S1: What's your unique purpose? There's no better place to understand
S1: your calling than by studying the life of Esther, who
S1: lived out her purpose with conviction and faith. Coming up,
S1: special guest Dannah Gresh has an encouraging word for you
S1: as you join us for this week's edition of The
S1: Land and the book, a welcome to our weekly flyover
S1: of the Middle East. Our pilot is Doctor Charlie Dyer,
S1: and I'm John Gager strapped in right next to him. Charlie.
S1: Last week we launched one of our famous book blasts.
S1: Five books were giving away, and it looks like Angela
S1: from Grand Rapids is our winner. Tell me, what did
S1: she have to say in her email? Charlie? Yeah, she.
S2: Wrote. I love listening to the land in the book.
S2: I especially enjoy and grow from hearing how modern day
S2: events are connected to the Bible. The land in the
S2: book is very informative and I feel like I gain
S2: knowledge each time I listen.
S1: Well, that's a neat note from Angela. Congratulations. And those
S1: books are headed out to you. And if you didn't
S1: win this time, well, you'll have an opportunity in the
S1: near future, I promise. And thank you, by the way,
S1: for writing to let us know how the land and
S1: the book connects with you. Well, Charlie, as the end
S1: of the year approaches, many world events have left us
S1: wondering what God's plan is for the future, especially when
S1: it comes to Israel. Despite its small size, boy, people
S1: around the world are focused, right? There are today's headlines
S1: connected in any way with the prophecies in the Bible.
S1: How should followers of Jesus interpret current events as we
S1: await his second coming?
S2: Well, to help answer those crucial questions, our friends at
S2: Life and Messiah urge you to check out their book, God, Israel,
S2: and Bible Prophecy with Scripture as its foundation. This book
S2: will take you on a journey into what God has
S2: in store for the Jewish people and the nations. The
S2: book is for anyone who wants to explore where modern
S2: day events fit on God's grand timeline. And if that's
S2: you or someone you know, this would be a great
S2: resource or gift. Visit Life in Messiah org and click
S2: on the Moody Radio button to find out how you
S2: can receive your copy of God, Israel and Bible Prophecy.
S2: That's life in messiah.org.
S1: Well, our elections are now in the rear view mirror,
S1: but the results are just starting to be felt in
S1: the Middle East as we open up this current events segment. Charlie,
S1: what impact could this election of President Trump have on
S1: Israel's conflicts with Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran?
S2: Well, in one sense, President Trump can't do anything for
S2: the next two months until he's inaugurated in January. But
S2: his influence is already being felt in both Israel and Iran.
S2: And I think it will eventually be the other countries
S2: there in the Middle East. The US Department of Justice
S2: charged Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps with a plot to kill
S2: Trump back in September. Iran has denied the accusation, but
S2: this immediately put Iran on notice. The Biden administration said
S2: any attempt to harm Trump would be considered an act
S2: of war on the part of Iran. When Trump was president,
S2: before he scuttled the nuclear agreement with Iran, reimposed economic
S2: sanctions and ordered a drone strike that killed Iranian Guard
S2: Corps leader Soleimani. Look for Trump to exert more pressure
S2: on Iran economically, politically and militarily when he takes office.
S2: This is already causing concern in Tehran. In fact, the
S2: value of their rial is dropping since he's been elected.
S2: Trump has voiced strong support for Israel, and he's backing
S2: up his verbal support by naming strong supporters of Israel
S2: to his cabinet. The impact of the election extends beyond
S2: just Israel and Iran. In response to pressure from the U.S.,
S2: Qatar has supposedly agreed to oust Hamas's political leadership from
S2: their country, though this is still uncertain. What they have
S2: said is that they'll cease trying to mediate a hostage
S2: deal between Israel and Hamas. Many look for Trump to
S2: try to re-energize the Abraham Accords, pushing for a deal
S2: between Israel and Saudi Arabia. Trump comes into office with
S2: past experience and with fresh ideas on how to move forward.
S2: The man who finally moved the US Embassy to Jerusalem
S2: is certain to have other surprises up his sleeve come January. Certainly,
S2: nominating Mike Huckabee as US ambassador to Israel is just
S2: one of those surprises.
S1: Well, in spite of the change in Washington, Russia's President
S1: Putin is still pushing forward with his own vision for
S1: a new Middle East. How could that plan unfold?
S2: It could unfold as part of Putin's larger strategy to
S2: develop a new world order to counter the West. Trump's
S2: election will cause some concern, though it won't change Putin's
S2: fundamental goals. In fact, it might provide a way for
S2: him to end the war in Ukraine while holding on
S2: to some of his gains. But in terms of his
S2: larger vision, Putin wants to expand BRICs. That's the alliance
S2: of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa to include
S2: other countries willing to join this non-Western bloc of states.
S2: A major part of the alliance will be economic, providing
S2: access to trade and goods to countries restricted in some
S2: manner by the West. This week, Russia and Iran linked
S2: their banking systems to overcome Western sanctions, and they plan
S2: to expand their system to other countries as well. But
S2: Putin is looking beyond just economic cooperation to include defense cooperation.
S2: Russia is preparing to sign a comprehensive treaty with Iran
S2: that will include closer defense ties. Iran and North Korea
S2: have been providing Russia with drones and shells for its
S2: war in Ukraine, and now North Korea is sending troops
S2: to bolster Russia's forces there. In return, Russia is supplying
S2: North Korea with food aid and both North Korea and
S2: Iran with technology. Lurking on the edge of all this
S2: is Turkey. They're connected to the West through NATO and
S2: through trade. But Turkey also shares common interests in the
S2: Middle East with both Russia and Iran. Now, watch to
S2: see if Turkey can put aside some very real differences
S2: to align with Russia and Iran and other countries, and
S2: watch to see if the United States puts pressure on
S2: Turkey to choose between supporting NATO or supporting Russia and
S2: Iran and Hamas.
S1: Interesting. And I also noted that President Erdogan, you know,
S1: offered a call of congratulations to President Trump, maybe merely symbolic,
S1: but that was an interesting gesture. I thought it.
S2: Was. And yet, at the same week, he also broke off,
S2: he said, ties with Israel. So he's trying to play
S2: both sides. And that gap is going to continue getting
S2: wider and wider for him.
S1: You're listening to a current events segment as we open
S1: up here on the land and the book. Our host,
S1: Doctor Charlie Dyer. Middle East expert, I'm John Gager. Well,
S1: the attacks by Iran and her proxies against Israel have
S1: included missiles, rockets and drones as Israel's high tech defenses
S1: continue to evolve to face these attacks. What lessons can
S1: the West learn from Israel's response?
S2: Yeah, we all know about the success of Israel's Iron
S2: Dome system, and the current conflict also showcased the success
S2: of its longer range systems like David's Sling and the
S2: arrow system, which have. Taken down longer range ballistic missiles,
S2: but Iran and its proxies developed. Tactics to test the
S2: limitations of all these systems. And they did find some weaknesses.
S2: One weakness is cost. The cost to shoot down rockets
S2: and missiles is high. And. Israel has experienced times when
S2: its supply of interceptors has dwindled. It costs far less
S2: to produce the drones and rockets than it does for
S2: Israel to. Defend against them. And they've also been able
S2: to overwhelm Israel's defenses by. Launching scores of rockets simultaneously,
S2: allowing some to make it through. Drones have proven to
S2: be even more effective. Israel has had less success locating
S2: in shooting down drones since they fly so close to
S2: the ground, evading radar. The drone that hit the Prime
S2: Minister's home in Caesarea is just one example. More soldiers
S2: have been killed by drones than by rockets. So what
S2: are some of the lessons Israel has learned? Well, they
S2: learned they need to have a system that uses more
S2: than just radar to detect drones. They're now developing a
S2: system that uses wireless technology, deep signal processing, and machine
S2: learning to detect and intercept them. They've also learned not
S2: to focus on just the missiles and drones, but the
S2: infrastructure behind them. They destroyed the factories in Iran, making
S2: the solid rocket propellant for missiles in Lebanon. They focused
S2: on the drone operators firing positions, assembly sites, underground bases
S2: and storage centers. Now, this required solid intelligence gathering. Finally,
S2: they learned to push for new, lower cost defensive alternatives.
S2: They hope to have their ion beam system up and
S2: running next year, as well as what they're calling the
S2: Light Beam Short Range Laser system to protect vehicles from
S2: drones and mortars. The operational cost for these new systems
S2: will actually be less than the cost of the drones
S2: used by the enemy. The key lessons in all this
S2: for the West are these don't depend on just expensive
S2: high tech systems. develop a multi-layered defense and be prepared
S2: to respond to changing tactics, and look for ways to
S2: leverage technology to make it all as low cost and
S2: cost effective as possible.
S1: Well, it sounds like good wisdom to me. Samaritan's purse
S1: continues to offer practical ministry help to the people of Israel.
S1: Describe the impact that Franklin Graham and his organization have
S1: had on Israel over the past year. Yeah.
S2: When Israel was attacked on October 7th, two results immediately
S2: became apparent here in the U.S. the first was the
S2: rise in anti-Semitism. Israel was shocked to see the hatred
S2: and hostility that spread across our country. The second result
S2: was the willingness of evangelical Christians to take a stand
S2: for Israel and come to her aid in her hour
S2: of need. One of the greatest examples of this was
S2: Franklin Graham and Samaritan's Purse. Within days, they sent an
S2: advance team to see what they could do to offer
S2: practical help. You know, when we were there back in March,
S2: we met with two of those team leaders, including one
S2: who's a graduate of Moody Bible Institute. Samaritan's purse quickly
S2: seized on the need to replace the ambulances that were
S2: destroyed on October 7th. We were there just a few
S2: weeks after Samaritan's Purse dedicated the 14 fully equipped ambulances
S2: they had sent. They've since committed to provide an additional
S2: 28 armored ambulances, which are now starting to arrive. Those
S2: are better prepared to operate in areas like the border
S2: communities that have been attacked. Samaritan's purse also committed to
S2: establish two new ambulance centers near the border with both
S2: Gaza and Lebanon. Two realities emerge from all these donations.
S2: The first is that Israel recognizes that evangelical believers do
S2: care for them. The second is that Samaritan's Purse is
S2: working with both Jewish and Arab believers while they're there.
S2: These practical displays of love and support have opened doors
S2: for local believers there to share their faith in very
S2: practical ways.
S1: Thank you Charlie. Well, a full program today. Coming up,
S1: a conversation with Dana Gresh about the life of Esther.
S1: Then it's Bible questions and answers and Charlie's devotional, so
S1: don't miss any of it. As you stay with us
S1: here for Moody Radio's The Land and the book. What's
S1: your unique purpose? I mean, you weren't exactly born with
S1: an instruction tag, right? But if you're a Christian, the
S1: Bible offers an entire book of instructions. And there's no
S1: better place to understand your calling than by studying the
S1: life of Esther, who lived out her purpose pretty well.
S1: This is the land and the book. I'm John Gager,
S1: and before we join our special guest, Dannah Gresh, let's
S1: focus our thoughts for a moment on being more effective
S1: in loving our Jewish friends and neighbors for Christ. Sometimes
S1: you and I are reluctant to engage a Jewish friend
S1: in conversation, because we presume that they know more about
S1: the Bible than us. Should we think that way? And
S1: if we do, are we right or wrong? Gregg Savitt,
S1: your thoughts?
S3: Well, that's a common misconception that Jewish people are people
S3: of the book. People that know the New Testament and
S3: love Jesus. There's over 880 allusions to the Old Testament
S3: and 250 direct quotations. So Christian, just by their faith
S3: in the New Testament, know so much more about the
S3: Old Testament than Jewish people. Jon, I can't tell you
S3: how many hundreds of times Gentiles have told me that
S3: when they witness to their Jewish friends who are not believers,
S3: they say, you know so much more about my Bible,
S3: about Jewish holidays than I do. How can you do that? And,
S3: you know, Paul talks about making somebody being jealous. You know,
S3: and I think that's highly a Jewish thing, is that
S3: you know their religion better than they do.
S1: That's Gregg Savitt, who serves with Rock of Israel Ministries
S1: joining us on the land and the book Dannah Gresh
S1: is a best selling author and the founder of True Girl,
S1: a ministry just for tween girls and their moms. One
S1: of Dana's latest books in the True Girls series is
S1: Esther Becoming a Girl of Purpose from Moody Publishers. Hey,
S1: welcome back to the land and the book, Dana.
S4: Oh, I'm so thrilled to be back. Thanks for having me.
S1: You know, I got to say, right off the bat,
S1: it's a shame. This is just radio. No pictures. Because
S1: I love, really love the colorful design of the pages
S1: in this book, generously splashed with images and illustrations. It
S1: seems to me, in a visually oriented culture like ours,
S1: that communicates something to kids these days. Something good. Your thoughts?
S4: Yeah, that's really important. You know, with the attention span
S4: that they have, um, they need that. And when we
S4: started designing things for True Girl, we went to the
S4: bookstore and we said, who is attracting these girls. And
S4: it was the American girls line, and they just set
S4: the standard for how things look. And yet they don't
S4: always have content that leads you to biblical truth. Right.
S4: And so we wanted to create something that would sit
S4: on a shelf in a bookstore next to an American
S4: Girl product and compete visually and quality wise, but attract
S4: them because there is biblical truth in it. So that's
S4: really important to us, and we're proud of that.
S1: All right. Beyond the obvious visual appeal, we crack open
S1: the book itself. And there you write. God's story and
S1: purpose isn't complete yet, and it's continuing with you. It
S1: seems to me that's a message that every girl and
S1: boy and adult needs to hear. How would we live
S1: differently if we really believed that, Dana?
S4: Mhm. We would definitely live differently. You know, Esther was
S4: a girl who didn't live for her own Satisfaction. I mean,
S4: we're reading a story about a teen girl who gets
S4: taken away. She is trafficked, essentially, and yet she walks
S4: with dignity and grace on the pages of Scripture and
S4: fulfills the purpose of God's big plan. When she went
S4: before King Xerxes and risked her life. She was laying
S4: her life down for the bigger plan of God's purpose
S4: and will. And that's what we exist for. We exist
S4: to glorify him, to serve him, to enjoy him, and
S4: to be enjoyed by him. And she gets that. Esther
S4: got that. And I am so excited about taking tween
S4: girls and their moms into the pages of Esther to
S4: have new eyes, to see how that might work in
S4: our lives.
S1: You outline your Bible study around four z words, and
S1: though you've intended this for kids, I think we adults
S1: could benefit from these as well. Let's look at each one,
S1: starting with zoom in. What do you intend for us
S1: at this stage, Dana?
S5: It.
S4: Yeah. The four Z method of Bible study. This is
S4: a true girl signature, but not really because it's just
S4: a simplified, inductive Bible study method. But it's a whole
S4: lot more graspable for the 8 to 12 year old
S4: mind when we say, hey, you got to zoom in,
S4: you got to zoom out, you got to zero in,
S4: you got to zip it up. And they remember that.
S4: So zooming in this is zooming into the details, the particulars. Like,
S4: you know, this morning I was meditating on Psalm 92
S4: verse 12. And the word flourished really stuck out to me.
S4: So I was like, what does flourish mean? Let's look
S4: at what the Hebrew word for flourish was, and then
S4: let's look at the dictionary. What does the dictionary say
S4: about this word and stuff like that. So that's really
S4: just becoming familiar with maybe one word or maybe one character.
S4: So maybe just getting to know who was Mordecai. What
S4: would we know about Jewish men in that day and age?
S4: What would we know about Jewish men living in that time,
S4: living in that city in that day and age? And
S4: you just really take one word and you become super
S4: familiar with it. And that's a whole lot easier if
S4: you zoom out. So that's the second you can zoom
S4: in or zoom out first. But zooming out then is like, okay,
S4: the city of Susa, what do we know? Well, we
S4: know that being Jewish in that day and age was
S4: a great risk. It's much like being Jewish or being
S4: a believer in the Middle East is today. It's a
S4: great risk to be a Christian in Iran, where Susa
S4: would have been. It's a great recipe. Jewish in Iran,
S4: where Susa would have been. And so you start to
S4: get the broad view of the stuff that I'm reading
S4: have to do. And when you do those two things,
S4: you start to really understand something about the Scripture, at
S4: least for that time and that area. So zoom in,
S4: zoom out, and then zero in. Now we're starting to say,
S4: what does this mean for me today? So when a
S4: little girl learns that Esther is not considering her own life,
S4: but she's laying it down. We can go to Scripture
S4: that teaches us in the New Testament that we're supposed
S4: to be laying our lives down for others, to that
S4: we're supposed to be emulating the sacrificial life of Christ
S4: and then zip it up. That's what we do. We
S4: talk to God in prayer. We zip all of our
S4: zooming and zeroing up in prayer to God. And we say, Lord,
S4: help me to live like Esther. Help me to live
S4: not full of and consumed by my own passions and
S4: my own wills. But what is your will for my life?
S4: And what do you want me to do for such
S4: a time as this, in this culture? So that's the
S4: Fawzi method of Bible study.
S1: Pretty simple if you just dropped into our conversation. Our
S1: guest today on the land and the book is Dannah Gresh.
S1: We're exploring the life of Esther as we hit the
S1: highlights in her new Moody Publishers book. You write that
S1: nothing and no one can stop God's purpose for your life. Well,
S1: that is so empowering. Where do you think that message
S1: ought to land with girls who are reading this book.
S1: And what's your hope there?
S4: Well, so this is a really big piece of the
S4: book of Esther, right? Because we have Haman, the bad guy,
S4: coming into the picture, and he is determined to wipe
S4: out the Jewish people, which wouldn't be the first or
S4: last time that somebody wanted to wipe out the special
S4: chosen people of God. But where Esther, the protagonist, is
S4: in an impossible situation where there's absolutely there are laws
S4: on the books to where Xerxes giving Haman that permission
S4: can't be overridden like it is impossible. Nothing could possibly
S4: save the Jewish people. And yet the Jewish people are saved.
S4: King Xerxes thinks of a loophole and he says, you know,
S4: we're going to do it this way. And in doing so,
S4: he allows the Jewish people to rise up to protect themselves.
S4: And he can't override the decree he's already signed. But
S4: because of Esther's courage and because she stepped into the
S4: plan and the purpose that God appointed her to. He
S4: is able to override that law and the Jewish people
S4: instead of looking back with mourning and like we do
S4: on nine over 11, instead of looking back on what
S4: Sousa could have meant had Haman been successful, they throw
S4: a party called Purim, which is a party that's still
S4: celebrated today. They still make these triangular shaped, jelly filled
S4: cookies that Jewish families grow up loving. But they have
S4: meaning in those cookies. Those cookies have purpose because they're
S4: reminding them God delivered us when it looked like we
S4: could not be saved. He used Queen Esther to keep
S4: the Jewish line alive and well. And it's just a
S4: beautiful reminder to all of us that when everything looks dark, despondent,
S4: and hopeless, our circumstances don't get the last say. God
S4: gets the last say in our lives. His plan cannot
S4: be thwarted.
S1: So, Dana, what is the most important idea that you
S1: want girls to hang on to once they've studied the
S1: life of Esther?
S4: That God will invite them into his purpose and plan.
S4: And that's kind of what happened to Esther. I'm burdened
S4: right now that we really are seeing such complacency in
S4: young adults and teenagers in terms of meaning and purpose.
S4: You know, we really are seeing them not being called
S4: to rise up to something beyond themselves, but they want
S4: to do kind of what they feel like doing and
S4: not necessarily hard things. And yet in the book of Esther,
S4: we see Esther being invited by God into his big
S4: plan and sacrificially serving in that spot. And so I
S4: guess for those times when your teenage daughter or your
S4: college daughter or your young adult daughter doesn't have an
S4: Etsy page that is exploding, or she isn't an influencer
S4: on social media or all these other things she's comparing
S4: yourself to. And she's like, I don't know. I'm not
S4: doing big things, so maybe I don't have a purpose.
S4: That's not true. That's a lie from the pit of hell.
S4: God has created her with purpose. It is to glorify
S4: him and to enjoy him forever. And he is going
S4: to invite her into that purpose in the perfect time
S4: and the perfect way, in a way that honors and
S4: glorifies him. And she is going to enjoy it, and
S4: she is going to love it.
S1: That's Dannah Gresh, who is a bestselling author and the
S1: founder of True Girl, a ministry just for tween girls
S1: and their moms. It's an honor to have her with
S1: us today on the land and the book. I'm curious,
S1: any reaction to this series so far? Or maybe this
S1: book in particular, the True Girl series?
S4: Oh, moms love it. We actually have an online Bible
S4: study we do every fall based on one character of
S4: the Bible, Miriam. Ruth. This fall, it's Esther. It starts
S4: in two weeks. You can learn about that at my gurl.com.
S4: And moms can really just take girls through this Bible
S4: study on their own, or they can join us for
S4: that online Bible study. And we kind of facilitated to
S4: make it fun for them. They get to interact with
S4: some of the other girls around the nation and the
S4: world who are learning the Fawzi method of Bible study.
S4: We have thousands of moms go through these studies with
S4: us every year, and what we hear is two things.
S4: One is girls discover that the Lord really does speak
S4: to them through Scripture, not through their pastor, not through
S4: their Sunday school teacher, not through a Bible teacher, or
S4: not even their parents. The Lord speaks to them through
S4: the scriptures when they learn the Fawzi method of Bible study.
S4: And the other thing I love hearing this is so
S4: cool is that when moms take our Bible studies, especially
S4: our online version, they say, oh, this is amazing, but
S4: I've been in my Bible. I've been reading it, but
S4: I wasn't studying it. Even learning this Fawzi method of
S4: Bible study, I am seeing scripture with new eyes and
S4: I think I'm handling it with more accuracy. So we
S4: love hearing that. We love hearing that there's growth in
S4: these girls and growth in the moms, too. As we
S4: study God's Word together.
S1: Hey, what's one aspect of the character of Esther that
S1: maybe you never really saw before you created this Bible study?
S1: Anything that caught you by surprise? Dana.
S4: Okay, so it's not even a biblical thing, but it's super.
S4: It's an archaeological thing. And I think you geek out
S4: on archaeology. So can we geek out?
S6: Go for it.
S4: Way back in the 1800s, some French archaeologists did some
S4: serious digging in Iran, and they uncovered the ancient city
S4: of Susa. It is one of the few places in
S4: the world where we can go and stand in the
S4: exact spot where Esther would have been risking her life,
S4: and Xerxes extended the scepter to her, the exact spot
S4: where Queen Vashti was banished. Because we know where the
S4: ballroom was, we know the spot where Mordecai stood. And
S4: what's really interesting to me is not only do we
S4: have this archaeological dig. But the Book of Esther, it's
S4: almost like God knew. You're going to find this place
S4: one day, and I want you to be sure that
S4: this is it. So the book of Esther gives so
S4: many details, like that Queen Esther stepped out of her
S4: chamber and turned, and she went into the King's chamber. Well,
S4: when we dug up Susa, we found the. Would have
S4: been the Harem's chamber, the concubines chamber. And there was
S4: a private throne room that the king had for like
S4: closer extended family and friends, not the big throne room,
S4: which would have been in the palace. And the Book
S4: of Esther just describes exactly how she would have stepped
S4: out of it, stood and turned. And there she is.
S4: So it gives me chills. And it's not that we
S4: need archaeology to prove the Bible, but every now and
S4: then we have these wonderful glimpses of this book can
S4: be trusted because we dug this place up, and it's
S4: laid out exactly as described in the Book of Esther.
S4: That just gives me chills.
S1: I love it, I love it too, and I really
S1: appreciate you bringing those details to our attention. I had
S1: no idea. Hey, if you're a parent, you're a grandparent.
S1: You got tween girls in your life. You need this book.
S1: Esther becoming a girl of purpose. It's in the True
S1: Girls series from Dannah Gresh and Moody Publishers. A link
S1: is at our website. The land and the book. Org. Dana,
S1: thank you as always for your time. Appreciate your insights.
S7: My pleasure. Thanks for having me.
S1: All right. Looking forward to Charlie Dyer rejoining us at
S1: the microphone for his answers to your Bible questions next.
S1: Hope you're having a great day. This is the land
S1: and the book from Moody Radio. I'm John Gager, our host,
S1: as always, the cheery Charlie Dyer. He's got his Bible open. Why, Charlie?
S1: Why is that Bible open?
S2: Uh, because people have questions about the Bible. And when
S2: they have questions, we want to have answers.
S1: That's right. Well, here's a thought to process as the
S1: end of this year approaches, many world events have left
S1: us wondering what God's plan is for the future, and
S1: this is especially true when it comes to Israel. Despite
S1: its small size, people around the world are intensely focused
S1: on what takes place there. So are today's headlines somehow
S1: connected with prophecies in the Bible? How should followers of
S1: Jesus interpret current events as we await his second coming? Charlie.
S2: Well, that's a great question. And to help provide answers
S2: to that question, our friends at Life and Messiah encourage
S2: you to check out their book, God, Israel, and Bible
S2: Prophecy with Scripture as its foundation. This book will take
S2: you on a journey into what God has in store
S2: for the Jewish people and the nations. The book is
S2: for anyone who wants to explore where modern day events
S2: fit on God's grand timeline. If that's you or someone
S2: you know, this would be a great resource or gift.
S2: Visit Life in Messiah org and click on the Moody
S2: Radio button to find out how you can receive your
S2: copy of God, Israel and Bible Prophecy. That's life in messiah.org.
S1: All right. Question number one for today comes from Todd.
S1: He says, can you provide any insight on Jeremiah 12
S1: verse two? Charlie, I know you love the prophet Jeremiah.
S2: Oh, I do, and I see Jeremiah 12 in light
S2: of what took place, actually in the first 11 chapters,
S2: in chapters 1 to 10. Jeremiah's basic message was repent
S2: or else. Chapter 11 then parallels the revival under King
S2: Josiah in second Kings 22 and 23, the book of
S2: the law was discovered in the temple. Josiah held a
S2: public covenant renewal ceremony. Now to Jeremiah, it looked as
S2: if his years of ministry to that point were finally
S2: starting to pay off, as he now called on the
S2: people to listen to the words of this covenant. But
S2: then in chapter 11, verses 18 to 21, he was
S2: confronted with the reality that the people weren't going to repent. Instead,
S2: they planned to kill him. And all of that then
S2: leads to Jeremiah's realization and his complaint to God in
S2: chapter 12. In fact, Jeremiah began by bringing a court
S2: case against God, and he specifically focused on God's justice
S2: or from Jeremiah's perspective, God's apparent lack of justice. He
S2: asks in verse one why the way of the wicked
S2: seems to prosper. And then here comes that verse in
S2: verse two without waiting for God to answer, Jeremiah supplies
S2: what looks to him like the obvious answer it's God's fault.
S2: He says, you planted them and they've taken root. In
S2: other words, Jeremiah is accusing God of mismanagement from his perspective.
S2: God's listening to the words these people are speaking and
S2: overlooking their evil character. In verse three, Jeremiah tells God
S2: what he ought to be doing. In such cases, he says,
S2: drag him off like sheep to be butchered. Jeremiah, in effect,
S2: rests his case by calling on God to judge the
S2: wicked people who threaten to kill him. It's as if
S2: Jeremiah is viewing God as his own personal attack dog,
S2: and he finally says to God, sic em! Now some
S2: are shocked when they read that, but actually, I personally
S2: find it incredibly refreshing because it shows Jeremiah was just
S2: like us in his personal struggles and as he's so
S2: open and honest with God. Well, God responds the same
S2: way to him. God's answer is in chapter 12, and
S2: it's classic. He says, if you're raised with men on
S2: foot and they've worn you out, how are you? Compete
S2: with horses. If you stumble in safe country, how will
S2: you manage in the thickets by the Jordan? In other words,
S2: he says, hey Jeremiah, I never said it was going
S2: to be easy. In fact, in chapter one, when he
S2: called him, he already told Jeremiah how tough it was
S2: going to be. He says, if you're having troubles already,
S2: you know, running this Boston Marathon, what are you going
S2: to do when I have you run in the Kentucky Derby?
S2: If you're struggling here in the safe country of the hills,
S2: what are you going to do when I have you
S2: hack your way through the Jordan Valley? That's the dire translation,
S2: by the way. But I think what Jeremiah asks a
S2: hard question, at least what he thinks is a hard question.
S2: And God provides a very honest and refreshing answer.
S1: Jerry says, we've been studying Ezekiel and the Millennial Temple,
S1: and I'd like to know where are the raptured Christians
S1: at this time? I know God's glory appears in this temple,
S1: but where is Jesus and where are we?
S2: Well, we know at the time of the rapture, Christians
S2: are taken to heaven to be with the Lord. The
S2: dead in Christ also receive their glorified bodies at that
S2: same time. When Jesus then returns to earth at the
S2: end of the tribulation period. I believe we also return
S2: to earth with him in two Timothy 212. We're told
S2: if we endure with him, we will also reign with him.
S2: And I take that to mean we'll have positions of
S2: authority in the Millennial Kingdom. So during the millennium, we're
S2: citizens of the New Jerusalem. That's the dwelling place that
S2: Christ prepared for us, according to John 14. But we'll
S2: also be directly connected to Christ's reign here on earth
S2: and have positions of authority during that time. And while
S2: we're not told all the details of how that works,
S2: I'm sure it's going to make perfect sense at that time.
S1: Second question on Ezekiel from Vernon in chapter nine, verse four,
S1: a mark was put on the foreheads of the men
S1: who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed.
S1: Does this mean that they were given a soft heart
S1: in place of a stony heart to believe.
S2: Well, the mark isn't the imparting of a new heart
S2: on those who are grieving and lamenting. Their attitudes suggest
S2: they were people who were already sorrowing over the evil
S2: being done in Jerusalem. I suspect Jeremiah, the prophet who
S2: lived in Jerusalem at this time, would have been one
S2: of those who received the mark on that day. And
S2: by the way, that mark was visible to God and
S2: his angels, but it wasn't visible to anybody living in
S2: Jerusalem at the time. So the point of the vision
S2: is to show that God knew those who belonged to
S2: him and was marking them for his protection in the
S2: coming destruction of Jerusalem.
S1: Vernon takes us to the Book of Ezekiel and points
S1: out that in chapter three, verse six, it states that
S1: the prophet will be speaking to a people who will
S1: be able to understand, but will not listen. But had
S1: the message been given to the people with a hard language,
S1: would they have listened? Does this mean if they heard,
S1: they would believe unto salvation? Well, I.
S2: Think we need to take verses 4 to 6 actually
S2: together there in chapter three. God is sending Ezekiel to
S2: speak to the house of Israel. He says he's in captivity.
S2: So the group he's speaking to are those who've already
S2: been taken into captivity in Babylon. And God makes this
S2: clear in verse 11 where he says to him, go
S2: now to your own countrymen in exile, and speak to them.
S2: God's point in these verses is that those who should
S2: understand the message God is about to have him deliver,
S2: because they have no language barrier. They'll be the ones
S2: who will refuse to accept it. And I think the
S2: point of comparison is that the pagan Babylonians would have
S2: been more receptive to the message than his own fellow
S2: countrymen to whom God was sending him.
S1: Our question now from Sadie here on the land and
S1: the book where we're taking questions from listeners, by the way,
S1: I'll share our email address later. That's how you get
S1: your question to us. She takes us to Proverbs 626,
S1: pointing out that translators and scholars are divided on how
S1: to translate and interpret it. Some scholars even claim that
S1: the verse proves that visiting a prostitute was permitted for
S1: a season. I know that the Lord and the Apostle
S1: Paul would forbid this, but that's in the New Testament.
S1: I'm asking specifically what was permitted in the Old Testament.
S2: Yeah. And this is an interesting verse. It's incredibly difficult
S2: to translate, which is why translations differ so much. And
S2: I think the best approach here, though, is to look
S2: at the larger context and see if it offers some help. Now,
S2: some things left out in verse 26 that the writer
S2: intends for us to supply. The verse literally says, because
S2: the price of a woman or harlot as a loaf
S2: of bread and a wife, a man's precious soul hunts.
S2: Now something obviously needs to be added to have that
S2: comparison he's giving there. Makes sense. Here's what I think
S2: needs to be added. The first line, I believe, is
S2: suggesting that it can appear to a naive man that
S2: adultery is a relatively inexpensive thrill for very little commitment
S2: or expense. He can experience the sexual benefits of another,
S2: either a prostitute or, more likely, I actually think of
S2: another man's wife. But then the second line focuses on
S2: the real results. He might think he only had to
S2: pay a small price for that sexual encounter. But in reality,
S2: the woman was seeking to trap his very life. Here's
S2: why I think that might be the better translation. The
S2: overall context is a parent's instructions to their naive son,
S2: and the focus is on helping the young man avoid
S2: the temptation of the evil woman who's an adulteress. That's
S2: verse 24. The temptation starts when the young man desires
S2: her beauty in his heart. Verse 25, the first part,
S2: and it's fed by her attempts to lure him into
S2: a relationship. The last part of verse 25. Then after
S2: verse 26, the verse in question. Here the writer goes
S2: on to share the real consequences of falling into this trap.
S2: In the end, it'll burn. The individual verses 27 and 28.
S2: And then he writes in verse 29, so is the
S2: one who goes in to his neighbor's wife. Whoever touches
S2: her will not go unpunished. Now, when I put verse
S2: 26 in that larger context, I don't see anything here
S2: that speaks to or permits a man visiting some prostitute
S2: for a season. I believe the context is warning a
S2: naive young man and telling him that what might look
S2: like an easy good time, possibly with the wife of
S2: another man who is herself trying to seduce him, will
S2: in the end cost the young man his reputation and
S2: perhaps even his most important possession, his own life.
S1: Mary wants to know, is there any Scripture at all
S1: that says we're escorted by angels to heaven? A broadcaster
S1: on the radio says they do. Thanks for your help.
S2: Yeah, I think the broadcaster was probably referring to the
S2: story of the rich man and Lazarus told by Jesus
S2: in Luke chapter 16. In verse 22 of that chapter,
S2: Jesus describes the death of the poor beggar Lazarus. This
S2: way the time came when the beggar died and the
S2: angels carried him to Abraham's side. That's the only reference
S2: I know of. And it was part of a story
S2: or a parable told by Jesus. But I also believe
S2: Jesus wouldn't have shared something that wasn't true. And Jesus
S2: does say he was carried by the angels into glory.
S1: And as always, if you didn't hear your question, Well,
S1: stick around if you've emailed it to us, it's coming
S1: on a future broadcast. But if you'd like to send
S1: in a question that's welcome to here's how You connect
S1: with Charlie Dyer. The land and the book@moody.edu the land
S1: and the book at Moody dot. Edu. Charlie, how long
S1: does it take to answer those questions?
S2: Well, I try and answer within a day or two.
S2: And then. Then, of course, it takes a little longer
S2: to get it here on the air. But my goal
S2: is to try and respond as quickly as possible.
S1: All right. So you'll get great service as you email
S1: us at the land and the book@moody.edu. And I'm looking
S1: forward to Charlie's devotional. It's next right here on Moody
S1: Radio's The Land and the book. Welcome back to the
S1: land and the book. I'm John Gager, and you know,
S1: when it comes to clothing and fashion, I have a very,
S1: let's just say, low level goal. I'm trying to just
S1: stay one step ahead of nerd, and I rarely succeed
S1: even at that. If I ever look halfway decent, it's
S1: because of something my wife got me. Charlie, you have
S1: a clothing item. Focus in your devotional today, though.
S2: I do, and it's going to take people by surprise.
S2: We're going to talk about how to ruin a girdle.
S8: Okay.
S1: I'm intrigued. And that's going to take us to Jeremiah
S1: chapter 13. We'll get to that, though, after we pause
S1: for this Holy Land experience. I love these stories.
S9: I went to the Holy Land when I was about
S9: 25 years old. It was at a point where I
S9: was studying the Bible and I went to church, but
S9: up till that point I felt like I was a churchgoer.
S9: But faith wasn't part of my life. The trip to
S9: the Holy Land allowed me to see every single story
S9: from the Bible as if it were real. And not
S9: only that, I also gained a historical perspective because the
S9: current events suddenly made so much more sense because of
S9: the rooting in history. It was devastating to see how
S9: many centuries people have not been able to resolve their
S9: view of the Lord. But what I kept with me
S9: for the next 30 years has been that our Christ
S9: walked those streets in Jerusalem, and I felt like every
S9: single thing that I tried to wonder and believe in,
S9: that is, in God's Word. I go back to the
S9: fact that, well, Jesus was real and his world was real,
S9: and these messages from God in the Bible are real
S9: for me too.
S1: Charlie, I've never thought of you as a fashion expert,
S1: but I think I'm about to be corrected. Take it away.
S2: My wife would say I'm not a fashionista by any means,
S2: but this is the second of two weeks we're spending
S2: in my favorite part of Israel, the Judean wilderness. And
S2: just as I did last week, I want to illustrate
S2: today's devotional by including some photos on our land in
S2: the book Facebook page. So go there and you'll see
S2: exactly what I'll be describing. Leading groups to Israel for
S2: more than 40 years has taught me one important lesson.
S2: I'm not as young as I used to be. In
S2: my younger days, I liked passages like Psalm 18. He
S2: makes my feet like hinds feet and sets me upon
S2: high places. I have my share of photos standing on
S2: the edge of cliffs and scampering up and down steep inclines. Now,
S2: following knee replacement surgery and more than my share of bumps, bruises,
S2: twists and falls, I think the passage I resonate with
S2: today comes from Ecclesiastes 12. The grasshopper drags himself along.
S2: The hills appear steeper, the ground seems rockier, and my
S2: legs are definitely not as spry or as sturdy as
S2: they once were. On my very first trip to Israel,
S2: the teacher at the school I was attending offered to
S2: take us on optional trips during our free days. I
S2: signed up for every single one, and one of those
S2: turned out to be the most difficult hike I ever took.
S2: I know I wouldn't be able to do it today.
S2: And the crazy part is, it sounded so simple when
S2: he first announced it. We would be going on a
S2: Jebba to Micmac hike. I see those blank looks on
S2: everyone's faces, so stay with me here. Jebba and Micmac
S2: are only about a mile and a half apart. If
S2: you remember the story of Jonathan and his armorbearer defeating
S2: the Philistine army. They started out in Jebba and defeated
S2: the Philistine garrison near Michmash. So the walk had some
S2: great biblical significance. Now, what the leader didn't tell us
S2: is that we would start at Gaba, head toward Michmash,
S2: then turn and walk nearly halfway to Jericho before heading
S2: back by way of another canyon and then climbing up
S2: a cliff near the hometown of Jeremiah the prophet. It
S2: was an all day hike. The day began with an
S2: aha moment, as I understood how Jonathan and his armorbearer
S2: were able to rout the Philistines, though that's a story
S2: for another day. But I ended the day with a
S2: second aha moment that actually became a chapter in my
S2: doctoral dissertation. And that's the story I want to share
S2: with you. It's found in Jeremiah 13, where the prophet
S2: from the nearby village of Anathoth explains how to ruin
S2: a girdle. Actually, this is a place in the Bible
S2: where growing up with the King James Version wasn't too helpful.
S2: As a kid, I somehow knew what a girdle was,
S2: but it wasn't an article of clothing associated with a man.
S2: And yet in Jeremiah 13 one, God told the prophet
S2: to go and get thee a linen girdle and put
S2: it upon thy loins. In this case, a more modern
S2: translation definitely helps most translate the word as waistband or belt.
S2: It actually refers to a linen sash or belt that
S2: someone would tie around his waist to help hold his
S2: garment in place. Jeremiah was sharing a message in story
S2: form with the people, just as the priests wore a
S2: linen belt or sash when ministering before the Lord. So
S2: now Jeremiah was wearing a similar sash, but in this
S2: case he was representing the Lord, and the sash was
S2: representing Israel. He was told to keep it around his
S2: waist and to not let it touch water. It was
S2: to stay permanently close to him. Jeremiah did this for
S2: some time until God came to him again with another
S2: command take the belt you bought and are wearing around
S2: your waist, and go now to Pirot and hide it
S2: there in a crevice of the rocks. Literally, God told
S2: Jeremiah to go to Pirot and hide the belt. Now
S2: the word Pirot is the Hebrew word for Euphrates, and
S2: we picture Jeremiah walking nearly 300 miles to reach the
S2: nearest branch of the Euphrates River. But if that's the case,
S2: then most of his audience would have no idea what
S2: he was doing because few, if any, would follow him there.
S2: This was always a puzzle to me until that all
S2: day hike we ended up at a natural spring called
S2: Ein Porat, literally the Euphrates Spring, and it was just
S2: over two miles from Jeremiah's hometown and five miles from Jerusalem.
S2: This had to be the place Jeremiah went to bury
S2: his linen sash. The spring of Porat is in a deep,
S2: rocky gorge just on the edge of the Judean Wilderness
S2: access is easier today, but back then we ended up
S2: climbing out of the gorge, up the side of a
S2: very steep cliff. As you can see in the pictures
S2: I took, it was a rough and rugged area, but
S2: Jeremiah's actions now made perfect sense. He was delivering the
S2: same message as the previous 12 chapters, but now it
S2: was being acted out in a far more dramatic way
S2: because of the nation's unbelief. Jeremiah represented God in this
S2: extended pantomime, and the linen belt or sash represented Israel.
S2: As long as Israel remained close to God, they were safe.
S2: But then Jeremiah took the sash to this rugged gorge
S2: to hide in a crevice of the rock. No doubt
S2: some of those from Jerusalem and his hometown followed Jeremiah
S2: to see what he was doing. Sometime later, God sent
S2: Jeremiah back to the gorge to retrieve the sash. So
S2: I went to Pirot and dug up the belt and
S2: took it from the place where I'd hidden it, but
S2: now it was ruined and completely useless. The water, dampness
S2: and dirt at the spring had caused the linen sash
S2: to rot and decay. It was worthless. God then had
S2: Jeremiah explain the point of the story. These wicked people
S2: who refused to listen to my words, who followed the
S2: stubbornness of their hearts and go after other gods to
S2: serve and worship them, will be like this belt completely useless,
S2: for as a belt is bound around a man's waist.
S2: So I bound the whole house of Israel, and the
S2: whole house of Judah to me, declares the Lord, to
S2: be my people for my renown and praise and honor.
S2: But they have not listened. And there's one more key
S2: detail Jeremiah doesn't explain, but that the people would have understood.
S2: What did God use to destroy this sash that represented them?
S2: It was parrot. The Euphrates. God would send the Babylonians
S2: from the region of the Euphrates River to destroy the nation,
S2: unless they missed the point. God has Jeremiah emphasize how
S2: the belt was hidden in the crevice of the rock.
S2: Why is that significant? Back in chapter four, verse 29,
S2: God described how the people will scramble to get away
S2: when the invaders arrive at the sound of horsemen and archers.
S2: Every town takes to flight. Some go to the thickets,
S2: some climb up among the rocks, and then later in
S2: chapter 16, God described how he would send the invading
S2: army to search out the people. I will send for
S2: many hunters, and they will hunt them down on every
S2: mountain and hill and from the crevices of the rocks.
S2: When Israel stopped clinging to God, there was no other
S2: place of safety. Even if they tried to hide in
S2: the rocky crevices and cracks in the wilderness, God would
S2: make sure the Babylonians, those from the Euphrates, would find them.
S2: Before we walk up the steep but more modern roadway
S2: to leave the spring of parrot, what lesson can we
S2: take with us from Jeremiah 13 and his instructions on
S2: how to ruin a girdle? How about this somber warning?
S2: The only way we can experience true security is to
S2: cling tightly to God the moment we let go of
S2: him and turn to someone or something else for our security.
S2: We're setting ourselves up for failure. The words of the
S2: chorus by Mildred Lightner Dillon are a good reminder of
S2: the place we need to go to find our safety
S2: and security. Safe. Am I safe? Am I in the
S2: hollow of his hand? Sheltered or sheltered or with his
S2: love forevermore. No ill can harm me. No foe alarm me.
S2: For he keeps both day and night safe. Am I safe?
S2: Am I in the hollow of his hand?
S1: Thank you Charlie, I love that old chorus. Brings back
S1: a lot of great memories. We should sing that one. Well,
S1: we're singing your praises for hanging out with us at
S1: the land of the book. Thanks for your company today.
S1: Our website is The Land and the book. Org. Thank
S1: you to our host, Charlie Dyer, our producer, Dan Anderson.
S1: I'm John Gager the land and the book is a
S1: production of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.