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S1: The world is loud. Life is fast and wonder is

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S1: slipping through the cracks. But Jesus gave a simple command.

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S1: Consider the birds. Coming up, you'll learn how birds illustrate

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S1: timeless truths found in Philippians. You'll see birds and the

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S1: Lord himself in a fresh new light. Hey, here's your

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S1: invitation to slow down, look up and rediscover the gospel

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S1: written in the wings of creation. Welcome to the land

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S1: and the book. Our host and guide is a student

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S1: of the Middle East and a noted Old Testament scholar,

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S1: Doctor Charlie Dyer. I'm John Gager, hoping your day's going well. Charlie.

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S2: John, it is going well. Thank you so much for asking.

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S1: Well, I'm thinking here that soon we're going to be

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S1: celebrating Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday and remembering the words

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S1: from the Last Supper in the same way he took

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S1: the cup after supper, saying, this cup is the new

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S1: covenant in my blood. Did you know that the Last

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S1: Supper was a Passover Seder, and that cup is believed

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S1: to be the third cup in the traditional Passover service.

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S1: But there's so much depth and understanding to be gained

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S1: when we view the Last Supper as a Passover Seder.

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S2: You're absolutely right. In fact, for this reason, our friends

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S2: at Life in Messiah are offering to mail you a

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S2: free copy of their Messianic Passover Haggadah. The booklet will

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S2: lead you through the celebration of Passover to see the

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S2: rich connections to Jesus, our Messiah and Savior. You'll also

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S2: receive a link for an interactive Passover Seder video with

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S2: the Haggadah and video. You can celebrate Passover this year

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S2: with your family and friends. To get this free offer,

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S2: just go to Lifeline Messiah. Org and click on the

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S2: radio button to find out more and to request your copy.

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S2: That's life in Messiah.

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S1: And now a look at current events from the Middle

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S1: East this past week, as tensions continue between the US, Israel,

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S1: and Iran, we still don't know if the issues can

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S1: be resolved peacefully or if they'll lead to armed conflict.

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S1: What are the latest details? I'm seeing a second aircraft

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S1: carrier being deployed to the region.

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S2: That's right. You know, the details are very mixed right now.

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S2: The second round of talks concluded with Iran saying an

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S2: agreement on guiding principles had been reached. Iran would not

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S2: resume enrichment and would transfer part of the already enriched

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S2: uranium to another country, but wouldn't give up enrichment entirely. However,

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S2: nothing was decided in regard to Iran's ballistic missile program

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S2: or its support for terrorist groups. But the optimistic assessment

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S2: on the part of Iran to those latest talks is

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S2: balanced by the rattling of swords on the part of

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S2: both sides. Iran conducted naval exercises in the Strait of Hormuz,

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S2: reminding the world of its ability to impact this strategic chokepoint.

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S2: And Ayatollah Khamenei threatened to send America's aircraft carriers to

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S2: the bottom of the sea. Those threats were connected to

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S2: a report, as you mentioned, that the U.S. had ordered

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S2: the deployment of a second aircraft carrier to the region,

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S2: which is on its way now, suggesting preparations for a

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S2: possible extended military campaign. And that announcement was matched by

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S2: a report that the US has ordered additional bunker buster bombs.

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S2: But do these actions signal an impending attack, or is

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S2: the US just applying additional pressure to force Iran into

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S2: a deal? Tehran outlined potential areas of cooperation with the

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S2: US in oil, gas, mining and aircraft purchases in exchange

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S2: for a deal that includes sanctions relief. They believe offering

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S2: the US economic benefits in exchange for sanctions reliefs will

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S2: appeal to President Trump's desire to reach a deal. So

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S2: can a deal be reached in the limited time available?

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S2: Iran seems willing to talk, but others believe it's just

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S2: a stalling tactic. Secretary of State Rubio provided the best

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S2: insight into Iran's motivation when he said, quote, we're dealing

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S2: with radical Shia clerics, people who make geopolitical decisions on

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S2: the basis of pure theology. And he's correct. The Iranian

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S2: regime is theology driven and prioritizes its theological and ideological

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S2: goals over national interests, or even their own economic stability.

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S2: They believe they're fulfilling God's end time program to bring

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S2: about the return of the Mahdi, the Islamic messiah. And

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S2: it's that obsession which most of the secular West doesn't understand,

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S2: that makes it very unlikely that Iran will give up

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S2: its nuclear ambition, its missile program, or its support of

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S2: terror groups. Which is why, sadly, a military option could

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S2: take place in the next month or so.

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S1: Charlie, wouldn't you love to be a fly on the

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S1: wall in these planning meetings? I mean, at a point

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S1: there has to be a red line at which the

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S1: US at least says, we're done talking. We're going to

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S1: do something.

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S2: There does. And again, the military can offer their options.

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S2: Politicians can offer their options. But the pressure is on

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S2: President Trump. And we need to be praying for him

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S2: for incredible wisdom right now at a very strategic point.

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S1: Story number two. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has published

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S1: the draft of a new constitution for a Palestinian state.

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S1: What are some of the key details in this document?

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S2: Well, in publishing the new constitution, Abbas has branded 2026

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S2: as the year of Palestinian democracy. The West, especially Europe,

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S2: sees the document as a key step in bringing about

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S2: the establishment of a Palestinian state. But few have looked

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S2: carefully at what the document actually says. It reaffirms the

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S2: PLO's position as representing Palestinians and tries to block Hamas

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S2: from participating in elections. All candidates would need to pledge

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S2: an acceptance of the PLO's national programme, which does, by

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S2: the way, include recognising Israel and a two state solution

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S2: which Hamas does not accept. It also bans non-government sanctioned

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S2: militias which would outlaw the military arm of Hamas. A

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S2: spokesman for Hamas denounced the draft as a failed attempt

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S2: by the Palestinian Authority to save itself from history. But

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S2: the document's attacks on Israel are even more serious. It

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S2: claims Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Palestine,

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S2: totally ignoring any Jewish ties to the city. It states

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S2: its commitment to preserve Jerusalem's religious character and protect its

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S2: Islamic and Christian sanctuaries. Again, seemingly erasing any Jewish historical

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S2: or religious connection, it designates the official religion of the

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S2: Palestinian state as Islam, with Islamic Sharia principles to be

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S2: the primary source for legislation. The Constitution's preamble rejects colonial settlement, occupation,

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S2: ethnic cleansing, settlement expansion, and continuing genocide in Gaza and

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S2: the West Bank. All code words being used to delegitimize Israel.

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S2: In short, the document is more of a propaganda piece

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S2: than a constitution.

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S1: This is the land and the book with our host,

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S1: Doctor Charlie Dyer. I'm John Gager, working through a set

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S1: of current events, stories based in the Middle East, and

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S1: engraved stone seal from the southern kingdom of Judah was

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S1: uncovered at a recent dig in northern Israel. What do

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S1: we know so far about this discovery?

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S2: You know this seal. It's about the size of a thumbnail,

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S2: and it appears to be carved on a gemstone and

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S2: was designed to be worn something like a necklace. It's

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S2: divided into three panels. Now, the top panel had four

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S2: carved pomegranates, while the lower two panels contained an inscription

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S2: which identified the owner who's not named in the Bible.

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S2: The seal was discovered near the entrance to the Yokneam

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S2: Pass through Mount Carmel that's right below the area. If

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S2: people visited the monastery dedicated to Elijah's contest with the

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S2: prophets of Baal. It's just down below that. So it's

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S2: in far north Israel. What makes the discovery significant is

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S2: that there are several indications that seal belonged to someone

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S2: from the southern kingdom of Judah, even though it was

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S2: discovered in that territory belonging to the northern Kingdom of Israel.

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S2: Jar handles belonging to the king were also found at

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S2: the site, and they contained the names of both Hebron

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S2: and Ziph. Well, both of those towns are in Judah,

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S2: south of Jerusalem. So what was this seal apparently connected

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S2: to the southern kingdom of Judah doing at a site

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S2: in northern Israel? The archaeologists don't know. Which makes it

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S2: an intriguing mystery, but it's possible the dating of these

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S2: finds connects them to the Assyrian invasion of Israel and

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S2: Judah in the late eighth century BC. Could these have

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S2: been spoils of war from Sennacherib's attack on Judah? And

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S2: could the seal have belonged to a Judean official who

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S2: was captured and being taken back to Nineveh? The finds intriguing,

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S2: but the rest of the story, at least for now,

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S2: remains a mystery.

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S1: Researchers in Israel are exploring the use of a current

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S1: immunotherapy treatment for blood cancer as a possible breakthrough treatment

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S1: for Alzheimer's. Tell us about this latest study from Amazing Israel.

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S2: Yeah, this international team was led by scientists from the

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S2: Weizmann Institute of Science, along with Washington University School of

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S2: Medicine in Saint Louis, and they're the first to make

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S2: use of this innovative immunotherapy treatment for blood cancer to

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S2: instead help fight Alzheimer's. Now, this is a preliminary study

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S2: using car T cell therapy treatment on mice whose brains

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S2: already contain amyloid beta plaque, the hallmark of Alzheimer's disease.

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S2: By using genetics, machine learning, and synthetic biology and immunology,

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S2: the scientists engineered the modified T cells to migrate to

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S2: specific areas of the brain to remove the damage. This

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S2: is the first time the car T cell approach has

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S2: been used for a neurodegenerative disease. The results were published

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S2: in a peer reviewed study in the proceedings of the

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S2: National Academy of Sciences, and represent an exciting step forward

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S2: toward finding novel therapies for diseases like Alzheimer's and ALS

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S2: and Parkinson's. More research is needed, but this approach to

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S2: fighting brain tissue inflammation might someday, hopefully soon, pave the

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S2: way to treat numerous neurodegenerative disorders. And when it does,

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S2: we'll need to be sure to thank the amazing team

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S2: of scientists from the Weizmann Institute in Israel and Washington

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S2: University School of Medicine.

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S1: Well that's encouraging. Hey, two recent political polls in Israel

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S1: were apparently about as helpful as a Rorschach inkblot test.

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S1: What exactly did they show?

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S2: Well, one article said a poll showed Netanyahu's coalition would

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S2: win 66 seats in the Knesset, and Netanyahu was favored

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S2: to remain prime minister by 57% of the voters, compared

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S2: to 19% for Bennett. Meanwhile, the second article said a

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S2: poll showed a virtual dead heat between Netanyahu and Bennett

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S2: in his race for prime minister while the opposition was

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S2: going to take 60 seats. In other words, the two

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S2: polls came out with exactly opposite conclusions. Here's the bottom

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S2: line the election date hasn't even been set. It's months away,

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S2: and a lot can happen between now and then. So

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S2: when you read polls or read what's happening there, chill out.

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S2: Ask God for his will to be done. Ultimately, he's

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S2: the one who sets up and takes down leaders in

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S2: spite of what any poll might say.

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S1: And that's a great way to pray for Israel. Thank you, Charlie,

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S1: for that. Asking that God would have his person in leadership. Well,

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S1: coming up on the land in the book Considering sparrows

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S1: a look at how birds show us something of God's

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S1: grace in the book of Philippians. That's next. Here on

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S1: the land and the book. The world is loud, life

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S1: is fast, and wonder is slipping through the cracks. But

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S1: Jesus gave a simple command consider the birds. His command

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S1: wasn't an idle suggestion. Christ intends for us to find

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S1: insight and instruction from birds, and we invite you to

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S1: join us now for an unusual journey considering sparrows. Welcome

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S1: to segment two of The Land and the book. I'm

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S1: John Yeager, and before we, uh, take flight with some

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S1: feathered friends, let's ponder this down to earth idea about

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S1: reaching out to Jewish people with the love of Christ.

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S1: The easiest thing in the world to do is to

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S1: let holidays come and go as holidays. But what if

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S1: we used holidays as a way to convey something of

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S1: the love of Yeshua to our Jewish friends? Justin Krohn,

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S1: you've got some thoughts.

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S3: Oh yeah, we have absolutely got to seize these moments

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S3: of when holidays are happening. Because these holidays, whether it

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S3: be Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, Passover, Hanukkah, these

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S3: are important moments in the life cycle of our Jewish

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S3: friends and neighbors. And we need to acknowledge that. And

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S3: we need to also acknowledge this is what I say.

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S3: This was something these these events were also very important

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S3: in the life of Jesus. I mean, he stopped and

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S3: he paused at these particular holidays. And so try to

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S3: make that connection with your Jewish friend and then see

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S3: where God goes from there.

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S1: Using holidays, one way may be sending a card. If

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S1: we don't live near a Jewish friend, or even if

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S1: we do, sending a card is appropriate.

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S3: Exactly a card, a text, you know, just make the

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S3: phone call, whatever is easiest, just so that your Jewish

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S3: friend knows. Yes, they know me. They care about me.

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S3: And then you'll see God open up doors using.

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S1: Holidays to open up doors. That's Justin Cronin here on

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S1: the land and the book. Kevin Burrell is the co-lead

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S1: pastor of Stonebridge Church Community in Charlotte, North Carolina. An

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S1: avid birder, Kevin's pastoral heart and avian interests united with

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S1: the formation of his blog, ornithology, where he utilizes birds

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S1: as illustrations of the Christian life. Prior to his current role,

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S1: Kevin has served churches in Athens, Georgia. Orlando, Florida, and

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S1: he's a native of upstate New York. He lives in

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S1: Charlotte with his wife Beverly. Three children and five count

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S1: them bird feeders. He's also written the book Considering Sparrows

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S1: Welcome to the land in the book. Kevin.

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S4: Hey. Thank you. John, how are you?

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S1: We're doing great. And I'm curious about the book's title,

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S1: considering sparrows. I mean, at one point you comment, And

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S1: even people who make a living writing about birds find

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S1: this specimen uninteresting, indistinct. Unforgettable. Hey, what's one lesson Jesus

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S1: would have us learn from watching sparrows?

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S4: It's true. I love that Jesus would choose a bird

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S4: that's often overlooked. And you know the house sparrow. If

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S4: you talk to a birder, that's a bird that people

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S4: don't even put on their lists sometimes because it's the

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S4: one that's mooching your bread crumbs at, uh, at the

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S4: deli or whatever. Just they're so ubiquitous that we kind

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S4: of take them for granted. And it's, you know, isn't it?

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S4: It's just shocking that Jesus would use a sparrow as

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S4: kind of a benchmark for this is how God cares

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S4: for you. So consider a sparrow. So he goes, he

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S4: goes to the the lowest bird on the totem pole,

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S4: I think, and says, if I care for a bird

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S4: is that precise, then how much more am I caring

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S4: for you? Yeah.

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S1: A 2021 study estimated the world's house sparrow population to

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S1: be 1.6 billion, making it the most numerous wild bird

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S1: in existence. There's little reason to believe that it hasn't

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S1: always been this way. So, Kevin, what else do you

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S1: think Jesus would have us learn from the lowly sparrow?

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S4: Well, like you said, if it's always been that way,

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S4: if that's been the most populous bird, then imagine we're

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S4: sitting with Jesus on the amount. We're listening to his sermon,

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S4: and he is telling us to consider the birds. It

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S4: is very likely that that was the bird that maybe

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S4: he was pointing to. I gotta think, so often when

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S4: Jesus was using object lessons, the lesson was at hand.

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S4: You know when he said, hey, let me tell you

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S4: about a parable of the sower. There might have been

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S4: a farmer on the field, you know, on the hill

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S4: that he was pointing at. And so I imagine him

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S4: gesturing to this little bird that probably up to that point,

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S4: nobody had really even noticed, because I think that they

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S4: would have considered it. The vermin on the Mount, not

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S4: the sermon on the Mount. That's just an easy trash

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S4: little bird that nobody would have paid attention to. And

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S4: that's where he turns and says, now don't worry, because

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S4: I'll know when that bird falls. I will prepare the

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S4: ground for it. And and so if I have that

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S4: kind of care, how much more am I going to

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S4: care for you? O you of little faith, right? So

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S4: I like to picture that it was probably the house

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S4: sparrow that Jesus was gesturing to when he said those words,

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S4: but I'm surmising a bit there, but it is a

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S4: it would be a common bird to be around people,

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S4: and I imagine it was then to.

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S1: You devote one chapter to tree creeper. Humility. Elaborate.

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S4: See, that's one of my favorite passages. The book goes

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S4: through the book of Philippians, verse by verse. Kind of.

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S4: I'm a pastor, so I'm kind of approaching it in

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S4: an expository way. And the tree creeper is, in my mind,

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S4: the picture of that phenomenal hymn in the middle of

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S4: Philippians two that talks about our attitude needing to be

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S4: the same as that of Christ Jesus, who, being very nature, God,

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S4: humbled himself. Right. And we see that progression downward all

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S4: the way to death on a cross. And so I thought,

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S4: you know, to illustrate that if I need a bird

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S4: as a mascot of what humility looks like, I think

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S4: it would be good to find the bird that is

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S4: the most submissive or the most docile. And there was

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S4: a recent study that was done here, I think, East

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S4: Coast United States. What's the most aggressive bird at the feeder?

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S4: And it wouldn't surprise you. It's birds like blue jays

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S4: and crows and things like that. But I was curious

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S4: at the bottom, they they ranked 200 birds. I wanted

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S4: to know what's the last bird on the list? What's

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S4: what's the least aggressive, the most humble bird. And I

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S4: know I'm putting a bit of human knowledge on that,

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S4: but I the bottom of the list is the treecreeper. And, uh,

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S4: it makes sense. It's a very docile bird, but it

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S4: also the way that it approaches a tree is always

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S4: from the bottom. So it'll it'll land on the base

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S4: of a tree. It'll work its way up the trunk.

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S4: And when it's done, instead of flying to the top

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S4: of the next tree, it always goes. It swoops back down. And, um,

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S4: so in that chapter, I talked about how the way

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S4: up is down, and that bird pictures it for us

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S4: that we always whatever, wherever we get in life, we

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S4: always approach it from the bottom like Jesus did.

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S1: Kevin Burrell has pastored churches in Athens, Georgia, Orlando, Florida,

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S1: and currently Charlotte, North Carolina. He's an avid birder, and

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S1: he's written considering sparrows. Well, Ravens factor heavily into the

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S1: story of the prophet Elijah. On the one hand, I'm

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S1: in awe of God's provision of food for Elijah carried

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S1: in the mouths of the ravens. On the other hand,

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S1: the idea of dinner first carried in the mouth of

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S1: a raven seems disgusting. What am I missing here?

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S4: Well, it is funny that God used an unclean bird

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S4: to feed Elijah. And I think we picture that Elijah

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S4: was getting what some have called a banquet in the wilderness.

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S4: But I think it's more likely that, uh, whatever Elijah

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S4: was getting, he probably was just cooking. Well done and

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S4: not asking any questions. So, um, I don't know that

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S4: for a fact. I can imagine that the Ravens could

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S4: have brought some amazing things.

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S1: Well, crows are featured in the book. What insights can

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S1: we possibly gain from the lowly crow?

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S4: Oh, yeah. Well, there's some characters in Philippians that I

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S4: wanted to pull into. One chapter we read about Euodia

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S4: and Syntyche, and we read about Timothy and Epaphroditus. Those

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S4: are two unique pairings because two of them are pictures

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S4: of faithfulness and service, and two of them are pictures

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S4: of some sort of disagreement or squabble. And the Crow,

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S4: I think, is a picture of both of those, because

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S4: and this is why the crow can recognize a human face,

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S4: and that means that it's capable of either holding a grudge,

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S4: which it does very well, or it's also capable of

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S4: recognizing kindness and rewarding. Crows have been known to give

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S4: gifts to to people who have fed them in the past,

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S4: or who have been kind to them. Crows have also

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S4: been known to remember a face of somebody they don't like,

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S4: and tell all their crow friends about it, and watch

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S4: the exponential growth of crow hatred, as maybe a researcher

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S4: who has had to band Crow. That Crow will hate

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S4: that researcher and tell all of his Crow friends. And

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S4: for generations, those crows don't ever make a crow mad, right?

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S4: Because they will tell their friends and it'll be a

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S4: it'll be a Hitchcock movie. So it's a picture. I mean,

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S4: they're a very smart bird, and it's amazing that they

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S4: would recognize human features like that. Um, but I think

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S4: it's good for us to as a challenge for us

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S4: to remember with kindness, to remember with a servant's heart.

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S4: And we see that in one of those human pairings

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S4: in the book of Philippians, more than any other one.

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S1: Your subtitle to the book is what birds teach us

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S1: about who we are, where we're going, and the joy

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S1: of following Jesus. What else can birds teach us about

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S1: who we are?

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S4: I think we can learn a lot about where we're going,

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S4: and the joy of the promise that we have of heaven.

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S4: By considering what birds sound like in the morning. The

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S4: dawn chorus. When you hear all these birds singing in

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S4: unison in the morning, and yet very different. Probably a

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S4: picture of what it will look like for every nation,

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S4: tribe and tongue to gather around the throne. And that

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S4: gives me such hope to imagine the perfect harmony of

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S4: all of God's people gathered in that place of of

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S4: singing praise to the lamb. I think that if we

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S4: just listen to the birds in the morning, we might

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S4: get a little bit of a picture of what the

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S4: Lord has in mind for that.

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S1: We'd love to go camping, And I've noticed that early

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S1: in the morning you hear all these different birds. I

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S1: try to go out sometimes and count the number of

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S1: different birds just by the sound and wow, the numbers

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S1: shoot up. But as interesting as that is, you go

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S1: a lot of these birds, their individual solo sound ain't

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S1: all that grand. But you put them together in a

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S1: chorus and you got something there that's, uh, pretty, pretty

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S1: nice symphony.

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S4: I agree, I agree. I think, uh, it's neat to

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S4: be able to pull out the individual sounds from from

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S4: the chorus, but the chorus is a thing all by itself. Right.

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S4: The chorus is many songs becoming one, and, um, I

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S4: don't know. It will be beyond anything we can picture

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S4: to imagine what the new heavens and the new earth

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S4: will look like and what that song will be. But, uh,

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S4: I think that that you probably just hit on something.

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S4: I know that when I bring my voice to it,

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S4: it won't be that great, but. But I can't wait

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S4: to see what part it gets to play in the

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S4: grander chorus.

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S1: It seems to me, by their frequent mention and the

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S1: sheer virtue of their numbers. Birds must be among God's favorites.

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S1: Your thoughts?

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S4: God is a God of song. Like, was it Wesley

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S4: that said, let heaven and nature sing? Joy to the world.

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S4: So where do we learn how to sing? Heaven and nature.

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S4: And yet learning how to sing from choirs of angels.

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S4: Those are pretty rare that we don't see those every day.

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S4: But learning how to sing from nature. And now you go, okay,

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S4: in nature. What sings? And I know whales do, but

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S4: I've never gotten underwater to hear one. And I don't know,

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00:22:01,590 --> 00:22:04,990
S4: you know, frogs do, but there's there's not a lot

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S4: of melody to it. Um, really, when you think what

419
00:22:07,750 --> 00:22:10,869
S4: in God's creation sings? Yeah. I think you need a

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S4: bird to understand that. And he gave us 11,000 different kinds.

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S4: And so, yeah, I do think that Jesus himself points

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S4: to birds multiple times. He refers to himself as a

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S4: as a hen wanting to cover his chicks. He, he

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S4: talks about considering the sparrows or even considering the ravens.

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S4: And so, yeah, there's something close to the heart of

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S4: God there that I think we just need to be

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S4: more attentive to.

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S1: Of those 11,000 bird species you mentioned. What's one that

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S1: strikes you as being underestimated? A bird that has a

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S1: lot to offer us, or maybe insights for our Christian life.

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S4: Well, I'm in North Carolina, near Charlotte, North Carolina. A

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S4: very common bird here is the mockingbird. So common that

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S4: when the mockingbirds in the yard, I think we hardly

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S4: even notice, because he's just so common here. And yet

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00:22:56,180 --> 00:22:59,540
S4: that bird, unlike many birds that learn, they imprint their

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S4: song early. Like even in the egg, they're learning the

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00:23:01,859 --> 00:23:06,379
S4: song from their parents. The mockingbird is constantly learning new tunes.

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S4: So as a pastor, that's what I want. I want

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S4: to be that. I want my flock of the sheep kind. Right.

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S4: Or the bird kind? I want my church to be avid,

441
00:23:16,420 --> 00:23:19,540
S4: lifelong learners, to just have a mindset of growth and

442
00:23:19,540 --> 00:23:22,420
S4: to be students of the word, to be constantly learning

443
00:23:22,420 --> 00:23:25,820
S4: new things. To me, a bird that is constantly learning

444
00:23:26,060 --> 00:23:29,100
S4: and can imitate all kinds of different things. Not just

445
00:23:29,100 --> 00:23:32,570
S4: other birds, but human voices and the sounds of violins

446
00:23:32,570 --> 00:23:35,490
S4: and ship timbers creaking and all those things I want

447
00:23:35,530 --> 00:23:38,050
S4: to continue to learn while I still draw breath. And

448
00:23:38,050 --> 00:23:40,810
S4: I hope that that's a mindset that God's people would

449
00:23:40,810 --> 00:23:43,889
S4: take to be always longing to learn more of the

450
00:23:43,890 --> 00:23:44,689
S4: goodness of God.

451
00:23:45,410 --> 00:23:47,530
S1: Well, there are many, many different types of birds mentioned

452
00:23:47,530 --> 00:23:50,810
S1: in this book. Considering sparrows. It's not just sparrows. You

453
00:23:50,810 --> 00:23:54,810
S1: write about eagles and pigeons and the albatross. Any last

454
00:23:54,810 --> 00:23:56,850
S1: insight you'd like to leave with us from a bird

455
00:23:56,850 --> 00:23:57,609
S1: of your choice?

456
00:23:57,930 --> 00:24:00,370
S4: Well, thanks. Um, first I'll say in the book, I

457
00:24:00,369 --> 00:24:03,050
S4: tried to cover every continent. And that means that there's

458
00:24:03,050 --> 00:24:06,170
S4: some birds in there that I haven't actually even seen myself.

459
00:24:06,170 --> 00:24:08,810
S4: And one of them, I think this is chapter ten,

460
00:24:08,850 --> 00:24:11,290
S4: is a bowerbird. It's an Australian bird. It's called the

461
00:24:11,290 --> 00:24:14,330
S4: satin bowerbird. And, um, I won't go into all the

462
00:24:14,330 --> 00:24:17,370
S4: details on this one, but he collects treasure to try

463
00:24:17,369 --> 00:24:21,169
S4: and impress a mate. And, uh, he specifically collects plastic,

464
00:24:21,530 --> 00:24:24,930
S4: blue plastic, and loves to arrange this blue plastic in

465
00:24:24,930 --> 00:24:27,090
S4: a way that would that would draw a mate in.

466
00:24:27,330 --> 00:24:30,919
S4: And I used that to talk about in Philippians three,

467
00:24:30,960 --> 00:24:33,520
S4: where Paul says, you know all the things that were

468
00:24:33,520 --> 00:24:36,000
S4: to my credit, I now consider loss for the sake

469
00:24:36,000 --> 00:24:38,920
S4: of Christ. I consider these things, in fact, to be rubbish,

470
00:24:39,200 --> 00:24:41,280
S4: which is really funny. I consider these things to be trash.

471
00:24:41,320 --> 00:24:44,080
S4: I mean, that's exactly what what this bowerbird is gathering.

472
00:24:44,480 --> 00:24:47,800
S4: And to just picture myself as this, um, person who's

473
00:24:47,800 --> 00:24:50,600
S4: trying to gather all of these treasures to my own

474
00:24:50,600 --> 00:24:53,919
S4: identity and to realize that apart from Christ, all of

475
00:24:53,920 --> 00:24:58,120
S4: those things just amount to cheap plastic. What my identity

476
00:24:58,119 --> 00:25:01,680
S4: is found in is Christ alone. And if there's anything

477
00:25:01,680 --> 00:25:04,200
S4: that I could communicate from every chapter of this book,

478
00:25:04,520 --> 00:25:07,159
S4: it would be that all of these truths are fulfilled

479
00:25:07,160 --> 00:25:09,880
S4: in the completed work of Christ, that his it's about

480
00:25:09,880 --> 00:25:12,639
S4: his identity in me and not about me trying to

481
00:25:12,680 --> 00:25:15,080
S4: forge my own. And so I hope every chapter does that.

482
00:25:15,160 --> 00:25:17,760
S4: My hope was that all these stories would point to

483
00:25:17,760 --> 00:25:21,280
S4: the great story, and all of these opportunities to talk

484
00:25:21,280 --> 00:25:24,240
S4: about birds would give me an opportunity to talk about

485
00:25:24,240 --> 00:25:26,600
S4: the thing that really matters. I mean, the secret is

486
00:25:26,640 --> 00:25:28,750
S4: this is not a book about birds. It is, but

487
00:25:28,750 --> 00:25:32,030
S4: it isn't. It's really meant to be a book about

488
00:25:32,030 --> 00:25:33,590
S4: the joy of following Jesus.

489
00:25:33,630 --> 00:25:37,710
S1: Well, it comes through very, very powerfully restful, refreshing, eye opening,

490
00:25:37,950 --> 00:25:41,590
S1: stirring and more considering sparrows. Kevin Burrell, thanks so much

491
00:25:41,590 --> 00:25:44,590
S1: for your time, your insights, and your book will provide

492
00:25:44,590 --> 00:25:46,510
S1: listeners with a link to it at our website. The

493
00:25:46,510 --> 00:25:47,550
S1: land and the book.

494
00:25:49,230 --> 00:25:49,950
S4: Thanks, John.

495
00:25:49,990 --> 00:25:52,070
S1: Have a great day. And coming up, we'll look at

496
00:25:52,070 --> 00:25:55,510
S1: your Bible questions right here on the land and the book.

497
00:26:10,950 --> 00:26:13,949
S1: To read the word is to love. The word is

498
00:26:13,950 --> 00:26:17,750
S1: to wonder about the word, the Word of God. Of course,

499
00:26:17,750 --> 00:26:19,709
S1: I'm John Yeager, this is the land in the book.

500
00:26:19,750 --> 00:26:21,630
S1: And no question about it, we do love the Word

501
00:26:21,630 --> 00:26:24,030
S1: of God. But there's also no question that when we

502
00:26:24,030 --> 00:26:27,660
S1: read it, we do puzzle over things we uncover. That's

503
00:26:27,660 --> 00:26:29,459
S1: what this segment on the land of the book is

504
00:26:29,460 --> 00:26:32,459
S1: all about with our Bible expert, Doctor Gerald Peterman. How

505
00:26:32,500 --> 00:26:33,460
S1: you doing today, Jerry?

506
00:26:33,500 --> 00:26:35,700
S5: Well, I'm glad I'm not the only one who puzzles.

507
00:26:35,740 --> 00:26:39,500
S1: Okay, well. Me too. And our listeners are among those puzzlers,

508
00:26:39,500 --> 00:26:41,379
S1: and we're so glad they are. It means they're growing,

509
00:26:41,420 --> 00:26:43,540
S1: they're stretching, they're learning. We're going to get to a

510
00:26:43,540 --> 00:26:46,860
S1: great slate of questions after this quick thought here. Soon

511
00:26:46,859 --> 00:26:50,340
S1: we're going to be celebrating Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday

512
00:26:50,340 --> 00:26:53,260
S1: and remembering the words from the Last Supper in the

513
00:26:53,260 --> 00:26:56,700
S1: same way he took the cup after supper, saying, this

514
00:26:56,700 --> 00:26:59,660
S1: cup is the new covenant in my blood. Well, did

515
00:26:59,660 --> 00:27:02,619
S1: you know that the Last Supper was actually a Passover Seder?

516
00:27:02,859 --> 00:27:05,419
S1: And that cup is believed to be the third cup

517
00:27:05,420 --> 00:27:08,620
S1: in the Passover service? There is so much depth and

518
00:27:08,619 --> 00:27:11,500
S1: understanding to be gained when we view the Last Supper

519
00:27:11,500 --> 00:27:14,660
S1: as a Passover Seder. Well, for this reason, our friends

520
00:27:14,660 --> 00:27:17,100
S1: at Life in Messiah are offering to mail you a

521
00:27:17,100 --> 00:27:20,939
S1: free copy of their Messianic Passover Haggadah. This is a

522
00:27:20,940 --> 00:27:24,020
S1: booklet that will lead you through the celebration of Passover

523
00:27:24,140 --> 00:27:27,690
S1: to see the rich connections that there are between Jesus,

524
00:27:27,690 --> 00:27:31,290
S1: our Messiah and Savior, and this event we call Passover.

525
00:27:31,330 --> 00:27:33,450
S1: You're going to receive a link as well for an

526
00:27:33,450 --> 00:27:37,890
S1: interactive Passover Seder video with the Haggadah and video. You

527
00:27:37,890 --> 00:27:40,609
S1: can celebrate Passover this year with your family and friends

528
00:27:40,609 --> 00:27:43,330
S1: as you never have before. To get this free offer

529
00:27:43,330 --> 00:27:46,170
S1: and it is free, just go to life in Messiah

530
00:27:47,450 --> 00:27:50,010
S1: and click on the radio button there. You can't miss.

531
00:27:50,010 --> 00:27:55,210
S1: That's life in Messiah. All right, let's get right to

532
00:27:55,250 --> 00:27:58,650
S1: our question today from Albert. By the way. He emailed

533
00:27:58,650 --> 00:28:03,730
S1: us at The Land and the book at Moody. That's

534
00:28:03,730 --> 00:28:06,850
S1: how you can get your question to us, the land

535
00:28:06,850 --> 00:28:11,449
S1: and the book at Moody. I know it felt awkward

536
00:28:11,450 --> 00:28:14,290
S1: hearing it that slow, but it's just a mouthful, right?

537
00:28:14,609 --> 00:28:17,410
S1: All right, let's get to Albert's question. He says, help, please.

538
00:28:17,410 --> 00:28:20,130
S1: I'm reading Romans. And when I came to chapter three,

539
00:28:20,170 --> 00:28:24,629
S1: verse 25, I began thinking about that word propitiation and

540
00:28:24,630 --> 00:28:26,670
S1: what it means. Can you please explain it?

541
00:28:26,710 --> 00:28:30,070
S5: Oh, yes. I really appreciate Albert's question because this is

542
00:28:30,070 --> 00:28:31,869
S5: not a common word we use when we find it

543
00:28:31,869 --> 00:28:35,429
S5: in Scripture. But like, what does it mean? So to

544
00:28:35,710 --> 00:28:39,750
S5: propitiate is to turn away someone else's wrath, to turn

545
00:28:39,750 --> 00:28:43,110
S5: away their anger, to make them okay with you. So

546
00:28:43,150 --> 00:28:47,190
S5: a propitiation is the thing that turns away wrath and

547
00:28:47,190 --> 00:28:50,390
S5: puts you in a place of not receiving anger. So

548
00:28:50,750 --> 00:28:55,230
S5: the King James NASB, ESV says, the Lord God set

549
00:28:55,230 --> 00:29:00,830
S5: forward Jesus as our propitiation. He is the one who

550
00:29:00,870 --> 00:29:03,990
S5: turns away God's wrath. He is the place where the

551
00:29:03,990 --> 00:29:06,910
S5: wrath is turned away. But I really like I really

552
00:29:06,910 --> 00:29:10,989
S5: like the complete Jewish Bible translation because they say the

553
00:29:10,990 --> 00:29:14,630
S5: Lord Jesus has been put forward as kapura and you

554
00:29:14,630 --> 00:29:19,710
S5: would say as what? Well, that word is the mercy seat,

555
00:29:19,990 --> 00:29:22,740
S5: the covering on the ark. And if you read your

556
00:29:22,740 --> 00:29:25,380
S5: Old Testament, you know that is the place where the

557
00:29:25,380 --> 00:29:27,940
S5: wrath of God is taken care of. So it's a

558
00:29:27,940 --> 00:29:29,020
S5: wonderful passage.

559
00:29:29,140 --> 00:29:32,220
S1: Well, I hope that's helpful, Albert. Jeff says, I heard

560
00:29:32,220 --> 00:29:35,140
S1: on a recent broadcast you said the Christian is not

561
00:29:35,180 --> 00:29:38,460
S1: required to obey the law. In response, I have a

562
00:29:38,500 --> 00:29:41,380
S1: two part question. First, Jesus said he did not come

563
00:29:41,380 --> 00:29:44,980
S1: to abolish the law. Aren't you saying it has been abolished?

564
00:29:44,980 --> 00:29:47,460
S1: And second, when in Romans Paul says, we are not

565
00:29:47,460 --> 00:29:50,460
S1: under law, or that we have died to the law.

566
00:29:50,660 --> 00:29:52,700
S1: He just means that our obedience to God's law is

567
00:29:52,700 --> 00:29:55,460
S1: not the basis of our salvation. Help us make sense

568
00:29:55,460 --> 00:29:55,900
S1: of this.

569
00:29:56,220 --> 00:29:58,820
S5: For the first question, my short answer is no. I'm

570
00:29:58,860 --> 00:30:01,220
S5: not saying the law has been abolished, but let's go

571
00:30:01,220 --> 00:30:06,460
S5: to the passage at hand. That's Matthew 517. Jesus says,

572
00:30:06,460 --> 00:30:09,660
S5: do not think I've come to abolish the law and

573
00:30:09,660 --> 00:30:13,380
S5: the prophets. I've not come to abolish them, but to

574
00:30:13,420 --> 00:30:17,660
S5: fulfill them. In the New Testament, this word fulfill doesn't

575
00:30:17,660 --> 00:30:21,090
S5: mean obey. That's English. But the word in the New

576
00:30:21,090 --> 00:30:27,810
S5: Testament that means something that's anticipated shows up. There's been fulfillment.

577
00:30:27,810 --> 00:30:32,530
S5: So our Lord Jesus has come as the fulfillment of

578
00:30:32,530 --> 00:30:37,330
S5: the law and the prophets, not just the 613 commandments

579
00:30:37,330 --> 00:30:39,850
S5: of Moses, but law and prophets. I take that to

580
00:30:39,890 --> 00:30:44,090
S5: be a summary of the whole Bible, law and prophets.

581
00:30:44,290 --> 00:30:48,490
S5: So he has come, and at his arrival they have

582
00:30:48,490 --> 00:30:52,290
S5: been fulfilled. He's not abolishing them. Law and prophets. He

583
00:30:52,290 --> 00:30:56,050
S5: is fulfilling them. Now the second part of the question

584
00:30:56,090 --> 00:30:58,890
S5: a little bit more difficult. Jeff says in Romans when

585
00:30:58,890 --> 00:31:01,650
S5: Paul writes, we have died to the law. He means

586
00:31:01,650 --> 00:31:04,650
S5: law is not the basis of our salvation. I don't

587
00:31:04,650 --> 00:31:08,410
S5: think so. The law has never been the basis of

588
00:31:08,410 --> 00:31:12,850
S5: our salvation. Obedience to law could never save us. We're

589
00:31:12,850 --> 00:31:14,330
S5: not able to do that.

590
00:31:14,370 --> 00:31:16,250
S1: Yeah. Scripture says, for by the works of the law

591
00:31:16,250 --> 00:31:17,770
S1: shall no flesh be justified.

592
00:31:17,810 --> 00:31:22,800
S5: Very good. Well done. It's exactly right. That's in Romans 328.

593
00:31:22,840 --> 00:31:26,680
S5: By works of law, nobody. So it has always been

594
00:31:26,680 --> 00:31:30,360
S5: the case that God's people are saved by their trust.

595
00:31:30,400 --> 00:31:34,920
S5: I mean their radical trust in God. Paul goes to

596
00:31:35,280 --> 00:31:39,640
S5: Abraham in Romans four. How was Abraham justified? Paul asks,

597
00:31:39,640 --> 00:31:42,400
S5: was he justified by works? If so, he has something

598
00:31:42,400 --> 00:31:45,320
S5: to boast about. Oh, but not before God. What does

599
00:31:45,320 --> 00:31:49,560
S5: Scripture say? And then Paul takes us to Genesis 15 six.

600
00:31:49,600 --> 00:31:55,560
S5: Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.

601
00:31:55,680 --> 00:31:59,640
S5: So as far back as Abraham, it's always been salvation

602
00:31:59,640 --> 00:32:03,760
S5: by faith. Now about Romans four, Paul gives Abraham as

603
00:32:03,760 --> 00:32:06,760
S5: an example. And then he goes to David and gives

604
00:32:06,760 --> 00:32:11,240
S5: David as an example of someone justified apart from works

605
00:32:11,240 --> 00:32:13,880
S5: of the law. Now you've read the story of David.

606
00:32:14,120 --> 00:32:16,320
S5: All right. Will we see him in heaven? We will.

607
00:32:16,480 --> 00:32:19,190
S5: Did he obey the law? He did not. He committed

608
00:32:19,190 --> 00:32:22,150
S5: adultery and murder. How will we see him in heaven?

609
00:32:22,150 --> 00:32:25,830
S5: Because he is saved by faith, not obedience to law.

610
00:32:26,150 --> 00:32:27,510
S1: You know, you have touched on a question that we

611
00:32:27,510 --> 00:32:29,270
S1: were discussing over lunch the other day. If I could

612
00:32:29,310 --> 00:32:30,710
S1: offer just for a moment.

613
00:32:30,750 --> 00:32:31,270
S5: Oh, do, do.

614
00:32:31,390 --> 00:32:35,030
S1: This idea of salvation in the Old Testament, what was

615
00:32:35,030 --> 00:32:38,670
S1: the delineating thing? You know, how did you know someone

616
00:32:38,670 --> 00:32:41,230
S1: was saved, so to speak, if I can use that word.

617
00:32:41,270 --> 00:32:44,030
S1: You know, faith in God, but at what point and

618
00:32:44,030 --> 00:32:44,790
S1: how much of.

619
00:32:44,830 --> 00:32:47,230
S5: Oh, that's a wonderful question, John. Thanks so much for that.

620
00:32:47,230 --> 00:32:49,670
S5: It's difficult for us because the language of the New

621
00:32:49,670 --> 00:32:53,030
S5: Testament is very often different from the language of the

622
00:32:53,030 --> 00:32:57,390
S5: Old Testament. We talk about being saved, having salvation, being

623
00:32:57,430 --> 00:33:01,310
S5: a Christian. Those are all wonderful words in the Old Testament.

624
00:33:01,550 --> 00:33:06,550
S5: Who is it that knows God? To know me is

625
00:33:06,950 --> 00:33:09,670
S5: then to be in covenant with me. To know me

626
00:33:09,870 --> 00:33:11,870
S5: is than to show love. Of course, your love will

627
00:33:11,870 --> 00:33:15,510
S5: never be perfect. To know me is to love others.

628
00:33:15,830 --> 00:33:19,420
S5: So one primary category that we work with is knowing

629
00:33:19,620 --> 00:33:24,620
S5: God or having faith like Abraham, that kind of radical trust.

630
00:33:24,660 --> 00:33:27,420
S5: What does Paul say about Abraham? Again in Romans four?

631
00:33:27,860 --> 00:33:30,980
S5: Abraham believes the promise that he's going to have children,

632
00:33:31,460 --> 00:33:33,140
S5: but he and his wife are as good as dead

633
00:33:33,140 --> 00:33:35,420
S5: with respect to children. So in other words, it's kind

634
00:33:35,420 --> 00:33:38,780
S5: of like a resurrection when they have children. Yeah, that

635
00:33:38,780 --> 00:33:42,660
S5: parallels bringing Jesus back from the dead. I hope that's

636
00:33:42,660 --> 00:33:43,780
S5: helpful for our listeners.

637
00:33:43,820 --> 00:33:45,740
S1: Good insights. This is the land in the book, Doctor

638
00:33:45,740 --> 00:33:49,860
S1: Gerald Peterman answering your Bible questions as he does every week.

639
00:33:50,140 --> 00:33:52,740
S1: The email address to get your question to Doctor Peterman

640
00:33:52,740 --> 00:33:57,780
S1: is the land and the book at Christie says, I

641
00:33:57,780 --> 00:34:00,060
S1: heard you answer a listener's question about your belief in

642
00:34:00,060 --> 00:34:02,620
S1: the rapture. Can you tell me, please, will people who

643
00:34:02,620 --> 00:34:06,780
S1: have not yet accepted Christ's offer of salvation be able

644
00:34:06,780 --> 00:34:10,780
S1: to be saved after the rapture and during the Great Tribulation?

645
00:34:10,980 --> 00:34:14,259
S5: Oh, thanks for the follow up. The short answer is yes,

646
00:34:14,780 --> 00:34:17,890
S5: we can be saved during the tribulation. However, it would

647
00:34:17,930 --> 00:34:19,850
S5: be hard. It would be very difficult because there would

648
00:34:19,890 --> 00:34:24,169
S5: be much persecution and much more difficulty. God will be

649
00:34:24,170 --> 00:34:28,170
S5: working with Israel during the tribulation to bring them to faith,

650
00:34:28,170 --> 00:34:30,609
S5: so it is possible. The mercy of God will still

651
00:34:30,610 --> 00:34:32,850
S5: be open during the tribulation.

652
00:34:32,890 --> 00:34:35,610
S1: That's good news. But boy, much better news to receive

653
00:34:35,610 --> 00:34:36,370
S1: Christ now.

654
00:34:36,410 --> 00:34:38,130
S5: Amen. Yeah, now's the day.

655
00:34:38,370 --> 00:34:41,890
S1: Abigail says I recently heard Hank Hanegraaff suggest the people

656
00:34:41,890 --> 00:34:45,850
S1: of Israel do not retain their national identity or land.

657
00:34:45,969 --> 00:34:49,609
S1: No distinction exists between Israel and other nations. Now you

658
00:34:49,610 --> 00:34:52,690
S1: have literature that suggests otherwise. Or is he correct? I

659
00:34:52,690 --> 00:34:56,330
S1: thought salvation exists for all nations, but God distinguishes between

660
00:34:56,330 --> 00:34:59,569
S1: Israel and their land as his covenant people. And he

661
00:34:59,570 --> 00:35:00,130
S1: help here.

662
00:35:00,610 --> 00:35:04,529
S5: Well, I'm very hesitant to fault my brother Hank, but

663
00:35:04,530 --> 00:35:08,049
S5: we should keep in mind that as a Greek Orthodox Christian,

664
00:35:08,050 --> 00:35:10,250
S5: he has a different perspective than I do as an

665
00:35:10,250 --> 00:35:13,890
S5: evangelical Christian. I'm going to draw my answer not from

666
00:35:13,890 --> 00:35:16,669
S5: what's been happening in the 19th and 20th century, but

667
00:35:16,670 --> 00:35:19,870
S5: from what we find in Scripture. We go to Romans 11.

668
00:35:19,870 --> 00:35:23,310
S5: Here's what Paul says. I ask, then has God rejected

669
00:35:23,310 --> 00:35:27,830
S5: his people? By no means. I myself am an Israelite,

670
00:35:27,870 --> 00:35:31,469
S5: a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin.

671
00:35:31,469 --> 00:35:36,870
S5: God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Later

672
00:35:36,870 --> 00:35:41,710
S5: in Romans Paul says, Romans 1111 I ask, did they stumble?

673
00:35:41,710 --> 00:35:45,150
S5: That is, did Israel stumble in order that they might fall?

674
00:35:45,150 --> 00:35:49,390
S5: By no means rather that through their trespass salvation has

675
00:35:49,390 --> 00:35:53,270
S5: come to the Gentiles. One more verse from Romans. Romans

676
00:35:53,270 --> 00:35:58,509
S5: 1126 All Israel will be saved. The deliverer will come

677
00:35:58,510 --> 00:36:02,750
S5: from Zion in turn sends away from his people. So

678
00:36:02,790 --> 00:36:06,029
S5: Israel still has a future, according to Paul. There are

679
00:36:06,030 --> 00:36:11,430
S5: still his people now, according to Paul. So I say no.

680
00:36:11,469 --> 00:36:14,180
S5: There is a distinction between Israel and other nations. But

681
00:36:14,180 --> 00:36:16,700
S5: other nations, of course, are being welcomed in and they

682
00:36:16,739 --> 00:36:18,700
S5: are pouring in even as we speak.

683
00:36:18,940 --> 00:36:21,779
S1: Doctor Gerald Peterman is glad to entertain your question. If

684
00:36:21,820 --> 00:36:23,700
S1: you've got one and you can get it to us

685
00:36:23,700 --> 00:36:26,299
S1: with an email to the land and the book at

686
00:36:28,060 --> 00:36:32,259
S1: the land and the book at. If it's been a

687
00:36:32,300 --> 00:36:34,660
S1: while since you've visited our website, I think you should

688
00:36:34,660 --> 00:36:36,299
S1: check it out because there are all kinds of great

689
00:36:36,300 --> 00:36:41,020
S1: resources there information about past guests, future programs, books that

690
00:36:41,020 --> 00:36:43,140
S1: Charlie and I have written, and a whole lot more.

691
00:36:43,180 --> 00:36:47,540
S1: It's all at the land and the books. Coming up,

692
00:36:47,580 --> 00:36:50,580
S1: Charlie Dyer returns with his devotional. I love the way

693
00:36:50,580 --> 00:36:53,020
S1: he does it. I think you'll be encouraged as well

694
00:36:53,020 --> 00:37:08,500
S1: here on the land and the book. We sure appreciate

695
00:37:08,500 --> 00:37:10,739
S1: your company today at The Land and the book, I'm

696
00:37:10,739 --> 00:37:14,610
S1: John Yeager with our host, doctor Charlie Dyer. It's segment four,

697
00:37:14,770 --> 00:37:17,730
S1: our devotional. Charlie, um, I saw a video the other

698
00:37:17,730 --> 00:37:20,370
S1: day that fascinated me. Uh, a guy took, uh, believe

699
00:37:20,370 --> 00:37:22,770
S1: it or not, an electric meat knife. And he used

700
00:37:22,770 --> 00:37:26,850
S1: it to slice down the center vertically of a hive

701
00:37:27,050 --> 00:37:30,810
S1: that bees apparently had created. And once the thing was

702
00:37:30,810 --> 00:37:33,170
S1: finally cut open, you could see the layers of the

703
00:37:33,170 --> 00:37:36,770
S1: honeycomb and all the honey in it. Just a fascinating

704
00:37:36,770 --> 00:37:38,450
S1: look at God's creation.

705
00:37:38,610 --> 00:37:41,529
S2: That's amazing. And the density of the comb and the

706
00:37:41,530 --> 00:37:44,610
S2: honey had to be incredible as it dripped out of there.

707
00:37:44,850 --> 00:37:48,330
S1: He said it got tougher the further he he cut. But, honey,

708
00:37:48,330 --> 00:37:51,370
S1: I understand, is where we're headed today on your devotional.

709
00:37:51,489 --> 00:37:54,610
S2: It is. And, uh, it may not be what everybody expects, though.

710
00:37:54,650 --> 00:37:57,850
S1: Okay. I'm looking forward to the unexpected in Charlie's devotional

711
00:37:58,010 --> 00:37:59,890
S1: after this Holy Land experience.

712
00:38:04,170 --> 00:38:06,810
S6: Yeah. My name is Jack, and this is my first

713
00:38:06,810 --> 00:38:10,010
S6: trip to Israel. And the thing that I've been most

714
00:38:10,200 --> 00:38:13,480
S6: impressed about, I think, is the fact that I came

715
00:38:13,480 --> 00:38:18,200
S6: to the understanding that when God created his nation of

716
00:38:18,200 --> 00:38:22,600
S6: Israel and put it in this beautiful little place over here, uh.

717
00:38:22,719 --> 00:38:27,720
S6: How diverse, how really remarkable a place it is. From

718
00:38:27,719 --> 00:38:31,440
S6: the volcanic peaks up in the Golan Heights down to

719
00:38:31,440 --> 00:38:35,319
S6: the Dead Sea. Uh, it's just kind of a marvelous

720
00:38:35,320 --> 00:38:40,040
S6: creation there. And it just kind of made me have

721
00:38:40,040 --> 00:38:43,719
S6: a feeling or understanding of how God really chose to

722
00:38:43,760 --> 00:38:46,120
S6: bless the nation that he chose there.

723
00:38:49,000 --> 00:38:53,319
S1: An unexpected twist on a favorite taste, honey. Charlie, it's

724
00:38:53,320 --> 00:38:53,920
S1: all yours.

725
00:38:54,160 --> 00:38:57,319
S2: Thanks, John. In Deuteronomy eight, Moses described the Promised Land

726
00:38:57,320 --> 00:39:00,880
S2: as a land of wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates,

727
00:39:00,920 --> 00:39:03,560
S2: olive oil and honey. And today we want to look

728
00:39:03,560 --> 00:39:06,560
S2: at the last of these seven species that honey. But

729
00:39:06,560 --> 00:39:08,719
S2: as I said before, you might just find today's field

730
00:39:08,760 --> 00:39:12,270
S2: trip Somewhat surprising now when we think of honey, we

731
00:39:12,270 --> 00:39:15,550
S2: picture that sticky golden sweetness that oozes from a honeycomb

732
00:39:15,550 --> 00:39:18,630
S2: or drips from a dripper drawn from a honey jar.

733
00:39:18,950 --> 00:39:21,190
S2: And the Bible does have much to say about honey

734
00:39:21,190 --> 00:39:24,710
S2: from bees 20 times in the Old Testament. God described

735
00:39:24,710 --> 00:39:26,790
S2: the Promised Land as a land of milk and honey.

736
00:39:27,110 --> 00:39:29,430
S2: To Israelites living with their flocks and herds in the

737
00:39:29,430 --> 00:39:33,310
S2: Sinai desert, such a description made perfect sense. The land

738
00:39:33,310 --> 00:39:36,670
S2: God promised had sufficient rainfall to produce an abundance of

739
00:39:36,670 --> 00:39:39,989
S2: pasture land. The fertile land would provide excellent grazing for

740
00:39:39,989 --> 00:39:43,270
S2: their animals, allowing them to produce large amounts of milk,

741
00:39:43,270 --> 00:39:46,190
S2: and the trees and flowers throughout the land would provide

742
00:39:46,230 --> 00:39:50,150
S2: both pollen and nectar, essential ingredients for producing honey. To

743
00:39:50,190 --> 00:39:52,629
S2: describe the Promised Land as a land flowing with milk

744
00:39:52,630 --> 00:39:55,950
S2: and honey was to make a clear statement about its potential.

745
00:39:56,310 --> 00:39:58,910
S2: Now less known to most Bible students are the two

746
00:39:58,950 --> 00:40:01,950
S2: times when a similar phrase is used to describe God's

747
00:40:01,950 --> 00:40:05,629
S2: judgment on the land. Both occur in Isaiah seven, the

748
00:40:05,630 --> 00:40:08,660
S2: passage that predicts the birth of Emmanuel to the Virgin.

749
00:40:08,860 --> 00:40:12,500
S2: Isaiah announced that because of King Ahaz sin, the future

750
00:40:12,500 --> 00:40:15,300
S2: child would be born in a time of great difficulty

751
00:40:15,340 --> 00:40:19,420
S2: brought on by Gentile oppression. In 715, he says, the

752
00:40:19,420 --> 00:40:22,819
S2: child would eat curds and honey. Curds form when milk

753
00:40:22,820 --> 00:40:25,660
S2: is allowed to coagulate, and the remaining liquid, called whey,

754
00:40:25,700 --> 00:40:28,820
S2: is drained off. Curds were an early form of cheese.

755
00:40:29,020 --> 00:40:31,339
S2: But why would a cheese and honey diet be a

756
00:40:31,340 --> 00:40:34,299
S2: sign of hardship and difficulty? Well, to understand, we need

757
00:40:34,300 --> 00:40:37,140
S2: to look carefully at what Isaiah says. This child would

758
00:40:37,140 --> 00:40:39,580
S2: eat curds and honey because, as he writes in verses

759
00:40:39,580 --> 00:40:43,180
S2: 23 to 25, it'll come about in that day that

760
00:40:43,180 --> 00:40:45,299
S2: a man may keep alive a heifer and a pair

761
00:40:45,300 --> 00:40:47,580
S2: of sheep. And it will happen that because of the

762
00:40:47,580 --> 00:40:50,780
S2: abundance of milk produced, he will eat curds for every

763
00:40:50,780 --> 00:40:52,900
S2: one that is left within the land, will eat curds

764
00:40:52,900 --> 00:40:55,180
S2: and honey, and it will come about in that day

765
00:40:55,300 --> 00:40:58,020
S2: that every place where there used to be a thousand vines,

766
00:40:58,020 --> 00:41:01,420
S2: valued at a thousand shekels of silver, will become briars

767
00:41:01,420 --> 00:41:04,100
S2: and thorns. People will come there with bows and arrows,

768
00:41:04,100 --> 00:41:07,489
S2: because all the land will be briars and thorns. And

769
00:41:07,489 --> 00:41:09,690
S2: as for all the hills which used to be cultivated

770
00:41:09,690 --> 00:41:11,930
S2: with the hoe, you will not go there for fear

771
00:41:11,930 --> 00:41:14,250
S2: of briars and thorns, but they will become a place

772
00:41:14,250 --> 00:41:17,970
S2: of pasturing oxen, and for sheep to trample. The people

773
00:41:17,969 --> 00:41:20,290
S2: will be eating curds and honey, because that will be

774
00:41:20,290 --> 00:41:23,729
S2: the only food available. Isaiah pictures a time when all

775
00:41:23,730 --> 00:41:27,250
S2: the cultivated land will be destroyed, trampled by the armies,

776
00:41:27,250 --> 00:41:30,290
S2: and untended, because so many inhabitants will have been killed

777
00:41:30,290 --> 00:41:34,410
S2: or carried into captivity. Like a garden overgrown by weeds,

778
00:41:34,410 --> 00:41:37,370
S2: the fields will be choked with briars and thorns, crowding

779
00:41:37,370 --> 00:41:40,210
S2: out the cultivated plants, and the people will be forced

780
00:41:40,210 --> 00:41:43,730
S2: back into a lifestyle where they'll survive as herdsmen rather

781
00:41:43,730 --> 00:41:46,810
S2: than farmers. They'll be eating curds because of the flocks

782
00:41:46,810 --> 00:41:49,730
S2: of sheep and cows now living off the weeds in

783
00:41:49,730 --> 00:41:53,370
S2: once fertile fields, and the increase in wildflowers will produce

784
00:41:53,370 --> 00:41:56,569
S2: a corresponding increase in bees. So people will search for

785
00:41:56,570 --> 00:42:00,330
S2: wild honey to supplement their meager diet. Milk and honey

786
00:42:00,370 --> 00:42:02,850
S2: 20 times. The phrase was used to picture a fertile

787
00:42:02,850 --> 00:42:06,400
S2: land to nomads coming off the desert. and twice it

788
00:42:06,400 --> 00:42:09,880
S2: was used to picture a land decimated by invaders whose

789
00:42:09,880 --> 00:42:13,399
S2: cultivated fields were turned into patches of weeds. But which

790
00:42:13,400 --> 00:42:15,960
S2: did Moses have in mind in Deuteronomy eight, when he

791
00:42:15,960 --> 00:42:18,759
S2: listed honey as one of the seven species of the land?

792
00:42:19,200 --> 00:42:23,399
S2: The answer is neither one. The honey in Deuteronomy eight

793
00:42:23,400 --> 00:42:27,160
S2: doesn't refer to honey produced by bees. Rather, it pictures

794
00:42:27,160 --> 00:42:29,880
S2: the sweet fruit of the date palm tree. Now, how

795
00:42:29,880 --> 00:42:33,080
S2: do we know this? Well, the Talmud sages declared the

796
00:42:33,080 --> 00:42:36,359
S2: honey of the seven species is dates. The man who

797
00:42:36,360 --> 00:42:40,640
S2: founded Neot Kedumim, the biblical landscape reserve in Israel explains

798
00:42:40,640 --> 00:42:43,720
S2: their reasoning this way. Bee honey would be a strange

799
00:42:43,719 --> 00:42:48,040
S2: exception in a list comprising only plants and their products.

800
00:42:48,280 --> 00:42:50,680
S2: He believes God included the fruit of the date palm

801
00:42:50,680 --> 00:42:54,600
S2: in this list, because all seven plants listed were essential

802
00:42:54,600 --> 00:42:59,200
S2: crops whose ultimate success or failure was determined between Passover

803
00:42:59,200 --> 00:43:03,840
S2: and Pentecost. He writes, during this period, between mid-April and mid-June,

804
00:43:03,880 --> 00:43:07,779
S2: the flowers of the olive, grape, pomegranate and date open

805
00:43:07,780 --> 00:43:11,660
S2: and the embryonic figs begin to develop. During this same period,

806
00:43:11,700 --> 00:43:14,700
S2: the kernels of wheat and barley fill with starch, and

807
00:43:14,700 --> 00:43:16,460
S2: so the fate of the crops of each of the

808
00:43:16,460 --> 00:43:20,259
S2: seven varieties is determined. So the honey in Deuteronomy eight

809
00:43:20,260 --> 00:43:23,500
S2: comes from the date palm tree, not from bees. But

810
00:43:23,500 --> 00:43:26,180
S2: what does date palm honey have to do with second

811
00:43:26,180 --> 00:43:29,899
S2: Kings 18? Our passage of the day or with us? Well,

812
00:43:29,900 --> 00:43:31,819
S2: to find our answer, we need to climb to the

813
00:43:31,820 --> 00:43:35,100
S2: top of Jerusalem's walls. In the days of King Hezekiah.

814
00:43:35,420 --> 00:43:38,780
S2: Jerusalem was under siege by the Assyrian army. The enemy

815
00:43:38,780 --> 00:43:41,060
S2: had come to the very gates of the capital, and

816
00:43:41,060 --> 00:43:43,540
S2: the Assyrian commander is shouting to those of us on

817
00:43:43,540 --> 00:43:47,100
S2: the walls, ordering us to abandon King Hezekiah and surrender

818
00:43:47,100 --> 00:43:50,379
S2: to his army. Do not listen to Hezekiah, for thus

819
00:43:50,380 --> 00:43:53,460
S2: says the king of Assyria, make your peace with me,

820
00:43:53,460 --> 00:43:55,620
S2: and come out to me and eat. Each of his

821
00:43:55,620 --> 00:43:57,779
S2: vine and each of his fig tree, and drink each

822
00:43:57,780 --> 00:44:00,460
S2: of the waters of his own cisterns, until I come

823
00:44:00,460 --> 00:44:03,170
S2: and take you away to a land like your own land.

824
00:44:03,210 --> 00:44:05,290
S2: A land of grain and new wine, a land of

825
00:44:05,290 --> 00:44:08,210
S2: bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey.

826
00:44:08,250 --> 00:44:10,569
S2: That you may live and not die. But do not

827
00:44:10,570 --> 00:44:13,730
S2: listen to Hezekiah when he misleads you, saying, the Lord

828
00:44:13,730 --> 00:44:17,130
S2: will deliver us. The commander smiles after delivering what he

829
00:44:17,130 --> 00:44:20,690
S2: believes to be an attractive offer to the people of Jerusalem.

830
00:44:20,890 --> 00:44:23,290
S2: Surrender to us and you can enjoy all the benefits

831
00:44:23,290 --> 00:44:27,330
S2: you have grain, vines, olives, and even date palm honey.

832
00:44:27,610 --> 00:44:30,489
S2: It seems as if he listed the honey last, paralleling

833
00:44:30,489 --> 00:44:33,770
S2: the original list of plants given by God. The date

834
00:44:33,770 --> 00:44:36,250
S2: palm honey, if you will, was the sweet treat at

835
00:44:36,250 --> 00:44:38,850
S2: the end, the dessert and all you have to do

836
00:44:38,850 --> 00:44:41,570
S2: to enjoy it is to renounce your trust in God.

837
00:44:41,690 --> 00:44:44,569
S2: Disobey the King set in place by God, and leave

838
00:44:44,570 --> 00:44:47,850
S2: the land promised to you by God. Thankfully, the people

839
00:44:47,850 --> 00:44:50,690
S2: didn't respond to this offer. The Assyrians thought they couldn't

840
00:44:50,730 --> 00:44:54,930
S2: refuse because it made such perfect sense. Surrender or be

841
00:44:54,930 --> 00:44:58,730
S2: slaughtered except life in captivity or death in your own land.

842
00:44:58,890 --> 00:45:01,009
S2: Put your trust in me since you can see my

843
00:45:01,160 --> 00:45:04,800
S2: power or keep clinging to the promises of an invisible God.

844
00:45:05,160 --> 00:45:08,120
S2: The king of Assyria was certain no God could deliver

845
00:45:08,120 --> 00:45:11,160
S2: these people if they refused to surrender. But he turned

846
00:45:11,160 --> 00:45:13,719
S2: out to be wrong. God sent the angel of the Lord,

847
00:45:13,719 --> 00:45:18,680
S2: who destroyed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in a single night. The

848
00:45:18,680 --> 00:45:21,839
S2: siege was broken and God rescued his people. It was

849
00:45:21,840 --> 00:45:24,640
S2: a difficult time for the nation, but God delivered those

850
00:45:24,640 --> 00:45:27,759
S2: who trusted in him. And that brings me back to

851
00:45:27,800 --> 00:45:30,600
S2: the seven species of the land. In Deuteronomy eight, the

852
00:45:30,600 --> 00:45:34,120
S2: king of Assyria offered a substitute, a shortcut to enjoying

853
00:45:34,120 --> 00:45:37,040
S2: what God had promised. Like many of the get rich

854
00:45:37,040 --> 00:45:39,839
S2: quick schemes that are around today, he offered all the

855
00:45:39,840 --> 00:45:43,480
S2: gain with none of the pain, but his offer was bogus.

856
00:45:43,520 --> 00:45:45,680
S2: The honey, he promised would have cost the people their

857
00:45:45,680 --> 00:45:49,799
S2: liberty and their land, and thankfully they refused. So what

858
00:45:49,800 --> 00:45:52,640
S2: does date palm honey or a serious offer to the

859
00:45:52,640 --> 00:45:55,560
S2: people of Jerusalem have to do with us today? Well,

860
00:45:55,560 --> 00:45:58,160
S2: just as God promised a Bountiful land to Israel in

861
00:45:58,160 --> 00:46:02,149
S2: Deuteronomy eight, so today he's promised spiritual bounty to those

862
00:46:02,150 --> 00:46:04,669
S2: who follow him. Some of his blessings, like the fruit

863
00:46:04,670 --> 00:46:07,590
S2: of the spirit, are available right now, while others won't

864
00:46:07,590 --> 00:46:11,469
S2: be ours until his final heavenly harvest. But stay faithful

865
00:46:11,469 --> 00:46:14,710
S2: when Satan comes promising a cheap substitute that he says

866
00:46:14,710 --> 00:46:18,670
S2: will bring instant gratification. Stay on your walls and don't

867
00:46:18,670 --> 00:46:22,029
S2: answer him a word. His offer of happiness comes at

868
00:46:22,030 --> 00:46:25,870
S2: the expense of your life and liberty in Christ. God's

869
00:46:25,870 --> 00:46:30,470
S2: date palm honey is infinitely sweeter than anything Satan can offer.

870
00:46:30,630 --> 00:46:32,590
S1: Well, that's something to hang on to. Thank you. Charlie.

871
00:46:32,590 --> 00:46:35,390
S1: I'll never see that story the same. If you'd like

872
00:46:35,390 --> 00:46:37,310
S1: to hear it all again, you can do that with

873
00:46:37,310 --> 00:46:39,750
S1: a visit to our website. The land and the book.

874
00:46:41,310 --> 00:46:43,710
S1: Check out the podcast and share us with a friend.

875
00:46:43,750 --> 00:46:46,790
S1: The land and the book. Thanks so much for hanging

876
00:46:46,790 --> 00:46:49,069
S1: out with us today. I'm John Yeager for our host,

877
00:46:49,070 --> 00:46:51,630
S1: Charlie Dyer. The land and the book is a production

878
00:46:51,630 --> 00:46:54,870
S1: of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.