Ostracized, alone, disoriented. If you've left Islam to follow Jesus, that's often how you feel. You've left your family, community, and everything you've known behind. You may have found a loving church community, but no one really understands what it's been like for you today on the land. In the book, we're going to look at the Ex-Muslims Guide to Christianity, help for former Muslims who now follow Christ. Welcome to our one hour flyover of the Middle East. The land
and the book seated in the pilot's chair. As always. Captain Charlie Dyer serving as Charlie's first officer. I'm John Gager. Hey, maybe you 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. You ever wondered how the quote 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 present 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. 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. Now don't miss out on this great opportunity.
This week we're really excited to shift our focus a bit away from regular day to day headlines from the Middle East to explore recent archaeological stories out of Israel making the news. We've got a lot of listeners, Charlie, who are very interested in this. So this is for you. Story number one, one of the key difficulties in archaeology is trying to determine an exact chronology of the past.
Carbon 14 dating, of course, has helped, though. There's a phenomenon known as Hallstatt plateau, which interferes with the use of radiocarbon dating during the Iron Age, stretching from around the time of Solomon to the Babylonian captivity. But now researchers at the Weizmann Institute believe they've been able to establish an absolute chronology for discoveries using new dating techniques. So what exactly is the breakthrough that they've discovered?
Yeah, and this might take people by surprise, because most people assume carbon 14 dating provides a fairly accurate timeline for history, since it's based on the constant rate of decay of carbon 14. In the atmosphere, living organisms absorb these atoms into their tissue until they die, at which point the carbon 14 undergoes radioactive decay, turning into nitrogen 14. The problem is that plots of carbon 14 graphs hit a flat area, or plateau, between around 804 hundred BC.
It's referred to in archaeology as the Hallstatt Plateau, after a city in Austria. The city gave its name to the dominant European culture during that period, and the Hallstatt plateau refers to a change in solar activity that influenced the radiocarbon production worldwide during those centuries. In other words, carbon 14 dating has a glitch worldwide that unfortunately corresponds
to much of the Kingdom period for Israel and Judah. Now, these researchers used a combination of approaches to help overcome the Hallstatt plateau. First, they focused on one site Jerusalem. Because of the extensive excavations at that area, they were able to collect more than 100 radiocarbon measurements on organic material.
They conducted multiple radiocarbon measurements to get the highest level of accuracy and precision for each specimen, and they were able to match each item to its precise location at the site. They then used 100 calendar dated tree rings from well known worldwide archives. Combining the tree ring dating with the radiocarbon method, they were able to obtain a more precise and detailed determination of the radiocarbon concentration in
the atmosphere at that time. Finally, they also used two well-established historically dated events in Jerusalem an earthquake at the time of King Uzziah that took place around 759 BC, and the destruction of the city by the Babylonians in 586 BC, and combining the archaeological evidence that matched these two fixed points with their more precise carbon 14 calibrations, they established a detailed chronology of Jerusalem, and the results
closely matched the Bible with archaeological discoveries. For example, post-earthquake redevelopment in Jerusalem is now understood to have begun under King Uzziah rather than Hezekiah, and that matches passages like Amos one one and Zechariah 14 five, which clearly placed the earthquake in the days of King Uzziah. The study also shows that the city's expansion began at least a century earlier than many scholars had previously thought, again, more
accurately matching the timeline pictured in the Bible. Now aligning archaeological discoveries with carbon 14 dating and. Chronology and fixed historical dates provided a greater precision, and in the process helps remind us again of the accuracy of God's Word.
Fascinating. Well, researchers are now using artificial intelligence to help fill in the blanks for illegible or damaged ancient texts and tablets. How does this new system work?
Well, the system employs masked language modeling that uses context to predict missing words in a phrase or sentence. The researchers first fed Biblical Hebrew and Aramaic texts 22,144 sentences from the Old Testament into the system. They then tested the system on the remaining 536 sentences that they hadn't fed. In trying to have it predict words or phrases that they would leave out. The model they developed is called
em Bible. Em Bible. The value of the system is the help it will provide to translators when new texts are are found and they're constantly being discovered. Many have been partially destroyed by earthquakes or natural or human related incidents, so their partial and not complete. This system will provide translators with suggested reconstructions of the missing parts of texts.
It's also possible the model will be able to help reconstruct plausible text from thousands of fragments found at sites like Qumran, many of which are still remaining undecipherable after nearly 80 years following their discovery. Now, artificial intelligence won't replace the wisdom and skill of linguists, but it could become a crucial aid by poring through thousands of possible options to offer the most logical possibilities for the translator,
based on all other available texts. And that could be a great help in more rapidly advancing our understanding of the Bible in its cultural and historical context.
Today, on the land in the book, our host, Doctor Charlie Dyer, is working us through a list of recent archaeological stories that I think are intriguing to just about everybody. The Temple Mount Sifting Project uncovered clay tokens that might have been part of the system for purchasing offerings for use in the temple. What do these tokens look like and how would they have been used?
Yeah, the Temple Mount Sifting Project has actually been going now for 20 years, and it's still uncovering details that help us understand what life was like at the time of the Bible. They've been slowly combing through tons of debris and dirt that was dumped outside Jerusalem's Old City back in 1999, when Islamic officials dug underneath the southeast corner of the Temple Mount to build an underground mosque. Now, these particular items were uncovered several years ago, but were
only just recently published. Other relatively small, less than four inches in size, and they're clay tokens that were imprinted on the front side and indented or pinched in on the back. They aren't the same as the seals placed on documents. The one token has an impression of a wine jug on it, with an inscription in Greek, a,
based on some passages in the Mishnah. The archaeologists believe these might have been used to indicate payment for the different sacrifices used during the three annual feasts, when tens of thousands of pilgrims would flock to Jerusalem, the pilgrims would pay for the sacrifice at one location and be handed their clay token, which they would then take up on the Temple Mount to exchange for the appropriate sacrifice.
The fact that one of the tokens contains Greek letters while the other was written in Aramaic, suggests the cosmopolitan
nature of these gatherings. As Jews from all over the world would come to Jerusalem, the list of those on the day of Pentecost in Acts two helps explain the need for tokens for those who could speak either Greek or Aramaic, and these little tokens date back to the time of Herod the Great, and show the logistical details that were put in place to have the operation of the temple run smoothly, even during the busiest of times. And sadly, John, they probably also were used to help
somebody from cheating. You had to have your token before you could offer your sacrifice, and you paid at a secure spot and then got your sacrifice elsewhere.
Interesting. Well, a Phoenician era pendant from the First Temple period and a merchant's stone box from the Second Temple period are two of the more recent discoveries put on display in Jerusalem. What is the significance of both objects?
Well, there are just additional examples of the kinds of discoveries that add depth and texture to our understanding of life in Bible times. The pendant, which they also think could possibly be an earring, is 3000 years old and was discovered in excavations just south of the Temple Mount. It was found again a decade ago, but was largely overlooked until last year. The piece is small. It's just over a 10th of an inch high. It's shaped like a four handled basket and is made of electrum, which
is a compound of both gold and silver. The archaeologists determined that it was of Phoenician origin and is dated to the 10th century BC, which would place it around the time of King Solomon. Well, the Bible says Hiram, king of tyre, sent laborers to help both David and Solomon with their building projects. So it's even possible this could be a pendant or earring worn by one of
those workers. The second discovery takes us forward. In time a thousand years to the Second Temple period, a stone container about a foot square with nine compartments was found in the city of David, inside one of the ancient stores along the roadway. It was likely used to display small items for sale to pilgrims. The sides of the box were blackened, suggesting it was charred when the Romans took the city and then burned it in AD 70.
These relatively small discoveries are the kind of finds that help bring Bible times to life by reminding us of the day to day lives of these people who walk the streets of Jerusalem during the time of both temples.
And that's a look at archaeological discoveries that are making the headlines these days. Hey, do you know anybody who has said, I just have too much encouragement going on in my life right now, too much encouragement? I didn't think so. Everybody could use a bit more encouragement, including the team at this station. So why not email them, call them, or send them a postcard or note to say thank you for airing the land and the book.
Appreciate your passing on that word of encouragement. Well, a full program today, including a look at the Ex-Muslims guide to Christianity. Fascinating practical advice coming up next on the land and the book. You were born Muslim, you will die Muslim. You know what Allah says about infidels? These are the words that Kenza Haddock grew up with. Yet meeting Jesus Christ changed everything for her. But how does an Ex-muslim learn to live the Christian life? What are
the hurdles that must be overcome? Well, that's our focus. Coming up, you're listening to The Land and the book from Moody Radio. I'm John Gager, inviting you to think with me for just a moment about some ways that you and I can share the love of Jesus with our Muslim neighbors and coworkers and friends. You know, when we think about ministering to Muslims, sometimes we get so spun up and technique and questions and concerns, we forget that good old fashioned love makes all the difference. And
maybe that's the best strategy. Call of Hope's president, Stefano Farah joins us. And how can we really love Muslims in a way that means something to them?
You know, our missionaries, when they are reaching out to Muslims, they very often help them. You know, in Lebanon, for example, they bring them blankets and food, and then always the people ask them and say, why on earth are you helping us? And then the answer is, well, because Jesus loves you and this is why I love you. So the same thing in our life. Why not just going to your neighbor who is a muslim and bringing him a cake? I mean, yes, he would look at you
something like, what are you doing? But they will be really touched, you know, uh, you really know that I'm your neighbor and you have this love to just come and bring that to me. Or maybe this person has a problem with the papers they have to fill for the government. Why not offering them? Hey, I can help you. You know, these are little signs of love. And they will ask themselves, why are you doing that? And the answer is because Jesus loves you.
Stefano Farah is with call of Hope us. Thanks for those thoughts. Kenza Haddock was born in Casablanca, Morocco. She moved to the United States with her family at age 12. As a young adult, Kenza was called by God when she had a dream about Jesus, so she ultimately renounced Islam and became an ambassador for Christ. Today, Kenza is a licensed professional counselor. She speaks at church events and conferences, telling her story of how God saved her from persecution
during and after her coming to faith in Christ. We are so glad to have you with us today, Kenza. Thank you.
Thank you so much for having me, John.
Well, you were once convinced that God hated you and you went through a period of depression and hopelessness. Describe that season for you.
Yes, absolutely. So I grew up in an Islamic household and Islam is based on works. And looking back, my personality is very determined. And so I felt like I had to just achieve a bunch of works in order for me to achieve salvation, so that I could gain favor with the God of my understanding. Allah. And I felt like the more I worked, it's like taking two steps forward just to get knocked back three steps. And in Islam, any negative circumstances that happen in your life, John,
they're considered just bad consequences or punishment from Allah. And so I went through that in my life, and by the age of 23, I was convinced that God hated me. And I remember one time I was sitting on the couch one night contemplating ending my life, and in my mind I was convinced he hated me. Yes, and that was the first time I threw out all of the Islamic rituals. I didn't wash up before I prayed. I just threw myself on the ground and cried out to
whoever would hear me out. And I said, God, I know you hate me. I know I don't have any favor with you. Just show me the way to you. And I cried myself to sleep.
Well, ultimately you did become a follower of Jesus. What was that moment like? How did that happen for you?
So the night I cried myself to sleep, I had a dream. I had a dream that it was the end times. And in my dream, I was looking out of the window. And I saw the sky open. And I saw a man in a white robe descending from the sky. Now, mind you, I grew up my whole entire life. Up until this point, anxiety was a part of my normal everyday life. That night in my dream, I felt this peace that I had never felt in my life. It was a peace that I couldn't even comprehend.
And as he came down, I knew this man was Jesus and I knew he was coming down with authority. And I knew he was more than a prophet. And as he approached me, I woke up. And I wish I could tell you, I woke up and gave my life to Jesus and everything was great. But that wasn't the case.
Well, how did you and when did you finally receive Christ?
It wasn't until about ten months later I did some research. Discreetly. I went to the library, did some research, and I knew that I had to leave the state. I lived in Virginia back then. I knew I had to leave the state for safety reasons, because leaving Islam violates Sharia law, which violates apostasy law. It's punishable by death. And so I left to South Carolina to start my life from scratch. And John, I didn't know how to get saved. I had no idea. And I was talking to a friend
on the phone. I called a friend, shared my dream with him, and he was a Christian friend. And right then and there I was in a parking lot on the phone. He opened his Bible and shared Romans ten nine. He said, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, then you're saved. And I said, really? And I was saved right then and there.
She grew up in Morocco, moved to the United States, and found Christ as Savior. Kenza Haddock has written the Ex-Muslims Guide to Christianity. I want to get to the question of how did your parents respond to your decision? But not before I take you back just a moment to what you just shared kind of triggered something in me. You're saying that in the United States, you felt the threat of your choice to leave Islam, maybe putting you
in a danger point. That seems a little shocking for some. Explain.
Oh, absolutely. Yes. So when I was raised Muslim, even in the United States, I believed that Sharia law superseded the law of the land. I mean, just like as believers, we believe that if, for example, someone tells us to bow down to a different God, we wouldn't do such a thing. It was a similar thing in Islam. And so leaving Islam is punishable by.
Death even.
In the United States. Do you feel that there are many in your shoes who would share that similar fear?
Oh, absolutely. I remember growing up watching someone who was in my shoes, I can't remember. I believe her name was Rifka, and she left her family. And I remember watching her on TV and my parents said that if that were their daughter, they would bring her back and punish her severely, and she would have to renounce her religion.
Yeah.
So then to that question, how did your parents ultimately respond to your decision?
So months after I gave my life to Jesus, I met my husband and later on we got married. I was pregnant with our first born, and we were in our home and all of a sudden we hear it wasn't knocking and was banging on the doors. Windows. And my family had shown up in our home in South Carolina and they were trying to open our windows, doors, taking pictures of our cars. And long story short, they were trying to. That was their first attempt in trying
to get me to go back with them. I asked my husband not to confront them because I know what the Koran says. And so we called the police because we had to get it on record. And the police officer kindly explained to them that this is the United States. I have the freedom to worship the God of Israel if I want to, and I can just do that. And ever since then, they've come back over and over and honestly, God has protected me over and over, just
going back to the first time they've shown up. I was scared to death, but every time they've shown up after that, I feared less and less and less because I've seen God's faithfulness through it all.
As a young adult, Kenzo was called by God when she had a dream about Jesus, so she ultimately renounced Islam, became an ambassador for Christ today. Kenzo speaks at church events and conferences telling her story. It's an honor to have her with us on the land and the book. You say in the book, Islam is one of the devil's tools to keep people in bondage. Those are strong words. Defend your claim.
Yes, absolutely. So Islam is based on the belief that the deity of Christ is nonexistent. I mean, that's what Islam is founded upon. Muhammad claims that he received a revelation that counteracts that the deity crucifixion and the resurrection of Christ didn't happen. It repudiates it. And so if all of that doesn't happen, it puts mankind back into the bondage of works. I mean, think about it. The enemy had lost a war when when Jesus got crucified, he rose from the dead. I mean, I think it's in.
I don't remember if it's in Colossians, it says that Jesus made a spectacle of the enemy.
Triumphing over them.
Yes, yes.
Triumphing over them with the cross. And so after that, I mean, I think it was like about 600 years after that, Muhammad receives this revelation in a cave that directly contradicts God's Word and puts mankind back into works and bondage. And yeah, absolutely. Because God is His word. And also the way Islam characterizes God's character is so wrong and it's so contradictory to how we believe God is. I mean, we as believers understand that God is a
triune God versus Muslims. They don't believe that the way Muslims do describe God is like a spiritual Pharaoh. He's a dictator who is not interested in a relationship with anyone.
Kenza Haddock has written the Ex-Muslims Guide to Christianity and I have to ask you, you know, have these successive visits from your parents become a little bit less confrontational, a little more cordial, or is there still a strong inclination to try and take you back?
We have a no contact order now, and so at this point, unfortunately, they send different people because South Carolina law prohibits sending the same person within a certain amount of time. And so they're strategic with it. And so to answer your question, no, they have not become less cordial. They're still coming after us. They're still persecuting us. But God has been faithful in it all. I mean, he
really has. And he's shown his faithfulness and he has shown his sovereignty, and he has shown truly that his eye is on the sparrow and he cares about us.
In your book, The Ex-Muslims Guide to Christianity, you say what I find most disturbing about Islam is that some of it walks close to the truth in a few ways, and then distorts it. Give us an example or two.
Yeah, absolutely. So for example, Islam starts out with Adam and Eve, right? And so it talks about how God created Adam and Eve. And so it starts very similar. But then it says when Adam and his wife, this is the Koran, it says when Adam and his wife sinned, they repented. And so that contradicts what the Word of God says. That's one. So it starts out with creation. There's a contradiction. Number two, I mean, there are so
many contradictions. Another one, they believe that Abraham almost sacrificed Ishmael, not Isaac. And so they believe Ishmael was the chosen one.
What's the one thing that you want an ex-muslim to walk away from this book with?
To understand that, um, it took me years to grasp what Hebrews four six says and actually walk it out and it says to approach the throne of grace boldly, right? To receive grace and mercy in our time of need, and to understand that God, our God, our father, is relational. It took me years to walk that out and understand it, and it takes perseverance, and it's going to take years to unlearn the distortions and the poison and Ex-muslim had
learned from Islam. And it's okay, but just stay perseverant in God's Word. Just keep walking with God. Hang in there, fellowship with the Holy Spirit and he will sustain you. God is relational, God is faithful, and God is for you.
Man, boy, those are great words and encouraging words too. From Kenzie Haddock, who's written the Ex-Muslims Guide to Christianity, a link to her book and her website is at ours. The land and the book. Org. Kenza, thank you for your time.
Thank you so much for having me.
And Charlie Dyer will be back. You know what's coming next. Bible questions and answers here on the land and the book. Welcome back to the land and the book. I'm John Gager. I love this segment where we take a look at your questions about the Bible. You know, everybody takes a copy of the Bible and comes at it from a different background, different life, and comes up with different questions. Charlie. It's amazing, isn't it?
It is. But that's what makes it so fascinating with this question and answer segment.
Well, speaking of questions, maybe one of yours is how do I share the gospel with a Jewish friend? Because of cultural, historical, and religious differences, it sometimes kind of challenging to navigate a gospel conversation with somebody from a Jewish background. You ever wonder, though, how the quote professionals do it?
Well, to answer that 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 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. 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 now question number one for the day from Alan. He says, I recently read that Jesus might have worked more with stone than with wood, because stone was easier to find in Israel than trees. I remember from our trip to Israel that the mangers were usually made from stone rather than wood. Well, I looked up the term for carpenter in my Concordance and Bible dictionary. The Greek term tekton denotes any craftsman, but especially a worker in wood.
So might Jesus have worked with stone more than wood?
Well, you know, it's a straightforward question, but the answer is a little bit more complex. That word tekton in Greek is only used twice in the New Testament, both times referring to Jesus's father in Matthew 13 and Mark six. The problem comes when we look at the word in
other places to see how it was used. For example, in the Septuagint translation of Second Kings 22, Josiah orders those working on the temple to be paid, and the writer identifies three groups of workmen the carpenters, the builders, and the masons, and he uses tekton for the first group. The second group comes from a word that refers to construction in general. The third comes from a noun that describes a city wall. In other words, they were people
who worked with stone. They were the stonemasons. And so in this case, the word tekton appears to describe woodworkers as opposed to general builders or stonemasons. However, in Second Samuel five, verse 11, the word tekton is used of both carpenters and stonemasons. In fact, the Septuagint literally says Hiram sent David's workers. That's the tekton of wood and workers. Same word of stone. So in general the word was used of carpenters. But there are instances when it was
used of someone who worked in stone. It's possible Joseph, as a craftsman, worked on both, but there was also a level of skill and expertise that it was involved in both crafts that suggest generally a division of labor. So it's possible the gospel writers were using the word in its more normal sense of Carpenter. Now I feel like I'm dancing between them all. But the bottom line is, I don't think we know for sure. I tend to stick with Carpenter, but in actuality both are possible.
Thank you Charlie at our land in the book Facebook page, all kinds of videos, photos and comments. Charlie, recently you posted a short video of the Garden Tomb and among the many encouraging responses was a very negative one that said, quote, Jesus died and he's not coming back. Get over it. End quote. Well, apart from deleting the comment, how would you respond to that individual?
Yeah, I'd say the evidence for the existence of Jesus, including his death and resurrection, is overwhelming to anyone who's willing to look at the evidence with open eyes. We have more evidence about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus than we do about the life and death of Julius Caesar. And most of the evidence about Jesus was written shortly after the events took place, by those who knew him personally, or who had access to those who
knew him. Paul provides a compelling list of eyewitnesses to Jesus's resurrection in first Corinthians 15. You know, he says, he appeared to Peter and the 12, and after that to more than 500. And then he mentions the apostles, and finally he says, and, and and to me also. So there were more than 500 eyewitnesses to the fact Jesus rose from the dead. You know, John, any lawyer would love to have his court case tried with 500
witnesses on his side. But there's one last point. These people not only claim to have seen Jesus following his resurrection, they were willing to be tortured and put to death for that claim. You know, if they'd simply made it up or were lying. There's something about facing a painful, agonizing death that would tempt someone to fess up and admit, oh, it really didn't happen. But they didn't. They were brutally murdered for their conviction that Jesus had risen from the
dead and that they had seen him. So Jesus is alive. And more than that, he lets us know that he's coming back. You can choose to believe it or not, but you can't escape the eternal consequences of that choice. And that's. What makes such an arrogant statement so frightening? Someday everyone will acknowledge Jesus is alive and that he's Lord, but that admission could come too late for those unwilling to bend their knee now and accept him as Savior and Lord in this life.
Todd asks, what does Psalm 96 verse ten mean when it says, the world shall not be moved? Yea.
And the exact phrase there is the Lord reigns. The world is firmly established. It cannot be moved. Now. That same phrase, interestingly enough, is found in Psalm 93, verse one, and I believe the phrase has the idea of God's reign being demonstrated in the reality that he has firmly established the created order. We see from the fixed order of the sun, the moon, the stars, to the regular cycles of nature. The way the world itself runs is
an example of God's powerful control. And the psalmist also then says, God's power will be demonstrated in his rule over the nations and people. In other words, what we see demonstrated in nature itself will someday be visible in the nations as he comes to rule over humanity.
From Moody Radio, This is the Land and the book with our host, Charlie Dyer, I'm John Gager. It's question time Bible questions, this one from Steve. Can you recommend a book on Levitical offerings, whole burnt offerings, trespass offerings, peace meal, sin, red heifer, scapegoat, etc. and their fulfillment in Christ. Also what each part of the animal represented like the head, shoulder, legs, kidneys and the significance of all this. God obviously went into great detail for these
offerings and it has to be for significant reasons. Any thoughts?
Yeah, there are a large number of works available, and unfortunately they run the gamut from a straightforward explanation to rather fanciful typological presentations. Now here are three you might want to explore. The first is a reprint titled Christ in the Sacrificial Offerings and Other Bible Studies in Leviticus, and it's by James M gray. He was the president
of Moody Bible Institute back from 1904 to 1934. Now it's a little more typological in its approach than I would be, but there's still some good material in it. The second, it's a commentary on Leviticus in the Bible, knowledge commentary in the Old Testament side of it. This section in the commentary was written by Dwayne Lindsay, who taught at Dallas Seminary. And it takes less of a typological approach and pretty straightforward. And finally, a fellow I
really like is Wayne Stiles. We've had him as a guest on the program. He wrote on the offerings in Leviticus, and you can find it by googling Wayne Stiles blog offerings in Leviticus. And it's also a very good, very straightforward Stephen.
Says, I need some clarity on Deuteronomy 27 and Joshua eight. In these accounts, half of the tribes stood on Mount Gerizim and gave a blessing, and half of the tribe stood on Mount Ebal, issuing a curse. It appears that the Levites stood in the valley between the two groups with the Ark of the testimony. However, the Levites are listed on Mount Gerizim, giving a blessing, and then the passage goes on to explain. It was the Levites in the valley issuing a curse rather than those on Mount Ebal.
Any way to explain all this? Yeah.
And I think they can be harmonized if you view it in phases. In phase one, Joshua went to the top of Mount Ebal, built an altar where sacrifices were offered. Now the sacrifices had to be offered by priests who were from the tribe of Levi. And remember this all priests are from the tribe of Levi. But not all Levites were priests then. Phase two Joshua descends from Mount
Ebal along with the priests into the valley. He copies the law of Moses in the presence of Israel, and he reads the words of the covenant to the people. Now this took place in the valley with Israel on both sides of the covenant, facing those who carried it. That is, the priests were there who were Levites. It says in verse 33. Finally, phase three, the Levites recited the words of the Cursings to the people who responded
with Amen. And then they might also have recited the words of the blessing, though that's not specifically stated in the Deuteronomy 27 passage. Now I harmonized the different positions this way. The Levites were divided into two groups. We know from numbers 26. There were 23,000. In the tribe of Levi, a smaller number were priests, while the larger number were Levites who assisted the priests. I assume it
was the larger number who were on Mount Gerizim. The priests were the ones who went up with Joshua to the top of the mountain, and who were also in the valley with him. So the bottom line, the group on Mount Ebal offering the sacrifices, and the group later then in the valley, holding the ark and shouting the blessings and cursings to the people are the priests. The group standing on Mount Gerizim with the other tribes are the bulk of the tribe of Levi, who were Levites but not priests.
In Psalm 82, verses six and seven it says, I said, you are gods, sons of the Most High. All of you. Nevertheless, like men, you shall die and fall like any prince. Todd asks, is this a reference to a divine council in heaven, as some say? If so, how can they die?
Yeah, I don't take this as a reference to some divine council. Rather, I see the psalmist drawing a parallel between God as the ultimate judge and these wicked rulers or judges in his day, who set themselves up as having the. Power of life and death over others. They saw themselves as gods, lowercase g, in the sense that they could actually sentence someone to life or death. But now the psalmist is calling on God, the final judge, to summon these human judges to account for their actions.
So I take what's being described as human rulers who, because of their power, pridefully, saw themselves as being godlike in the sense of deciding the fate of others. But he says they're going to experience a far different outcome when they appear before the real judge, God himself.
Thank you Charlie, love those questions and love the answers. Looking forward to Charlie's devotional. It's next on the land and the book. In a digital age like ours. The old expression stop the presses has almost lost its meaning, but we still get the idea. It's the land and the book from Moody Radio. Charlie Dyer is here with segment four and his devotional and stop the presses. Charlie is leading to what? Today in your devotional.
It's going to lead to a fascinating account with, uh, Haman and the king and Esther.
Okay, that's a great, great story, and I can't wait to dig into it. First, though, let's pause and listen to this testimony from an Israel traveler.
My name is Doug Sewell. My favorite part of the trip is impossible to answer as only one thing. It's kind of like asking me, gee, what's your favorite part of a Jag convertible? You know, it takes the whole thing coming together, and it really is something that you have to come and experience to put the whole thing together. And when you do, it's just fantastic.
My name is Sue Sewell. I'm from Austin, Texas, and this is my third trip to Jerusalem and to Israel, and I just would keep coming back every time there's something new and mesmerizing about it. This trip has been the Judean wilderness. It is amazing to me that Christ could go there and resist Satan. It is just so powerful and I love being here.
All right, Esther, chapter eight is our text, and Charlie will stop the presses and let you have at it.
Well, our devotional today takes us to the ancient city of Susa in Persia. That's modern day Iran, where 225 miles east of ancient Babylon. And our destination is the magnificent palace built by Darius the Great, but now occupied by Xerxes, also known as King Ahasuerus. Today the palace area is in ruins, but from the pieces still remaining, you get an idea of how magnificent it was. Built on a raised platform covering 250 acres, the site was
and still is impressive. It included a residential palace, a magnificent audience hall and a monumental entrance gate. The building was designed to impress and it definitely met those expectations. But even more impressive was the reality that this was only the Winter Palace for the Persian kings, and even larger ceremonial palace complex was built further east at Persepolis. But we're not here today to focus on the location
or even the architectural remains discovered at Susa. We're here to focus on an event that took place on June 25th, 474 BC 2497 years ago this coming week. As near as I can tell, that's the first day in history when someone stood up and yelled, stop the presses! Now, today, even that phrase needs a bit of explanation. As you mentioned, John, it comes from those quaint days, not too long ago when most people got their information by actually reading a newspaper.
In those pre-internet days, reporters would gather local, national and international news, and then the stories would be arranged and set in type before large presses printed and collated the different pages. It was a time consuming job, done on a tight deadline, because the paper had to be ready for distribution early the next morning. But sometimes a late breaking story would turn up after the paper had gone to bed and the presses were busy churning out the
copies for the next day. If the story was of sufficient importance that it had to be included, the editor would shout out stop the presses, and the writers, editors, and layout specialists would frantically rearrange everything to add the new front page story while still trying to make their printing deadline. So what happened on June 25th, 474 BC, to have someone shout out, stop the presses and produce
new copy? The new headline might have read something like this Miraculous Deliverance of the Jewish People, and the lead paragraph would have added Kings supports Jewish right to self-defense. Lead antagonist hanged. Sounds exciting, doesn't it? Well, let's see what's behind this sudden rewrite. We've all heard the story of Haman and Mordecai. Haman was one of the original anti-Semites when he's first introduced in Esther three one, he's called Haman, son of Hamidreza. The Agagite most pass over
the family connection, but it's crucial to the story. Haman is a descendant of Agag, the Amalekite God ordered Saul to destroy all the Amalekites because of their persistent opposition to Israel, but Saul the Benjamite failed. Now one of Agagu's descendants, has returned to a place of prominence, and very quickly his wrath is directed against a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin named Mordecai, son of yea, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish. Mordecai was a
benjamite from the line of Saul. When Mordecai refused to honor Haman, Haman wanted revenge, but as Esther three six makes clear, he wanted it on a grand scale. Having learned who Mordecai's people were, he scorned the idea of killing only Mordecai. Instead, Haman looked for a way to destroy all Mordecai's people, the Jews, throughout the whole kingdom of Xerxes. Long before Hitler, Haman thought to impose his
own Final Solution on the Jewish people. Haman bribed the king into allowing him to set a date to kill all the Jews. It would take time to set the wheels in motion and publish the edict throughout the entire empire. So on April 17th, 474 BC, Haman got the presses rolling. The royal secretaries were summoned and the decrees were prepared.
Dispatches were sent by couriers to all the king's provinces with the orders to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews, young and old women and little children on a single day, the 13th day of the 12th month, the month of Adar, and to plunder their goods. D-Day destruction day for the Jews was to be March 7th, 743 BC, just under 11 months away. The story is it unfolds in the book of Esther's, thrilling though God has never once mentioned by name, his fingerprints are all over the events that
transpire Mordecai's delivered. Esther is honored. Haman is exposed and killed, but a major problem still remains. The earlier edict has already been issued and sent out over two months ago, and each copy contained the. Royal seal, meaning even the king himself couldn't revoke it. These recent events are newsworthy, but what can be done? And to use the old phrase, this is when the King and Mordecai shout out hold the presses! Well, not quite, but it's almost as dramatic.
Here's how it's recorded. In Esther eight, the king tells Mordecai and Esther to write another decree in the king's name in behalf of the Jews, as seems best to you, and seal it with the king's signet ring, for no document written in the king's name, and sealed with his ring can be revoked at once. The royal secretaries were summoned on the 23rd day of the third month. By the way, that's June 25th, 474 BC, 2497 years ago
this coming week. Now back to the story. They wrote out all Mordecai's orders to the Jews and to the satraps, governors and nobles of the 127 provinces stretching from India to Kush. These orders were written in the script of each province and the language of each people, and also
to the Jews in their own script and language. Mordecai wrote in the name of King Xerxes, sealed the dispatches with the king's signet ring, and sent them by mounted couriers who rode fast horses especially bred for the king. The newest edition of the edict was spread to each provincial capital, and then from there it was distributed to each city, town and village in the province. And what
did the new edict say? The king's edict granted the Jews in every city the right to assemble and protect themselves, to destroy, kill and annihilate any armed force of any nationality or province that might attack them and their women and children, and to plunder the property of their enemies. The day appointed for the Jews to do this in all the provinces of King Xerxes was the 13th day of the 12th month, the month of Adar. That's the
same day given in the original edict. For two months the enemies of the Jews had been harassing them, hurling insults and threats, telling the Jews the very day they would die. And then suddenly a second decree arrives from the king, telling the Jews they're free to defend themselves and destroy those who had planned on destroying them. Oops! And when the day came, the Jews struck down all their enemies with the sword. The command to stop the presses and issue a new decree turned a time of
threat and annihilation into victorious celebration. And God orchestrated it all almost 2500 years ago this coming week. So what difference should this account make in our lives today? Let me suggest two one personal and one national first. Personally, this story in Esther reminds us of the reality that God often works behind the scenes to watch over and protect his children. Whatever problems or threats or struggles you're facing today, go to God in prayer and ask for
his help. He might not send a fiery angel down from heaven or part the Red sea you're facing, but you can trust him to work in an amazing way to come to your aid. And second, this story is a reminder that God's promise to Abraham and his descendants in Genesis 12 three is still true. I will bless those who bless you and whoever curses you, I will curse. As believers, we need to stand against anti-Semitism and show our love and support for both the Jewish people and
the nation of Israel. Doing so aligns you with God, and that's a good side to be on.
And that's a great and very timely reminder. Thank you Charlie. As always, we thank you for spending time with us, and we thank the management at this station for providing room for this broadcast. We call the land and the book. I'm John Geiger for our host, Charlie Dyer, our producer, Dan Anderson. Thank you for listening. The land and the book is a production of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.