How do you reach restricted Muslim nations with the Gospel of Christ? Bibles aren't allowed in, missionaries are forbidden, and trading Islam for Christianity is often punishable by death. Just ahead, Bonny Sallah brings us stories of hope from restricted Muslim countries. Plus, we've got a fascinating set of listener Bible questions coming your way. Hey, welcome to the land and the book.
It's the one hour program that makes you feel like you've traveled to the Middle East without ever leaving the comfort of your own home. Doctor Charlie Dyer is the man behind it all. He's an Old Testament scholar, a middle East expert, and a great friend. I'm John Gager, and maybe you have wondered sometimes, how do you share the gospel with a Jewish person and do it effectively?
Because of cultural, historical, and religious differences, it's sometimes challenging to navigate a gospel conversation with somebody from a Jewish background. So have you ever wondered how the professionals do it?
Yeah, 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, while also supplying you with tracks you can share with your Jewish friends and neighbors. Life in Messiah's Prayer is that those 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 there for more information. That's Life in messiah.org. Don't miss out on this great opportunity.
And let's swing our focus now toward current events from the Middle East all unfolding this past week. Story number one President Biden's announcement of a freeze in sending key weapons and ammunition to Israel sent shock waves throughout the country. What's the real reason for the decision? And more importantly, what impact will all that have on the war with Hamas?
Yeah, and Israel was in shock over the decision, in spite of assurances from the white House that the two countries remain firm allies. Following widespread criticism of the announcement, the administration told lawmakers it would send $1 billion worth of arms, including tank and mortar shells, but apparently not the bombs that they're withholding. Many are looking for deeper significance, or the real reason for the blunt message from President Biden.
And in reality, there's likely no single reason for the announcement. The white House and Israel don't see eye to eye on the prosecution of the war. President Biden was especially concerned over what has turned out to be inflated casualty figures from Hamas and warnings of catastrophic famine from the
UN officials and other aid groups. There's also concern in the white House over a growing rift in the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, and a growing fear that the demonstrations and riots could end up costing them the election in November. Talking tough on Israel could be their way to help calm the growing rebellion among the progressives. Now, all of those reasons might be true, but they still don't explain everything that's been taking place. Another key scenario
is one I mentioned just briefly last week. It's possible the effort to keep Israel from going into Rafah is part of a larger attempt to push for a new grand design for the Middle East. The US is trying to broker a security pact with Saudi Arabia and other Arab states against Iran. The goal would be to connect the different Sunni Muslim countries, along with Israel, in a broad alliance to help thwart Iran's designs for the region.
The major sticking point right now, from America's perspective, anyway, is the war between Israel and Hamas. The war was started by Hamas, in part to upend the push already underway to broker that peace treaty between Israel and Saudi Arabia. The US would like to bring the war to an end, even if it allows Hamas to remain in power and to reset the stage for that grand bargain. The problem, of course, is that Israel isn't willing to let Hamas
remain in power. Israel also opposes a Palestinian state that could be taken over by Hamas to launch even more deadly attacks. The White House's threat to withhold weapons and ammunition could have been its way of trying to force Israel to bend to its will. Now, following the criticism, they seem to have backpedaled by offering to share information on where Hamas leaders are hiding in exchange for not attacking Rafah. But that raised questions as to why they
weren't already sharing that information with Israel. And then they responded by denying they were withholding information, which raised questions as to whether that offer they were making was actually valid. These apparent misstatements placed the white House in an awkward position, and call into question its sincerity and its trustworthiness as an ally both to Israel and to other nations in the region to whom they're also making promises. Now, Hamas
has been encouraged by all of this. It helps them stiffen their resolve to not give in. And of course, other nations are looking at this and saying, if that's what they do to their ally Israel, what will they do to us? So it's really creating more uncertainty in the Middle East, and that is not good.
Well, bottom line though, Charlie, how does that impact the. The fight with Hamas militarily from a hardware standpoint, is it a big dent? Is it a hiccup? Is it a huge thing?
Well, if Israel wants to go into Rafah and take Rafah, what they've seen is that the air power really does make a difference. And of course, Hezbollah is always there in the horizon. Israel is going to be very careful to not use up all of its ammunition fighting in Rafah. If they have another battle coming just over the horizon.
As Israel celebrated its 76th Independence Day this past week, they also published information on the growth of the country's population. What are some of the key metrics for the state as it begins its 77th year?
Well, perhaps the greatest metric was the fact that Israel's population has now grown to just under 9.9 million people. Now, of that amount, 73.2% are Jewish, 21.1% are Arab, and 5.7% are made up of other minority groups. If the current rate of growth continues by next year, Israel's population is expected to surpass 10 million. The population grew by 1.9%, which is slightly below the growth rate of a year ago. Now, part of the reason was a decline in the number
of immigrants, probably in light of the war. One sad note is that 760 soldiers and 834 civilians were killed since the last Memorial Day. Most of those were the result of Hamas's October 7th attack and the subsequent war. And that's nearly 1600 Israelis killed. And that number continues to rise. That numbers, though, can become little more than
mind numbing statistics. So in light of the vicious Hamas attack and growing worldwide anti-Semitism, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra prepared a virtual worldwide choir to sing Hatikvah, Israel's national anthem for Independence Day. The result? Jon, is quite moving. In fact, if people are interested in watching it, I posted a link to it on our land in the book Facebook page, and so if anyone's interested, go to Facebook, type in land and the book. You'll get to our page and
you'll see a link there to Hatikvah. And let me tell you, it's definitely worth viewing. That's Doctor.
Charlie Dyer. I'm John Geiger, this is the Land and the book from Moody Radio, where we're looking at current events from the past week based in the Middle East. Israel's government continues to face serious internal struggles and divisions that could force the coalition to disband and call for new elections. What are the major issues and could new elections be just around the corner?
Yeah, there are reports that the emergency government is close to collapse. Now. That's not the same as the coalition. The emergency government was formed following October 7th, when Benny Gantz's National Unity Party crossed the aisle to join with the coalition. If Gantz's party leaves the emergency government, it will create a greater degree of uncertainty, but the government
will still be intact. The key problems impacting Israel's unity right now are the hostages, the issue of drafting the ultra-Orthodox into the army, and the demands being made to expand settlements by the more right wing parties in the government. The hostage negotiations appear to have reached an impasse when the deal Israel thought it was reaching with Hamas was changed at the last minute, apparently with the countries mediating it, not telling Israel about the changes until they were announced
by Hamas. The initial ultra-Orthodox draft proposal was also quite contentious, with opponents claiming it would not require the enlistment of ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students. The prime minister then advanced a proposal, previously endorsed by Gantz, to lower the age of exemption
for yeshiva students from 26 to 21. However, it's still not clear if the plan will satisfy the opposition or the courts to the extent that the coalition depends on those more right wing parties and the ultra-Orthodox parties, it's going to continue to struggle to reach broad consensus on all of these issues. Now, all that to say, the collapse of the coalition might not be imminent, but the government still seems to be on shaky ground.
Well, a new gel being developed in Israel aims to help broken bones heal back better and faster. Tell us about this latest innovation from amazing Israel.
Anyone who's ever struggled with a broken bone knows the pain it can bring, and the healing process often includes having to wear a cast and having additional weeks of discomfort and misery. And that's where this latest innovation comes in. The Israeli company called Ortho Treat has developed a process that involves injecting a gel like substance at the site
of the fracture. The gel is applied directly to the surface of the bone as a bonding agent, and rather than using external apparatus like grafts or screws, the gel facilitates the body's own healing mechanism. Over the next 21 days, the gel helps enhance the process of bone regeneration by up to 35%, improving outcomes and minimizing risk. Now they hope to have all the human trials completed and have this on the market by 2028. And one key advantage
will be the price. They believe the cost will end up being less than the cost of a single screw now used by orthopedic surgeons.
For that is amazing. Thank you Charlie. And that's a look at current events. Coming up, how do you reach restricted Muslim nations with the gospel of Christ? Bibles aren't allowed in. Missionaries are forbidden, and trading Islam for Christianity is often punishable by death. Well, just ahead, Bonny Sallah brings us stories of hope from restricted Muslim nations ahead here on the land and the book. Restricted access. Boy, that label describes many Muslim countries today in the Middle East.
So how do you reach these people with the gospel, and what does it take to be effective in sharing the message of Christ? We've got some mighty encouraging stories you're going to love coming up. Hey, welcome to segment two of The Land and the book. I'm John Geiger. And you know, it's one thing to talk about sharing Christ with Muslims in restricted nations. But what about the Muslims in your neighborhood? In my neighborhood or at the office?
Here's a quick thought. When engaging your Muslim friend, how upfront can you be about your own faith in Jesus? Well, you know, I've had the experience being on a train ride, and the Muslim friend next to me immediately commented about my reading the Bible and wanted to engage me about his faith versus mine. So it sounds to me like Muslims are open to a pretty aggressive discussion about religion. True or false? Stefano Farah with call of Hope. What do you say?
True and false? Okay, it depends on the person here in the US, in American. Are all Americans open to talk about their faith? No, they are not. No, some of them are. Some of them are not the same with Muslims, you know, some are open, some are not. But when they are open, like this person on the train talking to you, hey, then they even expect you being open. And you can make no mistake. Tell them what you believe. No mistake can happen.
Okay, so it's just like here in America, uh, non-Muslims not always open to discussions about faith, Muslims. Same thing. Good advice to keep in mind as you reach out to your Muslim friends. Stefano Farah is with call of Hope, always a pleasure to visit with him here on Moody Radio's The Land and the book. Bonnie Sylla is president and CEO of guidelines, a ministry started by her parents,
Harold and Darlene Sylla. But Bonnie has taken guidelines global in its second generation, expanding the ministry through enthusiastic cultivation of great Commission partnerships among the body of Christ worldwide. Bonnie writes and voices the Daily Reset audio devotional. Maybe you've heard her share from her time spent with Jesus and His Word. We are really glad to reconnect with you today. Bonnie, thank you for joining us on the land and the book. Thank you.
John, it is a pleasure to talk with you.
Well, let's start with a quick definition. We use the word restricted to describe many Muslim countries in the Middle East. What is this restriction thing look like?
Well, the restriction really applies to or describes the fact that you are not allowed to change your religion. In many countries of the Middle East, you are born into a religion. If you are born Muslim, for example, in the country of Egypt, it will appear on your driver's license and it is actually against the law to become anything other than Muslim. It also refers to the fact that you cannot share your faith. You cannot share faith
in Jesus with anyone else. So if you are a Christian, it is illegal to share that faith and to try to convert anyone. So obviously you're not allowed to broadcast, you're not allowed to have Christian books or publications.
I understand one strategy that your team is using is online programming like guidelines, devotionals in Arabic. My first question is, how do nonbelievers in a restricted Muslim nation even find out about this content?
Well, in many countries of the Middle East, they do have access to the internet. You know, it's not like it's North Korea where that shut down. So through the internet, through satellite, there's such a thing as satellite radio and of course satellite TV. They are able to search and they are able to find the programming and the content. And of course, on social media, let's not forget about social media. That's a huge venue of access for people who want to inquire about Jesus.
Bani Salah is president and CEO of guidelines. Joining us today on the land and the book. Many listeners might not understand the misconceptions that Muslims have about God. What have you learned in your journey here?
Yes, it's been very interesting as we've been working with our partners in these restricted access countries of the Middle East and other parts of the world, and we've come to understand that all their lives, Muslims are taught the wrong things about Jesus. You know, they're taught incorrect things. In fact, it's an entire worldview that their minds have soaked in all of their lives. And so I'd love to share some stories today as we're talking. Well, I'm.
Going to let you jump right.
In. I sure was the first one that comes to mind.
I have a story here from a woman named Heba. She says. I'm a 24 year old young woman. I often feel inadequate in my worship of God, and as a result, I believe I am missing out on everything in my life. Once I spoke with the counselor of the page and I'm not going to mention the name of the page who elaborated on the significance of worship and its goals in our lives. He began to correct my perceptions of God, who is not lurking around or seeking to have us fall into sins or transgressions to
punish us. From that point forward, I began to understand God's love and the type of relationship he yearns for us to have. Later, I learned the reasons for Jesus's incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection. So I trusted in Jesus and accepted the love, redemption, and deliverance he had already prepared for me. I accepted him as my Savior. I am immensely grateful to the Lord for what he has done for me and for
the gift of eternal life. And she mentions, you know, the fear of a God who was just waiting to punish them. And so we hear that many, many times in those who have come to Christ out of Islam is that they had a dread of God and a dread of being punished for their sins, which they didn't really have any sure way to rid themselves of.
Now, how do you establish contact, or do you, by way of follow up with somebody like that?
Well, we work through partnerships. So guidelines has partners throughout the Middle East. One of them that these stories are coming from is called Miracle Connect. And they have an online ministry. Like I said, it is largely through social media. And so they will post the guidelines, content and content that they develop in Arabic. And there will be a call to action. There will be a question maybe that's asked and people will respond over social media through, you know, Facebook,
through Instagram, on WhatsApp, the different messaging platforms. And they will actually, as they continue to contact them with questions, they'll be assigned to a counselor one on one, who will develop a friendship with that person. And the goal is and what is happening is that they will come to relationship in Jesus and be able to be discipled. It's called digital discipleship.
I love it. Bonnie Salah of Guidelines, joining us today on the land and the book. Another insight you've learned along the way is the. Irresistible attraction of unconditional love. Elaborate on.
That.
Well, it really is true. Much of what we're posting through our partners really does talk about God's love. And when we talk about how irresistible it is before I share a story, let me share a few numbers for you. In the last year, between 2022 and 2023, the engagement of our one particular partner went from 7 to 15 million engagements on Facebook and on Instagram. They went from 302,000 to 1 million engagements. Wow. And this is what
is drawing people. Here's a story from someone named Fatma from Morocco who said, I contacted one of the pages. This is the online pages. I was wondering why Satan always tries to prevent us from performing our duty of praying. Though prayer is essential in life, it is easy to become distracted and follow Satan's deviations. I quite often have the impression that God is dissatisfied with me, and that he does not love me because of my sins and
other transgressions. The counselor spoke to me about God's unchanging love. It is an unconditional love. It has nothing to do with my current situation, if either good or bad. I was thrilled to hear such a statement, I felt relief. Since then, she has been telling me about God's love, which sets free those who are bound. She went over the redemption story from the beginning to Christ's incarnation, crucifixion,
and resurrection. Then she prayed with me. And since I've been reading the gospel and feeling God's presence in my life, my heart is overflowing with joy.
God is at work and your ministry guidelines is living proof. How does that tweak your own soul as you show up in the office and get one of these emails?
Well, what tweaks my soul is having been able to visit some of these counselors who are receiving these messages, and they are the most joyful believers I have ever met. Our partner ministry, Miracle Connect in Egypt has a group of young people that that are trained, you know, Bible background to do this counseling and they are absolutely filled with joy, although they are constantly in danger, constantly paying
the price. I mean, I have actually met people that have been imprisoned and have been beaten, and I've never met more joyful people, and that just humbles me and inspires me. I have a story here from a young woman in Algeria. Her name is Sarah. She says. I was once engaged to a man who was ten years older than me. I never had feelings for him. I did contact the ministries page and they advised me to be honest with my family about my thoughts and attempt
to clear the true situation. I did so and it was a relief. My family agreed with me. Later, the team sent me a message about God's love for me, which caught my attention because I'd always wanted to learn more about God's love for humanity. I was convinced at first that the Prophet Muhammad was the only one who was sinless, but eventually I discovered otherwise. Jesus was the only one without sin. He became a human in order
to save me. But on the other side of the story, I've never heard of God becoming flesh and living among the people. I was so excited that I couldn't stand any interruptions in learning the conclusion of the story. So I told the counselor to keep on. I fervently sought to understand Christ and find out the truth. I spent a lot of time alone in my room, giving up any other occupation I may have had in order to
learn more about Jesus. When they asked, I couldn't help but beg for the Lord Jesus to come into my life and believe in him. I could never have expressed how happy, excited, and relieved I was at that moment. I could feel something has changed in my inner soul. My heart clung to Christ so that I pleaded the counselor not to hold on, but to continue talking about him.
I felt like I was born again. Since then, anytime the counselor is not available to chat with me online, I always left a note urging her to tell me more about Jesus. My heart was on fire inside of me and as I started reading the Bible she sent me. I could not get enough. As a result, I'm looking forward to further spiritual growth and maturity in my faith. I've engaged in the discipleship program.
Wow. I mean, these are very powerful stories.
They really are.
And these are deep people. I mean, these are not lightweight letters that you're getting either.
No.
And another thing to note is that these people are not just hearing the gospel and they're just necessarily automatically, you know, springing to faith. This this is a process. And this is why media is so intimate and it's so powerful because they hear of God's love over and over and over, and the Holy Spirit really begins to transform that mindset and that worldview that has been so, you know, it's been deeply seated for all of their lives.
Bonnie Salah of Guidelines joins us today on the land and the book. Earlier, we referenced some of the false notions that Muslims have about Christianity, about God himself. What are some of those things that maybe we wouldn't think about that they bring as a starting point to any conversation about Christ?
Well, the question that I hear frequently is that they have. Heard of Jesus. Esau is one of the prophets in Islam, but they are longing to know, is he God? They're very, very skeptical. They just, you know, that's such a hard thing for them to comprehend. But they want to know. And frequently, you know, we've had stories of Jesus appearing to people in dreams saying, I am Jesus, I am God. And so I think that's really the major stumbling blocks. And isn't it true for all of us? The most
important question is Who is Jesus? And we each have to answer that question.
Muslims teach that the Bible is corrupted. So here you are teaching from the Bible, you know, how do you leap over that hurdle? What's the solution there?
You know, just like Jesus did when you meet each person with what they're ready for. And so I think in the beginning, you know, you may start from a place of need in the person's life. You may, you know, address their loneliness or their fear or their anxiety. And then as you address those problems, they come to you introduce the source of our power of, you know, the only source of transformation that we as humans will ever have.
And then you begin to introduce the claims of Christ and and Scripture bit by bit.
As best you know, God, of course, is the one doing the leading and the doing itself. What do you see on the horizon for ministry to Muslims through guidelines?
Well, we continue to see God opening doors for more versions of language programs. You know, you think you have a program in Arabic, but no, you don't. There's Lebanese Arabic, there's Egyptian Arabic, there's Tunisian Arabic, you know, so as we're talking with our partners and they're saying, could we have this version and that version, we're praying that God will provide for some new versions of Arabic, our devotional contexts, in different types of Arabic.
Any last story you want to leave us with? This is your shot.
I do, I think that as we think of our Muslim background believing brothers and sisters, we always have to remember the high cost that they're paying for their faith. And I have a letter here from a man named Amar. He says I'm a married Iraqi man with a family. I tried to contact numerous Christian websites to learn about the Bible because it has captured my interest for a
long time. I did contact Miracle Page. That's a page of our partner and my yearning for the Lord has grown since then, especially after learning that Christ is God incarnate. There you go. At the outset, in a dream, I heard a voice telling me, this is my son, the chosen one. Listen to him. I began searching the internet for this phrase, so I found out it was from the Bible. My faith in Jesus began to grow. From that moment on, I kept on reading the Bible and commentaries.
Things were going smoothly and peacefully until my family discovered my tendency to Christianity. They literally ruined my life and militias have started to go after me. I hurried out of that region since it was legal for them to shed my blood. Wow, he says, I'm still looking for a local church to join, so we don't know where he's landed. But this is the price that many, many pay for following Jesus and we should remember them in prayer.
And I think that we should remember our own opportunity as our Bible is sitting next to us on the shelf.
Well, always enlightening to sit down with you. Bonnie Salah, president and CEO of guidelines. Thanks for these stories, for your courage, for your ministry. It's always a.
Pleasure. Thank you so much.
And as we head into segment three, I'm curious about what makes you curious when you open your Bible and study. Looking forward to that question and answer time. Next on the land and the book. Little else is more satisfying than getting an answer to a question that's really been kind of rattling around in your brain, right? Well, get ready for a whole lot of satisfaction as you stay with us on this third segment at The Land and the book. I'm John Gager. Our host, Doctor Charlie Dyer,
is the one with the answers. You're the one with the questions. And those questions are welcome anytime with a quick email to the land and the book@moody.edu. Well, here's a question. How do you share the gospel with a Jewish person? Because of cultural, historical, and religious differences, it's sometimes kind of challenging to navigate a gospel conversation with somebody from a Jewish background. You ever wondered how the quote professionals do it? Well?
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 of 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. Don't miss out on this great opportunity.
I see that Charlie's Bible is open. I see there's a smile on his face, and I see we've got a big stack of questions we need to get to, so let's dig in. Jackie's question is first, she says, whenever I've thought about God's glory in the past, I thought of him occupying the temple with a cloud at Solomon's dedication. Now I'm learning. Glory and glorify is a verb. Can you please help me understand how God and Jesus glorify each other and how I glorify God?
Yeah, okay. I divide that answer into several parts here. First, the word for glorify or glory has the idea of exalting or holding in honor. You know, one lexicon says that use is not found in secular writings. It has the idea of bringing renown or causing dignity and worth of a person or or object to be manifest and acknowledged.
You're actually making it known. Second, in that, especially in John 13, where Jesus used the verb for glorify five times and the first three uses the verbs in the aorist passive, and the last two it's in the future active. And and that's actually important as we talk about what Jesus was saying there just after Judas left the upper room, Jesus seemed to describe all that was about to happen as a single event, which is why he uses what
in Greek, it's the aorist tense. Through his imminent death and resurrection, Jesus would be glorified in the sense of being vindicated and exalted by God the Father through his victory over death, and at the same time, God the Father would be exalted and honored by Jesus's obedience and willingness to go to the cross, each joined together to exalt or lift up the other in bringing about the
work of salvation. And Jesus then switches from the heiress to the future in the final two uses of the verb to affirm that God will ultimately glorify Jesus through the resurrection. By the way, I see a parallel between Jesus's words here and what Paul wrote in Philippians two. Paul connects Jesus's willingness to humble himself and go to the cross with two results. He says, Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name
that's above every name. And then in doing that, it says it ultimately caused people to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. So Jesus's death and resurrection are the events that ultimately display the glory, honor, and renown of both God the Father and God the Son. And in that passage, Paul tells us to have this mind in us that was also
in Christ Jesus. In other words, the application to us is that we glorify God through our obedience to His Word and His will, and we can do so knowing that he will honor us at the proper time.
Mark is puzzling over Luke chapter seven. Here the centurion asks some elders of the Jews to request healing of a valued servant. Jesus went with them, and as he neared their house, some friends of the centurion came with this message. Lord, don't trouble yourself, for I don't deserve to have you come under my roof. But say the word. When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him and turned to the crowd. I'm surprised that Jesus was amazed
if if he means he was taken by surprise. Time and again, Scripture tells us that he knew what they were thinking or he knew what was in their hearts. Can you clarify this phrase? Jesus was amazed.
Yeah, this event's only one of two accounts in the Bible where it says Jesus was amazed. In this case, and in Matthew 810, Jesus was amazed or astonished at the faith of this Gentile centurion. And in Mark six, Jesus was amazed at the lack of faith on the part of the people at Nazareth. But now, to answer the question, I start with the assumption that as God, Jesus wasn't taken by surprise by the centurion's response or by his faith, you know, he knew that was going
to happen. It's possible Luke is describing an emotional reaction rather than. Simply an intellectual one on Jesus's part. It's not that he's saying Jesus wasn't expecting the response, but rather he's portraying Jesus's response and very human terms as admiring this amazing example of faith on the part of a Gentile. The word used for astonished or amazed is thou matzo. It means to wonder at, to be surprised by, or be astonished by, or even to admire. It has
that range of meaning. For example, in Luke 218, people were amazed at what the shepherds reported in connection with the birth of Jesus. So I think perhaps using the word admire might be the better understanding of what happened in Jesus there. Now, if I can use a personal example, I have a sweet granddaughter who's on the autism spectrum. I was the matzo when she texted me the other day to wish me a happy birthday and say she
loved me. Her feelings didn't take me by surprise because I know she's expressed him before, but her thinking of me and taking time to send that message on my birthday was something I definitely admired. Jesus knew what was in this man's heart, and he admired the man's grasp of the essence of faith.
Naomi says, when the angel of the Lord appears to Gideon in Judges six, verses 11, was this an angel or the pre-incarnate Christ? I've always been taught it was the pre-incarnate Christ. But now I'm wondering why your thoughts?
Yeah, one of the main reasons is that the characteristics and attributes given to the angel of the Lord are identical to those given to the Lord himself. For example, in judges six, he's called the angel of the Lord. But in verses 14 to 18 he's then referred to as the Lord. He also receives the sacrifice offered by Gideon in verses 18 to 21. Now in another passage, the angel of the Lord spoke with Hagar in Genesis 16, but she responds by saying to him, you are the
God who sees me. In Genesis 22, the angel of the Lord appears to Abraham on Mount Moriah, but in verses 15 and 16 the angel of the Lord says, I swear by myself, declares the Lord, and then reissues the Abrahamic Covenant. And my point is that the actions ascribed to the angel of the Lord always parallel actions ascribed to God Himself. So he's God, and yet he's
also the angel or messenger of God. And this division within the persons of the Trinity is also why I believe the angel of the Lord is also the pre-incarnate Christ, and not simply a manifestation of God the Father.
If you're joining us midstream, this is the land and the book segment three Questions and Answers, and yours is welcome anytime at the land and the book@moody.edu, Naomi says, I really appreciated studying the life of Jephthah in the Book of Judges. So much in his life was just tragic and the consequences of sin. Yet I was very surprised that he knew Israel's history so well. Here's my question about his daughter. Did he offer her as a sacrifice, or was she simply never allowed to marry?
I suspect there will be some people listening who will disagree with me, but I don't believe he took his daughter's life in sacrifice. He had made a vow to sacrifice whatever came out of his house. Assuming I believe that he thought it was going to be an animal. But when he returned and it turned out to be his daughter, I believe he gave her to the Lord as a servant for the tabernacle. Now I say that
for several reasons. First, the stress in the text is that she remained a virgin, not that she was killed if he was about to kill her. I don't think the main thing that they would have been concerned about was not having been married or having engaged in sexual relations. Second, there's also a stress in the text that she was his only child. Uh, the point there is that there's
no other heirs to carry on his family line. And third, in first Samuel 222, we're told how Eli's sons slept with the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting, which suggests that there were younger women given to serve the Lord, much like Samuel was given by his mother. Anyway, I believe that rather than physically killing his daughter, Jephthah gave her over to the Lord, willingly bringing to an end his own family line rather than breaking the vow he had made.
Isabel asks, why wouldn't the Israeli people have the right to build homes and live wherever they want to in Judea and Samaria, Israel? What's the basis for it all being so controversial?
That's a good question, and unfortunately it's a little bit complex for an answer. But I have a book coming out with Moody Publishers later in the year that answers the question, and it's entitled Who Owns the Land now? The bottom line God did promise the land to Abraham and his descendants through Isaac. But historically, Abraham only owned a small portion which he purchased. When Israel came into the land under Joshua, they were to take possession of
all the land. But the Book of Judges makes it clear they failed to accomplish it, and throughout their history they never fully occupied the land. Uh, in 1947, the UN partitioned the land between the Jewish people and the Palestinians. The Jews reluctantly accepted, but the Palestinians and other Arab states did not. Uh, in 1967, that's when Israel conquered the West Bank and Gaza Strip and Golan Heights. And that's where the issue of building in Judea and Samaria
came up. So much of the land on which the Jewish people have built since 1967 was unoccupied. And the ownership of some is disputed. But basically Israel has a right to the land since it was deeded to them by God. But the Palestinians also have legitimate claims to their houses and property, and that's part of the struggle. I've just provided a real simplistic history of it all, but the reality is far more complex. And my fear is the US and other countries are trying to impose
simplistic solutions on a very complex reality. And that might not be a very satisfying answer, but I hope that it helps at least somewhat.
Well, Charlie's devotional is next. He's going to take a passage of Scripture, take us to a place in Israel, and I think you'll never forget either one of them. That's next here on the land and the book. Face it, you're looking for an adventure. Something different. Well, the good news is, on segment four of The Land of the book, we've got something in store for you. It's a climb. Not just any climb. A climb to the top of Azekah. Charlie, I'm looking forward to your devotional.
Well, thank you, John, I am too.
All right. We're going to get to that after this quick thought from somebody who's been to Israel and wanted to share this from their point of view.
It has been a dream come true for my husband and I to be here. Um, before we left, there were so many Jewish friends of ours, in addition to Christian friends who were talking so much about Israel and their experiences there. I was afraid that somehow they were building up my expectations too much. And so I had several people pray that I was going to get everything
I needed to get out of it every day. Being here with the group who is wonderful, all of you who have privileged us by being so organized and detailed, has far surpassed any expectations I could have ever had. And, um, it's just hard to express the contents of my heart every moment. It's so much to take in, but God is making all that happen. And so we just thank you so much.
Jeremiah 34. That's where we're headed today, Charlie. I'm looking forward to what you got for us.
Well, thank you, John. You know, six weeks ago we hiked together to the top of Telascica in the foothills or Shfela, between the hill country of Judah and the Philistine plain. And I said at the time, I wanted to bring us here to witness three historical conflicts. Then three weeks ago, we returned to view the second of the three battles connected with Azekah. And today we're climbing to the summit one last time to view the third
and final contest. But if the battles connected with Joshua and David ended with Israel being victorious, at today's outcome ends much differently. But before we watch the battle unfold, let's once again get our bearings from up here on the summit. Off to the west is the Philistine plain flatland, where travel was easy from before the time of Moses, a well traveled route extended from Egypt through the plain on its way north, connecting Egypt with the civilizations along
the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Depending on the time in history, we could have watched the chariots and soldiers of Egypt march north along that international highway or Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian, Greek and Roman soldiers marching south along the same roadway. Now follow me over to the east side of the hill. Off in the distance you see a ridge of higher mountains. That's the hill country of Judah. A road extends along the ridgeline in those hills and stretches from Jerusalem to Bethlehem,
and then on to Hebron, before ending at Beersheba. Following the breakup of the Kingdom of Israel after the death of Solomon, those hills were the heart of the southern Kingdom of Judah. And between those hills and the spot where we're now standing were the low foothills, the Shfela, which guarded the approach into the hill country. The cities in the Shfela were the front lines of defense. Here on the western edge of the kingdom, protecting Judah from attack.
Three particular cities are worthy of note. At the northern end of the Shfela stood Gezer, given to Solomon by Pharaoh. It guarded the main roadway from the plain up to Jerusalem. Sadly, it was recaptured by Egypt from Rehoboam, Solomon's son. The two other cities were strategic for Judah and Jerusalem's defense. One was Lachish, just to the south of where we're now standing. It was the second largest city in the Kingdom of Judah. Only Jerusalem was larger, and the third
major city was Azekah. The spot where we are now standing. Lachish guarded the road that led up toward Hebron, while Azekah guarded a road that led up toward Bethlehem. In Judah's history, both the Assyrians and the Babylonians understood the significance of those last two major cities. Both realized they had to be taken before Jerusalem could be captured. They were also the secret to stopping the Egyptian army from coming to Jerusalem's aid, and from keeping the people of
Jerusalem from fleeing south toward Egypt. King Sennacherib of Assyria never succeeded in taking Jerusalem or Azekah, but he did capture Lachish and decorated a room in his palace at Nineveh with reliefs illustrating the fall of that vital city. But for Nebuchadnezzar, failure wasn't an option. And that's what brings us back here to the top of Azekah the situation for Judah looks grim. Nebuchadnezzar has placed Jerusalem under siege,
planning to starve the city into submission. Meanwhile, the rest of his army has been systematically working its way through the land, capturing all the cities and villages in its path. The 30 month siege was temporarily broken when reports arrived that the Egyptian army was coming to Judah's aid, but the Babylonians made short work of the Egyptian threat. And now time is running out for Judah, the last king
of Judah. Zedekiah rules over a steadily shrinking kingdom, as hope gives way to despair and panic inside the capital. In chapter 34 of his book, God calls on Jeremiah to deliver a series of messages to Zedekiah as the end approaches and Jeremiah pauses in verses six and seven to provide a historical marker, a time stamp describing exactly
when the message was delivered. Then Jeremiah the prophet told all this to Zedekiah, king of Judah in Jerusalem, while the army of the king of Babylon was fighting against Jerusalem and the other cities of Judah that were still holding out Lachish and Azekah, these were the only fortified cities left in Judah. Only three fortified cities remained standing Lachish and Azekah. In the Shfela and the capital city of Jerusalem. All the other cities were gone, destroyed, ravaged, looted.
The people killed or deported. Apart from resistance fighters still roaming the countryside, the defenses of Judah were almost totally shattered. But Nebuchadnezzar isn't finished yet. He won't stop until all the cities are gone. But do we know the order in which they fell? We do, though not from the Bible. That information came from a broken piece of pottery found in the city gate of Lachish. It was part of
a series of 18 letters or corresponding. Sent to the commander at Lachish from Jewish forces still out in the field fighting against the Babylonians. Written in ink. These letters provide a fragmentary and one sided report from these forces. The most significant for us today is referred to as Lachish Letter number four, in part. Here's what's inscribed on that broken piece of pottery. May Yahweh cause my Lord
to hear this day tidings of good. And now, according to everything that my Lord has written, so has your servant done. I've written on the door, according to all that my Lord has written me. And let my Lord know that we are watching for the signals of Lachish, according to all the indications which my Lord has given, for we cannot see Azekah. Don't miss that last phrase. We cannot see Azekah. Evidently the city's lit signal fires
to communicate with the remaining forces in the field. The writer was continuing to watch for the signal fires from Lachish, but the ones from Azekah were no longer visible. Azekah had fallen. Azekah was overrun in then Lachish and finally Jerusalem. They were the last three dominoes to fall, but they did fall along with all of Judah. Just as God had announced, the people who stood right where we're standing now no doubt felt safe in their high perch when
the rebellion against Babylon began. And even as the war dragged on, they could look around and see how much more secure they were than the smaller towns and villages in the region. But the Babylonians were relentless, and one by one the lights of the surrounding towns flickered out until just Jerusalem, Lachish and Azekah remained, and then Azekah ceased to exist as well. Let's face it, this third
trek to the top of Azekah is depressing. Those who hadn't died of starvation or disease were either killed by the Babylonians when they finally broke into the city, or taken away as slaves, but why did this have to happen? And what application can it have for us today? Earlier in the book, Jeremiah explained in part why the nation would collapse so dramatically. It was the logical outcome of the choices the people had made. Or as he writes,
the prophets prophesy lies. The priests rule by their own authority. And my people love it this way. But what will you do in the end when human wisdom replaces God's wisdom? When leaders substitute their opinions for God's revealed truth, and when people prefer good times and short term pleasure over God's standards of right and wrong, then a nation is careening toward catastrophe. And, as Jeremiah so poignantly adds as a PS but what will you do in the end?
And that's the question I leave you with today. This empty hill on which we're standing is the stark reminder for both individuals and nations. We can choose our course of action, but we can't choose the consequences. In Jeremiah 21, the prophet had one final word about God. This is what the Lord says. See, I'm setting before you the way of life and the way of death. And our task today is to make sure we choose wisely.
I like to think about in that devotion a lot of details there, and you can hear it all again at our website. The land and the book org. Our time is gone, but we thank you for listening to our program today. On behalf of our team, Charlie Dyer, our host, and Anderson, our producer, I'm John Gager. The land and the book is a production of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.