WEBVTT - #983 - Exodus 23 – Justice, Mercy, and Sabbath Laws

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<v Speaker 1>Life Audio The Bible Study Podcast, Episode nine and eighty two. Today,

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<v Speaker 1>The Bible Study Podcast continues the study of the Book

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<v Speaker 1>of Exodus with chapter twenty three. Welcome to the Bible

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<v Speaker 1>Study Podcast. I'm your host, Chris Kristensen. We're going to

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<v Speaker 1>get to the fourth of the four sections of the

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<v Speaker 1>law here in the middle of Exodus, not counting the

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<v Speaker 1>ten Commandments, so maybe it's the fifth. But first a

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<v Speaker 1>word from this sponsor. Today, we have laws of justice

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<v Speaker 1>and mercy to start with. Do not spread false reports.

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<v Speaker 1>Do not help a guilty person by being a malicious witness.

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<v Speaker 1>Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong when you

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<v Speaker 1>give testimony in a lawsuit. Do not pervert justice by

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<v Speaker 1>siding with the crowd. And do not show favoritism to

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<v Speaker 1>a poor person in a lawsuit. If you come across

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<v Speaker 1>your enemy's aca or donkey wandering off, be sure to

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<v Speaker 1>return it. If you see the donkey of someone else

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<v Speaker 1>who hates you fall down under its load, do not

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<v Speaker 1>leave it there. Be sure you help them with it.

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<v Speaker 1>Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits.

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<v Speaker 1>Have nothing to do with a false charge. And do

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<v Speaker 1>not put an innocent or honest person to death. For

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<v Speaker 1>I will not acquit the guilty. Do not accept a bribe,

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<v Speaker 1>for bribe binds those who see and twist the words

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<v Speaker 1>of the innocent. Do not oppress a foreigner. You yourself

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<v Speaker 1>know how it feels to be foreigners, because you are

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<v Speaker 1>foreigners in Egypt. Again, this is a section of the

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<v Speaker 1>law that's almost a little preview here of Leviticus, here

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<v Speaker 1>in the midst of Exodus. I'm not sure why just

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<v Speaker 1>these show up in Exodus and the rest of them

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<v Speaker 1>show up in the book of Leviticus, but these are

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<v Speaker 1>laws that were important to God for the people of Israel.

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<v Speaker 1>And a lot of this here is just let your

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<v Speaker 1>justice be just right. Though the measure of justice is

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<v Speaker 1>is something the law. Then it's the law for the

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<v Speaker 1>people I hate as well as the people I love.

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<v Speaker 1>It's the law for people who hate me as well

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<v Speaker 1>as the people who love me. I'm not taking bribes

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<v Speaker 1>if I'm the judge, or if I'm a witness, or

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<v Speaker 1>if I'm doing anything regarding this case. The truth is

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<v Speaker 1>the truth, because God does care about truth. It starts here.

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<v Speaker 1>Do not spread false reports. And that's not just in court,

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<v Speaker 1>but that can be online as well. And again it

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<v Speaker 1>doesn't mean you have to even know it's false. If

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<v Speaker 1>you're being so lazy as not to look up to

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<v Speaker 1>see if it's false before you spread it, you're spreading

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<v Speaker 1>false reports. Do not help a guilty person by being

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<v Speaker 1>a malicious witness. Don't lie about what you see. Malicious

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<v Speaker 1>means your intent is not good. Don't follow the crowd

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<v Speaker 1>and doing wrong again. Let your justice be justice. Do

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<v Speaker 1>not give testimony a lawsuit. Do not pervert your justice

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<v Speaker 1>by siding with the crowd. So don't go along with

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<v Speaker 1>the crowd when you know the crowd is wrong. And

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<v Speaker 1>that's why I thought was interesting. Don't show favoritism to

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<v Speaker 1>a poor person in a lawsuit. Now, there are other

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<v Speaker 1>places that don't show favoritism to a rich person, especially

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<v Speaker 1>don't take a bribe. But you might be tempted just

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<v Speaker 1>a side with a person who doesn't have the money

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<v Speaker 1>against the rich corporations these days, or against the rich

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<v Speaker 1>person in those days, and says no, the truth is

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<v Speaker 1>the truth, the justice is justice. You can't show favoritism.

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<v Speaker 1>And then I thought it was interesting. If you come

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<v Speaker 1>across somebody's ox wandering off, you be sure to return it.

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<v Speaker 1>That's just nice. It's a good neighbor, even if it's

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<v Speaker 1>someone who hates you and you see it falling down,

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<v Speaker 1>do not leave it there. So this is a beginning

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<v Speaker 1>of those verses that get so uncomfortable in the New Testament,

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<v Speaker 1>with love your neighbor, love those who hate you sort

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<v Speaker 1>of things. It's treat those who hate you well also,

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<v Speaker 1>and don't you and I justice to poor people in

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<v Speaker 1>their lawsuits, so that's the opposite of what we saw before.

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<v Speaker 1>Have nothing to do with a false charge, and really

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<v Speaker 1>really don't put an innocent person to death, for I

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<v Speaker 1>will not acquit the guilty, because you will be found guilty, basically,

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<v Speaker 1>and do not accept a bribe, and so many times

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<v Speaker 1>in the scripture it talks about bribes. Corruption is a

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<v Speaker 1>perversion of justice. Corruption is a perversion of justice. Bribery

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<v Speaker 1>or taking money or siding with people because they're your

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<v Speaker 1>friends is a perversion of justice, and God hates it.

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<v Speaker 1>And then that last verse that is somewhat problematic for

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<v Speaker 1>some of us. Do not oppress a foreigner, for you yourself

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<v Speaker 1>to know how it feels to be foreigners, because you

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<v Speaker 1>were foreigners in Egypt. They were told not to treat

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<v Speaker 1>foreigners differently. God cared for the foreigner, the powerless, the widow,

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<v Speaker 1>the orphan, And you should toobath laws. For six years

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<v Speaker 1>you were to sow your fields and harvest the crops.

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<v Speaker 1>But during the seventh year, let the land lie unplowed

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<v Speaker 1>and unused. Then the poor among your people may get

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<v Speaker 1>food from it, and the wild animals may eat what

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<v Speaker 1>is left. Do the same with your vineyard and your

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<v Speaker 1>olive growth. Six days do your work, but on the

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<v Speaker 1>seventh do no work, so that your ox and your

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<v Speaker 1>donkey mare rest, and so that the slave born in

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<v Speaker 1>your household and the foreigner living among you may be refreshed.

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<v Speaker 1>Be careful to do everything that I have said to you.

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<v Speaker 1>Do not invoke the names of other gods. Do not

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<v Speaker 1>let them be heard on your lips. It's interesting that

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<v Speaker 1>that verse gets lumped into the Sabbath laws, but of

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<v Speaker 1>course the Sabbath law is relating to our relationship with God,

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<v Speaker 1>and it's talking here not just about resting on the

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<v Speaker 1>seventh day, but letting your fields rest also, which is

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<v Speaker 1>good agricultural practice. Basically, let your fields be fallows so

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<v Speaker 1>that they will be refreshed. It doesn't talk about crop rotation,

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<v Speaker 1>but that's another way to let your fields be replenished

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<v Speaker 1>the three annual festivals. Three times a year, you were

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<v Speaker 1>to celebrate a festival to me. Celebrate the feast of

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<v Speaker 1>unloven bread. For seven days, eat bread made without yeast,

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<v Speaker 1>as I commanded you do this at the appointed time

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<v Speaker 1>in the moon of Aviv, for that is the month

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<v Speaker 1>you came out of Egypt. No one is to peer

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<v Speaker 1>before me empty handed. Celebrate the feast of harvest with

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<v Speaker 1>the first fruits of the crops you sew in your field.

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<v Speaker 1>Celebrate the festival of in gathering at the end of

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<v Speaker 1>the year. When you gather in your crops from the field.

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<v Speaker 1>Three times a year, all men are to appear before

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<v Speaker 1>the Sovereign Lord. Do not offer the blood of a

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<v Speaker 1>sacrifice to me along with anything containing yeast. The fat

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<v Speaker 1>of my festival offerings must not be kept until morning.

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<v Speaker 1>Bring the best of the first fruits of your soil

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<v Speaker 1>to the house of the Lord your God. Do not

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<v Speaker 1>cook a young goat in its mother's milk. I'm not

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<v Speaker 1>sure why the young goat one happens there, but it's

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<v Speaker 1>one of those that is the reason that do not

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<v Speaker 1>cook a calf at its mother's milk. Which is a

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<v Speaker 1>different version of this as the reason why if you're

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<v Speaker 1>Kosher Jewish you can't have a cheeseburger to this day,

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<v Speaker 1>you're not supposed to mix milk products and beef, milk

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<v Speaker 1>products and meat. And it comes back to this verset

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<v Speaker 1>and other ones like it again, that is, if you're

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<v Speaker 1>Kosher and Jewish. And remember at the beginning of this

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<v Speaker 1>section we talked about how do these laws to apply

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<v Speaker 1>to us as Christians? And that's a little more complicated.

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<v Speaker 1>Go back four episodes if you didn't listen to that one,

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<v Speaker 1>and I'll talk about that, and we'll talk about it

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<v Speaker 1>more as we get into Leviticus. But basically three big festivals,

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<v Speaker 1>the unloven bread, which is remembering coming out of Egypt,

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<v Speaker 1>and then the beginning of the harvest and the end

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<v Speaker 1>of the harvest. And these are because God saved you

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<v Speaker 1>out of Egypt. He gave you this land, and the

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<v Speaker 1>land bears fruit. God's angel to prepare the way. See,

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<v Speaker 1>I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard

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<v Speaker 1>you along the way and to bring you to the

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<v Speaker 1>place I have prepared. Pay attention to him and listen

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<v Speaker 1>to what he says. Do not rebel against him. He

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<v Speaker 1>will not forgive your rebellion, since MY name is in him.

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<v Speaker 1>If you listen carefully to what he says and do

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<v Speaker 1>all that I say, I will be an enemy to

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<v Speaker 1>your enemies and will oppose those who oppose you. My

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<v Speaker 1>angel will go ahead of you and bring you into

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<v Speaker 1>the land the Amorites, Hittides, Peserites, Canaanites, Hivites, and Jebisites,

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<v Speaker 1>and I will wipe them out. Do not bow down

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<v Speaker 1>before their gods, or worship them, or follow their practices.

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<v Speaker 1>You must demolish them and break their sacred stones to pieces.

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<v Speaker 1>Worship the Lord, your God, and his blessings will be

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<v Speaker 1>on your food and water. I will take away sickness

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<v Speaker 1>from among you, and none will miscarry or be barren

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<v Speaker 1>in your land. I will give you a full lifespan.

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<v Speaker 1>I will send my terror ahead of you and throw

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<v Speaker 1>into confusion every nation you encounter. I will make all

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<v Speaker 1>your enemies turn their backs and run. I will send

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<v Speaker 1>the hornet ahead of you to drive the Hivites, Canaanites,

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<v Speaker 1>and Hittites out of your way. But I will not

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<v Speaker 1>drive them out in a single year, because the land

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<v Speaker 1>would become desolate and the wild animals too numerous for you.

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<v Speaker 1>Little by little, I will drive them out before you,

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<v Speaker 1>until you have increased enough to take possession of the land.

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<v Speaker 1>I will establish your borders from the Red Sea to

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<v Speaker 1>the Mediterranean Sea, and from the desert to the Euphrates River.

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<v Speaker 1>I will give into your hands the people who live

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<v Speaker 1>in the land, and you will drive them out before you.

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<v Speaker 1>Do not make a covenant with them or with their gods.

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<v Speaker 1>Do not let them live in your land, or they

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<v Speaker 1>will cause you to sin against me, because the worship

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<v Speaker 1>of their gods will certainly be a snare to you. Now,

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<v Speaker 1>these are all interesting things, and keep these in mind

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<v Speaker 1>as we go forward in this book, because we're just

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<v Speaker 1>here with God. We're just getting the covenants. We just

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<v Speaker 1>got the Ten Commandments, some other commandments, and the real

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<v Speaker 1>big one here now is basically no other gods, and

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<v Speaker 1>don't get hooked into the gods of your neighbors, right,

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<v Speaker 1>that is really a number one, and that God is

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<v Speaker 1>going to do all these great things for you if

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<v Speaker 1>you will keep this 's really this one rule above

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<v Speaker 1>all others, which is no foreign gods. Now, we're not

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<v Speaker 1>very many chapters away from where that gets screwed up,

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<v Speaker 1>so stay tuned. And with that, we're going to end

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<v Speaker 1>this episode of the Bible Study Podcast. If you have

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<v Speaker 1>any questions, send an email to Chris two xat gmail

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<v Speaker 1>dot com, or, better yet, leave a comment on this

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<v Speaker 1>episode at the Bible Study podcast dot com. And as always,

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<v Speaker 1>thanks so much for listening. I want to take just

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<v Speaker 1>a second to thank the team at Life Audio for

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<v Speaker 1>their partnership with us on this podcast. If you go

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<v Speaker 1>to lifeaudio dot com, you'll find dozens of other faith

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