Did you know the Apostle Paul was a father? The scriptures tell us that. Know the Apostle Paul may never have married, and he certainly didn't have a child out of wedlock. But the scriptures tell us that Paul was a father spiritually. Exactly what were the attributes Paul tried to exhibit as he ministered? What can we learn from him about fatherhood? That's our focus today on this Father's
Day weekend. Welcome to the land and the book. I'm John Gager, sitting across from our host, Old Testament scholar and frequent Israel traveler, Doctor Charlie Dyer. Good to check in with you, Charlie.
Oh, it's always great being with you, John. Know, a.
Lot of listeners wonder, how do you share the gospel with a Jewish person because of cultural, historical, and religious differences? Sometimes it can be challenging. How do you navigate a gospel conversation with somebody from a Jewish background? Maybe you've wondered how the quote professionals do it.
And to help answer this question, our friends at Life in Messiah want to mail you samples of the tracks their staff use as they share the gospel. This will serve a dual purpose. It will equip you with methods of presenting the gospel, and also supply you with tracks you can share with your Jewish friends and neighbors. Life in Messiah's Prayer is that these tracks will help further
the spread of the gospel among the Jewish people. Now, to receive this helpful assortment of tracks, all you need to do is visit Life in Messiah org and click on the Moody Radio button for more information. That's life in Messiah org. Don't miss out on this great opportunity.
And that is a great opportunity. Well, for the next two weeks, we're shifting our focus from the regular day to day headlines to catch up on some of the developments in technology and archaeology. So much to explore here. This week we'll look at recent advances in technology coming out of amazing Israel. And then next week we'll explore recent archaeological stories making the headlines. So here we go.
Fasten your seat belts. We've all heard horror stories about the intrusive impact artificial intelligence will have on our lives, including its ability to create deep fakes and even distort elections. But not all AI technology is bad. What are some of the benefits from AI coming out of Israel?
Well, the field of medicine is a major area where AI is advancing and Israel is leading the charge. Like an AI based voice monitor for smartphones that can detect early signs of flare ups in patients with asthma or COPD, or an AI program that can successfully predict if a patient is developing Parkinson's or Alzheimer's based on a patient's eye movements, or the ability to read a scan to
detect the early development of cancer. Now, these are just some of the medical breakthroughs using AI coming out of Israel. Some believe the greatest practical advances in AI will take place in medicine. But I can do more than just help doctors. An Israeli startup company called clarity AI is using artificial intelligence to target the rise of deep fakes. In essence, they're using AI to reverse engineer images, video
and audio to discover possible deep fakes. They can scan each frame and each soundbite to look for anomalies in the manipulation of the information. The goal is to allow individuals to identify deep fakes that are AI generated and in a wholly different realm. Two Israeli fathers created an AI platform to allow their children to become stars of
their own written adventures. This personal platform eventually became Story Wizard, a company now being used in schools around the world to enable teachers to engage students in the art of creating stories. The details for each assignment are created by the teacher, and then the student uses the program to
help write their own unique adventure. The program writes the story and even illustrates it while the student chooses the names of the characters, the style of the artwork, and all the other details, whether it's in medicine or helping students develop creativity and storytelling, or even in spotting the bad actors on the internet. Much good in the field of artificial intelligence is there, and it's coming out of amazing Israel.
Interesting. Well, the summer growing season is in full swing and many look forward to eating cantaloupe. I'm one of them. Unfortunately, it's hard to eat a large melon at one time, and the rest often goes bad before it can be consumed. But now an Israeli startup has developed single serving melons. Sounds like a pretty sweet idea to me. Charlie.
Yeah, John, you think of this as the fruit equivalent of a single serving carton of ice cream. Scientists at Israel's Volcani Institute have developed a softball sized melon that you can hold in your hand while you eat. They discovered that a single gene mutation produced multiple small fruits rather than a single large one. The company isolated, studied, and then patented the gene and its effects. They created
a start up company called Super Fruit. In the past, a decrease in fruit size led to a decrease in yield, but their technology created a five fold increase in fruit yield despite the fact that the fruit. Is three times smaller than average. Now. It took 15 years to develop the final product, but John imagined having a melon small
enough to fit into the palm of your hand. And that's just as sweet and delicious as a regular melon, but without the hassle of having to cut up and store the leftover fruit.
Hey, what aisle are those in? I'd like to get one right now. This is the land in the book from Moody Radio, where we're shifting our focus from regular day to day headlines to catch up on some of the developments in technology. Israel's war with Hamas generated a large number of casualties, but it also led to medical innovations on the battlefield that have saved soldiers lives. What are some of these innovations?
Yeah, one of the key innovations was to drastically reduce the amount of time between injury and advanced medical intervention. In the past, soldiers would be taken to a field hospital with the more seriously wounded then transported to larger facilities. In the current war, Israel's embedded 670 doctors and paramedics
directly with combat groups. They also adopted a policy of airlifting every injured soldier using helicopters that are fully equipped, flying emergency rooms staffed with surgeons and intensive care doctors. In the first several months, they flew more than 950 aircraft operations, transporting approximately 4200 soldiers to hospitals, and the
new approach is paying dividends. The death rate of those seriously injured has dropped from 15% in the past to 6.3% in the current conflict, and the average time from injury to hospital has dropped from two hours, which it was during the 2014 Gaza War to just over an hour during the current conflict. They're also exploring ways to develop better bulletproof vests to help cut down on the injuries
from the current generation of bulletproof vests. Even in the midst of fighting, Israeli doctors and scientists are searching for better ways to help preserve the lives of those who are injured and their efforts are paying off.
What does a person's nose have to do with healing spinal injuries? Well, an Israeli startup has developed a nasal therapy that can potentially help those with spinal injuries walk again. I'm intrigued. Charlie, how does this innovation work?
Yeah, it's definitely a non-intuitive approach, but it seems to offer significant potential Nurix owned biologic and that's Nutreco. Any biologic developed expt and to treat damage to the nervous system. Their concept is based on the medication's active ingredients and on delivering the medication via the nose. The scientists worked for many years on regeneration in spinal cord injuries using
stem cells. Their breakthrough came when they started using exosomes, which are nanoscopic particles released by cells to pass messages to one another. They discovered that exosomes taken from bone marrow cells had the most potential to help regenerate cells affected by a spinal cord injury. They then added a form of RNA that prevents restrictions on the regeneration of cells.
The exosomes and specific RNA are inhaled through the nose, pass through the brain blood barrier, and are then delivered to the injured area of the spine, and because they come from the patient's own cells, there's no immune response or rejection. Now, the therapy has been successfully trialled in lab rats with acute spinal cord injury. They hope to enter clinical trials for humans in the very near future, and are working for approval for this in North American hospitals.
Let's hope this treatment moves forward quickly and that the promise it offers becomes a reality. You can imagine, John, the impact on those who've suffered spinal cord injuries. It could be incredibly significant.
Boy that's huge. Thank you Charlie. We'll look forward to following that story as it develops. Well, several Israeli tech firms are developing robots to help ease the chronic labor shortage in agriculture. Now, does this mean, Charlie, we're going to see R2-d2 and C-3po out harvesting vegetables or driving tractors in the near future?
Yeah. Oh my, I hope not. But then that's the short answer. No, but the reality behind these innovations is still amazing. Now imagine autonomous flying drones working their way down rows of fruit trees to pick ripe fruit and then lower it to the ground for collection, or a self-driving vehicle that can use 3D vision technology to harvest greenhouse tomatoes. It can pick them from both sides of the row and place them on a conveyor belt that then delivers them to crates at the rear of the robot.
That machine, by the way, is already in use, and in a little more futuristic sense, a company called Blue White has developed a software platform that will enable one human operator to manage a fleet of autonomous farm vehicles, like tractors, to do everything from planting to harvesting. Now, these are just a few of the innovations currently under development in Amazing Israel to help ease the labor shortages on farms, enabling a shrinking number of farmers to continue
feeding the growing population of the world. Charlie.
I'm listening to you rattle off all these innovations from amazing Israel, and I'm drawn to Genesis 2218 through you, all the families of the earth will be blessed. God says, now, obviously, that ultimate and first blessing is the birth of Jesus from a Jewish line. But is it possible God also blesses us in these technological innovations that help with the healing and that sort of thing?
I think it is, and I think that's been proven historically, uh, the connection to Israel when God said in Genesis 12, I'll bless those who bless you and those who curse you, I'll curse. But those who sought to bless Israel end up being blessed by God. And I think one of the ways God has done that is letting the Jewish people and their innovation and creativity become a blessing to others.
Hey, our website might just be a blessing to you as you give it a look. It's at the land and the book. Org coming up. The Apostle Paul is father. We know him as Paul the Apostle, Paul the missionary to the Gentiles. Paul the writer of one fourth of the New Testament. But did you ever consider Paul as a father figure? I'm John Gieger with segment two of The Land and the book. And on this Father's Day weekend,
we've got something refreshing lined up for you. First, though, this idea about sharing Christ in a winsome way with a Jewish friend who needs to hear. So you've been reaching out to a Jewish friend for some time, praying for them, hanging out with them, talking things over and everything's going well. And you say to yourself, man, this seems to be taken forever. Why don't they just, you know, they're asking questions about Yeshua. Why not just receive Jesus?
Beth Tavlin is on the administrative staff at Olive tree Congregation in suburban Chicago, reminding us this isn't an instant process.
No, it's not an instant process. And it does take time to develop a relationship with a Jewish person and to help them come alongside and believe in the Messiah, because many of them have been taught you can be anything. Just don't believe in Jesus. Because. Because much like you read in the New Testament, in the Gospels, the Jewish
people typically don't embrace Jesus right away. Yeah, they are taught that the law is what saves them, and for Messiah to come in and do away with the law is in many cases very difficult to embrace.
So I think what you're really saying is we need to give these people time and space and not have unrealistic expectations. Correct.
But don't give up either, because you never know what's going on in a person's heart, and they are thinking and pondering and considering as long as they remain in relationship with you and have not cut you off. They're listening and they're learning and they're beginning to understand. And it does take a long time.
Encouragement from Beth Tablan with Olive Tree Congregation in suburban Chicago, here on the land and the book. Doctor Bob Mueller is a marriage counselor who, along with his wife Cheryl, founded For Keeps Ministries. Bob has written a number of great marriage books, including The Marriage Miracle and The Six Hearts of Intimacy. He speaks across the country and has also taught internationally. It's an honor to have him on the program. Welcome back, Bob to the land and the book. Thank you.
John.
You know, some listeners might be struggling to make the connection that you have in seeing Paul as a kind of father figure. What what got you started going down that track?
Well, John, I agree. I never looked at the Apostle Paul because by all accounts, he was single and we don't have any evidence that he ever was married and so doesn't have any children, an unlikely candidate to be seen as a father. But as I was examining my own life, I've raised six children now, are all adults, all married. I was asking myself what could I have done differently as a father? And even now I remain their father? What does the Bible say? That a father's
job description really is? What's the essence of it? And one day in my personal study, I came across first Thessalonians two, where Paul describes himself as a father among the Thessalonians and John. It was like connecting two live wires.
All of a sudden there was just this spiritual voltage where it occurred to me, I think the Holy Spirit prompted me that, wait, here's a description of fatherhood divinely inspired, given to us by God Himself through the inspired writings of Paul about what a father is supposed to be. And as I looked at it, I was amazed. I was struck with some of the characteristics that I had not necessarily associated with fatherhood.
Well, go ahead and enumerate some of those things that you see in Thessalonians, or maybe even other portions of Scripture that point us to Paul as a father figure.
Well, let me begin by reading the passage that proved to be not just a game changer, but a life changer for me. Sure, he writes and says, you are witnesses and so is God of how holy, righteous, and blameless we were among you who believed. And here it comes. For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children. And then he enumerates that encouraging, comforting, and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom
and glory. There Paul clearly says, I was a father. We were a father among you. And what he says that means, I think is amazing. It's powerful and it's a challenge to us today.
He's a popular author and conference speaker and a truly gifted marriage counselor. We're honored to have doctor Bob Mueller with us today on the land and the book. Would it be your opinion, Bob, that Paul thought of himself actively as a father when he when he taught and when he wrote his letters, was he thinking, now this is how a godly father would react?
Well, I don't know that he was specifically thinking of himself as a father with young children or, you know, raising kids as we do today. But there's no question spiritually, he saw himself as a father. And the people, particularly in Thessalonica, where he planted this church as spiritual children. And the first thing he says to them is, you know, you are witnesses of how holy, righteous and blameless we
were among you who believed. And John, that says to me that maybe the first qualification of being a father that can influence their children toward God is they need to see a life of integrity in you. They need to see that you walk with honesty. They need to see it says how holy we were. And I don't
think he's patting himself on the back. He's talking about being set apart for God's purposes, which was, you know, the center of his heart, how blameless we were, how he attempted to live in a way without any accusation of a character or moral failure or financial misconduct. In other words, he said, I set an example to you
of spiritual integrity in John. I think that is the beginning place for any father who's raising children from the time they put that beautiful baby in your arms till the day you pack the trunk for college or send them off. And then beyond that, because I don't think fatherhood ever ends as long as we still have breath in this life.
You know, Bob, if there was nothing further than this, it seems to me that would be a life. Time of work and focus and need. I mean, uh, you know, we're both parents. You've got six. I've got two. We're both grandparents. And, you know, even today, I feel the pressure to ask myself, am I living my life with integrity? You know, am I doing the stuff I encourage my children to do? You know? So if there was nothing other than this being a person of integrity, that would be plenty to work on.
You know.
John, our kids are always watching us aren't they? Mhm. I mean, they're always looking at us to see what we will do in certain situations and how we'll respond to certain challenges. And if we're being consistent. I remember years and years ago when Promise Keepers was perhaps at its zenith back in the 90s, I bought a baseball cap at one of their rallies saying, you know, men of integrity. It was stitched on the back of the
baseball cap. And once I was in our our van in those days, we had conversion vans.
I remember this, Bob.
Yes. You know, and Cheryl and I are having a little bit of a spat, and I'm being a little snarky, and one of my kids, probably no more than 5 or 6 years old, I hear from the back seat, hey, dad, what about men of integrity? Hmm. And I just took that hat off. I took it off and put it on the console. No, really. They're watching, they're listening. And, John, here's the thing. They want you to succeed. They're not looking for you to fail. Your kids are not. In
most cases, they're not rooting against you. They're rooting for you. And they want to see us be people of honesty, integrity of character. I recently had the incredible opportunity to stand on the the church stage behind my oldest son and his wife and their four beautiful daughters as they were dedicated. Mm. And it just brought tears to my life. I was getting to see the third generation of faith. And is there anything that a parent wants any more than that? Than to see your faith passed on to
your kids and to their children? And, John, any time temptation enters, as it does to all of us, our lives, our thoughts, I just imagine my children and my grandchildren and their faces. If I had to admit something that was terribly, terribly difficult or compromising, and that thought alone is enough to snap whatever allurement that temptation may provide.
Doctor Bob Mueller is a longtime guest of Moody Radio, a longtime guest at our dinner table, we're talking about the apostle Paul as a father figure on this Father's Day weekend. You know, Bob, some guys listening to this conversation will never be fathers in the biological sense. Or maybe they've had a shot at it and blown it. But it seems to me Paul's life shows that all of us, regardless of our marital status, can have enormous
influence for Christ in a younger person's life. Your thoughts as you look at Paul?
Oh, absolutely. I think that any man who's walking with God, if he's single and attempting to live the life Paul said he was attempting to live. There are so many children. There are children from single parent homes. There are children in the foster system. There's children all around, sometimes school teachers with their students. The school teacher who's a believer, he's told me about how he's had a chance to influence some of his students toward Christ. So no, this
isn't just for married folk. Paul was not married, and yet his example as a spiritual father and a man of integrity was reaching around the world at that time. Mm.
Well, what else does Paul tell us about fatherhood in his own life and his example and in Scripture?
Well, John, this is so important. He says, you know, we dealt with you as a father, deals with his own children. Now, this is a very personal application. And he starts with the word encouraging. And I don't think we fathers can encourage our children enough. I don't think we can over encourage them. Right. On the other hand, it's possible to discourage them. Paul warns in Colossians 321, fathers,
do not embitter or exasperate your children, or they'll become discouraged. John, I think fathers have an innate, God given power of encouragement that not even their mothers have. Mothers have other wonderful attributes that are uniquely theirs. And any outlines, those actually in the paragraph above in first Thessalonians two. But encouragement is a gift a father can give a child that will last a lifetime. Every boy needs to hear from his dad. I believe in you. You have what
it takes. You can do this. Every girl needs to hear from her father. You. Our precious. You are cherished. You're beautiful. And I think you're the prettiest girl or one you know, I. I have three daughters, and I told them all that they were the three prettiest girls I knew next to their mother. And of course, all the traits that you want to see in a masculine soul and a feminine soul, a father is uniquely positioned to encourage. And I think one of the best ways
to encourage our children is to listen. Yeah, it is not our words often that so reaches them deeply, but the fact that we'll listen to their sorrows, their fears, their setbacks, their questions, their doubts, their insecurities, and listen with the heart that says, you are my son. You're my daughter. With you I'm well pleased and I love you.
You're listening to The Land and the book from Moody Radio. I'm John Gager. Doctor Bob Mueller is a marriage expert and founder of For Keeps Ministries. What would Paul say to the dad who feels like he's already blown it? He had his chances, and whether through poor choices or because of baggage from his own childhood, he just he just didn't do that well as a dad.
John, here's the good news today. It's never too late to become the father you should be. It's never too late. I don't care how old you are. I always say, as long as your body is above room temperature and your children's, there is a chance there is an opportunity. Let me use that word instead to be the father. In other words, if you've discouraged your kids, call them up today, today and say to them, you are my son. You are my daughter whom I love with you. I'm
well pleased. Now they may say, dad, did you get a bad medical report? You know, is there? Should I come home for some reason? No, I'm just long overdue. If you've ignored them, stop ignoring them. Give them time. If you've been critical of them, stop being critical. Start being encouraging. If you did all the talking and never listened to them, change that. Let them talk to you and ask questions and draw their hearts out. John, this
is a wonderful thing. It's never too late. If the kids are 47 today or 38 or 18, it's not too late. They will respond. And I've seen it happen.
Bob, I think there's a whole lot of people who are relieved to hear what you have to say and would like to hear more. I hope you'll come back and share further with us. Meanwhile, I want to point you to our website where you can hear this conversation, share the podcast with a friend. It's at the land and the book org, the land and the book org. Segment three is next. It's Charlie Dyer's answers to your
Bible questions right here. You know, when you open your Bible, there's no end to the questions that come to your mind, because there's no end to the source of wisdom and mystery that surrounds the Word of God. So much of it very easy to understand. A child can understand it. Yet there are dimensions to that Word of God that are as they should be beyond us and should require some digging. And that's what this next segment is all about. Welcome to the land and the book I'm John Gager.
It's all about answering questions that have come to you in your own journey through Scripture. Our host, Doctor Charlie Dyer, has his Bible open. And Charlie, I think a lot of people wonder, how do you share the gospel with a Jewish person? Because of cultural, historical, and religious differences, it can be challenging to navigate a gospel conversation with somebody from a Jewish background. Maybe you've wondered how the professionals do it.
And to answer that question, our friends at Life and Messiah want to mail you samples of the tracks their staff use as they share the gospel. This will serve a dual purpose of equipping you with methods of presenting the gospel, and also supplying you with tracks you can share with your Jewish friends and neighbors. Life in Messiah's Prayer is that these tracks will help further the spread
of the gospel among the Jewish people. To receive this helpful assortment of tracks, all you need to do is visit Life in Messiah org and click on the Moody Radio button for more information. That's Life in messiah.org and don't miss out on this great opportunity. All right.
Let's get to our first question of the day from Mary. She asks, what is the expression total depravity really all about? Pastors and Bible teachers, at least in my hearing, seem to say that in depravity, man is not as bad as he could be. Is this true, or are there different views?
Well, the best definition of total depravity, which I learned in Bible college and seminary, is that at the fall, all humanity inherited both the sin nature and the guilt of Adam so that everything about them is affected by sin. It doesn't mean people are as sinful as they can possibly be, but it does mean we possess an inward distortion that makes every part of our being wholly bad and displeasing to God. One verse that comes to mind to help this is Jeremiah 17, verses nine and ten.
The heart is more deceitful than all else, and desperately sick. Who can understand it? Yet we don't even know why we do things ourselves. But then it goes on and says, I, the Lord, search the heart. I test the mind to give each man according to his ways, according to the results of his deeds.
Lynn says, I have been studying Mark 15 and 16 and I'm wondering, could you please help me with the timeline? By days of the events of the Passion Week, I've scribbled my own ideas out and can never quite get those days correct.
Yeah, and we.
Could take the entire rest of the time just to go through all the details. So let me give a link online here that could help, I think not just Lynn, but everybody, uh, go to bible.org that website and then type in these words chronology and synopsis of Passion Week, chronology and synopsis of Passion Week. They have a little search bar there. Just type that in. Now here's why
I like the site. They're going to provide a day by day account of all the events in chronological order, along with the references to those events in all four Gospels. And what I really like about the site is if you hover your cursor over each of the references, it'll bring up the Bible translation of that passage. So it allows you to compare the accounts in each gospel without having to flip from one book to another. Uh, again,
just go to Bible. Org and type in chronology and synopsis of Passion Week in their search bar, and you'll get a great research tool.
Marilyn asks, whenever I read or hear the story of Joseph preached or mentioned, I always wonder why Joseph never returned home at some point, even when he'd risen to the position of governor of Egypt and was a prominent man. Why did he never go back home to his father and family?
That's actually a great question. I think the answer can be found in two parts. A Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers when he was 17, and for the next 13 years he was a slave in the house of Potiphar and then placed in prison following the false accusation of Potiphar's wife. So it wasn't until he was 30 years old when he was released from prison and entered the service of Pharaoh. Those first 13 years,
he wasn't free to return home. The second part of his life in Egypt happened when he entered Pharaoh's court. After interpreting Pharaoh's dream, he was put in charge of the whole land of Egypt to help the country prepare for the coming famine. And he was now, quote, free in the sense that he was out of prison. He had power. But for the next seven years he was responsible for traveling throughout the land and preparing storage facilities
for the coming famine. And when the famine hit, he was then placed in charge of grain sales and distribution. He was finally reunited with his family in the second year of that famine, when he would have been 39 or 40 years old. So in light of all that, I don't believe he was able to return home first because he was a slave and prisoner, and then later
he was given such great responsibilities. I think there's one final reason, by the way, in spite of all that Joseph did for Egypt, he was still a subject under Pharaoh. In fact, when. Josiah's father died. Joseph had to go to Pharaoh and ask permission to take the body of his father back to Canaan for burial. That's in Genesis chapter 50. So Joseph was a great man, but he was still under the authority of Pharaoh and wasn't free to do whatever he wanted.
That's Charlie Dyer. I'm John Geiger. This is the land. And the book segment three is all about the questions that you kind of ruminate about as you read through Scripture, and this one is an interesting one. Is there any historical verification for the darkness that covered the land from the sixth hour to the ninth hour, during the crucifixion?
I don't know of any historical sources, apart from the Gospels that describe that period of darkness. Of course, the number of available historical sources is quite limited. Apart from Josephus, and he wasn't born until about four years after the events of the crucifixion. I don't know of any other source that wrote in detail about that specific period of time in Israel, and none of the official Roman sources from that specific time period have ever been discovered either.
So the lack of supporting historical resources here is not surprising.
This listener wants a good explanation of Mark 16 verse 16. Charlie, it says whoever believes and is baptized will be saved. Now, this can be confusing for folks who say, wait, wait, wait, I thought we didn't need to be baptized.
Yeah, and I start by saying I don't hold to baptism as a requirement for salvation. So let me start here by sharing what I think the best understanding is of that verse, and actually answer two ways. First, in that geographical area, that region in the first century, baptism was the outward indication of belief and acceptance of the
gospel message. Even today, both Jewish and Muslim cultures in that region, believers decision to be baptized is seen as the proof of conversion, publicly indicating that they've turned from their former beliefs to become a follower of Jesus, and normally baptism immediately followed the decision to trust Christ. But second, I think it's clear that baptism wasn't an essential requirement
for salvation. The second half of that verse shows the opposite effect he who does not believe will be condemned. It's it's the belief or lack thereof that either saves or condemns. The baptism is simply an outward indication of that inward saving faith. And also Paul, who did baptize the Philippian jailer and his family in acts 16, later wrote to the Corinthians, I am thankful that I did not baptize any of you. And then he gives a
few exceptions that he did. But he says, in the end, for Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel. And the point here is that the gospel message did not include getting baptized as an essential element for being saved. In fact, later in the book, when Paul explains what the gospel is in first Corinthians 15, he doesn't include baptism.
Sharon is teaching through the book of John and says, I need your insight. In John 531, Jesus says, if I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true. But in John 814 it says, Jesus answered and said to them, even if I bear witness of myself, my witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going. But you do not know where I came from and where I am going now. How can these statements be harmonized?
Yeah, I.
Think the context helps us harmonize the two statements. In chapter five, Jesus is saying that under Jewish law, if he was the only one testifying about himself, his testimony wouldn't be considered legally valid, since in Deuteronomy 1915 it was the evidence of 2 or 3 witnesses that was required for a matter to be confirmed. But then Jesus points out that there was indeed a second witness to the truth of what he was saying and and doing.
And that was John the Baptist. That's why in the next two verses, Jesus talks about another who testifies in my favor and says about him, you have sent to John, and he has testified to the truth. Now in John eight, the context is slightly different, though once again, the Pharisees challenged Jesus, saying, here you're appearing as your own witness. Your testimony isn't valid. Uh, this time Jesus answers, using
a different argument, though. First he says in verse 14 that his testimony is valid or truthful because he, not them, is the one who really knows his identity and mission. Though his testimony alone might not have been enough to meet the legal requirement of needing two witnesses in court, what he was saying about himself was still true. And then, having made that argument, Jesus provides a second witness to show his claim about himself is indeed valid. He says,
I'm not alone. I stand with the father who sent me. In your own law, it's written that the testimony of two men is valid. I'm the one who testifies for myself. My other witness is the father who sent me. So in the end, Jesus did provide two witnesses. In both of those chapters.
Charlie says, I'll be teaching a Sunday school lesson in a few weeks. On the origins of the Bible. Could you recommend a book that would be helpful in my preparation?
Yeah, I can actually recommend three, though there are many others that are helpful. The first is a small book by W.H. Griffith Thomas called How We Got Our Bible. It was written about a century ago, but it's a great summary. The second book is Evidence that demands a
verdict by Josh. McDowell is a section on the Bible that provides some information in outline form, and the third, probably the most complete of the three, is called A General Introduction to the Bible by Norm Geisler and William Nix. It provides a great deal of information on how the books of the Bible came to be recognized as canonical, and how the writings were preserved. Well, that's.
It for today's question and answer segment. If you didn't hear yours, is it possible you didn't ask it? Yeah, it takes a few weeks to get it on the air. Sure, but you get a response pretty quick from Charlie. And if you send us an email, we'll get right to it. Here's how you connect the land and the book@moody.edu. Don't you go away because Charlie Dyer's devotional is next here on the land and the book. Happy Father's Day weekend from the team here at The Land and the book,
I'm John Jaeger with our host, doctor Charlie Dyer. And Charlie, your devotional takes us to some appropriate remarks for Father's Day. I suspect.
It does father's wise words from Proverbs chapter four, and we'll.
Get to that after we listen to this testimony that I think you need to hear.
Hi, my name is Janice and this is my Holy Land experience. The thing that will never be the same is the Bible will never be the same to me when I read it, just simply because of all the things that we've seen and how it applied to what's already in Scripture. The second thing that was the most fun was dancing on the boat and the Sea of Galilee. And lastly, I think what surprised me the most was how complex the issue is between Israel and the Arabs
and the whole conflict. And I think in the US and for myself personally, I have made it much simpler and it's very complex. So I would like to remember to pray about that. And I think that's something that I learned the most.
All right. Somebody who's been to the Holy Land and had a great insight for us there. All right. We're going to turn now to Proverbs chapter four for your devotional. Charlie. Go ahead.
Ah, thanks. Well, in my office I have a special file with precious items I've collected over the years. Now, it's not filled with diamonds or gold bullion or stock certificates. Anyone ransacking my office hoping to find those would be sorely disappointed. My stash of treasures are cards, letters, emails, other writings, and Bibles I've received over the years, and these gems also include a hand drawn book, and I use that term loosely from my then ten year old daughter.
It's definitely a keeper. Now. I also have a collection of typewritten letters from my dad. For many years. He would type a letter to my wife and me at the beginning of each new year. Dad was a two fingered typist, so these multi-page letters were a labor of love, and he didn't know how to switch between uppercase and lowercase on his small, portable typewriter. So each one shouted out his message in all capital letters. But the best part of each letter was the prayer he typed at
the very beginning. He was praying very specifically for both of us, and I knew exactly what he was praying. Now, dad didn't come to the Lord until he was in his mid 40s, right about the time I left home for college. But once he did place his trust in Jesus as his Lord and Savior, he grew like a
weed spiritually. On the shelf to the left of my desk I have three of the Bibles he wore out over the next 40 years of his life as he read, pondered, underlined, and then scratched out notes in the margin of each one. A dad wasn't a professional pastor, though he did become an elder at our local church. He was a World War II vet, a high school graduate, and a blue collar worker who spent much of his adult life as
a truck driver. But more than that, he became a man of spiritual depth and wisdom who wanted his family and everyone else to come to love God and His
Word just as much as he did. So. Since this weekend is Father's Day, I thought it might be appropriate to pull two of dad's Bibles off my shelf to see what he discovered in his study of Proverbs four, verses 20 through 27, Proverbs explains how life ought to be lived, and a proper understanding of life begins with a proper relationship to the God who designed it all. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Solomon wrote these words to explain to his son how
life ought to be lived. Solomon wasn't perfect. He drifted from many of the precepts he himself taught to his children. But rather than becoming too hard on Solomon, let's remember that we've all fallen short when it comes to living out God's standards for life. So let's focus on what God describes as the ideal way to live, so that we can hopefully avoid some of the mistakes that Solomon and our parents and we ourselves have made in the past.
Solomon began by imploring his child to pay attention to what I say. Listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of your sight. Keep them within your heart. The heart focuses on the inner aspects of our being. It encompasses our ability to comprehend our our feelings and our will. And in verses 22 and 23, Solomon explains why it's so important to take in, guard and protect these truths. They are life to those who find them
and health to a man's whole body. In the margin of one Bible, dad wrote that being guided by the Holy Word of our Lord helps keep us spiritually vital and spiritually healthy, which keeps away moral decay. In the second Bible, he wrote that Solomon told his son to keep these words in his heart because they offer health
and life with all these underlinings. In the verses, it appears dad was trying to focus in on the key commands Solomon was stressing and he bracketed verse 23 with lines above and below to make sure it stood out. Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. In verses 24 to 27, Solomon provided some practical guidance on how to guard one's heart. He began in verse 24 by focusing on what we say put away perversity from your mouth, keep corrupt, talk from
your lips. It's interesting that the first place we need to guard is our mouth. My dad applied this to his life in one simple note in the margin do not lie. And he did live his life always trying to tell the truth, even when it meant that he had to have some awkward conversations with individuals whom he felt needed to be confronted for their actions. He tried to speak the truth in love, as Paul wrote in Ephesians 415, but he never shied away from saying what
he felt needed to be said. In verse 25, Solomon moves from the mouth to the eyes as he says, let your eyes look straight ahead. Fix your gaze directly before you. Solomon had earlier described the way of the wise and the way of the foolish, and it's called here. As for the individual not to get distracted by the temptations and allurements that try to pull us away from the path of godliness toward the ways of the world.
Dad underlined. Let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you and in the margin, he added On Jesus Christ. He didn't include a reference, but I'm pretty sure he was thinking of Hebrews 12 one and two, where we're told not to let ourselves become entangled by sin, but to run the race before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus. Finally, in verses 26 and 27, Solomon moves from our mouth and our eyes to our feet. Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do
not swerve to the right or the left. Keep your foot from evil. This theme is one Solomon keeps repeating. In verses 18 and 19 he described the two pathways available to everyone. The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. But the path of the wicked is like deep darkness. They do not know what makes them stumble. Dad liked these verses because he squeezed several
notes in the margin. For verses 18 and 19 he wrote, the path of the righteous is like the sun's rays in the morning. By noon it is in full light. But for the wicked it's in deep darkness. And then in another color ink. He wrote no hope. At verses 26 to 27 he wrote, our conduct should be right and keep us on a level path. And in the other Bible he wrote, walk a straight path for Jesus. So what do these verses have to do with you
this Father's Day weekend? Some of you have a godly father who is still alive, and if so, take some time to let him know how much you appreciate the impact he's made on your life over the years. But what if your father's absent or has passed away? Does Father's Day for you need to be a time of sorrow and regret? I don't believe it has to be for two reasons. First, you can still think back and focus on the good experiences you had with your father.
What life lessons, spiritual or otherwise, did you learn from him? What memories do you have of the ways he tried to be a good father for you? Now? For some, there might not be any memories. You may have grown up without a father in your life. He might have died when you were young, or he might even have walked away from his commitment to his family. And if that's the case, how can you apply these truths on
this Father's Day weekend? I believe the answer, then, is to look beyond your earthly, biological father to your heavenly father who has said he will never leave you nor forsake you. Claim Psalm 68 five for yourself today a father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. The anniversary of my dad's homegoing is next month. He's been gone for several years and
I still miss him. But my Heavenly Father will always be there for me, and he will be there for you as well this weekend and every single day that follows. And he wants you to listen to his wise words in Proverbs 24, so that what you feel and think, what you say, what you see and what you do, point your friends and family toward him as well.
Thank you. Charlie loved having your dad's notes right there, amplifying what we're reading in Scripture. Those are great insights. Well, you know, our time is gone, but we want to say thank you to this station for providing air time. There's no accident about this program. By the way, the fact that we're here, that you're hearing us is because
of the kindness of this radio station. So we thank them and I hope you'll drop them a line as well, letting them know that you appreciate the land and the book. Our host, Charlie Dyer and producer Dan Anderson, want to join me in saying thanks for listening to The Land and the book, a production of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.