What's it like to visit the Holy Land for the very first time? What impressions are deepest and why? In a few minutes, we'll sit down with a couple who share their reflections and a few surprises. Plus, we'll bring you all the news you need to know about the Middle East. Also answers to Bible questions that maybe you've wrestled with. And a devotional from Charlie Dyer. I'm John Jaeger, inviting you to join us now for the land and
the book from Moody Radio. And many people ask, how do I share the gospel with my Jewish friend Charlie? It's a good question. And the question, though, recognizes the need for a sensitive approach to sharing with Jewish people. Right, Charlie?
It does, John. And that's why our friends at Life in Messiah want to help answer that question. They put together a series of helpful articles on how you can share the good news with Jewish people around you. You'll learn about Jewish cultural sensitivities, how anti-Semitism affects Jewish evangelism, of the importance of messianic prophecy, and more. To access the articles, visit Life in Messiah. Org click on the
Moody Radio logo and sign up. You'll receive the articles to equip you with practical ways to share the good news with Jewish people around you or online. Again, click on the Moody Radio icon at Life in Messiah org.
Well, conflicting reports continue to swirl over proposals for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Why all the confusion and what might happen in the coming days?
Well, part of the confusion apparently came from internal disagreements within Hamas. Apparently, the leadership inside Gaza and the leadership outside of Gaza were debating how best to respond to the proposals. The initial proposal was seen by all sides, I think, as an opening basis for negotiation, to be followed by the hard bargaining to see if a compromise can be reached by proposing a three phased 135 day
truce and hostage deal leading to the war's end. Their proposal would also include the withdrawal of Israeli forces and freedom for 1500 Palestinian prisoners currently in Israeli prisons, including 500. They would select who are serving life sentences for murder. At least right now, there are several significant sticking points. Will Hamas remain in control of Gaza? Is the goal a pathway to create a Palestinian state? And what's to
prevent Hamas from rebuilding its power base in Gaza? As proposed, Hamas's response looks to be just a non-starter. But as Israel continues to squeeze them militarily, look for the possibility of some sort of compromise to be crafted. Hamas wants to find a way to stay in existence. And at the same time, Israel wants to find a way to bring its hostages home. And that could pressure each side into reaching some sort of agreement.
So do you think that Hamas fundamentally does want the war to end, or are they just happy to keep on going the way they are?
They are losing ground. There's only one major spot left where Hamas is at Rafah. And as Israel keeps closing in on Khan Younis and then moving toward Rafah, Hamas, I think, is afraid, especially the fighters there, they could be wiped out. So there's a pressure on them to make an agreement and to do so. They don't want to appear to be hurrying, but they need to hurry.
Last follow up. Why then are they still in the driver's seat, apparently with regard to hostage negotiations, demanding that all these prisoners and murderers of theirs be released for just a few hundred of hours?
The reason they're in the driver's seat is because within Israel, there's political pressure. A poll was just taken. Just over half of Israelis are saying it's more important to get the hostages back than it is to get rid of Hamas. Uh, that's from my perspective, very sad, because if Hamas stays in power, all they learn out of this is that gain hostages and we gain power. But that's the political
reality right now. And that's what's tying Israel's hands from moving more rapidly to eliminate Hamas.
Story number two, in our look at current events, while talks of a ceasefire drag on, the war itself continues. Bring us up to date on the conflict in Gaza, as well as the other hot spots in that region.
Yeah, and as we just mentioned, Israel is in the process of gaining full control over Khan Younis, which is where they thought the Hamas leadership was hiding. Unfortunately, so far they've not located the senior leadership or the hostages. The one remaining major urban area is Rafah, which is right on the border with Egypt. The residents of Gaza have been forced toward the south, so Rafah is now
extremely crowded. Egypt is afraid that an Israeli push into the area will result in large numbers of refugees rushing the border to escape into Egypt. But before Israel moves into Rafah, it still has a number of smaller villages and towns that it needs to enter to find and eliminate Hamas fighters, and that's why the war is continuing on. Israel is also working to find and eliminate the vast network of tunnels throughout Gaza that was far more extensive
than they ever thought. They've begun what they're calling the Atlantis Project, which is designed to flood many of the tunnels with massive amounts of water. You know, they first entered these tunnels to look for fighters or hostages and to map. Out the tunnel complex itself, and then they flood the tunnels that are suitable for being destroyed in this way with water. Others are being blown up. In terms of the other hotspots in the region, though, Hezbollah
is the one major concern. Israel has increased the intensity of its response to Hezbollah's cross-border attacks, and they're also threatening to open a second front in the war against Hezbollah. The US has been pushing a plan that would move Hezbollah away from the border, and there were some preliminary reports that said an end of Hezbollah's attacks might happen soon. But it's unclear if those optimistic assessments were based on
hard evidence or were simply wishful thinking. It seems that all sides would like to end the conflict, but they also want to be able to do so in a way that lets them claim some sort of victory in the process. Right. And that's making that process even more difficult.
That's Doctor Charlie Dyer. I'm John Yeager. This is the land and the book. Well, a 45 year old mystery has now been solved. Archaeologists believe they know the identities of those buried in the royal tombs in Vergina, Greece. What have they discovered? And frankly, why is that of interest to us?
Yeah, this story moves away from the conflict around Israel, and I think it's a cool reminder that when it comes to archaeology, even old discoveries can have a new twist. For those familiar with the second missionary journey of Paul in the Book of Acts. These burial tombs were discovered about five miles east of Berea, at about 35 miles southwest of Thessalonica. So it's very near the spot where Paul was traveling on that second missionary journey. The untouched
tomb complex was discovered and excavated back in 1978. That's 46 years ago. The archaeologists found two monumental vaulted chambers with four tombs. The smaller of the two chambers had been looted, but the larger chamber was intact with a large variety of burial goods. Now the fines were significant, but they left behind a real mystery who was buried there. The archaeologists felt sure the bodies were relatives of Alexander the Great in some way, but there was debate on
who exactly they were. Now, by combining paleo pathological evidence, you now think of a modern pathologist, but one studying ancient remains, along with a careful study of ancient written sources and the archaeology they believe they have the answer. The tombs contain the remains of Alexander the Great's father, Philip of Macedon, as well as Philip's second wife, her newborn child and a half brother of Alexander, along with
his wife. The details in this John are fascinating. For example, they identified Philip from a new fusion in the skeletal remains. Historical sources recorded that Philip's leg had been wounded in battle, and that he was buried with his second wife and young child. Those same sources said Philip was assassinated shortly after the birth of his son, and that his wife and newborn son were then burned to death by Philip's
first wife to secure the throne for her son, Alexander. Well, combining archaeology, paleo pathology and historical records that helped flesh out this discovery in a way that brings the intrigue surrounding Alexander the Great's rise to power into sharper focus. The report reads like a 2400 year old whodunit mystery, with Alexander's mother plotting to make her son king.
Researchers at the Technion Institute in Israel have unlocked the secret of producing green hydrogen in a way that could make it affordable and sustainable. Tell us about this latest innovation from amazing Israel.
Using hydrogen to power engines and automobiles seems like the ideal solution to the problem of greenhouse gas emissions. The problem is that producing hydrogen by splitting water through electrolysis is expensive and can even create greater pollution if it involves the burning of fossil fuels to generate the needed energy. The researchers at the Technion have announced what they're calling a disruptive process to generate hydrogen more affordably and sustainably,
instead of using expensive membranes and sealing components. They've developed a process to separate water into hydrogen and oxygen, using bromide in a catalytic reaction. Now, while it will take some time to refine and develop the technology, this breakthrough could someday lead us to be driving hydrogen powered cars that produce only water vapor as a byproduct. And that will definitely be another great step forward from these researchers at the Technion in amazing Israel.
Wow, what a story! Interesting. We'll look forward to further developments there. And finally, rain is considered a blessing in Israel, and over the past month, God has apparently been blessing Israel in ways they haven't seen in nearly 30 years. Tell us about the showers of blessing that they've been experiencing, Charlie.
Yeah, yeah. At the end of January and into February, Israel experienced 14 straight days of rainfall. It's the first time they've had measurable rain every day for two weeks since February 1992, and the steady rainfall has allowed the rainwater to seep into the ground to help replenish natural water sources without causing flooding. It was just a nice, steady. Rain from Jerusalem north. The country has had an abundance
of rain, though from Jerusalem south. It's not been so much that, to give an example, Jerusalem right now has 105% of its normal to date rainfall. That's about 13.5in. Head 40 miles south to Beersheba, and they've only received 3.5in, but go north to Tel Dan and they've received 24in of rain to date. Even Capernaum on the Sea of Galilee, which is 600ft below sea level, has received 18.5in of rain,
more rain in Capernaum than in Jerusalem. And speaking of the Sea of Galilee, the water level there rose nearly 19in in just one week. Wow! It's now just five feet below the upper red line, which is when they need to open the dam at the southern end to keep the cities along the shore from flooding. And there are at least six more weeks when the rain can be expected. So hopefully these showers of blessing are going
to continue. Now, the only other problem though, the wheat farmers in southern Israel are hoping the rains head their way to help assure a good wheat harvest, but otherwise, the rain has been a great report for Israel this year.
Well, praise God for that. And that's a look at current events from the Middle East. Thank you. Charlie, what is it like to visit the Holy Land for the first time? You'll hear for yourself as we sit down with a couple up next on the land and the book. Our website is The Land and the book.org. We've got a podcast there you can share with your friends at the Land and the book.org. A visit to Israel. For most people, it's the trip of a lifetime. This is
the land in the book. I'm John Geiger here with the second of four segments that make up our one hour flyover of the Middle East. You've joined us today at one of the very few quiet places in all of Jerusalem, our hotel room just outside the Old City, by the way, with me is a couple who are deeply invested in Christian ministry and are about to wrap up their very first trip to Israel. I want to welcome Chris and Don Phillips to the land in the book.
We have had quite the adventure here in the Holy Land, haven't we guys?
Yes, it's been amazing, memorable and, as you described it, life changing.
Chris introduced us to your ministry and then we'll give your wife a turn. What exactly do you guys do?
Sail international exists for those in ministry. Paul described his ministry as fighting the good fight of faith, and many times throughout the scriptures we see that terminology for those that are serving the Lord. It is a battle at times. There are things you struggle with, although we do have
the promise of victory. So our ministry comes alongside pastors, their families, missionaries and their families when they're dealing with life issues, disappointments, sin, discouragement because Satan is after them to either make their ministry ineffective or to get them completely out of ministry. So we come alongside those in ministry to help them continue serving the Lord.
Don, nobody can do what your husband does. What you do apart from, you know, complete investment. How do you how do you share the load in this ministry?
Well, sometimes it's making beds for those coming to stay with us. Sometimes it's cleaning. Many times it's counseling. Pastors, wives and missionaries. Wives and their children have special heart for their children. They have, uh, really not signed up for this. You know, they're born into the family, and sometimes they feel like they're living in a glass house. Everybody's eyes are on them. So it's a joy, a real joy to enter into difficult moments with them.
Chris, what made you guys think about a trip to Israel in the first place?
Well, we have actually dreamed about this for as long as we've been married. 34 years now this week. And our Hispanic church that we planted in Charleston, South Carolina, they found out about our desire to come to Israel. And so they raised the money and they gave us the money for this trip. And they said, you need to go with Charlie Dyer in the land of the book. And so here we are.
So let me ask you, Don, what do you hope to come away from this trip with anything specific?
Well, you know, you dream of this. You study God's Word. Uh, you teach it, you teach your children about it. It's your life. You're delving in, and then you want to go see the places that you've read about. And so for sure, that will be connecting the dots there for me from all those years. But I think I'll be telling Bible stories in a whole new fashion now and for certain, I'm taking back something I never dreamed I'd
be taking back. And that is the fact that every place we have stopped, I have gotten new insights into the Word of God. Nuggets that I know I've read about. But when you put it together, the way that you and Charlie both have taught us this trip, it's just been amazing for me.
Chris and Don Phillips are both involved in ministry, coming alongside of pastors and missionaries and other Christian leaders who need little support. And they're joining us here on this trip to Israel. How do you think visiting Israel, Chris, will shape the way that you read Scripture when you go back home?
No doubt it will be completely different than before. I was always interested in getting the underlying historical data together to be able to share insights into Scripture. In fact, many sermons that I preach when we're going to pastors conferences or just encouraging others is from the Psalms. Now it is totally changed the depth of the preaching and the meanings of those Psalms now that we've seen them.
For example, uh, one morning Charlie gave us a devotional on Psalm 121 about how David was being led out of the city, and we were driving right by the hills that David probably saw when he penned the words, I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. And Charlie just drove home the fact that he didn't know how he was going to make it up those hills in the condition that he was. But he said, well, that's okay, because my hope is not in the hills. My hope is in the Lord.
Who created those hills? And then later on that same day, he brought in the fact of how that David, when he was facing Goliath, had similar faith. He said to Goliath that, yes, you're coming to me with all of these swords and you're built for battle. But the battle
is the Lord's. And so I believe now I'm going to be able to take those insights, connect it with the geography, and then make it even more powerful whenever we do come alongside pastors that may be discouraged and going through their dark desert time.
Okay, you've mentioned a couple of David incidents. What about you, Don? Any kind of a story, a passage specifically that you might be seeing teaching just a bit differently as you go back home? Anything come to mind?
I've talked a lot to ladies about our fortress, our rock. I have a whole new meaning now after going to Masada and just, um, being there and realizing what it truly means to have our God as our fortress. It's hard to be anxious. It's hard to be fearful when your eyes are on our God, who is our fortress, our rock, our deliverer.
Let's get back to your ministry. As you're working with people, people who have been impacted either by a sense of failure or an issue of sin, whatever it might be. How do you think this trip to the Holy Land might shape the way you do ministry once you get back?
Chris, I think no doubt the way that we apply scripture, you know, as preachers, a lot of times we are so good at helping others apply scripture to their difficulties, to their knees that they have. But so many times it's challenging to do it to our own lives. So that's when we need to humble ourselves and allow someone else to speak into us, because we are not infallible.
And being able to now bring some of these insights in applications to help these pastors and these missionaries apply Scripture to their life in their darkest moments, I believe it will never be the same. Um, thinking about what Don just mentioned. Masada. Masada means fortress. Whenever we are being criticized, whenever we are being attacked, our defense is not in ourselves. Our defense will come from the Lord in his timing. And when you see Masada, how impenetrable
it seemed. But yet anything built by man, as Charlie said, can be destroyed by man. But if it's built by God and you are resting and you're falling on that rock, then nothing will penetrate God's fortress around you.
That's Chris Phillips with his wife Dawn, here in Jerusalem on the land. In the book, we're talking about a trip that we're wrapping up here. Not quite done, but let me ask you, Dawn, so far, what has been your most favorite spot? I'm coming your way. Next, Chris. Get ready.
Well, it's strange as it seems. When we got out of that bus and we trudge down through some weeds and right down there by the brook. Isla. And I absolutely loved it, you know, Charlie said before getting out of the bus, it was his job to convince us that it was right where it happened. And he certainly did. And he retold the story and I could visualize it. He gave proof of the actual geographical location there. It was wonderful. And for me, it was just a really special moment.
All right, Chris, a favorite spot for you so far is.
It is so hard to pick just one spot. Right? But I'll have to say, when we were going around the area of Galilee, Capernaum, just the the commonness, the ordinariness, if you want to say it that way of that
land and how it's really nothing spectacular. But when you bring in the fact that Jesus, the Messiah, walked there, healed people there, and did these miracles, and provided for his disciples there, and called these ordinary men there, I could not get past the fact that no matter what we feel like we have as giftedness, or no matter what area we're serving in, it's ordinary. But yet when you bring the Messiah in, anything that's ordinary becomes extraordinary.
We'll just be faithful and serve him and keep our eyes on him.
All right, I'll leave this open to whoever wants to grab it first. What here is smaller than you may be. Thought it might be. We all got our misconceptions or preconceptions before we come to Israel. You show up. What's smaller here than you maybe thought it might be?
Jordan River. I thought that was a lot bigger. You just get these pictures in your mind, you know, and you think it's a certain way. And you, you carry that image from the time you hear it. You're 6 or 7 years old in Sunday school, and you carry these images. That you've created for yourself, or you saw from a Bible storybook or flannel graph and it stays with you. And then you get here and it's like, wow, this is totally different than I imagined.
I think for me, the smallness of the Sea of Galilee, even though it is a large lake, to be able to have a storm come up where the disciples would be fearing for their lives. I think of the ocean, an ocean sized body of water, where that would scare me. But I looked at the lake and it was just so peaceful. I just could not grasp that. How that they were fearing for their lives. Sea of Galilee, I guess for me, would be the shocker.
All right. What's bigger than you thought it might be? Anything come to mind.
There today, when we saw a model of Jerusalem to see the way the whole city was laid out, that to me was amazing. How that David and Solomon and Hezekiah and all the kings had added to that city, and then to see it in all of its glory was just it was just incredible. And, you know, and thinking about the New Jerusalem one day when we're going to be able to be there and there'll be nothing to be compared to that. But I think the city of Jerusalem for me was shocking how large that was.
Anything come to mind for you? Bigger?
Well, he stole mine, but yeah.
But we'll forgive him.
Yes. I was just enraptured. Today, so much is different than what I had thought it was. Even in books I had seen it. It doesn't give it justice. It just. It's not. It's so incredible. And to stand there today amongst the olive trees and. Oh, it was a dream come true.
You know, the importance of water shows up dramatically, it seems to me, everywhere you go here in Israel. What does that do for the way you now consider Jesus calling himself the water of life?
Through life, so many things affect us that just suck the life out of us. Desert heat. And I think of maybe barren times in your ministry. Everyone goes through those. When you're serving the Lord and you're seeing fruit, that's easy, that's exciting. But when there's a dry time or when the Bible is not as alive as it was before, or you're feeling far away from the Lord. Um. The water of life does not come from without. It comes
from within. John 738 when he says that the spring of water springing up inside of you, that spring of water, is Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
You know, Psalm 122 six tells us, pray for the peace of Jerusalem. May they prosper who love you. This may be one of the only times in your life you're ever able to pray for the peace of Jerusalem in Jerusalem. I would invite you to close our interview with a brief prayer for the peace of Jerusalem.
Heavenly father, what a powerful God that you are. Lord, we know one day you have promised that you will make every injustice right. You will make every single trial worth it. We can even compare the weight of glory that's waiting. If we will patiently serve you and wait upon you during our trials. So, Lord, I pray right now for this great city, the history here, the way that you love this city. Lord, we know that you love it. How that your son wept over it. So, God,
I pray right now. Father, I pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Lord, in your time we ask that you would bring that to pass. In Jesus name, Amen.
Amen. Well, it's been a blast talking with you guys, and I'm sure you're going to be faithful stewards of all that God has shown you. Thanks for being a part of the land of the book, Don.
Thank you John.
Thank you.
Chris. It's been a pleasure. John.
I hope you guys have got your Bibles handy because Charlie Dyer is back in our next segment. He's got a whole bunch of Bible questions, and you can attest to it. Now, having been here and traveling with Charlie, he's got some great answers, doesn't he?
Absolutely.
That's all ahead next here on the land and the book. Questions and answers. That's where we're headed in this next segment on the land and the book. Welcome back. I'm John Jaeger, and many people, Charlie, are asking, how do I share the gospel with my Jewish friend? It's a good question. And that question recognizes the need, of course, for a sensitive approach to sharing Jesus with Jewish people. Right?
That's right. That's why our friends at Life in Messiah want to help answer that question. They put together a series of helpful articles on how you can share the good news with Jewish people around you. You'll learn about Jewish cultural sensitivities, how anti-Semitism affects Jewish evangelism, the importance of messianic prophecy, and more. To access the articles, visit Life in Messiah. Org. Click on the Moody Radio logo
and sign up. You'll receive the articles to equip you with practical ways to share the good news with Jewish people around you or online. Again, click on the Moody Radio icon at Life in messiah.org.
Charlie. One of the things I enjoy in life is a good lightning storm. I mean, there's there's so much intrigue in a burst of lightning, and when there's a whole bunch of it coming, rapid fire, all the better, don't you think?
Oh, I love lightning storms. All right, well.
We've got the, uh, the question equivalent of that today in a email conversation with a listener named Janie. And so she's got a series of questions about the feasts and laws, and we're going to go through them quickly, sort of a lightning round of questions. So stick around, buckle your seatbelts. Here comes question one. Deuteronomy 16, verse 16 says that the males of Israel were to appear before the Lord three times a year Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot with their wife and children. Join them.
You know, it doesn't say so in Deuteronomy, but I believe the families did usually accompany the men to the feasts. Two reasons one Old Testament, one new. In first Samuel one, we're told that Elkanah went up year after year to worship and sacrifice to the Lord Almighty. Now we're not told which of the feasts, but many think it's the feast of, uh, Sukkot or Tabernacles. But it doesn't matter, because the point is, he took along his family, including Hannah.
And then in the New Testament, in Luke 241, were told, every year Joseph and Mary went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover. So in both the Old and New Testament, we have examples of wives going to the feast with their husbands.
Here's question number two in our lightning round. Would Passover an all nighter also roll into the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Feast of Firstfruits for eight days?
Yeah, I think Passover did roll over into the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Feast of Firstfruits, and that also helps explain the prophetic significance of those feasts, as they pointed to the death and burial and resurrection of Jesus as the first fruits from the dead.
Third question in our lightning round is the blowing of the trumpet at Rosh Hashanah done only at Jerusalem, or is it happening throughout Israel?
You know, we don't know what it was like in the past, but, uh, we do know right now that the trumpet is sounded today in synagogues throughout Israel and around the world at Rosh Hashanah.
Question four when it came for Sukkot, day 15 of the seventh month would travel to Jerusalem. Also include day ten of the seventh month, Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Or do people regard the Day of Atonement at home?
Yeah. It's interesting that Yom Kippur was not included in the times when the people were told to present themselves before the Lord in Jerusalem. The significance of the day involved the priest's work on behalf of himself and the people, to provide that temporary atonement for sin. So it was a day when the people were to afflict their souls, which they took to mean it was a day when
they were too fast from sunup to sundown. I assume those in Jerusalem could have gone to the temple, though much of what the high priest did was performed out of sight inside the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies.
Lightning round. Question number five when Elkanah and Hannah went up yearly, is there a biblical allowance to come to only one feast? And if so, what is that feast?
Yeah, well, the command was to appear three times a year. So it's possible that first Samuel one is simply compressing events to let us know they went up every year. But Luke two specifically mentions just Passover, and acts two describes Jews from around the world gathering at Pentecost. In acts 20, we're told Paul and his traveling companions spent Passover unleavened bread in Philippi, but Paul wanted to reach Jerusalem in time to celebrate Shavuot or Pentecost in acts 20,
verse 16. But in answer to the question now, I'm not sure how hard and fast the requirement was to make it to Jerusalem for all three feasts, especially as the Jewish people expanded beyond the land throughout the entire Roman Empire.
Last question from Janie in this lightning round, Joseph and Mary in Luke one after eight days named Jesus and then had him circumcised. Would this have been done at their local synagogue? And then, fulfilling the law 33 days later, would the trek be to Jerusalem for Mary's purification?
Yeah. It's unclear whether the circumcision took place in the synagogue or at their home. I have always thought personally that it might have been at their home. And I say that because when John the Baptist. Us was circumcised. It mentioned the gathering of their neighbors and relatives. And in verse 65, again it mentions the neighbors, which makes it sound more like a more intimate affair for family
and close friends. But whether it took place in the local synagogue or in the home, we can't say for sure. I believe the circumcision of Jesus would have taken place in Bethlehem, whether in the house of Joseph and Mary where they were living, or the local synagogue. And then they were still there in Bethlehem 33 days later, when they went up to Jerusalem for Mary's purification.
This is the land in the book from Moody Radio, our host, Doctor Charlie Dyer, welcoming your Bible questions anytime with a quick email to the land and the book@moody.edu, Rex says I see the problems we have in our American society because of a lack of a true biblical worldview. Could you send me some recommendations for materials that I could use in our church for teaching a biblical worldview? Any help as appreciated.
Well, I can offer two suggestions that you might want to explore. The first is called the Truth Project and it's by Del del Tackett. Tackett. It's put out by focus on the family, and it's a video series on developing a biblical worldview. It's designed to be used in a small group setting, so it could be very helpful. At the second. You might have to adapt just a little bit. It's Josh McDowell's evidence that demands a verdict.
The revised version of the book has been around for a little while, and he's also prepared an online video series in connection with the book. The book and video series can help people better articulate a biblical view in our secular culture, and a better understanding of the Bible.
Question from Steve. How do you understand the phrase that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins? That's Isaiah 40, verse two.
Yeah. You know, when you first read it, it sounds like God saying, I'm going to punish you twice as much as you deserve. But that doesn't make any sense theologically or contextually or in our understanding of God himself. So I think the key is the Hebrew preposition there. It's it's the letter bait. In that third phrase. And rather than literally saying she's received from the Lord's hand, double in all her sin, I take that bait there with the word that follows in the sense of, in
place of or instead of. Now there are three parallel phrases in that verse. They picture God reversing the judgment that he's just announced on Israel up through chapter 39. Isaiah is now saying her hard service has been completed. Well, chapters 40 to 48. The next nine chapters talk about Israel's promised return from captivity in Babylon, which God had announced. And then he says, her iniquity has been removed. That's chapters 49 to 57, where he talks about the work
of the servant who's going to come. And ultimately, in Isaiah 53, died to pay the penalty for her sin. And then he says, and shall receive from the Lord's hand a double portion of blessing in place of the judgment she just received. And that's the last nine chapters of Isaiah 58 to 66, where he focuses on the millennial blessing God will now pour out on the nation.
So I take the double there in the sense of the double portion of of the inheritance or blessing given by a parent to the firstborn in place of the judgment that Israel had just received. God promises to pour out a double portion of his blessing on the nation.
Todd wants to know, do you think Jesus was born on December the 25th? He says, I used to think there was no historical basis for that at all, but I was recently doing some reading, and it sounds like there are some things that point to that date. What do you think?
Well, yeah, you got to start by saying it has at least a 1 in 365 day chance of being correct now, but many would say the date was chosen at the time of Constantine in the year 354. And they have the celebration of Jesus birth replace a pagan holiday called Saturnalia in the Feast of Soul, which was celebrated on that date. However, there's some new evidence to challenge that old assumption statue of Hippolytus, a third century
Christian theologian, was discovered. It now stands in the Vatican Library. An inscription on the side of the chair and the statue has a lunar table that records the dates of the full moons. He also records a common belief in the early church that Jesus was conceived during Passover and born exactly nine months later, which would be December 25th. Now, my point here is there's tradition that existed before the time of Constantine, the place Christ's birth on December 25th.
It's interesting this date was given before that became the date when the Romans celebrated Saturnalia. Now, however, this identification of December 25th is based on a tradition that says Jesus was conceived during Passover, and unfortunately, we don't have any external confirmation for that tradition. So I'm left with this conclusion could Jesus have been born on December 25th? Yes. Can we say precisely when he was born? And no, we can't, at least with any degree of absolute certainty.
And that doesn't bother me. There's at least some early church tradition pointing to his birth around December 25th, and it's as good a day as any other. To celebrate this event.
Philip writes, I heard once a year that the rock at the tomb where Jesus was buried. Catches fire. What are your thoughts on this? Have you ever seen it in person? Yeah, I've.
Never seen the ceremony because I've never been to church of the Holy Sepulchre at that time of year. It's held the Saturday before the Eastern Orthodox Easter. You ask my thoughts. Here they are. I think it's a fraud. Uh, there are early traditions of the event, but there's also very on the Western Church prohibiting its priests from participating
because they thought it was fraudulent. So, anyway, it's primarily a belief of the Eastern Orthodox churches, and I don't put much stock in its authenticity.
Thanks for those questions, Charlie. Thanks for your answers. And thank you for sticking around as Charlie Dyer's devotional is next right here on the land and the book. Welcome back to our fourth and final segment here at The Land. In the book, I'm John Geiger with our host, doctor Charlie Dyer. And Charlie, I have a confession to make. Okay, John, I walk from the train station to Moody. It's about a mile and a half every day, and sometimes I
bump into some moody friends. But today I deliberately tried to avoid them because by mistake, I had taken a pair of gym shoes that I should have thrown out long ago. They've got big ugly holes right on the top of them, and I thought, that is so tacky looking. I don't want to be seen wearing these shoes. So those were people I tried to avoid. Now, I understand that your devotional has something about people we should avoid or try to avoid.
That's exactly what it's on. Three kinds of people we should avoid, and none of them have to do with holes in our shoes. But we'll get.
To that devotional after we hear this Holy Land experience testimony. I love it when people go to Israel, come back and share their thoughts with us.
Hi, my name is Graham. I've been to Israel three times now and I'm already planning the the fourth return trip. It's such a life changing experience. It really makes the reading of the Bible. It changes it from reading in black and white to to reading it in, in full color. Uh, and the thing that impressed me was so much of what you read, uh, of the places, it's still very similar, uh, Galilee, still very rural. Um, the wilderness is still very remote.
Jerusalem is still very religious. And this is, uh, it's like stepping into the Bible and having a immersing yourself in its culture. Uh, I can highly recommend it for, for anyone who would like to understand the scriptures in a, in a deeper and more a real way.
All right, we're headed to Proverbs 25. Charlie, I understand in your devotional that you've titled three Kinds of People to Avoid. Take it away.
Uh, thanks, John. I had a number of part time jobs in high school. One of the shortest and most unusual was at a milk processing plant. A local farmer processed and bottled the milk from his cows and sold it in his own roadside dairy store. My friend, his younger brother and I ran the small plant where the
raw milk was pasteurized and bottled. I loaded the crates of bottled milk and drove them from the processing plant to the roadside store, mainly because I was the only one of the three of us who was over 16 and had a driver's license. I think we did a pretty good job. At least no one ever became ill from drinking the milk we processed. However, we were still high school students, actually three teenage boys. So we did
some things that, in hindsight, were really stupid. For example, after processing the milk, we had to tear down and clean all the equipment. This involved flushing all the tanks and pipes with water before cleaning them with a hot alkaline wash followed by a warm, acidic rinse. Now this is more than 50 years ago, but if I remember correctly, we used sodium carbonate for the alkaline wash and something like muriatic acid for the acid rinse. Now, we were
told never to mix the acid and alkaline base. And so of course, one afternoon after we were all done, we decided to see what would happen if the two got mixed. We took an empty half gallon glass milk jug and filled it halfway up with the alkaline base solution. My buddy then gingerly walked over and poured the acid into the bottle. Let's just say it was a really stupid thing to do. Thankfully, the two liquids were relatively diluted,
or we could have been severely injured. Two years later when I had chemistry in high school, I already understood from experience what happens when an acid is mixed with a base. Now I share that story with you as we walk along the new wall just built by Hezekiah to enclose the western hill of Jerusalem. The city expanded onto this hill following the fall of the northern Kingdom of Israel to Assyria. Hezekiah is preparing the city for
an anticipated attack by the Assyrians. But in addition to working on the physical defenses of the city, Hezekiah has also been working on the city's spiritual defenses. We read about his revival in the first part of Second Kings 18, but we can also find hints of his spiritual revival in the Book of Proverbs. Proverbs 25 one begins by saying, these are more proverbs of Solomon, copied by the men of Hezekiah, king of Judah. Hezekiah wanted to preserve some
of the practical day to day wisdom of Solomon. These were truths on how life really works to help people live wisely. And today I want us to look at three key verses in this chapter verses 18, 19 and 20. Now, at first they don't seem to connect, but by the end I think you'll spot the common denominator in these verses, Solomon focused on three kinds of people to avoid, and by the time we're done, you'll also understand the connection
to my time working at a milk processing plant. The first proverb is 2518 like a club or a sword or a sharp arrow is the man who gives false testimony against his neighbor, a club, a sword, and a sharp arrow share one thing in common they can do great damage to the intended target, even though the word like isn't found in the Hebrew translators. Add it because Solomon is intending to make a comparison. So what does he say is like a weapon that can do great damage?
An individual who gives false testimony against his neighbor, someone willing to lie about a person to cause harm is just as dangerous, and can do just as much damage as a soldier swinging a sword or club, or shooting a sharp, iron tipped arrow. The point of the proverb is quite direct if you come across someone willing to lie to hurt or harm another, stay away from them. What they're doing to others they could eventually do to you.
Now we come to verse 19, which at first seems to change topics, but listen carefully like a bad tooth or a lame foot is reliance on the unfaithful in times of trouble, ever have a toothache and temporarily forget about it until you happen to bite into something hard? That shooting pain is unforgettable. How about a lame foot? Several years ago, I tore the interior meniscus in my left knee. One minute I was out for my morning walk, and the next I was trying to keep myself from
tumbling off the sidewalk and onto the street. In both illustrations, the pain index can shoot from 0 to 10, from virtually no pain to excruciating pain in an instant. So what does Solomon compare to a toothache? Or in my case, a torn meniscus? He compares that to someone relying on or having confidence in an unfaithful person when facing a
time of trouble. When the going gets tough, suddenly the one on whom you're depending decides it's time for them to get going, leaving you to face the problem alone. The point of this proverb is also quite direct avoid. Depending on someone who has demonstrated himself or herself to be unreliable. If they haven't demonstrated dependability in small areas, find someone else you can trust. And finally, Solomon comes
to my pasteurized milk proverb in verse 20. Listen to the point of comparison as he begins, like one who takes away a garment on a cold day, or like vinegar, put on soda. Okay, the first part we get imagine standing in downtown Chicago today, only to have someone come by and steal your heavy jacket. Anyone who takes your coat on a cold day is certainly not trying to help you. You could freeze to death. But what about
the second comparison? Vinegar is acidic, and soda doesn't just refer to the East Coast name for a soft drink, it refers to calcium carbonate, one of the main components of lye. The words used one other time in Jeremiah 222. Although you wash yourself with lye, there's the word and use an abundance of soap. The stain of your guilt still before me, declares the sovereign Lord. So what happens when you mix an acid and a base or alkali together?
You get a chemical reaction that generates heat, but that otherwise isn't really helpful. So what's like taking someone's coat on a cold day or causing an unpleasant chemical reaction? Both are compared to the one who sings songs to a heavy or troubled heart. What's the point of this proverb? Well, if you've ever experienced a problem that is weighing you down, the last thing you wanted at that moment was to have someone come along and say, you know what your
problem is? You need to sing a song. So let's sing. I'm a Yankee Doodle dandy. That suggestion is about as helpful as yanking off your coat on a cold day, and about the only reaction they'll get from you is like seeing the frothing that bubbles up from the chemical reaction. Solomon's point is that in times of discouragement and struggle, you need to avoid the person who is totally clueless and insensitive to your pain. They will do you no good. Well,
it's time to head back home. But before we say goodbye to the people in Hezekiah's day, busy copying all these proverbs, what's the message we need to take back with us? Well, how about this? In life, there are three kinds of people we need to avoid. Stay away from someone willing to lie about others. Stay away from someone who's shown that he or she is undependable, and stay away from someone who is clueless and insensitive. Or
to turn this around and make it positive. Search for and connect with people who are truth tellers, who are dependable and who demonstrate genuine care and sensitivity. Oh, and while you're at it, make sure you never mix an acid and a base together.
Thank you Charlie. Very, very practical as always. Hey, if you have never taken advantage of our podcast, it's a great tool at our website, The Land and the book.org. You can share us with your friends. They might not live near a moody radio station or any station that carries this great program, but with the podcast they can connect to at the land and the book. Org. Thanks
for carving out time to spend with us. Thanks for the management of this station, for letting us be part of the great lineup of programs that you enjoy day in and day out. The land in the book is a production of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute. I'm John Geiger for the team.
Have a great day.