1 00:00:07,880 --> 00:00:11,360 S1: We say I do and live happily ever after, right? 2 00:00:11,390 --> 00:00:14,990 S1: Isn't that how marriage works? Actually, bestselling author Jerry Jenkins 3 00:00:14,990 --> 00:00:18,650 S1: says we need to build hedges around our marriages. Now 4 00:00:18,650 --> 00:00:20,900 S1: we're going to see examples of those hedges in Bible 5 00:00:20,930 --> 00:00:24,500 S1: times as well as our times in just a few minutes. Plus, 6 00:00:24,500 --> 00:00:27,800 S1: we'll answer your Bible questions. And Charlie Dyer's devotional takes 7 00:00:27,800 --> 00:00:29,960 S1: us to a palm tree in the wilderness with a 8 00:00:29,960 --> 00:00:32,960 S1: message for you and me. Hi, I'm John Gager and 9 00:00:32,960 --> 00:00:35,659 S1: this is the land and the book with Middle East 10 00:00:35,659 --> 00:00:38,390 S1: expert Doctor Charlie Dyer. Charlie I'm excited. We've got a 11 00:00:38,390 --> 00:00:40,760 S1: book blast coming today, but not before this quick thought. 12 00:00:40,760 --> 00:00:43,640 S1: As the end of this year approaches, many world events 13 00:00:43,640 --> 00:00:47,180 S1: have left us wondering what God's plan is for the future. 14 00:00:47,210 --> 00:00:50,510 S1: And that's especially true when it comes to Israel. Boy, 15 00:00:50,540 --> 00:00:53,780 S1: so small people, though around the world are intensely focused 16 00:00:53,780 --> 00:00:56,900 S1: on what happens in this very small nation. Are today's 17 00:00:56,900 --> 00:00:59,870 S1: headlines connected in any way with prophecies in the Bible. 18 00:00:59,870 --> 00:01:03,320 S1: And how should followers of Jesus interpret current events as 19 00:01:03,320 --> 00:01:04,729 S1: we await his second coming? 20 00:01:04,760 --> 00:01:07,490 S2: Yeah, and to help answer those important questions, our friends 21 00:01:07,490 --> 00:01:11,240 S2: at Life and Messiah encourage you to check out their book, God, 22 00:01:11,240 --> 00:01:15,770 S2: Israel and Bible Prophecy with Scripture as its foundation. This 23 00:01:15,770 --> 00:01:17,930 S2: book will take you on a journey into what God 24 00:01:17,930 --> 00:01:21,440 S2: has in store for the Jewish people and the nations. 25 00:01:21,440 --> 00:01:23,720 S2: This book is for anyone who wants to explore where 26 00:01:23,720 --> 00:01:27,560 S2: modern day events fit on God's grand timeline. Now, if 27 00:01:27,560 --> 00:01:29,960 S2: that's you or someone you know, this would be a 28 00:01:29,959 --> 00:01:34,700 S2: great resource or gift. Visit Life in Messiah org and 29 00:01:34,700 --> 00:01:36,710 S2: click on the Moody Radio button there to find out 30 00:01:36,709 --> 00:01:40,850 S2: how you can receive your copy of God, Israel and 31 00:01:40,850 --> 00:01:44,870 S2: Bible Prophecy. That's life in messiah.org. 32 00:01:45,020 --> 00:01:47,510 S1: Well, it's a big day today because it's a book 33 00:01:47,510 --> 00:01:50,780 S1: blast day. Charlie. Many people wonder what is a book blast? 34 00:01:50,810 --> 00:01:54,050 S2: Yeah, John, it's a collection of, in this case, five books. 35 00:01:54,050 --> 00:01:55,880 S2: And I want to ask you, John, what are the titles? 36 00:01:55,880 --> 00:01:57,560 S2: I know I have one of them, but what are the. 37 00:01:57,560 --> 00:02:00,830 S1: Others experiencing the land of the book. Charlie, you're very 38 00:02:00,830 --> 00:02:04,040 S1: colorful adventure of more than 100 trips to Israel there 39 00:02:04,040 --> 00:02:06,890 S1: in its pages. That's one of them great stories and 40 00:02:06,890 --> 00:02:09,350 S1: folks will love it. We're also giving away the characters 41 00:02:09,350 --> 00:02:12,950 S1: of creation, talking about the men, women, creatures, and serpent 42 00:02:12,950 --> 00:02:15,530 S1: present at the beginning of the world. A very practical 43 00:02:15,560 --> 00:02:18,680 S1: book called What is Islam to help you love your 44 00:02:18,680 --> 00:02:21,380 S1: Muslim neighbor? I love the the brevity of this book 45 00:02:21,410 --> 00:02:23,660 S1: and the way that it just condenses everything so nicely. 46 00:02:23,660 --> 00:02:26,299 S1: What is Islam? That's part of our book blast. Also 47 00:02:26,300 --> 00:02:29,330 S1: Fly through the Bible. This is Colin Smith's tool that 48 00:02:29,330 --> 00:02:32,299 S1: helps us reach out to unsaved neighbors with a simple, 49 00:02:32,300 --> 00:02:35,660 S1: non-religious explanation of what the Bible is all about. Finally, 50 00:02:35,660 --> 00:02:38,180 S1: an interesting look at the story of Ruth through the 51 00:02:38,180 --> 00:02:42,320 S1: lens of Jessica manford. Never alone. Anyway, these five books 52 00:02:42,320 --> 00:02:45,680 S1: make up our five book book blast, and here's how 53 00:02:45,680 --> 00:02:48,230 S1: you enter to win. Send us an email at the 54 00:02:48,230 --> 00:02:53,989 S1: Land and the book@moody.edu. What do you include? Well, your 55 00:02:53,990 --> 00:02:57,170 S1: shipping address if you should win. And you'll also tell 56 00:02:57,169 --> 00:02:59,600 S1: us how the land and the book helps you. How 57 00:02:59,600 --> 00:03:02,570 S1: does listing help you? Maybe understand a passage in the Bible, 58 00:03:02,570 --> 00:03:04,820 S1: understand what's going on in the Middle East. Maybe give 59 00:03:04,820 --> 00:03:07,519 S1: you confidence in the fact that God has a program 60 00:03:07,520 --> 00:03:09,980 S1: for Israel? Let us know how the land and the 61 00:03:09,980 --> 00:03:12,320 S1: book helps you. Just a sentence or two and send 62 00:03:12,320 --> 00:03:14,750 S1: us your shipping address when you email us at the 63 00:03:14,750 --> 00:03:20,150 S1: land and the book@moody.edu. Well, let's turn our focus toward 64 00:03:20,150 --> 00:03:23,570 S1: current events. Now, the conflict between Iran and Israel continues 65 00:03:23,570 --> 00:03:27,020 S1: to unfold, with each country threatening the other. And as 66 00:03:27,020 --> 00:03:29,960 S1: we record Charlie, we're facing another situation where an attack 67 00:03:29,960 --> 00:03:33,200 S1: by Iran could take place at any time. Can anything 68 00:03:33,230 --> 00:03:35,450 S1: be done to help dial back all these threats? 69 00:03:35,480 --> 00:03:38,720 S2: You know, John, something can be done, though unfortunately, I 70 00:03:38,720 --> 00:03:42,650 S2: don't see it happening. Iran is behaving like a schoolyard bully, 71 00:03:42,650 --> 00:03:44,870 S2: and sometimes the only way to stop a bully is 72 00:03:44,870 --> 00:03:47,360 S2: to stand up to him. Israel could have done more 73 00:03:47,360 --> 00:03:50,570 S2: in the last response to Iran, but the US pressured 74 00:03:50,570 --> 00:03:53,840 S2: them to hold back. Now the US has sent B-52 75 00:03:53,870 --> 00:03:56,360 S2: bombers to the region, but we don't know if Iran 76 00:03:56,360 --> 00:03:59,750 S2: believes the US will use those bombers to retaliate against 77 00:03:59,750 --> 00:04:02,270 S2: an attack on Israel. Nor do we know how the 78 00:04:02,270 --> 00:04:06,200 S2: election results will impact Iran's thinking. Now, here's what we 79 00:04:06,200 --> 00:04:08,960 S2: do know. The ayatollah ordered Iran to prepare for a 80 00:04:08,960 --> 00:04:12,380 S2: strike on Israel. He's threatened both Israel and the US 81 00:04:12,380 --> 00:04:16,760 S2: with what he's called a crushing response to Israel's last strike. 82 00:04:16,790 --> 00:04:19,580 S2: And Iran's rhetoric is intended to make both the US 83 00:04:19,580 --> 00:04:23,960 S2: and Europe pause before responding or helping Israel. Some of 84 00:04:23,960 --> 00:04:26,690 S2: the rhetoric was lost on America as we focused on 85 00:04:26,690 --> 00:04:30,320 S2: the elections, but it wasn't missed by Europe. Iran threatened 86 00:04:30,320 --> 00:04:33,469 S2: to increase the range of their missiles. Now they can 87 00:04:33,470 --> 00:04:36,440 S2: already reach Israel. So that was intended as a direct 88 00:04:36,440 --> 00:04:39,770 S2: threat to Europe should they dare to get involved. Iran 89 00:04:39,770 --> 00:04:42,680 S2: also said it might change its current nuclear policy and 90 00:04:42,680 --> 00:04:46,370 S2: move to develop nuclear weapons. They're threatening to produce nuclear 91 00:04:46,370 --> 00:04:50,540 S2: equipped missiles able to target both Israel and Europe. Iran 92 00:04:50,540 --> 00:04:54,170 S2: wants to paralyze Europe and the US into inaction or 93 00:04:54,170 --> 00:04:58,360 S2: to have us pressure Israel into not responding to any attack. Now, 94 00:04:58,360 --> 00:05:01,150 S2: based on details coming out of Iran, it sounds like 95 00:05:01,150 --> 00:05:04,270 S2: the planned attack will involve missiles launched from both Iran 96 00:05:04,270 --> 00:05:07,960 S2: and Iraq. Now, what makes that significant is that missiles 97 00:05:07,960 --> 00:05:12,339 S2: fired from Iraq reduced the time available to identify, track 98 00:05:12,339 --> 00:05:15,339 S2: and intercept them. Iran's goal in a new attack will 99 00:05:15,339 --> 00:05:18,310 S2: be to overwhelm the Israeli and U.S. systems now in 100 00:05:18,310 --> 00:05:21,400 S2: place there. In Israel, many missiles will get shot down, 101 00:05:21,400 --> 00:05:24,219 S2: but they hope many more will make it through. It's 102 00:05:24,220 --> 00:05:27,520 S2: almost certain their targets will include Israel's airfields and other 103 00:05:27,520 --> 00:05:30,760 S2: key bases and command centers. If you can damage Israel's 104 00:05:30,760 --> 00:05:34,180 S2: air force, you reduce Israel's ability to respond. Now, in 105 00:05:34,180 --> 00:05:37,180 S2: the next few days, watch to see if Iran follows 106 00:05:37,180 --> 00:05:40,330 S2: through on this threatened attack. Then watch to see how 107 00:05:40,360 --> 00:05:44,500 S2: Israel responds. And if the US joins in responding or 108 00:05:44,529 --> 00:05:46,900 S2: again tries to limit what Israel can do. 109 00:05:47,050 --> 00:05:50,620 S1: Well, story number two, Israel has passed a law banning 110 00:05:50,620 --> 00:05:53,920 S1: the United Nations Relief and Works Agency from Israel, the 111 00:05:53,920 --> 00:05:57,370 S1: West Bank and Gaza. What does this agency do and 112 00:05:57,370 --> 00:05:59,260 S1: why is Israel seeking to block it? 113 00:05:59,290 --> 00:06:01,390 S2: Yeah, on the surface, it sounds like a bad thing. 114 00:06:01,420 --> 00:06:03,849 S2: You know, most would compare this organization to, say, the 115 00:06:03,850 --> 00:06:06,790 S2: Red cross. And even in times of war, both sides 116 00:06:06,790 --> 00:06:11,080 S2: allow the Red cross to provide aid to needy refugees. Right? However, 117 00:06:11,080 --> 00:06:15,039 S2: this isn't the purpose for this organization. It was originally 118 00:06:15,040 --> 00:06:18,070 S2: established by the UN to provide relief and work programs 119 00:06:18,070 --> 00:06:22,690 S2: for Palestinian refugees displaced by war. It's not connected to 120 00:06:22,720 --> 00:06:26,140 S2: the UN High Commission for refugees, which was established after 121 00:06:26,140 --> 00:06:30,250 S2: World War two, and which works in 136 countries to 122 00:06:30,279 --> 00:06:34,270 S2: provide aid to over 100 million refugees worldwide. The agency 123 00:06:34,300 --> 00:06:37,479 S2: we're talking about was set up just to help Palestinians 124 00:06:37,480 --> 00:06:41,920 S2: forced from their homes in 1947 and 1948. But rather 125 00:06:41,920 --> 00:06:45,159 S2: than working to integrate these refugees into their new home, 126 00:06:45,160 --> 00:06:48,609 S2: the agency allowed both the original refugees and all their 127 00:06:48,610 --> 00:06:53,020 S2: descendants to remain permanently registered as refugees. There are now 128 00:06:53,020 --> 00:06:57,279 S2: 6 million registered Palestinian refugees, though only about a third 129 00:06:57,279 --> 00:07:01,450 S2: still remain in the original 58 refugee camps. So why's 130 00:07:01,450 --> 00:07:04,869 S2: Israel seeking to dismantle the organisation? Well, for years the 131 00:07:04,870 --> 00:07:08,409 S2: refugees were used by the surrounding nations as a breeding 132 00:07:08,410 --> 00:07:11,260 S2: ground for terrorists. They didn't want the refugees to be 133 00:07:11,260 --> 00:07:14,260 S2: integrated into their countries, which is what Israel did with 134 00:07:14,260 --> 00:07:17,290 S2: the Jewish refugees forced from their homes in the surrounding 135 00:07:17,320 --> 00:07:21,130 S2: Arab countries. Even today, the organisation and the camps it 136 00:07:21,130 --> 00:07:24,910 S2: runs remain connected to terrorism. About a 10th of the 137 00:07:24,910 --> 00:07:28,990 S2: 12,000 employees of the organisation in Gaza were connected to 138 00:07:29,020 --> 00:07:33,340 S2: Hamas or Islamic Jihad. 12 employees so far have been 139 00:07:33,340 --> 00:07:36,730 S2: linked directly to the attack on October 7th, and only 140 00:07:36,730 --> 00:07:39,220 S2: about a third of the aid being distributed in Gaza 141 00:07:39,220 --> 00:07:42,910 S2: comes from this organisation. In spite of its size, it's 142 00:07:42,910 --> 00:07:46,060 S2: a bureaucracy that's grown into a breeding ground for terrorists, 143 00:07:46,060 --> 00:07:48,940 S2: and that's why Israel is saying it's time to go. 144 00:07:48,940 --> 00:07:51,640 S1: From Moody Radio. This is the land and the book 145 00:07:51,640 --> 00:07:54,400 S1: with our host, Charlie Dyer. I'm John Gager. We're looking 146 00:07:54,400 --> 00:07:57,790 S1: at current events from the Middle East. Palestinian President Mahmoud 147 00:07:57,790 --> 00:08:02,470 S1: Abbas again charged Israel with being a colonial project and 148 00:08:02,470 --> 00:08:05,710 S1: nothing more than a product of America. How serious are 149 00:08:05,710 --> 00:08:07,930 S1: his charges and what are the implications? 150 00:08:07,960 --> 00:08:10,990 S2: Yeah. Abbas made these charges while speaking in Russia, and 151 00:08:10,990 --> 00:08:13,390 S2: he actually said he doesn't have a problem with Jews, 152 00:08:13,390 --> 00:08:15,880 S2: but with the U.S., he claimed it's the U.S. who 153 00:08:15,880 --> 00:08:18,910 S2: brought Zionism to the country. And he did call the 154 00:08:18,910 --> 00:08:22,660 S2: Jews colonizers. He said if it wasn't for America, Israel 155 00:08:22,660 --> 00:08:26,560 S2: wouldn't exist. Now the charges are serious and are accepted 156 00:08:26,560 --> 00:08:30,880 S2: as true by most Palestinians, but they're actually totally false. 157 00:08:30,910 --> 00:08:34,719 S2: America didn't bring Zionism or Israel to the Middle East. 158 00:08:34,750 --> 00:08:37,569 S2: Jews have lived there for thousands of years to use 159 00:08:37,570 --> 00:08:40,840 S2: the language of today. They're actually the indigenous inhabitants of 160 00:08:40,840 --> 00:08:44,830 S2: the land whose presence goes back 4000 years. They were 161 00:08:44,830 --> 00:08:47,890 S2: the ones that were ethnically cleansed by the Babylonians, later 162 00:08:47,890 --> 00:08:50,740 S2: by the Romans, and the ones who long to return 163 00:08:50,740 --> 00:08:55,089 S2: all those years. Psalm 137 actually gives a great explanation 164 00:08:55,120 --> 00:08:56,859 S2: of that. You know, by the rivers of Babylon we 165 00:08:56,890 --> 00:08:59,800 S2: sat and wept when we remembered Zion. How can we 166 00:08:59,830 --> 00:09:02,620 S2: sing the songs of the Lord while in a foreign land? 167 00:09:02,650 --> 00:09:06,460 S2: That's the message Israel has been proclaiming for thousands of years. 168 00:09:06,460 --> 00:09:09,910 S2: This is another attempt to delegitimize Israel by trying to 169 00:09:09,940 --> 00:09:13,300 S2: erase their historic ties to the land. Neither the US 170 00:09:13,300 --> 00:09:17,140 S2: nor the UN nor Britain are responsible for creating Israel. 171 00:09:17,170 --> 00:09:19,510 S2: Their title deed to the land was signed by God 172 00:09:19,510 --> 00:09:22,660 S2: himself back in the Book of Genesis. Now a lie 173 00:09:22,690 --> 00:09:25,420 S2: like the one voiced by Abbas, even if it's repeated 174 00:09:25,420 --> 00:09:28,660 S2: over and over again, is still a lie. And it's 175 00:09:28,660 --> 00:09:31,000 S2: even worse when it's being used to try to erase 176 00:09:31,000 --> 00:09:34,030 S2: the clear history of the Jewish people and their connection 177 00:09:34,030 --> 00:09:34,870 S2: to the land. 178 00:09:34,900 --> 00:09:39,429 S1: Story number four. Israeli researchers have offered a scientific explanation 179 00:09:39,429 --> 00:09:43,030 S1: for the two miraculous catches of fish associated with the 180 00:09:43,030 --> 00:09:46,330 S1: ministry of Jesus. So what exactly have they proposed, and 181 00:09:46,330 --> 00:09:48,880 S1: how plausible is their there explanation? Yeah. 182 00:09:48,880 --> 00:09:51,550 S2: They proposed that a strong wind from the west pushed 183 00:09:51,550 --> 00:09:54,790 S2: the warm, oxygenated water of the lake to the east, 184 00:09:54,790 --> 00:09:57,580 S2: causing the water to pile up over there. That caused 185 00:09:57,580 --> 00:10:00,040 S2: the lower, colder level of water remaining on the west 186 00:10:00,040 --> 00:10:03,490 S2: side to rise to the surface. It lacked oxygen, causing 187 00:10:03,490 --> 00:10:06,670 S2: the fish to die. Now, two mass deaths of fish 188 00:10:06,670 --> 00:10:10,240 S2: were recorded back in 2012, and the scientists developed a 189 00:10:10,240 --> 00:10:14,560 S2: model suggesting severe hypoxic water had reached the surface, causing 190 00:10:14,559 --> 00:10:17,020 S2: those fish to suffocate. They believe that could be the 191 00:10:17,020 --> 00:10:20,110 S2: reason for these so-called miracles recorded in the Bible in 192 00:10:20,110 --> 00:10:23,260 S2: connection with Jesus. Now how plausible is it? Well, it's 193 00:10:23,260 --> 00:10:27,100 S2: not the first miracles recorded in Luke five. After fishing 194 00:10:27,100 --> 00:10:30,160 S2: all night, the disciples were washing their nets. Jesus asked 195 00:10:30,190 --> 00:10:32,770 S2: to use the boat, preached to the gathering crowd. He 196 00:10:32,770 --> 00:10:34,960 S2: then asked the disciples to put out into the deep 197 00:10:34,990 --> 00:10:37,660 S2: water and let down the nets for a catch. Rather 198 00:10:37,660 --> 00:10:40,240 S2: than being surprised by the catch, as the account says, 199 00:10:40,240 --> 00:10:42,460 S2: it seems the disciples would clearly have been able to 200 00:10:42,460 --> 00:10:44,709 S2: see the fish if they were dead and floating on 201 00:10:44,710 --> 00:10:47,830 S2: the surface. The second account is found in John 21, 202 00:10:47,830 --> 00:10:50,530 S2: where Jesus meets the disciples by the Sea of Galilee 203 00:10:50,530 --> 00:10:54,130 S2: following the resurrection. Again, they were fishing all night. Jesus 204 00:10:54,130 --> 00:10:56,050 S2: calls out from the shore and says, cast your net 205 00:10:56,080 --> 00:10:58,420 S2: on the other side. Well, again, if the fish had 206 00:10:58,420 --> 00:11:01,150 S2: already died and floated to the surface, the disciples would 207 00:11:01,179 --> 00:11:02,890 S2: have been able to spot them. So in this case, 208 00:11:02,890 --> 00:11:05,559 S2: let's stick with the Bible and assume they caught live 209 00:11:05,559 --> 00:11:08,110 S2: fish rather than dead ones floating on top. 210 00:11:08,140 --> 00:11:11,020 S1: Thank you Charlie. Hey, we're giving away five books this 211 00:11:11,020 --> 00:11:13,750 S1: weekend in our book blast. You enter to win by 212 00:11:13,750 --> 00:11:18,190 S1: sending an email to the land and the book@moody.edu, give 213 00:11:18,220 --> 00:11:20,530 S1: us your shipping address and a sentence or two about 214 00:11:20,530 --> 00:11:23,439 S1: how the land in the book helps you be specific 215 00:11:23,470 --> 00:11:27,970 S1: at the land and the book@moody.edu. You must enter by 216 00:11:27,970 --> 00:11:31,090 S1: Sunday at midnight. Our titles again. Charlie's book, Experiencing the 217 00:11:31,090 --> 00:11:34,450 S1: land of the book. The characters of creation. What is Islam? 218 00:11:34,450 --> 00:11:37,210 S1: Fly through the Bible and never alone. That's part of 219 00:11:37,210 --> 00:11:39,520 S1: the book blast when you email us to win at 220 00:11:39,520 --> 00:11:43,780 S1: the land and the book@moody.edu. I'm looking forward to our 221 00:11:43,780 --> 00:11:46,620 S1: conversation with Jerry Jenkins. It's is next on the land 222 00:11:46,620 --> 00:12:04,530 S1: and the book. Hedges a fence or boundary formed by 223 00:12:04,530 --> 00:12:07,590 S1: closely growing bushes or shrubs. You know, when it comes 224 00:12:07,590 --> 00:12:10,829 S1: to marriage, the idea of establishing some hedges is not 225 00:12:10,830 --> 00:12:15,030 S1: just a good idea, it's a biblical absolute must. We're 226 00:12:15,030 --> 00:12:16,770 S1: glad to welcome you back to the land and the 227 00:12:16,770 --> 00:12:19,500 S1: book I'm John Gager, and what you're about to hear 228 00:12:19,500 --> 00:12:23,010 S1: might just save your marriage from serious trouble. More after 229 00:12:23,010 --> 00:12:25,770 S1: this quick idea on how every one of us, single 230 00:12:25,770 --> 00:12:28,500 S1: or married, can reach out to our Jewish friends and 231 00:12:28,500 --> 00:12:31,109 S1: neighbors with the love of Christ. If you're going to 232 00:12:31,110 --> 00:12:33,450 S1: share Jesus with a Jewish friend or any friend, you 233 00:12:33,450 --> 00:12:36,809 S1: can't really do the story justice apart from the crucifixion. 234 00:12:36,809 --> 00:12:39,510 S1: And the crucifixion, of course, involves blood. But how do 235 00:12:39,510 --> 00:12:42,600 S1: we respond when our Jewish friends tell us that blood 236 00:12:42,600 --> 00:12:46,170 S1: sacrifice is no longer necessary. West Harbour is with life 237 00:12:46,170 --> 00:12:48,090 S1: in Messiah. We agree. 238 00:12:48,179 --> 00:12:51,600 S3: Without a temple and priesthood, sacrifice is no longer possible. 239 00:12:51,630 --> 00:12:55,290 S3: But what makes us think it's no longer necessary? We 240 00:12:55,290 --> 00:12:57,540 S3: understand the God of Israel is the one who established 241 00:12:57,540 --> 00:13:00,750 S3: the Levitical priesthood and the sacrificial system that required blood 242 00:13:00,750 --> 00:13:03,030 S3: for atonement, for the life of the flesh is in 243 00:13:03,030 --> 00:13:04,800 S3: the blood, and have given it to you on the 244 00:13:04,800 --> 00:13:07,109 S3: altar to make atonement for your souls. For it is 245 00:13:07,110 --> 00:13:09,540 S3: the blood, by reason of the life that makes atonement. 246 00:13:09,900 --> 00:13:12,540 S3: We also find in the Old Testament God's promise of 247 00:13:12,540 --> 00:13:14,160 S3: one who will make atonement. 248 00:13:14,190 --> 00:13:17,070 S1: So where do we go in the scriptures to point 249 00:13:17,070 --> 00:13:19,439 S1: our Jewish friends to biblical truth? 250 00:13:19,710 --> 00:13:22,559 S3: Well, the clearest description of Messiah's atoning work is found 251 00:13:22,559 --> 00:13:25,620 S3: in Isaiah 53, but pointers to Messiah can be found 252 00:13:25,620 --> 00:13:29,429 S3: throughout the Old Testament. Check out Moody's Handbook of Messianic Prophecy. 253 00:13:29,550 --> 00:13:32,100 S1: Thoughts from Wes Tabor, who is with life in Messiah. 254 00:13:32,130 --> 00:13:36,420 S1: Joining us today on the land and the book, Jerry 255 00:13:36,420 --> 00:13:39,270 S1: Bruce Jenkins is the author of many New York Times 256 00:13:39,270 --> 00:13:43,800 S1: best selling books, including the iconic series known as Left Behind. 257 00:13:43,830 --> 00:13:46,709 S1: These days, he probably is better known as the father 258 00:13:46,710 --> 00:13:50,070 S1: of Dallas Jenkins, though the creator of the chosen television 259 00:13:50,070 --> 00:13:52,170 S1: series whom we have had on the land of the 260 00:13:52,170 --> 00:13:54,480 S1: book several times. But it's great to welcome you back 261 00:13:54,480 --> 00:13:56,130 S1: to the land and the book. Jerry. 262 00:13:56,160 --> 00:13:57,960 S4: Thank you John. Always good to be with you. 263 00:13:57,990 --> 00:14:00,300 S1: Well, the concept of hedges, it seems to me, appears 264 00:14:00,300 --> 00:14:02,370 S1: in the Garden of Eden, where God tells Adam and 265 00:14:02,370 --> 00:14:04,650 S1: Eve not to eat of the fruit from the tree 266 00:14:04,650 --> 00:14:07,200 S1: of knowledge of Good and evil. We all know they 267 00:14:07,200 --> 00:14:10,890 S1: didn't obey, and sin entered the world. But your book, Hedges, 268 00:14:10,920 --> 00:14:14,730 S1: takes us in a somewhat different direction, but equally significant, 269 00:14:14,730 --> 00:14:17,429 S1: I think. What are you really trying to say here? 270 00:14:17,460 --> 00:14:19,740 S4: Well, this is a book for men. I don't pretend 271 00:14:19,740 --> 00:14:23,790 S4: to think or speak or write for women, although women 272 00:14:23,790 --> 00:14:27,300 S4: really appreciate this book. But the fact is that all 273 00:14:27,300 --> 00:14:30,359 S4: men deal with lust and deal with this issue of 274 00:14:30,360 --> 00:14:33,960 S4: of wandering eyes. And so I remember when my youngest 275 00:14:33,960 --> 00:14:36,510 S4: brother was about to get married, he asked me, Will 276 00:14:36,510 --> 00:14:39,510 S4: I develop blinders and not look at other women anymore? 277 00:14:39,510 --> 00:14:41,430 S4: And I said, oh, I wish that were the case. 278 00:14:41,460 --> 00:14:43,800 S4: You know. The fact is, you need to be proactive 279 00:14:43,800 --> 00:14:47,970 S4: and plant hedges around your eyes, your hands, your heart, 280 00:14:48,510 --> 00:14:51,359 S4: your marriage. And that's a way to honor Christ. But 281 00:14:51,360 --> 00:14:53,220 S4: I think the real bottom line here, what I'm trying 282 00:14:53,220 --> 00:14:55,620 S4: to tell men is, and all the other areas of 283 00:14:55,620 --> 00:14:58,920 S4: our lives, all the temptations we face, we're supposed to 284 00:14:59,130 --> 00:15:02,730 S4: steel ourselves, turn over a new leaf, get serious, be proactive, 285 00:15:02,760 --> 00:15:06,720 S4: that type of thing. But with lust, the Bible is clear. 286 00:15:06,720 --> 00:15:09,660 S4: It says you're to flee. I mean, to me, this 287 00:15:09,660 --> 00:15:14,100 S4: is an incredibly freeing position. I don't have to do 288 00:15:14,100 --> 00:15:17,730 S4: anything except run. And, you know, that's one hedge I 289 00:15:17,760 --> 00:15:20,610 S4: plant is that I never travel. It's the Billy Graham rule. 290 00:15:20,610 --> 00:15:23,670 S4: Never travel or dine or spend time alone with a 291 00:15:23,670 --> 00:15:26,850 S4: woman who you're not related to. That's a simple hedge, 292 00:15:26,850 --> 00:15:29,460 S4: but that's fleeing lust. If you take care of how 293 00:15:29,460 --> 00:15:32,040 S4: things look, you'll take care of how they are. 294 00:15:32,250 --> 00:15:34,560 S1: I noticed you share a lot of personal stories in 295 00:15:34,560 --> 00:15:38,040 S1: this book. How difficult was it to be as transparent 296 00:15:38,040 --> 00:15:40,350 S1: as you are, and how did that work out all 297 00:15:40,350 --> 00:15:42,330 S1: ahead of time? I imagine you had to clear some 298 00:15:42,330 --> 00:15:44,490 S1: of those stories with your wife, Diana. Let us in 299 00:15:44,490 --> 00:15:45,000 S1: on that. 300 00:15:45,030 --> 00:15:48,960 S4: Yeah. Diana appreciates my hedges. She doesn't demand them, but 301 00:15:48,960 --> 00:15:52,020 S4: she really appreciates them. And she has developed hedges of 302 00:15:52,020 --> 00:15:55,830 S4: her own. And it is a little embarrassing to practice 303 00:15:55,830 --> 00:15:58,830 S4: hedges and to talk about hedges, because my hedges may 304 00:15:58,830 --> 00:16:01,920 S4: not necessarily be your hedges. I plant hedges where I'm weak. 305 00:16:02,220 --> 00:16:05,730 S4: For instance, I don't happen to have a hedge against 306 00:16:05,730 --> 00:16:08,729 S4: being in an area of town where prostitutes walk the street. 307 00:16:08,760 --> 00:16:12,450 S4: Nothing seems less appealing to me than that, but I 308 00:16:12,450 --> 00:16:16,320 S4: know men, Christian men who struggle with that, and they 309 00:16:16,320 --> 00:16:18,510 S4: say I just need to avoid those areas or avoid 310 00:16:18,510 --> 00:16:21,930 S4: those advertisements and, you know, wherever they see them. But 311 00:16:21,930 --> 00:16:24,240 S4: when I tell you what my hedges are, it shows 312 00:16:24,240 --> 00:16:27,150 S4: you where my weakness is. And, you know, I'm from 313 00:16:27,150 --> 00:16:30,330 S4: a generation where we're fairly private. We don't talk about 314 00:16:30,330 --> 00:16:32,490 S4: all of our weaknesses. So this was a time when 315 00:16:32,490 --> 00:16:34,260 S4: I thought, well, if I'm going to be honest, I'm 316 00:16:34,260 --> 00:16:35,880 S4: going to need to be vulnerable, too. 317 00:16:36,300 --> 00:16:38,670 S1: You're listening to the land of the book from Moody Radio. 318 00:16:38,700 --> 00:16:41,550 S1: Our guest today is Jerry Jenkins, who has written Hedges, 319 00:16:41,550 --> 00:16:45,390 S1: among many, many, many other books. Clearly, the concept of 320 00:16:45,390 --> 00:16:48,660 S1: hedges is found in the Ten Commandments. Number seven thou 321 00:16:48,660 --> 00:16:51,960 S1: shalt not commit adultery. And even the 10th commandment says, 322 00:16:51,960 --> 00:16:55,410 S1: we're not supposed to covet our neighbor's wife or anything 323 00:16:55,440 --> 00:16:58,380 S1: of our neighbors. Um, why is it that is somehow 324 00:16:58,380 --> 00:17:00,360 S1: lost on this generation? 325 00:17:00,360 --> 00:17:03,300 S4: I'm not sure why. I know, you know, I wrote 326 00:17:03,300 --> 00:17:05,670 S4: the first iteration of this book, you know, more than 327 00:17:05,670 --> 00:17:08,100 S4: 30 years ago, and sadly, it's more needed now than 328 00:17:08,100 --> 00:17:10,770 S4: it's ever been. But one of the things that came 329 00:17:10,770 --> 00:17:13,710 S4: with that, and with me not being a professional counselor 330 00:17:13,740 --> 00:17:17,670 S4: or psychologist or ordained or anything like that, I'm just 331 00:17:17,670 --> 00:17:21,300 S4: a layperson writing about a common struggle. Once that book 332 00:17:21,300 --> 00:17:23,189 S4: came out, I was asked to speak on marriage, and 333 00:17:23,190 --> 00:17:25,140 S4: I would go to marriage conferences and people would come 334 00:17:25,140 --> 00:17:28,260 S4: to me for marriage counseling. And I realized that I 335 00:17:28,260 --> 00:17:31,230 S4: was really in over my head there, because I would 336 00:17:31,230 --> 00:17:33,840 S4: start by breaking the ice about, you know, the funny 337 00:17:33,869 --> 00:17:36,450 S4: thing about marriage is, you know, you learn whether your 338 00:17:36,450 --> 00:17:38,770 S4: wife likes the toilet paper roll on the outside or 339 00:17:38,770 --> 00:17:40,900 S4: the inside and this and that. And then people come 340 00:17:40,900 --> 00:17:43,630 S4: to me on break and ask questions like, should I 341 00:17:43,630 --> 00:17:46,870 S4: tell my wife about my affair? You know, do I 342 00:17:46,869 --> 00:17:48,880 S4: have to give up the other woman? If you know 343 00:17:48,910 --> 00:17:51,459 S4: this and that? And I'm like, this is nothing to 344 00:17:51,490 --> 00:17:54,190 S4: tell jokes about, this is real. And I would have 345 00:17:54,190 --> 00:17:57,730 S4: to say to people at these conferences, if you're living 346 00:17:57,730 --> 00:17:59,919 S4: in sin right now, you must stop. That's all there 347 00:17:59,920 --> 00:18:02,859 S4: is to it. I think what we're finding is that 348 00:18:02,859 --> 00:18:06,550 S4: in so many areas of life, we're inculturated, we're Christians, 349 00:18:06,550 --> 00:18:10,359 S4: but we're cool. We're copying the world. We see people 350 00:18:10,359 --> 00:18:15,580 S4: that are famous and successful and really worshipped, and they're 351 00:18:15,580 --> 00:18:20,320 S4: known to be womanizers. Clearly, anybody who's a Bible believing 352 00:18:20,320 --> 00:18:24,189 S4: Christian knows this is wrong. Scripture is quite clear about it. 353 00:18:24,190 --> 00:18:26,710 S4: When you talk about the Ten Commandments, thou shalt not. 354 00:18:26,859 --> 00:18:30,310 S4: I mean, there's nothing unequivocal about thou shalt not. We 355 00:18:30,310 --> 00:18:34,030 S4: must stop doing this. And for those who are tempted 356 00:18:34,030 --> 00:18:36,310 S4: and never have, they need to plant these hedges to 357 00:18:36,340 --> 00:18:37,379 S4: make sure they don't. 358 00:18:37,410 --> 00:18:39,480 S1: You know the scriptures. We turn to the life of Samson, 359 00:18:39,480 --> 00:18:42,660 S1: who clearly lacked moral hedges. What a sad story his 360 00:18:42,660 --> 00:18:44,580 S1: turned out to be. What do you think was his 361 00:18:44,580 --> 00:18:46,709 S1: first mistake with regard to Hedges? 362 00:18:46,770 --> 00:18:51,030 S4: Well, he didn't plant any hedges. And and his relationship 363 00:18:51,030 --> 00:18:54,000 S4: with Delilah was based on lust and not love. I mean, 364 00:18:54,030 --> 00:18:56,220 S4: he saw something he wanted, and he was going to 365 00:18:56,220 --> 00:18:58,020 S4: have it, and that was all there was to it. 366 00:18:58,170 --> 00:19:02,850 S4: So he wasn't fleeing. My counsel to myself is you 367 00:19:02,850 --> 00:19:06,179 S4: may see something that looks attractive, that's out of bounds 368 00:19:06,180 --> 00:19:07,770 S4: for you and you need to flee. 369 00:19:07,800 --> 00:19:11,220 S1: Solomon lacked hedges when it came to marriage and his 370 00:19:11,220 --> 00:19:15,120 S1: choices in women. I mean, where in the world was 371 00:19:15,119 --> 00:19:17,340 S1: he coming from in his choices? 372 00:19:17,369 --> 00:19:20,369 S4: Well, this reminds me of one of my my middle son, Chad, 373 00:19:20,369 --> 00:19:22,950 S4: was a very young boy. I was picking him up 374 00:19:22,950 --> 00:19:25,140 S4: from Christian school, and he was telling me that he'd 375 00:19:25,140 --> 00:19:27,060 S4: learned about Solomon that day, and he said it was 376 00:19:27,060 --> 00:19:30,180 S4: really a sad story. He said Solomon had everything, but 377 00:19:30,180 --> 00:19:31,949 S4: in the end of his life, he really blew it. 378 00:19:31,950 --> 00:19:33,960 S4: And I said, yeah, that is sad, isn't it, Chad? 379 00:19:33,990 --> 00:19:36,650 S4: And he said, yeah, you'd think with all those wives 380 00:19:36,650 --> 00:19:38,780 S4: he had, one of them would have been a Christian. 381 00:19:38,810 --> 00:19:41,510 S4: And I thought, well, that's a funny line. But he 382 00:19:41,510 --> 00:19:44,570 S4: was not getting good counsel. He did have everything. He 383 00:19:44,570 --> 00:19:47,150 S4: asked God for wisdom and was granted it, and was 384 00:19:47,150 --> 00:19:50,450 S4: really granted everything on this earth that you could desire. 385 00:19:50,450 --> 00:19:53,210 S4: And in the end, he still turned to his own lusts. 386 00:19:53,210 --> 00:19:54,650 S4: And that was the end of him. 387 00:19:54,680 --> 00:19:56,930 S1: It's the land in the book from Moody Radio with 388 00:19:56,930 --> 00:20:01,160 S1: our guest, Jerry Jenkins. Our focus hedges another biblical scene 389 00:20:01,160 --> 00:20:04,400 S1: unfolds in the New Testament when Paul is condemning the practices. 390 00:20:04,400 --> 00:20:08,600 S1: They're sleeping around. There's incest going on. Clearly, hedges were 391 00:20:08,600 --> 00:20:10,100 S1: an issue in Paul's day. 392 00:20:10,130 --> 00:20:13,159 S4: Yeah, they really were. And he's the one who says 393 00:20:13,160 --> 00:20:17,149 S4: flee youthful lusts. Now, I don't think that means has 394 00:20:17,150 --> 00:20:19,430 S4: anything to do with age as much as the fact 395 00:20:19,430 --> 00:20:22,160 S4: that the lust itself is youthful. I feel like I'm 396 00:20:22,160 --> 00:20:24,679 S4: going to have to be fighting this as long as 397 00:20:24,680 --> 00:20:28,100 S4: I live, and I'm way past youthful at this point. 398 00:20:28,100 --> 00:20:32,030 S4: But to me, again, it's freeing to know that this 399 00:20:32,030 --> 00:20:35,959 S4: is not something I accomplish Accomplished by stealing myself and 400 00:20:35,960 --> 00:20:39,560 S4: turning over a new leaf, I'm told to. Flee. This 401 00:20:39,560 --> 00:20:42,409 S4: is something that apparently God does not expect me to 402 00:20:42,440 --> 00:20:44,690 S4: win over. I'm to run from it. 403 00:20:44,720 --> 00:20:47,720 S1: In the book, I noticed your chapter on what you 404 00:20:47,720 --> 00:20:49,700 S1: do with your eyes. I don't know the chapter title, 405 00:20:49,730 --> 00:20:52,460 S1: but you speak an awful lot about the importance of 406 00:20:52,460 --> 00:20:54,380 S1: how we men look at women and how women look 407 00:20:54,410 --> 00:20:57,080 S1: at men. Single or married, that seems to be the 408 00:20:57,080 --> 00:20:57,980 S1: start of things. 409 00:20:58,010 --> 00:21:00,620 S4: It is. And it's a tricky one too, because on 410 00:21:00,619 --> 00:21:03,980 S4: the one hand, we sometimes will justify and say we're 411 00:21:03,980 --> 00:21:08,060 S4: appreciating God's beauty. Well, when does it go from appreciating 412 00:21:08,060 --> 00:21:11,389 S4: beauty to lusting after that and saying, I want that, 413 00:21:11,390 --> 00:21:15,170 S4: and I covet that. Clearly, we're breaking the Ten Commandments there, 414 00:21:15,170 --> 00:21:18,139 S4: and a lot of people make a big difference between 415 00:21:18,140 --> 00:21:20,900 S4: your thought life and your actions. And they say, well, 416 00:21:20,930 --> 00:21:23,450 S4: you know, thoughts aren't sins, it's the actions that are sins. 417 00:21:23,480 --> 00:21:26,840 S4: I happen to know from experience that thoughts can be sinful. 418 00:21:26,840 --> 00:21:28,640 S4: And so I want to flee. I want to turn 419 00:21:28,640 --> 00:21:31,909 S4: my eyes away and say, that's out of bounds for me. 420 00:21:31,940 --> 00:21:34,399 S4: I want to honor my wife. And this is counsel 421 00:21:34,400 --> 00:21:36,859 S4: I give to young people who are, you know, engaged 422 00:21:36,859 --> 00:21:39,950 S4: or about to be married. You want to give your 423 00:21:39,950 --> 00:21:45,290 S4: future spouse the gift of virginity on your wedding day, 424 00:21:45,290 --> 00:21:48,230 S4: the gift of purity. Even if the person you're in 425 00:21:48,230 --> 00:21:50,390 S4: love with right now is not going to be your spouse. 426 00:21:50,420 --> 00:21:53,000 S4: But what if they are? What a great gift to 427 00:21:53,030 --> 00:21:55,310 S4: give them too. So Hedges, I think, are things that 428 00:21:55,310 --> 00:21:58,070 S4: can be planted from the time you start dating. 429 00:21:58,070 --> 00:22:01,310 S1: So what's the biggest mistake, you think, as you have 430 00:22:01,310 --> 00:22:04,430 S1: spoken at marriage conferences, as you've talked with people, what's 431 00:22:04,430 --> 00:22:06,560 S1: the biggest mistake many of us married folks make when 432 00:22:06,560 --> 00:22:08,000 S1: it comes to hedges? 433 00:22:08,030 --> 00:22:10,700 S4: I think it's overconfidence. I think people say, you know, 434 00:22:10,730 --> 00:22:12,800 S4: I love my wife so much and our marriage is 435 00:22:12,800 --> 00:22:15,470 S4: so solid. This is not going to happen to me. 436 00:22:15,500 --> 00:22:17,270 S4: You know, one of the things you talk about being 437 00:22:17,270 --> 00:22:20,510 S4: vulnerable and admitting your own weaknesses, I found when I 438 00:22:20,510 --> 00:22:23,300 S4: was in the workplace that I could hit it off 439 00:22:23,300 --> 00:22:26,659 S4: with a female coworker, maybe in a meeting. And, you know, 440 00:22:26,690 --> 00:22:29,390 S4: it's a public thing. It's not like we're meeting privately, but, 441 00:22:29,420 --> 00:22:31,790 S4: you know, you start thinking about that person and how 442 00:22:31,820 --> 00:22:34,100 S4: engaging they are. Maybe you like their smile or their 443 00:22:34,100 --> 00:22:37,160 S4: humor or whatever. That would be a temptation to me 444 00:22:37,190 --> 00:22:39,169 S4: if there was an occasion to be alone or to 445 00:22:39,200 --> 00:22:41,750 S4: work together in that type of thing. I had no 446 00:22:41,900 --> 00:22:46,190 S4: would have no intention of violating my marriage vows. In fact, 447 00:22:46,190 --> 00:22:48,740 S4: when I talked to people who have, they often say, 448 00:22:48,740 --> 00:22:52,010 S4: I had no idea this could happen. I didn't intend to. 449 00:22:52,040 --> 00:22:53,810 S4: I love my wife. I want, you know, want to 450 00:22:53,810 --> 00:22:57,260 S4: be true to her. But things happen. And that's why 451 00:22:57,260 --> 00:23:00,530 S4: you need to fully keep yourself from these situations where 452 00:23:00,530 --> 00:23:02,960 S4: that kind of thing can grow. And as I say, 453 00:23:02,990 --> 00:23:04,910 S4: take care of how it looks. You know, you don't 454 00:23:04,910 --> 00:23:07,460 S4: want it to appear like something bad is going on 455 00:23:07,460 --> 00:23:10,160 S4: if you're never alone with them, nothing bad can go on. 456 00:23:10,160 --> 00:23:12,350 S4: And so plant that hedge and be firm. 457 00:23:12,380 --> 00:23:16,370 S1: Talk to that person who hasn't set hedges up, who 458 00:23:16,369 --> 00:23:20,780 S1: has in fact fallen there listening to this conversation now, Jerry, 459 00:23:20,780 --> 00:23:24,439 S1: they're feeling a mixture of pain and regret and guilt 460 00:23:24,440 --> 00:23:28,400 S1: and maybe even despair. What's their next step? 461 00:23:28,460 --> 00:23:31,850 S4: I think it's never too late to plant hedges. And 462 00:23:31,880 --> 00:23:35,270 S4: and I have heard from couples who say they had, 463 00:23:35,330 --> 00:23:38,600 S4: you know, Rocky start in their marriage. Maybe they were unfaithful. 464 00:23:38,630 --> 00:23:41,119 S4: That's a very difficult thing to come back from. And 465 00:23:41,119 --> 00:23:44,600 S4: very few marriages survive that, but they can survive. There 466 00:23:44,600 --> 00:23:48,770 S4: is forgiveness, there is reconciliation. But it takes real honesty, 467 00:23:48,770 --> 00:23:51,590 S4: and it takes a commitment to plant these hedges and 468 00:23:51,590 --> 00:23:53,960 S4: to say, from now on, I'm never going to be 469 00:23:53,960 --> 00:23:56,630 S4: alone with a woman who's not related to me. I'm 470 00:23:56,630 --> 00:24:00,379 S4: going to be careful with how I embrace friends. I'm 471 00:24:00,380 --> 00:24:02,510 S4: going to be careful with, you know, anything in my 472 00:24:02,510 --> 00:24:04,490 S4: life that's a weakness in this area. I'm going to 473 00:24:04,490 --> 00:24:06,650 S4: plant a hedge around it, and from now on, this 474 00:24:06,650 --> 00:24:08,960 S4: is the way it's going to be. So as I say, 475 00:24:08,960 --> 00:24:11,899 S4: it's never too late. Your spouse will appreciate it. 476 00:24:11,930 --> 00:24:14,120 S1: You know, this is probably an unfair question, but as 477 00:24:14,119 --> 00:24:17,180 S1: you get out and as you speak and interact with folks, 478 00:24:17,180 --> 00:24:20,629 S1: what's the one tweak that you would make in marriages 479 00:24:20,630 --> 00:24:24,110 S1: today that are maybe weak on this idea of hedges, 480 00:24:24,109 --> 00:24:25,459 S1: maybe a first step? 481 00:24:25,490 --> 00:24:29,000 S4: Well, this might sound really minor, but I've noticed that 482 00:24:29,000 --> 00:24:33,050 S4: people get so comfortable with each other and almost pass 483 00:24:33,080 --> 00:24:36,380 S4: in their daily relationship that they're not even polite with 484 00:24:36,380 --> 00:24:39,469 S4: each other anymore. In the home, they just take each 485 00:24:39,500 --> 00:24:42,830 S4: other for granted. Now, that might seem minor and not 486 00:24:42,830 --> 00:24:45,260 S4: as if it has anything to do with sexual purity, 487 00:24:45,260 --> 00:24:48,590 S4: but you know, I've been married well over 50 years now, 488 00:24:48,590 --> 00:24:52,220 S4: and we are still polite with each other. We defer 489 00:24:52,220 --> 00:24:55,430 S4: to each other, we care about each other and try 490 00:24:55,430 --> 00:24:58,609 S4: to put each other first. That's a good way to start. 491 00:24:58,609 --> 00:25:02,240 S4: And it also provides a great foundation for planting hedges 492 00:25:02,240 --> 00:25:03,619 S4: that say, I'm going to be true to you for 493 00:25:03,619 --> 00:25:04,670 S4: the rest of my life. 494 00:25:04,670 --> 00:25:07,820 S1: I've asked my questions. I'm curious, what's the one thing 495 00:25:07,820 --> 00:25:10,430 S1: you'd like to share that I haven't yet addressed? What's 496 00:25:10,430 --> 00:25:13,100 S1: the one aspect of this book that you're hoping that 497 00:25:13,100 --> 00:25:14,240 S1: people will run with? 498 00:25:14,450 --> 00:25:18,439 S4: Well, I've stated it before, and at the risk of repetition, 499 00:25:18,470 --> 00:25:20,930 S4: I just think it's a very freeing thing to know 500 00:25:20,930 --> 00:25:23,960 S4: that you can flee. You don't have to stand and fight. 501 00:25:23,960 --> 00:25:26,389 S4: You don't have to pray about this and seek God's 502 00:25:26,390 --> 00:25:29,570 S4: will over this. It's clear in Scripture we're to flee 503 00:25:29,600 --> 00:25:31,820 S4: sexual immorality. So run. 504 00:25:31,850 --> 00:25:34,490 S1: Why not run to our website, the land and the book? 505 00:25:34,700 --> 00:25:37,580 S1: Org where you'll find a link to Jerry's website. A 506 00:25:37,609 --> 00:25:40,100 S1: link to the book as well. That's the land and 507 00:25:40,100 --> 00:25:45,110 S1: the book.org. The land and the book.org. I'm looking forward 508 00:25:45,109 --> 00:25:47,240 S1: to our next segment. Always fun to hear what you're 509 00:25:47,240 --> 00:25:49,970 S1: thinking about as you read scripture and questions pop into 510 00:25:49,970 --> 00:25:52,850 S1: your mind. Charlie Dyer is back to answer those questions 511 00:25:52,880 --> 00:26:07,040 S1: next right here on the land and the book. Sure 512 00:26:07,040 --> 00:26:08,690 S1: are glad to have you on board with us today 513 00:26:08,690 --> 00:26:10,970 S1: at The Land and the book. No point in doing 514 00:26:10,970 --> 00:26:13,790 S1: what we do unless there's somebody like you to listen in. 515 00:26:13,790 --> 00:26:17,090 S1: I'm John Geiger, our host, doctor Charlie Dyer, segment three, 516 00:26:17,090 --> 00:26:20,810 S1: coming your way. Questions and answers. First, though, this quick thought, 517 00:26:20,810 --> 00:26:23,150 S1: Israel Charlie has been in the news a lot over 518 00:26:23,150 --> 00:26:26,000 S1: the past year and as we know, the Bible totally 519 00:26:26,030 --> 00:26:29,750 S1: jam packed with end times prophecies about epic world events, 520 00:26:29,750 --> 00:26:32,899 S1: the regathering of the Jewish people to their homeland, and 521 00:26:32,900 --> 00:26:36,230 S1: Jesus return. It is crucial for us as believers, though, 522 00:26:36,230 --> 00:26:39,320 S1: to have a proper understanding of Bible prophecy so that 523 00:26:39,320 --> 00:26:42,500 S1: our view of the future is shaped by Scripture and 524 00:26:42,500 --> 00:26:44,119 S1: not just today's headlines. Right? 525 00:26:44,150 --> 00:26:47,060 S2: Absolutely. Now, with that in mind, our friends at Life 526 00:26:47,060 --> 00:26:50,450 S2: and Messiah have published a book titled God, Israel and 527 00:26:50,450 --> 00:26:53,149 S2: Bible Prophecy, and they're offering it to listeners of the 528 00:26:53,150 --> 00:26:56,210 S2: land in the book for a limited time. This informative 529 00:26:56,240 --> 00:26:59,780 S2: book is focused on providing readers with a deeper understanding 530 00:26:59,780 --> 00:27:02,900 S2: and greater appreciation of what God has in store for 531 00:27:02,900 --> 00:27:06,350 S2: Israel and the nations by digging into what the scriptures 532 00:27:06,350 --> 00:27:09,410 S2: say about these issues. If you're interested in learning more 533 00:27:09,410 --> 00:27:12,919 S2: about what God has in store, visit Life in Messiah. 534 00:27:13,190 --> 00:27:15,859 S2: Org and click on the Moody Radio button to find 535 00:27:15,859 --> 00:27:20,090 S2: out how you can receive your copy of God, Israel 536 00:27:20,090 --> 00:27:24,260 S2: and Bible Prophecy. That's life in messiah.org. 537 00:27:24,290 --> 00:27:26,810 S1: All right, I love the questions that come in every week, 538 00:27:26,810 --> 00:27:28,970 S1: and this is an interesting one. Charlie takes us to 539 00:27:29,000 --> 00:27:33,890 S1: first Samuel 17, which says David's father, Jesse, had eight 540 00:27:33,890 --> 00:27:37,580 S1: sons and that David was the youngest. But First Chronicles 541 00:27:37,580 --> 00:27:40,640 S1: two lists the names of the sons of Jesse, and 542 00:27:40,640 --> 00:27:43,040 S1: David is said to be the seventh. Is this an 543 00:27:43,040 --> 00:27:46,159 S1: error in the Bible? Were there 7 or 8 sons? 544 00:27:46,190 --> 00:27:49,850 S2: Well, I always approach alleged discrepancies like this by assuming 545 00:27:49,850 --> 00:27:53,119 S2: the apparent differences can be resolved once we understand all 546 00:27:53,119 --> 00:27:56,570 S2: the details. For example, when it comes to genealogies, there 547 00:27:56,570 --> 00:27:59,480 S2: are times when the writers compress genealogies for the sake 548 00:27:59,480 --> 00:28:02,540 S2: of space, leaving out less important links in the human 549 00:28:02,540 --> 00:28:05,899 S2: chain while spending more time on the central characters. Now, 550 00:28:05,900 --> 00:28:07,880 S2: in the case of David, I also think there might 551 00:28:07,880 --> 00:28:11,060 S2: be something else going on. The first Samuel 17 account 552 00:28:11,090 --> 00:28:13,610 S2: takes place very early in David's life. You know, that's 553 00:28:13,609 --> 00:28:16,490 S2: when David volunteers to fight Goliath, and he was likely 554 00:28:16,490 --> 00:28:19,310 S2: just a teenager at the time. The account simply says 555 00:28:19,310 --> 00:28:22,340 S2: David had seven older brothers and then singled out in 556 00:28:22,340 --> 00:28:24,669 S2: addition to David, the three oldest who had gone to 557 00:28:24,700 --> 00:28:27,970 S2: war with King Saul. But the account makes a factual 558 00:28:27,970 --> 00:28:30,700 S2: statement that David was the youngest of eight sons. Now 559 00:28:30,700 --> 00:28:34,270 S2: first Chronicles, though, was compiled during the Post-exilic period, and 560 00:28:34,270 --> 00:28:37,960 S2: it provides a theological and historical sense of continuity for 561 00:28:37,960 --> 00:28:40,810 S2: those now back in the land. By its very nature, 562 00:28:40,810 --> 00:28:43,840 S2: it's a more selective history of Israel. For example, it 563 00:28:43,840 --> 00:28:46,720 S2: focuses on the southern kingdom of Judah and really doesn't 564 00:28:46,720 --> 00:28:49,300 S2: include the events from the northern Kingdom of Israel that 565 00:28:49,300 --> 00:28:52,600 S2: are found in First and Second kings. Chronicles begins with 566 00:28:52,600 --> 00:28:56,110 S2: the nations. Key genealogical records with an emphasis on the 567 00:28:56,110 --> 00:28:58,930 S2: line of David, and it actually names all seven sons 568 00:28:58,930 --> 00:29:02,110 S2: of Jesse listing David last. But back to the key 569 00:29:02,110 --> 00:29:05,350 S2: question why does Chronicles only list seven sons of Jesse 570 00:29:05,350 --> 00:29:08,500 S2: and not eight? It's possible that one of Jesse's sons 571 00:29:08,500 --> 00:29:12,400 S2: died prior to getting married or having children. As such, 572 00:29:12,400 --> 00:29:17,050 S2: he became unimportant in tracing the family's continuing genealogy. The 573 00:29:17,050 --> 00:29:20,800 S2: passage doesn't say Jesse only had seven sons. It simply 574 00:29:20,800 --> 00:29:23,740 S2: lists the seven by name. So I take it that 575 00:29:23,740 --> 00:29:26,650 S2: Jesse did have eight sons, David being the youngest. But 576 00:29:26,650 --> 00:29:29,650 S2: at some point early on, one of the sons died, 577 00:29:29,680 --> 00:29:32,020 S2: perhaps as a child or as a very young adult, 578 00:29:32,020 --> 00:29:34,720 S2: but he didn't survive into adulthood long enough to have 579 00:29:34,720 --> 00:29:37,660 S2: a family. So first, Samuel tells us the total number 580 00:29:37,660 --> 00:29:40,390 S2: of boys in the family, while Chronicles focuses on the 581 00:29:40,390 --> 00:29:43,870 S2: children who played a role in Israel's subsequent history. 582 00:29:43,900 --> 00:29:47,050 S1: Harry says, I'm studying the ten plagues on Egypt in 583 00:29:47,050 --> 00:29:50,770 S1: Exodus seven through ten. Is there a simple explanation why 584 00:29:50,800 --> 00:29:53,860 S1: good commentaries differ on the names of the gods and 585 00:29:53,860 --> 00:29:56,170 S1: goddesses behind each plague? 586 00:29:56,200 --> 00:29:58,570 S2: Well, I think there are several reasons why the commentaries 587 00:29:58,570 --> 00:30:01,090 S2: differ on the names of the Egyptian gods and goddesses. 588 00:30:01,090 --> 00:30:04,300 S2: Sometimes it's due to the way they translate Egyptian hieroglyphics 589 00:30:04,300 --> 00:30:07,720 S2: into English, French, German, or other modern languages. You know, 590 00:30:07,750 --> 00:30:10,780 S2: we do the same thing the Hebrew Tetragrammaton, the four 591 00:30:10,810 --> 00:30:14,350 S2: letter name, personal name for God gets translated as Yahweh 592 00:30:14,380 --> 00:30:17,710 S2: or Lord or Jehovah. But another reason for the Egyptian 593 00:30:17,710 --> 00:30:19,960 S2: part is that some gods were known by different names 594 00:30:19,960 --> 00:30:23,590 S2: or variations of those names in different regions of Egypt 595 00:30:23,590 --> 00:30:26,860 S2: or at different times in the country's long history. So 596 00:30:26,890 --> 00:30:31,600 S2: Amun was also known as Amun Ra or Amenhotep was 597 00:30:31,600 --> 00:30:35,260 S2: also known as Amenhotep. Finally, there were times when the 598 00:30:35,260 --> 00:30:39,430 S2: functions of the different gods and goddesses just seemed to overlap. 599 00:30:39,520 --> 00:30:42,010 S1: Question now from Todd, do you think that the Ark 600 00:30:42,010 --> 00:30:44,920 S1: sat on the foundation stone, and if so, how is 601 00:30:44,920 --> 00:30:47,710 S1: it that the stone is still exposed instead of being 602 00:30:47,710 --> 00:30:50,740 S1: buried under layers of sediment, as much of Jerusalem seems 603 00:30:50,740 --> 00:30:51,400 S1: to be? 604 00:30:51,430 --> 00:30:54,190 S2: Well, what's often called the foundation stone is actually an 605 00:30:54,190 --> 00:30:57,430 S2: exposed area of bedrock on the very top of Mount Moriah, 606 00:30:57,460 --> 00:30:59,770 S2: underneath the dome of the Rock. So it's not buried 607 00:30:59,800 --> 00:31:02,140 S2: under sediment, in part because it's at the top of 608 00:31:02,140 --> 00:31:05,200 S2: the the hill. And really, nothing then could cover it. 609 00:31:05,230 --> 00:31:07,030 S2: I do believe, though, it's the spot where the Ark 610 00:31:07,030 --> 00:31:09,790 S2: of the covenant sat in the temple. Uh, Leon and 611 00:31:09,790 --> 00:31:13,600 S2: Kathleen Ritmeyer have written several books and articles detailing the 612 00:31:13,600 --> 00:31:16,570 S2: design of Herod's Temple on Mount Moriah, and they're worth 613 00:31:16,570 --> 00:31:20,530 S2: checking out. You can Google leen ritmeyer. It's l e 614 00:31:20,530 --> 00:31:23,410 S2: n r I t m e y e r and 615 00:31:23,410 --> 00:31:26,410 S2: Ark of the covenant, and you'll get good information on him. 616 00:31:26,440 --> 00:31:29,410 S2: A Jewish tradition also says that its foundation stone is 617 00:31:29,410 --> 00:31:31,780 S2: the stone on which the world was founded. But that 618 00:31:31,780 --> 00:31:34,750 S2: particular tradition that's not supported biblically, that's. 619 00:31:34,750 --> 00:31:37,750 S1: Doctor Charlie Dyer. I'm John Geiger. This is the land 620 00:31:37,750 --> 00:31:41,350 S1: and the book. Segment three. Questions and answers. Buddy wants 621 00:31:41,350 --> 00:31:45,070 S1: to know regarding the repopulation of the earth after Noah's flood. 622 00:31:45,070 --> 00:31:48,280 S1: He says, I'm having difficulty understanding how Noah's three sons 623 00:31:48,280 --> 00:31:51,490 S1: and their wives could have populated such a diverse mix 624 00:31:51,490 --> 00:31:55,180 S1: of peoples. The information I read shows each son populating 625 00:31:55,180 --> 00:31:58,660 S1: areas in the general sections around Europe, the Middle East 626 00:31:58,660 --> 00:32:02,500 S1: and Africa. But how did groups such as Asians, Black Africans, 627 00:32:02,530 --> 00:32:06,700 S1: North American, indigenous people all come into existence? Any thoughts 628 00:32:06,700 --> 00:32:08,170 S1: or suggestions would be helpful. 629 00:32:08,200 --> 00:32:10,960 S2: Yeah, and we're not told directly how Noah's family developed 630 00:32:10,960 --> 00:32:13,300 S2: into such diverse groups of people, but I suspect the 631 00:32:13,300 --> 00:32:16,479 S2: following took place. First, the DNA of Adam and Eve 632 00:32:16,480 --> 00:32:19,330 S2: would have contained the variables we see in the human race, 633 00:32:19,330 --> 00:32:22,480 S2: from hair and eye color to other physical features, and 634 00:32:22,480 --> 00:32:25,209 S2: I suspect other genetic variables crept in over time to 635 00:32:25,240 --> 00:32:28,450 S2: account for the rest. Now, it's amazing how much variety 636 00:32:28,450 --> 00:32:31,450 S2: there is within the human race and within other species 637 00:32:31,450 --> 00:32:34,360 S2: as well. My second observation, though, is part of the 638 00:32:34,360 --> 00:32:36,370 S2: change in the human race was the result of God's 639 00:32:36,370 --> 00:32:39,190 S2: judgment at the Tower of Babel. The table of nations 640 00:32:39,190 --> 00:32:42,370 S2: in Genesis ten tells us where the different nations eventually 641 00:32:42,370 --> 00:32:44,890 S2: ended up. But the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11 642 00:32:44,890 --> 00:32:47,620 S2: tells us how that separation came to be. You know, 643 00:32:47,650 --> 00:32:51,190 S2: I suspect God divided the people genetically from the lines 644 00:32:51,190 --> 00:32:53,410 S2: of the three sons, and he also arranged for the 645 00:32:53,410 --> 00:32:56,890 S2: language divisions to correspond. Now, we're not told about the 646 00:32:56,890 --> 00:32:59,260 S2: other divisions, you know, whether it's the tribes that ended 647 00:32:59,260 --> 00:33:01,540 S2: up in America or the people in the Far East. 648 00:33:01,540 --> 00:33:04,300 S2: And I think they follow the same pattern. It's just 649 00:33:04,300 --> 00:33:06,850 S2: the Bible didn't cover them because they weren't germane to 650 00:33:06,880 --> 00:33:10,540 S2: the account, which is the nations around the nation of Israel. 651 00:33:10,660 --> 00:33:14,740 S2: One final point. The different groups were supernaturally given new languages. 652 00:33:14,740 --> 00:33:17,170 S2: They were sent in those separate directions. And I believe 653 00:33:17,200 --> 00:33:21,490 S2: God then used natural selection to develop specialized characteristics within 654 00:33:21,490 --> 00:33:24,760 S2: geographic areas, so those with darker skin survive better in 655 00:33:24,760 --> 00:33:28,450 S2: the areas of intense sun, while fairer skinned individuals adapted 656 00:33:28,450 --> 00:33:32,380 S2: better in colder climates. So over time those characteristics became 657 00:33:32,380 --> 00:33:36,190 S2: more dominant within each respective group. And since God scattered them, 658 00:33:36,190 --> 00:33:38,920 S2: I don't have a problem with groups over time, traversing 659 00:33:38,920 --> 00:33:42,190 S2: great distances as they searched for land and food and 660 00:33:42,190 --> 00:33:45,100 S2: other resources that actually might not have taken as long 661 00:33:45,100 --> 00:33:46,090 S2: as we suspect. 662 00:33:46,120 --> 00:33:49,300 S1: Hope that's helpful, buddy. And Mary asks, what's the difference 663 00:33:49,300 --> 00:33:52,330 S1: between the flesh and the old man in Romans six? 664 00:33:52,360 --> 00:33:55,300 S1: A Romans commentary I'm reading says, we must not confuse 665 00:33:55,300 --> 00:33:58,990 S1: the old man with the flesh. Is the flesh morally neutral? 666 00:33:59,020 --> 00:34:01,780 S1: Does the flesh refer to the natural things a person does, 667 00:34:01,780 --> 00:34:06,130 S1: like eating and drinking? I've seen these terms used interchangeably, 668 00:34:06,130 --> 00:34:07,450 S1: so thanks for any help. 669 00:34:07,720 --> 00:34:09,220 S2: Okay, I'm not sure if I'll be that helpful, but 670 00:34:09,219 --> 00:34:13,480 S2: here goes. Paul uses old man. It's pelios anthropos one 671 00:34:13,480 --> 00:34:16,690 S2: time in Romans six and verse six, and the New 672 00:34:16,690 --> 00:34:20,110 S2: American Standard, the NIV, the ESV, all translated as old 673 00:34:20,110 --> 00:34:22,600 S2: self in the sense of referring to all that we 674 00:34:22,630 --> 00:34:26,170 S2: were spiritually prior to salvation. Then when Paul uses the 675 00:34:26,170 --> 00:34:29,830 S2: word flesh in verse 19, he uses the word sarx, 676 00:34:29,830 --> 00:34:32,560 S2: which is a reference to the physical body. So in 677 00:34:32,590 --> 00:34:35,529 S2: that section of Romans six, Paul is developing an analogy 678 00:34:35,530 --> 00:34:38,109 S2: between what we were and what we now are. He 679 00:34:38,110 --> 00:34:40,930 S2: makes it clear that the comparison doesn't match up perfectly, 680 00:34:40,930 --> 00:34:44,800 S2: since we're not slaves to righteousness in that sense. But 681 00:34:44,830 --> 00:34:47,350 S2: what he's trying to show is that in the human sense, 682 00:34:47,350 --> 00:34:50,410 S2: when we were unsaved, we presented ourselves as slaves to 683 00:34:50,440 --> 00:34:53,140 S2: impurity in our physical bodies. But now that we've been 684 00:34:53,140 --> 00:34:55,330 S2: set free from sin and are able to surrender our 685 00:34:55,330 --> 00:34:57,700 S2: bodies to do what's right, that's what we should be 686 00:34:57,700 --> 00:35:00,219 S2: doing in God's sight. Paul then connects this to the 687 00:35:00,219 --> 00:35:03,820 S2: process of sanctification. So in his use of old self, 688 00:35:03,820 --> 00:35:07,240 S2: Paul is describing our condition prior to salvation and in 689 00:35:07,239 --> 00:35:10,000 S2: using flesh. He's talking about what we did in our 690 00:35:10,000 --> 00:35:13,150 S2: physical bodies prior to salvation and what we need to 691 00:35:13,180 --> 00:35:15,930 S2: be doing now as we grow in our relationship to Christ. 692 00:35:15,960 --> 00:35:18,390 S1: Terry takes us to Matthew four, where we see the 693 00:35:18,390 --> 00:35:21,330 S1: temptation of Jesus and the 40 days of fasting in 694 00:35:21,330 --> 00:35:24,240 S1: the wilderness. He asks, how is it that an apostle 695 00:35:24,270 --> 00:35:27,210 S1: can relate this incident, when it would appear that Jesus 696 00:35:27,210 --> 00:35:29,759 S1: was alone in the wilderness? I have to assume that 697 00:35:29,760 --> 00:35:33,029 S1: Jesus must have related this incident to the apostles, but 698 00:35:33,060 --> 00:35:35,610 S1: is there any place in Scripture that gives any indication 699 00:35:35,610 --> 00:35:36,330 S1: of this? 700 00:35:36,570 --> 00:35:38,670 S2: Well, there's not any spot in the Bible that gives 701 00:35:38,670 --> 00:35:41,190 S2: a direct answer to that. But your your instincts, I think, 702 00:35:41,190 --> 00:35:43,799 S2: are right on target. That's my best guess as well, 703 00:35:43,800 --> 00:35:46,260 S2: I believe. During his years of ministry with his disciples, 704 00:35:46,260 --> 00:35:49,859 S2: Jesus shared incidents like this that took place when they 705 00:35:49,860 --> 00:35:53,100 S2: were around. The temptation in the wilderness would be one 706 00:35:53,130 --> 00:35:56,100 S2: took place before Jesus called his first disciples. You know, 707 00:35:56,130 --> 00:35:58,920 S2: it immediately followed his baptism in the Jordan by John 708 00:35:58,920 --> 00:36:01,859 S2: the Baptist. And it was after the temptation when Jesus 709 00:36:01,860 --> 00:36:05,400 S2: then traveled to Galilee and called his first disciples. They 710 00:36:05,400 --> 00:36:07,920 S2: weren't there physically. But I don't have a problem assuming 711 00:36:07,920 --> 00:36:11,130 S2: Jesus shared events like this with them when they were together. 712 00:36:11,310 --> 00:36:13,650 S2: One last point though. I believe the Holy Spirit also 713 00:36:13,650 --> 00:36:17,040 S2: helped the disciples remember the many things Jesus taught them 714 00:36:17,040 --> 00:36:19,170 S2: during his time with them. And I say that because 715 00:36:19,170 --> 00:36:22,770 S2: of John 1426, it says, the Holy Spirit will come, 716 00:36:22,770 --> 00:36:24,569 S2: and he'll remind you of everything I've said to you. 717 00:36:24,600 --> 00:36:27,000 S2: Which tells me Jesus did share a lot with them 718 00:36:27,000 --> 00:36:28,080 S2: while they were traveling. 719 00:36:28,110 --> 00:36:30,630 S1: Thank you Charlie. Thank you to everybody who sent in 720 00:36:30,630 --> 00:36:33,210 S1: a question. And a link is at our website where 721 00:36:33,210 --> 00:36:35,970 S1: you can get your question addressed as well. Hey, Charlie 722 00:36:36,000 --> 00:36:39,149 S1: Dyer's devotional is next on the land and the book. 723 00:36:52,020 --> 00:36:55,500 S1: If you're not from Florida or Southern California, you have 724 00:36:55,500 --> 00:36:58,650 S1: to admit that going to Israel has a delightful effect 725 00:36:58,650 --> 00:37:01,920 S1: on your eyes because of all the beautiful palm trees. 726 00:37:01,950 --> 00:37:05,549 S1: I'm John Geiger, welcoming you back to segment four of 727 00:37:05,550 --> 00:37:08,250 S1: The Land and the book. Palm trees have kind of 728 00:37:08,280 --> 00:37:11,340 S1: caught your attention, too. Charlie, I understand they have. 729 00:37:11,340 --> 00:37:13,140 S2: John. We're going to be heading to the wilderness for 730 00:37:13,140 --> 00:37:15,720 S2: a palm tree, which sounds like it doesn't fit together, 731 00:37:15,719 --> 00:37:16,590 S2: but it does. 732 00:37:16,620 --> 00:37:19,259 S1: That's the focus of our devotional, right after this thought 733 00:37:19,260 --> 00:37:22,290 S1: from somebody who has also been to Israel and wanted 734 00:37:22,290 --> 00:37:25,470 S1: to share something from their experience with you and me. Listen. 735 00:37:29,640 --> 00:37:32,520 S5: I am Van Hodges from the south suburbs of Chicago. 736 00:37:32,880 --> 00:37:35,160 S5: After having the privilege of going to Israel for the 737 00:37:35,160 --> 00:37:38,670 S5: first time in 1997. I was so captivated by the 738 00:37:38,670 --> 00:37:41,339 S5: area that I have returned every year since. I have 739 00:37:41,340 --> 00:37:44,520 S5: traveled the entire length and width of the country. I 740 00:37:44,520 --> 00:37:47,339 S5: am somewhat surprised that only a small minority of Christians 741 00:37:47,340 --> 00:37:50,339 S5: make an effort to travel to this wonderful land, for 742 00:37:50,340 --> 00:37:53,820 S5: much of the Bible took place, especially for the gospel 743 00:37:53,820 --> 00:37:58,110 S5: events of Jesus life happened. We see so many breathtaking, 744 00:37:58,140 --> 00:38:02,610 S5: beautiful nature scenes and numerous archaeological ruins which all continue 745 00:38:02,640 --> 00:38:05,430 S5: to validate the Bible, the Word of God. What is 746 00:38:05,430 --> 00:38:08,070 S5: more amazing is all this can be seen within such 747 00:38:08,100 --> 00:38:12,330 S5: a tiny country. My favorite location by far is the 748 00:38:12,330 --> 00:38:16,440 S5: Garden Tomb and nearby small looking Stone Hill. It only 749 00:38:16,440 --> 00:38:18,900 S5: makes sense to me that God would allow the world 750 00:38:19,230 --> 00:38:22,560 S5: to see the location where the world changing event of 751 00:38:22,560 --> 00:38:27,150 S5: Jesus sacrificial crucifixion and resurrection from the dead took place. 752 00:38:29,100 --> 00:38:32,100 S1: I love Psalm chapter one, Charlie. It's one of the 753 00:38:32,100 --> 00:38:34,410 S1: psalms I've been able to memorize. But where are we 754 00:38:34,440 --> 00:38:35,880 S1: going in today's devotional? 755 00:38:35,910 --> 00:38:38,970 S2: Well, we're heading to the Judean wilderness to focus on 756 00:38:38,969 --> 00:38:41,790 S2: Psalm one and another passage. In fact, John, for the 757 00:38:41,790 --> 00:38:45,060 S2: next two weeks, we're heading to my favorite place in Israel, 758 00:38:45,060 --> 00:38:48,000 S2: as you know, the Judean wilderness. And as a bonus, 759 00:38:48,000 --> 00:38:51,150 S2: I want to illustrate this week's devotional and next week's 760 00:38:51,150 --> 00:38:54,540 S2: by including a few corresponding photos on our land in 761 00:38:54,540 --> 00:38:57,330 S2: the book Facebook page. So go there and you'll see 762 00:38:57,360 --> 00:39:00,780 S2: exactly what I'm describing. One of the real blessings in 763 00:39:00,780 --> 00:39:03,180 S2: getting to travel to Israel so many times is that 764 00:39:03,180 --> 00:39:05,070 S2: I've been able to see the country develop over the 765 00:39:05,070 --> 00:39:08,610 S2: past four decades. Some changes are for the good. New 766 00:39:08,610 --> 00:39:11,370 S2: sites have been developed and opened, and access to other 767 00:39:11,370 --> 00:39:15,480 S2: sites has improved. Some changes haven't been as nice. Traffic 768 00:39:15,480 --> 00:39:18,900 S2: has increased dramatically and new towns and villages have encroached 769 00:39:18,930 --> 00:39:22,770 S2: on sites, sometimes obscuring the view. And sadly, a few 770 00:39:22,770 --> 00:39:25,890 S2: sites have also been defaced by vandals or simply covered 771 00:39:25,890 --> 00:39:28,590 S2: over in the name of progress. Today, I want to 772 00:39:28,590 --> 00:39:31,170 S2: take you back to the Judean wilderness, as it was 773 00:39:31,170 --> 00:39:34,080 S2: more than 40 years ago. The wide highway that now 774 00:39:34,080 --> 00:39:37,500 S2: stretches from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea was a much smaller, 775 00:39:37,500 --> 00:39:41,879 S2: serpentine road that often forced traffic heading uphill to crawl 776 00:39:41,880 --> 00:39:45,330 S2: at a snail's pace behind trucks hauling produce and other 777 00:39:45,330 --> 00:39:48,479 S2: goods from the Jordan Valley. One highlight of my very 778 00:39:48,480 --> 00:39:52,110 S2: first trip was a hike through the Judean wilderness to Jericho. 779 00:39:52,140 --> 00:39:54,330 S2: On the first leg of our trip, we hiked in 780 00:39:54,330 --> 00:39:56,640 S2: the Wadi Kilte for the next part of our journey. 781 00:39:56,670 --> 00:39:59,490 S2: We walked along the edge of an aqueduct, bringing water 782 00:39:59,489 --> 00:40:02,820 S2: to Jericho from a natural spring in the wilderness, and 783 00:40:02,820 --> 00:40:04,860 S2: the final part of the hike was on a narrow 784 00:40:04,860 --> 00:40:08,310 S2: pathway on the edge of the now quite deep canyon 785 00:40:08,310 --> 00:40:12,630 S2: that descended to the site of Herod's palace at New Testament, Jericho. 786 00:40:12,660 --> 00:40:14,819 S2: One of the most dramatic spots on the hike was 787 00:40:14,820 --> 00:40:18,420 S2: Saint George's Monastery. This marked the transition between the second 788 00:40:18,420 --> 00:40:21,510 S2: and third phases of that journey. The aqueduct took a 789 00:40:21,510 --> 00:40:24,779 S2: dramatic turn, dropping from the northern side of the canyon 790 00:40:24,780 --> 00:40:28,530 S2: into the valley before flowing past the monastery and then 791 00:40:28,530 --> 00:40:31,859 S2: continuing along the southern wall of the canyon, and right 792 00:40:31,860 --> 00:40:34,589 S2: where the aqueduct turned and rushed down into the valley, 793 00:40:34,590 --> 00:40:38,100 S2: was a magnificent date, palm tree growing next to the 794 00:40:38,100 --> 00:40:41,730 S2: flowing water. Small bushes and shrubs grew along parts of 795 00:40:41,730 --> 00:40:45,660 S2: the aqueduct, where water seeping from the cement walls provided 796 00:40:45,660 --> 00:40:49,650 S2: nourishing moisture, but very few plants grew to any height 797 00:40:49,650 --> 00:40:52,410 S2: because of the flocks of goats roaming the sides of 798 00:40:52,410 --> 00:40:55,799 S2: the canyon that kept them mowed down, all except for 799 00:40:55,800 --> 00:40:59,790 S2: this one magnificent date palm tree. It had survived the 800 00:40:59,790 --> 00:41:03,419 S2: flocks and grown to a respectable height. Actually, more than that, 801 00:41:03,420 --> 00:41:07,200 S2: it dominated all the other vegetation. A tower of green 802 00:41:07,200 --> 00:41:10,500 S2: in an otherwise barren area. When I saw that tree, 803 00:41:10,530 --> 00:41:13,650 S2: Psalm one immediately sprang to mind. It was the perfect 804 00:41:13,680 --> 00:41:17,640 S2: illustration of verse three, the tree planted by streams of water, 805 00:41:17,640 --> 00:41:20,430 S2: which yields its fruit in season, and whose leaf does 806 00:41:20,430 --> 00:41:23,399 S2: not wither. It was the only date palm tree we 807 00:41:23,400 --> 00:41:25,650 S2: saw as we hiked through that part of the wilderness 808 00:41:25,650 --> 00:41:28,410 S2: along the Wadi Kilte, but it was there because of 809 00:41:28,410 --> 00:41:31,530 S2: the never ending supply of flowing water. It was connected 810 00:41:31,530 --> 00:41:36,390 S2: to a source that provided nourishment. Jeremiah the plagiarizing prophet 811 00:41:36,390 --> 00:41:39,690 S2: alludes to Psalm one in chapter 17 of his book, 812 00:41:39,690 --> 00:41:42,930 S2: while Psalm one pictures a righteous individual followed by a 813 00:41:42,960 --> 00:41:46,770 S2: wicked one. Jeremiah reverses the order. He first pictures the 814 00:41:46,770 --> 00:41:49,980 S2: one who's cursed, followed by the one who's blessed. But 815 00:41:49,980 --> 00:41:54,330 S2: plants water, and the wilderness are pictured prominently by Jeremiah. 816 00:41:54,360 --> 00:41:57,240 S2: He says the righteous individual will be like a tree 817 00:41:57,239 --> 00:41:59,819 S2: planted by the water that sends out its roots by 818 00:41:59,820 --> 00:42:02,730 S2: the stream. It does not fear when heat comes, its 819 00:42:02,730 --> 00:42:05,560 S2: leaves are always green. It has no worries in a 820 00:42:05,560 --> 00:42:09,009 S2: year of drought and never fails to bear fruit. The 821 00:42:09,010 --> 00:42:12,100 S2: wilderness is a place of marginal rainfall and in the 822 00:42:12,130 --> 00:42:15,460 S2: summer it can become quite hot. The secret to survival 823 00:42:15,460 --> 00:42:19,030 S2: for both plants and animals is water. That date palm 824 00:42:19,060 --> 00:42:22,480 S2: tree growing along the aqueduct was a dramatic illustration of 825 00:42:22,510 --> 00:42:25,420 S2: that truth for me. Since then, I've also noticed the 826 00:42:25,420 --> 00:42:28,000 S2: date palm groves growing in the Jordan Valley and near 827 00:42:28,030 --> 00:42:30,940 S2: Qumran by the Dead Sea. They can grow in what 828 00:42:30,969 --> 00:42:34,120 S2: seems to be a harsh, unyielding climate because water is 829 00:42:34,120 --> 00:42:37,930 S2: being piped in to nourish the plants. Sadly enough, that 830 00:42:37,930 --> 00:42:41,200 S2: majestic date palm tree is no longer growing by the 831 00:42:41,200 --> 00:42:44,560 S2: aqueduct in the Judean wilderness. It wasn't the heat that 832 00:42:44,560 --> 00:42:47,170 S2: did it in. It was humans. I don't know if 833 00:42:47,170 --> 00:42:49,839 S2: it was vandals who cut it down just to be cruel, 834 00:42:49,840 --> 00:42:52,330 S2: or if it was cut down by someone in Jericho 835 00:42:52,330 --> 00:42:55,149 S2: begrudging the tree the water it was pulling away from 836 00:42:55,150 --> 00:42:58,180 S2: the aqueduct. But for whatever reason, I was on that 837 00:42:58,180 --> 00:43:01,120 S2: same hike some years later when I discovered the tree 838 00:43:01,150 --> 00:43:04,180 S2: had been chopped down. The dead trunk and branches were 839 00:43:04,230 --> 00:43:07,740 S2: lying near where the tree had once flourished. The illustration 840 00:43:07,739 --> 00:43:10,049 S2: that had become one of my aha moments on that 841 00:43:10,050 --> 00:43:13,950 S2: very first trip to Israel was now gone. Thankfully, I 842 00:43:13,950 --> 00:43:17,430 S2: had taken several photos of it on previous trips. I'm 843 00:43:17,430 --> 00:43:19,920 S2: not sure what you envision when you read Psalm one. 844 00:43:19,950 --> 00:43:22,500 S2: Up until my first trip to Israel, I had pictured 845 00:43:22,500 --> 00:43:24,960 S2: an apple tree in a green meadow right next to 846 00:43:24,989 --> 00:43:27,900 S2: a babbling brook. I guess that's because growing up in 847 00:43:27,900 --> 00:43:30,660 S2: the northeast, I hiked through my share of woods and 848 00:43:30,660 --> 00:43:34,200 S2: fields along clear mountain streams. But that's what came to 849 00:43:34,230 --> 00:43:36,660 S2: mind when I read about a fruit tree planted by 850 00:43:36,660 --> 00:43:40,530 S2: a stream. After seeing that tree on the hike to Jericho, though, 851 00:43:40,530 --> 00:43:43,439 S2: Psalm one now brings to mind that date palm tree 852 00:43:43,440 --> 00:43:46,319 S2: in the wilderness. True, the stream in this case was 853 00:43:46,320 --> 00:43:49,440 S2: a flowing aqueduct and not a natural spring as such. 854 00:43:49,440 --> 00:43:51,930 S2: But the tree is one of the seven species of 855 00:43:51,930 --> 00:43:55,290 S2: plants God had said Israel would find in the land 856 00:43:55,290 --> 00:43:58,560 S2: in Deuteronomy chapter eight, and it does yield its fruit 857 00:43:58,560 --> 00:44:01,890 S2: in its season, and the Judean wilderness fits the context 858 00:44:01,890 --> 00:44:05,870 S2: supplied by Jeremiah. A land of heat and drought. But 859 00:44:05,870 --> 00:44:08,420 S2: what's the point of the image being painted by the 860 00:44:08,420 --> 00:44:11,629 S2: psalmist and by Jeremiah in Psalm one? The key point 861 00:44:11,630 --> 00:44:14,150 S2: of the comparison is between the Word of God and 862 00:44:14,150 --> 00:44:17,120 S2: the streams of water. The person whose delight is in 863 00:44:17,120 --> 00:44:19,070 S2: the law of the Lord, and on his law he 864 00:44:19,070 --> 00:44:21,980 S2: meditates day and night, is the one compared to the 865 00:44:21,980 --> 00:44:25,220 S2: tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit 866 00:44:25,219 --> 00:44:28,700 S2: in season, and whose leaf does not wither. In Israel, 867 00:44:28,700 --> 00:44:31,550 S2: you quickly learn that water is life, and just as 868 00:44:31,550 --> 00:44:34,400 S2: a tree connected to a dependable source of water will 869 00:44:34,400 --> 00:44:37,460 S2: grow and prosper, so a man or woman connected to 870 00:44:37,489 --> 00:44:41,420 S2: the nourishing power of God's Word will grow and prosper. 871 00:44:41,450 --> 00:44:44,330 S2: In Jeremiah 17, the one who is cursed is like 872 00:44:44,330 --> 00:44:47,509 S2: a bush in the wasteland. The word for wasteland is Arava, 873 00:44:47,540 --> 00:44:50,540 S2: the desert plain down by the Dead Sea. He goes 874 00:44:50,540 --> 00:44:53,239 S2: on to say he won't see prosperity when it comes. 875 00:44:53,239 --> 00:44:56,450 S2: He'll dwell in the parched places of the desert. And 876 00:44:56,450 --> 00:44:59,840 S2: the word for desert is midbar the wilderness. The person 877 00:44:59,840 --> 00:45:02,510 S2: who chooses to trust in others rather than in God 878 00:45:02,540 --> 00:45:05,690 S2: is not connected to the ultimate source of blessing. When 879 00:45:05,690 --> 00:45:08,779 S2: Jeremiah says he won't see prosperity when it comes, he 880 00:45:08,780 --> 00:45:11,509 S2: uses the word tov or good, referring to the good 881 00:45:11,510 --> 00:45:14,600 S2: rain God promised to send on the land. The wilderness 882 00:45:14,630 --> 00:45:19,430 S2: is the prominent exception. Far less rain falls there. In contrast, 883 00:45:19,430 --> 00:45:23,180 S2: Jeremiah says, the blessed individual is the one who trusts 884 00:45:23,180 --> 00:45:26,120 S2: in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. That's the 885 00:45:26,120 --> 00:45:28,670 S2: one planted by the water, whose roots are connected to 886 00:45:28,700 --> 00:45:31,940 S2: the source of blessing. Times of drought can still come. 887 00:45:31,940 --> 00:45:34,970 S2: Jeremiah says, even this tree can face the heat and 888 00:45:34,969 --> 00:45:37,340 S2: go through a year of drought. But even in the 889 00:45:37,340 --> 00:45:40,490 S2: tough times, its leaves remain green and it never fails 890 00:45:40,489 --> 00:45:43,490 S2: to bear fruit because it remains connected to the source 891 00:45:43,489 --> 00:45:46,219 S2: of nourishment. Now it's time to head back to the 892 00:45:46,250 --> 00:45:48,980 S2: bus for a much needed water break. But before we 893 00:45:48,980 --> 00:45:51,680 S2: walk off this hill, what lessons can you take along 894 00:45:51,710 --> 00:45:55,520 S2: to help in your continuing journey through life? Let me 895 00:45:55,520 --> 00:45:58,400 S2: suggest this your life will have its share of ups 896 00:45:58,400 --> 00:46:01,160 S2: and downs, and it will even include some time spent 897 00:46:01,160 --> 00:46:04,400 S2: in the wilderness in the tough times of life. But 898 00:46:04,400 --> 00:46:07,190 S2: the secret to surviving the tough times is to remain 899 00:46:07,190 --> 00:46:10,700 S2: connected to God's ever flowing source of blessing. How do 900 00:46:10,700 --> 00:46:13,219 S2: you do that? Psalm one says you need to remain 901 00:46:13,219 --> 00:46:17,360 S2: in God's Word to meditate on it constantly, day and night. 902 00:46:17,360 --> 00:46:21,109 S2: And Jeremiah 17 says, the other secret is to continue 903 00:46:21,110 --> 00:46:24,259 S2: placing your trust in God. Meditate on the Word of 904 00:46:24,260 --> 00:46:27,740 S2: God and continue trusting in the person of God. It 905 00:46:27,739 --> 00:46:31,070 S2: won't magically make your problems disappear, but it will enable 906 00:46:31,070 --> 00:46:34,879 S2: you to thrive in spite of your circumstances. Now head 907 00:46:34,880 --> 00:46:37,940 S2: to our Facebook page and check out those pictures. 908 00:46:37,969 --> 00:46:41,060 S1: Thank you Charlie. And do visit the Facebook page, will you? 909 00:46:41,060 --> 00:46:43,430 S1: And also check out our web page, The Land and 910 00:46:43,430 --> 00:46:47,330 S1: the book.org. All kinds of great links there for you. 911 00:46:47,360 --> 00:46:50,270 S1: I'm John Geiger, thanking you for listening to The Land 912 00:46:50,270 --> 00:46:53,300 S1: and the book, a production of Moody Radio, a ministry 913 00:46:53,300 --> 00:46:55,040 S1: of Moody Bible Institute.