S1: Today is Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement described in
S1: Leviticus 16. It's the perfect time to talk about how
S1: sins were forgiven before the Messiah Jesus came, and how
S1: they can still be forgiven today. Stay with me. We'll
S1: talk about that in just a moment. Hello, friends. Welcome
S1: to Open Line with doctor Michael Melnick. That's me. Moody
S1: Radio's Bible study across America. As I said my Name
S1: Michael Ray Melnick, academic, dean and professor of Jewish Studies
S1: and Bible at Moody Bible Institute. And I'm so glad
S1: to be with you, sitting around the radio kitchen table
S1: and taking your questions about the Bible, God, and the
S1: spiritual life. If you have a question and you'd like
S1: to call the phone number here (877) 548-3675. Let me give
S1: it to you again. Maybe a little slower. You can
S1: write it down. (877) 548-3675. And usually when people ask me
S1: when can I get my call through? It's hard to
S1: get through. I know it's hard to get through. But
S1: the best time to call at the beginning of the program.
S1: So if you've been wondering about a particular question, now's
S1: the time to call before everyone else does. Again (877) 548-3675.
S1: Thanks to Tricia McMillan, she's in the producer's chair. Chris
S1: Seeger is our tech guy today, and tiara is answering
S1: the phones. Again, phone number (877) 548-3675. Go get yourself a
S1: cup of coffee. Open your Bible. Because we're about to
S1: study the scriptures together. Here's a common question asked of
S1: me during the Old Testament. During those times, how did
S1: the Jewish people experience forgiveness. It's a good question because
S1: the Messiah, Jesus, had not yet come and hadn't provided
S1: atonement with his death and resurrection. It's especially significant during
S1: the fall High Holy Days with Rosh Hashanah a week
S1: and a half ago and Yom Kippur today. So the
S1: simple answer is that people have experienced God's forgiveness the
S1: same way always. We've always been forgiven by grace through
S1: faith in the revealed will of God. That's it. Let
S1: me say it again by grace through faith in the
S1: revealed will of God, it says in Genesis 15 six,
S1: Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him or
S1: reckoned to him as righteousness. When the nation of Israel
S1: lived under the laws described in the book of Leviticus,
S1: which is where we see the Day of Atonement, what
S1: was the revealed will of God? Of them they were
S1: called upon to believe that the sacrifices they offered would
S1: provide atonement. They were also to trust that one day
S1: the Messiah would come and provide. Atonement. So what was
S1: Yom Kippur about? On Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement,
S1: the high priest would first offer a bull for himself
S1: and his family and then offer a goat for the
S1: sins of the people of Israel. Leviticus 1615 reads, The
S1: high priest is to sprinkle it against the mercy seat
S1: and in front of it. Then these two sacrifices, the
S1: bull and the goat, provided ritual cleansing. Not not actual cleansing,
S1: but ritual cleansing for the whole tent of meeting, the
S1: holy place and the altar. Additionally, Leviticus 1617 says, they made.
S1: And here's the key word atonement, a word that means
S1: wipe away or to cover. It would make atonement for
S1: the sins of the priest, his family, and the people
S1: of Israel. These sacrifices, in a sense, provided a covering
S1: for the sins of Israel until the Messiah Jesus would come,
S1: and then he would die for sin and be raised again.
S1: And with his death and resurrection, the Messiah Jesus actually
S1: became the ultimate sacrifice for sin, taking away sin completely,
S1: which the blood of these bulls and goats never could do.
S1: It worked like this. I might buy stuff with a
S1: credit card and then when the bill comes due, I think, ah,
S1: I can't pay it. So I pay the minimum monthly
S1: payment at the due date. And this keeps the bank
S1: at bay for another month. My debt is paid, but
S1: when I increase my debt the next month because I
S1: keep using that credit card, more interest is added. And
S1: the next month when the bill comes, I again only
S1: pay the minimum amount and I never deal with the principal.
S1: That's how the sacrifices were. They covered the debt from
S1: Yom Kippur to Yom Kippur, but they never paid the
S1: principle debt to God. When the Messiah Jesus came, his
S1: death atoned for all sin. He paid the principal and
S1: the interest for all past debts and even future ones.
S1: His resurrection proved he did that. And that's why we're
S1: forgiven by grace, through faith in the Messiah, Jesus, and
S1: through him alone. God has provided and revealed forgiveness through
S1: Jesus the Messiah. Hebrews 911 says of the Lord Jesus
S1: our High priest, he entered the Most Holy place once
S1: for all, not by the blood of goats and calves,
S1: but by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. Hebrews
S1: 1012 says of Jesus the Messiah, that after offering one
S1: sacrifice for sins for ever, he sat down at the
S1: right hand of God, showing that the work of atonement
S1: was complete. the Yom Kippur sacrifices. In fact, all the torahs.
S1: The Law of Moses animal sacrifices pointed forward to the
S1: Messiah's ultimate sacrifice. Jesus, the Messiah's offering of himself was
S1: that ultimate sacrifice. Today, we don't trust in bulls and
S1: goats to give us a covering for sin. Rather, we
S1: believe in the Lord Jesus, and all our debt to
S1: God is removed forever and ever. Contemporary Jewish people observe
S1: Yom Kippur without sacrifices because the Romans destroyed the temple
S1: in A.D. 70. All over the world, Jewish people today
S1: are praying sorrowful penitential prayers. Jewish people make sure to
S1: reconcile with those whom they may have hurt. They fast
S1: from food to show their sorrow from sin for sin.
S1: But for the most part, most Jewish people don't believe
S1: in the Messiah Jesus and don't have any assurance of forgiveness.
S1: That's why messianic congregations across the globe are so significant,
S1: messianic Jews come together to observe Yom Kippur, not to
S1: plead for forgiveness, but to celebrate the true forgiveness available
S1: only by faith in the Messiah, Jesus, and to proclaim
S1: this good news of Jesus to all people, especially their
S1: Jewish friends and family. When I was in college, I
S1: typed papers for my profs and if there was an error,
S1: I used a little wite-out to correct them. A little
S1: liquid paper, something like that. It provided a covering but
S1: didn't take away the errors. When I went to seminary,
S1: I would type my papers on an IBM Selectric typewriter
S1: and it would suck the errors right off the page,
S1: but still leave an imprint. You could know that I
S1: made a mistake there, that there was an error, and
S1: then I would type over those those imprints. But when
S1: I did my doctoral dissertation, I used a computer. Now
S1: with a computer, I could delete a line, I could
S1: delete a whole file. I could delete everything, the whole
S1: hard drive, and they would be gone forever. It was
S1: possible to format that hard drive. Couldn't find anything again. Well,
S1: that's a picture of what the Messiah Jesus atonement did
S1: for us. He wiped the hard drive of our guilt
S1: before God so that our sins would never be held
S1: against us again. And that's the ultimate and true forgiveness
S1: that we can now celebrate and proclaim every day, and
S1: especially today, on Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur is a solemn day,
S1: and normally we wouldn't say Happy Yom Kippur, but if
S1: we know Messiah Jesus, it's a celebration of atonement, not
S1: a plea for it. And that's what I would encourage everyone.
S1: Remember that Trust in Jesus and never, ever fear losing that.
S1: A relationship with God, the forgiveness that he provides. Well,
S1: we're going to go right to the phones now. Carol
S1: in Illinois is listening on Wmbi. Welcome to Open Line, Carol.
S1: How can I help you today?
S2: Oh. Thank you. Good morning. Um, so I told the
S2: call answerer, I have been a Christian my whole life.
S2: And then lately, um, it's like it doesn't make sense
S2: to me. And here's the thought that I came up
S2: with yesterday. God, if I may be blasphemous, is the problem.
S2: He wanted sin to be accounted for and paid for,
S2: and he didn't care who did it. I always thought, well,
S2: how can Jesus die for me? I'm the one being
S2: the sinner, but it was the wrong way of looking
S2: at it. It just needed to be taken care of.
S2: And God found somebody and it was taken care of.
S2: Is that the right way to understand that I'm.
S1: I got you right up to God. Found a way.
S1: Just found Jesus. Like, randomly. Is that what we're talking about?
S2: Well, he must have had some thought about it and said,
S2: I will find, I think, to use Bible terms servant,
S2: and this Messiah is going to do it. And of course,
S2: he had foreknowledge way thousands of years ago. But yeah,
S2: kind of.
S1: Yeah. Well, you know, the Bible calls, uh, the Lord Jesus,
S1: the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world.
S2: Mhm.
S1: Uh, the, uh, Jesus is the God man. He existed
S1: eternally as God the Son, uh, was incarnate as a
S1: fully human being. But the intention of God the Father
S1: was always to offer up his son. Uh, so I
S1: don't think it was a random selection. Oh, here's a
S1: good guy. Let's let's let's do this. I think that's
S1: a wrong way of looking at this. Uh, and it says, uh,
S1: I'm going to read you a verse. It's first Peter
S1: 119 that we were redeemed, not with perishable things like
S1: silver or gold. Here's verse 19, but with the precious
S1: blood of Messiah, like that of a lamb without defect
S1: or blemish. He was chosen before the foundation of the world,
S1: but was revealed at the end of times for you, uh,
S1: through him are believers in God. So I don't think
S1: it was just a random selection. I think it was
S1: an intentional plan of God. We often think of God
S1: looking down at Adam and Eve in the garden going,
S1: oh no, what am I going to do? Not the
S1: way it worked, the way it worked was God the
S1: father always had a plan. He knew exactly what would happen.
S1: Did God intend for humanity to sin? I don't believe
S1: that he gave people a genuine choice, but he knew
S1: that they were going to choose poorly. Uh, the whole
S1: plan of God is sovereign. So how do we balance
S1: the freedom of Adam and Eve in the garden, along
S1: with the sovereign plan of God? I have no idea.
S1: But I believe it's both. Both are true. And. And
S1: God always knew that he would provide atonement through only
S1: one the God man, the Messiah, the Lord Jesus. It
S1: was always part of his plan. So no, I don't
S1: think we should think of it as just sort of
S1: random selection. Oh, this is a good guy. Let's make
S1: him the atonement. But rather the only one. He is
S1: the only one. He's the one that lived the perfect
S1: life so he could be our righteous, pure and spotless
S1: lamb for us. Just as Isaiah 53 foretold that all
S1: we have gone astray, each of us has turned to
S1: his own way. But the Lord laid on him the
S1: righteous one, the iniquity of us all. I hope that
S1: helps a little bit. Carol does it.
S2: It sure does.
S1: Oh, good. Good. Well, we're going to we're going to
S1: take a little break here. I've got a special guest
S1: coming in in a moment. Uh, so glad you're with
S1: me this morning. This is open line with Michael Radonich.
S1: We're going to talk about studying the Bible with Jim
S1: Coakley in just a moment. So stay with us. This
S1: is really important program. It'll change your life if you
S1: start reading the Bible in this very special way. We're
S1: coming right back at you with our special guest. So
S1: don't go away. And we're back. Welcome back. I'm so
S1: glad to talk with you this morning. We're having a
S1: great time around the world already. You know, the Bible
S1: is much more than just a collection of ancient texts.
S1: It's it's God's masterpiece. And it's his gift to us
S1: and to help us claim it for all it's worth.
S1: We'd like to send you a resource called 14 Fresh
S1: Ways to Enjoy the Bible. It's a really helpful book.
S1: It was written by my friend and moody Professor Jim Coakley,
S1: and it reveals how the same techniques used by modern
S1: authors were also employed by biblical writers long ago. And
S1: it gives us a fresh way to look at the scriptures.
S1: Readers will. If you read this book, it will give
S1: you practical strategies to engage the word, and it will
S1: really help you get a fresh way of reading the Bible.
S1: And it's fairly simple to understand and to read and
S1: to put into practice. And so I really want to
S1: encourage you to get this book and it's yours. If
S1: you give a gift of any size to open line,
S1: we want to send it to you as a way
S1: of saying thank you. It's our current resource. So if
S1: you'd like to get a copy of 14 Fresh Ways
S1: to Enjoy the Bible. The best thing to do is
S1: go to our website openline radio.org or call (888) 644-7122. And
S1: when you give a gift of any size, remember to
S1: ask for 14 fresh ways to enjoy the Bible. We'd
S1: love to send you a copy of this book and
S1: especially fun today for me. Joining me right now is
S1: the author of that book. As I mentioned, my friend
S1: Jim Coakley. I've taught here at Moody with Jim for
S1: seems like forever, 25 years, 25 years. There we go.
S1: I beat you by about six years. But that's all.
S3: Right. I'll. I'll bow to superior knowledge.
S1: Oh, there we go. Anyway, my friend Jim Coakley is
S1: right here with me. And thank you so much for
S1: writing this book. And thank you for joining us this morning. Oh, it's.
S3: Great to be with you, Michael, and the Open Line listeners.
S3: And it's really I mean, it's really a joy to
S3: get to promote this book because it really gives people
S3: a tool to use for Bible reading. And that's what
S3: really excites me the most is that to, again, not
S3: just give people a fish, but to teach people how
S3: to fish. And this book will teach you how to
S3: fish as you read the Bible.
S1: So I know you must have heard me tell. I
S1: tell students all the time. Write down the first law
S1: of biblical interpretation. It's in order to understand the Bible,
S1: we must read it. Let's read it. And that's. That's
S1: what the first law is. The second is, if we
S1: didn't understand it the first time, read it again. And
S1: and so that's really what I, I believe. But sometimes
S1: people just read it sort of carelessly. And I think
S1: what I noticed about this book is it, it's a
S1: way of, of teaching people to read the Bible with intentionality.
S1: Is that what you're saying?
S3: Yes. I mean, we talk about the three principles, so
S3: to speak, of Bible interpretation, observation, interpretation, application. But what
S3: I have found over the years, and that's why I
S3: really was motivated to write this book, is that we
S3: really don't help people with the observation stage. And so
S3: this book is really geared to say, what should you
S3: start observing in the text? First, let's start with the
S3: things that we know the biblical authors are using. And
S3: then we can go deeper with that. But sometimes people
S3: are just kind of whiteboarding, looking at the scriptures, and
S3: they don't know what to look at. But here it
S3: gives them a lane that they can start to drive
S3: in and I think get some low hanging fruit right away.
S1: I know that one of the things that you talk about,
S1: I think it's in chapter 11, you can say that again.
S1: It's repetition, right? Right. So one of the things I've
S1: noticed is that people will notice repetitions if they well,
S1: if they're careful, they'll start reading and say, oh, that
S1: phrase is used again, or that idea is being repeated or,
S1: you know, they'll notice that, but they'll never ask the question,
S1: why is this being repeated? And that's what you would
S1: encourage them to do, right? Not just to notice the repetition. Right.
S3: What I basically am trying to train people to do
S3: is have a series of questions that they always are
S3: kind of, in a sense, dialoguing with the biblical author. Now,
S3: of course, we're not going to get clear audible answers back,
S3: or at least I don't. But these are the types
S3: of questions. Why is this passage here? Why is this
S3: phrase or this word repeated so often? Why is this
S3: next to this other account? Why are we hearing this
S3: character speak? All those questions are always running through my
S3: mind now as I'm reading the Bible, and I get
S3: productive observations as I ask those kind of basic questions.
S1: Okay, so you have 14 ways to observe the Bible,
S1: which I think this is just a really terrific tool
S1: and it's a great way to do it. Okay. Tell me,
S1: what do you think is the most important of these
S1: 14 or are they all equal?
S3: Well, it all depends really on really the type of
S3: literature that you're reading. A lot of these do have
S3: more incense payback when you look at narrative texts, because
S3: these are narrative storytelling techniques that are used. But repetition
S3: is clearly very important because it's used in all genres.
S3: It's used by all biblical authors. And so that one
S3: is really high up on. but I mean, for me,
S3: the one that was probably the one that really kind
S3: of set me kind of on this trajectory was, in
S3: a sense, step up to the mic like we're doing here,
S3: is paying attention to when the biblical author yields the
S3: microphone over to a character in the story and lets
S3: us hear that character's own voice. And so, because I
S3: read the Bible for many, many years, like it was
S3: all God's Word, everything is inspired. And it is. But
S3: I never nuance a difference between a narrator who's controlling the,
S3: so to speak, the script with the allowing the character
S3: to speak. And oftentimes, as we say, you know, out
S3: of the mouth comes the issues of the heart. And
S3: so we get to hear characterization. But oftentimes what we
S3: find is that the big idea, or the main theme
S3: of this passage is found on the lips of one
S3: of the characters. Exactly. That is huge. When you're trying
S3: to find out what the Bible is trying to teach you.
S3: If you pay attention to that quotation marks, pay attention
S3: to quotation marks. Nobody ever taught me that in basic
S3: Bible interpretation. Yeah.
S1: So one of my Favorite passages that show this is
S1: first Samuel 25. Yeah, it's when with David and Abigail
S1: and Nabal. I don't know if listeners remember that story.
S1: It's a story about Nabal being selfish and not really
S1: paying what he ought to have paid David for protection
S1: and security. And Abigail comes and intervenes, because David wants
S1: to go kill Nabal for his horrible, foolish attitude. And, uh,
S1: what you notice is the characters start speaking. The narrator
S1: doesn't tell us what the message of the story is. Yeah.
S1: He gives up the microphone and she says, uh, the
S1: Lord who? Well, she tells him to keep from vengeance. Uh,
S1: pay no attention to Nabal. She says, uh, I, your servant,
S1: didn't see my Lord's young men whom you sent. Now,
S1: my lord, as surely as the Lord lives, and as
S1: you yourself live, it is the Lord who kept you
S1: from participating in bloodshed and avenging yourself by your own hand.
S1: And she goes on to repeat that let there be
S1: no remorse or troubled conscience for my Lord because of
S1: needless bloodshed. And then David says to her, today, you
S1: kept me from participating in bloodshed and avenging myself. Wait,
S1: what's the point of this passage? Right.
S3: Avoiding bloodshed.
S1: Yeah. Avoiding vengeance. Right.
S3: Personal vengeance. That's not the way forward. Yeah.
S1: And so what I think is so interesting is I
S1: once heard a world famous preacher preached this passage, and
S1: he preached about wives submission to their husbands. Yeah. And
S1: I thought he wasn't listening to the characters. He was
S1: applying his own, trying to look for an application point.
S1: And what I think is so interesting about that is
S1: that you think that we could apply the lesson of not.
S3: Seeking vengeance.
S1: Seeking vengeance. I mean, I've talked to a lot of
S1: people when I was a pastor who wanted to get
S1: back at someone else, a spouse, a neighbor, or, you know,
S1: and so what I love about your book is. It's
S1: a little known, but greatly used concept. Yes. Yeah. And so, uh,
S1: is there a passage that you think of where the,
S1: the voice of the character comes out?
S3: You think of, you know, the centurion at the foot
S3: of the cross? Yeah. You know, the whole gospel writer
S3: has been talking about the life and ministry and the
S3: death of Christ, but all of a sudden, you know
S3: who gets it? Who puts it all together first, a pagan.
S3: It's a pagan Roman centurion who says, surely this was
S3: the Son of God. And if we, the readers, are
S3: reading the gospel correctly, we need to come to that
S3: same conclusion. That's a great that's a great lesson.
S1: That's so it's not just Old Testament story, not just
S1: Old Testament.
S3: It's in the.
S1: Gospel. So it's a principle of narrative. I think that
S1: that is vital. So, uh, you know, we're going to
S1: take some questions and if you're listening, now's the time.
S1: Give us a call. There's a couple of lines open.
S1: We're going to take just plain Bible questions. But if
S1: you have a question particularly about Bible study, you can
S1: call right now. Our number is (877) 548-3675. Now's a good
S1: time to call. Okay, so what do you think? If
S1: you were to give this to someone to help them,
S1: disciple them, mentor them, and reading the Bible, how would
S1: you use this book?
S3: Boy, I've had two. Within the last two weeks. I've
S3: had two small groups tell me they're using this very
S3: profitably in a small group study. To me, that's the
S3: best way to study in community and kind of share
S3: your observations. Know these basic techniques, have some of these
S3: handles like step up to the mic. And all of
S3: a sudden now there's a church in Virginia and I
S3: know there's a high school out in the suburbs. Cisco
S3: told me that the Cisco Cotto. Yeah. Cisco, one of
S3: our professors, she said that the teachers using it for
S3: his junior high, high school students to train them how
S3: to study and read the Bible.
S1: I think that's just wonderful to be in a group
S1: and practice this. And I think what you could do,
S1: you know, I know there's some adult Bible fellowships, adult
S1: Sunday school classes. You could go through one a week
S1: or home groups. Yes, go through one a week. And
S1: and you give enough examples from the Bible that you
S1: could actually study those passages. Right. Where you show where
S1: the principles are. And I think that that will enhance
S1: by practicing it with those passages, you'll start to learn
S1: to use it with other passages.
S3: As this is Pastor's Appreciation Month, this would be a
S3: great gift to give your pastor, because he might know
S3: a lot of these techniques, but sometimes you need a
S3: little spark. I give plenty of examples that will put
S3: into that will kind of get their juices flowing, so
S3: you can really equip your pastor stronger by giving him
S3: this book and letting him know that you appreciate him.
S1: Yeah, I think that that's a great thing. And also
S1: Sunday school leaders and, uh, Bible study, uh, facilitators and
S1: all the people that are doing this, it's it's a
S1: great tool and that's why we're using it as our
S1: current resource. So, you know, remember give a gift of
S1: any size. And as a result, if you give a
S1: gift of any size. Call (888) 644-7122. I shouldn't be doing
S1: that so much, but I would love people to get
S1: this in their hands. And it's a great way to
S1: do it by giving a gift to open line. And
S1: that would be something that's really, really helpful. Uh, now
S1: I know this won an award and let another man
S1: praise you, but tell me exactly what award this book won.
S3: Yeah, Christianity Today this year gave it for 2020 for
S3: book of the year award in the category of Bible
S3: and Devotional. I mean, and I was again in, in
S3: the running with other well-known Christian authors, and it was
S3: really humbling to realize that they honored me with this reward.
S3: And so it's it's really a special a special benefit
S3: that I've been able to receive.
S1: I was thrilled when I heard about that award, because
S1: so often books that are awarded are, are kind of, uh, very,
S1: very geared for what's going on in the world right
S1: now and things like that, and rightly so. Right? But
S1: the Bible is always relevant, right? And it's always going
S1: to change our lives. Amen. As we read it. And
S1: so this is a book that will make us all
S1: better Bible readers, we're going to come right back with
S1: more of Jim Coakley. We're going to take your questions.
S1: So don't go away. This is open line with my guest,
S1: Jim Coakley, and me, Michael Radonich.
UU: Be right back.
S1: Welcome back to Open Line. My name is Michael Radonich.
S1: Joining me today, Jim Coakley for this hour. And also
S1: Tricia McMillan is in here with the mailbag. I am
S1: so grateful that we get to do, uh, the mailbag,
S1: because Far Eastern Broadcasting Company partners with Open Line to
S1: bring you the weekly ABC mailbag. It's a terrific organization.
S1: It brings the good news to people via media and
S1: also personal engagement. Check out the Febc podcast called Until
S1: All Have Heard. All you have to do is go
S1: to febc. Org that's f e b c.org and check
S1: out their their podcast. They're featuring Ed Cannon and uh,
S1: you know, I just I'm standing here at Moody Radio
S1: and I've got my I just got a great team
S1: of people that I'm part of and I'm so grateful for. Uh, uh,
S1: Chris is at the control board there, and Merl is
S1: helping him out, and Tricia is here. She's producing everything,
S1: it seems like, at Moody Radio and Jim Coakley, my
S1: colleague in the classroom, I love the teamwork that comes
S1: with Moody Radio and Moody Bible Institute. And I appreciate that.
S1: There are team members, People who actually listen to Open
S1: Line every week and feel like it's helping them take
S1: their next step in their walk with the Lord Jesus.
S1: I'm so grateful for that. And then also, I'm so
S1: grateful that there are people who listen regularly, who think
S1: that they want to be part of the team, and
S1: an even more expansive way by becoming kitchen table partners.
S1: What they do is they give monthly so that we
S1: can be on the air weekly. We so appreciate that.
S1: And the best way to become a kitchen table partner
S1: is by going either to our our website, open Line
S1: radio.org or calling (888) 644-7122. And one of the things that
S1: we do, Tricia, is we produce the Bible study moment
S1: and we're finishing up one right now. It's a it's
S1: a little Bible study designed exclusively for our kitchen table partners.
S1: They listen to it. What's it about now that we're
S1: just finishing a series.
S4: That we're finishing up? We're on the the last one.
S4: We'll go out, I think, next week about the covenants,
S4: the five biblical covenants and what they are and then
S4: how they're fulfilled.
S1: Yeah, it was a lot of fun to do, wasn't it?
S4: Yeah we did. We recorded them all in the. The
S4: last one goes out next week. Yeah.
S1: I'm so I'm so glad for that. And we're going
S1: to start a new series that you don't even know
S1: what it is about it, but I do. I've already
S1: picked it out. And because you.
S4: Write these, these aren't you know, we don't have these
S4: other writers doing this and.
S1: Sometimes even joins me. We talk through them like we
S1: did with the covenants. So I've got I can't wait
S1: to tell you about it, but I'm not going to
S1: say what it is now.
S4: But that's called a tease. Yeah.
S1: But anyway, again, if you'd like to become a kitchen
S1: table partner, we'd so appreciate you considering doing that. Uh,
S1: the number again. (888) 644-7122 or go to open line radio.org. Okay, Tricia,
S1: you've got some mailbag questions.
S4: I do. Lori in Florida listens to R&B and says
S4: a friend of a different faith is wanting to read
S4: and study the Bible. What is a good study Bible
S4: to help someone read for themselves for the first time?
S4: She says, I have several study Bibles, but I'm not
S4: sure how easily understood the notes are for folks stepping
S4: through it on their own for the first time.
S1: Okay, so let's start with my guest, Jim Coakley. Jim.
S3: Yeah, there's a number of study Bibles, as you mentioned, Lori.
S3: And so, you know, which one is there? You kind
S3: of have to know who you're talking to or about
S3: in terms of what level that they're at. But there's
S3: some really good basic ones. I mean, the Ryrie Study
S3: Bible has been around. Moody publishers has produced that. It's
S3: a good all around kind of basically answer the typical
S3: questions that readers have. It's fairly accessible, not too overly complicated,
S3: and it's a good all around study Bible that I
S3: would really recommend. One of my.
S1: Favorite things about the Ryrie Bible is that you can
S1: carry it. It's not so big. Yeah. And then the
S1: other thing about it is, uh, that he's got this
S1: survey of doctrine and outline form in the back, and
S1: he's got an outline of church history and all the
S1: he's got a section on how he got the Bible.
S1: So some of the appendices, I think are tremendously helpful.
S1: It's like a.
S3: Mini Bible college education.
S1: Yeah, right. It's great. And, you know, of course, he
S1: he was my professor at Dallas Seminary when he would
S1: sometimes say, okay, I'll give you the exam early, but
S1: you have to promise on a Bible that you're going
S1: to come to class for the last few weeks if
S1: I give you a promise.
S4: On a Bible.
S1: Yeah. And so he'd have to take out our Bible.
S3: Yeah. And, you know.
S1: He said, get out your Bible. Then he'd say you
S1: need a proper Bible. Joking with us a revival. It
S1: was pretty fun. And Jim's copy of the Ryrie Bible
S1: is signed, but mine was not, because, you know, it
S1: was so normal for me to see him in class.
S1: I didn't think to get it signed. Yeah.
S3: So he spoke at my baccalaureate for graduation from Calvary
S3: Bible College.
S1: Yeah. So there you should have should have gotten it.
S1: Let me just mention a couple of others. There's the
S1: ESV study Bible. Very good study Bible. The problem with
S1: it is it's so big you have to have it
S1: on your desk at home, not carry it around with you.
S1: It's just way too big. The NIV Study Bible same issue.
S1: You can get it to carry around, but the print
S1: is so small to get it to be the size
S1: that you can carry. I can't even read it anymore.
S1: And then the Holman Study Bible also. I contributed to that.
S1: Daniel notes on that. It's a really good study Bible. Um,
S1: but I would say the problem is what I like
S1: about Ryrie is that it was just done by one person,
S1: so it's consistent. Uh, the Holman Study Bible was edited
S1: by a couple of people to try and make it consistent.
S1: But some of the books, there's one whole book that
S1: I think is extremely messianic in the Old Testament, and
S1: the author didn't cite one messianic prophecy. Yeah. And so
S1: it has an inconsistency, but generally very good.
S4: Okay. So a quick clarification. The study Bible. So you're
S4: talking about the Ryrie Study Bible? He did not, um,
S4: translate the Bible? No. Right. So so there's two different
S4: questions then that that she will need to find the
S4: Bible for. There's the translation. So that's the ESV or
S4: the Holman Christian Standard Bible or the the I guess
S4: Ryrie comes in a couple of different translations, I think.
S4: I think it's the American standard, American King James. Yes.
S4: And there's an and it was.
S1: Done based on the new American standard.
S4: Okay. How does that how does how does that change it? Like,
S4: like if I pick up an NIV study Bible versus
S4: the versus the Ryrie NASB study Bible that you're holding,
S4: what's what, what will be? Well, are the scriptures different?
S1: No, the.
S4: The.
S1: The text of the Bible is different, but because that's the.
S4: Translation, if.
S1: You have an ESV rivalry, which I don't even know
S1: if they make anymore, but there was an ESV Ryrie uh,
S1: if there was a different translation and he's noting a word,
S1: it'll say the word in the ESV. They edited it
S1: to do that, and then it'll say in the new
S1: American Standard it was, and then it will discuss it
S1: that way. Okay. So and the same thing with the
S1: old NIV Bible, which I don't know. I don't know
S1: what which they keep changing the translations based on what's
S1: the popular translation right now. Right.
S4: But what they're doing is taking if I take a
S4: non study Bible and just hold it an ESV Bible
S4: and I pick up an ESV study Bible. The only
S4: difference is the notes that have been added that kind
S4: of help shed the light on this is the word
S4: that they translated, or this is some background to this
S4: book or verse.
S1: Kind of thing. There's an intro to the book. There's
S1: a annotations or explanations at the bottom of the page.
S1: Those are the notes. And then at the back, uh,
S1: there's usually some appendices of like in the Rye, Rye.
S1: I mentioned the Survey of Doctrine and different things like that.
S1: I think I think they're a great tool and and
S1: they don't necessarily have to be what you carry around
S1: with you. They're like a good resource, like the Moody
S1: Bible Commentary, which you would keep on your desk and
S1: turn to. But one of the things that I this
S1: is okay, now, this is going to sound weird. I
S1: encourage people to use it as a resource, but not
S1: as their regular, not their Bible. Yeah. Or what they
S1: read every morning. Right. Why would why would I say that?
S3: Because there's a difference between just reading for kind of
S3: allowing the Word of God to wash over you versus
S3: then going down deep into study. And we need both
S3: kind of readings. Mhm. And that's also true regarding the
S3: translation depending on their kind of ability in English, like
S3: people who will come from overseas or English as their
S3: second or third language, like the NIV is written to
S3: an eighth grade level. And New American standard I think
S3: is written to like an 11th grade level. So again,
S3: depending on their English skills, that might be a factor
S3: as well in which study Bible you use. Okay.
S4: Yeah. Okay.
S1: So that's it. And so I really want people not.
S1: I found myself when I first got a study Bible.
S1: The very first one I ever had is I found
S1: myself reading the notes, not the word. Yes. And I
S1: realized I've got to get a Bible without notes and
S1: read that. And then what happens is, as I find
S1: I have questions, then I might grab a study Bible.
S1: And that's where I would begin, by looking at the
S1: annotation to see what did Doctor Ryrie have to say
S1: about this, or what did the, uh, back in the
S1: day it was what did, uh, psi psi psi psi. Scofield.
S3: That was my first study Bible, actually. Me, too. That
S3: was the only one that was around for ages.
S1: Now, I gotta say this. People are going to be
S1: shocked about this. They have a new American standard. Scofield.
S1: It was done for the King James, right? And my
S1: wife picked it up and she said, you know, this
S1: is a pretty good study Bible. So I found that
S1: interesting that the old Scofield Study Bible is still pretty good.
S3: Except that in the book of Ecclesiastes is an agreement
S3: that he said that these are the words of a man? Uh, what? Basically,
S3: it was like these are the inspired record of man's words. Huh.
S1: So he doesn't agree.
S3: With he doesn't believe that there's challenges, of course, with Ecclesiastes.
S3: Now what?
S1: The Ecclesiastes tough book. But in the end, what the
S1: whole thing is, it's I think there's I understand Ecclesiastes
S1: not to scare people, but it's Solomon evaluating all the
S1: different philosophies of life and finding them faulty. And at
S1: the end he says, here's what it comes down to
S1: fear God.
S3: Keep his commandments.
S1: That's right. That's it. So anyway, well, we're going to
S1: take a break here. Yes we are. That was a
S1: long discussion, but it was really helpful.
S4: It was, it was.
S1: So when we come back, we're going to take some
S1: of your Bible questions with my guest, Jim Coakley. He's
S1: not just my guest. He's my good friend. Really appreciate him.
S1: He's a great expert on Bible lands and all sorts
S1: of things like that. Uh, and Bible reading. Thanks, Tricia,
S1: for bringing the questions in. We'll be right back with
S1: more of your questions right here on Open Line. Welcome
S1: back to Open Line. Let me tell you about the
S1: current Chosen People resource. Many think of the Torah. What's
S1: the Torah? It's the five books of Moses. It's the Pentateuch.
S1: Many people think of those first five books of the
S1: Bible as terribly intimidating, that they may even be outdated
S1: or irrelevant. But I think we need the Torah to
S1: understand the New Testament and the Pentateuch. It's another name,
S1: for it explains important concepts like what does it say
S1: about Israel's future? What does it say about the tabernacle
S1: and the heavenly tabernacle? Even the need for an atoning sacrifice,
S1: ultimately by the Messiah, Jesus. We find that all in
S1: the Pentateuch. And that's why Chosen People Ministries, one of
S1: our ministry partners, is offering a small book called The Portion.
S1: It's a weekly devotional based on the Torah portion, read
S1: by Jewish people around the world. And as you read
S1: this encouraging devotional, you'll discover how the Torah lays the
S1: foundation for the rest of Scripture. And I think it
S1: will even show us how we can get guidance from
S1: it for today. If you'd like a free copy, all
S1: you have to do is go to our website. That's
S1: Open Line radio.org. Scroll down, click on the link that
S1: says A Free gift from Chosen People Ministries. When you
S1: click on that, it will take you to a page
S1: where you can sign up for your own free copy
S1: of the portion. And we're going to take a couple
S1: of calls. Is that okay, Jim? Sounds good. Yeah, I'm
S1: here with Jim Coakley, my friend and colleague here at
S1: Moody Bible Institute, and we're going to talk to Shirley
S1: in Florida listening on WGN. Welcome to Open Line, Shirley.
S1: How can we help you today?
S5: Hi. Good morning. Um, I have a question about, um,
S5: the Garden of Eden. And I was wondering about the
S5: snake is in the Bible. Do they say that the
S5: snake is just representative of the devil? Devil? Or was
S5: it actually a snake that talked? And if it was
S5: a snake that talked? Um. I'm wondering, was all the
S5: animals talking or why didn't they get freaked out about
S5: a snake talking and run? Yeah.
S1: Well, yeah.
S3: I mean, I think a couple of things we can
S3: say kind of to get the conversation started. One, this
S3: is so early on that they probably wouldn't know the
S3: difference between talking and non talking animals right from the start.
S3: But you're right, I think it would be strange to
S3: have them hear an animal speak. Now we do have other.
S1: Although they may have been shocked. Yeah, but the Bible
S1: doesn't say.
S3: The Bible doesn't say. Yeah, but we do have other
S3: talking animals. We have balaam's donkey that talks. And so
S3: that's a shocking word that did not surprise Balaam. Yeah.
S3: It's like this is of course, he may.
S1: Have been surprised.
S3: He may have been surprised, but he blew right past it.
S1: Yeah, the Bible doesn't address it. You know, whether they're
S1: surprised or not. And that's really an important thing. Sometimes
S1: we we think, oh, this is what should be included.
S1: But the author thought, nah, that's not important. He's going
S1: to just put in what is important. So but now
S1: I happen to think it was a snake that talked.
S3: Yes, I agree with you.
S1: And and the thing is, when you look at Balaam's donkey,
S1: it was supernatural power. God opened the mouth right of
S1: that animal. Uh, it wasn't Narnia. It was. And the
S1: same thing in the Garden of Eden. It was a
S1: supernatural power that opened the mouth of that snake. And
S1: what makes us know that it's not God?
S3: Well, you think of the telling people to disobey the commandments.
S3: And that's where I go back to. And since my
S3: one of the techniques in my book is first impressions. Yeah.
S3: So we think of again the serpent, the snake in
S3: the garden. First thing we see him doing is, of course,
S3: he's using cunning words. Lying. Uh, and so one of
S3: the things that we see about, again, the first impression.
S3: A very, very common technique is that even the New
S3: Testament writers say that Satan is the father of lies,
S3: and we see that right from the beginning. So, again,
S3: from a literary standpoint, the focus is not so much
S3: on why did this animal speak, but in what he says,
S3: and basically get the Adam and Eve to disobey. But
S3: we see that Satan's main, not his only tool that
S3: he has, is to get people to believe lies.
S1: And and one of the things that that he does
S1: there is he gets them to believe a lie. He
S1: he takes over the power of the serpent's speech and
S1: is able to talk about it. And there's a lot
S1: more to be said about that. But here's the thing
S1: to remember in Isaiah 14. Now, I don't know where
S1: Jim is lands on this, but I happen to believe
S1: when there's a judgment on the king of Babylon, and
S1: then it talks about the power behind the king of Babylon,
S1: and it's clearly Satan. So you have that in Isaiah 14.
S1: The five I wills there. About him standing against God
S1: and us, you know, sending higher and then in. Ezekiel 28,
S1: there's a judgment of the king of tyre, and then
S1: it starts talking about, you were in Eden. You were
S1: an anointed cherub, a kind of angel. Obviously the king
S1: of Tyre wasn't. And it's talking about the power behind
S1: the king of tyre.
S3: And it's that seed of the woman, seed of the serpent.
S3: And we see that beginning battle right in the garden
S3: and continuing into Ezekiel and to even in the Book
S3: of Revelation. So and it's part of that stream.
S1: Yeah. And so what I think is happening is that there's. Yeah,
S1: serpent for sure, but he's been taken over by the enemy,
S1: and the enemy is is controlling its speech. So in
S1: verse 14, you've sort of got a judgment of the
S1: animal to be a perpetual symbol of defeat. It says
S1: in Isaiah uh, 63, I think it is, or 64
S1: it talks about how the animals will no longer in
S1: the kingdom when the Messiah is reigning. The lions going
S1: to no longer be a predatory animal, and the wolf
S1: won't be predatory. They'll lie down with the lamb and
S1: all this, but the serpent will still eat dust, so
S1: a perpetual symbol of defeat. And then, of course, what
S1: comes is the next. The next verse. Verse 15. The ultimate,
S1: eternal defeat of of the enemy, that his head will
S1: be crushed by the Messiah. I think also.
S3: Too, the imagery, the metaphor of a snake. Again, just
S3: think from the ancient standpoint that snake comes out of
S3: the ground. They have, you know, typically they come out
S3: of holes. And so anything that kind of deals with
S3: two realms is kind of that, what's the engaging power
S3: that's happening? And so it's coming from below, so to speak.
S3: And yet it operates above. And so there's that kind
S3: of I think that's one of the reasons why the
S3: snake was the selected animal?
S1: Yeah, I think so. I think so. Does that help
S1: at all, Shirley?
S5: Yeah, that's really good. And I was thinking too, as
S5: you were saying, there were so intrigued with the snake talking,
S5: and that's why they were paying attention to it. Yeah.
S1: And, you know, they should have just said, get thee
S1: behind me, snake. But they didn't. So anyway. Hey, thanks.
S1: Thanks so much for your call.
S3: Blessings to all of our Florida listeners.
S1: Yeah. That's right. And we're going to talk to Steven
S1: in Michigan listening to Wndb. Welcome to Open Line, Steven.
S6: Hello.
S1: Well, hello, Steven. How old are you?
S6: Seven.
S1: You're seven years old. And what grade are you in?
S6: Second.
S1: You're in second grade. And do you know how to
S1: read yet?
S6: Yeah.
S1: You can read a little or a lot.
S6: A lot.
S1: Good. Do you like reading the Bible?
S6: Yeah.
S1: Okay, listen, you know, we're running out of time, so
S1: go ahead with your question.
S6: And, uh, if if Adam and Eve were perfect and
S6: God and God said they were perfect, and God doesn't lie,
S6: how did they sin?
S1: Well, let me just say quickly they weren't perfect. They
S1: had untested holiness, you might say. They were. They were
S1: not perfect in the sense. Perfection only comes when tested
S1: and they pass the test, but they it's sort of like, uh,
S1: when you're in school, uh, you may think I'm perfect,
S1: but you have to take the test first before you
S1: actually achieve the perfect score. Right. And so they were
S1: just untested. They hadn't sinned. They hadn't obeyed yet. They
S1: were just untested. And when the test came, they failed.
S1: But they weren't called perfect until later.
S3: And they had the capacity to choose. right. And yet
S3: they also had the capacity to choose wrong. And sadly,
S3: they chose the wrong path.
S1: Yeah, yeah. I hope that helps. Steven, thanks so much
S1: for calling. Thanks for listening, everyone. And that's it for
S1: the first hour. Thanks for coming in, Jim. I really
S1: appreciate it. That was Jim Coakley. The name of the
S1: book is 14 Fresh Ways to Enjoy the Bible. Remember,
S1: it's our current resource. Don't miss out on that book. Uh,
S1: just for a gift of any size, we'll send it
S1: to you. Keep listening. The second hour is coming up.
S1: In just a moment. We're going to talk about more
S1: of your Bible questions. More of your questions about the Bible,
S1: God and the spiritual life. Our Bible study across America
S1: will continue in the second hour, so stay with us.
S1: Open line with Doctor Michael Melnick is a production of
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