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S1: Throughout history, when nations have turned from God, he has

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S1: raised men to try to bring them back. The prophets

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S1: of the Old Testament, the apostles of the New Testament,

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S1: and ultimately Jesus all performed this role. These men are

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S1: the tough guys of the Bible. Now where did they

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S1: get their courage? What are their secrets? What can we

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S1: learn from them to become tougher ourselves? Well, that's our

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S1: focus just ahead. Welcome to the land and the book.

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S1: It's a fast paced look at God at work throughout

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S1: the Middle East. And leading our weekly adventure is Doctor

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S1: Charlie Dyer, well known for his expertise in all things

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S1: Middle Eastern. I'm John Gallagher, Charlie, hope your day is

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S1: going well.

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S2: John. It's going great and it's good being with you.

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S1: Well, you know, as believers, there is a great need

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S1: for us to share the gospel with the Jewish people.

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S1: In fact, many of our listeners faithfully pray for and

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S1: partner with ministries that are doing just that. But what

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S1: if you could personally take part in bringing the gospel

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S1: to Jewish people?

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S2: Well, our friends at Life in Messiah love the opportunity

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S2: to get believers involved in Jewish ministry. They regularly organize

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S2: outreach teams to Brooklyn, South Florida, and even to Israel

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S2: outside times of conflict. These ministry trips will equip you

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S2: to understand how to share the gospel with Jewish people,

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S2: give you the opportunity to actively share your faith, and

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S2: provide tools and resources that you can take home with you.

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S2: If you want to get hands on training and practical

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S2: experience in Jewish evangelism, you can learn more by visiting

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S2: npr.org and clicking on the radio button there. That's life

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S2: in Messiah.

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S1: Thank you Charlie. And now a look at current events.

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S1: Israel's decision to conquer Gaza has generated international concern and condemnation. Charlie,

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S1: is it a is it a done deal? Is it

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S1: in cement? And what exactly is Israel planning to do?

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S1: And why is there so much opposition?

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S2: Uh, it's not in cement yet. Uh, it could be

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S2: very shortly. But Israel itself is divided over the decision,

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S2: which is part of the problem. The more right wing

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S2: members of Netanyahu's coalition want Israel to take over Gaza

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S2: and make it part of Israel. They say Netanyahu isn't

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S2: going far enough. More liberal Israelis oppose Netanyahu, and they

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S2: say the plan is a catastrophe just waiting to happen.

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S2: Their fear is that it will result in the death

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S2: of the remaining hostages, bring worldwide condemnation, harm Israel financially,

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S2: and result in even more Israeli casualties, especially among soldiers.

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S2: Netanyahu is trying to present a more moderate approach. His

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S2: goal is not, he says, to occupy Gaza, but to

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S2: free Gaza from Hamas. He does want the hostages to

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S2: be freed, but not at the expense of allowing Hamas

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S2: to remain in control of Gaza. That would reward Hamas

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S2: for its actions and guarantee another conflict at some point

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S2: in the future. Most of the world is condemning Israel

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S2: for the decision. Part of the reason is the West's

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S2: refusal to see Hamas as a real long term threat

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S2: to Israel. And finally, there are those who condemn Israel

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S2: because of anti-Semitism and prejudice. They accept Hamas's narrative because

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S2: it matches what they already believe about the Jewish people.

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S2: Israel's stated goal is to defeat Hamas and rescue the

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S2: remaining hostages. That hasn't changed. Israel sees a comparison to

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S2: the Allies in World War Two. They fought until Germany

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S2: and Japan surrendered unconditionally. It was brutal. It was bloody,

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S2: but the end result brought about lasting peace. The problem

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S2: right now is that there isn't a coalition of nations

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S2: fighting Hamas. Israel has been forced to go it alone, though,

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S2: with logistical help from the US and others. But now

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S2: countries like Germany, France, Canada and the UK are turning

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S2: against Israel. There's even growing opposition here. Within the US,

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S2: nations are still urging Hamas to release the hostages and

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S2: end the fighting. The sticking point remains Hamas's refusal to

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S2: give up its control over Gaza and lay down its arms. Now,

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S2: if that were to happen, I think Israel would make peace.

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S2: They wouldn't continue an invasion. But if Hamas refuses to

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S2: do that, the atrocities of October 7th remain part of

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S2: Israel's collective memory. They want the hostages back, but they

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S2: also want to make sure Hamas can't launch another October

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S2: 7th in the future.

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S1: Well, what's your gut tell you? You think ultimately Netanyahu

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S1: will move ahead with this, or will he have to

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S1: back down?

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S2: Well, actually, I think he probably would hope that Hamas,

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S2: under the threat of this, would agree to lay down

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S2: their arms. I don't think he would like to invade.

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S2: He's not a war monger. Uh, but if Hamas refuses

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S2: to give up, I think he has to go forward

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S2: with the plans to invade.

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S1: That's doctor Charlie Dyer. I'm John Gager. This is the

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S1: land and the book where our opening segment focuses on

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S1: current events in the Middle East. Well, somewhat lost in

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S1: the focus on Gaza and the hostages is the battle

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S1: between Israel's government and the attorney general. The cabinet decided

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S1: to dismiss her, but the Supreme Court has temporarily suspended

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S1: that action pending a hearing scheduled for September the 3rd.

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S1: We've talked about the judicial struggles here before. Help us

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S1: understand exactly what the issues really are this time.

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S2: You know, I think there's two issues that are causing

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S2: the confusion, especially here in the United States. First, Israel

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S2: is a country doesn't have a constitution. Instead, it operates

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S2: under a system of 14 basic laws that address the

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S2: fundamental aspects of the state. Now, those laws function like

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S2: a quasi constitution. Now, the problem is that in the

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S2: absence of a clear constitutional framework, Israel's Supreme Court has

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S2: assumed responsibility for evaluating the reasonableness of government decisions. Without

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S2: clear constitutional guidelines, they can strike down a law because

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S2: they just consider it unreasonable. The current government passed legislation

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S2: to limit the High Court's ability to review the reasonableness

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S2: of government decisions, and that created some of the turmoil

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S2: within Israel. But the second issue is that the attorney

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S2: general in Israel doesn't function the same way as the

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S2: US Attorney General. Both advise and represent the government in

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S2: legal matters. But in the US, the Attorney General is

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S2: appointed by the president and can be removed for any reason.

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S2: A change in administration brings a change in the Attorney General,

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S2: but in Israel, the Attorney General is selected by the

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S2: Justice Minister from a list of nominees presented by a

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S2: public commission and then approved by the government for a

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S2: six year term. So the current attorney general wasn't appointed

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S2: by Netanyahu and has actually opposed his coalition in several

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S2: key areas and is also prosecuting the prime minister. The

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S2: process for firing the attorney general in Israel's complex. But

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S2: the government argues it possesses that authority and has done so.

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S2: The decision was criticised as undermining the rule of law,

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S2: and that's what's currently being reviewed by the Supreme Court.

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S2: The real issue here is to what extent can the

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S2: Attorney general and courts overrule the government? And in just

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S2: over two weeks, we probably will find out what happens.

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S1: Well, a war with Hamas and a brewing legal battle.

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S1: Can anything else in Israel possibly go wrong in this case,

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S1: the answer is yes. The ultra-Orthodox parties are declaring war

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S1: on the government in response to the army's plan to

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S1: draft the ultra-Orthodox. What's the latest in this battle?

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S2: Yeah, the wheels keep coming off, don't they? When the

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S2: chair of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee was recently replaced,

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S2: many thought, okay, that's good. A law exempting most ultra-Orthodox

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S2: students from the draft will now be quickly passed. But

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S2: in spite of the change in leadership, the two sides

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S2: in the coalition have yet to reach any kind of consensus,

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S2: and any hope of being able to quickly pass. Legislation

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S2: hit a snag as Knesset staff members went on recess

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S2: for the final two weeks of August. In the middle

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S2: of all the wrangling, the Israeli army issued 50,000 new

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S2: conscription orders for ultra-Orthodox students, and there are reports that

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S2: the fired attorney general, who's still serving pending that hearing

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S2: before the Supreme Court, is about to issue a ruling

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S2: to revoke some of the benefits received by yeshiva students

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S2: who failed to comply with the draft. The ultra-Orthodox view

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S2: all these decisions as a declaration of war against them.

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S2: They see this as a battle for the soul of Judaism.

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S2: They're calling on all yeshiva students to unite against the draft.

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S2: The conflict could be primarily economic. Some in the government

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S2: threaten to impose financial sanctions against any ultra-Orthodox who refuse

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S2: to serve. And the ultra-Orthodox community is threatening to retaliate

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S2: by withdrawing funds from banks and trying to cause businesses

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S2: to collapse. Right now, it's not clear if a compromise

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S2: can be reached. But after two years of being locked

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S2: in a real war, most secular Israelis are fed up

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S2: with the demands of the ultra-Orthodox and their refusal to

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S2: help protect the state.

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S1: And as if things couldn't get more bizarre. Two weeks ago,

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S1: Israel ordered the emergency killing of crocodiles in the Jordan Valley.

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S1: I can just hear Steve Irwin look at those gorgeous creatures.

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S1: What were crocodiles doing in the Jordan Valley and why

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S1: were they euthanized?

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S2: Well, this all started about 30 years ago when a

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S2: crocodile farm was set up as a tourist attraction. When

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S2: tourism dried up in the early 2000, during the Second Intifada,

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S2: the tourist attraction closed. A new owner bought the property

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S2: and requested permission to continue breeding the crocs for their

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S2: hides and for meat, but Israel passed legislation in 2013

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S2: classifying crocodiles as a protected species. So the owner was

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S2: left with an expanding crocodile population and no income. The

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S2: facility became dilapidated while the crocs kept multiplying. During this time,

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S2: some of the crocs managed to escape, causing panic among

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S2: villagers in the vicinity and raising fears that the crocs

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S2: could reach the Jordan River. Over time, the number of

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S2: crocs declined from 700 to about 200, with the starving

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S2: crocs resorting to cannibalism. The government finally stepped in to

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S2: euthanize the remaining crocs and completely closed down the facility.

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S2: And with its closure, another odd chapter in Israel's history

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S2: of tourism drew to a close.

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S1: Wow. Interesting story. Charlie, thank you for updating us on

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S1: all that's happening throughout the Middle East region. And up next,

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S1: a conversation about tough guys of the Bible. You know,

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S1: the prophets of the Old Testament, the apostles of the

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S1: New Testament performing this role. These men are the tough

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S1: guys of the Bible. Where did they get their courage?

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S1: What are their secrets? What can we learn from them?

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S1: Man or woman? We need more courage and I think

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S1: this conversation will be enlightening. That's all ahead. Our website.

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S1: The land and the books. Information about today's guest. Past programs,

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S1: future programs and more. Love for you to pay a

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S1: visit there, and we'd love for you to share our

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S1: podcast with your friends. Check it out. It's there at

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S1: the website. The land and the books again. Up next,

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S1: it's Tough guys of the Bible on the land and

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S1: the book. Throughout history, when nations have turned from God,

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S1: he has raised up men to try to bring them back.

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S1: The prophets of the Old Testament, the apostles of the

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S1: New Testament, and ultimately Jesus have all performed this role.

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S1: These men are the tough guys of the Bible. But

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S1: where did they get their courage? What are their secrets,

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S1: and what can we learn from them to toughen up ourselves? Well,

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S1: that's our focus next. Welcome back to the land and

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S1: the book. I'm John Gager, and speaking of courage, let's

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S1: think through a courageous idea. I'm sharing the life and

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S1: love of Jesus with an unsaved Jewish friend. Right. So

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S1: you and I know the gospel. Believe the gospel. We

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S1: understand the gospel. How do we explain the gospel in

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S1: a Jewish context when we're talking with our Jewish friends?

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S1: Greg Savitt, what's the answer?

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S3: Well, John, I like to call this christianese. We all

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S3: have our little language justification, sanctification, blood of the lamb,

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S3: Son of God. We all use these verses, and people

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S3: that aren't believers have no idea what we're talking about, right?

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S3: And I know for a fact, because I went to

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S3: a church once with a friend and it was like,

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S3: stand up, sit down, stand up, sit down, shake hands.

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S3: And there were these words that I had never heard before.

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S1: This is you as a as a non-believer.

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S3: As a non-believer. And I think the best way that

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S3: you should talk to Jewish people are in terms that

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S3: they understand atonement, God, Messiah, repentance, Redeemer. They'll understand that.

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S3: But if you start saying, you know, justified by faith,

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S3: They'll have no idea what that is.

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S1: Yeah. So very basic and very simple and very straightforward.

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S1: That's the conversation to have as you're explaining the gospel.

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S1: That's Greg Savitt who serves with Rock of Israel here

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S1: on the land. And the book. Given the state of

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S1: our nation, men need to live like biblical tough guys

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S1: more than ever. We need to act like them. We

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S1: need to speak like them. We need to lead like them.

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S1: And that's why we're glad to welcome the co-author of

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S1: Tough Guys of the Bible to the land and the book.

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S1: Paul Horrocks is an entrepreneur and host of the Biblical

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S1: Courage Podcast. He is an MBA from Columbia and an

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S1: undergraduate degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

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S1: Paul has been a church elder, men's group leader, and

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S1: worked with several nonprofit organizations dedicated to promoting mercy, justice,

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S1: and biblical values. He's also co-written, along with his father, David,

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S1: the book Tough Guys of the Bible. Hey, welcome to

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S1: the land and the book, Paul.

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S4: Thanks for having me, John.

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S1: You know, some people hear that expression, tough guys, and

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S1: they're thinking right away of stern faced, muscle bound, hard

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S1: headed guys that throw their weight and their opinions around

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S1: with very little care for anybody else. I'm pretty sure

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S1: that's not what you have in mind here. So what

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S1: are the the qualities of a biblical tough guy? What

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S1: are we talking about?

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S4: Yeah, I think so often when we think about tough guys,

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S4: we think of the culture's definition of what masculinity is.

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S4: But really, the biblical definition of masculinity is following God.

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S4: And we identified four characteristics of these men in the

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S4: Bible that were really impressive. One, they took risk to

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S4: serve God. Two, they spoke the truth directly. Three, they

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S4: excelled at what they did, and four, they feared God

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S4: more than men.

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S1: You write that when the culture and the Bible come

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S1: into conflict, which seems to be happening more and more often,

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S1: we have to put to death our own desire for

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S1: cultural acceptance and follow God's commands. Too often, Christian men

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S1: hide their true beliefs, or de-emphasize them so that the

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S1: people of this world will like them. Do you think

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S1: we men act this way mostly out of biblical ignorance,

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S1: or is it more a lack of role models in

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S1: our past?

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S4: Yeah, I think so often we really want the acceptance

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S4: of the culture. There's so many things that are put

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S4: in front of us, so many things that we desire,

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S4: and we're concerned that we'll lose those things from the culture,

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S4: whether it's money, wealth, status, fame and my own experience

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S4: is I grew up in a church. My father was

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S4: the pastor. And when the culture and the Bible came

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S4: into conflict, largely the people would follow the Bible. I

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S4: walked away from my faith, uh, lived a really sinful

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S4: life in my 20s, and then in my 30s, came

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S4: back to the church. But I was in New York

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S4: City at the time. And what was fascinating to me

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S4: is that as I went to church, it feels like

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S4: something had changed to me that basically when the culture

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S4: and the Bible came into conflict, so many people would

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S4: follow the culture. And so it's part of what drove

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S4: us to write this book was just to say, hey,

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S4: we need to be trusting that we can follow God,

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S4: and that's better for us than following the culture.

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S1: Okay, it's a no brainer that we need to fear

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S1: God more than men. But to talk a bit about

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S1: why what's behind that?

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S4: Because basically the Bible says, you know, friendship with the

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S4: world is enmity with God. And that you have to

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S4: choose that. Are you going to follow God when things

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S4: are tough, or are you going to follow men? And

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S4: I'll give you an example of it from the book.

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S4: There's a pastor in Nigeria, and Boko Haram comes to

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S4: him and says, you have to stop preaching the Bible.

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S4: And he refuses. And ultimately they shoot him in front

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S4: of his children. And he was just a pastor in Nigeria. Well,

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S4: his daughter survives and ends up telling his story on

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S4: a massive stage in front of Congress, in front of

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S4: Parliament on the news. And so the evangelism from his

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S4: death was so much bigger than the evangelism from his life,

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S4: because he feared God more than man.

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S1: Yeah, boy, that is a story. Paul Horrocks is host

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S1: of the Biblical Courage podcast, along with his father, David.

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S1: He's written Tough Guys of the Bible. The book highlights

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S1: four common characteristics of men from the Bible, as well

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S1: as more recent men, to give readers a picture of

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S1: how they can kind of incorporate those virtues into their lives.

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S1: You mentioned them briefly. Let's let's break down those four

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S1: characteristics and the biblical characters who modeled them. Biblical tough guy.

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S1: Characteristic number one is they take risks to serve God.

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S1: Who comes to mind here.

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S4: So Gideon's a great example of this. And if you

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S4: don't know the story of Gideon, it's the Midianites. And

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S4: the Amalekites are oppressing Israel. And there's 135,000 people who

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S4: are going to come and fight against Israel. And Gideon

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S4: assembles 32,000 people to go and fight with them. But

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S4: God says that's too many. So he cuts it down

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S4: to 10,000. And God says, that's still too many. So

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S4: he cuts it down to 300. So 300 people go

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S4: and basically go to battle with 135,000. And you think

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S4: about Gideon is incredibly courageous, but also these 300 men

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S4: who are willing to do that, to take that risk

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S4: and to trust that God was actually going to deliver them,

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S4: had incredible courage to do that. So Gideon is a

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S4: great example. And, you know, for your listeners, this is

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S4: 700 years before the Battle of Thermopylae that was portrayed

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S4: in the movie 300. So Gideon was the original 300.

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S4: Daniel's a great example of this. We see Daniel, who

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S4: is a slave who has been carried off to Babylon.

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S4: He is but put into civil service with Nebuchadnezzar. He

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S4: challenges Nebuchadnezzar to basically take care of the poor and

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S4: provide justice so there'd be a lengthening of his prosperity,

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S4: and actually tries to prevent him from being sent out

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S4: into the field where he'll eat grass like an animal. Ultimately,

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S4: that does happen. But because Daniel spoke the truth to him,

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S4: Nebuchadnezzar knew that God was the true God.

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S1: A New Testament example of this characteristic of speaking the

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S1: truth directly would be what John the Baptist, maybe.

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S4: John the Baptist is amazing. He goes and he challenges Herod,

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S4: who's the king, and says, you are married to your

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S4: brother's wife. And this is unlawful. And as a result

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S4: of that, we just see incredible courage. Now, John the

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S4: Baptist loses his life. And one of the things I

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S4: think so interesting about John the Baptist is a lot

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S4: of times in churches, they want to downplay sexual sin

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S4: and not talk about sexual immorality. But yet John the

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S4: Baptist didn't feel that way. He spoke the truth directly.

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S4: He challenged Herod. And he's been such a great example

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S4: for everyone who knows his story.

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S1: Well. This is the land in the book. Glad to

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S1: have your company today. I'm John Geiger, our guest, Paul Horrocks,

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S1: co-author of Tough Guys of the Bible. There is a

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S1: third characteristic of a biblical tough guy that is, they

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S1: excel at what they do. Uh, how about a, uh,

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S1: Old Testament example of this characteristic?

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S4: So Nehemiah is a great example of this. If you

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S4: don't know Nehemiah's story, he is cupbearer to the king

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S4: of Persia, which is one of the most powerful empires

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S4: in history. And he leaves that role to go and

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S4: to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem that have been broken

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S4: down for more than 100 years. And goes and does

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S4: this in 52 days. And he's really excellent in many

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S4: different ways. Number one, obviously, he was was a tremendously

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S4: effective person to have attained this role of being cupbearer

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S4: to the king of Persia. But he asked the king

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S4: of Persia for all the things that he needs. He

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S4: shows up in Jerusalem with a plan. He assembles everybody

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S4: and organizes them. He has them carry their weapons along

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S4: with their tools to rebuild the wall. And he does

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S4: this in 52 days. And the other thing about Nehemiah

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S4: that's so impressive is he's shrewd that some of the

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S4: people who are oppressing the Israelites want to meet with

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S4: him so they can assassinate him, and he refuses to

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S4: meet with them. So he's really shrewd to make sure

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S4: he doesn't put himself in a circumstance where he's going

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S4: to risk his life.

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S1: And what about the character of Joseph? How does he

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S1: exemplify this idea of excelling at what they do?

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S4: So Joseph is amazing because he's carried off into slavery

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S4: when he's 17, and he works really hard as a

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S4: slave to take care of Potiphar's house. And Potiphar has

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S4: nothing to do in his household except worry about the

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S4: food that he's going to eat, because Joseph does everything.

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S4: So you can imagine if you were carried off as

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S4: a slave, you might be really bitter and say, I'm

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S4: just going to phone it in and do the minimum.

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S4: But instead Joseph works really hard. But then it gets

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S4: worse for him because Potiphar's wife accuses him of trying

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S4: to rape her. He's thrown in prison, but what does

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S4: he do? How does he respond? He works really hard.

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S4: He does everything that he needs to do to help

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S4: the prison run effectively, and the jailer doesn't concern himself

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S4: with anything in Joseph's charge. Now, as a result of this,

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S4: because he is so effective when he interprets dreams for

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S4: the cupbearer and the baker, a couple years later, the

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S4: cupbearer remembers how effective he was, and ultimately Pharaoh puts

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S4: him in charge and effectively makes him prime minister of Egypt,

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S4: where he's able to save many people from starvation. So

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S4: the life of Joseph is so incredible because he works

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S4: hard in whatever circumstance God puts him in, and we

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S4: should do the same thing.

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S1: What does it mean to be a courageous man, one

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S1: who truly follows God? Those are the questions we're exploring

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S1: today on the land and the book with our guest,

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S1: Paul Horrocks. You write, the tough guys weren't naturally more

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S1: courageous than the rest of us. And I have to say, Paul,

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S1: that I find hope in that claim. Elaborate on what

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S1: that means for for us average guys.

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S4: Yeah, a couple of things there. One is we see

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S4: that they cried out to God. When you look at

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S4: the life of Elijah, for example, he was always crying

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S4: out to God. Daniel was praying three times a day. Nehemiah.

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S4: Some people think that he prayed for 120 days before

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S4: he made this plan to go back to Jerusalem and

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S4: rebuild the walls, so they got their strength from the

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S4: Holy Spirit. But the other thing we see is that

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S4: a lot of the tough guys had fear. Even though

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S4: Elijah called down fire from heaven, he was afraid when

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S4: Jezebel threatened to kill him and he ran away. And

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S4: so we see this, that even though the tough guys

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S4: had fear, sometimes God still used them in incredible ways.

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S1: Let's let's turn this conversation toward men and women in

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S1: this culture who want to be tough persons, if I may.

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S1: How can we use the examples from Scripture, as well

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S1: as the Bible's message, to shape the direction that America

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S1: is going, so much of it in a wrong direction?

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S4: Yeah. The stories in the Bible are often incredibly dramatic.

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S4: And I think that it's unlikely most of us will

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S4: be in those circumstances. We're unlikely to face a life

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S4: or death situation we're unlikely to call fire down from heaven.

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S4: But there's lots of circumstances that we are going to face.

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S4: And one example we have in the book is a

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S4: guy named Chris, and his boss asked him to lie.

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S4: They were going to have a deceptive billing practice, and

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S4: he was somebody who would witness at work. And so

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S4: everyone at work was looking at him to say, are

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S4: you going to go along with this deceptive billing practice,

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S4: or is your faith just a theory or is it real?

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S4: And so what Chris ended up doing is he went

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S4: to the owner of the company and said, I love

442
00:23:30,210 --> 00:23:32,290
S4: your company. I've loved working here, but I can't go

443
00:23:32,290 --> 00:23:35,730
S4: along with this deceptive billing practice. And so as a result,

444
00:23:35,730 --> 00:23:37,889
S4: I'm going to have to resign. And the owner of

445
00:23:37,890 --> 00:23:41,170
S4: the company changed his mind, ended the deceptive billing practice.

446
00:23:41,410 --> 00:23:44,250
S4: And so what's so amazing about Chris's story is, number one,

447
00:23:44,570 --> 00:23:47,970
S4: he didn't violate his own integrity. He followed God's commands,

448
00:23:48,090 --> 00:23:51,010
S4: and he was the sole breadwinner for his family with

449
00:23:51,010 --> 00:23:54,370
S4: five children. And so he trusted that God would basically

450
00:23:54,369 --> 00:23:57,129
S4: provide for him. But the other thing is because Chris

451
00:23:57,170 --> 00:24:00,250
S4: spoke up, because he challenged the owner. All the other

452
00:24:00,250 --> 00:24:03,369
S4: people who worked at that office didn't have to deal

453
00:24:03,369 --> 00:24:05,850
S4: with this dilemma of, do I lie or do I

454
00:24:05,890 --> 00:24:09,210
S4: not lie? So he was a blessing to everyone else

455
00:24:09,210 --> 00:24:12,370
S4: and his company by speaking up. So that's the type

456
00:24:12,369 --> 00:24:13,530
S4: of thing that I think we need to do as

457
00:24:13,530 --> 00:24:17,330
S4: Christians is speak up and challenge the culture. And as

458
00:24:17,330 --> 00:24:19,370
S4: we push the culture to follow God, it makes it

459
00:24:19,369 --> 00:24:21,570
S4: easier for everyone else to follow God as well.

460
00:24:21,609 --> 00:24:25,010
S1: Well, said Paul. You know, I think sometimes we as

461
00:24:25,010 --> 00:24:27,130
S1: guys think we got to just wrestle all this up,

462
00:24:27,130 --> 00:24:30,119
S1: this courage. What is the role of the Holy Spirit, though,

463
00:24:30,160 --> 00:24:33,040
S1: in all of this, particularly with with giving us courage?

464
00:24:33,640 --> 00:24:36,359
S4: Yes. You see again that the tough guys are crying

465
00:24:36,359 --> 00:24:38,639
S4: out to God all the time. They're praying to God,

466
00:24:38,640 --> 00:24:40,639
S4: and you need the power of the Holy Spirit over

467
00:24:40,640 --> 00:24:43,000
S4: and over again. We read in the Bible, fear not,

468
00:24:43,000 --> 00:24:45,520
S4: fear not, fear not. Now why are they saying that?

469
00:24:45,520 --> 00:24:48,760
S4: Because obviously we're inclined to fear. Yeah. And so we

470
00:24:48,760 --> 00:24:50,480
S4: need the power of the Holy Spirit to do these

471
00:24:50,480 --> 00:24:53,320
S4: incredible things. Even Paul, when he talks about his many

472
00:24:53,320 --> 00:24:56,720
S4: trials and you just can't believe all the trials he

473
00:24:56,720 --> 00:24:59,560
S4: went through. And yet he talks about having fear through

474
00:24:59,560 --> 00:25:01,320
S4: some of those trials that they feared for their life.

475
00:25:01,320 --> 00:25:03,320
S4: They didn't think they were going to make it. And

476
00:25:03,320 --> 00:25:05,880
S4: yet God pulled them through. So we see the importance

477
00:25:05,880 --> 00:25:08,520
S4: of crying out to God and trusting in God in

478
00:25:08,520 --> 00:25:10,680
S4: order to tackle these incredible challenges.

479
00:25:10,680 --> 00:25:12,840
S1: So if we get just one thing out of reading

480
00:25:12,840 --> 00:25:15,040
S1: this book, Paul, what would you want it to be?

481
00:25:16,000 --> 00:25:18,240
S4: That you should fear God more than men? That that

482
00:25:18,240 --> 00:25:20,760
S4: is what we are designed to do, and that's what

483
00:25:20,800 --> 00:25:24,320
S4: really makes you masculine. We are designed to follow God.

484
00:25:24,800 --> 00:25:28,070
S4: Don't worry about all the other cultural ways that they

485
00:25:28,070 --> 00:25:31,950
S4: define masculinity. Think about how God defines masculinity is do

486
00:25:31,950 --> 00:25:33,790
S4: what you were designed to do, and that's to follow

487
00:25:33,790 --> 00:25:34,909
S4: and to worship him.

488
00:25:35,150 --> 00:25:37,590
S1: Wow. Well, that's a great way to land the conversation. Paul,

489
00:25:37,590 --> 00:25:40,110
S1: thank you for your time with us today. Appreciate you

490
00:25:40,109 --> 00:25:40,830
S1: writing the book.

491
00:25:41,109 --> 00:25:42,470
S4: Thanks so much. Appreciate you having.

492
00:25:42,470 --> 00:25:44,310
S1: Me. And there's a link to that book, Tough Guys

493
00:25:44,310 --> 00:25:46,550
S1: of the Bible at our website. The land and the

494
00:25:46,590 --> 00:25:51,310
S1: book Dot. Up next, your friend and mine, Doctor Gerald Peterman,

495
00:25:51,310 --> 00:25:53,710
S1: with a look at your Bible questions. Stick around for

496
00:25:53,710 --> 00:26:07,590
S1: more on the land and the book. The wonderful thing

497
00:26:07,590 --> 00:26:10,110
S1: about the Bible is every time you pick it up

498
00:26:10,109 --> 00:26:13,630
S1: and read it, there's something new, something fresh, something you

499
00:26:13,670 --> 00:26:17,470
S1: maybe never saw before. And along with those new discoveries

500
00:26:17,470 --> 00:26:20,629
S1: come new questions. Well, that's what this next segment is

501
00:26:20,630 --> 00:26:23,669
S1: all about. Welcome to the land and the book. The

502
00:26:23,670 --> 00:26:27,580
S1: very smiling Gerald Peterman is there because you love this,

503
00:26:27,580 --> 00:26:28,060
S1: don't you?

504
00:26:28,100 --> 00:26:30,340
S5: Well, yeah. But also because what you just said is

505
00:26:30,340 --> 00:26:33,020
S5: so true. I mean, having been through the Bible like

506
00:26:33,020 --> 00:26:35,500
S5: 30 or 40 times, thanks be to God. There's still

507
00:26:35,500 --> 00:26:37,619
S5: something fresh in it. It's like, ah, why did I

508
00:26:37,660 --> 00:26:38,860
S5: not see that before?

509
00:26:38,900 --> 00:26:42,060
S1: Yeah. Well, not seeing it before and having questions about

510
00:26:42,060 --> 00:26:44,980
S1: it and more importantly, getting those questions answered is what

511
00:26:44,980 --> 00:26:47,780
S1: we're all about this segment. But first, this quick thought.

512
00:26:47,780 --> 00:26:49,900
S1: As believers, there's a great need for us to share

513
00:26:49,900 --> 00:26:52,620
S1: the gospel with the Jewish people. In fact, many of

514
00:26:52,619 --> 00:26:56,220
S1: our listeners have faithfully prayed and partnered with ministries that

515
00:26:56,220 --> 00:26:59,980
S1: are doing just that. But what if you could personally

516
00:27:00,020 --> 00:27:03,420
S1: take part in bringing the gospel to Jewish people? Well,

517
00:27:03,420 --> 00:27:06,100
S1: our friends at Life in Messiah love the opportunity to

518
00:27:06,140 --> 00:27:10,179
S1: get believers involved in Jewish ministry, and they regularly organize

519
00:27:10,180 --> 00:27:13,580
S1: an outreach team to Brooklyn, South Florida, and even to

520
00:27:13,619 --> 00:27:17,260
S1: Israel outside the times of conflict. These ministry trips will

521
00:27:17,260 --> 00:27:19,660
S1: equip you to understand how to share the gospel with

522
00:27:19,660 --> 00:27:23,580
S1: Jewish people, give you the opportunity to actively share your faith,

523
00:27:23,580 --> 00:27:27,010
S1: and provide tools and resources that you can take home

524
00:27:27,010 --> 00:27:29,210
S1: with you. So if you want to get hands on

525
00:27:29,210 --> 00:27:33,650
S1: training practical experience in Jewish evangelism, well, you can't do

526
00:27:33,650 --> 00:27:37,649
S1: better than visiting life in Messiah and clicking on the

527
00:27:37,650 --> 00:27:42,370
S1: Moody Radio button there again, that's life in Messiah. All right,

528
00:27:42,369 --> 00:27:45,490
S1: let's dig into our questions for the day. This first

529
00:27:45,490 --> 00:27:47,290
S1: one from Nancy is a bit of a long one, right?

530
00:27:47,290 --> 00:27:47,970
S5: It is.

531
00:27:48,010 --> 00:27:50,689
S1: She says, I've heard that the Last Supper might not

532
00:27:50,690 --> 00:27:53,370
S1: be the Passover. I've heard that it's more likely the

533
00:27:53,369 --> 00:27:56,890
S1: day before, because the Passover is a festival Sabbath, and

534
00:27:56,890 --> 00:27:59,730
S1: there are references to Jesus being in the ground three

535
00:27:59,730 --> 00:28:02,810
S1: days and three nights, which doesn't add up if the

536
00:28:02,810 --> 00:28:06,250
S1: Last Supper was Passover. Is this correct? What do you think?

537
00:28:06,369 --> 00:28:09,369
S5: Well, there are many others who've asked it. The short

538
00:28:09,369 --> 00:28:14,130
S5: answer is Jesus eats the Passover meal with his disciples,

539
00:28:14,130 --> 00:28:17,170
S5: and he's in the tomb for part of three days.

540
00:28:17,210 --> 00:28:19,650
S5: Now let's talk about the longer answer. We must keep

541
00:28:19,650 --> 00:28:22,450
S5: in mind that for Jews at the time of Jesus,

542
00:28:22,450 --> 00:28:26,630
S5: and even now their day starts at sundown. That is.

543
00:28:26,990 --> 00:28:30,990
S5: Friday starts right after sundown on Thursday. It's kind of weird.

544
00:28:30,990 --> 00:28:32,790
S5: You have to get used to that way of thinking.

545
00:28:33,150 --> 00:28:39,070
S5: Jesus enters Jerusalem around noon on Thursday. That's the 14th

546
00:28:39,070 --> 00:28:43,190
S5: of Nissan Jewish month. And then Friday is going to

547
00:28:43,190 --> 00:28:47,710
S5: start at sundown. Jesus eats the Passover meal with his disciples.

548
00:28:47,750 --> 00:28:50,709
S5: Early on Friday. By early on Friday, of course. I

549
00:28:50,710 --> 00:28:53,950
S5: mean a few hours after sunset on Thursday. Now, how

550
00:28:53,950 --> 00:28:57,150
S5: do we know this? We know this because Jesus says,

551
00:28:57,590 --> 00:29:00,430
S5: and he said to them, I have earnestly desired to

552
00:29:00,470 --> 00:29:04,430
S5: eat this Passover with you before I suffer. Luke 2215.

553
00:29:04,750 --> 00:29:09,190
S5: So Jesus is arrested later that night, still Friday. Jesus

554
00:29:09,190 --> 00:29:13,350
S5: is put on trial the next morning, still Friday, and

555
00:29:13,350 --> 00:29:17,510
S5: Jesus dies on Friday, 15th of Nissan around 3 p.m.

556
00:29:17,670 --> 00:29:21,190
S5: he's putting the tomb quickly, but he's dead for part

557
00:29:21,230 --> 00:29:21,950
S5: of Friday.

558
00:29:22,150 --> 00:29:24,100
S1: All right. What else do we need to know about

559
00:29:24,100 --> 00:29:25,500
S1: Friday in this whole scenario?

560
00:29:25,540 --> 00:29:29,540
S5: Oh, so Friday is preparation day for the Sabbath. That

561
00:29:29,540 --> 00:29:33,220
S5: is on Friday. You're getting ready for the Sabbath on Saturday, right?

562
00:29:33,260 --> 00:29:37,580
S5: So this is why John 1931 says, since it's the

563
00:29:37,580 --> 00:29:40,580
S5: day of preparation, so that the bodies might not remain

564
00:29:40,580 --> 00:29:43,500
S5: on the cross on the Sabbath. For the Sabbath was

565
00:29:43,500 --> 00:29:46,940
S5: a high day. The Jews asked Pilate that their legs

566
00:29:46,940 --> 00:29:50,140
S5: might be broken and they might be taken away. That's

567
00:29:50,260 --> 00:29:54,340
S5: again John 1931. So in the New Testament day of preparation,

568
00:29:54,340 --> 00:29:57,340
S5: it's to get ready for the Sabbath. It's Friday now,

569
00:29:58,020 --> 00:30:03,100
S5: Sunday morning. Right? Matthew 28 one says, now after the Sabbath,

570
00:30:03,460 --> 00:30:06,459
S5: that is, after Saturday, toward dawn on the first day

571
00:30:06,460 --> 00:30:09,100
S5: of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went

572
00:30:09,100 --> 00:30:12,260
S5: to the tomb. So Jesus is dead in the tomb

573
00:30:12,260 --> 00:30:14,979
S5: part of Friday, all day Saturday and part of Sunday.

574
00:30:14,980 --> 00:30:18,060
S5: Keep in mind that Sunday, the first day of the week,

575
00:30:18,100 --> 00:30:22,330
S5: starts after sundown on Saturday. right? So he's in the

576
00:30:22,330 --> 00:30:26,290
S5: tomb for a part of three days. Finally. What about

577
00:30:26,290 --> 00:30:30,370
S5: the statement after three days? Well, there's two different ways.

578
00:30:30,370 --> 00:30:33,450
S5: The New Testament talks about the timing. One of them

579
00:30:33,450 --> 00:30:37,610
S5: is after three days. For as Jonah was three days

580
00:30:37,610 --> 00:30:39,690
S5: and three nights in the belly of the fish, so

581
00:30:39,730 --> 00:30:41,170
S5: will the Son of Man be three days and three

582
00:30:41,170 --> 00:30:42,729
S5: nights in the heart of the earth. But another way

583
00:30:42,730 --> 00:30:46,570
S5: of talking about it is Matthew 1621. From that time,

584
00:30:46,570 --> 00:30:48,610
S5: Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go

585
00:30:48,610 --> 00:30:51,530
S5: to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and

586
00:30:51,530 --> 00:30:54,890
S5: chief priests, and be killed, and on the third day

587
00:30:55,410 --> 00:30:58,850
S5: be raised. So the third day is the same as

588
00:30:58,890 --> 00:31:01,130
S5: after three days in Jewish reckoning.

589
00:31:01,570 --> 00:31:04,410
S1: Let's move on to Michael's question after I remind you

590
00:31:04,410 --> 00:31:06,770
S1: our email address. If you've got a question, is the

591
00:31:06,770 --> 00:31:11,850
S1: land and the book at. Michael asks, how can someone

592
00:31:11,850 --> 00:31:16,850
S1: today prove that they are ethnically slash genetically Jewish if

593
00:31:16,850 --> 00:31:19,880
S1: the birth records were destroyed in 70 A.D.? Dad. This

594
00:31:19,880 --> 00:31:22,560
S1: is an argument I've heard people espouse claiming that people

595
00:31:22,560 --> 00:31:24,280
S1: can't really know that they're Jewish.

596
00:31:24,520 --> 00:31:26,600
S5: Well, it's a tough question, but I'm going to give

597
00:31:26,600 --> 00:31:29,160
S5: a couple of what I hope are educated guesses as

598
00:31:29,160 --> 00:31:32,800
S5: to the answer. We don't get this from Scripture itself. First,

599
00:31:33,080 --> 00:31:37,040
S5: mitochondrial DNA, that is through your mother and the Jewishness,

600
00:31:37,080 --> 00:31:39,760
S5: if you will, is passed on through the mother so

601
00:31:39,760 --> 00:31:42,960
S5: you can find out through mitochondrial DNA. Another way is

602
00:31:43,000 --> 00:31:47,000
S5: autosomal DNA, which gives your sort of general family background,

603
00:31:47,000 --> 00:31:48,720
S5: which will put you in the ballpark. Am I Jewish

604
00:31:48,720 --> 00:31:54,240
S5: or not? Another way is family history or genealogical records.

605
00:31:54,240 --> 00:31:59,040
S5: They're not foolproof, but many times marriage certificates, synagogue records,

606
00:31:59,040 --> 00:32:01,760
S5: census data will point us in a particular direction. And

607
00:32:01,760 --> 00:32:06,480
S5: then lastly, any other sort of circumstantial evidence. I mean, maybe,

608
00:32:06,480 --> 00:32:10,400
S5: like me, you've got a photo of your great grandparents, right?

609
00:32:10,520 --> 00:32:13,200
S5: It's just a precious thing to have. And there's clearly

610
00:32:13,200 --> 00:32:17,160
S5: a marker of them being Jewish in the photo. Well, then,

611
00:32:17,160 --> 00:32:19,590
S5: you know, you come from this family background, so there's

612
00:32:19,590 --> 00:32:21,150
S5: some different directions people can go.

613
00:32:21,190 --> 00:32:24,830
S1: Okay, here's a question from doc who says, what about

614
00:32:24,830 --> 00:32:27,390
S1: the sons of God who produce giants in the book

615
00:32:27,390 --> 00:32:30,510
S1: of Genesis? Are these sons of Seth a priest or

616
00:32:30,550 --> 00:32:34,510
S1: a special rank of angels differing from a regular fallen angel?

617
00:32:34,550 --> 00:32:37,190
S5: Oh, yeah. That's a great question. I appreciate that, doc.

618
00:32:37,190 --> 00:32:41,230
S5: Let's go to the passage in question. It's Genesis six

619
00:32:41,390 --> 00:32:44,670
S5: one and two when man began to multiply on the

620
00:32:44,670 --> 00:32:47,390
S5: face of the land, and daughters were born to them,

621
00:32:47,390 --> 00:32:49,989
S5: the sons of God saw that the daughters of men

622
00:32:50,030 --> 00:32:55,030
S5: were attractive, and they took as their wives any they chose. Well,

623
00:32:55,030 --> 00:32:58,350
S5: there's lots written about this. Who are the sons of God?

624
00:32:58,350 --> 00:33:02,270
S5: Are they angels or are they merely rulers? I take

625
00:33:02,270 --> 00:33:06,469
S5: it that the sons of God are descendants of Seth.

626
00:33:06,510 --> 00:33:10,470
S5: That's the godly line. This is the line of ancestors

627
00:33:10,670 --> 00:33:15,470
S5: who are mostly obedient. And what happens is the sons

628
00:33:15,470 --> 00:33:17,340
S5: of God, that is, those from the line of Seth.

629
00:33:17,660 --> 00:33:20,620
S5: They look the daughters of men and they take folks.

630
00:33:20,660 --> 00:33:24,340
S5: That's a replication of what happens in Genesis three. Look

631
00:33:24,380 --> 00:33:27,940
S5: and take the descendants of Seth. Mary. Almost certainly the

632
00:33:27,940 --> 00:33:32,940
S5: descendants of Cain. Uh, that's corruption. That's mixing together with

633
00:33:32,940 --> 00:33:35,980
S5: others that you shouldn't be mixing with. Later in verse three,

634
00:33:36,020 --> 00:33:39,140
S5: what do we find? We see that God says. We

635
00:33:39,140 --> 00:33:42,100
S5: see that God says, My Spirit will not strive with

636
00:33:42,100 --> 00:33:44,620
S5: man forever. So again, I take it this means we're

637
00:33:44,620 --> 00:33:48,140
S5: not dealing with angels, but a certain kind of human family.

638
00:33:48,580 --> 00:33:49,860
S1: You know, as you take us back to the book

639
00:33:49,860 --> 00:33:53,460
S1: of Genesis, I'm also thinking elsewhere in Scripture of Samson,

640
00:33:53,620 --> 00:33:56,459
S1: we read of him. He saw a woman look good

641
00:33:56,460 --> 00:33:58,100
S1: to her, said to his father, go get her.

642
00:33:58,140 --> 00:33:58,660
S5: Yes.

643
00:33:58,820 --> 00:33:59,340
S1: Same thing.

644
00:33:59,460 --> 00:34:03,180
S5: Yeah. See, take see, take. Yeah, but where's the pondering

645
00:34:03,180 --> 00:34:05,900
S5: in between, right. Should I be looking in the first place?

646
00:34:05,940 --> 00:34:09,060
S5: And then secondly. Is this what I should be taking?

647
00:34:09,100 --> 00:34:09,940
S5: That's a great question.

648
00:34:09,980 --> 00:34:12,940
S1: Doctor Gerald Peterman is on the faculty of Moody Bible Institute.

649
00:34:12,980 --> 00:34:16,050
S1: Wouldn't you love to have your son, your daughter studying

650
00:34:16,050 --> 00:34:18,489
S1: in a class like that? Hey, check it all out.

651
00:34:18,489 --> 00:34:20,569
S1: We've got a link to the Moody Bible Institute and

652
00:34:20,570 --> 00:34:23,170
S1: all of its many ministries at our website. The land

653
00:34:23,170 --> 00:34:26,770
S1: and the book. Org. Let's get Carl's question here. He

654
00:34:26,770 --> 00:34:28,730
S1: says I was taking a good look at the destruction

655
00:34:28,730 --> 00:34:33,250
S1: of Damascus from Isaiah 17 verse one. Many good teachers

656
00:34:33,250 --> 00:34:36,370
S1: seem to think that this happens overnight. They think the

657
00:34:36,530 --> 00:34:39,610
S1: maybe nuclear bombs are involved. They seem to connect verse

658
00:34:39,610 --> 00:34:42,850
S1: one to verse 14. Now reading it in context, I

659
00:34:42,890 --> 00:34:44,890
S1: just don't see it. What am I missing?

660
00:34:45,290 --> 00:34:48,569
S5: Carl, I agree with you. I don't see it either. Okay,

661
00:34:48,610 --> 00:34:52,649
S5: so let's remind ourselves of what's going on in Isaiah. First,

662
00:34:52,690 --> 00:34:56,569
S5: the call narrative of Isaiah six. It says it happens

663
00:34:56,730 --> 00:35:01,650
S5: in the year King Uzziah died. That's 739 BC, long

664
00:35:01,650 --> 00:35:04,890
S5: before your grandparents were born. Later in the book Isaiah

665
00:35:04,930 --> 00:35:08,810
S5: eight we find regarding Damascus, we have God saying about

666
00:35:08,810 --> 00:35:14,190
S5: Isaiah's child, call his name Mayor Shalal hash baz, Baths

667
00:35:14,550 --> 00:35:16,870
S5: for before the boy knows how to cry. My father

668
00:35:16,870 --> 00:35:20,190
S5: or my mother. The wealth of Damascus and the spoil

669
00:35:20,190 --> 00:35:24,150
S5: of Samaria will be carried away by the king of Assyria.

670
00:35:24,590 --> 00:35:30,990
S5: And that happens in around 733 or 732 BC. That is,

671
00:35:30,989 --> 00:35:35,390
S5: the Assyrian king comes in and Damascus is destroyed, and

672
00:35:35,390 --> 00:35:37,870
S5: the city is not occupied for who knows how many

673
00:35:37,870 --> 00:35:41,430
S5: years it's made a heap of ruins. And yet later

674
00:35:41,469 --> 00:35:45,830
S5: the city gets rebuilt. What does Jesus say in Luke 19?

675
00:35:46,110 --> 00:35:49,270
S5: The Romans are going to come. They're going to surround Jerusalem,

676
00:35:49,510 --> 00:35:51,750
S5: and they're not going to leave one stone upon another.

677
00:35:51,790 --> 00:35:54,150
S5: They're all going to be thrown down. And then centuries

678
00:35:54,190 --> 00:35:58,350
S5: go by and Jerusalem is rebuilt. So Damascus is destroyed

679
00:35:58,750 --> 00:36:01,350
S5: in the time period that Isaiah describes. So I don't

680
00:36:01,350 --> 00:36:03,350
S5: think it has to do with nuclear bombs. And it's

681
00:36:03,350 --> 00:36:07,190
S5: not going to happen next week. It happened 732 BC.

682
00:36:07,710 --> 00:36:09,350
S1: I have to ask you before we let you go,

683
00:36:09,510 --> 00:36:12,350
S1: I've mentioned your experience in the classroom. What is your

684
00:36:12,350 --> 00:36:16,020
S1: favorite thing about hanging out with students at Moody Bible Institute?

685
00:36:16,460 --> 00:36:20,020
S5: Oh, do I have to pick just one thing? One

686
00:36:20,020 --> 00:36:22,779
S5: of my favorite things about hanging out with students is

687
00:36:22,820 --> 00:36:26,100
S5: they have life and vitality. They want to know Scripture.

688
00:36:26,140 --> 00:36:28,060
S5: They're excited about their faith. They want to make a

689
00:36:28,060 --> 00:36:30,460
S5: difference in the world. They want to love God. They

690
00:36:30,460 --> 00:36:33,540
S5: want to love their neighbor. And so me, old enough

691
00:36:33,540 --> 00:36:35,939
S5: to be their grandfather, it kind of keeps me alive

692
00:36:36,300 --> 00:36:38,980
S5: to be constantly exposed to their love for God and

693
00:36:38,980 --> 00:36:39,859
S5: their enthusiasm.

694
00:36:39,900 --> 00:36:41,980
S1: Well, that's a great word and we sure appreciate you

695
00:36:41,980 --> 00:36:45,100
S1: answering these questions. Again, our email address for your question

696
00:36:45,100 --> 00:36:49,420
S1: is the land and the book at Moody Dot. Don't

697
00:36:49,420 --> 00:37:05,060
S1: go away. Charlie's devotional is next. Thanks for sticking with

698
00:37:05,060 --> 00:37:07,299
S1: us here today on the land and the book. I'm

699
00:37:07,340 --> 00:37:10,180
S1: John Gager with our host, doctor Charlie Dyer. And Charlie.

700
00:37:10,340 --> 00:37:12,489
S1: The last time we were together in Israel. We were

701
00:37:12,489 --> 00:37:15,089
S1: just a mile and a half or so away from Gaza.

702
00:37:15,330 --> 00:37:18,450
S1: I did not see anybody hiking toward Gaza. Did you?

703
00:37:18,969 --> 00:37:21,410
S2: Only the Israeli army at that time. But no, no

704
00:37:21,410 --> 00:37:22,770
S2: normal people, that's for sure.

705
00:37:22,810 --> 00:37:26,370
S1: And yet you have chosen Gaza as a focus of

706
00:37:26,370 --> 00:37:27,890
S1: your devotional today. Tell us more.

707
00:37:28,050 --> 00:37:30,930
S2: Yeah, well, I want to talk about Philip's hike toward Gaza.

708
00:37:30,969 --> 00:37:33,530
S1: All right. Based in acts eight, this is an interesting look,

709
00:37:33,570 --> 00:37:35,810
S1: and we invite you to hang with us. First, though,

710
00:37:35,890 --> 00:37:38,529
S1: this testimony from somebody who has also been to Israel

711
00:37:38,530 --> 00:37:40,730
S1: and wanted to share this with you and me.

712
00:37:45,050 --> 00:37:47,370
S6: Hi, my name is Steve Rutledge, and this is my

713
00:37:47,370 --> 00:37:50,810
S6: Holy Land experience. My wife and I had the privilege

714
00:37:50,810 --> 00:37:54,129
S6: of going back in 2007, and I've always heard that

715
00:37:54,130 --> 00:37:56,330
S6: it'll change your life, change the way you look at

716
00:37:56,330 --> 00:37:59,410
S6: the Bible. And that is absolutely true. Uh, it was

717
00:37:59,410 --> 00:38:01,850
S6: a wonderful time of blessing to be in those places

718
00:38:01,850 --> 00:38:05,530
S6: where the Lord spoke and worked. It's my type of place.

719
00:38:05,530 --> 00:38:08,770
S6: Just to think that my Savior walked around there. I

720
00:38:08,810 --> 00:38:11,040
S6: loved Galilee, I would have hung out there the whole time.

721
00:38:11,040 --> 00:38:13,880
S6: I really loved the Sea of Galilee and just that area.

722
00:38:14,680 --> 00:38:16,759
S6: I love the Land of Israel. I love the opportunity

723
00:38:16,760 --> 00:38:18,920
S6: to visit there, and it was just a real blessing

724
00:38:18,960 --> 00:38:21,279
S6: to my life and my wife's life to be able

725
00:38:21,280 --> 00:38:22,520
S6: to visit Israel.

726
00:38:22,800 --> 00:38:25,239
S7: Hi, my name is Pat, I'm from Michigan. I just

727
00:38:25,239 --> 00:38:27,560
S7: want to thank Charlie. This has just been an awesome

728
00:38:27,560 --> 00:38:31,000
S7: experience and I've just enjoyed every minute of it. I

729
00:38:31,000 --> 00:38:33,440
S7: think the sweetest memory that I'm going to take home

730
00:38:33,440 --> 00:38:36,480
S7: is our boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. Um,

731
00:38:36,480 --> 00:38:38,400
S7: that was just such a sweet time to have the

732
00:38:38,400 --> 00:38:40,920
S7: boat turned off and and just be floating on the

733
00:38:40,920 --> 00:38:43,759
S7: water and listen to the devotional that you had for us,

734
00:38:43,760 --> 00:38:47,600
S7: and to be singing songs together and look around at

735
00:38:47,600 --> 00:38:51,120
S7: the hills and the villages. Um, and now I can

736
00:38:51,120 --> 00:38:54,600
S7: just close my eyes and picture all those places, and, um,

737
00:38:55,160 --> 00:38:57,760
S7: I'm anxious, like everyone else, to get home and and

738
00:38:57,760 --> 00:39:01,160
S7: read my Bible and and look up these places. Thank you.

739
00:39:03,160 --> 00:39:06,160
S1: Our Bibles are open to acts chapter eight. It's Philip's

740
00:39:06,160 --> 00:39:08,640
S1: hike toward Gaza. Charlie, take it away.

741
00:39:08,920 --> 00:39:12,469
S2: Okay, thanks. Why don't you take a hike? You know,

742
00:39:12,510 --> 00:39:14,989
S2: if someone said that to you, it probably means they're

743
00:39:15,030 --> 00:39:18,029
S2: irritated with you and want you to leave. But in

744
00:39:18,030 --> 00:39:21,589
S2: our study today, the phrase has an entirely different meaning

745
00:39:21,750 --> 00:39:25,150
S2: and leads to a special encounter orchestrated by God. To

746
00:39:25,190 --> 00:39:27,710
S2: understand what I mean, let's go on a hike with Philip,

747
00:39:27,710 --> 00:39:30,870
S2: one of the original seven deacons of the church. In

748
00:39:30,870 --> 00:39:33,910
S2: acts eight, Philip was involved in an amazing ministry in

749
00:39:33,910 --> 00:39:37,550
S2: the region of Samaria. The chapter contains an action packed

750
00:39:37,550 --> 00:39:41,990
S2: account of God at work. Luke describes multitudes with one accord,

751
00:39:41,989 --> 00:39:45,910
S2: giving attention as Philip preached, healed, and cast out demons.

752
00:39:46,230 --> 00:39:50,350
S2: So imagine Philip's amazement when, in the middle of that revival,

753
00:39:50,390 --> 00:39:53,910
S2: God sends an angel to announce, arise and go south

754
00:39:53,910 --> 00:39:57,549
S2: to the road that descends from Jerusalem to Gaza. And

755
00:39:57,550 --> 00:40:00,510
S2: lest Philip thinks he's being sent to a busy superhighway,

756
00:40:00,670 --> 00:40:04,270
S2: the angel hastens to add, this is a desert road.

757
00:40:04,790 --> 00:40:08,460
S2: The word he uses pictures. A spot that's isolated and deserted.

758
00:40:08,820 --> 00:40:12,100
S2: He's not so much describing a place of sparse vegetation,

759
00:40:12,300 --> 00:40:16,300
S2: as he is a place of sparse population. Philip leaves

760
00:40:16,300 --> 00:40:19,779
S2: Samaria and heads toward the low foothills to the southwest

761
00:40:19,780 --> 00:40:23,900
S2: of Jerusalem. Abandoned the work God has just begun, and

762
00:40:23,900 --> 00:40:27,180
S2: take a hike on a lonely stretch of road leading

763
00:40:27,180 --> 00:40:32,700
S2: down from Jerusalem toward Gaza. The command didn't sound promising. Actually,

764
00:40:32,700 --> 00:40:36,419
S2: it seems more like an interruption, but Philip obeyed and

765
00:40:36,420 --> 00:40:39,500
S2: headed toward one of the most remarkable one on one

766
00:40:39,500 --> 00:40:44,299
S2: Bible studies in history. Somewhere along that lonely highway, perhaps

767
00:40:44,300 --> 00:40:47,740
S2: near the valley where David fought Goliath, Philip came across

768
00:40:47,739 --> 00:40:50,339
S2: the chariot, sitting by the side of the road, and

769
00:40:50,340 --> 00:40:53,219
S2: the man inside was reading from the book of Isaiah.

770
00:40:53,620 --> 00:40:56,739
S2: The scene must have been intriguing. The man was an

771
00:40:56,739 --> 00:41:01,259
S2: African court official of Kandake, the Queen of Ethiopia. The

772
00:41:01,260 --> 00:41:05,100
S2: chariot identified him as a man of wealth, power and privilege.

773
00:41:05,380 --> 00:41:07,410
S2: But the text in his hand showed him to be

774
00:41:07,410 --> 00:41:10,330
S2: a God. Fearer, who, though a Gentile, had come to

775
00:41:10,370 --> 00:41:15,090
S2: Jerusalem to worship. It's possible he was a proselyte to Judaism,

776
00:41:15,130 --> 00:41:18,730
S2: a Gentile who had come to accept the God of Abraham, Isaac,

777
00:41:18,730 --> 00:41:22,690
S2: and Jacob as his own. As Philip ran toward the chariot,

778
00:41:22,730 --> 00:41:25,290
S2: he heard the official reading aloud from the scroll. So

779
00:41:25,290 --> 00:41:29,330
S2: he asked, do you understand what you're reading? The official didn't,

780
00:41:29,330 --> 00:41:32,410
S2: and invited Philip into his chariot to explain the meaning

781
00:41:32,410 --> 00:41:35,569
S2: of the passage. And what was he reading? Well, in

782
00:41:35,570 --> 00:41:39,480
S2: our Bibles, the passage is from Isaiah 53, verses 7

783
00:41:39,480 --> 00:41:42,370
S2: to 8. He was led as a sheep to slaughter,

784
00:41:42,370 --> 00:41:45,129
S2: and as a lamb before its shearers is silent, so

785
00:41:45,130 --> 00:41:48,930
S2: he does not open his mouth. In humiliation his judgment

786
00:41:48,930 --> 00:41:53,330
S2: was taken away. Who shall relate his generation, for his

787
00:41:53,330 --> 00:41:56,529
S2: life is removed from the earth. While it's possible the

788
00:41:56,530 --> 00:41:59,890
S2: official was reading a Hebrew copy of Isaiah, it's more

789
00:41:59,890 --> 00:42:03,810
S2: likely he was reading a Greek translation. The passage, as

790
00:42:03,810 --> 00:42:06,439
S2: it appears in the Book of acts is almost a

791
00:42:06,440 --> 00:42:10,320
S2: word for word quotation of the Septuagint, the Greek translation

792
00:42:10,320 --> 00:42:13,319
S2: of the Old Testament. Greek was the common language of

793
00:42:13,320 --> 00:42:16,440
S2: commerce and culture. And in acts six, Philip had already

794
00:42:16,440 --> 00:42:20,440
S2: been identified as a Hellenistic or Greek speaking Jew when

795
00:42:20,440 --> 00:42:22,799
S2: he was selected to be one of the seven deacons

796
00:42:23,040 --> 00:42:26,400
S2: God sent a Jewish believer who knew Greek to explain

797
00:42:26,400 --> 00:42:29,520
S2: one of the most remarkable prophecies of the Bible to

798
00:42:29,560 --> 00:42:32,560
S2: a God fearing Gentile who could read the words of

799
00:42:32,560 --> 00:42:36,319
S2: the text but who didn't understand its meaning. God brought

800
00:42:36,320 --> 00:42:38,839
S2: the ideal teacher to help this one, who was an

801
00:42:38,840 --> 00:42:42,760
S2: honest seeker after the truth. The official seemed to understand

802
00:42:42,760 --> 00:42:45,560
S2: the importance of the passage, but he couldn't identify the

803
00:42:45,560 --> 00:42:48,960
S2: person to whom it pointed. Please tell me, he asked,

804
00:42:49,000 --> 00:42:51,960
S2: of whom does the prophet say this? Of himself or

805
00:42:52,000 --> 00:42:55,480
S2: of someone else? Philip knew the answer, and that's when

806
00:42:55,480 --> 00:42:59,640
S2: he started his amazing Bible study. And beginning from this scripture,

807
00:42:59,640 --> 00:43:03,400
S2: he preached Jesus to him. The suffering servant of Isaiah

808
00:43:03,400 --> 00:43:06,859
S2: 53 was Jesus. He's the one who had died for

809
00:43:06,860 --> 00:43:10,779
S2: the sins of others, who was pierced through for our transgressions.

810
00:43:11,060 --> 00:43:14,339
S2: He's the one crucified with wicked men. And yet who

811
00:43:14,340 --> 00:43:16,219
S2: ended up in the tomb of a rich man in

812
00:43:16,219 --> 00:43:19,180
S2: his death? And though crucified, he's the one who would

813
00:43:19,219 --> 00:43:21,700
S2: see his offspring and be allowed a portion with the

814
00:43:21,700 --> 00:43:25,899
S2: great through his resurrection from the dead. Philip began with

815
00:43:25,900 --> 00:43:29,020
S2: Isaiah 53, but acts eight suggests he went from this

816
00:43:29,020 --> 00:43:32,620
S2: passage to others in the scriptures that pointed to Jesus

817
00:43:32,620 --> 00:43:35,660
S2: as the Messiah who died for the sins of the world,

818
00:43:35,660 --> 00:43:38,219
S2: who rose from the dead, ascended to heaven, and who

819
00:43:38,219 --> 00:43:41,660
S2: is coming again. Philip must have taught this God fearing

820
00:43:41,660 --> 00:43:46,100
S2: Ethiopian the importance of accepting Jesus personally as his Savior.

821
00:43:46,260 --> 00:43:49,260
S2: Of turning to him and becoming one of his disciples.

822
00:43:49,540 --> 00:43:52,700
S2: Perhaps Philip even shared the final words of Jesus to

823
00:43:52,739 --> 00:43:56,740
S2: his earthly followers, go therefore and make disciples of all nations,

824
00:43:56,739 --> 00:43:59,380
S2: baptizing them in the name of the father and the son,

825
00:43:59,380 --> 00:44:02,540
S2: and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that

826
00:44:02,540 --> 00:44:05,050
S2: I commanded you. And lo, I am with you always,

827
00:44:05,050 --> 00:44:07,290
S2: even to the end of the age. Now I say

828
00:44:07,290 --> 00:44:10,529
S2: that because of the man's response to Philip. And as

829
00:44:10,530 --> 00:44:12,850
S2: they went along the road, they came to some water,

830
00:44:12,850 --> 00:44:16,370
S2: and the eunuch said, look, water! What prevents me from

831
00:44:16,370 --> 00:44:19,569
S2: being baptized? And Philip said, if you believe with all

832
00:44:19,570 --> 00:44:22,250
S2: your heart, you may. And he answered and said, I

833
00:44:22,250 --> 00:44:26,290
S2: believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Well,

834
00:44:26,290 --> 00:44:29,209
S2: it's time for us to say goodbye to Philip and

835
00:44:29,210 --> 00:44:32,049
S2: this royal official, as the two of them head down

836
00:44:32,050 --> 00:44:35,210
S2: to the water for the baptismal service. But what have

837
00:44:35,210 --> 00:44:38,450
S2: we learned from this amazing encounter? Well, I'd like to

838
00:44:38,489 --> 00:44:43,850
S2: suggest two important truths. First, if you're a follower of Jesus,

839
00:44:43,890 --> 00:44:47,209
S2: don't get upset if God seems to disrupt your plans.

840
00:44:47,489 --> 00:44:50,489
S2: He might just have a divine appointment for you on

841
00:44:50,489 --> 00:44:54,129
S2: what otherwise might look like an unnecessary journey down a

842
00:44:54,130 --> 00:44:58,330
S2: deserted road. Don't get bent out of shape by obstacles.

843
00:44:58,489 --> 00:45:03,120
S2: Watch for the opportunities. And second, if you're still searching

844
00:45:03,120 --> 00:45:07,000
S2: for God, realize that he cares for everyone who genuinely

845
00:45:07,000 --> 00:45:10,200
S2: seeks to know him. God ordered Philip to leave a

846
00:45:10,200 --> 00:45:14,279
S2: thriving ministry in Samaria to rendezvous with his one man,

847
00:45:14,280 --> 00:45:17,399
S2: who was searching for the truth. Ask God to bring

848
00:45:17,400 --> 00:45:20,480
S2: someone into your life who can share with you the

849
00:45:20,480 --> 00:45:24,440
S2: truth about his son. The book of Hebrews says God

850
00:45:24,440 --> 00:45:28,360
S2: is a rewarder of those who seek him. Just ask

851
00:45:28,360 --> 00:45:31,320
S2: this court official from Ethiopia.

852
00:45:31,760 --> 00:45:34,480
S1: Charlie, what about that listener right now who says, you know,

853
00:45:34,520 --> 00:45:38,680
S1: I I'm finally understanding that like that Ethiopian eunuch, I

854
00:45:38,680 --> 00:45:41,840
S1: need to declare Jesus is the Son of God. What

855
00:45:41,840 --> 00:45:42,520
S1: do they do?

856
00:45:42,800 --> 00:45:45,040
S2: Uh, it's very simple. They start with what they need

857
00:45:45,040 --> 00:45:47,680
S2: to know. And that is, I believe Jesus is God's son.

858
00:45:47,680 --> 00:45:50,240
S2: I believe he's God incarnate who came to earth, lived

859
00:45:50,239 --> 00:45:52,720
S2: a perfect life. But instead of going back to heaven,

860
00:45:52,719 --> 00:45:54,640
S2: he went to the cross. And he did so to

861
00:45:54,680 --> 00:45:57,600
S2: pay for my sins. I can't pay for them. But

862
00:45:57,600 --> 00:46:00,510
S2: he did. And as God, he could pay the penalty

863
00:46:00,510 --> 00:46:03,230
S2: as man, he could take my place and I know

864
00:46:03,230 --> 00:46:04,870
S2: he did that. I know he rose from the dead.

865
00:46:04,870 --> 00:46:07,190
S2: And so right now, Lord, I just want to turn

866
00:46:07,190 --> 00:46:09,430
S2: to you in prayer and say, I am a sinner.

867
00:46:09,469 --> 00:46:11,469
S2: I believe your son died to pay the penalty for

868
00:46:11,469 --> 00:46:13,629
S2: my sin, and I want to put my trust in

869
00:46:13,630 --> 00:46:16,509
S2: him as my Savior right now. Please forgive me of

870
00:46:16,510 --> 00:46:20,189
S2: my sins. Send Jesus into my life and I turn

871
00:46:20,190 --> 00:46:22,870
S2: from my sin to him as my Savior, and I

872
00:46:22,870 --> 00:46:24,670
S2: pray it in his name. Amen.

873
00:46:25,150 --> 00:46:27,229
S1: You know, that's a lot to think about. And maybe

874
00:46:27,230 --> 00:46:29,589
S1: you have further questions. The good news is you can

875
00:46:29,590 --> 00:46:31,830
S1: get some answers right now. If you pick up your

876
00:46:31,830 --> 00:46:35,350
S1: phone and talk to a volunteer at 808, need him,

877
00:46:35,550 --> 00:46:38,190
S1: 888 need him, and we should encourage you to do

878
00:46:38,190 --> 00:46:42,149
S1: just that. Well, the time says we're done, but we'll

879
00:46:42,150 --> 00:46:45,310
S1: be back, Lord willing, next week. Our host, doctor Charlie Dyer,

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S1: our producer is Dan Anderson. I'm John Jaeger. Thank you

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S1: for joining us for The Land and the book, a

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S1: production of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.