1 00:00:08,119 --> 00:00:11,240 S1: Sure you understand the stories of the Bible, but what 2 00:00:11,240 --> 00:00:14,400 S1: can you do to better understand the places of the Bible? 3 00:00:14,400 --> 00:00:17,279 S1: The land where it all unfolded? Coming up, a sneak 4 00:00:17,280 --> 00:00:19,520 S1: look at a new Bible atlas with features to help 5 00:00:19,520 --> 00:00:22,720 S1: you see it all. Plus headlines from the Middle East 6 00:00:22,720 --> 00:00:25,560 S1: along with listener Bible questions. And then we'll wrap it 7 00:00:25,560 --> 00:00:28,280 S1: all up with an unforgettable look at the Might Have 8 00:00:28,320 --> 00:00:31,480 S1: Been Town. Join us now for the land and the 9 00:00:31,480 --> 00:00:34,360 S1: book A Unique Approach to Understanding the Middle East through 10 00:00:34,360 --> 00:00:37,440 S1: the Lens of Scripture. Doctor Charlie Dyer is our host, 11 00:00:37,440 --> 00:00:40,280 S1: and I'm John Gager. And did you know that most 12 00:00:40,280 --> 00:00:44,319 S1: Jewish people have never heard the gospel? Every week we 13 00:00:44,320 --> 00:00:46,800 S1: talk about Israel and the Jewish people, and it's important 14 00:00:46,800 --> 00:00:49,960 S1: to remember that they, like everybody else, need to hear 15 00:00:49,960 --> 00:00:51,080 S1: the good news. 16 00:00:51,120 --> 00:00:54,040 S2: That's absolutely true. And that's why life in Messiah, a 17 00:00:54,040 --> 00:00:58,560 S2: ministry that's been in existence for over 135 years, is 18 00:00:58,560 --> 00:01:02,110 S2: devoted to sharing the gospel with Jewish people around the world. 19 00:01:02,350 --> 00:01:05,509 S2: And now they're offering a gift to moody listeners. This 20 00:01:05,510 --> 00:01:09,309 S2: free book, Reaching Jewish People for Messiah, highlights the need 21 00:01:09,310 --> 00:01:12,150 S2: for the gospel among the Jewish people. It will equip 22 00:01:12,150 --> 00:01:15,590 S2: you with practical ways to share the good News with them. Now, 23 00:01:15,590 --> 00:01:19,470 S2: to receive this free e-book, visit Life in Messiah org 24 00:01:19,630 --> 00:01:22,229 S2: and click on the Moody Radio logo. Sign up today 25 00:01:22,230 --> 00:01:25,429 S2: to get your copy. That's life in Messiah. 26 00:01:27,030 --> 00:01:29,510 S1: All right, let's turn our attention toward current events from 27 00:01:29,510 --> 00:01:32,230 S1: the Middle East. Last week, President Trump said he would 28 00:01:32,230 --> 00:01:35,950 S1: make a, quote, very, very big announcement before setting out 29 00:01:35,950 --> 00:01:38,270 S1: on this week's trip to the Middle East. So what 30 00:01:38,270 --> 00:01:41,070 S1: was that big announcement? And beyond that, what were the 31 00:01:41,069 --> 00:01:43,350 S1: president's goals for this particular trip? 32 00:01:43,550 --> 00:01:47,390 S2: Yeah, speculation over his cryptic announcement went into overdrive after 33 00:01:47,390 --> 00:01:49,910 S2: he made it, since he connected the timing of it 34 00:01:49,910 --> 00:01:52,590 S2: with his trip to the Middle East. Some suggested he 35 00:01:52,590 --> 00:01:56,550 S2: might announce U.S. support for the creation of a Palestinian state. 36 00:01:56,950 --> 00:02:01,180 S2: Ambassador Huckabee dismissed the accuracy of that suggestion. He wrote, 37 00:02:01,180 --> 00:02:04,780 S2: my four year old grandson Teddy is more reliable. And 38 00:02:04,780 --> 00:02:08,620 S2: take it from Teddy. This report is nonsense. Others connected 39 00:02:08,620 --> 00:02:12,139 S2: it to a possible dramatic breakthrough between Israel and Hamas, 40 00:02:12,380 --> 00:02:18,260 S2: especially with Hamas's release of dual U.S. Israeli hostage Aiden Alexander. Well, 41 00:02:18,260 --> 00:02:21,860 S2: that idea fell through when Israel resumed its attacks against Hamas, 42 00:02:22,060 --> 00:02:25,019 S2: hitting a key command center below a hospital where they 43 00:02:25,020 --> 00:02:29,020 S2: believed Mohammed Sinwar, brother of Yahya Sinwar and commander of 44 00:02:29,020 --> 00:02:34,620 S2: Hamas's military wing, was located. So what was this announcement? Well, 45 00:02:34,620 --> 00:02:37,980 S2: it wasn't completely clear, though. Trump did make two announcements 46 00:02:37,980 --> 00:02:41,500 S2: before he took off. He reported on an apparent breakthrough 47 00:02:41,500 --> 00:02:44,420 S2: between the U.S. and China on tariffs, and he also 48 00:02:44,419 --> 00:02:47,460 S2: signed an executive order aimed at lowering the cost of 49 00:02:47,460 --> 00:02:51,579 S2: prescription drugs. Now, in regard to President Trump's goals for 50 00:02:51,580 --> 00:02:56,100 S2: the trip, his focus was on economics and mediation at 51 00:02:56,100 --> 00:02:59,730 S2: the U.S. Saudi Investment Forum. He described the future as 52 00:02:59,730 --> 00:03:02,570 S2: a time when the Middle East will be defined by commerce, 53 00:03:02,610 --> 00:03:05,810 S2: not chaos, and where the Middle East will also export 54 00:03:05,810 --> 00:03:09,970 S2: technology rather than terrorism. He ordered the lifting of sanctions 55 00:03:09,970 --> 00:03:13,570 S2: against Syria, as he said, to give Syria a chance 56 00:03:13,570 --> 00:03:16,650 S2: at greatness, and he met with the current leader of Syria. 57 00:03:16,970 --> 00:03:19,890 S2: He also said his administration was ready to help Lebanon 58 00:03:19,889 --> 00:03:24,169 S2: create a future of economic development and peace with its neighbors. 59 00:03:24,530 --> 00:03:28,330 S2: The president agreed to sell over $140 billion in arms 60 00:03:28,330 --> 00:03:31,490 S2: to Saudi Arabia, while the Saudis agreed to invest part 61 00:03:31,490 --> 00:03:35,250 S2: of their sovereign wealth fund in the US. Deals were 62 00:03:35,250 --> 00:03:38,690 S2: also struck with Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. The 63 00:03:38,690 --> 00:03:42,690 S2: Abraham Accords. Iran and the conflict between Israel and Hamas 64 00:03:42,730 --> 00:03:45,930 S2: were also on the agenda, as President Trump worked to 65 00:03:45,970 --> 00:03:49,690 S2: push forward his plans to mediate solutions that could draw 66 00:03:49,690 --> 00:03:53,330 S2: the region into a greater sense of peace and prosperity. 67 00:03:53,810 --> 00:03:57,240 S2: Though not stated directly, the obstacle to all these goals 68 00:03:57,240 --> 00:04:02,000 S2: remains Islamic fundamentalism. Hamas's charter calls for it to continue 69 00:04:02,000 --> 00:04:05,800 S2: fighting until the Jewish state is eliminated and an Islamic 70 00:04:05,800 --> 00:04:09,440 S2: state is established. The same is true of Iran, which 71 00:04:09,440 --> 00:04:12,839 S2: is ruled as a theocracy by the ayatollahs. Iran has 72 00:04:12,840 --> 00:04:15,600 S2: been weakened by Israel's defeat of its allies and by 73 00:04:15,600 --> 00:04:19,240 S2: crippling US sanctions, but there's still a danger to surrounding 74 00:04:19,240 --> 00:04:22,280 S2: countries now that the trip is over. Let's watch to 75 00:04:22,279 --> 00:04:24,760 S2: see what the long term results will be. 76 00:04:24,800 --> 00:04:27,000 S1: Yeah, and it'll be interesting to see what plays out. 77 00:04:27,240 --> 00:04:31,360 S1: Speaking of Iran, the nuclear talks with them resumed Sunday 78 00:04:31,360 --> 00:04:33,760 S1: after being postponed for a week. What do we know 79 00:04:33,760 --> 00:04:36,520 S1: about the most recent round of negotiations? 80 00:04:36,800 --> 00:04:39,039 S2: You know, we actually don't know much, though. The word 81 00:04:39,040 --> 00:04:43,120 S2: from the negotiators was, quote, cautious optimism along with an 82 00:04:43,120 --> 00:04:47,080 S2: agreement to continue negotiating. One key area of disagreement, though, 83 00:04:47,120 --> 00:04:51,839 S2: remains Iran's demand to continue enriching uranium. Iran has said 84 00:04:51,839 --> 00:04:54,820 S2: it must maintain the right to enrich Rich uranium, and 85 00:04:54,820 --> 00:04:58,539 S2: that US demands to limit enrichment are not helpful. Both 86 00:04:58,540 --> 00:05:02,099 S2: President Trump and the US envoy Witkoff have said Iran 87 00:05:02,100 --> 00:05:05,540 S2: can expand civilian nuclear activities, but that it must get 88 00:05:05,580 --> 00:05:09,339 S2: rid of all centrifuges. During his time in Saudi Arabia, 89 00:05:09,339 --> 00:05:12,580 S2: President Trump issued a strong warning to Iran, saying if 90 00:05:12,620 --> 00:05:16,500 S2: Iran's leadership rejects the olive branch and continues to attack 91 00:05:16,500 --> 00:05:18,820 S2: their neighbors, then we will have no choice but to 92 00:05:18,860 --> 00:05:23,540 S2: inflict massive maximum pressure. The choice is theirs to make. 93 00:05:23,900 --> 00:05:27,620 S2: And recent satellite imagery appears to have uncovered a previously 94 00:05:27,620 --> 00:05:31,940 S2: unknown nuclear site in Iran being used to extract tritium, 95 00:05:31,980 --> 00:05:36,059 S2: a radioactive isotope of hydrogen. In addition to creating things 96 00:05:36,060 --> 00:05:40,020 S2: like self-illuminating lights, tritium can also be used to boost 97 00:05:40,020 --> 00:05:43,580 S2: the yield of nuclear weapons. The bottom line right now 98 00:05:43,580 --> 00:05:47,299 S2: is that there's much we don't know about the negotiations, 99 00:05:47,300 --> 00:05:51,060 S2: but President Trump is very clearly telegraphing what his expectations 100 00:05:51,060 --> 00:05:55,049 S2: are if Iran hopes to achieve a successful outcome in 101 00:05:55,050 --> 00:05:56,330 S2: the negotiations. 102 00:05:56,330 --> 00:05:58,770 S1: If you joined us midstream, this is the land and 103 00:05:58,770 --> 00:06:02,010 S1: the book from Moody Radio. Our host is Doctor Charlie Dyer, 104 00:06:02,170 --> 00:06:05,650 S1: noted Middle East expert and scholar. I'm John Gager. Story 105 00:06:05,650 --> 00:06:10,610 S1: number three. The conflict over a bill requiring ultra-Orthodox Jews 106 00:06:10,610 --> 00:06:13,530 S1: to serve in the military in Israel seems to be 107 00:06:13,529 --> 00:06:16,090 S1: coming to a head. Could this be the issue that 108 00:06:16,089 --> 00:06:18,650 S1: ultimately brings down the current coalition? 109 00:06:19,010 --> 00:06:22,050 S2: He almost want to say, Oy vey. It really is 110 00:06:22,050 --> 00:06:24,570 S2: a problem. In fact, the short answer is this could 111 00:06:24,610 --> 00:06:29,690 S2: bring down Netanyahu's coalition. The different ultra-Orthodox parties have been 112 00:06:29,690 --> 00:06:34,170 S2: demanding that Prime Minister Netanyahu pass a bill exempting most 113 00:06:34,170 --> 00:06:38,170 S2: ultra-Orthodox from military service. And, of course, they continued threatening 114 00:06:38,170 --> 00:06:40,770 S2: to bring down the government if he fails to do so. 115 00:06:40,850 --> 00:06:44,450 S2: In fact, right now, they're refusing to vote in the Knesset, 116 00:06:44,450 --> 00:06:48,290 S2: forcing the coalition to remove all proposed legislation from their 117 00:06:48,290 --> 00:06:51,529 S2: docket for the past two weeks. One major problem with 118 00:06:51,529 --> 00:06:54,120 S2: the bill they want is that the vast majority of 119 00:06:54,120 --> 00:06:57,760 S2: Israelis believe all citizens should be subject to the draft, 120 00:06:57,760 --> 00:07:00,520 S2: especially in light of the war Israel has been fighting 121 00:07:00,520 --> 00:07:04,760 S2: for the past 18 months. Most Israelis resent the ultra-Orthodox 122 00:07:04,760 --> 00:07:08,880 S2: refusing to serve. A number of news reports recently appeared 123 00:07:08,880 --> 00:07:14,120 S2: suggesting Netanyahu might preempt the ultra-Orthodox by dissolving the Knesset 124 00:07:14,120 --> 00:07:17,480 S2: over this issue and calling for new elections. He would 125 00:07:17,480 --> 00:07:20,600 S2: then claim he refused to give in to the ultra-Orthodox 126 00:07:20,600 --> 00:07:24,120 S2: on this important matter, which would very likely increase support 127 00:07:24,120 --> 00:07:26,720 S2: for him and his party by those opposed to such 128 00:07:26,760 --> 00:07:31,720 S2: apparent inequity now. So would Netanyahu really dissolve the government, 129 00:07:31,720 --> 00:07:35,000 S2: or is this just a threat to force the ultra-Orthodox 130 00:07:35,000 --> 00:07:38,800 S2: to back down? And right now, we don't know. Netanyahu 131 00:07:38,840 --> 00:07:41,600 S2: would prefer not to go to elections right now or 132 00:07:41,600 --> 00:07:45,000 S2: really at any time. But he also can't allow parties 133 00:07:45,000 --> 00:07:48,320 S2: in the coalition to hold him hostage to their threats 134 00:07:48,320 --> 00:07:51,630 S2: and demands. Watch to see if some sort of compromise 135 00:07:51,630 --> 00:07:54,310 S2: can be worked out in the coming weeks. That will 136 00:07:54,310 --> 00:07:58,070 S2: increase the number of ultra-Orthodox going into the military while 137 00:07:58,070 --> 00:08:02,470 S2: also providing some exemptions. But if a compromise can't be reached, 138 00:08:02,470 --> 00:08:04,910 S2: this could indeed bring down the government. 139 00:08:04,990 --> 00:08:08,750 S1: Story number four A controversial announcement claimed to have discovered 140 00:08:08,750 --> 00:08:13,390 S1: massive structures underneath the pyramids in Egypt. What exactly was 141 00:08:13,390 --> 00:08:17,230 S1: reported and how valid are these claims made by the scientists? 142 00:08:17,470 --> 00:08:21,110 S2: Yeah, it's amazing how how breathless these reports were and 143 00:08:21,110 --> 00:08:24,630 S2: how they appeared in so many different newspapers and journals 144 00:08:24,630 --> 00:08:27,950 S2: and online sources. But here's what the bottom line is. 145 00:08:27,950 --> 00:08:31,910 S2: Researchers from the University of Glasgow and the Italian University 146 00:08:31,910 --> 00:08:34,910 S2: of Pisa caused a stir when they announced they had 147 00:08:34,910 --> 00:08:40,270 S2: mapped tunnels, pillars, pathways and halls beneath the central pyramid 148 00:08:40,270 --> 00:08:44,150 S2: at Giza. They said this vast network descends over a 149 00:08:44,150 --> 00:08:47,470 S2: mile beneath the pyramids, and they claim to have mapped 150 00:08:47,470 --> 00:08:52,380 S2: it all out using synthetic aperture radar beamed down from satellites. 151 00:08:52,620 --> 00:08:56,220 S2: So how valid are these claims? Well, they've been rejected 152 00:08:56,220 --> 00:09:01,140 S2: by virtually all scientists and archaeologists. While NASA has used 153 00:09:01,140 --> 00:09:05,020 S2: synthetic aperture radar from space to map the Earth's surface. 154 00:09:05,260 --> 00:09:08,940 S2: Scientists say it's impossible for such radar waves to reach 155 00:09:08,980 --> 00:09:13,420 S2: thousands of feet underground. These researchers have no background in 156 00:09:13,420 --> 00:09:17,459 S2: Egyptology or archaeology, and they chose not to publish their 157 00:09:17,460 --> 00:09:21,420 S2: findings in a credible scientific journal. In addition, one of 158 00:09:21,420 --> 00:09:25,939 S2: the researchers apparently specializes in ufology, which is the study 159 00:09:25,940 --> 00:09:30,179 S2: of UFOs. One renowned Egyptologist summarized it all best when 160 00:09:30,179 --> 00:09:33,900 S2: he said the claims are false and the details supposedly 161 00:09:33,900 --> 00:09:38,300 S2: discovered could not have been detected using such methods. All 162 00:09:38,340 --> 00:09:41,380 S2: that to say, if you've seen those articles, don't expect 163 00:09:41,380 --> 00:09:45,100 S2: to see detailed photos of this supposed discovery underneath the 164 00:09:45,100 --> 00:09:47,100 S2: pyramids anytime soon. 165 00:09:47,140 --> 00:09:49,890 S1: Thank you Charlie. Many listeners might be wondering what is 166 00:09:49,890 --> 00:09:53,890 S1: the proper understanding of Middle East hospitality, so-called, if that's 167 00:09:53,890 --> 00:09:56,330 S1: what it is, in the gifting of this plane to 168 00:09:56,370 --> 00:09:58,610 S1: the United States of America. Your thoughts? 169 00:09:59,050 --> 00:10:01,490 S2: Yeah. Well, make a friend before you need them is 170 00:10:01,490 --> 00:10:03,490 S2: one of the phrases I learned very early on in 171 00:10:03,490 --> 00:10:06,809 S2: the Middle East. In fact, you find David giving presents 172 00:10:06,809 --> 00:10:09,890 S2: and gifts to the towns in Judah as he defeated 173 00:10:09,890 --> 00:10:12,770 S2: the Amalekites and others. And then later they made him king. 174 00:10:12,970 --> 00:10:16,329 S2: It was just a concept of Near Eastern hospitality that 175 00:10:16,330 --> 00:10:19,250 S2: it still extends today. And I think that's probably what's 176 00:10:19,250 --> 00:10:20,770 S2: behind the offer of that airplane. 177 00:10:20,809 --> 00:10:24,569 S1: All right. Interesting. We'll follow that story as it unfolds. Well, 178 00:10:24,610 --> 00:10:27,490 S1: coming up next, a conversation about why you still need 179 00:10:27,490 --> 00:10:30,969 S1: a Bible atlas. Yeah. You understand the stories of the Bible, 180 00:10:30,970 --> 00:10:33,610 S1: but what could you do to better understand the places 181 00:10:33,610 --> 00:10:36,570 S1: of the Bible where it all unfolded? We're going to 182 00:10:36,570 --> 00:10:38,810 S1: take a sneak peek at a new Bible atlas with 183 00:10:38,809 --> 00:10:41,370 S1: features to help you see it all. Plus, we'll get 184 00:10:41,370 --> 00:10:44,250 S1: to your Bible questions later on, and then Charlie's devotional 185 00:10:44,250 --> 00:10:46,530 S1: wraps it all up. I love the title of this one. 186 00:10:46,530 --> 00:10:49,959 S1: The might have been town. It's all ahead on today's 187 00:10:49,960 --> 00:10:52,240 S1: edition of The Land and the book. If you haven't 188 00:10:52,240 --> 00:10:54,240 S1: yet told a friend about us, today's a good day 189 00:10:54,240 --> 00:11:11,520 S1: to do that. Sure, you understand the stories of the Bible, 190 00:11:11,520 --> 00:11:14,080 S1: but what can you do to understand the places of 191 00:11:14,080 --> 00:11:17,560 S1: the Bible? The land where it all unfolded? Up next, 192 00:11:17,600 --> 00:11:20,920 S1: a conversation about a new Bible atlas with features to 193 00:11:20,920 --> 00:11:23,559 S1: help you see it all. This is the land and 194 00:11:23,559 --> 00:11:25,520 S1: the book I'm John Gager and what do you say 195 00:11:25,520 --> 00:11:27,600 S1: we take a second or two and think about a 196 00:11:27,600 --> 00:11:31,479 S1: creative idea for loving our Jewish friends, neighbors, and co-workers? 197 00:11:32,320 --> 00:11:34,400 S1: When you sit down in an honest conversation with a 198 00:11:34,400 --> 00:11:38,000 S1: Jewish friend about Christianity, the objection you often hear is 199 00:11:38,000 --> 00:11:41,600 S1: that the New Testament is full of errors. Levi Hazen 200 00:11:41,600 --> 00:11:44,319 S1: is executive director of Life in Messiah. How should we 201 00:11:44,320 --> 00:11:45,320 S1: reply to that? 202 00:11:45,380 --> 00:11:48,940 S3: Well, John, volumes have been written that provide evidence of 203 00:11:48,940 --> 00:11:52,380 S3: the New Testament's reliability as a historical document. Are you 204 00:11:52,380 --> 00:11:56,700 S3: aware there are no contemporary historical records that contradict the 205 00:11:56,700 --> 00:11:59,780 S3: New Testament authors, and where the New Testament can be 206 00:11:59,780 --> 00:12:05,500 S3: checked against external sources, they are consistently accurate. So why 207 00:12:05,500 --> 00:12:09,100 S3: wouldn't we take the New Testament as being historically reliable? 208 00:12:09,820 --> 00:12:13,260 S3: When I encounter this topic in conversation with my Jewish friends, 209 00:12:13,460 --> 00:12:16,260 S3: I like to try and work in several questions. The 210 00:12:16,260 --> 00:12:19,020 S3: first of which is have you read the New Testament? 211 00:12:19,300 --> 00:12:22,500 S3: I'm shocked by how many people have opinions about a 212 00:12:22,500 --> 00:12:26,420 S3: book they've never actually read. Second, I like to ask 213 00:12:26,420 --> 00:12:28,740 S3: my Jewish friends if they're aware that the New Testament 214 00:12:28,740 --> 00:12:32,300 S3: is a Jewish document at its core. The authors were Jewish. 215 00:12:32,420 --> 00:12:35,260 S3: It's about a Jewish messiah from Israel, and it relies 216 00:12:35,260 --> 00:12:38,100 S3: heavily on the Hebrew Bible to make its case. In 217 00:12:38,100 --> 00:12:40,820 S3: using these questions and others like it, my hope is 218 00:12:40,820 --> 00:12:43,339 S3: that God will soften their hearts to exploring the New 219 00:12:43,340 --> 00:12:46,050 S3: Testament and Jesus for themselves. 220 00:12:46,250 --> 00:12:49,770 S1: Insights from Levi Hazen, whose with life in Messiah and 221 00:12:49,770 --> 00:12:53,850 S1: you're listening to The land and the book. Doctor Jack 222 00:12:53,850 --> 00:12:58,089 S1: Beck is a scholar, educator, and writer with extensive experience 223 00:12:58,090 --> 00:13:01,650 S1: in biblical geography. He has a Ph.D. in Theology and 224 00:13:01,650 --> 00:13:05,770 S1: Old Testament from Trinity International University, and is an adjunct 225 00:13:05,770 --> 00:13:10,250 S1: faculty member at Jerusalem University College in Israel. And in 226 00:13:10,250 --> 00:13:13,410 S1: the past 20 years or so, Doctor Beck has collaborated 227 00:13:13,410 --> 00:13:16,890 S1: on many projects with our Daily Bread Ministries, including the 228 00:13:16,890 --> 00:13:21,290 S1: Holy Land video series and several books including the Our 229 00:13:21,290 --> 00:13:25,050 S1: Daily Bread Bible Atlas. Welcome back to the land and 230 00:13:25,050 --> 00:13:25,850 S1: the book, Jack. 231 00:13:26,290 --> 00:13:28,530 S4: John, thanks so much for the chance to visit. 232 00:13:28,530 --> 00:13:31,970 S1: So obviously, uh, no shortage of Bible atlases out there. 233 00:13:32,010 --> 00:13:35,530 S1: What made you passionate about taking on this particular project, Jack? 234 00:13:36,050 --> 00:13:38,850 S4: Yeah, so it's a little different, John, in the sense 235 00:13:38,850 --> 00:13:42,520 S4: that I have used a different paradigm for integrating Eating 236 00:13:42,640 --> 00:13:47,360 S4: land and text, and that changes the way the atlas reads. 237 00:13:47,559 --> 00:13:51,800 S4: It is less a history oriented book and more of 238 00:13:51,800 --> 00:13:56,959 S4: a commentary like read, so it is organized chronologically as 239 00:13:56,960 --> 00:14:00,840 S4: you move through the Bible, but it pays attention to geography, 240 00:14:00,880 --> 00:14:05,400 S4: particularly looking for ways in which not only it shaped 241 00:14:05,440 --> 00:14:08,920 S4: events and culture, but the way it shapes the very 242 00:14:08,920 --> 00:14:12,760 S4: way the Bible itself speaks. Because some of what God 243 00:14:12,760 --> 00:14:16,040 S4: has had to say to us, he said, using geography. 244 00:14:16,080 --> 00:14:19,320 S1: Yeah. Well, having said that, uh, don't be scared off. 245 00:14:19,320 --> 00:14:22,920 S1: This is in addition to being a visually stunning book, uh, 246 00:14:22,920 --> 00:14:25,800 S1: one that really does piece the whole narrative together for us. 247 00:14:25,800 --> 00:14:27,760 S1: So I, I like that it's the kind of thing 248 00:14:27,760 --> 00:14:29,960 S1: you can sit down and just take your time with, uh, 249 00:14:29,960 --> 00:14:33,360 S1: what are the sources that you used for the many, many, very, 250 00:14:33,360 --> 00:14:36,880 S1: very nice photographs in the Our Daily Bread Bible Atlas? 251 00:14:37,280 --> 00:14:41,000 S4: Yeah. The photos, John, by and large, are my own, uh, 252 00:14:41,000 --> 00:14:44,590 S4: few of them from the Our Daily Bread Ministries collection, 253 00:14:44,590 --> 00:14:47,030 S4: but quite a few of them from my own. You know, 254 00:14:47,070 --> 00:14:49,630 S4: I've been hanging out in that land for about 30 years, 255 00:14:49,670 --> 00:14:53,470 S4: and camera equipment has changed over time. But I've tried 256 00:14:53,470 --> 00:14:56,870 S4: to refresh that collection. I have, and many of those 257 00:14:56,870 --> 00:14:59,070 S4: refresh pictures appear in the atlas. 258 00:14:59,110 --> 00:15:02,190 S1: Well, they're well done. Doctor Jack Beck is an adjunct 259 00:15:02,190 --> 00:15:06,630 S1: faculty member at Jerusalem University College in Israel. He's collaborated 260 00:15:06,630 --> 00:15:08,950 S1: on a lot of projects with our daily Bread ministries, 261 00:15:08,950 --> 00:15:12,950 S1: including the Our Daily Bread Bible Atlas we're talking about today. 262 00:15:13,230 --> 00:15:16,230 S1: Describe how the in-depth commentaries bring a greater sense of 263 00:15:16,230 --> 00:15:18,630 S1: understanding of the land itself. We've touched on some of it, 264 00:15:18,630 --> 00:15:21,790 S1: but I think until it's all between two covers, all 265 00:15:21,990 --> 00:15:26,190 S1: flowing nicely historically, chronologically correct, we don't quite get it. 266 00:15:26,230 --> 00:15:26,950 S1: What do you think? 267 00:15:27,550 --> 00:15:30,989 S4: Yeah, I think that's true. And it's a fundamental truth, John, 268 00:15:30,990 --> 00:15:34,350 S4: that who we are and how we think and how 269 00:15:34,350 --> 00:15:38,430 S4: we most naturally communicate is very much a product of 270 00:15:38,430 --> 00:15:42,820 S4: where we're from. I very much sound like someone from 271 00:15:42,820 --> 00:15:46,580 S4: southern Wisconsin. And you can't take who I am and 272 00:15:46,580 --> 00:15:49,260 S4: move me to a different place and have the same 273 00:15:49,260 --> 00:15:53,260 S4: backstory that that I have. The same is true of 274 00:15:53,260 --> 00:15:56,300 S4: the lives of people in the Bible, who they are, 275 00:15:56,780 --> 00:16:00,100 S4: how they thought, how they most naturally communicated as a 276 00:16:00,100 --> 00:16:03,060 S4: product of where they're from. And I try to listen 277 00:16:03,060 --> 00:16:05,620 S4: really carefully to the way in which they speak, the 278 00:16:05,620 --> 00:16:09,340 S4: way the biblical authors and poets speak, to listen for 279 00:16:09,340 --> 00:16:14,060 S4: the way in which they use place to inform my thinking. 280 00:16:14,620 --> 00:16:17,660 S1: Well, another innovation with this updated atlas is the use 281 00:16:17,660 --> 00:16:20,900 S1: of QR codes embedded in the text. What kind of 282 00:16:20,900 --> 00:16:23,820 S1: content can listeners expect when they give those a click? 283 00:16:24,460 --> 00:16:27,180 S4: Yeah, so I've had the opportunity to do a number 284 00:16:27,180 --> 00:16:31,020 S4: of film series with our Daily Bread Ministries, and among 285 00:16:31,020 --> 00:16:34,220 S4: the things that we've filmed are some two minute shorts. 286 00:16:34,380 --> 00:16:38,860 S4: And it's those brief shorts that are often connected via 287 00:16:39,010 --> 00:16:43,330 S4: the atlas to the video web portal. So, for example, 288 00:16:43,330 --> 00:16:46,570 S4: if you happen to be reading about a region, you 289 00:16:46,570 --> 00:16:49,970 S4: might get a two minute introduction visually to the region 290 00:16:49,970 --> 00:16:52,490 S4: in a video. If you happen to be reading about 291 00:16:52,490 --> 00:16:55,650 S4: an olive oil crushing press, you could be linked to 292 00:16:55,690 --> 00:16:58,610 S4: a two minute video on the olive oil crushing press. 293 00:16:58,610 --> 00:17:01,690 S4: So they're designed to be brief but insightful. 294 00:17:01,850 --> 00:17:05,689 S1: That's a neat feature. Doctor Jack Beck is a scholar, educator, 295 00:17:05,690 --> 00:17:09,729 S1: and writer with extensive experience in biblical geography. He joins 296 00:17:09,730 --> 00:17:12,649 S1: us today on The Land and the book. I'm John 297 00:17:12,650 --> 00:17:15,810 S1: Yeager saying thanks for being part of our conversation. Jack. 298 00:17:15,810 --> 00:17:18,130 S1: What were some of the challenges you guys had in 299 00:17:18,130 --> 00:17:20,929 S1: shooting those videos? I mean, having been there, many of 300 00:17:20,930 --> 00:17:23,810 S1: our listeners will be aware it's it's a dusty place. 301 00:17:23,810 --> 00:17:27,010 S1: It gets real hot. So photographically that can be a challenge. 302 00:17:27,010 --> 00:17:29,570 S1: Extreme light. What were some of the issues you had 303 00:17:29,570 --> 00:17:30,290 S1: to deal with? 304 00:17:30,690 --> 00:17:33,010 S4: Yeah, well, I got to give credit to the film 305 00:17:33,010 --> 00:17:36,050 S4: crew on this one. They are excellent at picking the 306 00:17:36,050 --> 00:17:39,119 S4: time of day when it's best to be out shooting. 307 00:17:39,160 --> 00:17:42,040 S4: Often that's earlier in the morning or later in the evening. 308 00:17:42,080 --> 00:17:45,320 S4: Leaving the middle part of the day to do other things. 309 00:17:45,320 --> 00:17:48,360 S4: So they really do a great job of picking time 310 00:17:48,359 --> 00:17:49,960 S4: and place to get those shots. 311 00:17:50,400 --> 00:17:53,520 S1: How long would you say it took to accumulate, shoot, 312 00:17:53,560 --> 00:17:56,600 S1: edit all of those little inserts that you're a part 313 00:17:56,600 --> 00:17:58,280 S1: of our Daily Bread Bible Atlas. 314 00:17:58,680 --> 00:18:02,399 S4: Wow. You know, I would say they're the shorts are 315 00:18:02,400 --> 00:18:04,760 S4: very much a part of the four seasons of the 316 00:18:04,760 --> 00:18:08,040 S4: Holy Land that we've done. So there are 34 longer 317 00:18:08,040 --> 00:18:11,560 S4: episodes there. Every time we went to shoot one of 318 00:18:11,560 --> 00:18:15,440 S4: those seasons, we ended up collecting some two minute shorts. 319 00:18:15,440 --> 00:18:18,360 S4: And I think there's something like 60 of them that 320 00:18:18,359 --> 00:18:19,200 S4: are available. 321 00:18:20,000 --> 00:18:22,679 S1: At the risk of overstating the obvious, there are also 322 00:18:22,680 --> 00:18:26,560 S1: lots and lots of maps included. Uh, I think they 323 00:18:26,560 --> 00:18:29,439 S1: just feel fresh. They feel current. Talk about the value 324 00:18:29,440 --> 00:18:32,280 S1: of having accurate and detailed maps as we try to 325 00:18:32,320 --> 00:18:33,560 S1: piece together scripture. 326 00:18:34,119 --> 00:18:37,710 S4: Well, it's for me all about Orientation. It's not the 327 00:18:37,710 --> 00:18:41,270 S4: full story of geographic understanding, but I think it's an important, 328 00:18:41,270 --> 00:18:45,710 S4: fundamental piece. I need to know where things are. And 329 00:18:45,750 --> 00:18:48,389 S4: one way I can do that is through a map. 330 00:18:48,390 --> 00:18:51,990 S4: If I can gain some sort of orientation that is 331 00:18:51,990 --> 00:18:56,310 S4: similar to the orientation the biblical authors and poets had. 332 00:18:56,510 --> 00:18:59,550 S4: I'll be able to both recognize the geography more quickly 333 00:18:59,550 --> 00:19:02,750 S4: in their texts and of course, understand what they're saying. 334 00:19:03,070 --> 00:19:05,590 S1: This is the land and the book. Our guest today, 335 00:19:05,630 --> 00:19:09,590 S1: doctor Jack Beck. The one component to any atlas that 336 00:19:09,590 --> 00:19:12,670 S1: is so limiting, it seems to me, is the inability 337 00:19:12,670 --> 00:19:16,230 S1: to truly convey the topography. Only when you've been to 338 00:19:16,270 --> 00:19:19,030 S1: Israel do you understand that having a scale in hand 339 00:19:19,030 --> 00:19:21,190 S1: and saying, oh, that was just five miles away is 340 00:19:21,190 --> 00:19:23,910 S1: almost irrelevant when you realize how steep the hills are. 341 00:19:23,950 --> 00:19:26,390 S1: These folks would have to walk up and then try 342 00:19:26,430 --> 00:19:29,630 S1: not to tumble down. How do you resolve that issue 343 00:19:29,869 --> 00:19:32,310 S1: of the challenge of conveying topography? 344 00:19:33,109 --> 00:19:35,650 S4: Well, first of all, I want to acknowledge the reality 345 00:19:35,650 --> 00:19:38,929 S4: of everything you've just said, John. Many people come to 346 00:19:38,970 --> 00:19:42,290 S4: Israel to get a geographic picture of the land, and 347 00:19:42,290 --> 00:19:45,210 S4: there's not just one. It is a place that changes 348 00:19:45,210 --> 00:19:48,649 S4: quickly over short distances. And so I make there to 349 00:19:48,650 --> 00:19:54,010 S4: be at least 14 or 15 separate geographic regions. We 350 00:19:54,050 --> 00:19:58,170 S4: call them out in the atlas. We describe them in detail. 351 00:19:58,170 --> 00:20:02,650 S4: We show photos of them. We have topographic maps that illustrate. 352 00:20:02,650 --> 00:20:05,730 S4: So in one or more of those ways, we hope 353 00:20:05,730 --> 00:20:07,810 S4: to be able to give folks a chance to not 354 00:20:07,810 --> 00:20:11,810 S4: only think about how that space might have looked generally, 355 00:20:11,810 --> 00:20:14,810 S4: but individually. How did a region look so that we 356 00:20:14,810 --> 00:20:19,010 S4: might better understand how that region produced unique stories? 357 00:20:19,250 --> 00:20:20,850 S1: Yeah. I mean, that issue really is at the heart 358 00:20:20,850 --> 00:20:23,010 S1: of something that just blew me away after my first visit. 359 00:20:23,050 --> 00:20:25,609 S1: You know, as I said, a scale that says, you know, 360 00:20:25,650 --> 00:20:28,570 S1: a quarter inch is ten miles or whatever does absolutely 361 00:20:28,570 --> 00:20:32,369 S1: nothing to convey what these Bible characters would have experienced 362 00:20:32,570 --> 00:20:35,920 S1: traveling those distances, be they ever so small numerically. 363 00:20:35,960 --> 00:20:38,800 S4: Yeah. Lots of up and down in the horizontal. 364 00:20:38,840 --> 00:20:42,359 S1: Yeah. For sure. Another feature that I really appreciate in 365 00:20:42,359 --> 00:20:44,679 S1: the back you have a number of charts. These are 366 00:20:44,720 --> 00:20:47,919 S1: historical charts that list things out in a way that's 367 00:20:47,960 --> 00:20:50,120 S1: that's sort of visual, but helps me kind of wrap 368 00:20:50,119 --> 00:20:52,360 S1: my brain around it. I can't just seem to read 369 00:20:52,359 --> 00:20:54,960 S1: a text and get it lodged there. I need to 370 00:20:54,960 --> 00:20:57,680 S1: see it simplified in a chart, and you guys have 371 00:20:57,680 --> 00:20:59,040 S1: done a great job with that too. 372 00:20:59,400 --> 00:21:02,480 S4: Well, thanks. I think that is an important part of this. 373 00:21:02,520 --> 00:21:05,240 S4: If you're trying to get your mind wrapped around the 374 00:21:05,240 --> 00:21:09,040 S4: meteorology or weather of a season's of Israel, I think 375 00:21:09,080 --> 00:21:11,680 S4: a chart is incredibly helpful. If you're trying to get 376 00:21:11,680 --> 00:21:15,760 S4: a chronological picture of where that particular person or story 377 00:21:15,800 --> 00:21:18,480 S4: fits in the arc of the larger storyline of the Bible. 378 00:21:18,480 --> 00:21:22,600 S4: We've got those sorts of chronological timelines as well, and 379 00:21:22,600 --> 00:21:26,160 S4: for me too, they really are helpful. Visual aids. 380 00:21:26,560 --> 00:21:30,119 S1: In just one visit to Israel, you are almost overwhelmed 381 00:21:30,359 --> 00:21:34,350 S1: with the geography and topography. One tiny little nation the 382 00:21:34,350 --> 00:21:38,350 S1: size of new Jersey has mountains, plains, deserts, valleys, everything 383 00:21:38,350 --> 00:21:41,110 S1: in between. Maybe the best atlas, though, in the end, 384 00:21:41,150 --> 00:21:43,710 S1: is ultimately a trip to Israel. Your thoughts Jack? 385 00:21:44,030 --> 00:21:48,550 S4: Yeah, I would absolutely agree. Everything that I have done 386 00:21:48,590 --> 00:21:52,150 S4: comes up short of actually being in the land, walking 387 00:21:52,150 --> 00:21:56,910 S4: that land, feeling the breezes, smelling the smells, hearing the birds. 388 00:21:57,150 --> 00:22:02,270 S4: That sort of a sensory surround experience really makes a difference. 389 00:22:02,270 --> 00:22:05,030 S4: And your point is well taken too. The first trip 390 00:22:05,030 --> 00:22:08,229 S4: can be incredibly overwhelming. I've had folks come with me 391 00:22:08,230 --> 00:22:11,950 S4: on trips two, three, four, five times, and inevitably on 392 00:22:11,950 --> 00:22:14,710 S4: the second trip they'll say something like, well, you didn't 393 00:22:14,710 --> 00:22:16,990 S4: say that the first time I was here. I said, yeah, 394 00:22:17,030 --> 00:22:19,550 S4: I bet I did. It was just you were thinking 395 00:22:19,550 --> 00:22:22,109 S4: and trying to grasp something else. And that's why the 396 00:22:22,109 --> 00:22:25,430 S4: the second trip of people who do multiple trips, the 397 00:22:25,430 --> 00:22:28,270 S4: second trip is almost always the one that they report 398 00:22:28,270 --> 00:22:29,590 S4: the most learning on. 399 00:22:29,910 --> 00:22:31,900 S1: I don't know, I can't speak for anybody else. But 400 00:22:31,900 --> 00:22:34,100 S1: to me, no matter how many times I go to Israel, 401 00:22:34,260 --> 00:22:41,300 S1: I just cannot comprehend the extraordinary extremes there are geographically. 402 00:22:41,700 --> 00:22:43,979 S1: You know, I think of going up north and you 403 00:22:43,980 --> 00:22:47,100 S1: go to the Bonniest waterfall. No one, no one would 404 00:22:47,100 --> 00:22:51,300 S1: imagine that such a lush, green, cool, spectacular place like 405 00:22:51,300 --> 00:22:54,740 S1: that existed in Israel, I think, unless they actually went there. 406 00:22:55,020 --> 00:22:58,180 S4: Yeah, it's exactly right. And then you move 15 miles 407 00:22:58,180 --> 00:23:01,020 S4: and you're in a different ecosystem, and another 15 miles 408 00:23:01,020 --> 00:23:04,379 S4: and you're in another ecosystem. And John, something that I 409 00:23:04,420 --> 00:23:07,700 S4: learned early on is that you can't move one of 410 00:23:07,700 --> 00:23:10,340 S4: these stories in the Bible, one of these pieces of 411 00:23:10,340 --> 00:23:13,820 S4: poetry in the Bible, from one region to another and 412 00:23:13,820 --> 00:23:17,500 S4: not impact how you understand and interpret it. So I 413 00:23:17,500 --> 00:23:19,700 S4: think one of the one of the keys for me 414 00:23:19,700 --> 00:23:22,780 S4: as a Bible interpreter, and you'll appreciate this, that I 415 00:23:22,820 --> 00:23:28,220 S4: began my scholarly career as a linguist and literary analyst. 416 00:23:28,500 --> 00:23:31,929 S4: Those were the tools that I thought would most help 417 00:23:31,930 --> 00:23:36,010 S4: me understand the text. I realized after I started incorporating 418 00:23:36,010 --> 00:23:39,290 S4: geography that I needed that tool in my belt as well, 419 00:23:39,330 --> 00:23:42,090 S4: to really come around to a full understanding of a 420 00:23:42,090 --> 00:23:43,889 S4: text and its interpretation. 421 00:23:44,250 --> 00:23:46,449 S1: You know what we're talking about geography. I'm thinking of 422 00:23:46,450 --> 00:23:49,650 S1: an evening I spent recently with a couple of our granddaughters, 423 00:23:49,650 --> 00:23:51,850 S1: and we're reading a Bible story, and of course, it 424 00:23:51,890 --> 00:23:56,370 S1: envisions a sheep in a green pasture. Well, green pastures 425 00:23:56,410 --> 00:23:58,690 S1: a la what we see in the United States just 426 00:23:58,690 --> 00:24:02,449 S1: don't exist in Israel, period. And again, until you go there, 427 00:24:02,450 --> 00:24:03,970 S1: you don't quite get that right. 428 00:24:04,290 --> 00:24:09,410 S4: Yeah. That's right. There is no southern Wisconsin, upper Midwestern 429 00:24:09,730 --> 00:24:12,570 S4: sort of landscape. You know, my grandparents had a dairy farm. 430 00:24:12,730 --> 00:24:16,210 S4: And so prior to my engagement with Israel, a lot 431 00:24:16,210 --> 00:24:20,169 S4: of my agricultural understanding and pictures were were coming out 432 00:24:20,170 --> 00:24:24,290 S4: of that experience. I didn't have another experience to attach 433 00:24:24,290 --> 00:24:28,879 S4: to the language. But when I suddenly get into that land. 434 00:24:28,880 --> 00:24:31,880 S4: And I understand the culture of movement of the shepherds 435 00:24:31,880 --> 00:24:37,159 S4: from wilderness pastures into farm fields and back again. I 436 00:24:37,200 --> 00:24:40,200 S4: had a whole different understanding of Psalm 23. 437 00:24:40,440 --> 00:24:43,560 S1: And standing outside of Bethlehem, on the hills where those 438 00:24:43,560 --> 00:24:46,399 S1: shepherds were positioned at the time of Christ's birth. You 439 00:24:46,400 --> 00:24:48,120 S1: look at the sheep there and you go, how do 440 00:24:48,119 --> 00:24:51,160 S1: they find enough to fill their stomachs? But they do. 441 00:24:51,560 --> 00:24:54,359 S1: And for me, the sort of rush to a devotional 442 00:24:54,400 --> 00:24:57,480 S1: mentality says, you know, God is going to provide, even 443 00:24:57,480 --> 00:24:59,920 S1: if it doesn't look like there's enough there. He'll make 444 00:24:59,960 --> 00:25:02,560 S1: sure there's enough. And that's another great lesson. 445 00:25:03,000 --> 00:25:06,760 S4: It really is. And Psalm 23, it's not that the 446 00:25:06,760 --> 00:25:10,840 S4: livestock are in a place that is so abundant in 447 00:25:10,880 --> 00:25:14,000 S4: food and water that they don't have to worry. They're 448 00:25:14,000 --> 00:25:17,439 S4: in a place that lacks almost everything. But when they 449 00:25:17,440 --> 00:25:19,680 S4: look at the shepherd, they lack nothing. 450 00:25:20,040 --> 00:25:22,880 S1: That's doctor Jack Beck, who has put together our Daily 451 00:25:22,880 --> 00:25:26,080 S1: Bread Bible Atlas. This is not just a collection of 452 00:25:26,080 --> 00:25:29,470 S1: maps or a collection of really pretty pictures. It is 453 00:25:29,470 --> 00:25:32,590 S1: a book that moves you through the entire Bible in 454 00:25:32,590 --> 00:25:35,190 S1: a way that puts it together for you and helps 455 00:25:35,190 --> 00:25:37,750 S1: you understand it on several different levels. Thank you for 456 00:25:37,750 --> 00:25:40,510 S1: your investment with the book. Thank you for sharing with 457 00:25:40,510 --> 00:25:42,030 S1: us today on the land and the book. 458 00:25:42,390 --> 00:25:44,429 S4: John, thanks for the opportunity to be with you. I 459 00:25:44,430 --> 00:25:45,790 S4: always appreciate the visit. 460 00:25:46,150 --> 00:25:48,149 S1: And we hope you come back. Well, coming up on 461 00:25:48,150 --> 00:25:50,830 S1: the broadcast, it's your friend and mine, Gerald Peterman, to 462 00:25:50,869 --> 00:25:53,149 S1: look at Bible questions that have come in. See you 463 00:25:53,150 --> 00:25:55,550 S1: on our next segment of The land and the book. 464 00:26:06,830 --> 00:26:11,070 S1: The Bible is one big book, 66 books inside that book, 465 00:26:11,109 --> 00:26:14,070 S1: and so many different chapters and verses and subjects and 466 00:26:14,070 --> 00:26:17,430 S1: people and places. If you read it and don't have questions, 467 00:26:17,430 --> 00:26:19,790 S1: you got to wonder whether you're really reading it. I'm 468 00:26:19,790 --> 00:26:22,909 S1: John Gager. This is the land and the book. Seated 469 00:26:22,910 --> 00:26:25,390 S1: across from me, the one and only Doctor Gerald Peterman 470 00:26:25,430 --> 00:26:28,580 S1: on the Moody Bible Institute faculty. Now on the land 471 00:26:28,580 --> 00:26:30,100 S1: and the book faculty. Welcome back. 472 00:26:30,140 --> 00:26:32,100 S5: Oh, thank you, sir. Wonderful to be here. 473 00:26:32,140 --> 00:26:34,100 S1: Always fun to take a look at what listeners are 474 00:26:34,100 --> 00:26:36,939 S1: wondering about. Before we get to our first question. Let's 475 00:26:36,940 --> 00:26:39,220 S1: think about the fact that most Jewish people have never 476 00:26:39,220 --> 00:26:42,139 S1: heard the gospel. Each week we talk about Israel and 477 00:26:42,140 --> 00:26:44,820 S1: the Jewish people, and it's important to remember that they, 478 00:26:44,820 --> 00:26:47,659 S1: like everyone else, need to hear the good news. 479 00:26:47,900 --> 00:26:51,980 S5: Life in Messiah and ministry in existence for over 135 years, 480 00:26:52,020 --> 00:26:54,980 S5: is devoted to sharing the gospel with Jewish people around 481 00:26:54,980 --> 00:26:58,700 S5: the world. Now they're offering a gift to moody listeners. 482 00:26:58,740 --> 00:27:03,100 S5: This free book, Reaching Jewish People for Messiah, highlights the 483 00:27:03,100 --> 00:27:05,660 S5: need for the gospel among the Jewish people and will 484 00:27:05,660 --> 00:27:09,260 S5: equip you with practical ways to share the gospel with them. 485 00:27:09,260 --> 00:27:14,700 S5: To receive this free e-book, visit Life in Messiah. Click 486 00:27:14,700 --> 00:27:17,500 S5: on the Moody Radio logo and sign up today to 487 00:27:17,500 --> 00:27:18,700 S5: get your copy. 488 00:27:18,740 --> 00:27:22,020 S1: All right. Sounds good. Thank you. Jerry. Here's Charlie's question 489 00:27:22,020 --> 00:27:24,300 S1: to kick things off. And before we even let him 490 00:27:24,340 --> 00:27:26,690 S1: ask his question. I have to let you know that 491 00:27:26,690 --> 00:27:29,050 S1: you can ask your question when you connect with us 492 00:27:29,050 --> 00:27:34,610 S1: via email at the Land and the book at. The 493 00:27:34,609 --> 00:27:38,729 S1: land and the book at Moody Dot. All right. Charlie's 494 00:27:38,770 --> 00:27:41,449 S1: waited long enough. His question. Uh, this came up at 495 00:27:41,450 --> 00:27:44,530 S1: his Bible study at church regarding fasting. He says there 496 00:27:44,530 --> 00:27:47,650 S1: was a discussion as to whether it is required or 497 00:27:47,690 --> 00:27:51,250 S1: is expected, fasting as it required or expected. And the 498 00:27:51,250 --> 00:27:54,929 S1: scripture that they're referencing is Matthew 617. What do you think? 499 00:27:55,410 --> 00:27:57,530 S5: Well, it's a great question. The law of Moses. We 500 00:27:57,530 --> 00:28:00,690 S5: see that fasting is only required on the Day of Atonement. 501 00:28:00,690 --> 00:28:04,010 S5: You can read Leviticus 16 to see that. But then 502 00:28:04,010 --> 00:28:06,850 S5: after the Israelites had come back from exile, there were 503 00:28:06,850 --> 00:28:10,770 S5: several regular fasts of remembrance. And you can go to 504 00:28:10,810 --> 00:28:15,250 S5: Zechariah seven about this. And Daniel, oh, man, was he 505 00:28:15,250 --> 00:28:18,250 S5: a pillar of faith. Daniel mentions a three week period 506 00:28:18,250 --> 00:28:22,130 S5: of mourning where he abstained from what he calls delicacies 507 00:28:22,130 --> 00:28:27,750 S5: meat and wine. Daniel. Chapter ten. So from Luke 18 508 00:28:28,150 --> 00:28:31,030 S5: with talk about a Pharisee, it becomes quite clear that 509 00:28:31,030 --> 00:28:35,270 S5: many Jews fasted on a regular basis twice a week. Now, 510 00:28:35,310 --> 00:28:37,990 S5: I'm sorry, Charlie, to get to your question. Our Lord, 511 00:28:37,990 --> 00:28:42,709 S5: I think in Matthew 617 is not commanding fasting. Rather, 512 00:28:42,710 --> 00:28:46,030 S5: he's assuming that his Jewish audience is doing it on 513 00:28:46,030 --> 00:28:50,150 S5: a regular basis. They do it to draw close to God, to, 514 00:28:50,430 --> 00:28:52,830 S5: you know, when we have a hunger in our body, 515 00:28:53,070 --> 00:28:55,710 S5: you know, it drives us to rely upon God and 516 00:28:55,710 --> 00:28:58,590 S5: trust in him. So, uh, doing this fasting on a 517 00:28:58,590 --> 00:29:01,430 S5: regular basis kind of opens us up to God. So again, 518 00:29:01,430 --> 00:29:04,110 S5: I don't think Jesus is commanding it. I think he's 519 00:29:04,110 --> 00:29:06,430 S5: assuming we're going to do it, and then he's telling 520 00:29:06,430 --> 00:29:09,469 S5: us how we should do it. We shouldn't do it 521 00:29:09,470 --> 00:29:11,830 S5: to be seen by other people so that we think 522 00:29:11,830 --> 00:29:14,670 S5: we're godly. Right, right. We're doing it for our relationship 523 00:29:14,670 --> 00:29:15,350 S5: with God. 524 00:29:15,390 --> 00:29:18,270 S1: Okay, so he is assuming that we as modern day 525 00:29:18,310 --> 00:29:20,350 S1: followers are also fasting. Is that fair? 526 00:29:20,390 --> 00:29:22,980 S5: Yeah, I think he is. That is, um, it kind 527 00:29:22,980 --> 00:29:27,540 S5: of tests our self-control. Yeah. Okay. You know, you live 528 00:29:27,540 --> 00:29:29,660 S5: in the modern West. There's food all over the place 529 00:29:29,660 --> 00:29:32,780 S5: all the time, and we could be snacking all day long. 530 00:29:33,500 --> 00:29:37,100 S5: But then when we change our schedule and we grow hungry, 531 00:29:37,100 --> 00:29:39,540 S5: and then we let that hunger last for several hours, 532 00:29:39,780 --> 00:29:42,420 S5: it makes us rely upon God and realize how good 533 00:29:42,420 --> 00:29:45,420 S5: we have it. Yeah. It's a wonderful spiritual practice for 534 00:29:45,420 --> 00:29:46,380 S5: drawing near to God. 535 00:29:46,380 --> 00:29:49,180 S1: The president of Moody Bible Institute, doctor Mark Jobe, first 536 00:29:49,180 --> 00:29:52,900 S1: kind of introduced me to this whole challenge. And, um, 537 00:29:53,220 --> 00:29:56,020 S1: so to this day, I try and skip breakfast, for example, 538 00:29:56,060 --> 00:30:00,620 S1: on Wednesdays and devote that time to prayer. And also, 539 00:30:00,660 --> 00:30:02,900 S1: if I'm not, listen to the legalist in me doing 540 00:30:02,900 --> 00:30:05,940 S1: it right, quote unquote. Before I eat, I like to 541 00:30:05,940 --> 00:30:08,380 S1: go over my little prayer list a last time, so 542 00:30:08,420 --> 00:30:11,540 S1: I'm sort of a bookend trying to remember those requests. 543 00:30:11,540 --> 00:30:14,020 S1: Remember why I'm doing this. This is not a health thing. 544 00:30:14,420 --> 00:30:18,180 S1: It's about being serious with God, about things that are 545 00:30:18,180 --> 00:30:18,700 S1: on my heart. 546 00:30:18,740 --> 00:30:20,180 S5: Exactly right. Exactly right. 547 00:30:20,220 --> 00:30:22,650 S1: Yeah. Thank you, Charlie, for bringing that to our attention. 548 00:30:22,650 --> 00:30:24,570 S1: Let's go on to Ron's question. He takes us to 549 00:30:24,610 --> 00:30:28,450 S1: Matthew one verses five and six. Say, And Boaz was 550 00:30:28,450 --> 00:30:32,130 S1: the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father 551 00:30:32,130 --> 00:30:34,770 S1: of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David the king. 552 00:30:35,050 --> 00:30:38,530 S1: But if Boaz marries Ruth to raise up offspring to 553 00:30:38,570 --> 00:30:42,970 S1: her dead husband, Mahlon's name and the neighbor woman declare 554 00:30:43,130 --> 00:30:46,050 S1: a son has been born to Naomi, wouldn't the line 555 00:30:46,090 --> 00:30:49,890 S1: of David technically go through the dead husband Mahlon, instead 556 00:30:49,890 --> 00:30:50,850 S1: of Boaz? 557 00:30:50,970 --> 00:30:53,290 S5: Ah, thanks so much for the question. It's actually a 558 00:30:53,290 --> 00:30:57,570 S5: tough question. Let me mention three things about this. First, 559 00:30:57,930 --> 00:31:01,130 S5: in the law of Moses, levirate marriage is outlined in 560 00:31:01,130 --> 00:31:04,890 S5: Deuteronomy 25. What does it do? It obligates a man 561 00:31:04,930 --> 00:31:09,850 S5: to marry his deceased brother's widow, to ensure the continuation 562 00:31:09,850 --> 00:31:13,650 S5: of the deceased brother's lineage, and the firstborn son will 563 00:31:13,650 --> 00:31:16,210 S5: be considered the heir, and then the air will be 564 00:31:16,210 --> 00:31:18,450 S5: able to supply the needs of the family. So the 565 00:31:18,450 --> 00:31:22,920 S5: issue here is really having property? Where's the property going 566 00:31:22,920 --> 00:31:25,720 S5: to go? It will stay in the family this way. 567 00:31:25,960 --> 00:31:28,240 S5: And then the family has property to grow. Food. They 568 00:31:28,240 --> 00:31:31,520 S5: can take care of themselves. Now, second, in the book 569 00:31:31,520 --> 00:31:34,120 S5: of Ruth, it looks like the son Obed, who is 570 00:31:34,120 --> 00:31:38,200 S5: born to Ruth, would inherit his melons property as well 571 00:31:38,200 --> 00:31:42,400 S5: as Boaz's property, since Boaz is single when he marries Ruth. 572 00:31:42,680 --> 00:31:46,760 S5: So let's end up back at Matthew, right? I think 573 00:31:46,760 --> 00:31:49,760 S5: what Matthew is doing is not giving us the legal 574 00:31:49,760 --> 00:31:52,640 S5: line that would go through my life. Yeah, right. He's 575 00:31:52,640 --> 00:31:56,040 S5: not giving us the legal line. He's giving us the bloodline. 576 00:31:56,320 --> 00:31:59,400 S5: So Boaz is the father of Obed by Ruth, and 577 00:31:59,400 --> 00:32:02,200 S5: Obed the father of Jesse, who is the father of David. Again, 578 00:32:02,240 --> 00:32:05,520 S5: that's not the legal ownership. That's the bloodline. 579 00:32:06,120 --> 00:32:08,360 S1: This is the land and the book from Moody Radio. 580 00:32:08,360 --> 00:32:12,000 S1: Doctor Gerald Peterman on the Moody faculty. Always open to 581 00:32:12,000 --> 00:32:14,640 S1: your Bible questions, and you get them to us via 582 00:32:14,680 --> 00:32:17,990 S1: email at the land and the book at Moody Got 583 00:32:19,190 --> 00:32:21,230 S1: a question from Eric, he says. A while back on 584 00:32:21,230 --> 00:32:24,710 S1: a news broadcast, I heard that many young men were 585 00:32:24,710 --> 00:32:28,790 S1: joining Orthodox churches in the United States. The question how 586 00:32:28,790 --> 00:32:32,710 S1: is the Orthodox Church different from Protestant and Catholic churches 587 00:32:32,710 --> 00:32:34,590 S1: in their beliefs and practices? 588 00:32:34,710 --> 00:32:37,990 S5: Oh, that's a really deep and wide question. And whole 589 00:32:38,030 --> 00:32:40,950 S5: books are written about it. So let's try to cut 590 00:32:40,950 --> 00:32:45,110 S5: to the chase. Okay, so first with the Roman Catholic Church, 591 00:32:45,430 --> 00:32:48,350 S5: the pope is their leader and the pope is believed 592 00:32:48,350 --> 00:32:51,550 S5: to be infallible when he speaks from his official place 593 00:32:51,550 --> 00:33:01,350 S5: as pope. The church has seven sacraments which communicate grace, baptism, confirmation, Eucharist, penance, 594 00:33:01,710 --> 00:33:05,150 S5: anointing of the sick, holy orders, and marriage. And the 595 00:33:05,150 --> 00:33:08,430 S5: Roman Catholic Bible has what is called the Apocrypha, or 596 00:33:08,470 --> 00:33:13,750 S5: sometimes called the Deuterocanonicals. That's an additional seven books. And 597 00:33:13,790 --> 00:33:17,820 S5: of course, we all know Roman Catholic priests are single. 598 00:33:18,060 --> 00:33:22,020 S5: Now second, the Orthodox Church very similar. They have the 599 00:33:22,020 --> 00:33:24,900 S5: same seven sacraments. I won't go through them. They have 600 00:33:24,900 --> 00:33:28,220 S5: the same apocrypha in their Bible. But their church is 601 00:33:28,220 --> 00:33:31,980 S5: not led by a pope, but by patriarchs. And when 602 00:33:31,980 --> 00:33:36,540 S5: the patriarchs gather for a council, that council is believed 603 00:33:36,540 --> 00:33:42,620 S5: to be infallible. Lastly, with Protestants, things are a bit different. 604 00:33:42,620 --> 00:33:46,940 S5: We often use the phrase sola scriptura. That is, we're 605 00:33:46,940 --> 00:33:49,940 S5: relying on the Bible. That is, the Bible is the 606 00:33:49,940 --> 00:33:55,140 S5: final authority with 66 books, not the additional seven with Protestants. 607 00:33:55,420 --> 00:33:59,700 S5: There are two sacraments, or, I would like to say, ordinances, 608 00:34:00,100 --> 00:34:04,540 S5: baptism and the Lord's Supper. And leadership is mostly decentralized 609 00:34:04,540 --> 00:34:09,540 S5: with the result that individual congregations rule themselves. So that's 610 00:34:09,540 --> 00:34:11,580 S5: a sketch of the differences. 611 00:34:11,620 --> 00:34:15,420 S1: Okay. In John 20, Mark wants to know when Mary 612 00:34:15,530 --> 00:34:19,650 S1: encountered Jesus outside the tomb, he told her, don't hold 613 00:34:19,650 --> 00:34:22,170 S1: on to me, for I have not yet ascended to 614 00:34:22,210 --> 00:34:24,690 S1: my father in heaven. Can you shed some light on 615 00:34:24,690 --> 00:34:26,050 S1: this statement? What's going on here? 616 00:34:26,450 --> 00:34:28,730 S5: I find this one of the most difficult verses for 617 00:34:28,730 --> 00:34:32,770 S5: me in John's Gospel. Here's what I think is going on. 618 00:34:32,770 --> 00:34:36,370 S5: When Jesus says, don't cling to me. I don't take 619 00:34:36,370 --> 00:34:39,170 S5: it that he's being dismissive. I don't take it that 620 00:34:39,170 --> 00:34:42,970 S5: he's being rude. Let's keep in mind what he says next. 621 00:34:43,010 --> 00:34:47,370 S5: He says, go tell my brothers that you've seen me. 622 00:34:47,770 --> 00:34:51,530 S5: So I'm reading the interaction between Jesus and Mary. Like this. 623 00:34:51,770 --> 00:34:54,250 S5: Let's stop the hug for now. There will be time 624 00:34:54,250 --> 00:34:57,410 S5: for that later. Yeah. Right now you have a task 625 00:34:57,650 --> 00:35:01,330 S5: to tell about the resurrection. And I have one too. 626 00:35:01,650 --> 00:35:06,730 S5: So let them all know I'm alive. So he's giving 627 00:35:06,730 --> 00:35:10,569 S5: her the opportunity to go from grief to spreading the 628 00:35:10,570 --> 00:35:14,290 S5: good news, and she's transformed by that commission. 629 00:35:14,710 --> 00:35:17,350 S1: Well, you know, we mentioned earlier that Jesus assumed his 630 00:35:17,350 --> 00:35:21,069 S1: followers were fasting and regularly. Okay. My question is, does 631 00:35:21,070 --> 00:35:25,430 S1: it follow also that Jesus assumed his followers were are 632 00:35:25,670 --> 00:35:27,670 S1: memorizing scripture? What do you think? 633 00:35:27,910 --> 00:35:31,950 S5: I think so. That is in Jesus's life. Growing up 634 00:35:31,950 --> 00:35:34,509 S5: in the synagogue, I'm sure that Mary and Joseph took 635 00:35:34,510 --> 00:35:37,150 S5: him Sunday. By Sunday, I'm sorry. Saturday by Saturday. Please 636 00:35:37,150 --> 00:35:40,030 S5: excuse me. Right. And how is it that our Lord 637 00:35:40,030 --> 00:35:43,190 S5: knows so much Scripture? Because he has heard it over 638 00:35:43,190 --> 00:35:45,830 S5: and over and over and over and over again. And 639 00:35:45,830 --> 00:35:48,069 S5: so we need to be taking Scripture in on a 640 00:35:48,070 --> 00:35:50,790 S5: regular basis. And I think if we just take it 641 00:35:50,790 --> 00:35:53,310 S5: in day by day, week by week, year by year, 642 00:35:53,310 --> 00:35:56,029 S5: month by month, it will be in our heart. 643 00:35:56,070 --> 00:35:58,549 S1: Yeah. Well, I think right there you've revealed tip number 644 00:35:58,550 --> 00:36:00,710 S1: one to somebody who says, oh, my brain just doesn't 645 00:36:00,710 --> 00:36:02,989 S1: work that way. I, you know, I used to when 646 00:36:02,989 --> 00:36:05,430 S1: I was younger or, you know, I just can't seem 647 00:36:05,430 --> 00:36:08,030 S1: to hang on to it. It's exposure. It's like anything 648 00:36:08,030 --> 00:36:10,950 S1: else we can all quote a dumb TV jingle. We 649 00:36:11,190 --> 00:36:13,029 S1: should surely be able to quote a verse or two. 650 00:36:13,070 --> 00:36:14,460 S6: Oh, you're so right. 651 00:36:14,980 --> 00:36:17,899 S5: Just be patient with yourself and just make sure you're 652 00:36:17,940 --> 00:36:21,180 S5: getting Bible input consistently and it will sink in. You'll 653 00:36:21,180 --> 00:36:22,300 S5: find it's in your heart. 654 00:36:22,340 --> 00:36:26,260 S1: Be patient and be persistent. And that word will sink in. 655 00:36:26,300 --> 00:36:30,020 S1: Advice from Doctor Gerald Peterman, who answers your question anytime 656 00:36:30,020 --> 00:36:33,700 S1: you email us at the land and the Book at Moody's. 657 00:36:34,820 --> 00:36:37,340 S1: More to come. On today's broadcast, Charley returns with a 658 00:36:37,340 --> 00:36:40,340 S1: devotional you don't want to miss here on Moody Radio's 659 00:36:40,340 --> 00:36:56,060 S1: The Land and the book. Hey, thanks for connecting with 660 00:36:56,060 --> 00:36:58,460 S1: us today at the land and the book. I'm John 661 00:36:58,460 --> 00:37:01,259 S1: Gager and Charley. How small was the town you grew 662 00:37:01,260 --> 00:37:03,020 S1: up in? Small? Not so small. 663 00:37:03,020 --> 00:37:04,060 S2: 500 people. 664 00:37:04,100 --> 00:37:06,379 S1: All right. I can beat that. The town that my 665 00:37:06,380 --> 00:37:08,739 S1: wife grew up near is so small that when our 666 00:37:08,739 --> 00:37:11,860 S1: kids were taking their driver's training, we had them back 667 00:37:11,930 --> 00:37:16,049 S1: around the entire town. But you've got a different kind 668 00:37:16,050 --> 00:37:17,730 S1: of a town you're looking at today in your devotional, 669 00:37:17,730 --> 00:37:18,570 S1: I understand. 670 00:37:18,650 --> 00:37:20,530 S2: Uh, we are we're looking at the might have been 671 00:37:20,530 --> 00:37:21,569 S2: town of Riblah. 672 00:37:21,730 --> 00:37:24,250 S1: Mentioned three times in Scripture. I'm guessing none of us 673 00:37:24,250 --> 00:37:26,450 S1: have ever heard it or recalled it, but we'll get 674 00:37:26,450 --> 00:37:29,250 S1: to that after this Holy Land experience. Testimony. 675 00:37:33,370 --> 00:37:36,730 S7: Hi, my name is Suzanne Strizic from Chicago, and I 676 00:37:36,770 --> 00:37:39,650 S7: just wanted to say that the power of prayer was 677 00:37:39,650 --> 00:37:42,970 S7: the most remarkable thing. We were prepped before we left 678 00:37:42,969 --> 00:37:46,969 S7: Chicago to to pray, and we honestly did it each night. 679 00:37:47,290 --> 00:37:50,330 S7: And we prayed for everything from the bus driver to 680 00:37:50,410 --> 00:37:54,930 S7: good weather. And God answered all those prayers and just 681 00:37:54,930 --> 00:37:57,570 S7: gave us a joy, you know, of seeing the sights 682 00:37:57,570 --> 00:38:01,009 S7: and and the new friends that we met and beautiful, um, 683 00:38:01,050 --> 00:38:04,730 S7: time together. It was every detail taken care of. So 684 00:38:04,730 --> 00:38:09,370 S7: the answer to prayer was the most beautiful experience. 685 00:38:09,690 --> 00:38:13,279 S8: Hi, my name is Alan Strizic from Chicago, Illinois. One 686 00:38:13,280 --> 00:38:15,480 S8: of the things that really surprised me was when we 687 00:38:15,520 --> 00:38:18,400 S8: were at the Senechal in the upper room, and Charlie 688 00:38:18,400 --> 00:38:20,640 S8: pointed out the statue that was in there. It said, 689 00:38:20,640 --> 00:38:23,239 S8: not by power or might, but by my spirit, says 690 00:38:23,239 --> 00:38:27,319 S8: the Lord. Hearing those words from Zechariah and actually seeing 691 00:38:27,320 --> 00:38:29,000 S8: it in the same place as the Last Supper had 692 00:38:29,000 --> 00:38:33,240 S8: been held, seeing it the same place as the Pentecost event. 693 00:38:33,719 --> 00:38:36,200 S8: It was just a very, very powerful thing. I had 694 00:38:36,200 --> 00:38:38,320 S8: been to the room once before, but it was really 695 00:38:38,320 --> 00:38:40,200 S8: such a surprise and it really moved me a lot. 696 00:38:40,239 --> 00:38:42,200 S8: Thank you Charlie, thank you. Land in the book. 697 00:38:44,360 --> 00:38:46,680 S1: All right Charlie, I'm looking forward to your devotional today. 698 00:38:46,719 --> 00:38:47,480 S1: Have at it. 699 00:38:47,680 --> 00:38:51,120 S2: Thanks, John. Well, few today know much about the 19th 700 00:38:51,160 --> 00:38:55,399 S2: century poet John Greenleaf Whittier. With the possible exception of 701 00:38:55,400 --> 00:38:58,600 S2: a single couplet from one of his poems, that couplet 702 00:38:58,600 --> 00:39:01,399 S2: goes like this. For of all sad words of tongue 703 00:39:01,440 --> 00:39:05,160 S2: or pen, the saddest are these. It might have been 704 00:39:05,719 --> 00:39:08,719 S2: Whittier's poem might be an apt one to read today 705 00:39:08,719 --> 00:39:11,870 S2: as we drive to the site of ancient Riblah in Syria. 706 00:39:12,270 --> 00:39:16,029 S2: The site itself isn't impressive, but the surrounding area is 707 00:39:16,030 --> 00:39:19,469 S2: located by the Syrian Lebanese border. Riblah sits in a 708 00:39:19,469 --> 00:39:22,910 S2: fertile plain, watered by a number of streams that eventually 709 00:39:22,910 --> 00:39:26,750 S2: link up to form the Orontes River. Unlike much of Syria, 710 00:39:26,750 --> 00:39:29,910 S2: which is desert, the immediate area around Riblah is a 711 00:39:29,910 --> 00:39:33,950 S2: patchwork of green fields and well-tended trees. Little wonder this 712 00:39:33,950 --> 00:39:37,989 S2: became a major stop on the route between Egypt and Mesopotamia. 713 00:39:38,469 --> 00:39:40,589 S2: But how can a place of such beauty become a 714 00:39:40,590 --> 00:39:43,790 S2: town of sadness and regret? Well, we'll discover the answer 715 00:39:43,790 --> 00:39:47,590 S2: by visiting the city on three separate occasions through the Bible. 716 00:39:48,070 --> 00:39:51,150 S2: Our first visit to Riblah takes place in the springtime 717 00:39:51,150 --> 00:39:54,110 S2: of Israel's birth as a nation. The people are camped 718 00:39:54,110 --> 00:39:56,630 S2: along the eastern edge of the Jordan River, about to 719 00:39:56,670 --> 00:40:00,750 S2: enter the Promised Land. Moses is giving his final instructions 720 00:40:00,750 --> 00:40:04,470 S2: before turning over the keys of leadership to Joshua. One 721 00:40:04,469 --> 00:40:07,109 S2: item on his Divine Punch list is to share the 722 00:40:07,110 --> 00:40:11,180 S2: specific land boundaries promised by God to the nation. These 723 00:40:11,180 --> 00:40:14,820 S2: boundaries are given in numbers 34, and along the far 724 00:40:14,820 --> 00:40:18,580 S2: northeastern boundary of the land is Riblah. The land God 725 00:40:18,580 --> 00:40:21,820 S2: promised to Israel included much of what is today Lebanon 726 00:40:21,820 --> 00:40:25,140 S2: and Syria, and the beautiful region of Riblah was on 727 00:40:25,140 --> 00:40:29,060 S2: the border of God's promised Land. In Israel's early history, 728 00:40:29,060 --> 00:40:33,380 S2: Riblah represented God's goal, God's ideal for his people. He 729 00:40:33,380 --> 00:40:35,899 S2: was to be their God. They were to be his people. 730 00:40:35,900 --> 00:40:38,940 S2: If they obeyed him, he promised to bless. And part 731 00:40:38,940 --> 00:40:43,219 S2: of that blessing was to include beautiful riblah. Sadly, this 732 00:40:43,219 --> 00:40:46,419 S2: was not to be. Fast forward in time to our 733 00:40:46,420 --> 00:40:50,220 S2: second visit to Riblah, the last good king of Judah, 734 00:40:50,219 --> 00:40:54,180 S2: King Josiah has just died trying to stop Pharaoh Necho 735 00:40:54,180 --> 00:40:57,140 S2: of Egypt from heading north to engage the army of 736 00:40:57,140 --> 00:41:01,540 S2: King Nebuchadnezzar. Josiah took his stand and lost his life 737 00:41:01,540 --> 00:41:03,900 S2: at the hill of Megiddo, in a futile attempt to 738 00:41:03,940 --> 00:41:08,410 S2: keep Judah from being swallowed up by Egypt's plans for expansion. 739 00:41:08,730 --> 00:41:12,090 S2: As Josiah's dead body was being carried back to Jerusalem, 740 00:41:12,290 --> 00:41:15,290 S2: Pharaoh Necho and his army marched north to Riblah and 741 00:41:15,290 --> 00:41:18,130 S2: set up camp. They had hoped to reach Carchemish on 742 00:41:18,130 --> 00:41:21,609 S2: the Euphrates River, but Nebuchadnezzar beat them to the prize. 743 00:41:21,930 --> 00:41:25,330 S2: Carchemish had fallen the next best place for Egypt to 744 00:41:25,370 --> 00:41:29,850 S2: prepare for the coming conflict with Babylon was Riblah. Meanwhile, 745 00:41:29,850 --> 00:41:33,410 S2: preparations were made in Jerusalem for Josiah's funeral and to 746 00:41:33,450 --> 00:41:36,810 S2: determine who would follow him onto the throne. Jehoahaz was 747 00:41:36,810 --> 00:41:40,770 S2: chosen to succeed his father. Unfortunately, he didn't possess his 748 00:41:40,770 --> 00:41:44,770 S2: father's godly character. Though only 23 years old, he had 749 00:41:44,770 --> 00:41:49,009 S2: already decided to follow a different spiritual path rather than 750 00:41:49,010 --> 00:41:52,049 S2: following in the ways of his own father, Josiah. He 751 00:41:52,050 --> 00:41:55,090 S2: chose instead to walk in the ways of his forefathers, 752 00:41:55,130 --> 00:41:58,370 S2: Amnon and Manasseh. He only sat on the throne for 753 00:41:58,370 --> 00:42:01,089 S2: three months, but in that short time he set a 754 00:42:01,090 --> 00:42:04,489 S2: pattern for wickedness that was followed by every succeeding king 755 00:42:04,530 --> 00:42:09,160 S2: of Judah. What a sad legacy. When Pharaoh Necho summoned 756 00:42:09,160 --> 00:42:12,879 S2: Jehoahaz to Riblah, the young king appeared before Egypt's monarch 757 00:42:12,880 --> 00:42:15,920 S2: and learned his punishment for being head of a nation 758 00:42:15,920 --> 00:42:19,160 S2: that had dared oppose the might of Egypt. Pharaoh Necho 759 00:42:19,160 --> 00:42:21,879 S2: put him in chains at Riblah and carried him off 760 00:42:21,880 --> 00:42:25,719 S2: to Egypt, and there he died. Riblah. The town that 761 00:42:25,760 --> 00:42:29,240 S2: represented the extent of Israel's blessing were she to obey 762 00:42:29,239 --> 00:42:32,040 S2: her God, became the town where the king from the 763 00:42:32,040 --> 00:42:35,879 S2: line of David was enslaved and taken to Egypt. The 764 00:42:35,880 --> 00:42:39,839 S2: country from which God had once freed his people from slavery. 765 00:42:40,280 --> 00:42:42,520 S2: But we've not yet reached the end of the story 766 00:42:42,520 --> 00:42:45,160 S2: on Riblah. We need to circle back to the city 767 00:42:45,200 --> 00:42:49,760 S2: one last time. Jehoahaz was followed to the throne by Jehoiakim, 768 00:42:49,960 --> 00:42:53,600 S2: who was followed by Jehoiachin, who was followed by Zedekiah. 769 00:42:53,920 --> 00:42:56,840 S2: Each seemed to be a carbon copy of his predecessor. 770 00:42:57,040 --> 00:42:59,720 S2: The Bible describes each king as a man who did 771 00:42:59,719 --> 00:43:03,440 S2: evil in the eyes of the Lord. The final king, Zedekiah, 772 00:43:03,440 --> 00:43:06,660 S2: was perhaps the most tragic of all, because it appears 773 00:43:06,660 --> 00:43:09,620 S2: that he actually had a struggle of conscience over what 774 00:43:09,660 --> 00:43:12,140 S2: God wanted him to do. But in the end, he 775 00:43:12,140 --> 00:43:14,940 S2: didn't have the strength of character to take a stand 776 00:43:14,940 --> 00:43:17,420 S2: for what he knew to be right. For example, when 777 00:43:17,420 --> 00:43:21,700 S2: the nobles of Jerusalem wanted to kill Jeremiah, he responded meekly. 778 00:43:21,900 --> 00:43:24,420 S2: He's in your hands. The king can do nothing to 779 00:43:24,460 --> 00:43:27,780 S2: oppose you. Reading that verse, you want to shout out, 780 00:43:27,780 --> 00:43:31,780 S2: for crying out loud, Zedekiah, you're the king! You can 781 00:43:31,780 --> 00:43:36,739 S2: oppose them. It took an African slave, David Melech, the Cushite, 782 00:43:36,980 --> 00:43:39,660 S2: to stand up to the king and display the courage 783 00:43:39,660 --> 00:43:44,219 S2: needed to rescue Jeremiah from certain death. Zedekiah was king 784 00:43:44,219 --> 00:43:47,740 S2: when the Babylonians finally broke through the defenses of Jerusalem. 785 00:43:47,739 --> 00:43:50,340 S2: As the Babylonians poured into the city from the breach 786 00:43:50,340 --> 00:43:53,299 S2: in the north, Zedekiah and his family slipped out of 787 00:43:53,300 --> 00:43:56,060 S2: the city. At its southern end, they fled into the 788 00:43:56,060 --> 00:44:00,100 S2: Judean wilderness, down through the countless twisting valleys, making their 789 00:44:00,100 --> 00:44:03,490 S2: way toward the Jordan River, breaking out onto the plain 790 00:44:03,489 --> 00:44:07,170 S2: by Jericho. Zedekiah and his family made a desperate dash 791 00:44:07,170 --> 00:44:09,489 S2: toward the mountains of Ammon. On the far side of 792 00:44:09,489 --> 00:44:12,450 S2: the valley. But the Babylonians caught up with them before 793 00:44:12,450 --> 00:44:15,089 S2: he could get away, and after they captured him, where 794 00:44:15,090 --> 00:44:18,690 S2: did they take him? To Riblah. While the main part 795 00:44:18,690 --> 00:44:23,770 S2: of Nebuchadnezzar's army had been attacking Jerusalem, Nebuchadnezzar himself wasn't there. 796 00:44:23,969 --> 00:44:27,770 S2: He had set up his headquarters in Riblah. Why? Because 797 00:44:27,810 --> 00:44:31,250 S2: Judah wasn't the only nation in rebellion. The ammonites and 798 00:44:31,250 --> 00:44:35,370 S2: the people of tyre had also rebelled against Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar 799 00:44:35,370 --> 00:44:38,570 S2: selected Riblah for his base to prevent these other nations 800 00:44:38,570 --> 00:44:42,250 S2: from slipping behind his forces to cut off his supply route. 801 00:44:42,690 --> 00:44:47,530 S2: Its strategic location and natural resources made Riblah the perfect location. 802 00:44:48,010 --> 00:44:51,170 S2: The Babylonian soldiers were under orders to bring Judah's leaders 803 00:44:51,170 --> 00:44:55,810 S2: to Nebuchadnezzar to be sentenced for their rebellion. Jeremiah provides 804 00:44:55,810 --> 00:44:59,730 S2: a vivid account of what happened next. They captured Zedekiah 805 00:44:59,730 --> 00:45:02,799 S2: and took him to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon at Riblah, 806 00:45:03,040 --> 00:45:06,160 S2: where they pronounced sentence on him. There at Riblah, the 807 00:45:06,160 --> 00:45:10,120 S2: king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, 808 00:45:10,120 --> 00:45:13,000 S2: and also killed all the nobles of Judah. Then he 809 00:45:13,000 --> 00:45:16,880 S2: put out Zedekiah's eyes and bound him with bronze shackles 810 00:45:16,880 --> 00:45:20,640 S2: to take him to Babylon. Riblah, a town known for 811 00:45:20,640 --> 00:45:24,640 S2: its beauty, became for Zedekiah a place of judgment, incredible 812 00:45:24,640 --> 00:45:29,080 S2: sadness and loss. Loss of freedom, loss of family, loss 813 00:45:29,080 --> 00:45:32,840 S2: of friends, and finally loss of his own sight. Judah's 814 00:45:32,840 --> 00:45:35,600 S2: last king got to see the very outer limits of 815 00:45:35,600 --> 00:45:38,160 S2: the land God had promised to his people, but he 816 00:45:38,160 --> 00:45:40,959 S2: watched that land soak up the blood of his own children, 817 00:45:41,160 --> 00:45:43,880 S2: and then all went dark as he was led away, blinded, 818 00:45:43,880 --> 00:45:47,439 S2: and in chains into exile, where he died. And that 819 00:45:47,440 --> 00:45:51,480 S2: brings us back to John Greenleaf Whittier's haunting rhyme. For 820 00:45:51,520 --> 00:45:54,480 S2: of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest 821 00:45:54,480 --> 00:45:58,080 S2: are these. It might have been. Our journey home is 822 00:45:58,080 --> 00:46:01,350 S2: a little quieter than before as we ponder the decisions 823 00:46:01,350 --> 00:46:05,230 S2: made by Judah's final kings that resulted in such tragedy. 824 00:46:05,469 --> 00:46:08,109 S2: Rebecca didn't have to be a place of sadness for 825 00:46:08,110 --> 00:46:12,070 S2: Jehoahaz or Zedekiah, but it was because of the choices 826 00:46:12,070 --> 00:46:15,310 S2: they made which had consequences. And that forces us to 827 00:46:15,350 --> 00:46:17,950 S2: pause and reflect on our own lives, on the decisions 828 00:46:17,950 --> 00:46:20,469 S2: we've made and on the ones yet to be made. 829 00:46:20,590 --> 00:46:23,670 S2: Will the rebels of our lives be places of joy 830 00:46:23,830 --> 00:46:27,230 S2: where we experience God's blessing that comes from obeying him, 831 00:46:27,590 --> 00:46:30,270 S2: or will they be places of sadness and regret as 832 00:46:30,270 --> 00:46:33,590 S2: we ponder with heavy hearts what might have been? 833 00:46:34,350 --> 00:46:36,750 S1: Well, if that doesn't sober you up, boy, nothing will. 834 00:46:36,790 --> 00:46:39,149 S1: Thank you, Charlie, for that devotional. I want to say 835 00:46:39,150 --> 00:46:41,350 S1: thank you to you for hanging with us. All four 836 00:46:41,350 --> 00:46:44,190 S1: segments here on the land and the book. Our time 837 00:46:44,190 --> 00:46:46,229 S1: is gone, but we'll be back next week, Lord willing 838 00:46:46,270 --> 00:46:48,150 S1: to connect you with everything that God's doing in the 839 00:46:48,150 --> 00:46:50,870 S1: Middle East. I'm John Gager in the land, and the 840 00:46:50,870 --> 00:46:53,390 S1: book is a production of Moody Radio, a ministry of 841 00:46:53,430 --> 00:46:54,910 S1: Moody Bible Institute.