WEBVTT - Why Biblical Covenants Are Still a Big Deal 0:00:08.200 --> 0:00:11.959 Throughout scripture we encounter lots of different covenants. These are 0:00:11.960 --> 0:00:15.280 promises and agreements that God has made. Why are they 0:00:15.320 --> 0:00:18.480 so central to understanding Scripture and the heart of God himself? 0:00:18.720 --> 0:00:21.120 And why don't we talk more about them? Coming up, 0:00:21.200 --> 0:00:24.720 we'll discover why biblical covenants are still a big deal. 0:00:24.840 --> 0:00:27.320 And of course, we'll cover all the major news stories 0:00:27.320 --> 0:00:30.080 in the Middle East and answer your Bible questions. And 0:00:30.080 --> 0:00:33.599 enjoy Charlie Dyer's devotional. That and more on the land 0:00:33.600 --> 0:00:36.680 and the book. Hey, welcome. I'm John Gager, and speaking 0:00:36.680 --> 0:00:39.440 of Charlie Dyer. Charlie, how's your day been going so far? 0:00:39.920 --> 0:00:42.000 John, it's going great. Of course, every day seems to 0:00:42.000 --> 0:00:44.080 be going great when we know the Lord's in charge 0:00:44.159 --> 0:00:45.240 and we're following him. 0:00:45.360 --> 0:00:48.080 Amen. Well, here's a question. As we kick things off today, 0:00:48.080 --> 0:00:51.800 what does Passover mean for us as believers in Jesus? 0:00:52.159 --> 0:00:54.280 Some might remember the story from the book of Exodus, 0:00:54.280 --> 0:00:56.840 but there's so much more to it. Did you know 0:00:56.840 --> 0:01:00.230 that the Last Supper was actually a Passover meal? Not 0:01:00.230 --> 0:01:03.670 only did Jesus and his disciples celebrate Passover, it also 0:01:03.670 --> 0:01:06.150 foreshadowed his death on the cross for our redemption. 0:01:06.430 --> 0:01:08.790 The Jewish people have been keeping the feast of Passover 0:01:08.790 --> 0:01:12.550 for thousands of years. Understanding the history and importance of 0:01:12.550 --> 0:01:15.470 this holiday will help you better connect with your Jewish 0:01:15.470 --> 0:01:18.030 friends and neighbors. And what better way is there to 0:01:18.069 --> 0:01:21.950 learn about Passover than to experience a Passover Seder yourself? 0:01:22.230 --> 0:01:25.630 If you've never celebrated Passover, our friends at Life in 0:01:25.630 --> 0:01:28.470 Messiah would love to partner with you in hosting a 0:01:28.510 --> 0:01:32.389 Seder experience. Every year, their staff engage churches and small 0:01:32.390 --> 0:01:36.630 groups in an interactive Messiah in the Passover Seder, allowing 0:01:36.630 --> 0:01:40.190 participants to taste and see the redemption story. If you're 0:01:40.190 --> 0:01:43.550 interested in having someone come lead a Seder in your area, 0:01:43.750 --> 0:01:47.270 visit Life in Messiah org and click on the radio 0:01:47.270 --> 0:01:50.230 button there to learn more. That's life in Messiah. 0:01:51.710 --> 0:01:53.990 And now let's swing our focus toward current events in 0:01:53.990 --> 0:01:57.110 the Middle East. As the hostage deal between Hamas and 0:01:57.110 --> 0:02:01.340 Israel continues to continues to unfold. It raises two crucial issues. First, 0:02:01.340 --> 0:02:05.700 why is Israel willing to release so many terrorists guilty 0:02:05.700 --> 0:02:08.900 of murder to gain the freedom of the remaining hostages? 0:02:09.340 --> 0:02:12.260 It just seems so imbalanced. And won't those being released 0:02:12.260 --> 0:02:15.500 by Israel just go back to being terrorists like Yahya 0:02:15.540 --> 0:02:16.700 Sinwar himself did? 0:02:16.980 --> 0:02:19.380 Yeah, some might not realize that Sinwar was serving a 0:02:19.380 --> 0:02:23.419 life sentence for terrorism when he was released in 2011, 0:02:23.419 --> 0:02:26.220 in a major prisoner swap that saw Israel give up 0:02:26.220 --> 0:02:30.220 over a thousand prisoners in exchange for a single Israeli soldier. 0:02:30.660 --> 0:02:33.480 Sinwar became the head of Hamas and planned the October 0:02:33.480 --> 0:02:38.019 7th invasion that resulted in the death of 1200 Israeli civilians. 0:02:38.380 --> 0:02:42.020 So the reality is that releasing terrorists will almost certainly 0:02:42.020 --> 0:02:46.020 result in those terrorists participating in future attacks. But the 0:02:46.020 --> 0:02:48.700 logic behind this for Israel begins with an expression from 0:02:48.700 --> 0:02:52.060 the Talmud whoever saves a single life is considered by 0:02:52.060 --> 0:02:54.780 Scripture to have saved the whole world. And that's true 0:02:54.780 --> 0:02:58.530 because we're created in God's image. Now, that lesson was 0:02:58.530 --> 0:03:01.770 reinforced during the Holocaust, when so many lives were taken 0:03:01.770 --> 0:03:04.930 by the Nazis. Most Israelis view the life of every 0:03:04.930 --> 0:03:09.010 single hostage held by Hamas, significant and worth the price 0:03:09.010 --> 0:03:11.810 being paid. John, I think we sense this. When we 0:03:11.810 --> 0:03:15.490 interviewed Ayelet Levy Sarkar back in March. A medical doctor 0:03:15.490 --> 0:03:18.090 with other children, she was torn between taking care of 0:03:18.090 --> 0:03:21.330 her family and helping those who depend on her medical skill, 0:03:21.450 --> 0:03:23.889 while never giving up on her daughter, who had been 0:03:23.889 --> 0:03:27.970 captured by Hamas. And when Naama was released last weekend, 0:03:27.970 --> 0:03:30.050 I found it difficult to hold back tears as I 0:03:30.090 --> 0:03:34.290 watched Ayellet embrace her daughter and weep with joy and thanksgiving. 0:03:34.730 --> 0:03:37.650 Israel really is more like an extended family than a country, 0:03:37.690 --> 0:03:40.290 you know in the US. People can empathize with news 0:03:40.290 --> 0:03:43.170 reports on the kidnapping or death of someone caught in 0:03:43.170 --> 0:03:46.290 a tragic situation, but those feelings are tempered by the 0:03:46.290 --> 0:03:49.370 reality that we usually don't have a personal connection to 0:03:49.370 --> 0:03:52.970 that person or family. But virtually everyone in Israel has 0:03:52.970 --> 0:03:56.560 a personal connection to the events of October 7th. It 0:03:56.560 --> 0:03:59.160 bonded them to the hostages as if they were part 0:03:59.160 --> 0:04:01.720 of their own family. And that's why Israel's willing to 0:04:01.720 --> 0:04:05.640 release so many terrorists in exchange for the hostages, even 0:04:05.800 --> 0:04:09.520 knowing that most will likely return to terrorism. Now, Israel 0:04:09.520 --> 0:04:12.920 isn't being totally naive here. When Hamas changed the terms 0:04:12.920 --> 0:04:16.760 of the deal by not releasing specific hostages, Israel refused 0:04:16.760 --> 0:04:19.839 to allow the return of citizens to northern Gaza until 0:04:19.839 --> 0:04:23.800 Hamas complied with the agreement, with two additional phases of 0:04:23.800 --> 0:04:27.120 the cease fire agreement still remaining to be ironed out. 0:04:27.240 --> 0:04:31.640 The entire process remains fragile. So more conflict could be 0:04:31.640 --> 0:04:33.080 just over the horizon. 0:04:33.160 --> 0:04:35.599 And if I read correctly, Hamas has released a list 0:04:35.600 --> 0:04:38.599 of the names, and there are not all that many 0:04:38.640 --> 0:04:41.039 who are still alive. I found that discouraging. 0:04:41.320 --> 0:04:43.920 That's sad. And when the remainder of these 33 come, 0:04:43.920 --> 0:04:46.159 it's going to be amazing how many are not alive. 0:04:46.160 --> 0:04:48.640 And sadly, that looks like it could include those two 0:04:48.640 --> 0:04:50.240 young children who were abducted. 0:04:50.720 --> 0:04:53.000 Well, the second crucial issue that needs to be addressed 0:04:53.000 --> 0:04:57.300 is what happens next in Gaza. Once the hostages are released, 0:04:57.700 --> 0:05:00.260 watching all the celebration taking place there, it almost seems 0:05:00.260 --> 0:05:03.219 like Hamas is claiming to have won the war there cheering. 0:05:03.220 --> 0:05:05.540 You see them on television. I mean, what's going on? 0:05:05.580 --> 0:05:07.740 Yeah. You know, as they parade those hostages in front 0:05:07.740 --> 0:05:10.620 of crowds prior to their being released, they really are 0:05:10.620 --> 0:05:13.900 trying to give the impression that they had won the war. 0:05:13.980 --> 0:05:17.620 But impressions can be deceiving. You know, on October 7th, 0:05:17.620 --> 0:05:21.300 6000 terrorists took part in the invasion and massacre. They 0:05:21.300 --> 0:05:27.660 breached Israel's border at 114 different places. They used boats, drones, missiles, paragliders, 0:05:27.700 --> 0:05:32.180 trucks and motorcycles. They killed 1200 Israelis and took an 0:05:32.180 --> 0:05:36.539 additional almost 250 back into Gaza as hostages. Now that's 0:05:36.540 --> 0:05:39.860 the version of a glorious surprise attack, an invasion that 0:05:39.900 --> 0:05:43.900 Hamas is trying to present. But the reality is less impressive. 0:05:44.140 --> 0:05:47.820 In the first two days, Israel killed 1400 militants and 0:05:47.820 --> 0:05:51.859 captured 200 others. Once Israel regained its footing, it pressed 0:05:51.860 --> 0:05:55.409 the attack against Hamas. The final numbers aren't known, but 0:05:55.410 --> 0:05:59.930 Israel believes it killed upwards of 17,000 Hamas militants in Gaza. 0:06:00.290 --> 0:06:03.810 They also eliminated much of Hamas's key infrastructure and leadership, 0:06:03.970 --> 0:06:07.570 both in Gaza and in Iran. They destroyed large portions 0:06:07.570 --> 0:06:11.289 of the tunnel system in Gaza, eliminated rocket launching sites, 0:06:11.450 --> 0:06:16.450 military hardware command centers, manufacturing sites where those rockets were prepared. 0:06:16.850 --> 0:06:20.650 The thousands of refugees streaming back to northern Gaza are 0:06:20.650 --> 0:06:24.290 now discovering a moonscape of blown up buildings and piles 0:06:24.290 --> 0:06:28.529 of rubble where houses, apartments and shops once stood. Hamas 0:06:28.529 --> 0:06:31.250 fighters used them as cover when they were fighting Israel, 0:06:31.250 --> 0:06:34.250 and they were destroyed during the war. The only victory 0:06:34.250 --> 0:06:37.770 Hamas can claim is the surprise attack on October 7th, 0:06:37.770 --> 0:06:41.330 and the reality that outside pressure from the west, along 0:06:41.330 --> 0:06:44.450 with the hostages they held, kept Israel from attacking with 0:06:44.450 --> 0:06:48.650 greater ferocity. That's a Pyrrhic victory at best. The real 0:06:48.650 --> 0:06:51.610 losers in this battle were the people of Gaza and 0:06:51.610 --> 0:06:55.320 the Israeli communities along the border. Israel is already preparing 0:06:55.320 --> 0:06:58.159 to rebuild its communities, but it will take years for 0:06:58.160 --> 0:07:00.440 Gaza to clear away the rubble and begin to do 0:07:00.440 --> 0:07:04.680 the same. And sadly, unless Hamas is removed from leadership, 0:07:04.680 --> 0:07:08.200 the prospects for Gaza's future will remain dim. I'm sure 0:07:08.200 --> 0:07:10.360 this is all going to be part of the discussion 0:07:10.360 --> 0:07:14.200 later this week between President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu, 0:07:14.200 --> 0:07:15.120 when he visits. 0:07:15.160 --> 0:07:17.680 Charlie without asking you to be too specific. Do you 0:07:17.680 --> 0:07:21.400 think it's likely that Hamas will assume a less larger 0:07:21.400 --> 0:07:23.960 role in the running of things in Gaza, or do 0:07:23.960 --> 0:07:25.520 you think it's going to be business as usual for 0:07:25.520 --> 0:07:26.640 the foreseeable future? 0:07:27.360 --> 0:07:29.840 My optimism would say, I hope that they're going to 0:07:29.840 --> 0:07:32.240 have less of a role or no role. Certainly, that's 0:07:32.240 --> 0:07:35.760 Israel's bottom line. The sad part is it depends on 0:07:35.760 --> 0:07:38.880 what other nations around are willing to do, including Europe 0:07:38.880 --> 0:07:42.160 and the United States. And right now, we don't know. 0:07:42.320 --> 0:07:44.400 I think many would be willing to let Hamas stay 0:07:44.400 --> 0:07:45.000 in power. 0:07:45.360 --> 0:07:47.320 You're listening to The Land in the book from Moody 0:07:47.320 --> 0:07:50.200 Radio with our host, Doctor Charlie Dyer, a noted Middle 0:07:50.200 --> 0:07:54.510 East Scholar. The images of the California wildfires that devastated 0:07:54.510 --> 0:07:58.110 parts of Los Angeles shocked us all, while an Israeli 0:07:58.110 --> 0:08:00.550 start up company hopes to make scenes like that a 0:08:00.550 --> 0:08:03.630 thing of the past. How? Well, by deploying an iron 0:08:03.670 --> 0:08:07.950 dome for wildfires. How does this new fire dome system work, 0:08:07.950 --> 0:08:10.070 and when would it become operational? 0:08:10.390 --> 0:08:13.190 Yeah, in the current battle against wildfires, boots on the 0:08:13.190 --> 0:08:15.550 ground and support from the air are the main lines 0:08:15.550 --> 0:08:18.750 of defense. But using a military analogy, what's missing is 0:08:18.750 --> 0:08:22.150 artillery support. And that's what Tel Aviv based fire Dome 0:08:22.150 --> 0:08:25.710 seeks to add to the firefighters arsenal. The company's technology 0:08:25.710 --> 0:08:29.710 resembles the Iron Dome missile defense system, which identifies, tracks 0:08:29.710 --> 0:08:34.670 and destroys incoming rockets using artificial intelligence. Fire dome includes 0:08:34.670 --> 0:08:38.069 a tracking system comprised of cameras, coupled with a computer 0:08:38.070 --> 0:08:41.350 that keeps watch for embers or small fires. It also 0:08:41.350 --> 0:08:46.429 includes a mechanical launcher that hurls fire retardant, biodegradable capsules 0:08:46.429 --> 0:08:50.660 which open before impact to disperse fire retardant chemicals, creating 0:08:50.780 --> 0:08:54.620 a protective barrier. The initial system can launch these capsules 0:08:54.620 --> 0:08:57.230 up to a quarter mile, enabling it to cover 50 0:08:57.230 --> 0:09:00.220 to 100 acres of land. In later versions, they plan 0:09:00.220 --> 0:09:03.460 to expand coverage to a one mile radius, and the 0:09:03.460 --> 0:09:06.180 goal is to test the system in California during the 0:09:06.179 --> 0:09:09.500 next fire season. Right now, Fire Dome is designed to 0:09:09.540 --> 0:09:12.939 protect a medium sized area, like a residential neighborhood or 0:09:12.940 --> 0:09:16.100 a vineyard, or a resort, where the potential savings will 0:09:16.100 --> 0:09:19.900 justify the initial installation expense. However, if the system proves 0:09:19.900 --> 0:09:23.780 it can help stop small fires from becoming raging infernos, 0:09:23.780 --> 0:09:27.380 the savings in property and insurance costs might encourage even 0:09:27.380 --> 0:09:31.219 more widespread use. Anything that can help stop wildfires will 0:09:31.220 --> 0:09:34.300 be greatly appreciated, so we'll keep our eyes open for 0:09:34.300 --> 0:09:38.099 future reports of Israel's fire dome system in action. 0:09:38.940 --> 0:09:42.140 Well, a little over 100 years ago, antibiotics became the 0:09:42.140 --> 0:09:46.060 wonder drugs to treat bacterial infections. But the rise of 0:09:46.059 --> 0:09:49.410 antibiotic resistant strains of Strains of bacteria have made it 0:09:49.410 --> 0:09:53.290 more difficult to treat such infections. Now, a breakthrough study 0:09:53.290 --> 0:09:57.849 from Tel Aviv University could help solve the antibiotic resistance crisis. 0:09:58.250 --> 0:10:00.970 Tell us about this new research out of Israel. 0:10:01.410 --> 0:10:04.890 Yeah. The researchers at Tel Aviv University demonstrated a crucial 0:10:04.890 --> 0:10:09.449 but underexplored process of DNA transfer between bacteria could be 0:10:09.450 --> 0:10:14.450 exploited to neutralize bacterial defense mechanisms. The transfer of DNA 0:10:14.450 --> 0:10:18.010 material is crucial to the survival of bacteria, and during 0:10:18.010 --> 0:10:22.050 that transfer process, one bacterial cell connects directly to another 0:10:22.050 --> 0:10:25.570 and allows the transfer of genetic fragments called plasmids. These 0:10:25.570 --> 0:10:31.850 help provide the recipient bacteria with genetic advantages, including antibiotic resistance. Now, 0:10:31.890 --> 0:10:35.770 Israeli researchers discovered that if the Anti-defense genes are positioned 0:10:35.770 --> 0:10:39.330 near the DNA entry point, those plasmids overcome the defense 0:10:39.330 --> 0:10:42.050 mechanisms of the cells. But if the genes are located 0:10:42.050 --> 0:10:45.530 elsewhere on the plasmid, the bacteria die upon exposure to 0:10:45.800 --> 0:10:50.760 Antibiotics in the race against antibiotic resistant bacteria. This new 0:10:50.760 --> 0:10:54.480 discovery and subsequent plan of attack from Amazing Israel might 0:10:54.480 --> 0:10:56.280 just offer great promise. 0:10:56.440 --> 0:10:58.520 And that's a look at current events from the Middle East. 0:10:58.520 --> 0:11:02.640 Thank you Charlie. Appreciate that. Medical tech development as well. Hey, 0:11:02.640 --> 0:11:06.160 why are biblical covenants still such a big deal? You'll 0:11:06.160 --> 0:11:08.480 find out as you stick with us here on the land. 0:11:08.480 --> 0:11:27.439 And the book. Your Bible. It's filled with unbreakable agreements 0:11:27.440 --> 0:11:31.160 from God. They're called covenants. But do they still matter today? 0:11:31.640 --> 0:11:34.319 And if so, why? Coming up, a look at God's 0:11:34.320 --> 0:11:37.880 everlasting covenant with his people. This is the land and 0:11:37.880 --> 0:11:40.520 the book. I'm John Gager right now. Let's pause and 0:11:40.520 --> 0:11:43.240 think creatively about how we can show the love of 0:11:43.240 --> 0:11:45.480 Christ to that Jewish friend that God has placed in 0:11:45.480 --> 0:11:48.420 placed in our lives. Listen to this. God has done 0:11:48.420 --> 0:11:50.700 an amazing thing in this friendship of yours with a 0:11:50.700 --> 0:11:54.100 Jewish friend. Let's say that she or he wants to 0:11:54.140 --> 0:11:56.179 take the next step further with you in some kind 0:11:56.179 --> 0:11:58.579 of a Bible study. Where in the world would you 0:11:58.580 --> 0:12:00.699 take them in the Bible for a study that would 0:12:00.700 --> 0:12:04.340 be meaningful to them? Eva melnick is an adjunct faculty 0:12:04.340 --> 0:12:07.540 member at Moody Bible Institute. What's the passage that you 0:12:07.540 --> 0:12:09.820 might take on or recommend, or the book of the Bible? 0:12:09.820 --> 0:12:12.460 That's interesting. I think that if you had time, if 0:12:12.460 --> 0:12:15.140 you had like a long term relationship with this person 0:12:15.140 --> 0:12:17.500 and they were willing to invest some time, say, like 0:12:17.500 --> 0:12:22.140 over a summer or winter solstice or whatever, um, study 0:12:22.140 --> 0:12:25.620 the book of Matthew with your friend, because Matthew, the 0:12:25.660 --> 0:12:28.700 gospel was written for Jewish people, and it is the 0:12:28.700 --> 0:12:33.420 most rich with messianic prophecy and pictures of the Messiah 0:12:33.460 --> 0:12:37.060 drawn right from the Jewish scriptures. And so if you 0:12:37.059 --> 0:12:40.220 have some time in your Jewish friends willing say, okay, 0:12:40.220 --> 0:12:42.740 this week, let's read these two chapters, let's get together 0:12:42.740 --> 0:12:45.610 next Tuesday over coffee. and what questions came up for you. 0:12:45.730 --> 0:12:46.970 Matthew is a great place to start. 0:12:47.050 --> 0:12:49.210 What about some resources along the way? Any books you 0:12:49.210 --> 0:12:51.170 might recommend? Or are there any ways that we should 0:12:51.170 --> 0:12:54.410 approach these passages? Probably. We don't want to firehose people. 0:12:54.410 --> 0:12:56.450 We don't want to read ten chapters in one night. 0:12:56.530 --> 0:12:59.130 Right, exactly, exactly. I you know, as you know, I 0:12:59.130 --> 0:13:01.290 work with Chosen People Ministries, and we have some great 0:13:01.290 --> 0:13:04.010 material that's available with chosen people about how to share 0:13:04.010 --> 0:13:05.970 your faith with your Jewish friends. There was a great 0:13:05.970 --> 0:13:09.090 book on Isaiah 53. There's some other material that's just 0:13:09.090 --> 0:13:10.970 general material on how to share your faith with your 0:13:10.970 --> 0:13:13.810 Jewish friends that I think would be helpful for a 0:13:13.809 --> 0:13:17.090 person to take a look at before they have those conversations. 0:13:17.450 --> 0:13:20.810 If you are more visual, my search for Messiah by 0:13:20.809 --> 0:13:23.250 Michael Riedel, a great resource to take a look at 0:13:23.250 --> 0:13:25.010 and then give that to your Jewish friends. 0:13:25.010 --> 0:13:26.330 And what a great guy he is. 0:13:26.330 --> 0:13:27.530 As handsome and nice. 0:13:27.570 --> 0:13:29.370 Yeah, yeah. And just. 0:13:29.370 --> 0:13:30.010 Slightly related. 0:13:30.010 --> 0:13:31.690 To you. Yeah, yeah. You know. 0:13:31.730 --> 0:13:35.410 Even adjunct faculty member. And with Chosen People Ministries, our 0:13:35.410 --> 0:13:39.770 guest here on the land and the book, Jim Ward 0:13:39.770 --> 0:13:42.770 has a diverse background that enables him to bring fresh 0:13:42.960 --> 0:13:46.880 insights to Scripture. His decades of experience as a Bible teacher, 0:13:47.240 --> 0:13:50.160 it pro and his understanding of the languages of the 0:13:50.160 --> 0:13:53.040 Bible help him notice the important details in God's Word 0:13:53.040 --> 0:13:56.640 that maybe some of us are overlooking. Those details often 0:13:56.640 --> 0:14:00.240 demystify passages in the Bible and illuminate their simple meaning. 0:14:00.800 --> 0:14:03.080 Jim's wife, Anita, has been a part of Moody Radio 0:14:03.080 --> 0:14:05.800 for decades, but it's an honor to welcome Jim now 0:14:05.800 --> 0:14:08.040 to the land and the book. Thanks for coming to 0:14:08.040 --> 0:14:08.719 our studio. 0:14:08.880 --> 0:14:10.240 Well, thank you for inviting me. 0:14:10.720 --> 0:14:12.280 You know, Jim, it seems to me we don't hear 0:14:12.280 --> 0:14:15.600 much about biblical covenants today from our pulpits. Why do 0:14:15.600 --> 0:14:17.280 you suppose that is? Or am I wrong? 0:14:17.800 --> 0:14:20.560 Oh, that may be true in some circumstances, but I 0:14:20.560 --> 0:14:25.000 think it's probably because it's a theological topic. And it 0:14:25.000 --> 0:14:27.000 depends on why people are reading the Bible. 0:14:27.320 --> 0:14:30.080 Yeah. When we use the term covenant, what do we 0:14:30.080 --> 0:14:32.080 actually mean here? What are we talking about? 0:14:32.200 --> 0:14:35.520 Its base definition is an agreement. In the case of 0:14:35.520 --> 0:14:39.200 the Bible, you're really dealing with an agreement that is 0:14:39.200 --> 0:14:43.190 offered by a superior being, And sometimes it comes with 0:14:43.190 --> 0:14:46.190 a promise. Sometimes it comes with conditions for both parties. 0:14:46.990 --> 0:14:49.270 We sometimes refer to the act of getting married as 0:14:49.270 --> 0:14:52.630 entering into a covenant. But doesn't that cloud the biblical 0:14:52.630 --> 0:14:55.590 concepts and so many of our marriage covenants are broken? 0:14:56.070 --> 0:14:59.150 Well, there's a strong similarity, but like I was saying, 0:14:59.150 --> 0:15:03.270 a biblical covenant involves a superior being. Whereas with the 0:15:03.270 --> 0:15:06.190 marriage covenant you're really dealing with equals. But again, they're 0:15:06.190 --> 0:15:08.190 very similar because it's an agreement. 0:15:08.190 --> 0:15:13.350 And not just equals fallen equals broken equals. Yes for sure. 0:15:14.310 --> 0:15:17.870 Jim Ward has a rich and nuanced understanding of biblical covenants. 0:15:17.910 --> 0:15:20.470 He's our guest today on the land and the book. 0:15:20.510 --> 0:15:21.750 I'm going to invite you to take us to one 0:15:21.750 --> 0:15:25.030 of the earliest covenants in Scripture, Jim, who is involved here? 0:15:25.190 --> 0:15:26.790 What are the specifics? What do we need to know? 0:15:27.310 --> 0:15:30.510 Well, I tried to stick to the text, and I 0:15:30.510 --> 0:15:34.190 wanted to focus on a particular phrase Brit Olam or 0:15:34.190 --> 0:15:37.950 Everlasting Covenant. There are some other portions of Scripture where 0:15:37.950 --> 0:15:40.500 someone might argue that a covenant was It wasn't involved. 0:15:40.500 --> 0:15:42.859 But the first time we see the word Brit Olam 0:15:43.300 --> 0:15:46.500 occurring in Scripture is in reference to the Noah story. 0:15:46.740 --> 0:15:49.340 And so that's where we see the first everlasting covenant 0:15:49.340 --> 0:15:53.340 with Noah, commonly known as the Noahic covenant and the 0:15:53.340 --> 0:15:55.780 associated Noahide laws. 0:15:55.820 --> 0:15:58.820 Okay, elaborate. What's in that covenant and is it in 0:15:58.820 --> 0:15:59.580 effect today? 0:15:59.980 --> 0:16:02.340 Oh, most definitely. And the reason I can say it's 0:16:02.340 --> 0:16:06.340 in effect today is because it's everlasting. This really boils 0:16:06.340 --> 0:16:09.820 down to the point here, John. When understanding Scripture, do 0:16:09.860 --> 0:16:13.420 words mean things? And what does the word everlasting mean? 0:16:13.900 --> 0:16:16.980 It either means everlasting or it means something else. And 0:16:16.980 --> 0:16:20.140 I've chosen to take it at face value. So yes, 0:16:20.140 --> 0:16:23.100 all of these covenants that we read about in this book, 0:16:23.100 --> 0:16:28.860 Everlasting Covenants, are, in my opinion, permanent because they are everlasting. 0:16:28.860 --> 0:16:32.780 And with Noah and the no way covenant, God has 0:16:32.780 --> 0:16:35.780 made a promise that he will not flood the earth again. 0:16:35.780 --> 0:16:38.620 He will not destroy all human life. I'm very happy 0:16:38.620 --> 0:16:42.690 that that covenant is everlasting. And in addition to that, 0:16:42.690 --> 0:16:45.250 there were some laws that were made. Now in the scriptures, 0:16:45.250 --> 0:16:47.970 we only we are only told about two of them. 0:16:47.970 --> 0:16:51.410 And one is that he would hold people accountable for 0:16:51.410 --> 0:16:55.330 killing other people. There was a death penalty associated with that. 0:16:55.370 --> 0:16:57.970 You know, the main law there is that whoever sheds 0:16:57.970 --> 0:17:01.290 man's blood by man shall his blood be shed. Now, 0:17:01.450 --> 0:17:07.010 the extra-biblical Jewish literature that we read indicates that there 0:17:07.010 --> 0:17:09.890 were other laws that were given, and some of these 0:17:09.890 --> 0:17:13.490 are reflected within the last half of the Ten Commandments. 0:17:13.490 --> 0:17:15.209 But we need to go to some of the the 0:17:15.210 --> 0:17:16.889 Jewish literature to understand that. 0:17:17.530 --> 0:17:20.490 Interesting. You mentioned this Noah covenant, and all of us 0:17:20.490 --> 0:17:23.250 who heard the story and who've read even the basics 0:17:23.250 --> 0:17:26.290 in our Bible, would be familiar with that promise. God says, 0:17:26.290 --> 0:17:29.010 I will never again destroy the earth, but we don't 0:17:29.010 --> 0:17:32.970 ever or rarely, I should say, here attached to that 0:17:32.970 --> 0:17:35.850 what you've brought out here, this business about, you know, 0:17:35.890 --> 0:17:38.160 life is precious. We don't take the life of another. 0:17:38.440 --> 0:17:40.800 And what's, I think very important there that many people 0:17:40.800 --> 0:17:44.120 don't realize is that this covenant was made with the 0:17:44.119 --> 0:17:48.000 entire Earth. Now, at the time, there were only eight people, right? 0:17:48.040 --> 0:17:51.800 But that is the entire Earth's population. And it is 0:17:51.800 --> 0:17:54.640 stated that this is for generations to come. So yes, 0:17:54.640 --> 0:17:56.560 it is applicable to us today. 0:17:56.640 --> 0:17:59.000 All right. Let me let me get real current and 0:17:59.000 --> 0:18:01.760 maybe a little uncomfortable. Let me push you against the wall. 0:18:01.800 --> 0:18:05.520 Are you saying then that when we do not, from 0:18:05.520 --> 0:18:08.919 a biblical perspective, respect the value of a life by 0:18:08.960 --> 0:18:13.720 failing to follow through, by disallowing capital punishment, we are 0:18:13.720 --> 0:18:15.600 at odds with this covenant. 0:18:15.600 --> 0:18:18.320 That would be my understanding. Yes, this is a directive 0:18:18.320 --> 0:18:21.880 from God. So we are either following his directive or 0:18:21.960 --> 0:18:22.680 we are not. 0:18:23.119 --> 0:18:25.080 Today, on the land and the book we're visiting with 0:18:25.080 --> 0:18:28.639 Jim Ward, who's written everlasting covenants. Covenants, of course, are 0:18:28.640 --> 0:18:32.399 found outside of Scripture. What's different about a covenant initiated 0:18:32.400 --> 0:18:33.640 by Almighty God? 0:18:34.200 --> 0:18:38.430 Well, obviously the parties involved And I have to be honest, 0:18:38.430 --> 0:18:41.830 sometimes this is, uh, I don't want to say. Detrimental, 0:18:42.030 --> 0:18:44.590 but can have long lasting effects. Now, when we're talking 0:18:44.590 --> 0:18:47.750 about the Sinaitic covenant, we're dealing with the covenant that 0:18:47.750 --> 0:18:51.310 God made with the nation of Israel. If the covenant 0:18:51.310 --> 0:18:55.150 is everlasting and you have an eternal partner in this covenant, 0:18:55.630 --> 0:18:57.350 he's never going to go back on his end of 0:18:57.350 --> 0:19:00.950 the deal. And he made a promise to them that 0:19:00.950 --> 0:19:03.510 they would be his people and that they would be 0:19:03.510 --> 0:19:07.350 his treasured possession. And he also stated that he would 0:19:07.350 --> 0:19:11.790 chastise them. The fact that he has never rejected them 0:19:11.790 --> 0:19:15.550 demonstrates that he is holding to his covenant, even the 0:19:15.550 --> 0:19:19.189 chastisements that they have received in their rebellion throughout the years, 0:19:19.190 --> 0:19:21.149 and the times that they have not obeyed them throughout 0:19:21.150 --> 0:19:24.630 the scriptures, demonstrates that he is still making good on 0:19:24.630 --> 0:19:28.670 his covenant. If he had failed to follow his covenant, 0:19:28.750 --> 0:19:30.989 he would have just simply rejected them, and they would 0:19:31.030 --> 0:19:34.310 have fallen into history like every other nation that we 0:19:34.310 --> 0:19:37.889 never hear about anymore. And yet today, the nation of 0:19:37.890 --> 0:19:41.609 Israel exists. And that demonstrates to me that God not 0:19:41.609 --> 0:19:44.810 only preserved them, but he is still faithful to his covenant. 0:19:45.010 --> 0:19:47.850 That says an awful lot about this God we read 0:19:47.850 --> 0:19:50.570 about in Scripture and sing about in church on Sundays, 0:19:50.570 --> 0:19:51.649 don't you think? I mean? 0:19:51.690 --> 0:19:54.610 Well, very much so. He keeps his word and we 0:19:54.609 --> 0:19:59.130 can go back and look at the documents. It's in writing. Yeah. 0:19:59.490 --> 0:20:02.210 One of our hang up stems, perhaps from our confusion 0:20:02.210 --> 0:20:05.450 about covenants that are conditional, as you pointed out, and 0:20:05.450 --> 0:20:07.810 those that are not. Can you give a quick biblical 0:20:07.810 --> 0:20:09.250 example of each? 0:20:10.330 --> 0:20:13.570 Well, conditional covenant would be that there are responsibilities for 0:20:13.570 --> 0:20:17.290 each party. For example, let's stick with the Sinai covenant. 0:20:17.410 --> 0:20:19.689 There were quite a few laws that were given in 0:20:19.770 --> 0:20:23.210 that respect, and if those laws are not followed, it's 0:20:23.210 --> 0:20:26.090 essentially a violation of the covenant. That's something, as Christians, 0:20:26.090 --> 0:20:29.810 that we don't always recognize. We think that, say, someone 0:20:29.810 --> 0:20:33.290 who's under the Sinai into covenant sins or breaks one 0:20:33.290 --> 0:20:36.760 of the commandments. We think, okay, well, they violated a commandment. 0:20:37.200 --> 0:20:40.080 But when God talks about the violation of these commandments, 0:20:40.080 --> 0:20:43.439 he's saying you have violated the covenant. It's not just 0:20:43.440 --> 0:20:47.000 a simple act of disobedience. It's a violation of an 0:20:47.000 --> 0:20:50.440 agreement that existed between two parties. Now, on the other hand, 0:20:50.440 --> 0:20:54.080 you have a promissory covenant, for example, like the one 0:20:54.080 --> 0:20:58.240 with Abraham. There was really nothing that Abraham had to do. Now, granted, 0:20:58.240 --> 0:21:01.560 he had to leave his home, but there were really 0:21:01.560 --> 0:21:05.360 no requirements other than to just believe God and that 0:21:05.359 --> 0:21:07.440 he made a promise to him and that he was 0:21:07.440 --> 0:21:09.399 going to make him into a great nation. 0:21:10.280 --> 0:21:12.639 Thanks for joining us today on the land and the book. 0:21:12.640 --> 0:21:15.960 I'm John Gager, joined in studio by Jim Ward. We're 0:21:15.960 --> 0:21:19.439 looking at this big picture idea of everlasting covenants. Why 0:21:19.440 --> 0:21:21.880 do you think God has chosen to interact with us 0:21:21.880 --> 0:21:24.840 via promises and Covenants? 0:21:24.840 --> 0:21:26.639 May I be so bold as to say that he 0:21:26.640 --> 0:21:27.840 respects us? 0:21:28.480 --> 0:21:29.200 Elaborate. 0:21:29.480 --> 0:21:33.270 He made us in his image if he had not 0:21:33.310 --> 0:21:35.750 respected us so much, I think he just would have 0:21:35.750 --> 0:21:39.669 made us like the animals. And, uh, just by the 0:21:39.670 --> 0:21:42.750 fact that he gave us the ability to disagree with him, 0:21:42.990 --> 0:21:46.070 to rebel, demonstrates that he made us in the in 0:21:46.070 --> 0:21:49.030 his image and that we have free will. And I 0:21:49.030 --> 0:21:52.150 think he's respecting the image of God that he has 0:21:52.150 --> 0:21:55.790 placed in us by entering into an agreement with us. Now, 0:21:55.790 --> 0:21:58.430 you have to realize, even though I think he's respecting us, 0:21:58.430 --> 0:22:02.670 he can be very persuasive. In the case of Abraham also, 0:22:02.670 --> 0:22:05.310 especially in the case of Israel, he did some things. 0:22:05.310 --> 0:22:08.630 First he goes in there, he makes a spectacle of 0:22:08.630 --> 0:22:12.109 the gods of, of Egypt through the plagues, and he 0:22:12.109 --> 0:22:15.230 delivers his people from bondage. And then he brings them 0:22:15.230 --> 0:22:19.030 to the mountain. After he's done all this, then he says, 0:22:19.030 --> 0:22:22.350 I'd like to make a covenant with you. Well, he's 0:22:22.350 --> 0:22:25.150 now got them in a position where he's delivered them. 0:22:25.150 --> 0:22:27.310 It's not likely they're going to be able to go back. 0:22:27.630 --> 0:22:30.150 So he's got them in a bind a little bit, 0:22:30.150 --> 0:22:33.460 but he's demonstrated his power first. He has the ability 0:22:33.460 --> 0:22:37.020 to persuade, and yet he doesn't demand that they enter 0:22:37.020 --> 0:22:41.220 a covenant. He requests a covenant with them. And I 0:22:41.220 --> 0:22:43.700 think he's showing respect for the image of God that 0:22:43.700 --> 0:22:45.340 he's placed in each one of us. 0:22:45.380 --> 0:22:46.859 You know, along those lines. Let me play with that 0:22:46.859 --> 0:22:49.340 just a bit further. The fact that he has respected 0:22:49.340 --> 0:22:51.660 us so much to draw up an agreement, so to speak, 0:22:52.180 --> 0:22:54.460 is evidence of the fact that he believes we are 0:22:54.460 --> 0:22:57.820 capable of honoring that covenant. It's not beyond us. He 0:22:57.820 --> 0:23:00.699 hasn't he hasn't built something by way of agreement and 0:23:00.700 --> 0:23:02.379 fine print that's out of reach. 0:23:02.859 --> 0:23:03.740 Oh, exactly. 0:23:03.900 --> 0:23:06.460 That says a lot, I think, about a sense of 0:23:06.460 --> 0:23:07.980 our responsibility to. 0:23:08.020 --> 0:23:10.020 I would definitely agree with that, John. Yeah. 0:23:10.060 --> 0:23:12.220 This is the land and the book from Moody Radio. 0:23:12.260 --> 0:23:15.580 Our guest today, Jim Ward. What other important covenants can 0:23:15.580 --> 0:23:17.300 we find in the Bible, and what do they mean 0:23:17.300 --> 0:23:19.139 for us in 2025, Jim? 0:23:19.619 --> 0:23:22.660 Well, we started off with the Noah covenant. Then there's 0:23:22.660 --> 0:23:26.379 the Abrahamic covenant. That's really a covenant with people. And 0:23:26.380 --> 0:23:29.300 then we get to the Sinai covenant. That's really, in 0:23:29.300 --> 0:23:34.170 my opinion, a covenant with a nation and its transgenerational. 0:23:34.490 --> 0:23:37.290 Then we have the the royal covenant, the Davidic Covenant, 0:23:37.290 --> 0:23:40.689 where he's narrowing it down to the royal line. And 0:23:40.690 --> 0:23:44.250 then there's one that is often overlooked. I might say, 0:23:44.250 --> 0:23:47.730 or sometimes omitted in some of the theological books that 0:23:47.730 --> 0:23:50.170 I have read. And that is the Levitic covenant. There 0:23:50.170 --> 0:23:54.210 is a covenant made with Levi, and sometimes it interferes 0:23:54.210 --> 0:23:58.570 with certain theologies, but that's something that I cover in 0:23:58.570 --> 0:23:59.570 one of the chapters. 0:24:00.210 --> 0:24:04.609 Well, if we really appreciated really valued God's covenants with us, 0:24:04.690 --> 0:24:06.729 how would our lives be different, do you think? 0:24:07.369 --> 0:24:11.570 Well, in my opinion, our primary responsibility for studying the 0:24:11.570 --> 0:24:14.410 Bible is to get to know God. I realize that 0:24:14.410 --> 0:24:17.210 many of us read the Bible because we're looking for comfort. 0:24:17.530 --> 0:24:20.490 We're looking for insight, maybe some advice. And those are 0:24:20.490 --> 0:24:24.730 all good things. But the Apostle Paul's prayer for us 0:24:24.730 --> 0:24:27.770 is that we would know this is from Ephesians, that 0:24:27.770 --> 0:24:32.120 we would know and understand him better. And God's statement 0:24:32.119 --> 0:24:35.320 to Israel was that they would circumcise their hearts and 0:24:35.320 --> 0:24:39.119 that this would all be internalized. And in my opinion, 0:24:39.119 --> 0:24:42.080 the primary reason for reading the Bible in general is 0:24:42.080 --> 0:24:45.920 that we might get to know him. And when we study, 0:24:46.040 --> 0:24:49.320 especially like the Torah, for example, we're studying law, and 0:24:49.320 --> 0:24:52.159 this is something that he delights in. And so if 0:24:52.160 --> 0:24:55.200 we understand it, we are getting inside of God's head. 0:24:55.400 --> 0:24:58.440 And when we understand the covenants, these are things that 0:24:58.440 --> 0:25:01.800 he has chosen. This is his chosen way of interacting 0:25:01.800 --> 0:25:05.119 with the human race. And if we understand those covenants, 0:25:05.119 --> 0:25:07.920 we are going to understand him better just by what 0:25:07.920 --> 0:25:10.040 we've been talking about here. When you ask the question, 0:25:10.040 --> 0:25:13.560 why would he even bother making covenants with us if 0:25:13.600 --> 0:25:15.920 what I said was accurate, that he respects us and 0:25:15.920 --> 0:25:19.439 he respects the image that he's placed in us, that 0:25:19.440 --> 0:25:22.760 tells me something about him, the fact that he offers 0:25:22.760 --> 0:25:26.080 a covenant to these different individuals or different groups. First 0:25:26.080 --> 0:25:28.990 of all, tells me he's not forcing himself on anyone. 0:25:29.350 --> 0:25:32.670 He wants a relationship, whether it be with the individual 0:25:32.670 --> 0:25:35.190 or with the group with whom he's covenanting. 0:25:35.790 --> 0:25:37.669 Well, lots to think about here, and we invite you 0:25:37.670 --> 0:25:41.429 to dig deeper as you check out Everlasting Covenants, Jim's book. 0:25:41.750 --> 0:25:44.070 A link to that at our website. The land and 0:25:44.070 --> 0:25:47.590 the book. Jim, thank you for these insights. A fascinating 0:25:47.630 --> 0:25:48.790 thing to be thinking about. 0:25:48.869 --> 0:25:49.350 Thank you. 0:25:49.910 --> 0:25:52.310 Up next on the land in the book, your Bible 0:25:52.310 --> 0:26:07.910 questions and some satisfying answers right here. It's that time. 0:26:08.070 --> 0:26:11.030 Time to entertain some new questions from listeners that have 0:26:11.030 --> 0:26:13.470 come in to us via our email address, which I'll 0:26:13.470 --> 0:26:16.110 share with you later on. Welcome back to The land 0:26:16.109 --> 0:26:18.830 and the book. By the way, I'm John Yeager. Good 0:26:18.830 --> 0:26:20.990 to be with you today, and good to have Doctor 0:26:20.990 --> 0:26:24.790 Gerald Peterman in his chair there, ready to answer those questions. 0:26:25.030 --> 0:26:27.860 We'll start with one from James. An interesting way. He's 0:26:27.859 --> 0:26:30.859 set this one up. He says, I was studying Bible 0:26:30.859 --> 0:26:33.780 prophecy and a question came to mind. What if Michael 0:26:33.820 --> 0:26:36.300 Wright gave you a call and said that he and 0:26:36.300 --> 0:26:38.780 his wife, Eva, had some friends over a day ago 0:26:38.780 --> 0:26:42.139 and discussed who the beast and false prophet might be 0:26:42.140 --> 0:26:45.820 in revelation 13, and they, by the Holy Spirit, had 0:26:45.820 --> 0:26:49.620 a strong sense of who these people are right now. Alright, 0:26:49.619 --> 0:26:52.500 so here's the question. What would your reaction be? Would 0:26:52.500 --> 0:26:54.740 you reveal the names of the people identified to the 0:26:54.740 --> 0:26:59.060 public immediately, or would you wait until the exact identity 0:26:59.060 --> 0:27:01.420 of the beast and the second beast were revealed? 0:27:02.340 --> 0:27:04.820 My reaction would be this could never happen because I 0:27:04.820 --> 0:27:08.940 know Michael and Eva and they know what Second Thessalonians says, 0:27:09.100 --> 0:27:10.859 and I'm just going to drop in there. In verse three, 0:27:10.859 --> 0:27:13.340 Paul says, don't let anyone deceive you in any way, 0:27:13.500 --> 0:27:16.419 for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs 0:27:16.460 --> 0:27:19.340 first and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man 0:27:19.380 --> 0:27:21.340 doomed to destruction. A little bit later on, he goes 0:27:21.340 --> 0:27:24.660 on to say, the lawless one will be revealed when 0:27:24.660 --> 0:27:27.890 the When the restrainer is taken away, and almost certainly 0:27:27.890 --> 0:27:30.689 the Restrainer is the Holy Spirit working in us, the church. 0:27:30.890 --> 0:27:34.570 When the church is raptured, the spirit is removed. And so, 0:27:34.570 --> 0:27:36.570 in other words, the lawless one is going to be 0:27:36.570 --> 0:27:39.369 revealed when Eva and Michael are no longer on the earth. 0:27:39.890 --> 0:27:42.450 So I think they could not say this. 0:27:42.450 --> 0:27:45.450 Jury wants to know. I'm hearing more talk in Christian 0:27:45.450 --> 0:27:51.410 circles about generational curses. Can believers be subject to generational curses? 0:27:51.410 --> 0:27:53.010 And I've heard the term, too. And I think the 0:27:53.010 --> 0:27:55.290 short answer is no. It depends on how we define it. 0:27:55.330 --> 0:27:59.130 I know where they're getting this phrase, generational curses. They're 0:27:59.130 --> 0:28:02.570 getting it from passages like Deuteronomy five nine. And what 0:28:02.570 --> 0:28:05.010 do we find? We find. I, the Lord your God, 0:28:05.010 --> 0:28:07.690 am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin 0:28:07.730 --> 0:28:10.449 of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of 0:28:10.450 --> 0:28:14.290 those who hate me. So when there are sins in 0:28:14.290 --> 0:28:17.890 the family, the sins can be passed on. But then 0:28:17.890 --> 0:28:21.729 the children imitate the sins of the parents knowingly. They 0:28:21.730 --> 0:28:24.470 choose to do so. So in other words, the curse 0:28:24.470 --> 0:28:28.110 doesn't come upon them absent mindedly. And that can go 0:28:28.109 --> 0:28:31.310 on for generation after generation in Christian families and in 0:28:31.350 --> 0:28:36.109 non-Christian families. But thanks be to God, repentance can happen. 0:28:36.590 --> 0:28:39.870 And we hear about this in Ezekiel 18. That's where 0:28:39.870 --> 0:28:42.830 the prophet lays out a scenario. There's a righteous father, 0:28:42.950 --> 0:28:45.190 and then he has a son who's corrupt, and then 0:28:45.190 --> 0:28:48.270 that son has a son who is righteous. It all 0:28:48.270 --> 0:28:52.229 depends upon the individual and the individual's choices. So I 0:28:52.230 --> 0:28:55.110 don't think we're locked in to a generational curse. 0:28:55.150 --> 0:28:58.590 Not locked in, but we can be affected by generational affected. 0:28:58.590 --> 0:29:01.070 Yes. Yeah. So the real key then becomes do we 0:29:01.070 --> 0:29:02.670 realize it and repent of it. 0:29:03.030 --> 0:29:05.550 So along these same lines, Dan wants to know, can 0:29:05.590 --> 0:29:08.390 a believer who is indwelt by the Holy Spirit also 0:29:08.390 --> 0:29:12.350 be possessed by an evil spirit under some circumstances? 0:29:12.830 --> 0:29:15.350 I think not. I think not, thanks be to God. 0:29:15.350 --> 0:29:17.709 The one who is in us is more powerful than 0:29:17.710 --> 0:29:20.430 the one that's outside us. The primary place I would 0:29:20.430 --> 0:29:23.180 go to is first Corinthians six. What does Paul say? 0:29:23.220 --> 0:29:26.300 Paul says, do you not know that your body is 0:29:26.300 --> 0:29:29.300 a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, 0:29:29.300 --> 0:29:32.460 whom you have received from God? You are not your own. 0:29:32.620 --> 0:29:35.900 You have been bought at a price. The price is, 0:29:35.900 --> 0:29:38.700 of course, the blood of Christ. So since we belong 0:29:38.700 --> 0:29:41.620 to God and He is in us, we cannot belong 0:29:41.660 --> 0:29:42.580 to someone else. 0:29:42.980 --> 0:29:45.100 This is the land and the book from Moody Radio. 0:29:45.100 --> 0:29:48.540 Doctor Gerald Peterman of the Moody Bible Institute faculty is 0:29:48.540 --> 0:29:51.260 addressing your questions. Great to sit down with him and 0:29:51.260 --> 0:29:55.060 tap into his knowledge. Sadie takes us to Romans 224, 0:29:55.060 --> 0:29:59.540 which says, because of you, the Gentiles blaspheme my name. 0:29:59.700 --> 0:30:02.780 Does this contradict Genesis 12 verse three? How could the 0:30:02.780 --> 0:30:07.500 blasphemers be not cursed if they are excused by Romans 224? 0:30:08.020 --> 0:30:09.060 I'm confused. 0:30:09.460 --> 0:30:11.580 Well, this is a very complex question. So we have 0:30:11.580 --> 0:30:15.860 to remember context for at least two things. Let's go 0:30:15.860 --> 0:30:18.460 to Romans two. What's happening in Romans two? Paul is 0:30:18.460 --> 0:30:23.970 talking to a Jewish audience. That is very presumptuous. They 0:30:23.970 --> 0:30:26.170 think that because they have the circumcision, because they have 0:30:26.170 --> 0:30:29.530 the law, because they have Jewish heritage, therefore they're in 0:30:29.530 --> 0:30:33.530 with God. And he contradicts that perspective that they have. 0:30:34.170 --> 0:30:36.810 And he then says to them, you who teach others, 0:30:36.810 --> 0:30:39.370 do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, 0:30:39.370 --> 0:30:42.010 do you steal you who say one must not commit adultery? 0:30:42.050 --> 0:30:44.530 Do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols do you 0:30:44.570 --> 0:30:47.969 rob temples? You who boast in the law. You dishonor 0:30:48.010 --> 0:30:50.810 God by breaking the law. And now here comes the verse, 0:30:51.330 --> 0:30:53.730 for it is written, the name of God is blasphemed 0:30:53.730 --> 0:30:57.530 amongst the Gentiles because of you. Now that's taken from 0:30:57.530 --> 0:31:02.170 Isaiah 52. What's the context of Isaiah 52? The context 0:31:02.170 --> 0:31:07.890 of Isaiah 52 is Israelites taken away into exile in Assyria. 0:31:08.450 --> 0:31:11.890 So you've got Jewish people surrounded by pagan people. And 0:31:11.890 --> 0:31:14.690 here's what's happening. When this happens, the pagan people say, 0:31:14.690 --> 0:31:16.810 na na na na na. Our God is more powerful 0:31:16.810 --> 0:31:19.650 than your god, you see. So the name of God 0:31:19.760 --> 0:31:24.520 is blasphemed. That is a critique of what Israelites have 0:31:24.520 --> 0:31:27.480 done by presuming upon their own obedience. 0:31:27.680 --> 0:31:30.040 Okay, a bit of a follow up here from Sadie. 0:31:30.120 --> 0:31:33.080 Is it true, as some authors claim, that the Pharisees 0:31:33.240 --> 0:31:37.360 began adopting occult beliefs during the Babylonian captivity? 0:31:37.840 --> 0:31:40.160 Well, I've never heard that, but I think the answer 0:31:40.160 --> 0:31:44.040 is no. Why is that? Because the Pharisees, as if 0:31:44.040 --> 0:31:47.240 you will, a kind of a separate religious cult, don't 0:31:47.240 --> 0:31:52.000 even come into existence until around 165 B.C. and that 0:31:52.000 --> 0:31:56.520 is 350 years after the captivity. Let me rephrase it. 0:31:56.520 --> 0:31:59.520 There weren't even Pharisees around to be dealing with these 0:31:59.520 --> 0:32:01.520 practices during the captivity. 0:32:01.560 --> 0:32:04.960 That sounds clear to me. Noah's question is, why do 0:32:04.960 --> 0:32:08.959 some well-known teachers or pastors or churches divide when it 0:32:08.960 --> 0:32:13.040 comes to losing salvation? Both sides use verses they say 0:32:13.080 --> 0:32:16.200 back up their side of the issue. What's the bottom line? 0:32:16.320 --> 0:32:20.270 Well, there is division because it's very important. And losing 0:32:20.270 --> 0:32:23.470 salvation would be a horrible thing if it happened. It 0:32:23.470 --> 0:32:26.190 does not happen. Thanks be to God. Let me take 0:32:26.190 --> 0:32:29.030 us to Jesus. What does he say in John five? 0:32:29.550 --> 0:32:32.710 Jesus said, I tell you the truth, whoever hears my 0:32:32.710 --> 0:32:36.550 word and believes him who sent me has eternal life 0:32:36.670 --> 0:32:41.670 and will not be condemned. He has crossed over from 0:32:41.670 --> 0:32:45.470 death to life. Paul says something very similar in Ephesians 0:32:45.470 --> 0:32:50.070 one verse 13. You also were included in Christ when 0:32:50.070 --> 0:32:52.630 you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. 0:32:52.670 --> 0:32:55.470 Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, 0:32:55.510 --> 0:33:01.270 the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our 0:33:01.270 --> 0:33:04.709 inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession. 0:33:04.830 --> 0:33:09.750 We cannot lose salvation. On the other hand, it's possible 0:33:09.750 --> 0:33:13.510 to have a false profession or even a false understanding 0:33:13.510 --> 0:33:15.990 of who Christ is. Then the faith you have would 0:33:15.990 --> 0:33:19.380 not be a good faith. Jesus talks about this in 0:33:19.380 --> 0:33:22.500 Matthew seven. Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, 0:33:22.860 --> 0:33:24.860 will enter the kingdom, but those who do the will 0:33:24.900 --> 0:33:26.620 of my father. Many will come to me and say, Lord, 0:33:26.620 --> 0:33:28.420 you know we even prophesied in your name. And the 0:33:28.420 --> 0:33:32.660 Lord will say, I never knew you. Not that you 0:33:32.700 --> 0:33:36.220 knew me at some point, but I never knew you. 0:33:36.620 --> 0:33:38.980 I find that to be one of the most chilling 0:33:38.980 --> 0:33:40.540 verses in the entire Bible. 0:33:40.620 --> 0:33:42.300 It is. It is. 0:33:42.340 --> 0:33:44.420 I mean, these are people with good hearts, I think. 0:33:44.460 --> 0:33:47.620 I mean, at least some good intentions, some biblical background. 0:33:47.620 --> 0:33:48.780 But they missed it. 0:33:49.140 --> 0:33:52.460 It's good for us to examine. Is our faith genuine? Yeah. 0:33:53.180 --> 0:33:54.940 All right. Let's go back to our questions from listeners. 0:33:54.980 --> 0:33:57.700 I got thousands of my own. Sadie takes us to 0:33:57.740 --> 0:34:02.860 Hebrews 1132, where it praises the biblical character Jephthah, even 0:34:02.860 --> 0:34:05.900 though he sacrificed his own daughter. Why so? 0:34:06.500 --> 0:34:11.140 Well, my response might be unexpected. I don't think Jephthah 0:34:11.180 --> 0:34:13.340 sacrificed his own daughter, but I'm going to have to 0:34:13.380 --> 0:34:17.410 take some time explaining that. Yes. It's true. You come 0:34:17.410 --> 0:34:21.450 to judges 1131 and we have a vow that Jephthah 0:34:21.450 --> 0:34:23.729 makes whatever comes out of the doors of my house 0:34:23.730 --> 0:34:25.850 to meet me when I'm returning peace from the sons 0:34:25.850 --> 0:34:28.569 of Ammon. It shall be the Lord's, and I will 0:34:28.650 --> 0:34:31.290 offer it up as a burnt offering. This pronoun, it 0:34:31.290 --> 0:34:33.930 could be she comes out, he comes out, or it 0:34:33.930 --> 0:34:37.090 comes out. I'm thinking Jephthah is thinking it's going to 0:34:37.090 --> 0:34:40.370 be an animal. But I don't think when his daughter 0:34:40.370 --> 0:34:44.410 comes out, he sacrifices her. I've got three reasons for that. First, 0:34:44.730 --> 0:34:48.730 he makes this vow when the Holy Spirit comes upon him. 0:34:49.170 --> 0:34:51.129 I don't think the Holy Spirit guides him to make 0:34:51.130 --> 0:34:55.050 a vow about sacrificing a daughter. Correct. Number two, this 0:34:55.050 --> 0:34:58.930 burnt offering. That's a technical term from Leviticus chapter one, 0:34:58.930 --> 0:35:03.690 verse three. And a whole burnt offering is a male animal, 0:35:03.969 --> 0:35:06.850 not a female animal. So it wouldn't be actually following 0:35:06.850 --> 0:35:09.810 the law for Jephthah to do this. But then, third, 0:35:09.850 --> 0:35:13.770 I think the primary reason is what is lamented near 0:35:13.770 --> 0:35:17.350 the end of the of the story, his daughter laments 0:35:17.550 --> 0:35:22.109 her virginity for two months. Why lament your virginity if 0:35:22.110 --> 0:35:26.549 you're going to be sacrificed? Why not lament your life, right? Ah, 0:35:26.550 --> 0:35:29.710 I take it because Jephthah doesn't offer up as a 0:35:29.710 --> 0:35:32.670 burnt offering. He offers her as a someone who will 0:35:32.710 --> 0:35:36.630 always be in the temple, serving God like Samuel was 0:35:36.630 --> 0:35:40.469 offered by Hannah. Yeah. So in other words, now Jephthah 0:35:40.469 --> 0:35:44.549 has no descendants, and it says twice in the narrative 0:35:45.150 --> 0:35:49.470 she was his only child and never married. So then 0:35:49.469 --> 0:35:51.589 Jephthah has no offspring. 0:35:52.310 --> 0:35:55.230 Well, boy, we've dug into a lot of deep issues today. Nothing, though, 0:35:55.270 --> 0:35:57.989 deeper than this idea of thinking, you know Jesus when 0:35:57.989 --> 0:36:01.110 you really don't. What's a good next step in 15 0:36:01.110 --> 0:36:04.830 seconds for somebody who who maybe has never given thought to, 0:36:04.870 --> 0:36:06.350 is my faith genuine? 0:36:07.430 --> 0:36:11.350 Uh, pray and ask the Lord for guidance. Um, go 0:36:11.350 --> 0:36:13.860 over several texts in the New the New Testament about 0:36:13.860 --> 0:36:17.739 what faith is, how faith might be defined. One of 0:36:17.739 --> 0:36:21.820 my favorite ones is John 831 and 32. Ask other 0:36:21.820 --> 0:36:24.940 people who know you really well. Tell me about my faith. 0:36:25.020 --> 0:36:26.700 Get in my face, if you will, and tell me 0:36:26.700 --> 0:36:30.340 about it. Yeah, I think that self-examination would be really good. 0:36:30.460 --> 0:36:34.300 Good checks for a self-examination from Doctor Gerald Peterman answering 0:36:34.300 --> 0:36:36.819 your Bible questions on the land and the book. We're 0:36:36.820 --> 0:36:53.060 up next. It's Charlie Dyer's devotional. Stick around. Welcome back 0:36:53.060 --> 0:36:55.060 to the land and the book. And if you hear 0:36:55.060 --> 0:36:58.379 the word coney, you might think of Coney Island. You 0:36:58.380 --> 0:37:02.259 might think of a coney animal. Charlie, tell us about 0:37:02.260 --> 0:37:03.739 your devotional coming up. 0:37:03.780 --> 0:37:06.859 Uh, we're going to talk about Groundhog Day and the 0:37:06.860 --> 0:37:09.300 coneys mentioned in the King James Version of the Bible. 0:37:09.340 --> 0:37:12.530 All right. Sounds intriguing, but first, this Holy Land experience. 0:37:12.650 --> 0:37:14.010 Check out this testimony. 0:37:18.090 --> 0:37:20.130 My name is Brian O'Neill, and I had the privilege 0:37:20.130 --> 0:37:24.290 of traveling to Israel back in 2006 or so. And 0:37:24.290 --> 0:37:27.690 I remember one particular event when we were at the 0:37:27.690 --> 0:37:31.290 church of the Holy Sepulchre, which is the traditional site 0:37:31.290 --> 0:37:34.569 of the crucifixion, burial and resurrection of Jesus. And we 0:37:34.570 --> 0:37:38.410 were reading from John ten, where Jesus says, I am 0:37:38.410 --> 0:37:41.330 the sheep gate. I am the good shepherd. The good 0:37:41.330 --> 0:37:44.130 shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. And so 0:37:44.130 --> 0:37:45.969 we read that and thought about that. We were when 0:37:45.969 --> 0:37:48.410 we were on site there. And then we kind of 0:37:48.410 --> 0:37:53.090 went backwards down the traditional Via Dolorosa to the pools 0:37:53.090 --> 0:37:56.890 of Bethesda, which are famous because that's where Jesus met 0:37:56.890 --> 0:37:59.890 and healed the lame man. And when you read John 0:37:59.890 --> 0:38:03.730 five on that story, the story begins with saying, In 0:38:03.730 --> 0:38:09.009 Jerusalem by the sheep gate there are these pools called Bethesda. 0:38:09.010 --> 0:38:12.200 And that's where Jesus met the lame man, and just 0:38:12.200 --> 0:38:14.920 hearing those two passages echo together in my mind, and 0:38:14.920 --> 0:38:17.480 then hearing Jesus say, I am the sheepgate. And then 0:38:17.480 --> 0:38:20.640 reading in John five by the sheep gate really drew 0:38:20.640 --> 0:38:24.640 to my attention that Jesus came to fulfill that role 0:38:24.640 --> 0:38:27.160 of laying down his life for the sheep. That gateway 0:38:27.160 --> 0:38:29.560 into the temple that the sheep gate offered was the 0:38:29.560 --> 0:38:31.680 way that we came into relationship with God. 0:38:33.960 --> 0:38:36.759 We're headed for the book of Proverbs, chapter 30. In 0:38:36.760 --> 0:38:40.360 your devotional, Charlie, you've called it the Wise Israeli Coney. 0:38:40.360 --> 0:38:41.560 I am really intrigued. 0:38:41.840 --> 0:38:44.799 Yeah, well. Thanks, John. Yeah, this coming week is Groundhog Day. 0:38:45.160 --> 0:38:48.839 What most people know about Groundhog or Groundhog Day comes 0:38:48.840 --> 0:38:51.560 from seeing the date on their calendar, or maybe viewing 0:38:51.560 --> 0:38:54.960 the 1993 movie of the same name that starred Bill Murray. 0:38:55.280 --> 0:38:59.279 But growing up in Pennsylvania and working some summers on farms, 0:38:59.280 --> 0:39:02.080 I got to experience groundhogs in a more up close 0:39:02.080 --> 0:39:04.759 and personal way. And let me just say, they're not 0:39:04.760 --> 0:39:08.440 nearly as cute up close. The problem is that groundhogs 0:39:08.440 --> 0:39:11.990 dig burrows in the ground. Weakening the soil. Those dens 0:39:11.989 --> 0:39:15.149 can collapse under the weight of farm tractors or other equipment, 0:39:15.350 --> 0:39:18.150 and the holes can actually injure animals that might step 0:39:18.150 --> 0:39:21.070 in them. And the holes aren't the only problem. Groundhogs 0:39:21.110 --> 0:39:24.710 act like little furry combines, chewing their way through the crops. 0:39:24.989 --> 0:39:27.270 I know farmers who carried a rifle when they were 0:39:27.270 --> 0:39:30.070 out cultivating their fields to try to rid the fields 0:39:30.070 --> 0:39:33.750 of those bothersome pests, but one town in Pennsylvania has 0:39:33.750 --> 0:39:38.189 learned how to profit off the little furry mammals. Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, 0:39:38.190 --> 0:39:42.350 is the home of Punxsutawney Phil. Every February 2nd, thousands 0:39:42.350 --> 0:39:45.950 of visitors descend on Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney to see 0:39:45.950 --> 0:39:49.029 if Phil will predict an early spring or six more 0:39:49.030 --> 0:39:52.910 weeks of winter. As the Groundhog Club of Punxsutawney says 0:39:52.910 --> 0:39:55.549 on its website, what would you rather be doing in 0:39:55.550 --> 0:39:57.390 the middle of the night in the middle of the 0:39:57.390 --> 0:40:01.469 winter in western PA? Having lived in Pennsylvania with all 0:40:01.469 --> 0:40:05.109 those groundhogs? Imagine my surprise when I spotted what looked 0:40:05.110 --> 0:40:07.540 like a groundhog during my very first trip to Trip 0:40:07.540 --> 0:40:10.780 to Israel. It was perched on a rock sunning itself 0:40:10.900 --> 0:40:13.420 as we hiked to the waterfall at Enjeti. Down by 0:40:13.420 --> 0:40:17.100 the Dead Sea. My excitement was short lived, however. The 0:40:17.100 --> 0:40:19.219 teacher and guide on that trip let us know what 0:40:19.219 --> 0:40:22.180 we were seeing wasn't a groundhog. It was a hyrax 0:40:22.180 --> 0:40:24.580 or rock badger. Or if you grew up with the 0:40:24.580 --> 0:40:28.100 King James Version of the Bible, a coney. I really 0:40:28.100 --> 0:40:31.660 like the name Coney. True, it's not a great translation. 0:40:31.660 --> 0:40:34.980 Since when the Bible was translated? Back then, a coney 0:40:34.980 --> 0:40:37.660 was a name used for a rabbit. And the animal 0:40:37.660 --> 0:40:40.460 I saw in Israel didn't look anything like a rabbit. 0:40:40.739 --> 0:40:44.060 No long ears, no fuzzy tail, no hopping around on 0:40:44.060 --> 0:40:46.580 the ground. But it was a unique word that I 0:40:46.580 --> 0:40:49.700 could match up with the animal I saw. Hyrax or 0:40:49.700 --> 0:40:53.300 rock badger might be more accurate scientifically, but those words 0:40:53.300 --> 0:40:56.540 don't really mean anything to me. The translators of the 0:40:56.540 --> 0:40:59.819 New American Standard Bible punted when they decided how to 0:40:59.860 --> 0:41:03.980 translate the word. The Hebrew word for this animal is chiffon, 0:41:03.980 --> 0:41:07.529 and they simply translated it that way. Chiffon is the 0:41:07.530 --> 0:41:10.770 singular and chef name for the plural. Now it's accurate, 0:41:10.770 --> 0:41:13.410 but it still seems to lack the pizzazz of coney. 0:41:13.890 --> 0:41:15.729 But what does any of this have to do with 0:41:15.730 --> 0:41:19.290 our focus on the whys? Groundhog? Well, as I've already said, 0:41:19.290 --> 0:41:22.450 the coney or rock badger or hyrax or chiffon in 0:41:22.450 --> 0:41:26.049 Israel does look something like a groundhog. But they're not 0:41:26.050 --> 0:41:30.250 related to the larger classification of animals, though both are mammals. 0:41:30.450 --> 0:41:33.290 A groundhog is a rodent considered to be a large 0:41:33.290 --> 0:41:37.130 ground squirrel or marmot, but a coney is more closely 0:41:37.130 --> 0:41:41.090 related to, believe it or not, an elephant. Its front 0:41:41.130 --> 0:41:44.650 teeth resemble tiny tusks, and its toes and skull are 0:41:44.650 --> 0:41:48.049 more pachyderm like. It might look something like a groundhog, 0:41:48.050 --> 0:41:51.890 but that's where the similarities end. In both Leviticus 11 0:41:51.890 --> 0:41:55.250 and Deuteronomy 14, God made it clear that the coney 0:41:55.250 --> 0:41:57.810 was not an animal that was to be eaten. Using 0:41:57.850 --> 0:42:01.170 today's terminology, it wasn't kosher, but that doesn't mean the 0:42:01.170 --> 0:42:05.009 animal wasn't important. In fact, God used the coney to 0:42:05.010 --> 0:42:08.479 teach Israel a great lesson about wisdom and to learn 0:42:08.480 --> 0:42:11.200 that lesson. Let's head back down to Engedi, to the 0:42:11.200 --> 0:42:14.320 place where I first spotted that cony over 40 years ago. 0:42:14.840 --> 0:42:17.319 As we hike up the pathway leading to the waterfall, 0:42:17.520 --> 0:42:19.839 we spot a group of conies sprawled out on the 0:42:19.840 --> 0:42:22.440 rocks and boulders just to the left of the pathway. 0:42:22.960 --> 0:42:25.000 You can see for yourself that they do look something 0:42:25.000 --> 0:42:29.160 like groundhogs, but while groundhogs dig burrows into the ground, 0:42:29.160 --> 0:42:32.720 the conies make their homes in the crevices between the rocks. 0:42:32.719 --> 0:42:35.360 They live in family groups, often with the oldest male 0:42:35.360 --> 0:42:38.400 standing guard, while the other members of the clan lounge 0:42:38.400 --> 0:42:41.399 in the sun scamper among the rocks or feed off 0:42:41.400 --> 0:42:44.279 the nearby trees and brush. As long as we don't 0:42:44.280 --> 0:42:47.680 make any sudden moves or loud noises, we won't scare 0:42:47.680 --> 0:42:50.480 them off. But if we do, they'll quickly disappear into 0:42:50.480 --> 0:42:53.520 the rocks and wait until we're gone before they emerge. 0:42:54.000 --> 0:42:56.960 As we stand here and watch these creatures scamper about, 0:42:57.120 --> 0:43:01.440 the words of Proverbs 3026 come to life. In that passage, 0:43:01.600 --> 0:43:04.739 the writer introduces us to four creatures on Earth that 0:43:04.739 --> 0:43:08.339 are small yet extremely wise, and the second creature on 0:43:08.340 --> 0:43:11.180 his list of animals that illustrate wisdom are the very 0:43:11.180 --> 0:43:14.819 ones before us. Now. The conies or hyrax, or rock 0:43:14.820 --> 0:43:18.020 badgers or shefayim are creatures of little power, yet they 0:43:18.020 --> 0:43:21.900 make their homes in the crags. These groundhog looking animals 0:43:21.900 --> 0:43:24.660 are relatively defenseless. If they were to be caught out 0:43:24.660 --> 0:43:26.940 in the open by a wolf, or a desert lynx, 0:43:26.940 --> 0:43:29.540 or even an eagle or some other large bird of prey, 0:43:29.820 --> 0:43:32.779 they could easily be taken. But conies don't live out 0:43:32.780 --> 0:43:36.419 in the open to spot them. You look for rocks, boulders, 0:43:36.420 --> 0:43:39.780 rock ledges, under cliffs or rocks piled up into stone 0:43:39.780 --> 0:43:43.660 fences or ancient ruins. But what's the lesson on wisdom 0:43:43.780 --> 0:43:47.660 we're to learn from this insignificant animal? Conies have wisely 0:43:47.660 --> 0:43:51.219 learned to seek out and remain near places of safety. 0:43:51.660 --> 0:43:55.219 The author of Proverbs 30 sees this relatively small animal, 0:43:55.340 --> 0:43:59.140 teaching us the importance of not living foolishly, of making 0:43:59.140 --> 0:44:02.570 sure we don't unnecessarily expose ourselves to threats or threats 0:44:02.570 --> 0:44:07.770 or dangers. Exercising appropriate care and caution in threatening circumstances 0:44:07.930 --> 0:44:10.890 is wise. And yet the Koni didn't live in fear, 0:44:11.050 --> 0:44:15.490 hiding inside its den all day. We still see it outside, resting, feeding, 0:44:15.650 --> 0:44:19.210 scampering about, but always making sure it remained close to 0:44:19.250 --> 0:44:24.330 its place of protection should danger suddenly appear. The Koni, 0:44:24.370 --> 0:44:28.850 Israel's version of a groundhog, at first seems rather insignificant. 0:44:28.969 --> 0:44:31.890 It wasn't even an approved source of food. And yet 0:44:31.890 --> 0:44:35.810 God had this animal teach Israel and us an important 0:44:35.810 --> 0:44:40.730 lesson about wisdom. Someone who's wise knows, like the coney, 0:44:40.730 --> 0:44:44.529 that it's important to protect against unnecessary exposure to danger 0:44:44.530 --> 0:44:49.969 and risk. Taking one's security seriously is wise. So what 0:44:50.010 --> 0:44:53.570 lesson should we take away from this encounter with Israel's 0:44:53.570 --> 0:44:58.250 wise version of Punxsutawney Phil? How about this it's never 0:44:58.250 --> 0:45:02.759 too late to begin mastering God's principles for living life wisely. 0:45:03.160 --> 0:45:06.759 And one key principle of wise living is not foolishly 0:45:06.760 --> 0:45:10.960 taking unnecessary risks. Jesus said the wise man built his 0:45:10.960 --> 0:45:14.160 house upon the rock, and Proverbs 30 says the wise 0:45:14.160 --> 0:45:17.400 Coni built his house among the rocks. And perhaps the 0:45:17.400 --> 0:45:20.320 best application for us is to make sure we stay 0:45:20.320 --> 0:45:24.920 close to the Rock of ages. To help visualize this lesson, 0:45:24.920 --> 0:45:27.360 I'll post a few pictures of Conies on our land 0:45:27.360 --> 0:45:30.279 and the book Facebook page two will actually be from 0:45:30.280 --> 0:45:33.040 my first trip there to Angati, and the third is 0:45:33.040 --> 0:45:35.400 from a trip I took up in Galilee. If you 0:45:35.400 --> 0:45:37.680 want to see a cone, head over to our Facebook 0:45:37.680 --> 0:45:39.360 page and take a look. 0:45:39.640 --> 0:45:43.480 Thank you Charlie. Well, speaking of wisdom, the ultimate wisdom 0:45:43.600 --> 0:45:46.480 is to know Jesus as Savior, to make him in 0:45:46.480 --> 0:45:49.120 charge of your life. For somebody who is confused about 0:45:49.120 --> 0:45:52.200 what that means. What did they do? What did they pray? 0:45:52.200 --> 0:45:54.280 How did they get this thing right with God? 0:45:54.480 --> 0:45:56.200 Well, John, I think the easiest thing that they could 0:45:56.200 --> 0:45:58.320 do is turn to God and say, Lord, I don't 0:45:58.320 --> 0:46:01.189 know you, but I want to. And I understand you 0:46:01.190 --> 0:46:03.750 sent your son here to live a perfect life, and 0:46:03.750 --> 0:46:05.950 then to die on the cross to pay the penalty 0:46:05.989 --> 0:46:08.230 for my sin. And I want to put my trust 0:46:08.230 --> 0:46:10.469 in him right now. And what he did for me 0:46:10.469 --> 0:46:13.270 is my Savior. So please forgive me of my sins, 0:46:13.270 --> 0:46:16.150 because I want to put my trust now in Jesus. 0:46:16.150 --> 0:46:19.510 And if someone prays that God will answer that prayer. 0:46:19.950 --> 0:46:22.270 Thank you Charlie. We'd love to hear from you. If 0:46:22.270 --> 0:46:24.270 this is a step that you're taking, you can email 0:46:24.270 --> 0:46:30.070 us anytime at The Land and the book@moody.edu. Again, that's 0:46:30.070 --> 0:46:34.470 the land and the book at Moody Edu. We appreciate 0:46:34.469 --> 0:46:37.230 your listening and we appreciate your checking out our podcast. 0:46:37.230 --> 0:46:41.270 It's waiting for you now at the land and the book. Org, 0:46:41.310 --> 0:46:43.350 a great way for you to share this program with 0:46:43.350 --> 0:46:47.310 a friend at the land and the book.org. Well, our 0:46:47.310 --> 0:46:50.230 time has gone. Thank you for connecting today. The land 0:46:50.230 --> 0:46:52.630 and the book is a production of Moody Radio, a 0:46:52.630 --> 0:46:54.910 ministry of Moody Bible Institute.