1 00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:11,920 Speaker 1: Life Audio. Hid you and good morning faith listeners, and 2 00:00:11,960 --> 00:00:15,400 Speaker 1: welcome to the Bible Explain podcast on this lovely Monday morning, 3 00:00:15,440 --> 00:00:17,680 Speaker 1: and thank you for being here to start out your 4 00:00:17,680 --> 00:00:20,360 Speaker 1: week nice and strong by reading some Bible with me. 5 00:00:20,880 --> 00:00:23,520 Speaker 1: Hopefully you have your delicious cup of coffee ready, because 6 00:00:23,520 --> 00:00:25,840 Speaker 1: we're going to be talking about me Amiah chapter ten 7 00:00:26,200 --> 00:00:29,400 Speaker 1: and discussing the whole thing where the people start to 8 00:00:29,440 --> 00:00:33,560 Speaker 1: dedicate their lives to Yahweh once again, and the good 9 00:00:33,560 --> 00:00:36,040 Speaker 1: things associated with this chapter. But we're also going to 10 00:00:36,040 --> 00:00:39,240 Speaker 1: talk about some of the potential problems we see as well, 11 00:00:39,600 --> 00:00:43,280 Speaker 1: because it almost seems like the people begin to overcompensate 12 00:00:43,479 --> 00:00:48,279 Speaker 1: in the wrong way because of the idolatry of their ancestors. 13 00:00:48,640 --> 00:00:51,520 Speaker 1: So we will get into both the positives and negatives 14 00:00:51,600 --> 00:00:54,760 Speaker 1: in Nimia ten. But first, please listen to this message 15 00:00:54,800 --> 00:00:58,880 Speaker 1: from one of my sponsors. Okay, so let's go ahead 16 00:00:58,880 --> 00:01:02,240 Speaker 1: and read and I ten. Even though I'm going to 17 00:01:02,240 --> 00:01:04,399 Speaker 1: be talking about the entire chapter, I'm not going to 18 00:01:04,440 --> 00:01:07,480 Speaker 1: read verses one through twenty seven. Instead, I'm going to 19 00:01:07,520 --> 00:01:09,840 Speaker 1: start on verse twenty eight and read to the end 20 00:01:09,840 --> 00:01:12,880 Speaker 1: of the chapter, mainly for the benefit of myself and 21 00:01:13,040 --> 00:01:16,280 Speaker 1: your ears. So that I don't have to struggle through 22 00:01:16,360 --> 00:01:18,560 Speaker 1: all of these names that are being discussed in the 23 00:01:18,560 --> 00:01:21,119 Speaker 1: first twenty seven verses. So let's go ahead and grab 24 00:01:21,120 --> 00:01:23,080 Speaker 1: our bibles and share a cup of coffee together as 25 00:01:23,080 --> 00:01:28,000 Speaker 1: we read Niamiah ten twenty eight through thirty nine. The 26 00:01:28,040 --> 00:01:31,280 Speaker 1: rest of the people, the priests, the levites, the gatekeepers, 27 00:01:31,400 --> 00:01:33,920 Speaker 1: the singers, the temple servants, and all those who had 28 00:01:33,920 --> 00:01:36,440 Speaker 1: separated themselves from the people of the lands to the 29 00:01:36,520 --> 00:01:39,440 Speaker 1: law of God, their wives, their sons, and their daughters. 30 00:01:39,800 --> 00:01:43,000 Speaker 1: Everyone who had knowledge and understanding joined with their brothers 31 00:01:43,200 --> 00:01:46,119 Speaker 1: their nobles, and entered into a curse and into an 32 00:01:46,120 --> 00:01:49,600 Speaker 1: oath to walk in God's law which was given by Moses, 33 00:01:49,640 --> 00:01:52,000 Speaker 1: the servant of God, and to observe and do all 34 00:01:52,040 --> 00:01:54,920 Speaker 1: the commands of Yahweh, our Lord, and his ordinances and 35 00:01:55,000 --> 00:01:57,800 Speaker 1: his statutes. And that we would not give our daughters 36 00:01:57,840 --> 00:02:00,440 Speaker 1: to the people of the land, nor take their for 37 00:02:00,520 --> 00:02:03,000 Speaker 1: our sons. And if the peoples of the land bring 38 00:02:03,080 --> 00:02:05,400 Speaker 1: whares or any grain on the Sabbath day to sell, 39 00:02:05,600 --> 00:02:07,520 Speaker 1: that we would not buy from them on the Sabbath 40 00:02:07,840 --> 00:02:10,000 Speaker 1: or on a holy day. And that we would forego 41 00:02:10,080 --> 00:02:12,560 Speaker 1: the seven year crops and the exaction of every debt. 42 00:02:13,160 --> 00:02:16,440 Speaker 1: Also we made ordinances for ourselves to charge ourselves yearly 43 00:02:16,520 --> 00:02:18,280 Speaker 1: with the third part of a shekel, for the service 44 00:02:18,320 --> 00:02:20,720 Speaker 1: of the House of our God, for the showbread, for 45 00:02:20,760 --> 00:02:24,320 Speaker 1: the continual meal offering, for the continual burnt offering, for 46 00:02:24,400 --> 00:02:27,480 Speaker 1: the Sabbaths, for the new moons, for the set feasts, 47 00:02:27,520 --> 00:02:30,000 Speaker 1: for the holy things, for the sin offerings, to make 48 00:02:30,040 --> 00:02:32,360 Speaker 1: atonement for Israel, and for all the work of the 49 00:02:32,400 --> 00:02:35,680 Speaker 1: House of our God. We the priests, the Levites, and 50 00:02:35,720 --> 00:02:38,600 Speaker 1: the people cast lots for the wood offering, to bring 51 00:02:38,600 --> 00:02:40,520 Speaker 1: it into the House of our God according to our 52 00:02:40,520 --> 00:02:43,960 Speaker 1: father's houses, at times appointed year by year, to burn 53 00:02:44,000 --> 00:02:46,400 Speaker 1: on Yahweh, our God's altar, as it is written in 54 00:02:46,440 --> 00:02:49,040 Speaker 1: the Law, And to bring first fruits of our ground, 55 00:02:49,160 --> 00:02:51,280 Speaker 1: and first fruits of all the fruit of all kinds 56 00:02:51,280 --> 00:02:54,720 Speaker 1: of trees, year by year to Yahweh's house. Also the 57 00:02:54,720 --> 00:02:57,280 Speaker 1: first born of our sons and of our livestock, as 58 00:02:57,320 --> 00:02:59,400 Speaker 1: it is written in the Law, and the first born 59 00:02:59,400 --> 00:03:01,519 Speaker 1: of our herds, of our flocks, to bring it to 60 00:03:01,600 --> 00:03:03,880 Speaker 1: the House of our God, to the priests who minister 61 00:03:04,040 --> 00:03:05,800 Speaker 1: in the House of our God. And that we should 62 00:03:05,800 --> 00:03:08,320 Speaker 1: bring the first fruits of our dough our wave offerings 63 00:03:08,480 --> 00:03:10,799 Speaker 1: the fruit of all kinds of trees, and the new 64 00:03:10,840 --> 00:03:13,480 Speaker 1: wine and the oil to the priests, to the rooms 65 00:03:13,480 --> 00:03:15,600 Speaker 1: of the House of our God, and the tithes of 66 00:03:15,639 --> 00:03:18,480 Speaker 1: our ground to the Levites, for they the Levites take 67 00:03:18,520 --> 00:03:22,280 Speaker 1: tithes in all our farming villages. The priest, the descendant 68 00:03:22,320 --> 00:03:24,799 Speaker 1: of Erin, shall be with the Levites. When the Levites 69 00:03:24,840 --> 00:03:27,720 Speaker 1: take tithes. The Levites shall bring up the tithe of 70 00:03:27,760 --> 00:03:29,799 Speaker 1: the tithes to the House of our God, to the 71 00:03:29,880 --> 00:03:33,240 Speaker 1: rooms into the treasure house for the children of Israel, 72 00:03:33,240 --> 00:03:35,480 Speaker 1: and the children of Levi shall bring the wave offering 73 00:03:35,520 --> 00:03:37,400 Speaker 1: of the grain, of the new wine and of the 74 00:03:37,440 --> 00:03:40,160 Speaker 1: oil to the rooms where the vessels of the sanctuary are, 75 00:03:40,400 --> 00:03:42,800 Speaker 1: and the priests who minister with the gate keepers and 76 00:03:42,800 --> 00:03:46,200 Speaker 1: the singers. We will not forsake the House of our God. 77 00:03:48,480 --> 00:03:49,920 Speaker 1: You can see that there's a lot of really good 78 00:03:49,920 --> 00:03:53,760 Speaker 1: things happening in this chapter, mainly that the Israelites are 79 00:03:53,800 --> 00:03:56,760 Speaker 1: all unified over the fact that they want to start 80 00:03:56,800 --> 00:04:01,400 Speaker 1: following the Old Testament laws once again. In previously to this, 81 00:04:01,480 --> 00:04:04,680 Speaker 1: we've been talking about how they had started hearing the 82 00:04:04,760 --> 00:04:08,200 Speaker 1: law read to them essentially for the first time, and 83 00:04:08,560 --> 00:04:11,240 Speaker 1: they realized that they were not following any of the 84 00:04:11,280 --> 00:04:14,680 Speaker 1: commands laid out for them in the Old Testament, so 85 00:04:14,760 --> 00:04:17,600 Speaker 1: they kind of became afraid. A couple chapters ago, they 86 00:04:17,640 --> 00:04:20,839 Speaker 1: were crying over the fact that they hadn't been following 87 00:04:20,960 --> 00:04:23,200 Speaker 1: any of the Old Testament laws. They were doing essentially 88 00:04:23,240 --> 00:04:26,640 Speaker 1: everything that their ancestors had been doing, which of course 89 00:04:26,880 --> 00:04:30,000 Speaker 1: caused them to lose the land of Israel in the 90 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:32,599 Speaker 1: first place. So they don't want to make that same mistake, 91 00:04:33,040 --> 00:04:36,080 Speaker 1: and so now they are rededicating their lives to God 92 00:04:36,360 --> 00:04:39,080 Speaker 1: in this chapter. In fact, in order to really understand 93 00:04:39,080 --> 00:04:41,279 Speaker 1: what's going on, you got to read the very last 94 00:04:41,440 --> 00:04:45,560 Speaker 1: verse of Nehemiah nine, the previous chapter, which says this, 95 00:04:46,320 --> 00:04:48,920 Speaker 1: Yet for all this, we make a sure covenant, and 96 00:04:48,960 --> 00:04:51,680 Speaker 1: we write it, and our princes, our levites, and our 97 00:04:51,680 --> 00:04:55,160 Speaker 1: priests seal it. So this means that the people are 98 00:04:55,200 --> 00:04:58,400 Speaker 1: making a promise. They write out this promise, and all 99 00:04:58,440 --> 00:05:01,880 Speaker 1: of the head haun show in Israel are going to 100 00:05:01,960 --> 00:05:05,320 Speaker 1: seal this promise with their personal seal. You know, they 101 00:05:05,320 --> 00:05:07,920 Speaker 1: didn't have ballpoint pens back in these days. They had 102 00:05:08,160 --> 00:05:11,280 Speaker 1: seals that they would dip in wax, and then you know, 103 00:05:11,440 --> 00:05:14,760 Speaker 1: their personal mark would be on that papyrus for all 104 00:05:14,800 --> 00:05:17,440 Speaker 1: the people to see that they made a promise with 105 00:05:17,520 --> 00:05:20,840 Speaker 1: their personal seal, and the promise was that they were 106 00:05:20,839 --> 00:05:24,640 Speaker 1: going to start following Yahweh and start following the Old 107 00:05:24,640 --> 00:05:27,359 Speaker 1: Testament laws. So in verses one through twenty seven it 108 00:05:27,440 --> 00:05:30,760 Speaker 1: mentions all of these men that put their seal on 109 00:05:31,360 --> 00:05:34,560 Speaker 1: this promise, this dedication to God. And now in verse 110 00:05:34,600 --> 00:05:37,479 Speaker 1: twenty eight it mentions the rest of the people. It 111 00:05:37,520 --> 00:05:40,440 Speaker 1: says the rest of the people, the priests, the levites, 112 00:05:40,480 --> 00:05:43,920 Speaker 1: the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple servants, and all those 113 00:05:43,960 --> 00:05:46,479 Speaker 1: who had separated themselves from the peoples of the land 114 00:05:46,760 --> 00:05:49,800 Speaker 1: to the law of God. Their wives, their sons, and 115 00:05:49,800 --> 00:05:53,240 Speaker 1: their daughters. Everyone who had knowledge and understanding joined with 116 00:05:53,320 --> 00:05:56,960 Speaker 1: their brothers, their nobles, and entered into a curse and 117 00:05:57,240 --> 00:05:59,720 Speaker 1: into an oath to walk in God's law which was 118 00:05:59,720 --> 00:06:02,719 Speaker 1: given by Moses, the servant of God, and to observe 119 00:06:02,839 --> 00:06:05,680 Speaker 1: and do all the commandments of Yahweh, our Lord, and 120 00:06:05,720 --> 00:06:09,120 Speaker 1: his ordinances and his statutes. So they're making a promise. 121 00:06:09,120 --> 00:06:11,360 Speaker 1: They are all unified in this. They're saying, if we 122 00:06:11,400 --> 00:06:14,360 Speaker 1: don't follow the laws of God, then let the curses 123 00:06:14,600 --> 00:06:17,880 Speaker 1: of Yahweh come down on us essentially, and all of 124 00:06:17,920 --> 00:06:20,000 Speaker 1: that is found by the way in I believe it's 125 00:06:20,080 --> 00:06:23,640 Speaker 1: Deuteronomy twenty eight that talks about the blessings of following 126 00:06:23,640 --> 00:06:26,440 Speaker 1: God's law and the curses if you don't follow it. 127 00:06:27,000 --> 00:06:29,159 Speaker 1: And they say that they are going to enter into 128 00:06:29,279 --> 00:06:32,880 Speaker 1: a curse of following God's law. So if they don't 129 00:06:32,920 --> 00:06:35,800 Speaker 1: follow it, let the curses come down on them essentially, 130 00:06:36,000 --> 00:06:38,200 Speaker 1: and it will be their own faults. So here are 131 00:06:38,200 --> 00:06:41,039 Speaker 1: the things that they decided that they are going to do. Specifically, 132 00:06:41,520 --> 00:06:44,360 Speaker 1: it starts in verse thirty that we would not give 133 00:06:44,440 --> 00:06:46,760 Speaker 1: our daughters to the peoples of the land, nor take 134 00:06:46,920 --> 00:06:50,479 Speaker 1: their daughters for our sons. Now this is biblical. This 135 00:06:50,600 --> 00:06:54,560 Speaker 1: is essentially saying we are not going to be unequally yoked. 136 00:06:54,760 --> 00:06:58,479 Speaker 1: In fact, Exodus thirty four eleven through sixteen, here's what 137 00:06:58,560 --> 00:07:02,480 Speaker 1: God says, serve that which I commanded you today. Behold, 138 00:07:02,480 --> 00:07:05,320 Speaker 1: I will drive out before you the Amorite, the Canaanites, 139 00:07:05,400 --> 00:07:08,800 Speaker 1: the Hittite, the Parizites, the Hivite, and the Jebusite. Be 140 00:07:08,880 --> 00:07:11,360 Speaker 1: careful lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of 141 00:07:11,360 --> 00:07:13,560 Speaker 1: the land where you are going, lest it be for 142 00:07:13,600 --> 00:07:16,000 Speaker 1: a snare among you, but you shall break down their 143 00:07:16,040 --> 00:07:19,520 Speaker 1: altars and dash in pieces their pillars, and you shall 144 00:07:19,560 --> 00:07:22,600 Speaker 1: cut down their asher poles, for you shall worship no 145 00:07:22,720 --> 00:07:25,600 Speaker 1: other god. For Yahweh, whose name is jealous, is a 146 00:07:25,720 --> 00:07:29,040 Speaker 1: jealous God. Don't make a covenant with the inhabitants of 147 00:07:29,040 --> 00:07:32,000 Speaker 1: the land, lest they play the prostitute after their gods, 148 00:07:32,000 --> 00:07:34,760 Speaker 1: and sacrifice to their gods. And one call you, and 149 00:07:34,840 --> 00:07:37,560 Speaker 1: you eat of his sacrifice. And don't take the daughters 150 00:07:37,600 --> 00:07:40,720 Speaker 1: to your sons, and their daughters play the prostitute after 151 00:07:40,800 --> 00:07:43,720 Speaker 1: their gods, and make your sons play the prostitute after 152 00:07:43,760 --> 00:07:47,800 Speaker 1: their gods. So God is basically telling his people don't 153 00:07:47,800 --> 00:07:51,000 Speaker 1: be unequally yoked. In other words, if you're a Yahweh follower, 154 00:07:51,160 --> 00:07:54,440 Speaker 1: do not be married to somebody that is not a 155 00:07:54,560 --> 00:07:57,640 Speaker 1: Yahweh follower. This is actually even a New Testament commandment 156 00:07:57,680 --> 00:08:01,720 Speaker 1: as well, where people who worship Jesus should not be 157 00:08:01,840 --> 00:08:06,680 Speaker 1: marrying men or women who don't worship Jesus because it's 158 00:08:06,680 --> 00:08:08,960 Speaker 1: just going to cause a lot of conflict in your marriage. 159 00:08:09,320 --> 00:08:11,360 Speaker 1: It starts your marriage out on the wrong foot, and 160 00:08:11,400 --> 00:08:15,040 Speaker 1: it can also lead your heart away from Jesus. You 161 00:08:15,080 --> 00:08:17,880 Speaker 1: want to find somebody who is also a Christian, also 162 00:08:18,000 --> 00:08:21,559 Speaker 1: a believer in God, and God has been consistent about 163 00:08:21,560 --> 00:08:24,480 Speaker 1: this from the very beginning. So in Niami, chapter ten, 164 00:08:25,080 --> 00:08:27,000 Speaker 1: that's what the people promise to do. That they're not 165 00:08:27,080 --> 00:08:32,000 Speaker 1: going to give their daughters in marriage to foreign households 166 00:08:32,000 --> 00:08:34,800 Speaker 1: that worship other gods. And they're also not going to 167 00:08:35,440 --> 00:08:39,120 Speaker 1: take their daughters for their own sons either. They are 168 00:08:39,160 --> 00:08:41,560 Speaker 1: going to avoid marriage with pagan people. So that's the 169 00:08:41,559 --> 00:08:43,880 Speaker 1: first thing they say that they're going to do. And 170 00:08:43,920 --> 00:08:46,800 Speaker 1: the second thing in verse thirty one is if the 171 00:08:46,840 --> 00:08:49,640 Speaker 1: peoples of the land bring whares or any grain on 172 00:08:49,679 --> 00:08:52,320 Speaker 1: the Sabbath day to sell, that we would not buy 173 00:08:52,360 --> 00:08:54,840 Speaker 1: from them on the Sabbath or on a holy day, 174 00:08:55,320 --> 00:08:57,720 Speaker 1: and that we would forego the seventh year crops and 175 00:08:57,760 --> 00:09:01,199 Speaker 1: the exaction of every debt. Now what's interesting about this 176 00:09:01,600 --> 00:09:05,720 Speaker 1: is there's no direct law against buying and selling on 177 00:09:05,760 --> 00:09:09,200 Speaker 1: the Sabbath day. Some people might say that it's not 178 00:09:09,360 --> 00:09:12,160 Speaker 1: keeping the Sabbath day holy, which is one of the 179 00:09:12,160 --> 00:09:14,360 Speaker 1: ten commandments. You are to keep the Sabbath day holy. 180 00:09:15,360 --> 00:09:18,319 Speaker 1: But there's nothing that says you can't buy or sell 181 00:09:18,320 --> 00:09:21,360 Speaker 1: on the Sabbath day. And what's also interesting about this 182 00:09:21,480 --> 00:09:24,400 Speaker 1: is It says specifically, if the peoples of the land, 183 00:09:24,559 --> 00:09:27,680 Speaker 1: in other words, the foreigners try to bring wares or 184 00:09:27,679 --> 00:09:29,800 Speaker 1: any grain on the Sabbath day to sell, that we 185 00:09:29,840 --> 00:09:32,200 Speaker 1: would not buy from them on the Sabbath or on 186 00:09:32,280 --> 00:09:35,040 Speaker 1: a holy day. But they don't say that they're not 187 00:09:35,120 --> 00:09:38,720 Speaker 1: going to buy and sell from their own people, from 188 00:09:38,720 --> 00:09:40,760 Speaker 1: the Israelites on the Sabbath day. So I find that 189 00:09:40,880 --> 00:09:43,680 Speaker 1: kind of interesting, unless, if I'm giving the benefit of 190 00:09:43,679 --> 00:09:46,240 Speaker 1: the doubt, it could be that the Israelites just didn't 191 00:09:46,280 --> 00:09:47,959 Speaker 1: buy and sell on the Sabbath day, so they didn't 192 00:09:47,960 --> 00:09:50,760 Speaker 1: have to like really qualify that, because the only people 193 00:09:50,920 --> 00:09:52,920 Speaker 1: that didn't hold to the Sabbath day would have been 194 00:09:52,920 --> 00:09:57,080 Speaker 1: the foreigners anyway. But yeah, it's kind of interesting that 195 00:09:57,160 --> 00:09:59,760 Speaker 1: this is the first time we really see that. Now. 196 00:09:59,800 --> 00:10:03,560 Speaker 1: It is mentioned again in the Book of Amos, chapter eight, 197 00:10:03,720 --> 00:10:07,120 Speaker 1: about buying and selling on the Sabbath day, except it's 198 00:10:07,160 --> 00:10:12,160 Speaker 1: actually in a negative connotation. Here here I'll explain what 199 00:10:12,200 --> 00:10:15,240 Speaker 1: I mean. Here's what Amos eight four through eight says. 200 00:10:15,880 --> 00:10:19,520 Speaker 1: And this is God speaking. Hear this, you who desire 201 00:10:19,559 --> 00:10:22,040 Speaker 1: to swallow up the needy and cause the poor of 202 00:10:22,080 --> 00:10:25,320 Speaker 1: the land to fail, saying When will the new moon 203 00:10:25,360 --> 00:10:28,280 Speaker 1: be gone? That we may sell grain and the sabbath, 204 00:10:28,320 --> 00:10:31,040 Speaker 1: that we may market wheat, making the epha small and 205 00:10:31,080 --> 00:10:34,520 Speaker 1: the shekel large, and dealing falsely with balances of deceit, 206 00:10:34,800 --> 00:10:37,280 Speaker 1: that we may buy the poor for silver and the 207 00:10:37,320 --> 00:10:40,079 Speaker 1: needy for a pair of sandals, and sell the sweepings 208 00:10:40,120 --> 00:10:43,240 Speaker 1: with the wheat. Yahweh has sworn by the pride of Jacob. 209 00:10:43,520 --> 00:10:46,640 Speaker 1: Surely I will never forget any of their works. Won't 210 00:10:46,679 --> 00:10:50,080 Speaker 1: the land tremble for this? And everyone mourn who dwells 211 00:10:50,120 --> 00:10:54,160 Speaker 1: in it? So that's a negative connotation where, you know, 212 00:10:54,240 --> 00:10:56,880 Speaker 1: even though the people weren't necessarily buying and selling on 213 00:10:56,920 --> 00:11:00,559 Speaker 1: the Sabbath day, they wished that they were. They were like, oh, man, 214 00:11:00,600 --> 00:11:02,599 Speaker 1: when's the Sabbath gonna be over? So that tomorrow we 215 00:11:02,679 --> 00:11:04,880 Speaker 1: can go and do whatever we want to do and 216 00:11:05,120 --> 00:11:08,240 Speaker 1: get back to, you know, eating up the poor and 217 00:11:08,280 --> 00:11:11,960 Speaker 1: selling them for a shekel and you know, inflating everything 218 00:11:12,280 --> 00:11:14,920 Speaker 1: and ripping people off. When can we get back to 219 00:11:14,960 --> 00:11:16,920 Speaker 1: all of this? And God's like, yeah, I'm going to 220 00:11:16,920 --> 00:11:19,320 Speaker 1: punish you for that kind of behavior. But God is 221 00:11:19,360 --> 00:11:22,520 Speaker 1: actually angry at them because their hearts are so far 222 00:11:22,559 --> 00:11:25,680 Speaker 1: from him that even though they're doing technically what they're 223 00:11:25,720 --> 00:11:28,360 Speaker 1: supposed to be doing. I suppose by not buying and 224 00:11:28,400 --> 00:11:31,400 Speaker 1: selling on the Sabbath day. That doesn't really matter, because 225 00:11:31,440 --> 00:11:34,040 Speaker 1: their hearts are so corrupt and evil that they're just 226 00:11:34,040 --> 00:11:36,600 Speaker 1: going to start again tomorrow by just treacherously dealing with 227 00:11:36,640 --> 00:11:40,040 Speaker 1: the people and ripping off the poor. Even more so, 228 00:11:40,240 --> 00:11:42,360 Speaker 1: God is not happy with any of this. But yeah, 229 00:11:42,360 --> 00:11:45,679 Speaker 1: there's no direct commandment against buying and selling on the 230 00:11:45,720 --> 00:11:49,920 Speaker 1: Sabbath day, probably because it might have been necessary, honestly 231 00:11:49,960 --> 00:11:52,840 Speaker 1: to buy and sell on the Sabbath day if somebody 232 00:11:53,000 --> 00:11:56,199 Speaker 1: was like in dire straits. In fact, even Jesus said 233 00:11:56,720 --> 00:12:00,200 Speaker 1: in the New Testament that it's not wrong to do 234 00:12:00,280 --> 00:12:02,720 Speaker 1: good deeds on the Sabbath day, and that even the 235 00:12:02,800 --> 00:12:06,760 Speaker 1: Levites work on the Sabbath day by doing the necessary 236 00:12:06,880 --> 00:12:09,200 Speaker 1: jobs in the temple. So it was certain types of 237 00:12:09,240 --> 00:12:12,160 Speaker 1: work actually that was prohibited on the Sabbath day, but 238 00:12:12,280 --> 00:12:15,440 Speaker 1: doing good works for other people that was always part 239 00:12:15,480 --> 00:12:18,440 Speaker 1: of the commandment of God. You could always do good 240 00:12:18,440 --> 00:12:21,679 Speaker 1: works on the Sabbath day. And so if somebody needed 241 00:12:21,720 --> 00:12:24,480 Speaker 1: to buy something on the Sabbath because their family was 242 00:12:24,520 --> 00:12:27,560 Speaker 1: in dire straits, then absolutely they should be allowed to 243 00:12:28,280 --> 00:12:31,640 Speaker 1: buy and sell on the Sabbath. But even so, going 244 00:12:31,679 --> 00:12:35,520 Speaker 1: back to Niemia ten, the people here probably have good 245 00:12:35,520 --> 00:12:38,720 Speaker 1: intentions to start, but you can see how this could 246 00:12:39,160 --> 00:12:42,880 Speaker 1: very much fall into legalism. For example, in the days 247 00:12:42,920 --> 00:12:46,400 Speaker 1: of Jesus, the Pharisees were crazy about the Sabbath day. 248 00:12:46,440 --> 00:12:48,560 Speaker 1: They would get like mad if somebody was walking too 249 00:12:48,559 --> 00:12:51,760 Speaker 1: many steps on the Sabbath, or carrying something that was 250 00:12:52,320 --> 00:12:57,839 Speaker 1: supposedly too heavy, or doing anything that they deemed unworthy 251 00:12:57,920 --> 00:13:00,280 Speaker 1: on the Sabbath day, or too much work. They were 252 00:13:00,280 --> 00:13:03,360 Speaker 1: putting these burdens on the backs of the people. That's 253 00:13:03,400 --> 00:13:06,280 Speaker 1: what Jesus said. He said, these Pharisees put the burdens 254 00:13:06,280 --> 00:13:08,160 Speaker 1: on the back of the people and do nothing to 255 00:13:08,280 --> 00:13:11,200 Speaker 1: ease the burden themselves. And I think in the Book 256 00:13:11,200 --> 00:13:15,280 Speaker 1: of Nehemiah this is where some of this legalism begins. Unfortunately, 257 00:13:15,600 --> 00:13:18,160 Speaker 1: you know that old adage goes the road to Hell 258 00:13:18,240 --> 00:13:21,480 Speaker 1: is paved with good intentions, and it's kind of true 259 00:13:21,480 --> 00:13:24,040 Speaker 1: actually in a lot of ways, because I think the 260 00:13:24,080 --> 00:13:29,600 Speaker 1: people were beginning potentially to overcompensate for the idolatry that 261 00:13:30,040 --> 00:13:33,960 Speaker 1: their ancestors had done. But going back to verse thirty one, 262 00:13:34,000 --> 00:13:36,080 Speaker 1: here it says that they wouldn't give their daughters in 263 00:13:36,160 --> 00:13:39,839 Speaker 1: marriage or take daughters for their sons from families that 264 00:13:39,920 --> 00:13:43,160 Speaker 1: were pagan. They also wouldn't buy or sell on the 265 00:13:43,200 --> 00:13:46,600 Speaker 1: Sabbath day, specifically from foreigners, and also that they would 266 00:13:46,679 --> 00:13:50,280 Speaker 1: forego the seven year crops and the exaction of every debt. Now, 267 00:13:50,320 --> 00:13:53,000 Speaker 1: this was an Old Testament law where every seven years 268 00:13:53,480 --> 00:13:58,079 Speaker 1: debts would be canceled, slaves would become free, and the 269 00:13:58,160 --> 00:14:01,200 Speaker 1: land would rest, and people would plant anything and that 270 00:14:01,200 --> 00:14:04,720 Speaker 1: would be healthy for the soil. So they promised that 271 00:14:04,760 --> 00:14:07,640 Speaker 1: they would do that, which all of that is very good. Now, 272 00:14:07,720 --> 00:14:10,880 Speaker 1: in verse thirty two, it mentions that they made ordinances 273 00:14:10,880 --> 00:14:14,640 Speaker 1: for themselves to charge themselves yearly with the third part 274 00:14:14,640 --> 00:14:16,400 Speaker 1: of the shekel for the service of the House of 275 00:14:16,400 --> 00:14:20,000 Speaker 1: our God, so the temple tax. And this would be 276 00:14:20,040 --> 00:14:23,240 Speaker 1: for the showbread, the continual meal offering, for the continual 277 00:14:23,280 --> 00:14:25,720 Speaker 1: burnt offering, for the Sabbas, for the new moons, the 278 00:14:25,800 --> 00:14:29,520 Speaker 1: set feats, the holy things, et cetera, et cetera, basically 279 00:14:29,600 --> 00:14:32,240 Speaker 1: to take care of the temple. In fact, in verses 280 00:14:32,280 --> 00:14:34,600 Speaker 1: thirty two all the way through thirty nine, that is 281 00:14:34,720 --> 00:14:37,280 Speaker 1: mostly what all of this is talking about is just 282 00:14:37,720 --> 00:14:41,000 Speaker 1: various offerings that they would offer to God, like the 283 00:14:41,040 --> 00:14:45,320 Speaker 1: first fruit offerings, the first born offerings that was talked about, 284 00:14:45,360 --> 00:14:49,160 Speaker 1: I believe in Exodus chapter twelve, where God required the 285 00:14:49,200 --> 00:14:53,400 Speaker 1: firstborn of every animal when the people came out of Egypt, 286 00:14:53,760 --> 00:14:56,520 Speaker 1: and he also had his people dedicate the first born 287 00:14:57,240 --> 00:15:01,400 Speaker 1: male human male of every household to him. Now, of 288 00:15:01,400 --> 00:15:04,640 Speaker 1: course that wasn't a human sacrifice by any means. More so, 289 00:15:04,680 --> 00:15:07,920 Speaker 1: it was just a dedication ceremony where every first born 290 00:15:08,080 --> 00:15:11,440 Speaker 1: male in Israel, you know, the birthright holders, would be 291 00:15:11,480 --> 00:15:15,360 Speaker 1: promised to Yahweh that they would grow up to worship 292 00:15:15,440 --> 00:15:21,120 Speaker 1: Yahweh and continue their family lines in the worship of Yahweh. Essentially, 293 00:15:21,640 --> 00:15:24,600 Speaker 1: so they dedicated themselves to all of these things, is 294 00:15:24,600 --> 00:15:27,320 Speaker 1: what Niamiah ten says, and it mentions right here at 295 00:15:27,320 --> 00:15:30,040 Speaker 1: the very end that they would not forsake the house 296 00:15:30,160 --> 00:15:33,080 Speaker 1: of their God. Now that's the end of Niamiah ten. 297 00:15:33,400 --> 00:15:35,120 Speaker 1: But I really want to talk about the elephants in 298 00:15:35,160 --> 00:15:37,880 Speaker 1: the room because I think I have time to address 299 00:15:37,920 --> 00:15:41,560 Speaker 1: it today. And also it's sort of a glaring problem 300 00:15:41,640 --> 00:15:45,920 Speaker 1: that we can really see flourish. I suppose in the 301 00:15:45,960 --> 00:15:49,800 Speaker 1: New Testament between the Jews and the gentiles. You can 302 00:15:49,840 --> 00:15:53,840 Speaker 1: certainly see a sort of elitism starting here in the 303 00:15:53,880 --> 00:15:58,320 Speaker 1: books of Ezra and Nehemiah, specifically in Ezra where Ezra 304 00:15:58,400 --> 00:16:02,600 Speaker 1: actually forced all of the Jewish men to divorce their 305 00:16:02,640 --> 00:16:07,200 Speaker 1: foreign wives. Now granted, the foreign wives, I'm sure we're pagans, 306 00:16:07,200 --> 00:16:10,360 Speaker 1: and they were worshiping idols that they shouldn't have been worshiping. 307 00:16:10,440 --> 00:16:14,240 Speaker 1: And you know, the men weren't standing up and saying like, hey, 308 00:16:14,440 --> 00:16:16,600 Speaker 1: we're not going to be worshiping these idols anymore. We're 309 00:16:16,600 --> 00:16:19,040 Speaker 1: going to worship Yahweh because he's the true God and 310 00:16:19,120 --> 00:16:23,040 Speaker 1: being a light to their families. Instead as had them 311 00:16:23,560 --> 00:16:27,120 Speaker 1: divorce their wives and even kick out their children from 312 00:16:27,160 --> 00:16:29,680 Speaker 1: these wives. It was really a horrible and terrible story, 313 00:16:29,760 --> 00:16:31,880 Speaker 1: quite honestly, and you can see a lot of the 314 00:16:31,880 --> 00:16:36,320 Speaker 1: same stuff happening in the book of Nehemiah, unfortunately. For example, 315 00:16:36,360 --> 00:16:39,720 Speaker 1: in the previous chapter Niamiah nine, verses one and two, 316 00:16:40,520 --> 00:16:42,880 Speaker 1: here's what it says. Now, in the twenty fourth day 317 00:16:42,920 --> 00:16:45,640 Speaker 1: of this month, the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, 318 00:16:45,680 --> 00:16:48,120 Speaker 1: with sacloth and with dirt on them, and the offspring 319 00:16:48,200 --> 00:16:51,400 Speaker 1: of Israel separated themselves from all foreigners and stood and 320 00:16:51,440 --> 00:16:55,200 Speaker 1: confessed to their sins and the iniquities of their fathers. Now, 321 00:16:55,200 --> 00:16:57,800 Speaker 1: I didn't really address this verse when I talked about 322 00:16:57,840 --> 00:16:59,680 Speaker 1: it last week, so I'd like to address it now. 323 00:17:00,440 --> 00:17:03,320 Speaker 1: It's kind of crazy to me that the Israelites separated 324 00:17:03,360 --> 00:17:07,240 Speaker 1: themselves from the foreigners to make this oath to God 325 00:17:07,400 --> 00:17:11,800 Speaker 1: that they would start worshiping Yahweh because Israel was supposed 326 00:17:11,840 --> 00:17:14,360 Speaker 1: to be a light to all the other nations. That's 327 00:17:14,400 --> 00:17:17,600 Speaker 1: what God continually said, that the other nations would be 328 00:17:17,680 --> 00:17:21,600 Speaker 1: blessed through Israel, and so Israel was supposed to essentially 329 00:17:21,600 --> 00:17:24,800 Speaker 1: evangelize Yahweh to the rest of the world. So it's 330 00:17:24,880 --> 00:17:28,720 Speaker 1: kind of crazy to me that the Israelites were separating 331 00:17:28,760 --> 00:17:32,520 Speaker 1: themselves from the foreigners, basically being like, no, you foreigners 332 00:17:32,520 --> 00:17:34,800 Speaker 1: can't come to this meeting that we are about to 333 00:17:34,840 --> 00:17:38,320 Speaker 1: have where we're going to dedicate ourselves to God. You 334 00:17:38,320 --> 00:17:40,720 Speaker 1: would think that they would want the foreigners to be 335 00:17:40,840 --> 00:17:43,280 Speaker 1: there and to hear this and to hear the truths 336 00:17:43,640 --> 00:17:48,199 Speaker 1: about Yahweh and to worship Yahweh with them, But unfortunately 337 00:17:48,280 --> 00:17:50,040 Speaker 1: that is not what they did. It's kind of more 338 00:17:50,080 --> 00:17:53,080 Speaker 1: of the same. We're just going to banish the foreigner 339 00:17:53,240 --> 00:17:57,240 Speaker 1: banish the foreign wife, banish anybody that doesn't believe in God, 340 00:17:57,480 --> 00:18:00,879 Speaker 1: instead of truly shining the light of God and doing 341 00:18:00,920 --> 00:18:03,439 Speaker 1: the work that needs to be done. Right here and 342 00:18:03,480 --> 00:18:06,480 Speaker 1: in the passage we read today, they're making these promises 343 00:18:06,480 --> 00:18:09,560 Speaker 1: that they're not going to buy and sell from foreigners 344 00:18:09,600 --> 00:18:12,480 Speaker 1: on the Sabbath, and they're not going to ter Mary, 345 00:18:12,640 --> 00:18:15,080 Speaker 1: which generally speaking could have been a good thing. But 346 00:18:15,160 --> 00:18:17,960 Speaker 1: you can certainly see how problems could form right here 347 00:18:18,359 --> 00:18:22,600 Speaker 1: where the Israelites might begin to believe that they are 348 00:18:23,200 --> 00:18:27,080 Speaker 1: the only people that God could ever possibly love. But 349 00:18:27,560 --> 00:18:30,600 Speaker 1: you can actually see in the Old Testament laws how 350 00:18:30,680 --> 00:18:34,560 Speaker 1: much God loves the foreigner, how much God loves the 351 00:18:34,600 --> 00:18:39,920 Speaker 1: other nations. Actually, So let's read this passage from Exodus twelve, 352 00:18:40,520 --> 00:18:43,639 Speaker 1: forty eight and forty nine. It says, when a stranger 353 00:18:43,760 --> 00:18:46,000 Speaker 1: lives as a foreigner with you and would like to 354 00:18:46,080 --> 00:18:49,640 Speaker 1: keep the Passover to Yahweh, let all his males be circumcised, 355 00:18:49,880 --> 00:18:52,080 Speaker 1: and then let him come near and keep it. He 356 00:18:52,160 --> 00:18:54,520 Speaker 1: shall be as one who is born in the land, 357 00:18:54,840 --> 00:18:58,000 Speaker 1: but no uncircumcised person shall eat of it. One laws 358 00:18:58,000 --> 00:18:59,760 Speaker 1: shall be to him who is born at home into 359 00:18:59,800 --> 00:19:03,240 Speaker 1: the stranger who lives as a foreigner among you. So essentially, 360 00:19:03,320 --> 00:19:06,280 Speaker 1: the foreigner was to be treated exactly like in Israelite 361 00:19:06,720 --> 00:19:10,440 Speaker 1: if he was circumcised, and if he wanted to follow Yahweh. 362 00:19:10,720 --> 00:19:14,600 Speaker 1: Now here's Leviticus nineteen thirty three through thirty seven. It says, 363 00:19:15,000 --> 00:19:17,119 Speaker 1: if a stranger lives as a foreigner with you in 364 00:19:17,119 --> 00:19:20,720 Speaker 1: your land, you shall not do him wrong. The stranger 365 00:19:20,760 --> 00:19:22,919 Speaker 1: who lives as a foreigner with you shall be to 366 00:19:22,960 --> 00:19:25,520 Speaker 1: you as a native born among you, and you shall 367 00:19:25,560 --> 00:19:28,600 Speaker 1: love him as yourself, for you lived as foreigners in 368 00:19:28,640 --> 00:19:32,960 Speaker 1: the land of Egypt. I am Yahweh, your God. Now 369 00:19:32,960 --> 00:19:36,480 Speaker 1: in Deuteronomy ten seventeen through nineteen, here's what this says. 370 00:19:36,840 --> 00:19:39,119 Speaker 1: For Yahweh is your god. He is the God of 371 00:19:39,160 --> 00:19:42,320 Speaker 1: gods and the lord of lords, the great God, the 372 00:19:42,440 --> 00:19:46,720 Speaker 1: mighty and the awesome, who doesn't respect persons or take bribes. 373 00:19:47,160 --> 00:19:50,239 Speaker 1: He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and 374 00:19:50,359 --> 00:19:54,280 Speaker 1: loves the foreigner in giving him food and clothing. Therefore, 375 00:19:54,440 --> 00:19:57,400 Speaker 1: love the foreigner, for you were foreigners in the land 376 00:19:57,440 --> 00:20:01,520 Speaker 1: of Egypt. And then in Deuteronomy twenty seven, verse nineteen, 377 00:20:01,560 --> 00:20:04,800 Speaker 1: it says, cursed is he who withholds justice from the foreigner. 378 00:20:04,920 --> 00:20:07,840 Speaker 1: Fatherless and widows, and all the people shall say Amen, 379 00:20:08,200 --> 00:20:11,280 Speaker 1: and then to read one more. In Leviticus twenty three 380 00:20:11,560 --> 00:20:14,320 Speaker 1: twenty two, it says, when you reap the harvest of 381 00:20:14,359 --> 00:20:17,320 Speaker 1: your land, you must not wholly reap into the corners 382 00:20:17,359 --> 00:20:19,879 Speaker 1: of your field. You must not gather the gleanings of 383 00:20:19,920 --> 00:20:22,520 Speaker 1: your harvest. You must leave them for the poor and 384 00:20:22,560 --> 00:20:25,840 Speaker 1: for the foreigner. I am Yahweh, your God. So there 385 00:20:25,880 --> 00:20:28,720 Speaker 1: are plenty of verses in the Old Testament that talk 386 00:20:28,800 --> 00:20:32,440 Speaker 1: about God's love for the foreigner and even the laws 387 00:20:32,520 --> 00:20:35,439 Speaker 1: that he puts in place to protect the foreigners. He 388 00:20:35,480 --> 00:20:38,960 Speaker 1: even tells the Israelites to love the foreigners. And why 389 00:20:39,080 --> 00:20:42,119 Speaker 1: is that Well, because the Israelites again were to be 390 00:20:42,160 --> 00:20:45,680 Speaker 1: a light to the nation. And if the Israelites were 391 00:20:45,840 --> 00:20:49,640 Speaker 1: excluding the foreigners and treating them just like dirt, then 392 00:20:49,680 --> 00:20:53,120 Speaker 1: that means that they weren't going to experience the light 393 00:20:53,160 --> 00:20:56,480 Speaker 1: of Yahweh the way that they could if the Israelites 394 00:20:56,480 --> 00:20:59,239 Speaker 1: were actually being loving. But unfortunately, that's not what the 395 00:20:59,280 --> 00:21:02,600 Speaker 1: Israelites end up doing. We can see that because of 396 00:21:02,640 --> 00:21:07,040 Speaker 1: what happens in the days of Jesus. In Acts chapter 397 00:21:07,119 --> 00:21:12,639 Speaker 1: ten twenty five through twenty nine, Peter the apostle Peter 398 00:21:13,040 --> 00:21:16,560 Speaker 1: had to get kind of reprimanded in a way by 399 00:21:16,600 --> 00:21:21,480 Speaker 1: God because of Peter's dislike of the Romans. He really 400 00:21:22,000 --> 00:21:26,960 Speaker 1: disliked the Romans, and so God sends Peter to the 401 00:21:27,040 --> 00:21:32,000 Speaker 1: home of a Roman man. So here's what happens in Acts, 402 00:21:32,080 --> 00:21:36,000 Speaker 1: Chapter ten, verses twenty five through twenty nine. When Peter 403 00:21:36,200 --> 00:21:39,879 Speaker 1: entered Cornelius, the Roman guy met him, fell down at 404 00:21:39,880 --> 00:21:43,000 Speaker 1: his feet and worshiped him. But Peter raised him up, saying, 405 00:21:43,240 --> 00:21:46,520 Speaker 1: stand up. I myself am also a man. And as 406 00:21:46,560 --> 00:21:48,960 Speaker 1: he talked with him, he went in and found many 407 00:21:49,000 --> 00:21:52,160 Speaker 1: gathered together. He said to them, you yourselves know how 408 00:21:52,160 --> 00:21:54,240 Speaker 1: it is an unlawful thing for a man who is 409 00:21:54,280 --> 00:21:56,639 Speaker 1: a Jew to join himself or come to one of 410 00:21:56,680 --> 00:21:59,760 Speaker 1: another nation. But God has shown me that I shouldn't 411 00:21:59,760 --> 00:22:04,080 Speaker 1: call any man unholy or unclean. Therefore I also came 412 00:22:04,119 --> 00:22:07,440 Speaker 1: without complaint when I was sent for. I ask, therefore, 413 00:22:07,560 --> 00:22:11,600 Speaker 1: why did you send for me? And then Peter ends 414 00:22:11,640 --> 00:22:17,080 Speaker 1: up seeing like witnessing Cornelius's household. This Roman household get 415 00:22:17,080 --> 00:22:20,480 Speaker 1: the Holy Spirit because God is not a respector of persons. 416 00:22:21,000 --> 00:22:24,280 Speaker 1: And Peter himself, who believed deeply that it was actually 417 00:22:24,800 --> 00:22:27,879 Speaker 1: unlawful for a Jewish man to enter into the home 418 00:22:28,400 --> 00:22:32,400 Speaker 1: of a Roman man. Got to witness that. But there's 419 00:22:32,480 --> 00:22:35,080 Speaker 1: nothing in scripture. There's nothing in the Old Testament that 420 00:22:35,080 --> 00:22:38,720 Speaker 1: says that a Jewish person can't enter into the home 421 00:22:39,280 --> 00:22:43,000 Speaker 1: of a non Jewish person. That was something that probably 422 00:22:43,040 --> 00:22:47,919 Speaker 1: started around the days of Nehemiah, with the belief that 423 00:22:47,960 --> 00:22:51,159 Speaker 1: the Jews were somehow more special than any other person 424 00:22:51,160 --> 00:22:54,480 Speaker 1: of God's creation. Now, in saying all of this, you 425 00:22:54,560 --> 00:22:57,639 Speaker 1: have to remember that this doesn't mean that we allow 426 00:22:57,800 --> 00:23:00,679 Speaker 1: foreigners to walk all over us. Because again, what did 427 00:23:00,720 --> 00:23:04,760 Speaker 1: God say to his people in Leviticus chapter twenty twenty 428 00:23:04,760 --> 00:23:07,800 Speaker 1: two through twenty six. You shall therefore keep all my 429 00:23:07,880 --> 00:23:10,800 Speaker 1: statutes and my ordinances, and do them that the land 430 00:23:10,840 --> 00:23:13,119 Speaker 1: where I am bringing you to dwell may not vomit 431 00:23:13,200 --> 00:23:15,800 Speaker 1: you out. You shall not walk in the customs of 432 00:23:15,840 --> 00:23:18,560 Speaker 1: the nations which I am casting out before you, For 433 00:23:18,640 --> 00:23:21,720 Speaker 1: they did all these things, and therefore I abhord them. 434 00:23:21,840 --> 00:23:24,480 Speaker 1: But I have said to you, you shall inherit their land, 435 00:23:24,520 --> 00:23:26,199 Speaker 1: and I will give it to you to possess it, 436 00:23:26,440 --> 00:23:29,000 Speaker 1: a land flowing with milk and honey. I am Yahweh, 437 00:23:29,080 --> 00:23:32,399 Speaker 1: or God who has separated you from the peoples. So 438 00:23:32,520 --> 00:23:36,560 Speaker 1: God loves the foreigner, but he does not like idolatry. 439 00:23:36,600 --> 00:23:39,320 Speaker 1: It doesn't matter who does it, it doesn't matter where 440 00:23:39,320 --> 00:23:43,520 Speaker 1: it's at. God hates idolatry. So that doesn't mean that 441 00:23:43,600 --> 00:23:46,320 Speaker 1: we just allow any foreigner to walk all over us 442 00:23:46,840 --> 00:23:50,000 Speaker 1: or to take over our laws or our rules in 443 00:23:50,080 --> 00:23:52,520 Speaker 1: any country that we live in. That's not what this 444 00:23:52,640 --> 00:23:55,359 Speaker 1: is saying. What this is saying is that we treat 445 00:23:55,560 --> 00:23:59,640 Speaker 1: the individual foreigner with respect because they are a child 446 00:23:59,680 --> 00:24:03,720 Speaker 1: of God. And God loves every single person that he made. 447 00:24:04,000 --> 00:24:06,520 Speaker 1: So there's a balance that we need to find showing 448 00:24:06,600 --> 00:24:10,160 Speaker 1: love but also not tolerating anything that could pull us 449 00:24:10,280 --> 00:24:14,679 Speaker 1: away from God. You know, the older I get, the 450 00:24:14,680 --> 00:24:17,040 Speaker 1: more I realize how fine of a line there is 451 00:24:17,080 --> 00:24:20,040 Speaker 1: with everything, where if you cross over too much in 452 00:24:20,119 --> 00:24:24,440 Speaker 1: one direction, you start crossing over into sin, and same 453 00:24:24,480 --> 00:24:27,200 Speaker 1: goes if you cross into the other direction. There's like 454 00:24:27,240 --> 00:24:30,199 Speaker 1: a fine line you have to find with like everything 455 00:24:30,200 --> 00:24:32,880 Speaker 1: you do in life. And I am certainly not an 456 00:24:32,920 --> 00:24:37,480 Speaker 1: expert at that. I fail all the time. But hopefully 457 00:24:37,520 --> 00:24:40,600 Speaker 1: these discussions that we have together in the Bible can 458 00:24:40,640 --> 00:24:43,000 Speaker 1: help us find that fine line a little bit better. 459 00:24:43,040 --> 00:24:45,800 Speaker 1: With some of these topics. Before I let you guys 460 00:24:45,840 --> 00:24:48,639 Speaker 1: go with a happy listening in God Bless, please listen 461 00:24:48,680 --> 00:24:52,960 Speaker 1: to this one last sponsored ad for today. Okay, so 462 00:24:53,040 --> 00:24:56,560 Speaker 1: tomorrow is going to be a fantastic episode from the 463 00:24:56,600 --> 00:24:59,439 Speaker 1: Book of James. We are going to be finishing the 464 00:24:59,480 --> 00:25:03,960 Speaker 1: discussion of Satan coming into the churches essentially and trying 465 00:25:03,960 --> 00:25:08,040 Speaker 1: to cause a divide, and how this divide can cause 466 00:25:08,080 --> 00:25:12,840 Speaker 1: schisms and more church denominations and just all sorts of problems, 467 00:25:13,000 --> 00:25:15,480 Speaker 1: and so we have to be really on guard against 468 00:25:15,520 --> 00:25:19,520 Speaker 1: the tactics of Satan coming into the church. So I'm 469 00:25:19,560 --> 00:25:21,800 Speaker 1: excited for that topic tomorrow, and I hope that you 470 00:25:21,840 --> 00:25:24,240 Speaker 1: guys are as well. Until then, I hope you all 471 00:25:24,240 --> 00:25:27,680 Speaker 1: have a fantastic and wonderful rest of your Monday, happy 472 00:25:27,760 --> 00:25:35,879 Speaker 1: listening and God Bless. I just want to take a 473 00:25:35,920 --> 00:25:37,879 Speaker 1: second to thank the team at Life Audio for their 474 00:25:37,920 --> 00:25:40,960 Speaker 1: partnership with me on the Bible Explain podcast. In fact, 475 00:25:40,960 --> 00:25:43,479 Speaker 1: if you go to lifeaudio dot com you'll find dozens 476 00:25:43,480 --> 00:25:46,320 Speaker 1: of other faith centered podcasts in their network. They've got 477 00:25:46,359 --> 00:25:49,520 Speaker 1: shows about prayer, Bible study, parenting, and more.