand what's going on here in the context. Chapter 10 of Ezra, which is three books in front Psalm, for you that are wondering. Ezra 10:1, "Now while Ezra was praying and making confession, weeping and prostrating himself before the house of God, a very large assembly, men, women, and children, gathered to him from Israel for the people wept bitterly." This is an interesting scene here. Everybody's weeping. Everybody's crying. "And Shecaniah, the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answered and said to Ezra, 'We have been unfaithful to our God. And have married foreign women from the people's of the land.'" They had married Gentile women, idolatress women, pagans. "Yet now, there is hope for Israel in spite of this." Now the future of Israel was on the line here, folks. We have done a horrible thing. We've been unfaithful to our God. We have married foreign women. What does that do? That pollutes the nation. That pollutes the national identity. That strikes a serious blow at the future of this ethnic group. And much is at stake because this is the line from which Messiah comes.
So, verse 3, he says, Shecaniah, "'So now let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives and their children according to the counsel of my Lord and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God and let it be done according to the law. Arise for this matter is your responsibility but we will be with you. Be courageous and act.' Then Ezra rose and made the leading priest, the Levites, and all Israel take oath that they would do according to this proposal. So they took the oath."
Now this is an amazing thing, very amazing. Now let me kind of break it down for you. Verse 1, Ezra is praying and making confession, weeping and prostrating himself. And he's apparently doing it very loudly because he's in front of the house of God and there's a large assembly, as there always would be at the house of God, the temple. And of course, especially now in this rebuilt temple which was such a blessing to the people after having come back from captivity in Babylon and rebuilt the temper under Zerubbabel to replace the one that had been built by Solomon and destroyed by the Babylonians. So it was great to be gathered there. And all these people were there men, women, and children. They were all gathered there. And Ezra starts weeping out loud in order to inspire people to do the same.
Now let me just tell you a little more about the time. The time of Ezra is after the remnant of Jews have returned from Babylon. Remember? 586BC they go into captivity. It's after a 70-year period of captivity. The first deportation 603, then 597, then 586. After 70 years have gone by from around the first deportation, they returned. Many of the Jews, of course, who went into captivity, are dead. Many are absorbed into Babylonian life and they just disappear into the amalgam of the nations. But about 50 thousand came back. Israel no longer numbers in the millions as they did when they came in the Exodus out of Egypt. They're down to a small group of people, 50 thousand of them. I think there are probably about 14 million in the world today. 50 thousand. So that all of Messianic hope hinges on the conduct of these 50 thousand; now out of that 50 thousand there are men, women, and children. You break that down and you have a few thousand couples, maybe you have 10 thousand, maybe you have 15 thousand couples. The number is small or even smaller.
From 603 to 586 the nation of Israel, what was left of it in the southern kingdom Judah, had been taken captive. Jerusalem was destroyed. The theocracy was destroyed. The temple of Solomon was crushed. They were no longer a nation. The northern kingdom of Israel was gone. The southern kingdom of Judah, the northern kingdom that went into Assyria in 722 and they were gone for good. The southern kingdom is now in Babylon and the land is back in the hands of Gentiles. There is not theocracy. Gentiles fill the land.
It was about 538BC when the first return came. Small remnant, as I said, about 50 thousand set out to go back to the land. And to rebuild their nation and rebuild their spiritual identity and rebuilt the temple under the leadership of Zerubbabel. And the temple was begun in 520 and they built it in about four years. So that by 516 the temple's back in service but it is a meager place compared to what it once was. The temple of Zerubbabel was a very, very frail, small, and homely effort to replicate the great Solomonic temple.
When they returned they wanted to rebuild their city, Jerusalem. They wanted to rebuild the wall. You remember Nehemiah helped them do that. They wanted to rebuild the temple and get their worship back in place. They also wanted to reinstate the law of God, okay? So they want a city and a nation and a temple and they want to get the law of God back in place. And that really fell largely to Ezra. Ezra didn't come back in the first return in 538. He really came back at almost 80 years later. He came back in 458. He came back in a second return. And his task was to elevate the law of God. This is very important. Back in chapter 7, verse 10, "Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the Lord and to practice it and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel." That's they key verse to understanding Ezra.
Now Ezra was a decedent of Aaron. He was a decedent of Aaron. The beginning of chapter 7, "Ezra, son of Seraiah, son of Azariah," it goes all the way down, and verse 5, "Son of Aaron, the chief priest." So he had priestly blood; he was in the priestly line; he was a priestly decedent. He was a strong man. He was a Godly man. There are some incredible things that are said about Ezra. He was a scribe. And it said of Ezra that he could copy the entire Old Testament from memory. Amazing knowledge of God's law; he knew God's law. And it was his desire to set his heart to study the law of the Lord and to live it and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel. So you have Zerubbabel rebuilding the temple. You have Nehemiah rebuilding the wall. And you have Ezra rebuilding the place of the law of God. He wanted to elevate the law of God and generate the obedience of the people.
And he knew there had to be national repentance. And there had to be a commitment to obedience. And one of the terrible things they had done, back to chapter 10. One of the terrible things they had done, since they came back. In the less than 100 years that they had been back, one of the terrible things they had done was intermarry with idolaters. They'd gone right back to an old pattern that devastated that nation. A pattern that caused the northern kingdom Israel to go out of existence and the southern kingdom Judah to go into captivity, and so he wants to make things right. And so he's gathering the people and he starts praying and confessing sin and weeping and prostrating himself and everybody joins in. And then Shecaniah stands up and calls people to divorce their pagan wives and get rid of the children of those wives.
Now Ezra knew God's law. Shecaniah is acting as a representative of Ezra here. And they knew God's law. And they also that God hated divorce. In fact, it was the prophet Malachi who lived at this era of Israel's life who said that God has said, "I hate divorce." They knew how God felt about divorce. Divorce was not what God desired. It was what God hated. But the small remnant was very fragile. And some of them had done the absolutely unthinkable: they had married non-Jews and thus threatened the future existence of Israel. The Messianic line, the Messianic Kingdom, divine purposes for Israel were in jeopardy if the nation was destroyed by intermarriage. And how could there ever be at the time of the tribulation, at the end of the age, 12 thousand from every tribe brought together by God to evangelize the world if there weren't any tribes and weren't any Jews?
Now Ezra had been given authority to act in behalf of God's law. Go back to chapter 7 for a moment. This is a fascinating moment in Israel's history. And Ezra needed some authority to act. As he went back he was given a decree, which King Artaxerxes prepared for him. King Artaxerxes is the king of Babylon. And so he gives him this document, he gives it to Ezra the priest, the scribe, learned in the words of the commandments of the Lord and statues to Israel. This is what it said, "Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of God of Heaven, perfect peace." Starts out with a greeting, perfect peace. "And now I have issued a decree that any of the people of Israel and their priests and the Levites in my kingdom who are willing to go to Jerusalem may go with you." So Artaxerxes is going to let another group be exported, as it were, back to Israel. He gives permission for this to happen. "And you're going to be their leader and I'm going to give you permission."
Go down to verse 23, "Whatever is commanded by the God of Heaven let it be done," this is part of the document. "Whatever is commanded by the God of Heaven let it be done with zeal for the house of the God of Heaven lest their be wrath against the kingdom of the king and his sons." You know what Artaxerxes says? "Ezra, you go back. And I'm giving you full authority to implement the law of God. Whatever the law of God says, you do it. You go back and if the law of God says it, you do it because I don't want the God of Heaven bringing His wrath on me and my sons. So you go and you're free to implement the law of God."
In verse 24 he says, "You can impose tax, tribute, toll on priests, Levites, singers, doorkeepers," you can do anything you want. Verse 25, "According to the wisdom of your God which is in your hand, you can appoint magistrates and judges to deal with civil issues. You can judge the people in the province beyond the river. Even all those who know the laws of your God and they teach anyone who is ignorant of them." You have freedom to proselyte; you have freedom to preach, to explain to people the reality of your God. And verse 26, here's a key, "Whoever will not observe the law of your God and the law of the king, let judgment be executed upon on him strictly, whether for death or for banishment, or for confiscation of goods, or for imprisonment." He gives Ezra this power to execute people ... to execute people.
Then he says, "Blessed be the Lord, the God of our fathers, who has put such a thing as this in the king's heart." This is amazing, Ezra says. "To adorn the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem and extended loving kindness to me before the king and his counselors and before all the king's mighty princes. "Thus," he says, "I was strengthened according to the hand of the Lord my God upon me and I gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me." He goes and he has full authority even to the point where he can execute people who disobey the law of God. So Ezra and his appointed leaders and magistrates were fully responsible to bring the nation under God's law. Even exacting the death penalty.
And one issue comes to the floor immediately. Now you can go over to chapter 10. They take a look and realize they've got a serious problem. The people have violated the law of God a lot of ways in the 80 years they've been back. They have violated the law of God in many ways. One of the worst is they've married pagan idolaters. And so, Shecaniah, who is obviously one of the leaders, one of the ones that had been appointed by Ezra, stands up and says, "We've been unfaithful to our God and married foreign women."
Now, I hasten to say he didn't do that. Shecaniah did not do that. You say, "How do you know that?" Because the ones who did are listed in the chapter, look at the end of the chapter starting at verse 18. All their names are there. Isn't that interesting? Just in case you wanted the scuttlebutt, here they are. Among the sons of the priests who had married foreign wives, there was Jeshua, and it goes on to name them all the way down to the end of the chapter. All these had married foreign wives and some of them had wives by whom they had children. This is tragic. And these are the leaders.
But Shecaniah's name isn't there; that's how I know he wasn't involved. His name doesn't appear in the list. And I have to tell you his father's name does 'cause his father's name is right there, isn't it, in verse 2, Jehiel. And five of his paternal uncles also are listed in verse 26. So it had affected his family. But he takes his place and he says, "If we will look for hope for Israel in spite of this, we have to make a covenant with our God," verse 3, "to divorce these women."
Now let me tell something. Again, they understood that God hated divorce. But it has to be. It has to be because if it isn't there's not going to be any hope for Israel. So in verse 10 Ezra stands up and says okay he's got everybody together, a great assembly. They're all assembled, in verse 9, the men and Judah and Benjamin. They're all assembled at Jerusalem and three days and twentieth day of ninth month. And they all sit in the open square before the house of God trembling because of this matter and heavy rain. And he stands up, Ezra, and says, "You've been unfaithful and married foreign wives adding to the guilt of Israel. Now therefore make confession to the Lord God of your fathers and do His will and separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives."
You know what that tells me? God hates divorce but sometimes in some very, very special circumstances it is the lesser of the evils. Okay? We can see that concession made here. The very thing that God hated is the thing that God had to allow. It's the thing He had to call for. Now they never should have married those women in the first place because that was forbidden. Back in Deuteronomy chapter 7 ... in Deuteronomy chapter 7, "When the Lord, your God, shall bring into the land," this was the law was being repeated to them, "and you're coming into the land to possess and you shall clear away the nations, the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, the Hivites, Jebusites. When the Lord, your God, shall deliver them before you, you shall defeat them then you shall utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them. Show no favor to them. Furthermore, you shall not intermarry with them. You shall not give your daughters to their sons nor shall you take their daughters for your sons, for they will turn your sons away from following Me to serve other Gods." Which is exactly what they did. "Then the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you." Which is exactly what happened. "And He will quickly destroy you." Which is exactly what He did. "So go in there and tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars and hew down their Asherahs," their special worship grounds, "and burn their graven images with fire. And destroy those people for you are a holy people of the Lord your God." The direct commandment of God: don't marry them, destroy them; kill them.
Now here we are, many years later, they didn't destroy them. In fact, Israel winds up getting thrown out of the land for good, Judah taken out of the land for 70 years plus. They finally come back and tribal descendents of those original Canaanites are still occupying the land and they still don't obey the commandment of God even after the captivity. And they go back and they start to intermarry with these people. Now God could have said to them: kill them; go home and kill those pagans. And that would have consistent with the original command, Deuteronomy 7, right? Go ahead and execute them. And you know what? Ezra could have done it because Artaxerxes gave him the right to do it, didn't he?
But God is merciful. And says through the leadership of Ezra, "Divorce them. Put them away from you. Protect the purity of the race and protect the purity of the religion." The endangered race can be rescued. As Shecaniah says there at the end of verse 2, "There's hope for Israel. In spite of this, there is hope. But the only hope is you've got to get rid of those wives. You can't pollute the race. And you can't pollute the religion by being married to the idolaters." The endangered race can be rescued. And God, as I said, would have every right to kill them and then there wouldn't even be a divorce. But God shows mercy to those Gentiles by calling for their divorce rather than their death.
To keep the religion pure, to keep the race pure was the only aim of Ezra. That was what he set his heart to do. It was the aim of Godly exiles and Godly leaders. And as a small minority trying to reclaim their lives, a small group of repatriated Jews living in the midst of a large population of influential pagans, they needed some drastic steps to protect their future and their hope. And drastic measures, in this case, called for divorce. Oh, it could have been much more drastic. God could have called for their execution. But God was merciful to them and merciful to the Jews who married them who had, no doubt, developed affection for them. Divorce was mercy. Death would have been explicit justice. And so there is the lesser of evils: God hates divorce, but worse than that, He hates the destruction of His people and their religion.
By the way, there is an illustration--I won't go to it, I don't have time--Numbers 25 where God did call for executions ... Numbers 25, the first nine or ten verses. So listen to this, now folks, Ezra is not establishing a normal Christian standard. And this is what I want to say to you; here's where I've been going: you can't say, "Well I have an unsaved wife, I'm dumping her based on Ezra 10." You knew where I was going with that already. You can't do that. "So why can't I do that?" Because 1 Corinthians 7 gives an explicit New Testament teaching and I mean it couldn't be more explicit than it is.
In the New Testament the apostle Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, 1 Corinthians 7 verse 10. "But to the married I give instructions, not I but the Lord, that the wife should not leave her husband," don't get a divorce. "And if you do leave then you have to remain unmarried or else be reconciled." You can't just divorce and then go get married. If you choose to do that, to leave your husband, you have to stay single or be reconciled. "But to the rest," verse 12, "I say this," and I'm not quoting Jesus here but this is Divine inspiration, "if any brother has a wife who's an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, let him not send her away. And a woman who has an unbelieving husband, and he consents to live with her, let her not send her husband away." The explicit teaching of the New Testament is if you're married to unbeliever who wants to remain with you, then stay married.
The account of Ezra 10 doesn't apply. That is not a normal Christian standard. That was a people, the people of God Israel, who had violated a covenant, which was given to them that had to do with how they conducted themselves with the people of the land who were in Canaan at the time. And at stake was the preservation of God's people and the religion of Israel. So Ezra was not establishing a normal Christian standard. He was dealing with a special Jewish moment in redemptive history. It was the lesser of evils to preserve the race and the religion and allow the divorce. This is not the standard and norm.
And in the New Testament, if you have a unbelieving husband or an unbelieving wife and that person is pleased to stay with you then, the apostle Paul says, let them stay and don't divorce them. And he tells us why. Back to 1 Corinthians 7, "For the unbelieving husband is sanctified through his wife." In other words, as God pours blessing down on a believing wife it'll spill off on the unbelieving husband. "And the unbelieving wife," reversing it, "is sanctified through her believing husband." And it even goes on to say it'll have an affect on your children that is positive. The best thing that ever happened in a mixed marriage is that the blessing of God on the believer is going to spill over on the unbeliever.
I mean if you're an unbelieving wife, let me tell you, you're blessed to be married to a Christian husband because as God blesses him, you'll get the residue. And if you're an unbelieving husband, the best thing that you have in this world is a believing wife because as God blesses her, it'll spill on you and on the children. "But then," in verse 15, "if the unbelieving one leaves, let them leave. You're not in bondage in such cases. God has called us to peace. When an unbeliever says, "I want out, I want nothing to do with you, I want nothing to do with this marriage, I want nothing to do with your God, I want nothing to do with your religion, your Christianity," let them go, you're not in bondage. The bond is broken and you're free from that relationship. And don't think that you're going to be able to save your husband or save your wife in every situation. If they don't want to be there, let them go.
One other thought sort of wraps this up from Ezra. One of the characteristics of pagan worship was adultery. Temple prostitutes, both male and female, engaging in sex orgies. And we can assume, and I think it's a fair assumption, that these pagans with whom the Jews married were a part of their pagan religions. And, no doubt, largely indulged in adulterous behavior. So we could assume that there would be here those kinds of adulteries because of the pagan idolatry. And that would be grounds, certainly defined as such in the New Testament, for divorce. We don't know that for certain but we could assume it to be true.
But what we do learn from the Ezra passage is not that there's some kind of universal standard. In fact, this is the only time in the entire Old Testament that God tells somebody to get a divorce. And it has nothing to do with a permanent standard; it has nothing to do for anybody outside of Israel for the preservation of the race and for obedience to the law of God. And it was also an act of penitence because in marrying, they had directly violated the law of God. So again, what Ezra does is not establish a norm but a unique illustration of God allowing divorce in a special case.
Now, there's just one other thought I need to give you. And I think it's probably better for me to leave it till next time because I want to tie it into something else that is really, really profound. And that is the reaction of the disciples. Let's go back quickly to Matthew 19 and I'll just end it there.
I don't know if you enjoyed getting into these Old Testament passages as much as I do and having it open up. That's why it's kind of hard to get past it because there's so much there. But I want you to notice what happens. So Jesus says, in verse 8, and we're just reflecting back now to the original text, "Moses did permit you to divorce your wives." So we know that it was permitted because that's what Jesus said. It was permitted by Moses, I think, acting in behalf of God; it was permitted because God was obviously not killing people who committed adultery. God allowed for divorce, why? Because if there was a person who was Godly person married to an adulterer or an adulteress they were in an impossible relationship for a number of reasons. They were being violated in terms of their affections. But more than that, masses of populations in ancient times died because of venereal disease. And there was no reason to preserve a marriage with an adulterous individual who would potentiate the very death of a faithful spouse. And if there wasn't going to be execution of the adulterers, then divorce was a concession God made mercifully. God then, not killing that adulterous person and Israel not carrying out that law, isn't going to keep that innocent, Godly, and faithful person in bondage to that relationship. But rather allow for a divorce to free that person from the potential of disease, as well as the loss of affection and the disruption of life.
So it was because of hardness of heart that it was permitted but it was never God's intention. And it was regulated, in verse 9 and this I believe was revealed in the Old Testament at some point, not recorded. And I say to you, "Whoever divorces his wife except for immorality and marries another woman, commits adultery." If you ever divorce it can only be for immorality. That is the standard. And I really believe that Jesus here is not saying something new. I believe He is referring to a common understanding that God had disclosed to His people in the past, not written in specifics in the Old Testament. But it is illustrated in the Old Testament and I'm going to show you the most graphic way it is illustrated, if not explicitly stated. And I'll do that next time.
But Jesus affirms here, as He did in the sermon on the Mount, every time He referred to the law of God He goes back to the original: Yes, it is allowed. It never was God's intent. God allows because of your unceasing sin because you never did uphold the capital punishment that he required because you never did destroy the Canaanites. You potentiated all of this, and God in His compassion because of the hardness of your heart, frees up the innocent person from having to be bound to an adulterous partner by allowing for divorce so that the innocent person is delivered. If the guilty one is not executed you can't sentence the innocent one to a life of horror in that kind of relationship.
So listen carefully, divorce was never an Old Testament provision for the sinning partner. It was an Old Testament provision for the protection of the innocent partner, right? That's how you understand that. Hard-hearted people were devastating marriages and Godly, faithful people needed to have a way out. But the only way out, according to verse 9, is not if she burns the bagels, not if she criticizes her mother-in-law, but if there is adultery. Not if he doesn't bring home as money as you like, and not if he doesn't show you the affection you wish he would, but if he commits adultery. And if you divorce for any other reason and get married again that is committing adultery. And that is being spoken to the innocent partner. If you divorce your spouse for any other reason than that spouse's unrepentant adultery and go marry someone else, you commit adultery in doing that. So that you're guilty of the very sin that God hates.
Well, we can conclude then that the only grounds for divorce in the Old Testament/New Testament is adultery. And I'm going to show you how that works in the Old Testament. I'm going to show you a graphic illustration next time. But let me give you verse 10 and I'll stop. The disciples, I love their response, "Whoa, if the relationship with the man with his wife is like this it's better not to marry." You know what they're saying? "Seems to me that if you get married, you're stuck." They got the message. If you can't get out of this deal, except for immorality; if you can't get out of it when she burns the bagels; if you can't get out of it when she doesn't treat you right; if you can't get out of it when she doesn't fulfill all of your dreams and desires and hopes and so forth; if you can't get out of this, better never to get into this.
Now there's some people in our church who are living by this rule. This is true. So you know they got the message; they understood marriage is so binding, you get in this deal there is no way out of this except by adultery, so it's better not to marry. Is that the right conclusion? Come back next time.
Let's pray. Father, thanks for a great day, great evening of study in Your Word. And we pray that our hearts and minds will continue to grasp the greatness and consistency of Biblical truth. And we thank You for it in Our Savior's name, Amen.
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