S1: When you think of the Psalms, who's the first person
S1: that comes to mind? Probably David. After all, he wrote
S1: more than 70 chapters or songs. But did you know
S1: that the Psalms actually point to Christ? What if we
S1: could learn to read this biblical collection with fresh eyes?
S1: What if we really learned the art of treasuring the Psalms? Well,
S1: that's your invitation as you join us now for the
S1: land and the book. Our host is the always reading,
S1: always learning. Doctor Charlie Dyer, a noted Old Testament scholar
S1: and Middle East expert. I'm John Geiger, and, you know,
S1: a lot of us hear about reaching out to the
S1: Jewish people, but never think about the fact that they
S1: really do need Jesus. It's important to remember that they,
S1: like everybody else, need to hear the good news.
S2: That's right. And that's why life in Messiah, which is
S2: a ministry that's been in existence for over 135 years,
S2: is devoted to sharing the gospel with Jewish people around
S2: the world. And now they're offering a gift to moody listeners.
S2: This free e-book, Reaching Jewish People for Messiah, highlights the
S2: need for the gospel among the Jewish people. It will
S2: equip you with practical ways to share the good News
S2: with them. Now, to receive this free e-book, visit Life
S2: in Messiah org and click on the Moody Radio logo there.
S2: Sign up today to get your copy. That's life in Messiah.
S1: And now let's swing our focus toward current events in
S1: the Middle East. President Trump is traveling to the Middle
S1: East this coming week for meetings with Arab leaders. Is
S1: there any connection between this upcoming visit and the recent
S1: Houthi missile strike against Ben Gurion Airport? And could the
S1: meeting impact the nuclear talks with Iran, or perhaps the
S1: conflict between Israel and Hamas?
S2: Well, the events do appear to be indirectly linked. Now,
S2: here's what I mean. The Houthis fired that missile and
S2: it managed to hit inside Ben-Gurion airport's perimeter. Israel was
S2: able to detect and track the missile, but they experienced
S2: a technical failure with the interceptor, which is what enabled
S2: that missile to get through. Israel and the US then
S2: responded by launching a new wave of attacks on Yemen.
S2: Israel destroyed the airport in Yemen's capital, as well as
S2: several power stations and a cement plant. Following these attacks,
S2: and apparently pressed by Iran to help in their negotiations
S2: with the US, the Houthis agreed to stop firing on
S2: ships in the Red sea. In response, President Trump said
S2: the US would stop its bombing campaign. Now, that announcement
S2: blindsided Israeli officials who weren't told in advance. And then
S2: the Houthis clarified that the cease fire agreement didn't include Israel.
S2: So does this mean the US has just thrown Israel
S2: under the bus, so to speak, leaving them to face
S2: the Houthis alone? Right now, the answer isn't clear. President
S2: Trump also said, somewhat cryptically, that he would be making
S2: a very big announcement in connection with his upcoming trip,
S2: but he didn't elaborate, leading to speculation that it could
S2: involve a plan to provide entry of aid to Gaza,
S2: perhaps in connection with a cease fire plan between Hamas
S2: and Israel, or possibly an expansion of the Abraham Accords,
S2: or even something else totally unexpected. President Trump's visit to
S2: the different Gulf states could also focus on the status
S2: of nuclear negotiations with Iran, which continue to inch forward.
S2: What's amazing, though, is that the visit to the Gulf
S2: states doesn't include a stop off in Israel. So on
S2: the eve of President Trump's impending visit, the major questions
S2: are these. Is the president looking to forge some sort
S2: of grand bargain to tie together Saudi Arabia and other
S2: Gulf states and maybe Israel? Or is he working to
S2: secure the release of the hostages by Hamas? Or is
S2: he trying to make multiple deals to promote trade while
S2: also eliminating Iran's ability to develop nuclear weapons? And in
S2: the midst of all the negotiations, will the genuine concerns
S2: of Israel be taken into account or are they being ignored?
S2: And right now we don't have the answers. But the
S2: coming weeks should reveal what's been going on behind the scenes.
S1: Very complex story there. Two weeks ago, Israel was devastated
S1: by two days of wildfires. What caused all the blazes
S1: and what was the impact on the country?
S2: Yeah, well, three major factors came together to cause the devastation. Heat,
S2: holidays and Hamas. The weather pattern that came through, bringing
S2: with it high temperatures, low humidity and very strong winds.
S2: The weather patterns called a sharav in Hebrew or Khamsin
S2: in Arabic. It usually lasts for a few days before
S2: a cold front, then sweeps through, lowering temperatures and often
S2: bringing rain. The Hamsin arrived just in time for Israel's
S2: two national holidays, Memorial Day and Independence Day. Many Israelis
S2: celebrate with gatherings, picnics and outdoor barbecues and hiking in
S2: the parks and nature reserves, while burning embers discarded, cigarettes
S2: landing in bone dry brush provided the ignition source, and
S2: the blowing winds whipped up small fires into large infernos
S2: in a matter of minutes. Though in addition to the
S2: heat and the holidays, the third H in this combination
S2: was Hamas. They quickly took to social media, calling on
S2: followers to deliberately set fires inside Israel. Over 100 fires
S2: were reported. Many were contained early, but several exploded into
S2: massive blazes, especially in hills near the highway that connects
S2: Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. In terms of impact, the good
S2: news is that there was no loss of life. Though
S2: a number of people were trapped in cars on the highways.
S2: Fires are a fact of life in Israel during the
S2: summer months, but this outbreak made the news because of
S2: its size and severity. Now, unfortunately, another impact in this
S2: case was the rain that followed the khamsin. It didn't
S2: cause any major flooding in the areas hit by fire,
S2: but it did cause problems in the wilderness. A flash
S2: flood roared through the nature reserve by the Dead Sea
S2: as nearly an inch and a half of rain fell
S2: on that area in a very short period of time.
S2: The wall of water washed out hiking trails, handrails and signage.
S2: Other desert areas from the Dead Sea down to a
S2: lot also experienced sudden flooding, causing the temporary closure of
S2: roads from fire to water. God's fearsome power was on
S2: display in Israel.
S1: From Moody Radio. This is the land and the book
S1: I'm John Gager. We're looking at current events from the
S1: Middle East this past week. In a poem, The Road
S1: Not Taken, Robert Frost wrote, two roads diverged in a wood,
S1: and I I took the one less traveled by. And
S1: it has made all the difference. But as Yuval Levy
S1: recently wrote in The Jerusalem Post, the road less traveled
S1: apparently doesn't exist anymore in Israel. Charlie, what did she mean?
S1: And what are the transportation problems facing Israel?
S2: Yeah. Robert Frost never was in Israel when he wrote
S2: that poem, because travel in Israel, right? Today is a mess.
S2: You know, it used to take an hour to drive
S2: between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Now it takes an hour
S2: and a half to two hours. Driving across Jerusalem from
S2: the Old City over to the Israel Museum used to
S2: take 15 or 20 minutes. It can now take 30
S2: to 60 minutes, depending on the time of day. Now,
S2: there are multiple reasons for all the traffic snarls. This
S2: country of 10 million people now has 4 million cars,
S2: with hundreds of thousands more being added to the road
S2: every year. A second major problem is geography. In places
S2: like Jerusalem, the hills, the valleys and the old homes
S2: crowded against the roadways limit the width of those roads.
S2: In spite of adding a light rail line and underground
S2: tunnels at some junctures, driving around the walled old city
S2: can still be painfully slow. Now Israel has added new highways,
S2: but they're quickly clogged by all the additional drivers. And
S2: once you get off the main roads and into the
S2: cities and towns, the roads again become a nightmare along
S2: with parking. Now you might think public transportation would be
S2: the solution. Unfortunately, it's used mostly by older people, students, children,
S2: and those who don't have a car. Now, I do
S2: have some good news for tourists. Most tourists avoid the
S2: greater Tel Aviv area, which has relatively little biblical significance,
S2: and apart from Jerusalem, most of the biblical sites are
S2: in less dense traffic areas. So there are still some
S2: roads that are less traveled, but you do need to
S2: know where they are and the time of day when
S2: they're open. And that's why it's so good to have
S2: a guide and a driver in Israel when you're there.
S1: Boy, that's for sure. Hey, what do fake online profiles
S1: on social media and abnormal protein activity in the human
S1: body have in common? Well, scientists at Ben-Gurion University have
S1: come up with the answer in another remarkable discovery from
S1: amazing Israel.
S2: Yeah, I found this one truly fascinating, John. A cybersecurity
S2: researcher at Ben-Gurion University who analyzes fraud on social networks,
S2: joined forces with a team of biologists from the same
S2: university to develop a machine learning system that can recognize
S2: abnormal activity in protein networks inside the human body. The
S2: cybersecurity researcher had developed an algorithm that uncovers suspicious behavior
S2: in social networks. It goes beyond what you would normally expect. Well,
S2: he connected with this other researcher who focuses on computational
S2: approaches in network biology, and they decided to apply his
S2: algorithm to discover atypical behavior in the networks of proteins.
S2: They detected anomalous proteins in human tissue. Using weighted graph
S2: anomalous mode detection. How's that for a mouthful? Yeah. The
S2: research was recently published in Gigascience, a journal that's part
S2: of Oxford University Press's academic research platform. The algorithm that
S2: was developed is open source, allowing other researchers to build
S2: upon it to solve other types of problems. Using a
S2: tool developed to find fake profiles in social media, to
S2: discover abnormal protein reactions in the human body, and then
S2: sharing the process with other researchers around the world to
S2: solve still other problems. That's just the kind of collaborative
S2: innovation we've come to expect from the scientists and the
S2: researchers in amazing Israel.
S1: And that's a look at current events from the Middle East.
S1: If you have yet to check out our podcast, we
S1: want to encourage you to do that not only for
S1: your own benefit, but for the benefit of others who
S1: don't live near a radio station that carries the land
S1: and the book. You'll find us at the land and
S1: the books, the land and the book org. I should
S1: also share our email address upfront. If you've ever got
S1: a question about the Middle East prophecy scripture, you're welcome
S1: to send that to us at The Land and the
S1: book at Moody dot the land and the book at Moody.
S1: Coming up on the land and the book a conversation
S1: about treasuring the Psalms. They all point to Christ. You'll
S1: be amazed at what you hear coming up right here.
S1: When you think of the Psalms, who's the first person
S1: that comes to mind? Probably David. After all, he wrote
S1: more than 70 chapters or songs. But did you know
S1: that the Psalms actually point to Christ? How can we
S1: learn to read this collection with fresh eyes? Coming up,
S1: your invitation to join us in treasuring the Psalms. Hey,
S1: we're glad you've joined us for segment two of The
S1: Land and the book. I'm John Gager, and before we
S1: explore what it means to treasure the Psalms, let's consider
S1: what it means to treasure our unsaved Jewish friends by
S1: sharing the love of Christ with them. Here's an idea.
S1: You know we can't really be friends with a Jewish
S1: friend if we don't take into account their celebrations like
S1: the Passover. What is that all about? And and what's
S1: the connection with Easter? And why are they sometimes on
S1: the same weekend? But not always. Let's ask Eva Rydell. Nick,
S1: what do you say?
S3: Well, Passover and Easter actually originated in the same celebration.
S3: Passover is the celebration of God's deliverance of the Jewish
S3: people from Egypt, bringing them back into the Promised Land.
S3: And that is the memorial that Jesus, our Messiah, used
S3: to institute the Last Supper and the New Covenant.
S1: Okay, so how do I, as I'm getting to know
S1: my Jewish friend better, how do I leverage that in
S1: a conversation or in some sort of an event?
S3: You know, I think it's interesting to say that Jewish
S3: friends understand that. We understand that the beginning of the
S3: basis of the Easter celebration is Passover, and the name
S3: Easter really has nothing to do with the biblical event
S3: that that was a name that was brought on quite
S3: a bit later after the Bible was finished.
S1: So you're really saying, let's celebrate our common ground for
S1: goodness sake.
S3: Exactly. The common ground of redemption. Jewish people are celebrating
S3: the redemption from Egypt. We are celebrating our redemption from sin.
S3: And Jesus used that at the Last Supper to say, okay,
S3: that was a big event that we were remembering. This
S3: is an even bigger event that you're going to remember forever.
S1: I love that phrasing. Thanks for sharing that. Eva Reidel
S1: Nick here on the land and the book. Doctor Ian J.
S1: Vaillancourt is a professor of Old Testament and Hebrew at
S1: Ontario's Heritage Theological Seminary. He's an ordained pastor with more
S1: than 14 years of church experience, both in his writing
S1: and his teaching. Doctor Vaillancourt seeks to exalt Christ from
S1: the Old Testament. Our conversation today is based on his book,
S1: Treasuring the Psalms. And with that we say welcome to
S1: the land and the book, Ian.
S4: Thanks. Great to be here, John.
S1: Well, let's clear away a misconception or two. Some people
S1: are under the misguided information that David wrote. All the
S1: Psalms correct that misnomer.
S4: He did not. We have titles on the Psalms. Um,
S4: sometimes called them Superscriptions. Sometimes call them titles. And David's
S4: name appears in 73 of them, I believe.
S1: Okay. So there are other authors, including Moses, right?
S4: Yeah. Moses wrote Psalm 90. Solomon is listed. Um, the
S4: sons of Korah are prominent, and others as well. So
S4: when we read those titles, we we find out who
S4: the author of the psalm is.
S1: Okay. Well, you've suggested that the Psalms are often layered
S1: in their meaning, which says there's more to them than
S1: a cursory reading might suggest. Elaborate. An example, perhaps.
S4: If we're reading Psalm three and David is crying out
S4: to God in his distress, we remember that Jesus is
S4: a greater Son of David. So that's one way we
S4: can kind of look at how did Jesus fulfill this Psalm?
S4: He was the greater Son of David to come. So
S4: how much more were the cries of Jesus for us
S4: kind of thing? Maybe that's one one example.
S1: Well, let's focus for a minute on a subset known
S1: as the Messianic Psalms. Which are we referring to here?
S1: And what makes a psalm a messianic psalm by definition?
S4: Well, it's my position that all the Psalms in some
S4: way or another point to Christ. And so some people
S4: might just say, okay, some of the Psalms are messianic,
S4: some aren't. But I would say, you know, in part
S4: two of my book, I talk about how all 150
S4: Psalms in some way, and I believe every chapter of
S4: the Bible of the Old Testament points in some way
S4: to Jesus. We need to think about Jesus as fulfilling
S4: it in some way.
S1: Yeah, it feels like in many ways, many of our
S1: churches have sort of de-emphasized the Old Testament. We are
S1: really cheating ourselves out of a rich, rich texture, out
S1: of a lot of informative scripture that does point to
S1: Jesus your thoughts.
S4: It's just incredible. That's one of the big reasons I,
S4: after pastoring for so many years, did a PhD in
S4: Old Testament and now teach because I started as when
S4: I was pastoring, it was such a challenge to preach
S4: Christ from the Old Testament. And, you know, biblical theology
S4: was my favorite biblical theology, Hebrew. I love studying those.
S4: Biblical theology is how the Bible fits together. So when
S4: I was in seminary, I loved studying those things, but
S4: in the nitty gritty, it was challenging. And I found
S4: there weren't as many resources for Old Testament as there
S4: were for new, for how to preach, how to study
S4: in my Bible study, how in my devotions to read
S4: the Old Testament and be led to Christ for worship. Yeah.
S4: So it is a challenge. And I think that's one
S4: reason Christians neglect the Old Testament, is they've had poor
S4: modeling for how to read the Old Testament.
S1: Treasuring the Psalms. That's today's adventure on the land and
S1: the book. I'm John Gager, joined by Doctor Ian Vaillancourt,
S1: professor of Old Testament and Hebrew at Ontario's Heritage Theological Seminary.
S1: All right. Let's let's go to some of those that
S1: are considered classically, you know, messianic Psalms, maybe Psalm 22
S1: or or number 4041. My question is, why do they
S1: they seem to weave in and out of, quote, regular content.
S1: If I could be so juvenile and then sprinkle in
S1: something of a truly obviously messianic nature. What's with that
S1: weaving in and out?
S4: Yeah, that's the one that begins. My God, my God,
S4: why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far
S4: from me, so far from the words of my groaning?
S4: And it goes on. And it seems as though David
S4: is writing that from a real personal life experience he
S4: was going through in hand-to-hand combat. And so, on the
S4: one hand, yes, it is David speaking about himself, but
S4: it seems as though there are times in Psalm 22
S4: where David intentionally overstates it because in Psalm 110 David
S4: calls this one Lord, the Lord said to my Lord,
S4: so my Lord, my master, that's who this one he's
S4: talking about is. Psalm 22 is is a good test
S4: case where David, in the midst of his suffering, in
S4: the midst of recording about his suffering, says things in
S4: Psalm 22 that are more than his life experience, but
S4: ultimately pointing to us to a coming Messiah.
S1: Yeah.
S4: So like that opening line, My God, my God, why
S4: have you forsaken me? Or they pierce my hands and
S4: my feet. Those are just some examples.
S1: Yes. What is your personal favorite? Jesus in the Psalms moment?
S1: A passage where the heart of Christ is just so
S1: very brightly illuminated.
S4: Well, on the one hand, there are so many. Psalm
S4: 22 is absolutely beautiful because I think Spurgeon called it
S4: the Psalm of the cross. Jesus quoted it from the cross.
S4: But probably my I'm going to go two favorites. John
S4: is Psalm 110 and 118, and they are the most
S4: quoted psalms in the New Testament. I did my own
S4: PhD dissertation on those two psalms from an Old Testament perspective.
S4: How it points to a coming Savior. And I just
S4: love the way they, in so many different ways, point
S4: us to Jesus. So 110 and 118.
S1: Okay. All right. What's the best way for a listener
S1: who would say, hey, I'm a beginner here? How do
S1: they begin to learn to appreciate the Psalms like this?
S1: Finding Christ in the Psalms.
S4: Well, there's two ways. One is read like one is
S4: why not read a Psalm every morning and ask God
S4: to help you see Jesus? And secondly, God has given
S4: people with different spiritual gifts for the church. And one
S4: of those spiritual gifts is teaching. And so whether it's
S4: your pastor, whether it's a book that helps you sometimes
S4: kind of getting the lay of the land a little
S4: bit and getting some instruction, whether it's adult education class
S4: at your church or reading a book that kind of
S4: gives you the lay of the land, sometimes that's a
S4: burden in my writing. I want people to read my
S4: book and be equipped to put my book away and
S4: read the book. The Bible. Yes, with more understanding and
S4: just immerse themselves in God's precious word more effectively and
S4: more skillfully for the rest of their lives. So just
S4: finding accessible, understandable teachers in person and through their writings
S4: or podcasts and all these things that are available to
S4: us today, that some instruction, I think the church has
S4: been given teachers, and we ought not to neglect that
S4: blessing from God.
S1: Well, I love that passion. That's great. If you're joining
S1: us midstream, this is the land and the book. I'm
S1: John Gager, our guest, Doctor Ian Vaillancourt, who has written
S1: the book Treasuring the Psalms. You suggest that the Book
S1: of Psalms is a work that is truly greater than
S1: the sum of its parts. What do you mean?
S4: I mean that the Psalms were individual poems written by
S4: individual authors, but they were compiled into a book, intentionally
S4: and purposefully, that it isn't like a hymn book. That's
S4: kind of a hodgepodge. You know, you don't usually read
S4: a hymn book from front to back. They might be
S4: arranged topically in your hymn book, but you know what
S4: I mean. They're not kind of purposely arranged, but the Psalms,
S4: it seems as though we can see, you know, there's
S4: five different books, and we can see broad themes emerging.
S4: When we read the overall shape of the book. We
S4: read the book from start to finish and see kind
S4: of a beginning theme, and it kind of develops. And
S4: then there's an end theme. That's kind of what I mean.
S1: Okay, well, you know, there's a difference between understanding the
S1: Psalms and treasuring the Psalms. The title of your book,
S1: how do we move from mere head knowledge and sort of, uh,
S1: technical exploration to, to really loving the Psalms?
S4: Yeah, I think that's with every portion of scripture that
S4: this isn't just an academic exercise. If the Word of God,
S4: Old Testament and New Testament is living and effective, sharper
S4: than any two edged sword, and if it's breathed out
S4: by God, all Scripture is breathed out by God. Then
S4: when we approach Scripture, if we approach Scripture and kind
S4: of come away with a bunch of information, but we're
S4: not closer to God, the problem's not with the Bible.
S4: The problems with my heart. Yeah, sometimes it's with my head.
S4: I you know, we need to understand what we read
S4: right and get some instruction. But it's both a head
S4: and a heart exercise.
S1: Yes.
S4: And I just always want to approach the Bible in
S4: a context of worship. You know, doing my personal devotions.
S4: I'm reading the Psalms right now in my personal devotions,
S4: and I just go over whatever section I'm in that
S4: day a couple times, and then I sit back in
S4: my desk chair, and I pray through that psalm and,
S4: and just let the words of the Psalms become my
S4: own words and worship, and then move on to praying
S4: for my day ahead. Yeah, but church involvement, being a
S4: committed part of a local church that's committed to God's Word,
S4: like we could say a lot of different things pursuing
S4: personal holiness. Nothing dries up a soul like sin, right?
S4: And nothing like dampens our palette, our ability to taste
S4: and see that God is good. Like tolerating any sin
S4: in our lives. There's there's so much we could say,
S4: but those are some things that come to mind.
S1: You know, even as I ask that question, it strikes
S1: me that, you know, Jesus calls himself the Living Word. Well,
S1: when we spend time with the Bible, you know, too
S1: often we think of it as a a leather bound
S1: book on the shelf like those other leather bound books,
S1: but this one sort of special. No, we are spending
S1: time with a person when we're spending time in the word.
S1: And that's how you get to to truly love someone
S1: is spending time with them. I mean, there's that dynamic
S1: to it seems, right?
S4: Yeah. Well, we open the Bible, we hear the voice
S4: of God. Like, if someone says to you, if I
S4: could say to you, just come here and listen and
S4: you will hear a word from God for you, I'd
S4: want to go. Yeah. Will we have that in the
S4: Bible every time we open it? This is God's word
S4: for us, and it's according to Peter. It's all that
S4: we need for life and godliness is in this book. Yeah,
S4: he's given it to us. And the whole Bible is
S4: an absolute treasure. But the books on the psalm. So
S4: we're just treasuring the Psalms in the book. Yeah.
S1: One last question. I want to squeeze in here, and
S1: it's a little off the path to me, the presence
S1: of so much brute honesty, particularly in many of David's Psalms,
S1: where he admits to feeling terror or anger or even
S1: thirst for revenge. This feels like permission for me to
S1: come before God with my concerns and my emotions as well.
S1: Your reaction?
S4: Yeah. My reaction is two pronged. The first one is
S4: the lament. Psalms are massively neglected in favor of kind
S4: of happy clappy worship all the time. And yes, victory
S4: in Jesus. Yes. As New Testament saints, we look back
S4: to Jesus fulfilling the Old Testament and absolutely to joy
S4: as a bedrock of the Christian life. But the Apostle
S4: Paul could be sorrowful, yet always rejoicing, right? And there's
S4: a both and. And the lament Psalms help us to emote,
S4: even give us words to emote in worship and move
S4: us away from getting out of ourselves to the God
S4: in whom we ought to hope in the midst of
S4: that lament. So it helps us with the brutal honesty,
S4: but then moves us to. And here is who God
S4: is for me in this situation. Now that is amazing.
S1: Yeah. You are amazing. To doctor Ian Vaillancourt. Thank you
S1: for your insights here. If you want to dig deeper,
S1: if you want to really understand the Psalms as the
S1: treasure that they represent, this is a resource for you.
S1: Treasuring the Psalms. A link at our website. The land
S1: and the book org. Doctor Vaillancourt, thank you so much
S1: for your time.
S4: Thank you so much for having me, John.
S1: And we'll dig further into Scripture along the lines of
S1: your questions on our next segment. Plenty of answers here
S1: on the land and the book. This is the land
S1: and the book from Moody Radio. It's segment three. I'm
S1: John Gager, seated across from the one, the only doctor,
S1: Gerald Peterman. He's at our Moody Bible Institute faculty, a
S1: really good guy. He loves the word. He loves your questions.
S1: And we love having him here. Good to see you, sir.
S5: Well, thankfully, there's only one of me. I'm not quite
S5: sure the world could handle two of this guy.
S1: All right, before we, uh, dig into our first question,
S1: here's something to think about. Did you think about the
S1: fact that most Jewish people have never heard the gospel?
S1: Each week you hear us talking about Israel and the
S1: Jewish people, and it's important to remember that they, like
S1: everyone else, need to hear the good news.
S5: Life and Messiah. A ministry in existence for over 135
S5: years is devoted to sharing the gospel with Jewish people
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S5: This free e-book, Reaching Jewish People for Messiah, highlights the
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S1: That's life in Messiah. And look for that moody radio button.
S1: Thank you so much for that. All right. You ready
S1: for our first question? This one happens to be from Todd,
S1: who asks, how does Deuteronomy 15 four relate to Deuteronomy 15,
S1: verse 11?
S5: Oh, thanks, Todd. The importance of the question becomes clear
S5: when we read the two verses side by side. Deuteronomy
S5: 15 four says, but there will be no poor among you,
S5: for the Lord will bless you in the land, that
S5: the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance
S5: to possess. And then we read Deuteronomy 1511, for there
S5: will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore
S5: I command you. You shall open wide your hand to
S5: your brother, to the needy, and to the poor. Now
S5: this sounds like a contradiction. So we've got to keep reading.
S5: We see the solution if we read chapter 15, four
S5: and five together. But there will be no poor among you,
S5: for the Lord will bless you in the land that
S5: the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance.
S5: Verse five if only you will strictly obey the voice
S5: of the Lord your God. Well, now read the rest
S5: of your Old Testament. I'm laughing, or else I'm going
S5: to cry because you read the rest of your Old Testament,
S5: and it's a story of Israel's disobedience. So they could
S5: have had a thriving community with generosity and no poor.
S5: But it didn't happen because of their disobedience. The poor
S5: were always there and often neglected.
S1: A question from Jim. Who wants to know how did
S1: God inspire the writing of the Old Testament and New Testament?
S1: It wasn't telepathy, and I know it wasn't just dropped
S1: out of the sky as dictation, like the Muslims suggest
S1: about the Quran. I know God used the writer's distinct personalities,
S1: but how did God actually put his thoughts into those writer's?
S1: Your thoughts?
S5: Well, thanks so much for the question. I've pondered this
S5: and sort of say the exact how is not told
S5: to us. Now, we do know from Second Peter chapter
S5: one that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation,
S5: for no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man.
S5: But men spoke from God as they were carried along
S5: by the Holy Spirit. So, as you mentioned, their personalities
S5: were engaged, but they were carried by the spirit. We
S5: come later, say, into John 20 and John lets us
S5: know that he has a lot of stuff he's not telling.
S5: He says Jesus did many other signs in the presence
S5: of his disciples which are not included in this book,
S5: but these are written so you might believe. So John
S5: has decided to select certain things to say. So the
S5: spirit works, the author works, and somehow they work together. Exactly.
S5: I do not know.
S1: That's Doctor Gerald Peterman. Appreciate your honesty there. Let's not
S1: speak where Scripture doesn't write. You can email your question
S1: to us at the land and the book at the
S1: land and the book at Bret says, I have a
S1: sister in law who's not a believer. She's a psychologist,
S1: and she says that when Paul talks about rejoicing in
S1: the Lord always, that's a kind of toxic positivity. I
S1: wasn't sure what to say. What do you think?
S5: Toxic positivity. That's an interesting way of talking about it.
S5: I don't think that that's what Paul has in mind
S5: in Philippians four. I do think what Paul comes into
S5: Philippians for he means joy, joy we get from God.
S5: Joy we get from the spirit should be our typical perspective,
S5: should be our typical heart and mind. Oh wait, no,
S5: there can be evil joy. Pay close attention during football season.
S5: You'll know what I'm talking about, right? But should must
S5: joy be our experience? 24 over seven 365 I think
S5: the answer is no. Here's why. Because Paul himself tells
S5: us we should rejoice with those who rejoice and weep
S5: with those who weep. Notice what the passage doesn't say.
S5: It doesn't say. Rejoice with those who rejoice and tell
S5: those who weep why they shouldn't.
S6: Yeah. No.
S5: You weep with them. So as Christians, guided by the spirit,
S5: there will be times we have painful. Or you might
S5: call them negative emotions. And they're just the emotions of love.
S5: So I don't think Paul is urging us to a
S5: toxic positivity. No, not at all.
S1: Positively not.
S5: Yeah. Well done. Yes. Well done.
S1: Go on to Dan's question. Now. He wants to know
S1: what is the difference between soul and spirit. You see
S1: that in Scripture. What can we know here?
S5: Well, whole books are written about this question, and it's
S5: a really good one. Here's my perspective. Soul and spirit
S5: are two aspects of us, not two parts of us.
S5: Let me illustrate this. I mean, it's something like you
S5: have emotions and you have thoughts. I mean, if you're
S5: like most people, you have emotions and you have thoughts.
S5: And how are they related? Well, they're not exactly the same,
S5: but they're intimately related. One relates to the other and
S5: the other relates to the one. So I take it
S5: that soul is more like the personality of us, and
S5: spirit is more like the animation of us. But I
S5: don't take it that they're exactly the same, nor do
S5: I take it they were made up of composite pieces,
S5: as if we have body, soul and spirit. And you
S5: put the three pieces together. Now you've got human. Hopefully
S5: that's helpful.
S1: Yeah. Typical question, as you say, in entire books written
S1: about it. Here's a question I'd like to ask. What
S1: is a a reliable grid we can use to make
S1: sure our worship and church is authentic, not just emotional?
S1: And I ask that because, you know, I'm in church
S1: and I'm showing my age here. I was not raised
S1: that we raise our hands and so on, though I
S1: sometimes do that I do. And there are others who
S1: that's their home base and some really appear to be, quote,
S1: getting into it. And I ask myself, am I somehow
S1: less spiritual because I'm not as demonstrative. And the flip
S1: side of this, if I could, is some of these
S1: same people who seem the most joyous, the most worshipful man.
S1: You catch them in a conversation and they're using language
S1: I don't think is appropriate. And, you know, so I
S1: don't want to be judging them. But there's all of
S1: that part of the puzzle to help me make sense
S1: of it all.
S5: Mhm. Well, I hope I can make sense of it
S5: in just a couple of minutes. That is one thing
S5: that I do that I shouldn't do is I compare
S5: myself to other people. Right. Sometimes I look down on
S5: myself when I compare myself. Right. Sometimes I look down
S5: on them when I compare myself. Let's not do either one. Okay.
S5: Let's not judge the way our brother or sister worships. Secondly,
S5: in worship, am I thinking and feeling? Am I hearing
S5: what's being said and pondering it? And am I enjoying it?
S5: When I sing these words? Am I having pleasure in
S5: having a voice that I can sing these words? And
S5: how will that emotion? How will those thoughts be seen?
S5: I'd say show them your way. You don't have to
S5: show them anyone else's way. Um.
S1: Sometimes I wonder that we're enjoying the familiar tune and
S1: loving the excellence of the band more than processing the
S1: content of the lyric.
S5: That could well be. That could well be. And I
S5: have to ask myself that question. Sometimes I say, Jerry, like,
S5: what's going on? Yeah. Why are you doing what you're doing?
S5: Why are you feeling what you're feeling? This is a
S5: question that God asks us. Outside the garden came. Why
S5: are you angry? Right outside Nineveh. Jonah, why are you angry?
S5: After Peter sinks into the sea, Jesus asks Peter, why
S5: did you doubt? So it's a good thing for us
S5: to ask these questions about our emotions. Why are we
S5: having them? Why are we not having them? But here's
S5: a typical characteristic. A typical characteristic is that those who
S5: might be more silent, more withdrawn, a little bit more thoughtful, perhaps,
S5: or maybe less given to a dramatic show of emotion
S5: and worship. But on the other hand, if that show
S5: in worship would be helpful, one thing they do have
S5: is self-control, and they're likely to get slow to be angry, right,
S5: in a conversation. But perhaps others of our brothers and
S5: sisters who are feel comfortable showing emotion and worship. Perhaps
S5: they have a little trouble sometimes controlling emotion outside of worship.
S5: And now I'm not judging either person, right? I'm just
S5: saying God made different personalities and that's okay.
S1: Takes me to Colossians three and over all these things
S1: put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
S5: Right, right. And again, love will include appreciation for all
S5: the good things that our brother and sister does. And
S5: the love would also mean that maybe sometimes we offer
S5: some correction based on what our brother or sister does.
S1: Lots of ground covered today. Maybe you'd like to hear
S1: it all again. The good news is you can do that.
S1: We've got a podcast that you can enjoy yourself or
S1: hopefully even share with a friend. Where do you get it?
S1: At our website. The land and the book org. That's
S1: the land and the book.org and look for the podcast
S1: there also. Your question is welcome. We've gone through a
S1: bunch of them today, but if you'd like to get
S1: one to Doctor Peterman, you can do that when you
S1: email us at The land and the book at Moody's.
S1: That's the land and the book at Moody's. One more
S1: segment to go and you don't want to miss it.
S1: It's Charlie Dyer's devotional coming up next right here on
S1: Moody Radio's The Land and the book. Who was Erastus
S1: in Scripture? And if he's important to us today, why
S1: do we hear so little about him? Bet you didn't
S1: see those questions coming, did you? I'm John Yeager. This
S1: is the land and the book. And we're about to
S1: continue Charlie Dyer's devotional series, inscriptions to the Bible. And Charlie,
S1: I assume, will get some answers to those questions. Eh?
S2: Uh, we will, John.
S1: All right. I'm looking forward to that. First, though, this
S1: personal reaction to a trip to Israel. Listen to this.
S7: Hi, my name is Gina. I'm in Brandon, Florida. I
S7: just wanted to say that I've been to Israel twice.
S7: I just want to say that for anyone who is
S7: considering going, who had a dream all their life to
S7: go to Israel to do it, it is truly an
S7: investment in the land, the people and your spiritual development.
S7: You'll never, ever be the same. There is an impartation
S7: that happens when you're there, and God's Holy Spirit comes
S7: down in a way like you've never felt it before.
S7: And when you come back, you're never the same. So
S7: I just want to encourage you to go the book.
S7: The Bible comes alive. You see, you smell. You feel.
S7: The Word of God is just so real. And then
S7: you're just changed when you come home. So I just
S7: want to encourage everyone to make that investment because it's
S7: an investment you can never, ever put a price tag on.
S1: All right, let's get right to our devotional segment. Now, Charlie,
S1: you're up.
S2: We've reached the end of our 11 week series on
S2: 11 inscriptions to the Bible. Now, most of the inscriptions
S2: we've explored are housed in museums in Jerusalem, London, Istanbul
S2: or Chicago. But today's inscription remains in the very spot
S2: where it was first discovered back in 1929. Our destination
S2: is the site of ancient Corinth. We were here back
S2: in January to visit the Bema Seat. Today's visit actually
S2: takes us outside the main archaeological site, just below the entrance,
S2: near the remains of the ancient theater. Today's discovery. At
S2: first glance might not look that impressive, But I've saved
S2: it for last because I think it's one of the
S2: most revealing of these ancient inscriptions, giving us great insight
S2: into an otherwise obscure friend of the Apostle Paul. And
S2: I'm getting ahead of myself. So join me on a
S2: short trek to a spot seldom seen by most visitors
S2: to Corinth. On my first visit here, I had to
S2: hack my way through chest high weeds to search for
S2: this inscription. I'd read an article on it, which is
S2: how I knew about it. Using a diagram of the
S2: site from that article, I managed to work my way
S2: down a somewhat steep incline to reach the general location,
S2: and then I had to push my way through more
S2: weeds to actually find it. The inscriptions a bit easier
S2: to find today, as more visitors to the site help
S2: keep the weeds at bay and the pathway more defined. Okay,
S2: I suspect by now you're getting impatient with me and
S2: are ready to shout out, so what's this inscription you're
S2: so excited about? Well, here it is in front of us.
S2: So let me help you read it. Carved into the
S2: stone block. One of the paving stones for this walkway
S2: are 22 seven inch high letters, forming six words in
S2: the economy of the time. Three of the words are abbreviations,
S2: but it says in my poor Latin Erastus pro dilatata
S2: sua pecunia struvite, or in English Erastus, for his aedileship,
S2: laid the pavement at his own expense. The letters of
S2: the inscription would originally have been filled with bronze of
S2: the metals gone, but the inscription is still very legible
S2: even after 2000 years. The office of aedile might be
S2: compared to that either of a city treasurer or public
S2: works commissioner. Today they maintain public buildings, regulated public festivals,
S2: and even had the power to enforce public order. But
S2: what makes this inscription so special? Most date the inscription
S2: to around A.D. 50, during the reign of Emperor Claudius.
S2: This city official named Erastus authorized the laying of the
S2: pavement in the theater area, but he also personally paid
S2: for the pavement to be laid. This generous donation suggests
S2: that Erastus was not only an important leader in the
S2: government of Corinth, but that he was also a man
S2: of some financial means to be able to cover the
S2: cost personally. But I've still not answered your question. What
S2: makes this inscription so special? To answer that, let's visit
S2: Corinth about that time. We know from acts 1811 that
S2: Paul spent 18 months in Corinth during his second missionary journey,
S2: and the next verse says he was there when Gallio
S2: was proconsul of Achaia. That's right around A.D. 51 to 52.
S2: The Erastus who laid the pavement in Corinth would likely
S2: have been a prominent official in Corinth about the same
S2: time in acts 20. On his third missionary journey, Paul
S2: spent an additional three months in Greece, most likely in Corinth,
S2: and it was during this visit to Corinth when Paul
S2: wrote his letter to the church in Rome. At the
S2: end of that letter, Paul includes a series of greetings,
S2: first to friends in Rome and then from individuals with
S2: him in Greece. And it's one of those individuals who
S2: now steps onto the pages of Bible history. In Romans 16,
S2: Paul sends the church in Rome a greeting from Erastus,
S2: the city treasurer. Other translations identify him as the director
S2: of public works. In describing Erastus, Paul used the Greek
S2: word oikonomos, from which we get the word economy. The
S2: word has a general idea of stewardship, and was used
S2: of individuals who managed the households or estates of others
S2: used in reference to a city. It helps describe someone
S2: who handled the finances and affairs of that city, or,
S2: to use the Latin expression, he was the aedile at Corinth.
S2: The odds of two different men named Erastus holding the
S2: same position in Corinth at about the same time seems
S2: pretty unlikely. The Erastus being referred to by Paul is
S2: almost certainly the same one who laid the pavement outside
S2: the theater in Corinth at his own expense. This inscription
S2: is fascinating. If all it tells us is that a
S2: highly placed public figure in Corinth was a friend of Paul,
S2: but Erastus appears two additional times in the Bible. In
S2: acts 19, Paul was in Ephesus. He planned to eventually
S2: travel to Jerusalem after taking up a collection for the
S2: saints there from the churches in Asia, Macedonia and Greece,
S2: while Paul finished his work in Ephesus. Verse 22 says
S2: that he sent two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus,
S2: to Macedonia. It would seem that in addition to his
S2: public service in Corinth, Erastus also found time to travel
S2: with Paul. Perhaps his expertise in financial matters made him
S2: a logical choice to help organize the collection for the saints.
S2: But in this verse, Luke uses the verb diacono to
S2: stress that both Timothy and Erastus were serving or ministering
S2: to Paul. Erastus took on the role of one willing
S2: to serve another to help Paul. The final time Erastus
S2: appears in the Bible is in Second Timothy four. As
S2: Paul writes from prison in Rome, he ends with an
S2: appeal to Timothy to come as soon as possible. Paul
S2: records the names of those who had abandoned him in
S2: his time of trouble, but he also gives Timothy a
S2: list of those who were not currently with him. By
S2: separating the groups, it seems Paul is helping Timothy know
S2: where to find these individuals who were still faithful and
S2: who might not even know Paul's current circumstances. And in
S2: verse 20, Paul simply notes, Erastus stayed in Corinth, and
S2: I left Trophimus sick in Miletus as Paul went along
S2: on his journey. Following his first imprisonment in Rome, he
S2: traveled through Corinth, allowing Erastus to once again return to family, friends,
S2: and church. It's a parting note from Paul regarding someone
S2: Timothy could visit should his journey to Rome bring him
S2: through Corinth. Well, it's time to hike back up to
S2: the parking lot and say goodbye to Corinth and this
S2: inscription from Erastus. But before we go, let me ask
S2: one key question. What does this inscription have to do
S2: with us today? Actually, I see two applications that seem appropriate. First,
S2: Erastus was able to serve as a believer in government,
S2: even in a government that was often opposed to Christians.
S2: Much like Daniel serving in Babylon, Erastus was able to
S2: be a beacon of light in an arena often antagonistic
S2: to the God of the Bible. That took courage and conviction.
S2: And second, Erastus might have been an important government official,
S2: but he also used his gifts and abilities to serve
S2: the people of God. He traveled with Timothy and ministered
S2: to Paul. We're not told what he did, but in
S2: the historical context, he likely used his administrative and financial
S2: skills to help the church collect and handle the funds
S2: being gathered for the saints in Judea, to make sure
S2: everything was done decently and in order. Being too important
S2: or being too busy. Weren't excuses used by Erastus to
S2: keep from serving the larger body of Christ? Now, if
S2: you want to see the inscription, head to our land.
S2: In the book Facebook page where I posted my most
S2: recent photo of it, the high weeds are gone and
S2: the letters are quite visible, and you'll be able to
S2: make out the words Erastus, Pro and Struvite even if
S2: you don't know Latin. All right.
S1: We'll look for that weed free visit there at our
S1: Facebook page. Thank you Charlie. And we want to encourage
S1: you to visit our website as well. It's the land
S1: and the book where you'll find our podcast that you
S1: can enjoy for yourself or share with any friend. Again,
S1: you'll find us at the land and the book for
S1: our time is gone. But as always, we thank our producer,
S1: Dan Anderson, who keeps us all on track. Our host,
S1: Charlie Dyer. I'm John Gager. Thanks to this station for
S1: carving out airtime for the land and the book. A
S1: production of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.