The Queen’s Cook

and I'm John Geiger, a guy who loves to ask questions. Well, you know, Charlie, Passover will soon be upon us. And one of the traditional Passover questions is what makes this night different from all others? Passover is just such an important biblical holiday that has great meaning for Jewish people and believers in Jesus. And I think this is a great question to ask.

celebrate Passover this year with your family and friends. To get this free offer, just go to Life in Messiah org and click on the radio button to find out more and to request your copy. That's life in Messiah.

coalition would collapse. But then he reached a deal with Ben-Gvir, bringing the members of his party and their votes back into the coalition and providing enough votes to pass a budget even without the ultra-Orthodox. In the end, the ultra-Orthodox parties were forced to back down and agree to vote for the budget. To get the budget passed on time, the Knesset House Committee invoked a clause in the parliamentary rulebook to limit total debate on the budget to 15 hours,

which went all night Monday. They also limited amendment votes, allowing just 35 votes on textual clauses and three votes per budget item. As a result, the budget passed Tuesday by a final vote of 66 to 52. By the end of the week, the hotly contested judicial selection bill also passed its final reading. The bill increases political control over judicial appointments. Currently, a nine member judicial selection committee makes all judicial appointments while the governments represented on the

committee they're a minority. The judiciary basically gets to choose its own replacements. The new system removes two representatives from the Israel Bar Association and replaces them with two lawyers, one chosen by the coalition and the second by the opposition. Appointments are approved by majority vote, but must include at least one vote each from a representative of the coalition, one from the opposition, and one from the Supreme Court, giving all sides a veto. And the law doesn't take

effect until after the next parliamentary election. It appears to be a fair compromise, though it's still opposed by some. And in the midst of dealing with all of those items, the cabinet passed a vote of no confidence in the current attorney general, which could lead to her dismissal. And they also voted to dismiss the head of Shin Bet, Israel's security agency. Israel's Supreme Court has temporarily blocked both those decisions and will hear arguments from those opposed to

the actions. And this gets back to the heart of the dispute between the government and the courts, who has the ultimate authority. I'm sure this will play out in coming months, so we'll definitely be revisiting it again.

least was, mayor of Istanbul. He's young, dynamic and he defeated Erdogan's party's candidate for mayor of Istanbul twice. The arrest took place just days before Emmanuel was due to be selected as his party's candidate for the next presidential election. According to Turkey's constitution, Erdogan's time in power ends with

the next election scheduled for 2028. But many believe he was planning to call for early elections and then change the constitution to allow him to continue on as president indefinitely. In addition to being arrested. Istanbul University nullified Emmanuel's university diploma for what they described as alleged irregularities in his transfer from a private university 30 years ago. This move also bars him from running for president, since the position

requires candidates to be university graduates. The court ordered Emmanuel to be jailed pending trial on the corruption charges. They rejected the request to have him imprisoned on terror related charges, though he still faces prosecution on them. But since he is already in jail, that really doesn't matter. The question for Turkey right now is how will this play out?

This is widely seen as a political move on the part of Erdogan to sideline one individual who stood a good chance of defeating him in the next presidential race. Right now, this looks more like a conspiracy or a coup against Emmanuel, rather than just a series of coincidences, as Erdogan might claim.

at Megiddo in 609 BC. Second Kings 2329 says As Josiah marched out to meet Pharaoh Necho in battle, but Necho faced him and killed him at Megiddo. Apparently, the Egyptians then occupied Megiddo to control the strategic pass there through Mount Carmel. The second discovery at Megiddo dates from after the time of the New Testament. Archaeologists have uncovered a Roman military base that housed the Roman Sixth Legion,

the so-called ironclad Legion. The camp was so large that only a small part it's actually been excavated so far. The rest was mapped using ground penetrating radar. Megiddo controlled the international highway at a strategic choke point and looked out over the Jezreel Valley. Archaeology is uncovering some of the history that helps demonstrate why the Hill of Megiddo

was so important militarily. And from the Book of Revelation, we know this site will play a strategic role in the world's final conflict leading up to the return of Jesus. So the Hill of Megiddo, Armageddon has a role in the past, militarily and in the future.

and that's why these excavations are so important. Archaeologists are currently exploring below the floor surrounding the Edicule, the building where the tomb was. They knew the area was originally used as a quarry, and after the quarry went out of use, they've now discovered it was turned into an agricultural site. Tombs were carved into the sides of the former quarry, and low stone walls were erected inside the area,

and the space between them was filled with dirt. Archaeobotanical and pollen analysis of that dirt shows that the area grew olive trees and grapevines. This matches the Apostle John's description of the area around the tomb. He wrote. Now, in the place where he was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new sepulchre. Now these current excavations don't resolve the debate between the two potential sites, but they do help show us that both sites match the details found in the Bible.

Queen Esther's treasured friend. The story is fiction, yeah, but it sheds light on the life of the biblical character we know as Esther. I think you'll enjoy this conversation coming up on the land and the book. Hey, welcome back to segment two. I'm John Gager, inviting you to pause with me for this creative idea in loving our Muslim neighbors and coworkers for Christ. So you're standing in line at the bank and the teller is a muslim woman. May you talk to her or should you not? Let's

ask Stefano. Affair with call of Hope.

at church. Let them talk to this Muslim woman. But in business life, and when they talk to you and when they wish you a good day. Oh, of course you reply. But don't shake hands.

that's her statement. I doubt that, and an enthusiastic cook of biblical recipes. You may know her best, though, for her many books. Tessa's ancient historical fiction has been on several bestseller lists and has been translated into Get This 12 languages. Her novels have won many awards, and Tessa is one of my wife's very favorite authors. It's an honor to welcome you back to the land and the book. Tessa.

to power. The king before the one who married Esther, After Darius had taken that Susa that had at the time sort of fallen on hard times, and he had built it up again, and he had made it grand again, and he had transformed it into one of the capitals of Persia. I believe that Esther probably grew up in this very area. She, at a very young age, lost her parents and was raised by Mordecai, who was a cousin, and although she grew up as a Jew, she grew

up probably in a Jewish neighborhood. She grew up with the teachings of the Lord. So even though she would have grown up in the same city that Persians ruled and Persians lived in, she would still have had her own sort of separate existence, if that makes sense.

of working in the palace. Now we also know that they had wine and grapes and figs and a whole bunch of other things. A lot of spices.

a lot of difficulties. So he had lost a war to Greece. There had been some several terrible battles, and a lot of Persians had been killed. And then right after that, there were a couple of serious uprisings. One was in Babylon that he had to put out these fires, and he'd just been going from one hard thing to another to another. And by the time we meet him in the book of Esther, we get a sense he drinks too much. He doesn't trust his own judgment. You know,

he's not in a good place. So I think for Esther at that time, on the one hand, there are certain things that are good about him, because we realize that as soon as he recognizes that he's made an error, that he has put his trust in Haman, who's a terrible person, he immediately sort of pulls back and tries to do what he can to put it to right, to put his mistakes to right. So there are some really good things about him, but I assume that when Esther first married him, he was a bit of a mess.

people who don't exist. But on the other hand, I can also show a little bit about Esther's world, about the Persian world, about the different characters who lived in that world, the different backgrounds who lived in that world by showcasing people who are from different backgrounds. So the first Character is a young woman who is from a Persian background, and she ends up becoming a cook in Esther's kitchens. Now there were almost 300 cooks in each palace.

they have left has been destroyed. So I was surprised that the only wife of Xerxes that we hear about is a woman named Amestris. The question is, why is Esther not mentioned? But when I researched, I found out one fact about the Persians. They only recorded the names of the wives of the king who bore him children. So it is not surprising that Vashti isn't mentioned that Esther isn't mentioned. If they did not bear him children,

then they would not have been in the records. So whereas Amestris gave him several children and it's one of her sons who then becomes Artaxerxes, the following king, we do hear from Josephus. Josephus mentions Esther in his book, but Josephus is 75 A.D. so we're talking over 400 years after the events of the Book of Esther. So that was kind of a fun insight into why Esther is not mentioned outside the Bible. And another insight that I had when I was studying the book was Esther's

initial response to Mordecai. As you probably know this first when Mordecai says, but who knows that you were brought to royal position for such a time as this? It's such a blessing that verse to so many of us, because it reminds us that God has not brought us to this particular time, this particular season, this particular location, even by happenstance that we are here for a reason. Yes,

for this season. And it's very encouraging. But originally when you read the context and Mordecai says those words to Esther, I think he doesn't mean them necessarily all sweet and lovey dovey. He means them as a little bit of a slap to the back of Esther's hand, because he has brought to him the problem of the people he brought to her. He has said to her, our people are about to die. Will you go and intercede with the King on our behalf? And yet, Esther's first response.

She doesn't say the words I can't, but more or less that's what she's saying. She says, look, everybody knows if I come before the King without being sent for the law, says, I shall be put to death. And he hasn't sent for me for 30 days. And essentially, what she's saying is, first of all, he's not going to send for me. And secondly, the king who hasn't sent for me in 30 days. She's basically saying, is not going to do that for me now. So her first response to Mordecai is, I can't do this. I'm

useless to you. I have no authority. I have no influence with my husband. So Mordecai then tells her that verse because Mordecai knows for Esther she's only looking at her life through the past 30 days. She's looking through the lens of the 30 days where she has been a rejected wife. Her husband, for whatever reason after five years of marriage, has not sent for her, is not interested. We don't know why. The reason isn't given, but that's all she's looking at. She's looking at life through the

lens of an abandoned and rejected wife. And Mordecai is saying, set that 30 days aside. It's God's such a time as this that matters. God's timing always trumps our 30 days. Set aside the lens of your past 30 days, 30 months, 30 years, whatever it is that's got you discouraged right now. And look at your life through the lens of God. Such a time as this.

Before we get to that though, let's ask ourselves what does Passover mean for us as believers in Jesus? Some will remember the story from the book of Exodus, but there's more to it. Did you know that the Last Supper was really a Passover meal, and that Jesus and his disciples celebrated Passover, but it also foreshadowed his death on the cross for our redemption. Now, Jewish people, of course, have been observing the feast of Passover for thousands of years.

So understanding its history, its importance will help us better connect with our Jewish friends, our Jewish neighbors. And boy, what better way to do that than to experience a Passover Seder yourself? If you've never celebrated Passover well, our friends at Life in Messiah would love to partner with you in hosting a Seder experience. Every year, their staff engage with churches and small groups in an interactive Messiah in the Passover Seder, allowing participants to taste and see

the redemption story. So bottom line, if you're interested in having somebody come to lead a Seder in your area. Just head to life in Messiah Dot and click on the Moody Radio button there to learn more. That's life in Messiah. All right. Let me say welcome to Doctor Gerald Peterman. Always good to have you in the studio.

In particular, Romans eight says the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God, for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so. And those who are in the flesh cannot please God. All right, so here's my question.

Since I do continue to sin in this life, just ask my wife or our producer, Dan Anderson, what is an objective measuring standard that I can use to know if I am more about the flesh than the spirit?

last year? And you can discern these things in your own heart and mind before God. So I would use these questions. These are questions based on passing time. Am I being transformed? If you're being transformed, that is the work of the spirit. And then I'd get other people involved in here too. You mentioned your wife like asking her, honey, how have I been growing? And where do I still need to grow?

is about early on your relationship. Your conversations more shallow. And as it goes on, it's deeper and deeper and deeper. So God is revealing himself, but he doesn't download all the terabytes of his data. In Genesis one. He unfolds it slowly. And then that shows up in the Messianic Psalms, because the Psalm is relevant to the people of God when it's written. So David writes a song, a psalm, it gets sung in worship. It's relevant to its time period.

But then there'll also be hints, as you mentioned, also be hints in it about the Messiah, and those things get all pieced together. Psalm after psalm after psalm after psalm after psalm. And by the time we get to the end of the Psalm, then look back on them, we say, oh, these 150 are telling us many, many, many things about the Messiah, but not all at once. It's over the course of generations that it gets told.

to do with him. So just the thought that Moses, we're talking Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, numbers, Deuteronomy, the prophets are all pointing to Jesus. That's mind blowing.

chapter 26. In verse 28, Jesus says to his disciples as they eat the Last Supper, This is my blood of the covenant which is being poured out for many for forgiveness of sins. At first glance, the verse appears to be saying, Jesus blood is not for the forgiveness of all, just many. Can you please explain this unsettling feeling I have?

That's resurrection. Yeah, right. But we know from John chapter five that every human being will be resurrected, but two different destinies. Right? Right. So whereas John says everyone will be resurrected, Daniel says many, many in contrast to few rather than many, in contrast to all or none. So that's the first thing to keep in mind. The second thing to keep in mind is when our Lord talks about the covenant and the pouring out of his blood in Matthew 26, I take it he's drawing on Isaiah

53 and using its language. What do we find there? We find the suffering servant will justify the many, as he will bear their iniquities. And he poured out his soul and was numbered among the transgressors. Yet he himself bore the sin of many, and interceded for the transgressors. What does many mean here? I take it many is a great number. So our Lord Jesus is drawing on this language from Isaiah 53.

future edition of our broadcast. Have you downloaded the podcast option yet? Have you shared it with a friend? It's a great way to extend this ministry. We don't have an advertising budget, but we do have you. And if you like what you're hearing, why not pass along the word about our podcast? You'll find it at the Land and the book org. Looking forward to connecting with your friend in mind. Charlie Dyer. He's next. It's a vanishing species.

The handwritten letter. Hi, I'm John Geiger. This is the land and the book. Think about.

but it was certainly true for us, our experience. I would think of a couple of things very briefly, to go to the Sea of Galilee and to be on the northwest shore, and to realize that possibly within a few hundred yards, give or take, up and down that shore, you're looking at the very spot where Jesus would have talked to and Peter and John, and to have called

them from their fishing to follow him. Or perhaps also, I would think of how meaningful it was to go to Caesarea Philippi and to realize why it was that Jesus walked all that way up there with his disciples, to tell them that I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. And what that would have meant for them sitting there at Caesarea Philippi, at that pagan shrine.

this spot. It's possible you don't even recall reading about Lachish in the Bible. And even if you've been to Israel, unless you were on a study tour, it's likely you never visited the site. So why does it rank so high on my list of amazing places? And what's the inscription that was discovered here? Well, first let me tell you about the site. Lachish was the second largest city in the Kingdom of Judah at the time of the First Temple. The only city that was larger was Jerusalem,

and it played a significant role in Bible history. It was one of the five cities in the coalition that attacked Gibeon at the time of Joshua. Later, following Solomon's death, Lachish was one of the 15 cities fortified by King Rehoboam to guard against attack. Another of Judah's kings was assassinated there, and the city was eventually attacked and destroyed by both King Sennacherib of Assyria and King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. Both knew the strategic importance of this city for the

defense of the Kingdom of Judah. It was so important that Sennacherib decorated a room in his palace with a series of reliefs showing its capture. I also like Lachish because of its archaeological potential. The city had to have a way to get water inside the walls, but it hasn't yet been discovered. One thing that has been uncovered, though, is the massive gate complex to the city. Standing at the foot of the hill and looking up at the

foundations of the gate. I can see why Sennacherib boasted about capturing the city, but the inscription we want to look at today dates to just over a century after the time of Sennacherib. The enemy camped outside Lachish isn't Assyria, it's Babylon. King Nebuchadnezzar has just sent his army to Judah for the third time, and this time he'll accept nothing less than the total destruction of this nation that has dared to rebel against him. The campaign against Judah

was long and ferocious. Nebuchadnezzar began by systematically moving his army through the land, methodically eliminating one city after another. Toward the end, only three major cities remained. Jeremiah described it this way. Then Jeremiah the prophet spoke all these words to Zedekiah, king of Judah and Jerusalem. When the army of the king of Babylon was fighting against Jerusalem and against all the remaining cities of Judah, that is,

Lachish and Azekah. For they alone remained as fortified cities among the cities of Judah. Lachish, Azekah, and Jerusalem. Every other major town was gone, captured, destroyed. And now Nebuchadnezzar could concentrate his forces on these three remaining fortress cities. But in what order did they fall? To find the answer, we need to go inside the gate here in Lachish.

So follow me up the ramp. When archaeologists excavated the plaza between the outer and inner gates of Lachish, they came across 20 pieces of broken pottery with words written on them. In this era, before papyrus or parchment was widely available, the quickest way to pen a note was to write it out on a piece of broken pottery. These pieces were found right where we're standing. A large replica of one is on display right here. The originals are in the British Museum, so today this replica will

have to suffice. These notes were written to the commanding officer at Lachish by one of the army units out in the field. They were military reports intended to keep the commander informed. I want to take you back in time to the moment when this particular letter arrived. Imagine you're sitting here with the commander of the forces at Lachish. It's the middle of the night, and the soldiers on duty have just used a rope to pull an exhausted

soldier over the wall. He's out of breath, partly from running for several miles and partly out of fear and exhaustion. He just snaked his way through the Babylonian lines with a message from the commander in the field. You listen intently as the city scribe reads the faint writing on the broken piece of pottery, squinting as he tries to make out the letters in the light of a flickering oil lamp. May God cause my Lord to hear this

very day tidings of good. And now, according to everything which my Lord has sent, this has your servant done. I wrote on the sheet according to everything which you sent me. And inasmuch as my Lord has sent me concerning the matter of there's no one there. And as for Samuccaya, Shemaiah took him and sent him up to the city. And may my lord be appraised that we're watching for the signal fires of Lachish, according to all the signs which my lord has given, because we cannot

see Azekah. The evening signal fires were a means of communication. The cities could signal to each other, and they could also use beacons to communicate with the army in the field. The distance between Lachish and Azekah was 11 miles. 11 miles of strategic territory that guarded the roadways from the coast into the hill country of Judah. But now the lights of Azekah, one of the two remaining cities anchoring the region, had gone out. The message was clear. Azekah

had fallen. After the fall of Azekah, Nebuchadnezzar's forces continued their assault on Lachish and Jerusalem. We don't know how much longer it took, but Lachish was the next to fall. And that left only Jerusalem. Finally, on July 18th, 586 BC, the Babylonians broke through the walls of Jerusalem after a 30 month siege. The city had been starved into submission. All the food was gone. Some of the people had

even resorted to cannibalism. The final assault met with little resistance, and the Babylonians pushed their way through the city in a murderous rampage of looting and revenge. Azekah, Lachish and Jerusalem. Like dominoes, each fell in order. The last of the cities standing against Babylon. And the letters discovered in the gate here at Lachish help us reconstruct the order of their fall. As we head back to the bus and

get ready to board. Is there a lesson we can carry away from these broken pieces of pottery found in the city gate at Lachish? I think there is, and it's a sobering reminder to our own generation. In Jeremiah 34 to 39, the prophet records the final collapse of the Kingdom of Judah, including the city of Lachish, but much earlier in his ministry, at a time when such a thing couldn't even be imagined. Jeremiah had issued a warning to those who thought they could disregard God with impunity.

An appalling and horrible thing has happened to the land. The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule in their own authority, and my people love it so. But what will you do at the end of it? These broken pieces of pottery remind us that there is a price to pay for ignoring, disregarding, and disobeying God. We can choose our actions, but we can't choose the consequences. Just

ask the people who once lived in Azekah, Lachish, and Jerusalem. Now, if you'd like to see a photo of the Lachish Letter four on display in the city gate, or one of the other inscriptions that's on display in the British Museum, just head over to our land in the book Facebook page where I've posted them.