Bible Humor

Old Testament scholar, Middle East expert, Dr. Charlie Dyer. And Charlie, many of us, as we look at the conflict unfolding right now, are wondering what the future holds for Israel. While some things are certain, the Bible gives us an outline of what really will happen in the last days. Our friends at Life in Messiah recently posted.

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Now they're engaged in heavy urban fighting and experiencing the trauma of still more deaths. They've bombed over 11,000 Hamas targets since the start of the war. Meanwhile, Hamas and Islamic Jihad continue to fire rockets at the towns and cities in central and southern Israel. Hamas was hoping Hezbollah, the Houthis in Yemen, and even possibly Iran would actively engage in the fighting. But so far, that hasn't happened.

Hezbollah's fired anti-tank rockets across the border, but at least up to now, they've held back on using their thousands of long range rockets. They've done just enough to claim they support Hamas, but are apparently trying to keep the conflict from escalating. Whether this will continue, though, well, that remains to be seen. But their response, at least up

till now, has frustrated Hamas. The Houthis have launched several drones and rockets at Israel from their bases in Yemen, but all have been shot down by US warships or by Israeli planes or the Arab missile system. No Houthi missiles are drones have penetrated Israel. Iran hasn't joined the fight, though its allies in Iraq and Syria have launched missiles and drones at US bases in Syria. Now, as you might expect, the flow of information from the battle is sparse.

Israel doesn't want to telegraph its plans to Hamas, but they appear to be moving deliberately and methodically to cut off all avenues of resupply and escape for Hamas while they move house to house in heavy urban fighting. One last point the economic impact of this war on Israel thus far is staggering. It's costing Israel $250 million a day with no end in sight, and the cost to those living in Gaza is incalculable. The impact is going to be felt long into next year.

They're using them in improper and. And misleading ways. The laws of armed conflict are governed by the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and some other protocols, and Israel subscribes to and follows those laws. You know, when you think about war crimes, it was Hamas that deliberately targeted civilians on October 7th. They raped, tortured, mutilated, burned alive. Many of those they killed. They took civilians as hostages. Now those are war crimes. Israel is very deliberately seeking to bomb

only military targets. But under the laws of armed combat, those targets may include residential buildings if they're being used by Hamas for military purposes. That's why Israel has repeatedly urged civilians to leave the area. Israel's trying to avoid civilian casualties. It's Hamas that's using the civilians as human shields and the principle of proportionality that you'll often hear,

and it's often thrown about. Well, that doesn't mean you compare body counts or the number of damaged buildings to see if they're even. What it means is that an attack is considered disproportionate and illegal. If the collateral damage to civilians and buildings is excessive compared to the military advantage of the attack. In other words, bombing an entire apartment building to take out a single Hamas fighter who ran inside for cover, that would be disproportionate and illegal.

But bombing a building that houses a key Hamas commander, or a command center or weapons facility that would not be considered disproportionate even if it causes civilian casualties. Israel is doing everything possible to avoid civilian casualties, but they are seeking to eliminate Hamas and its leadership. Hamas started the conflict when they launched their attack on October 7th, and Israel has the right to respond militarily to defeat them. War,

as we both know, is bloody and brutal. Israel is trying to fight a vicious enemy while following all the laws of armed conflict. And those suggesting otherwise, including politicians and protesters, are either naive, deluded or just plain anti-Semitic.

as you might expect, is being deliberately kept vague. It's also unclear how the ion beams performance will be impacted by weather conditions, like clouds or rain or smoke or dust. What we do know is that Israel has officially announced plans to test the system on missiles now being fired from Gaza. Some reports, including some so-called videos, have appeared supposedly showing the system in use for the past two weeks. Those reports are false. They're examples of fake news capturing headlines.

What does seem to be true, though, is that Israel wants to test the system against missiles currently being fired by Hamas. It's also likely Israel won't issue any updates on its use until they know its effectiveness. Now, in regard to another of Israel's high tech systems, they did announce Wednesday they use their arrow defense system to intercept a surface to surface missile launched from Yemen. That was the first use of the system in actual combat, and

it worked as advertised. They're hoping that they'll be able to say the same thing before too long when it comes to the ion beam system, but as of right now, no news.

news was uncritically picked up by news outlets. Days later, it was shown to be an Islamic Jihad rocket, not an Israeli bomb, which misfired and landed in the parking lot, not on the hospital itself, and that somewhere around 50 to 100 people were killed, not 500 or more. That obviously false story ignited worldwide anger and criticism of Israel. The best way to combat fake news like that is

with the truth. And that's why a group of volunteers in Israel have begun a new initiative that they've called the Digital Iron Dome. As the name suggests, their goal is to shoot down fake news reports by exposing them. Now the site is in Hebrew, but here's how it works. If anyone spots a story they believe to. Be fake or malicious. They can paste a link to that story

on the Digital Iron Dome website. Volunteers then check the link and if it does appear to be false, they report it to the appropriate social media network to have them take it down. Now, that's a great idea because ultimately the best defense against fake news is the truth. And John, if I could end this section with just one other thing. Someone posted online and thought it was great. They said, if you want to know how you would have responded during the Holocaust, check your response to Israel

and the Jewish people today. And it's amazing. We're seeing a rise in antisemitism. We're seeing a large amount of apathy. But thankfully, though, we're seeing some who are actively trying to help.

You ever wonder what Jewish people believe happens when we die? West Tabor is with life in Messiah. What are the thoughts there? West?

kind of reincarnation. A religious Jews who study Kabbalah may hold this view even today, but for most Jewish people, likely including your neighbor or coworker, the idea of the afterlife is not very clear. They may assent to a gun Eden, an unidentified identical Paradise in the future, but resist the idea of an eternal hell.

of Bible related humor, all tied to Scripture. As I say, Dr. Bramer is department chair and professor of Bible exposition at Dallas Theological Seminary. He serves as an adjunct professor for Word of Life Bible Institute, Hungary and New York, Briar Christ Seminary, Canada, as well as at the Jordan Evangelical Theological Seminary in Jordan. Stephen is a teaching pastor at Walter Brook Bible Fellowship and travels yearly to Israel and Jordan.

Thanks for linking up with us today on the land in the book, Stephen.

or doctorate degrees, and they're kind of little. And so by the time I would tell a few jokes, especially ones that were appropriate or connected with the material, the barriers often would come down. And so I just began to collect those. And I've looked at places online. I've heard people speak, so I've just been collecting them. It's certainly not that I've written these 2000 plus jokes and humor stories, but I've just been collecting them over my years of ministry.

so that you and your people can escape. And the bad news? Asked Moses. God says you'll have to fire the environmental impact statement. And so in our world today, with that being such a problem in so many places, I've enjoyed that. I also enjoy the the first Corinthians 15. I think it is, you know, as a church is trying to make everything biblical within their new church building. They one deacon suggested they place the text of First Corinthians 1551 over their nursery door that reads In the

King James Version, behold, I show you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. And if you've ever been to a nursery, you realize they're not all sleeping, they're not all changed. But here's a verse really taken out of context, of course, but a little bit of a humorous message to it.

I can engage in spiritual conversation. And often when they've asked me and they find out I'm professor, you can feel them pull back. But if I can use some humor now, you've got to be careful because you know you can offend people with humor if you're not careful. You know, humor is kind. We got a double edged sword. It can both be used in a very positive way, and if you happen to use it inappropriately, or perhaps you don't understand the person's culture or assert them in

the background. So you could be used poorly. And so you need to be careful.

got to do something. And by injecting humorous illustration, just a throwaway line that's got some humor and it allows people in the pew to kind of shift and to laugh a little bit. And I think then they're ready to engage again. We just can't be serious for 30 minutes in a in a deep conversation. And it's a one way conversation, usually from the pulpit. So this this allows there to be those breaks throughout the message. I

think it's helpful. I find people respond to that. And of course when I'm preaching at a new place, I'm careful because they don't know me and they don't know my personality. And therefore I would use less humor when I'm first starting off with a group of people. Whereas when I'm preaching at my home church, they know me, I know them. They're not going to be offended if I say something that I didn't know was offensive or anything like that.

camel through the eye of a needle. And I always say to people, and it's that second hump of the camel that gets stuck in the needle, you know, and, and here are people and they try and explain it away. They try and explain that there's a little door through a gate that's called the eye of the needle, which was first brought up in the 13th century AD, I believe. So it was not back then. And so not understanding

the culture, we might not understand it. So hyperbole and making mention of animals and items back in that time. We need to understand that to really get the humor.

Covid here. Whenever I would meet him, he'd have a little joke for me and it was just always enjoyable. And and it just put our relationship into that level where we could talk and it often would lead then to more serious conversations. But but it let us both know that we were human. God created humor. He created us. Part of being human, I believe, is to have that sense of humor as we talk with each other and

as we see things. I'm sure that Balam, when he his donkey, turned around and talked to him, he was probably pretty shocked and everything. But I'm sure later on when he was telling the story, he must have had a little chuckle in his voice.

and new earth and we see the Lord godness. And I just wonder sometimes if we wouldn't see an enjoyment, maybe not a joke, kind of AA1 line, a zinger, but enjoying, you know, when when the Lord was making those elephants or hippopotamus, I wonder if his Heavenly father just didn't smile a little bit when he saw how he was designing this animal. So we don't have jokes in the scripture from God, but I do think, you

know he leads his people. When he said to Elijah, you know, confront the prophets of Baal and on behalf of God, Elijah says to them, well, cry out a little bit louder to Baal, because maybe he's sleeping, or maybe he's gone on a journey, or maybe he's in the restroom. You know, surely God inspiring his people shows us a little bit about the heart of God who delights to laugh. Yeah.

of this life here on earth. Yes, we go through some difficult times, but I do believe that life is to be enjoyed. And as we are in a right relationship with the Lord and right relationship with our friends, I think laughter can actually cause us to grow and to want to be together and want to just enjoy the Lord in this life.

welcome in our inbox. We'll give you that email address in a couple of minutes. Let's start with Deb's question in the song Glorify Thy Name. Is it theologically correct to sing spirit, we love you. We worship and adore you. Glorify your name in all the earth. Didn't the Lord Jesus say that the Holy Spirit would glorify him and also remind the disciples of all he had told them?

his own. He'll speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. My concern is that the song seems to actually elevate the Holy Spirit in a way that detracts from his role in the Godhead. Know he proceeded from the father, and his role was to exalt the person and work of Christ. But now here's the other side of that coin. Some people react

by going the opposite direction. You know, they almost make the Holy Spirit a second class member of the Trinity. So we do need to remember the Holy Spirit is fully God in Acts chapter five. I love the passage Peter tells in Aeneas that he had lied to the Holy Spirit in five three. Then in the very next verse he says, you've not lied to men, but to God, and that's what we need to remember. So in the end, I do want to acknowledge the work each member of

the Godhead plays in my salvation. I want to glorify each for what they've done and continue to do. But I do feel uncomfortable, though, addressing each member of the Godhead individually, like the song suggests us, as if almost their roles are identical. Now that might be a personal quirk. I have, but I don't want to go beyond what God's Word says in describing the role that each member of the Trinity plays in the world today.

soul and spirit are transformed at death. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. Paul said in second Corinthians five, and we know when Christ will appear that we're going to be like him, but we're still incomplete without the transformed body. So just as Jesus received a glorified body in his resurrection, I think God's plan for us really isn't finished until we

receive our glorified body as well. In second Corinthians five, Paul talks about how we groan in this, our earthly body, but how God will clothe us with our new heavenly body. I keep thinking about it. A body that never grows old and never wears out, never has physical problems. John. I'm looking forward for that new body.

Redlich and me. These encouraging and informative videos will help you better understand God's future plans, and how we can be actively waiting to get access to this video series. Visit Life in Messiah org and click on the Moody Radio button to sign up. That's life in Messiah org.

gave them what they asked for. In fact, it says they plundered the Egyptians. So as a result, I. Many of the materials later used to build the tabernacle were actually given to the Israelites by the Egyptians at the time of the Exodus. But second, I think the people were also able to find some of the items in the wilderness know. Certainly they could find acacia wood there for the bars and the boards and and the carts

that they needed. And they were also able to find wild olive trees, as well as other desert trees that produce the aromatic spices in the same area.

a very young child, you get the idea. You know they want what they want, and they pout if their demands aren't met immediately. Well, you have that same idea that Paul's picturing there in verse three. Then Paul provides two of the characteristics being demonstrated by such believers. In fact, he says in Corinth they were exhibiting jealousy and strife. Paul then describes the second group of believers as spiritual, and he pictures individuals who are under the control of

the Holy Spirit. We might also refer to them as mature believers. They exhibit a wisdom in how they live that comes from God and comes through His Word and through the work of the Holy Spirit. You know, the writer of Hebrews also makes a similar distinction between infants who need milk, the elementary truths of God's Word, he calls it, and the mature who know how to ingest the solid food of God's Word and enable them to distinguish good from evil, and are able to share that

truth with others. He mentions all that in Hebrews chapter five. So rather than language like sold out, surrendered, or living without with unconfessed sin, which by themselves aren't incorrect, I need to add, I just personally prefer categories of immature versus mature, or those controlled by the world versus those controlled by God's Spirit. And one major difference between the groups is the ability to learn and discern and respond properly to God's Word.

opposed to being drunk or controlled by wine. I see something similar in Galatians five, where Paul contrasts the acts produced by our sinful nature in verses 19 to 21 with the acts and attitudes produced by the Spirit's work in our lives in verses 22 and 23. I believe even the newest Christian can choose to be filled with the spirit, in the sense of allowing the Holy Spirit to control his or her life and and submit to that control. But spiritual maturity is a process. It develops

over time. Using another analogy, a young child can be obedient, polite, and mature for their age, but that same child still has much to learn and master right before he and she can become a full fledged adult. So every Christian should strive to be led by the spirit as they seek to know and follow God. But the process of becoming spiritually mature, that takes time as God leads us through all those life experiences that produce obedience and trust and wisdom in our lives.

ask Jesus, are you the expected one? I thought John knew who he was earlier, and now he's questioning, what's your take?

had told people was God's Son and the Messiah. And so he finally sent his disciples to ask Jesus if he really was the Messiah, or perhaps if there was something else or someone else coming. John didn't see Jesus fulfilling the role of conquering King. And so what does Jesus do? Well, he tells John's disciples to report to John what you hear and see the. A blind receive sight. The lame walk. Those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news

is preached to the poor, which he actually. That's all in Matthew chapter 11. So Jesus is telling them to report specific miracles they had seen him perform and the message they'd heard him preach. And that goes all the way back to Isaiah chapter 35, where Isaiah said, when your God comes, those are exactly the things you're going to see. In other words, Jesus tells him to report to John that he's doing exactly what God said the Messiah would do when he arrived.

devotional is titled Fake News. We're going to look at the danger that happened in some fake news biblically, after we first hear this testimony from a traveler to Israel who wants to share this with you and me.

least when it comes to fake news. Now follow me to Bethel, about ten miles north of Jerusalem, and I'll explain what I mean. Bethel is the spot where Jacob had his dream of a stairway between earth and heaven, with angels ascending and descending. Because of that dream, Jacob named the place Bethel House of God, and the site

took on great religious significance from that point on. Following Solomon's death, when the kingdom divided into Israel and Judah, Jeroboam headed up the breakaway nation of Israel, and Bethel became one of the strategic religious sites that helped him maintain control over his new empire. One fact we learn about Jeroboam at the start of his reign is that

he was the master of fake news. In first Kings 1228, he set up two golden calves, one in the north and Dan the other in the south of his kingdom at Bethel. He then said to the people, here are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt, fake gods. Then in verse 31, the compiler of Kings notes that Jeroboam appointed priests from all sorts of people, even though they were not Levites. He had fake priests.

And then in verses 32 to 33, the writer reports that Jeroboam instituted a festival on the 15th day of the eighth month, a month of his own choosing. He instituted fake festivals. Let me pause there for a second to explain that last point. God instituted a festival for Israel on the 15th day of the seventh month. It's the festival we know as the Feast of Tabernacles or Festival of Sukkot. Jeroboam set up his fake festival exactly

one month after the one established by God. In fact, the 15th day of heaven, the 15th day of the eighth month on the Jewish calendar, was this past Sunday to give his new fake festival legitimacy in the eyes of the people. King Jeroboam himself went up to the altar to make offerings, claiming the dual roles of both king and priest in doing so, fake authority. Sadly, the fake news coming out of Bethel isn't over. In First Kings 13, God sent a prophet to denounce Jeroboam his actions.

Jeroboam stretched out his hand and shouted to the guards to seize him. But as he did, his arm shriveled up. The king pled with the man of God to intercede on his behalf, and in response to that man's prayers, the real God of Israel restored Jeroboam arm. Jeroboam wanted this prophet of God to stay for a meal, but he refused, saying God had commanded him not to stop in Bethel, or eat or drink, or even go home

the same way he had arrived. As he was leaving Bethel, this man of God paused to rest under a tree. At this point in the story, we're introduced to a second prophet who evidently also worshiped the true God. This older man found the first prophet and said to him, I too am a prophet as you are. And an angel said to me by the word of God, bring him back with you to your house, so that he may eat bread and drink water. But this was fake news, because the writer goes on to add, but he was

lying to him. Fake gods, fake priests, fake festivals, fake authority and fake news. What else can go wrong? Well, you don't have to wait too long to find out. God delivered a stern message to the First Prophet through the mouth of this less than honorable second prophet. Here's what God told him to say. You have defiled the word of the Lord and have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you. You came back and ate bread and drank water in the place where you

were told not to eat and drink. Therefore your body will not be buried in the tomb of your fathers. But wait, that doesn't seem quite fair, does it? The original man of God was duped by this older prophet, who apparently had been a legitimate prophet in the past. So why is God judging the first prophet for getting taken in by the lying word spoken to him by

the second prophet? Isn't that rather harsh on God's part? Well, it might seem harsh until you remember it was God himself who originally sent the first prophet to Bethel to announce his judgment. When the King invited the prophet to stay, the prophet's response was, I have been commanded by the word of the Lord. You must not eat bread, or drink water, or return by the way you came. God had given very specific instructions to the prophet, and it's

clear the man knew exactly what God had said. So had God reappeared to him to change his original instructions. He did not. The older man might have sounded very persuasive, but God had already spoken clearly and directly, and his numbers 2319 makes clear God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Having delivered God's word of judgment to the original prophet, the second prophet apparently tried to

make amends. He found the man of God resting under a tree, very possibly exhausted from his journey, his interaction with the king and his lack of food and water. The second prophet with the fake message, gave his own donkey to the original prophet, perhaps hoping to make his journey home easier. But if that was his hope, the message of judgment God had spoken was going to be fulfilled.

As he went on his way, a lion met him on the road and killed him, and his body was thrown down on the road with both the donkey and the lion standing beside it. So what's the moral to this sad story from Bethel in first Kings 12 and 13? Well, without being flippant, it might be that listening to fake news can prove to be deadly. God had already spoken clearly, and if a message comes that seems to contradict what

God has said, always, always stick with God. How serious is it to ignore God's Word and to be taken in by fake news? I'm reminded of two responses to such deception given by the Apostle Paul in Galatians one nine. Paul responded to fake news that was circulating regarding the gospel message there. He wrote, as we've already said. So now I say again, if anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned. God's good news. The gospel is a matter

of literally eternal life and death. And Paul warned against being taken in by so deadly a fake. The second message is from Paul's second letter to the Thessalonians. Evidently, fake news was circulating there regarding the coming day of the Lord. Again, Paul doesn't mince words. He begins by writing concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and

our being gathered to him. We ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy or reporter letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. And then Paul ends his teaching on future events by writing. So them brothers stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter. The best defense against fake news is the truth,

and that starts with the truth of God's Word. The more you know God's Word, the more prepared you will be to not fall victim to fake news and to know God's Word. You need to start by reading God's Word. So how much time do you spend in the Bible each day? Here's my challenge to you this next week. Spend less time reading or listening to all the fake news online or on television, and spend more time studying what God has said in his word. Replace fake news

with heavenly truth. Trust me, you will never regret it.