Lifespring! One Year Bible

Transcript

Today is  History Tuesday. Our reading is 2 Chronicles 29-32. I’m calling today’s episode “Changes.”

Hezekiah was a remarkable king, wasn’t he? 

His father was Ahaz, who reigned before him, and he was one of the most evil kings of Judah. If you’ve been listening along, no doubt you remember him and the heinous things he did, including sacrificing his own children.

That Hezekiah was such a good king is certainly noteworthy. As chapter 29, verse 2 says, “He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father David had done.” Bible commentator G. Campbell Morgan said of him, “His mother was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah, probably the person mentioned by the Prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 8:2) as a ‘faithful witness.’ This possible friendship of his mother for the prophet, combined with the certainty that up to this time he had been under the influence of Isaiah’s ministry, may account for Hezekiah’s action on coming to the throne.” 

Whatever the reason for his devotion to following God, he was a welcome contrast to his father, wouldn’t you say?

Think of the courage that was necessary for Hezekiah to reverse the course of Judah. Pagan altars, idols, and temples were destroyed. The bronze serpent that Moses had made in the desert (Numbers 21:9) was also destroyed, because the people had made it an idol (2 Kings 18:4). The temple in Jerusalem, whose doors had been nailed shut by Hezekiah’s own father, was cleaned out and reopened. The Levitical priesthood was reinstated (2 Chronicles 29:5), and the Passover was reinstituted as a national holiday (2 Chronicles 30:1). 

Instead of Hezekiah being cancelled, revival came to Judah. And God blessed him. 

Beloved, I believe that Hezekiah is a good example for us. He knew that his nation had wandered far from God under the leadership of his father, Ahaz. And when he had the opportunity, he boldly made the changes necessary to make things right. He even confronted the temple priests who had been entirely derelict in their duties. He told them to clean out the temple and sanctify themselves, the temple and everything in it. 

Each of us can do our part to make things right with God. We can pray daily for those in all levels of government. We can pray for our pastors, that they will have the courage to say and do what is right in the eyes of God in the pulpit. We can make our voices heard. 

We are called to be salt and light, beloved. Ask the Holy Spirit to give opportunities to make a difference. He will answer that prayer, guaranteed. Then when He does it, have the courage to follow His leading. Revival can begin today, beloved. It starts when God’s people cry out to Him, and then have the courage to follow His leading.

Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 29 ESV; Ch. 30-31 NLT; Ch. 32 NIV

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STEVE WEBB – 0:00
Hezekiah is a good example for us.

INTRO S12E306 – 0:10
Coming to you from Riverside, California, this is the Lifespring Family Audio Bible, and podcasting since 2004, I’m your OG Godcaster, Steve Webb. This is the daily show where we’re reading through the entire Bible in a year. For those of you in the US of A, I hope you had a great Fourth of July. Today is History Tuesday. Our reading is 2 Chronicles 29 through 32. I’m calling today’s episode “Changes”. The show notes page for today’s episode is at lifespringmedia.com/s12e307. My email address is st***@*************ia.com. Let’s begin.

2 CHRONICLES 29 (ESV) – 0:48
2 Chronicles, chapter 29. (1) Hezekiah began to reign when he was twenty-five years old, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abijah the daughter of Zechariah. (2) And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done.

(3) In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them. (4) He brought in the priests and the Levites and assembled them in the square on the east (5) and said to them, “Hear me, Levites! Now consecrate yourselves, and consecrate the house of the Lord, the God of your fathers, and carry out the filth from the Holy Place. (6) For our fathers have been unfaithful and have done what was evil in the sight of the Lord our God. They have forsaken him and have turned away their faces from the habitation of the Lord and turned their backs. (7) They also shut the doors of the vestibule and put out the lamps and have not burned incense or offered burnt offerings in the Holy Place to the God of Israel. (8) Therefore the wrath of the Lord came on Judah and Jerusalem, and he has made them an object of horror, of astonishment, and of hissing, as you see with your own eyes. (9) For behold, our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons and our daughters and our wives are in captivity for this. (10) Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the Lord, the God of Israel, in order that his fierce anger may turn away from us. (11) My sons, do not now be negligent, for the Lord has chosen you to stand in his presence, to minister to him and to be his ministers and make offerings to him.”

(12) Then the Levites arose, Mahath the son of Amasai, and Joel the son of Azariah, of the sons of the Kohathites; and of the sons of Merari, Kish the son of Abdi, and Azariah the son of Jehallelel; and of the Gershonites, Joah the son of Zimmah, and Eden the son of Joah; (13) and of the sons of Elizaphan, Shimri and Jeuel; and of the sons of Asaph, Zechariah and Mattaniah; (14) and of the sons of Heman, Jehuel and Shimei; and of the sons of Jeduthun, Shemaiah and Uzziel. (15) They gathered their brothers and consecrated themselves and went in as the king had commanded, by the words of the Lord, to cleanse the house of the Lord. (16) The priests went into the inner part of the house of the Lord to cleanse it, and they brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple of the Lord into the court of the house of the Lord. And the Levites took it and carried it out to the brook Kidron. (17) They began to consecrate on the first day of the first month, and on the eighth day of the month they came to the vestibule of the Lord. Then for eight days they consecrated the house of the Lord, and on the sixteenth day of the first month they finished. (18) Then they went in to Hezekiah the king and said, “We have cleansed all the house of the Lord, the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the table for the showbread and all its utensils. (19) All the utensils that King Ahaz discarded in his reign when he was faithless, we have made ready and consecrated, and behold, they are before the altar of the Lord.”

(20) Then Hezekiah the king rose early and gathered the officials of the city and went up to the house of the Lord. (21) And they brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male goats for a sin offering for the kingdom and for the sanctuary and for Judah. And he commanded the priests, the sons of Aaron, to offer them on the altar of the Lord. (22) So they slaughtered the bulls, and the priests received the blood and threw it against the altar. And they slaughtered the rams, and their blood was thrown against the altar. And they slaughtered the lambs, and their blood was thrown against the altar. (23) Then the goats for the sin offering were brought to the king and the assembly, and they laid their hands on them, (24) and the priests slaughtered them and made a sin offering with their blood on the altar, to make atonement for all Israel. For the king commanded that the burnt offering and the sin offering should be made for all Israel.

(25) And he stationed the Levites in the house of the Lord with cymbals, harps, and lyres, according to the commandment of David and of Gad the king’s seer and of Nathan the prophet, for the commandment was from the Lord through his prophets. (26) The Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets. (27) Then Hezekiah commanded that the burnt offering be offered on the altar. And when the burnt offering began, the song to the Lord began also, and the trumpets, accompanied by the instruments of David king of Israel. (28) The whole assembly worshiped, and the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded. All this continued until the burnt offering was finished. (29) When the offering was finished, the king and all who were present with him bowed themselves and worshiped. (30) And Hezekiah the king and the officials commanded the Levites to sing praises to the Lord with the words of David and of Asaph the seer. And they sang praises with gladness, and they bowed down and worshiped.

(31) Then Hezekiah said, “You have now consecrated yourselves to the Lord. Come near; bring sacrifices and thank offerings to the house of the Lord.” And the assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and all who were of a willing heart brought burnt offerings. (32) The number of the burnt offerings that the assembly brought was 70 bulls, 100 rams, and 200 lambs; all these were for a burnt offering to the Lord. (33) And the consecrated offerings were 600 bulls and 3,000 sheep. (34) But the priests were too few and could not flay all the burnt offerings, so until other priests had consecrated themselves, their brothers the Levites helped them, until the work was finished—for the Levites were more upright in heart than the priests in consecrating themselves. (35) Besides the great number of burnt offerings, there was the fat of the peace offerings, and there were the drink offerings for the burnt offerings. Thus the service of the house of the Lord was restored. (36) And Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced because God had provided for the people, for the thing came about suddenly.

2 CHRONICLES 30 () – 6:47
2 Chronicles, chapter 30. (1) King Hezekiah now sent word to all Israel and Judah, and he wrote letters of invitation to the people of Ephraim and Manasseh. He asked everyone to come to the Temple of the Lord at Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover of the Lord, the God of Israel. (2) The king, his officials, and all the community of Jerusalem decided to celebrate Passover a month later than usual. (3) They were unable to celebrate it at the prescribed time because not enough priests could be purified by then, and the people had not yet assembled at Jerusalem.

(4) This plan for keeping the Passover seemed right to the king and all the people. (5) So they sent a proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beersheba in the south to Dan in the north, inviting everyone to come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover of the Lord, the God of Israel. The people had not been celebrating it in great numbers as required in the Law.

(6) At the king’s command, runners were sent throughout Israel and Judah. They carried letters that said:

“O people of Israel, return to the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, so that he will return to the few of us who have survived the conquest of the Assyrian kings. (7) Do not be like your ancestors and relatives who abandoned the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and became an object of derision, as you yourselves can see. (8) Do not be stubborn, as they were, but submit yourselves to the Lord. Come to his Temple, which he has set apart as holy forever. Worship the Lord your God so that his fierce anger will turn away from you.

(9) “For if you return to the Lord, your relatives and your children will be treated mercifully by their captors, and they will be able to return to this land. For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful. If you return to him, he will not continue to turn his face from you.”

(10) The runners went from town to town throughout Ephraim and Manasseh and as far as the territory of Zebulun. But most of the people just laughed at the runners and made fun of them. (11) However, some people from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and went to Jerusalem.

(12) At the same time, God’s hand was on the people in the land of Judah, giving them all one heart to obey the orders of the king and his officials, who were following the word of the Lord. (13) So a huge crowd assembled at Jerusalem in midspring to celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread. (14) They set to work and removed the pagan altars from Jerusalem. They took away all the incense altars and threw them into the Kidron Valley.

(15) On the fourteenth day of the second month, one month later than usual, the people slaughtered the Passover lamb. This shamed the priests and Levites, so they purified themselves and brought burnt offerings to the Temple of the Lord. (16) Then they took their places at the Temple as prescribed in the Law of Moses, the man of God. The Levites brought the sacrificial blood to the priests, who then sprinkled it on the altar.

(17) Since many of the people had not purified themselves, the Levites had to slaughter their Passover lamb for them, to set them apart for the Lord. (18) Most of those who came from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun had not purified themselves. But King Hezekiah prayed for them, and they were allowed to eat the Passover meal anyway, even though this was contrary to the requirements of the Law. For Hezekiah said, “May the Lord, who is good, pardon those (19) who decide to follow the Lord, the God of their ancestors, even though they are not properly cleansed for the ceremony.” (20) And the Lord listened to Hezekiah’s prayer and healed the people.

(21) So the people of Israel who were present in Jerusalem joyously celebrated the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days. Each day the Levites and priests sang to the Lord, accompanied by loud instruments. (22) Hezekiah encouraged all the Levites regarding the skill they displayed as they served the Lord. The celebration continued for seven days. Peace offerings were sacrificed, and the people gave thanks to the Lord, the God of their ancestors.

(23) The entire assembly then decided to continue the festival another seven days, so they celebrated joyfully for another week. (24) King Hezekiah gave the people 1,000 bulls and 7,000 sheep and goats for offerings, and the officials donated 1,000 bulls and 10,000 sheep and goats. Meanwhile, many more priests purified themselves.

(25) The entire assembly of Judah rejoiced, including the priests, the Levites, all who came from the land of Israel, the foreigners who came to the festival, and all those who lived in Judah. (26) There was great joy in the city, for Jerusalem had not seen a celebration like this one since the days of Solomon, King David’s son. (27) Then the priests and Levites stood and blessed the people, and God heard their prayer from his holy dwelling in heaven.

2 CHRONICLES 31 (NLT) – 11:36
2 Chronicles, chapter 31. (1) When the festival ended, the Israelites who attended went to all the towns of Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh, and they smashed all the sacred pillars, cut down the Asherah poles, and removed the pagan shrines and altars. After this, the Israelites returned to their own towns and homes.

(2) Hezekiah then organized the priests and Levites into divisions to offer the burnt offerings and peace offerings, and to worship and give thanks and praise to the Lord at the gates of the Temple. (3) The king also made a personal contribution of animals for the daily morning and evening burnt offerings, the weekly Sabbath festivals, the monthly new moon festivals, and the annual festivals as prescribed in the Law of the Lord. (4) In addition, he required the people in Jerusalem to bring a portion of their goods to the priests and Levites, so they could devote themselves fully to the Law of the Lord.

(5) When the people of Israel heard these requirements, they responded generously by bringing the first share of their grain, new wine, olive oil, honey, and all the produce of their fields. They brought a large quantity—a tithe of all they produced. (6) The people who had moved to Judah from Israel, and the people of Judah themselves, brought in the tithes of their cattle, sheep, and goats and a tithe of the things that had been dedicated to the Lord their God, and they piled them up in great heaps. (7) They began piling them up in late spring, and the heaps continued to grow until early autumn. (8) When Hezekiah and his officials came and saw these huge piles, they thanked the Lord and his people Israel!

(9) “Where did all this come from?” Hezekiah asked the priests and Levites.

(10) And Azariah the high priest, from the family of Zadok, replied, “Since the people began bringing their gifts to the Lord’s Temple, we have had enough to eat and plenty to spare. The Lord has blessed his people, and all this is left over.”

(11) Hezekiah ordered that storerooms be prepared in the Temple of the Lord. When this was done, (12) the people faithfully brought all the gifts, tithes, and other items dedicated for use in the Temple. Conaniah the Levite was put in charge, assisted by his brother Shimei. (13) The supervisors under them were Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismakiah, Mahath, and Benaiah. These appointments were made by King Hezekiah and Azariah, the chief official in the Temple of God.

(14) Kore son of Imnah the Levite, who was the gatekeeper at the East Gate, was put in charge of distributing the voluntary offerings given to God, the gifts, and the things that had been dedicated to the Lord. (15) His faithful assistants were Eden, Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah. They distributed the gifts among the families of priests in their towns by their divisions, dividing the gifts fairly among old and young alike. (16) They distributed the gifts to all males three years old or older, regardless of their place in the genealogical records. The distribution went to all who would come to the Lord’s Temple to perform their daily duties according to their divisions. (17) They distributed gifts to the priests who were listed by their families in the genealogical records, and to the Levites twenty years old or older who were listed according to their jobs and their divisions. (18) Food allotments were also given to the families of all those listed in the genealogical records, including their little babies, wives, sons, and daughters. For they had all been faithful in purifying themselves.

(19) As for the priests, the descendants of Aaron, who were living in the open villages around the towns, men were appointed by name to distribute portions to every male among the priests and to all the Levites listed in the genealogical records.

(20) In this way, King Hezekiah handled the distribution throughout all Judah, doing what was pleasing and good in the sight of the Lord his God. (21) In all that he did in the service of the Temple of God and in his efforts to follow God’s laws and commands, Hezekiah sought his God wholeheartedly. As a result, he was very successful.

2 CHRONICLES 32 (NIV) – 15:43
2 Chronicles, chapter 32. (1) After all that Hezekiah had so faithfully done, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah. He laid siege to the fortified cities, thinking to conquer them for himself. (2) When Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come and that he intended to wage war against Jerusalem, (3) he consulted with his officials and military staff about blocking off the water from the springs outside the city, and they helped him. (4) They gathered a large group of people who blocked all the springs and the stream that flowed through the land. “Why should the kings of Assyria come and find plenty of water?” they said. (5) Then he worked hard repairing all the broken sections of the wall and building towers on it. He built another wall outside that one and reinforced the terraces of the City of David. He also made large numbers of weapons and shields.

(6) He appointed military officers over the people and assembled them before him in the square at the city gate and encouraged them with these words: (7) “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him. (8) With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people gained confidence from what Hezekiah the king of Judah said.

(9) Later, when Sennacherib king of Assyria and all his forces were laying siege to Lachish, he sent his officers to Jerusalem with this message for Hezekiah king of Judah and for all the people of Judah who were there:

(10) “This is what Sennacherib king of Assyria says: On what are you basing your confidence, that you remain in Jerusalem under siege? (11) When Hezekiah says, ‘The Lord our God will save us from the hand of the king of Assyria,’ he is misleading you, to let you die of hunger and thirst. (12) Did not Hezekiah himself remove this god’s high places and altars, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You must worship before one altar and burn sacrifices on it’?

(13) “Do you not know what I and my predecessors have done to all the peoples of the other lands? Were the gods of those nations ever able to deliver their land from my hand? (14) Who of all the gods of these nations that my predecessors destroyed has been able to save his people from me? How then can your god deliver you from my hand? (15) Now do not let Hezekiah deceive you and mislead you like this. Do not believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom has been able to deliver his people from my hand or the hand of my predecessors. How much less will your god deliver you from my hand!”

(16) Sennacherib’s officers spoke further against the Lord God and against his servant Hezekiah. (17) The king also wrote letters ridiculing the Lord, the God of Israel, and saying this against him: “Just as the gods of the peoples of the other lands did not rescue their people from my hand, so the god of Hezekiah will not rescue his people from my hand.” (18) Then they called out in Hebrew to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to terrify them and make them afraid in order to capture the city. (19) They spoke about the God of Jerusalem as they did about the gods of the other peoples of the world—the work of human hands.

(20) King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz cried out in prayer to heaven about this. (21) And the Lord sent an angel, who annihilated all the fighting men and the commanders and officers in the camp of the Assyrian king. So he withdrew to his own land in disgrace. And when he went into the temple of his god, some of his sons, his own flesh and blood, cut him down with the sword.

(22) So the Lord saved Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib king of Assyria and from the hand of all others. He took care of them on every side. (23) Many brought offerings to Jerusalem for the Lord and valuable gifts for Hezekiah king of Judah. From then on he was highly regarded by all the nations.

(24) In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. He prayed to the Lord, who answered him and gave him a miraculous sign. (25) But Hezekiah’s heart was proud and he did not respond to the kindness shown him; therefore the Lord’s wrath was on him and on Judah and Jerusalem. (26) Then Hezekiah repented of the pride of his heart, as did the people of Jerusalem; therefore the Lord’s wrath did not come on them during the days of Hezekiah.

(27) Hezekiah had very great wealth and honor, and he made treasuries for his silver and gold and for his precious stones, spices, shields and all kinds of valuables. (28) He also made buildings to store the harvest of grain, new wine and olive oil; and he made stalls for various kinds of cattle, and pens for the flocks. (29) He built villages and acquired great numbers of flocks and herds, for God had given him very great riches.

(30) It was Hezekiah who blocked the upper outlet of the Gihon spring and channeled the water down to the west side of the City of David. He succeeded in everything he undertook. (31) But when envoys were sent by the rulers of Babylon to ask him about the miraculous sign that had occurred in the land, God left him to test him and to know everything that was in his heart.

(32) The other events of Hezekiah’s reign and his acts of devotion are written in the vision of the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. (33) Hezekiah rested with his ancestors and was buried on the hill where the tombs of David’s descendants are. All Judah and the people of Jerusalem honored him when he died. And Manasseh his son succeeded him as king.

COMMENTS – 21:09
Hezekiah was a remarkable King, wasn’t he? His father was Ahaz who reigned before him and he was one of the most evil kings of Judah. If you’ve been listening along, no doubt you remember him and the heinous things he did, including sacrificing his own children. That Hezekiah was such a good king is certainly noteworthy as chapter 29, verse 2 says, “He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord just as his father David had done.” Of course, in biblical language, David as his father is another word for ancestor here.

Bible commentator G. Campbell Morgan said of Hezekiah,

“His mother was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah, probably the person mentioned by the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 8:2 as a faithful witness. This possible friendship of his mother for the Prophet combined with the certainty that up to this time he had been under the influence of Isaiah’s ministry may account for Hezekiah’s action on coming to the throne.”

Whatever the reason for his devotion to following God, he was a welcome contrast to his bio dad Ahaz wouldn’t you say. Think of the courage that was necessary for Hezekiah to reverse the course of Judah. Pagan altars, idols and temples were destroyed. The bronze serpent that Moses had made in the desert in Numbers 21:9 was also destroyed because the people had made it into an idol. We read about that in 2 Kings 18:4. The temple in Jerusalem whose doors had been nailed shut by Hezekiah’s own father was cleaned out and reopened. The Levitical priesthood was reinstated in 2 Chronicles 29:5. And the Passover was reinstituted as a national holiday, 2 Chronicles 30, verse 1. And instead of Hezekiah being cancelled, like he probably would be today, revival came to Judah and God blessed him.

Beloved, I believe that Hezekiah is a good example for us. He knew that his nation had wandered far from God under the leadership of his father Ahaz. And when he had the opportunity, he boldly made the changes necessary to make things right. He even confronted the temple priests who had been entirely derelict in their duties. He told him to clean out the temple and sanctify themselves, the temple and everything in it. Each of us can do our part to make things right with God. We can pray daily for those in all levels of government. No matter where you live in the world. We can pray for our pastors, that they will have the courage to say and do what is right in the eyes of God in the pulpit. We can make our voices heard. We are called to be salt and light, Beloved. Ask the Holy Spirit to give opportunities to make a difference. I guarantee he’ll answer that prayer. And then when he does it, we need to have the courage to follow his leading. Revival can begin today, Beloved. It starts when God’s people cry out to Him, and then have the courage to follow his leading.

What are your thoughts? Have a comment? Let me know at lifespringmedia.com/s12e307. Tomorrow is Psalms Wednesday and we’ll read chapters 128 through 130.

Boost?

ON THIS DATE IN CHURCH HISTORY – 24:38
On this date in church history, July 5, 1865, in London pioneer English revivalist William Booth held the first rescue meeting at his newly established Christian Mission. In 1878, he changed the name of this organization to the Salvation Army.

CLOSING PRAYER – 25:06
Let’s pray. Our gracious heavenly Father, Lord, help us like Hezekiah to be unafraid to make the necessary changes to return ungodly, ingrained behaviors and systems back to ways that honor you. Give us courage, Lord. We pray that people would once again acknowledge that you are God, and that your ways are right. I pray this in Jesus name, amen.

If you have a prayer request or a praise, go to prayer.lifespringmedia.com.

OUTRO S12E307 – 25:44
Comment on the show at lifespringmedia.com/s12e307. And send me an email at st***@*************ia.com. Kirsty, Sean of San Pedro and Denise contribute time and talent to the show and I thank them. I thank those of you who are faithfully streaming sats and sending boosts and I thank those of you who send weekly or monthly donations. If you have ever sent a gift into the show. I appreciate it.

And I pray that God will bless you. If you receive value from the show, I ask that you help to support it. Go to lifespringmedia.com/support and find out how. Thank you so much for inviting me into your life today, sharing your time with me, sharing your life with me, letting me share God’s word with you.

Until tomorrow, may God bless you richly. My name is Steve Webb.

Bye.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai
Corrected by Denise

Transcript

Being  Monday, we’ll read from the Law. Deuteronomy 7-9. I’m calling today’s episode “Remember.”

As we often read here in Deuteronomy and other places in the Old Testament, God tells the people what He will do, and then He reminds them…many times. And He tells them what He did, and then He reminds them what He did, many times. 

Why does He do that? Why does God repeat Himself so much? Because they forget. Over and over again, they forget. And when it isn’t forgetfulness, they simply choose to ignore Him. They go their own way willingly. They rebel.

Crazy, right? 

No, not crazy. Just sinful. Why are they sinful? Because they are human beings. And being human, they have a sin nature. 

Which makes them…just like you and me. We, too need to be reminded repeatedly what the Lord said, what He did, and what He will do. We are no different than the children of Israel of the Old Testament. At least as far as our basic nature is concerned.

But those of us who have become followers of Jesus, those of us who have a real relationship with Him, those of us who are Christians have something that they did not. We have the Holy Spirit living in us. And we are no longer slaves to sin, as Paul said in Romans. 

But, as God said through Moses in Deuteronomy chapter nine, verse four, “…do not say in your heart, ‘The Lord has brought me in to take this land because I am right and good.’” That, beloved, is the sin of pride, which gets us into all kinds of trouble.

We are not saved because of anything we did, or because we deserved it. We are recipients of God’s grace only because of His goodness and His love. He did not call us because He needs us, He called us because we need Him.

Which is why we must stay close to Him. We are like the children of Israel in that we have to be reminded over and over again who God is, what He said, what He did, and what He will do. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. He gave His Son, that we might live. He gave us His Word, that we might know Him. He has made it possible to live lives that are pleasing to Him, that He might bless us if we follow Him and determine in our hearts that we *will* follow Him. Not that we will never stumble, because we will. But we must quickly seek is forgiveness. And we know from 1 John 1:9 that “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Not because we deserve it, but because of His grace.

Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 7 NASB; Ch. 8 NET; Ch. 9 NLV

This a value for value podcast. There are no advertisers because advertising=censorship. If you enjoy the Lifespring Family Audio Bible, decide how much value it brings to you. Only you can make that determination. Then put a number on the value and send it to me here: SUPPORT.

Download .txt file.

STEVE WEBB – 0:00
Just like you and me.

INTRO S12E306 – 0:09
Coming to you from Riverside, California, this is the Lifespring Family Audio Bible, and podcasting since 2004, I’m your OG Godcaster, Steve Webb. This is the daily show where we’re reading through the entire Bible in a year. And if you’re in the United States, Happy Independence Day. This is the day that we celebrate the birth of our country and independence from the tyranny of the British crown. And today, sadly, there’s a growing push by many in our country to establish more tyranny within our borders. Pray that those efforts will be defeated, and that we can hold on to the freedoms given to us by Almighty God. Well, being Monday we’ll read from the Law, Deuteronomy 7 through 9. I’m calling today’s episode, “Remember”. The show notes page for today is at lifespringmedia.com/s12e306. If you’d like to email me, I’d like to get your email. Send it to: st***@*************ia.com. Let’s begin.

DEUTERONOMY 7 (NASB) – 1:04
Deuteronomy, chapter 7. (1) “When the Lord your God brings you into the land where you are entering to possess it, and clears away many nations before you, the Hittites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and stronger than you, (2) and when the Lord your God delivers them before you and you defeat them, then you shall utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them and show no favor to them. (3) Furthermore, you shall not intermarry with them; you shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor shall you take their daughters for your sons. (4) For they will turn your sons away from following Me to serve other gods; then the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you and He will quickly destroy you. (5) But thus you shall do to them: you shall tear down their altars, and smash their sacred pillars, and hew down their Asherim, and burn their graven images with fire. (6) For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.

(7) “The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, (8) but because the Lord loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers, the Lord brought you out by a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. (9) Know therefore that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments; (10) but repays those who hate Him to their faces, to destroy them; He will not delay with him who hates Him, He will repay him to his face. (11) Therefore, you shall keep the commandment and the statutes and the judgments which I am commanding you today, to do them.

(12) “Then it shall come about, because you listen to these judgments and keep and do them, that the Lord your God will keep with you His covenant and His lovingkindness which He swore to your forefathers. (13) He will love you and bless you and multiply you; He will also bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, your grain and your new wine and your oil, the increase of your herd and the young of your flock, in the land which He swore to your forefathers to give you. (14) You shall be blessed above all peoples; there will be no male or female barren among you or among your cattle. (15) The Lord will remove from you all sickness; and He will not put on you any of the harmful diseases of Egypt which you have known, but He will lay them on all who hate you. (16) You shall consume all the peoples whom the Lord your God will deliver to you; your eye shall not pity them, nor shall you serve their gods, for that would be a snare to you.

(17) “If you should say in your heart, ‘These nations are greater than I; how can I dispossess them?’ (18) you shall not be afraid of them; you shall well remember what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt: (19) the great trials which your eyes saw and the signs and the wonders and the mighty hand and the outstretched arm by which the Lord your God brought you out. So shall the Lord your God do to all the peoples of whom you are afraid. (20) Moreover, the Lord your God will send the hornet against them, until those who are left and hide themselves from you perish. (21) You shall not dread them, for the Lord your God is in your midst, a great and awesome God. (22) The Lord your God will clear away these nations before you little by little; you will not be able to put an end to them quickly, for the wild beasts would grow too numerous for you. (23) But the Lord your God will deliver them before you, and will throw them into great confusion until they are destroyed. (24) He will deliver their kings into your hand so that you will make their name perish from under heaven; no man will be able to stand before you until you have destroyed them. (25) The graven images of their gods you are to burn with fire; you shall not covet the silver or the gold that is on them, nor take it for yourselves, or you will be snared by it, for it is an abomination to the Lord your God. (26) You shall not bring an abomination into your house, and like it come under the ban; you shall utterly detest it and you shall utterly abhor it, for it is something banned.

DEUTERONOMY 8 (NET) – 5:33
Deuteronomy chapter 8. (1) You must keep carefully all these commandments I am giving you today so that you may live, increase in number, and go in and occupy the land that the Lord has promised to your ancestors. (2) Remember the whole way by which he has brought you these forty years through the desert so that he might, by humbling you, test you to see if you have it within you to keep his commandments or not. (3) So he humbled you by making you hungry and then feeding you with unfamiliar manna. He did this to teach you that humankind cannot live by bread alone, but also by everything that comes from the Lord’s mouth. (4) Your clothing did not wear out nor did your feet swell all these forty years. (5) Be keenly aware that just as a parent disciplines his child, the Lord your God disciplines you. (6) So you must keep his commandments, live according to his standards, and revere him. (7) For the Lord your God is bringing you to a good land, a land of brooks, springs, and fountains flowing forth in valleys and hills, (8) a land of wheat, barley, vines, fig trees, and pomegranates, of olive trees and honey, (9) a land where you may eat food in plenty and find no lack of anything, a land whose stones are iron and from whose hills you can mine copper. (10) You will eat your fill and then praise the Lord your God because of the good land he has given you.

(11) Be sure you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments, ordinances, and statutes that I am giving you today. (12) When you eat your fill, when you build and occupy good houses, (13) when your cattle and flocks increase, when you have plenty of silver and gold, and when you have abundance of everything, (14) be sure you do not feel self-important and forget the Lord your God who brought you from the land of Egypt, the place of slavery, (15) and who brought you through the great, fearful desert of venomous serpents and scorpions, an arid place with no water. He made water flow from a flint rock and (16) fed you in the desert with manna (which your ancestors had never before known) so that he might by humbling you test you and eventually bring good to you. (17) Be careful not to say, “My own ability and skill have gotten me this wealth.” (18) You must remember the Lord your God, for he is the one who gives ability to get wealth; if you do this he will confirm his covenant that he made by oath to your ancestors, even as he has to this day. (19) Now if you forget the Lord your God at all and follow other gods, worshiping and prostrating yourselves before them, I testify to you today that you will surely be annihilated. (20) Just like the nations the Lord is about to destroy from your sight, so he will do to you because you would not obey him.

DEUTERONOMY 9 (NLV) – 8:20
Deuteronomy, chapter 9, (1) “Hear, O Israel! You are crossing over the Jordan today to take the land that belongs to nations greater and stronger than you, with big cities with walls as high as heaven. (2) The people there are strong and tall, the sons of Anakim. You know of them and have heard it said, ‘Who can stand in front of the sons of Anak?’ (3) But know today that it is the Lord your God Who is crossing over before you as a fire that destroys everything. He will destroy them and bring them down before you. So you may drive them out and be quick to destroy them, just as the Lord has told you. (4) But after the Lord your God has driven them out before you, do not say in your heart, ‘The Lord has brought me in to take this land because I am right and good.’ It is because of the sin of these nations that the Lord is driving them out in front of you. (5) It is not because of your being right with God that you are going to take their land. But it is because of the sin of these nations that the Lord your God is driving them out in front of you. By this the Lord is proving that He keeps the promise He made to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. (6) Understand that it is not because you are right with God that the Lord your God is giving you this good land for your own, for you are a strong-willed people.

(7) “Remember and do not forget how you made the Lord your God angry in the desert. You have gone against the Lord from the day you left the land of Egypt until you came to this place. (8) Even at Mount Sinai you made the Lord angry. The Lord was so angry with you that He would have destroyed you. (9) I went up the mountain to receive the pieces of stone, the Laws of the agreement which the Lord had made with you. I stayed on the mountain forty days and nights. I did not eat bread or drink water. (10) Then the Lord gave me the two pieces of stone written by the finger of God. On them were all the words the Lord had spoken with you on the mountain from the fire on the day of the meeting. (11) At the end of forty days and nights the Lord gave me the two pieces of stone, the Laws of the agreement. (12) Then the Lord said to me, ‘Get up. Hurry and go down from here. For your people whom you brought out of Egypt have become very sinful. They have been quick to turn away from what I told them. They have made a false god for themselves.’ (13) And the Lord said to me, ‘I have seen these people. See, they are strong-willed. (14) Let Me alone, so I may destroy them and destroy their name from under heaven. I will make you into a nation that will be greater and stronger than they.’ (15) So I turned and came down from the mountain while the mountain was burning with fire. The two pieces of the stone of the agreement were in my two hands. (16) And I saw that it was true that you had sinned against the Lord your God. You had made for yourselves a calf out of gold. You had been quick to turn away from what the Lord had told you. (17) So I took the two pieces of stone and threw them from my hands, and broke them in front of your eyes. (18) Then again I fell down before the Lord for forty days and nights. I did not eat bread or drink water, because of all the sin you had done. You did what was sinful in the eyes of the Lord and made Him angry. (19) I was afraid of the anger of the Lord which was burning against you to destroy you. But the Lord listened to me again. (20) The Lord was angry enough with Aaron to destroy him. So I prayed for Aaron at the same time also. (21) Then I took your sinful thing, the calf you had made, and burned it with fire and crushed it. I ground it into pieces until it was as fine as dust. And I threw its dust into the river that flowed down from the mountain.

(22) “You made the Lord angry again at Taberah, Massah and Kibroth-hattaavah. (23) The Lord sent you from Kadesh-barnea, saying, ‘Go and take for your own the land I have given you.’ But you went against what the Lord your God told you to do. You did not believe Him or listen to His voice. (24) You have gone against the Lord from the day I first knew you.

(25) “So I fell down before the Lord and lay forty days and nights, because the Lord had said He would destroy you. (26) I prayed to the Lord, saying, ‘O Lord God, do not destroy Your people, Your chosen nation, whom You have set free by Your power and brought out of Egypt with a strong hand. (27) Remember Your servants, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Do not look at the strong will or sin or wrong-doing of these people. (28) Or the land You brought us from may say, “The Lord was not able to bring them into the land He promised them. Because He hated them, He brought them out to kill them in the desert.” (29) Yet they are Your people, Your chosen nation, whom You have brought out by Your great power and Your long arm.’

COMMENTS – 12:58
As we often read here in Deuteronomy, and many other places in the Old Testament, God tells the people what he will do, and then he reminds them…many times. And he tells them what he did, and then he reminds them what he did, many times.

Why does he do that? Why does God repeat himself so much? Because they were forgetful. Over and over again they forget. And when it isn’t forgetfulness, they simply choose to ignore him. They go their own way willingly. They rebel.

That’s crazy, right?

Well, no, not really, not crazy, just sinful. Why are they sinful? Well, because they’re human beings. And because they’re human, they have a sin nature.

Which makes them…just like you and me. We too need to be reminded repeatedly what the Lord said, what he did and what he will do. We’re no different than the children of Israel of the Old Testament, at least as far as our basic nature is concerned.

But those of us who have become believers of Jesus, those of us who have a real relationship with him, those of us who are Christians, well, we have something that they did not. We have the Holy Spirit living within us, and we’re no longer slaves to sin, as Paul said in Romans.

But God said through Moses in Deuteronomy, chapter 9, verse 4, “…do not say in your heart, ‘The Lord has brought me in to take this land, because I am right in good.’” That, beloved, is the sin of pride which gets us into all kinds of trouble.

We aren’t saved because of anything we did or because we deserved it. We are the recipients of God’s grace only because of His goodness and His love. He didn’t call us because he needs us. He calls us because we need him.

Which is why we have to stay close to Him. We are like the children of Israel in that we have to be reminded over and over and over and over and over again who God is, what he said, what he did and what he’ll do. He is the same yesterday, today and forever, and he gave his son that we might live. He gave us his word that we might know him. He’s made it possible to live lives that are pleasing to Him, that he might bless us if we follow Him and determine in our hearts, that we will follow him. Not that we’ll never stumble, because we will, but we must quickly seek forgiveness. And then we know from 1 John 1:9 that “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Not because we deserve it, but because of his grace.

Let me know what you think. Go to lifespringmedia.com/s12e306. Scroll to the bottom of the page, and tell me your thoughts. Tomorrow’s History Tuesday, and we’ll read 2 Chronicles 29 through 32.

Boost!

VALUE-FOR-VALUE – 15:58
Beloved, the Lifespring Family Audio Bible is here for you every day to help keep you on track to read through the entire Bible. If you appreciate that, if you’re glad the Lifespring Family Audio Bible is here for you, then please support the show. Go to lifespringmedia.com/support, and donate what you feel is equal to the value you receive from the show. Maybe it’s $5. Maybe it’s $50. Maybe it’s something else. Pray about what you think God would have you do and then do it, lifespringmedia.com/support.

CLOSING PRAYER – 16:36
Let’s pray. Our Heavenly Father, we thank you for the fact that you are the same yesterday, today and forever. Thank you that you’re never-changing. You’ve told us who you are and what is necessary to have a relationship with you. And since you created us, you know our frailties. You know that we need to be reminded of even the most important things, but even then we fall short. So we thank you for giving us your son, so that when we put our faith and trust in Him, you see us as righteous, without sin. Hallelujah, Lord. We praise You. Lord, I ask that you’d bless us today. May we rejoice in you and know that you’re with us. I pray this in Jesus name, amen.

If you’ve got a praise or a prayer request that you’d like to share with the family, please go to prayer.lifespringmedia.com.

OUTRO S12E306 – 17:32
Comment on the show at lifespringmedia.com/s12e306. Email me at st***@*************ia.com. Thank you to Kirsty, thank you to Sean of San Pedro and thank you to Denise.

And last but certainly not least, thank you for inviting me into your life today. Support the show at lifespringmedia.com/support.

And until tomorrow, may God bless you richly. My name is Steve Webb.

Bye.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai
Corrected by Denise

Transcript

Lifespring Family Berean, Brother Paul of Seattle.

Today is  Epistles Sunday James 4-5. I’m calling today’s episode “Golden Nuggets.” 

Some have said that James is a bit like the book of Proverbs because of the way nuggets of truth are presented. Let’s look at a few of them.

James 4:2b – You do not have, because you do not ask.

Prayer is a necessary part of the Christian’s life. If we want God to bless us, we must ask. Listen to Charles Spurgeon: “Remember this text: Jehovah says to his own Son, ‘Ask of me and I will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.’ If the royal and divine Son of God cannot be exempted from the rule of asking that he may have, you and I cannot expect the rule to be relaxed in our favor. Why should it be?” Also from Spurgeon: “If you may have everything by asking, and nothing without asking, I beg you to see how absolutely vital prayer is, and I beseech you to abound in it… Do you know, brothers, what great things are to be had for the asking? Have you ever thought of it? Does it not stimulate you to pray fervently? All heaven lies before the grasp of the asking man; all the promises of God are rich and inexhaustible, and their fulfillment is to be had by prayer.”

James 4:3 – You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. 

Contrast this with 1 John 5:14 – And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.

James 4:4b – Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 

Beloved, we cannot have one foot in the world and one foot in God’s kingdom. Jesus said in Matthew 6:24, ““No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.”

James 4:6b-7a – “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God.”

Pride is at the center of sin. Pride caused the fall of Lucifer. Pride caused the fall of Adam and Eve, and thus our sinful nature. Is it any wonder that God opposes the proud? But when we humble ourselves before God, when we confess our sin, God pours out His grace. It isn’t as though our humility *earns* God’s grace, but when we are humble, we are acknowledging that we are in need of the grace that He so freely gives. Spurgeon: “Do you suffer from spiritual poverty? It is your own fault, for he giveth more grace. If you have not got it, it is not because it is not to be had, but because you have not gone for it.” 

James 4:7b – Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Notice the text does not say, “…and he may flee from you.” or “…sometimes he will flee from you.” When we actively resist the enemy’s lies and temptations, we are *promised* that he will flee, though he will return to test our resolve. We can and we must resist him, in the name of Jesus,  as the already defeated foe he is. The Greek word translated as “resist” is a combination of two words: stand against. We are never conquered as long as we do not consent. 

James 4:8 – Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.

This is both an invitation and a promise. And it comes directly after the “resist and he will flee” promise. When we resist the devil, we can and we *should* draw near to God. It is not a sin to be tempted. Jesus was tempted in the desert, but He did not sin. When we have had an encounter with temptation, the best thing we can do is draw near to God for shelter and for strength. How do we draw near to God? In prayer, in worship and in praise. We learn to walk with God in our daily lives. We respond to His invitation to have an ongoing, daily, hour by our and minute by minute relationship with Him. We ask Him to guide our decisions and help us with our struggles. We thank Him for His blessings. In short, we live our lives with the awareness that He is always with us, and He delights in us. And we delight in Him.

Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 4-5 ESV

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STEVE WEBB – 0:00
We can’t have one foot in the world and one foot in God’s kingdom.

INTRO S12E305 – 0:11
Coming to you from Riverside, California, this is the Lifespring Family Audio Bible. Podcasting since 2004, I’m your OG Godcaster, Steve Webb. This is the daily show where we’re reading through the entire Bible in a year. I’m so glad you’re here today. Thanks for joining me. Today is Epistle Sunday. We’re going to read James 4 and 5. I’m calling today’s episode, “Golden Nuggets”. The show notes page for today’s episode is at lifespringmedia.com/s12e305. I’d love it if you go by and leave a comment. My email address is st***@*************ia.com. Let’s begin.

JAMES 4 (ESV) – 0:45
James, chapter 4. (1) What causes quarrels and fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? (2) You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. (3) You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. (4) You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. (5) Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? (6) But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (7) Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (8) Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. (9) Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. (10) Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

(11) Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. (12) There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?

(13) Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— (14) yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. (15) Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” (16) As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. (17) So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

JAMES 5 (ESV) – 2:52
James, chapter 5. (1) Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. (2) Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. (3) Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. (4) Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. (5) You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. (6) You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.

(7) Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. (8) You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. (9) Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. (10) As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. (11) Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

(12) But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.

(13) Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. (14) Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. (15) And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. (16) Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. (17) Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. (18) Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.

(19) My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, (20) let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

COMMENTS – 5:31
Let’s talk a bit about James 4. Some have said that James is a bit like the book of Proverbs because of the way nuggets of truth are presented. Let’s take a look at just a few of them.

In verse 2b it says, “You do not have because you do not ask.”

Beloved, prayer is a necessary part of the Christian life. If we want God to bless us, we have to ask. Listen to what Charles Spurgeon said, “Remember this text: Jehovah says to his own Son, ‘Ask of me and I will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.’” Spurgeon continues, “If the royal and divine Son of God cannot be exempted from the rule of asking that he may have, you and I cannot expect the rule to be relaxed in our favor. Why should it be?” Good question. He also said, “If you may have everything by asking, and nothing without asking, I beg you to see how absolutely vital prayer is, and I beseech you to abound in it… Do you know, brothers, what great things are to be had for the asking? Have you ever thought of it? Does it not stimulate you to pray fervently? All heaven lies before the grasp of the asking man; all the promises of God are rich and inexhaustible, and their fulfillment is to be had by prayer.”

Is prayer important? I’d say it is. And then in verse 3, we read, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly.” To spend it on your passions.

Well, let’s contrast this with 1 John 5:14, which says, “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.” So if we ask for the wrong motivation, our prayers are not answered. But if we ask according to his will, he does hear us.

And verse 4b, “Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

Beloved, we can’t have one foot in the world and one foot in God’s kingdom. Jesus said in Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters for either he will hate the one and love the other or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.”

Beloved, we have to ask ourselves, Where is my focus? Is my focus on the things of God or on the things of the world? And verses 6b and 7a, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God.” God opposes the proud.

Pride is the center of sin. Pride caused the fall of Lucifer. Pride caused the fall of Adam and Eve, and thus our sinful nature. Is it any wonder that God opposes the proud? But when we humble ourselves before God, when we confess our sin, God pours out His grace. It isn’t as though our humility earns God’s grace. But when we are humble, we’re acknowledging that we’re in need of the grace that he so freely gives. Charles Spurgeon said this, “Do you suffer from spiritual poverty? It is your own fault, for he giveth more grace, if you have not got it, it is not because it is not to be had but because you have not gone for it.”

Verse 7b, “Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

Beloved, notice that the text does not say “and he may flee from you” or “sometimes he will flee from you.” When we actively resist the enemy’s lies and temptations we are promised that he will flee, though he will return to test our resolve. We can and we must resist him in the name of Jesus as the already defeated foe that he is. The Greek word translated as “resist” is a combination of two words, “stand against”. Beloved, we are never conquered, as long as we do not consent.

Then verse 8 says, “Draw nearer to God and he will draw near to you.”

This is both an invitation and a promise, “Draw near to God” is the invitation and “He will draw near to you” is the promise. And this promise comes directly after the “resist and he will flee” promise. When we resist the devil we can and we should draw near to God. We have to understand it is not a sin to be tempted. Jesus was tempted after all in the desert, but he did not sin. When we have had an encounter with temptation, the best thing that we can do is draw near to God for shelter and for strength. Well, how do we draw near to God? We do it in prayer, in worship, and in praise. We learn to walk with God in our daily lives, we respond to His invitation to have an ongoing daily, hour-by-hour and minute-by-minute relationship with him. We ask him to guide our decisions and help us with our struggles. We thank him for his blessings. In short, we live our lives with the awareness that he is always with us, and he delights in us, and we should delight in him.

What do you think? Let me know. Go to lifespringmedia.com/s12e305 and let me know. Tomorrow’s Monday, so we’ll read from the Law. We’ll read Deuteronomy 7 through 9.

Boost.

DISTINGUISHED PRODUCER SHOUT-OUT – 11:05
I want to thank Lifespring Family Berean Brother Paul of Seattle who came in with his weekly $22.22 donation. He’s our Distinguished Producer today. And thank you, Brother Paul of Seattle for helping to produce episode s12e305.

Beloved, if you believe in what the Lifespring Family Audio Bible is all about, if the show has helped you in any way, whether in helping you to read the Bible on a more consistent basis, or helping you to understand Scripture a little better or in challenging you to walk closer to God, then please consider supporting the show with your time, talent or treasure. Go to lifespringmedia.com/support and see if what you find there makes sense to you, lifespringmedia.com/support. And whether you support the show with time, talent or treasure, I thank you and I think God will bless you.

ON THIS DATE IN CHURCH HISTORY – 12:01
On this date in church history, July 3, 1756, John Wesley, the founder of English Methodism, wrote in a letter, “One who lives and dies in error or is in dissent from our church may yet be saved, but one who lives and dies in their sin must perish.”

And on this date in church history, July 3, 1878, Lutheran Church Missouri Synod missionaries J. Friedrich Doescher and Frederick Berg established the Negro Lutheran Church in Little Rock, Arkansas, the first formal outreach to African-Americans made by Lutherans in the United States.

CLOSING PRAYER – 12:44
Let’s pray. Our heavenly Father, you have given us everything we need. You have given us our life, you have given us your word, and you have given us the way to spend eternity with you. Thank you for those and countless other blessings. Your love for us is just immeasurable, and we praise you. We ask the Lord that you work closely with us today and we ask for your blessing. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.

Do you have a prayer request? Do you have a praise? Would you like to share it with the Lifespring family? Go to prayer.lifespringmedia.com?

OUTRO S12E305 – 13:27
Comment on the show at lifespringmedia.com/s12e305. Email me at st***@*************ia.com. Thanks to Kirsty, Sean of San Pedro and Denise for everything you guys do for us. Thanks to Lifespring Family Berean Brother Paul of Seattle for his support of this show today. Thanks to those of you who faithfully stream sats and send boosts every single day. And thank you, Beloved, for inviting me into your day today support the show at lifespringmedia.com/support.

And until tomorrow, may God bless you richly. My name is Steve Webb.

Bye.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai
Corrected by Denise

Transcript

Today is Gospel Saturday and we’ll read Acts 9-10. I’ll have some comments after we’ve read. Then there’s an on this date in church history. Also I have a giant praise for our prayer time today. I’m calling today’s episode “The Righteous Roman.“ 

In Acts 10, we are introduced to Cornelius, a Roman centurion, an officer in the Roman army. This was not a typical Roman, though. He was a devout believer in the God of the Jews, even though, being a Gentile, the average Jew would have very little to do with him. As a matter of fact, most Jews would have a strong dislike for, or even hate him. After all, Rome was an occupying force in Israel, and most of them treated the Jews with disdain.

But Cornelius was what the Jews of the time called a God-fearer, a Gentile who loved the God of Israel, but who did not become Jewish in how they lived their lives, or in circumcision. Jews came to respect them, but they could not fully embrace them because they were Gentiles, and had not become Jewish converts.

We know that God loved and heard Cornelius’ prayers, because God gave him a vision of an angel while he was in prayer, with a message telling him to send some men to Joppa to bring Peter to speak to him.

And the next day, while Peter was praying God spoke to him in a vision. Peter was shown a large sheet filled with all kinds of animals, some which Peter would consider kosher and some that were not. God told Peter to kill and eat some of them. And then, in typical Peter fashion, he said, “No, Lord! I have never eaten anything that wasn’t kosher!” God told him, “What I have made clean you must not call unclean.” This happened three times, and then the sheet with the animals was taken back up to heaven.

Peter had a limited view of God, and what it was to be godly. And now God was going to shake Peter up to change his thinking. He can do the same for us. Listen to what Charles Spurgeon said about this: “Shake yourself up a little, my brother. If you are too precise may the Lord set you on fire, and consume your bonds of red tape! If you have become so improperly proper that you cannot commit a proper impropriety, then pray God to help you be less proper, for there are many who will never be saved by your instrumentality while you study propriety.”

Isn’t it interesting that at this point in Peter’s life, God had used him mightily for His (God’s) kingdom. Remember Peter’s first sermon? About three thousand souls believed and were saved. And every day, souls were added to the church because of how God was using him. But Peter was still Peter. God uses us despite our own personalities, idiosyncrasies and imperfections. If we are willing to follow, He is willing to use us.

So this vision was shown to Peter three times. Reminds me of the three times Peter denied Jesus on the night He was betrayed. I believe God repeated this three times so that Peter would get the idea that God was serious, and to make him see that God was not just talking about food. 

And while Peter was thinking about this, the men sent by Cornelius showed up looking for him. And the Holy Spirit told him to go to them, doubting nothing, because they were sent by Him.

By then, Peter seems to have gotten the larger message that what God declares clean, Peter should not call unclean. He invited these Gentiles into his home, which is something no Jew would have done. Remember, Peter is now a Christian, but he is also a Jew. And God, on this day, had enlarged Peter’s heart to embrace the Gentiles.

The next day, Peter went with these men to the home of Cornelius, who was waiting and prepared to meet him. He had even invited guests to hear what Peter had to say. When Peter arrived, Cornelius fell at his feet and begins to worship him, but Peter stopped him and lifted him up, saying, “Stand up. I’m a man just like you.”

You see. Peter gets it. We are all the same in the eyes of God.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

And what did Peter do? Her preached a salvation message to Cornelius and his household, and while he was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell on them, and they were saved. And Peter said, “Let’s have a baptism!”

I accepted the Lord in a relatively small Southern Baptist church on a Sunday morning, and I was baptized that same night. I like that. Many churches today don’t do that. They wait until they have a group of people before having a baptismal service, but I think there’s something to be said for baptizing sooner rather than later. I don’t see it as being crucial to salvation, but baptism is something that we are told to do. It’s a sign of the decision that a person has made that they now belong to the Lord. In my opinion, following the command quickly is a good way for the new believer to understand that it is important to obey God right away, not when it’s convenient. It sets a precedent for them. But maybe that’s just me.

What a powerful message this chapter has for us today, beloved. We as a culture are more divided than I have ever experienced in my nearly 68 years of life. We are politically divided, racially divided, economically divided. It doesn’t have to be this way. This is not of God. This is of the enemy. People need the Lord today as much as they ever have. We need to do what Peter did. We need to tell how Jesus came to seek and save the lost. 

Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 9 CEB; Ch. 10 NKJV

This a value for value podcast. There are no advertisers because advertising=censorship. If you enjoy the Lifespring Family Audio Bible, decide how much value it brings to you. Only you can make that determination. Then put a number on the value and send it to me here: SUPPORT.

Download .txt file.

STEVE WEBB – 0:00
God uses us despite our own personalities, idiosyncrasies and imperfections.

INTRO S12E297 – 0:13
3-2-1. Hey there, how are you? Coming to you from Riverside, California, this is the Lifespring Family Audio Bible. Podcasting since 2004, I’m your OG Godcaster, Steve Webb. This is the daily show where we’re reading through the entire Bible in a year. Today is Gospel Saturday and we’ll read Acts nine and ten. I’ll have some comments for you, and On This Date in Church History. Then we’ve got a giant praise for our prayer time, today. I’m calling today’s episode, “The Righteous Roman”. Today’s show notes page is at lifespringmedia.com/s12e297, if you’d like to make a comment. And my email address is st***@*************ia.com. Let’s get started.

ACTS 9 (CEB) – 0:55
Acts, chapter nine. (1) Meanwhile, Saul was still spewing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest, (2) seeking letters to the synagogues in Damascus. If he found persons who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, these letters would authorize him to take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. (3) During the journey, as he approached Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven encircled him. (4) He fell to the ground and heard a voice asking him, “Saul, Saul, why are you harassing me?”

(5) Saul asked, “Who are you, Lord?”

“I am Jesus, whom you are harassing,” came the reply. (6) “Now get up and enter the city. You will be told what you must do.”

(7) Those traveling with him stood there speechless; they heard the voice but saw no one. (8) After they picked Saul up from the ground, he opened his eyes but he couldn’t see. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. (9) For three days he was blind and neither ate nor drank anything.

(10) In Damascus there was a certain disciple named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in a vision, “Ananias!”

He answered, “Yes, Lord.”

(11) The Lord instructed him, “Go to Judas’ house on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is praying. (12) In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias enter and put his hands on him to restore his sight.”

(13) Ananias countered, “Lord, I have heard many reports about this man. People say he has done horrible things to your holy people in Jerusalem. (14) He’s here with authority from the chief priests to arrest everyone who calls on your name.”

(15) The Lord replied, “Go! This man is the agent I have chosen to carry my name before Gentiles, kings, and Israelites. (16) I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.”

(17) Ananias went to the house. He placed his hands on Saul and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord sent me—Jesus, who appeared to you on the way as you were coming here. He sent me so that you could see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” (18) Instantly, flakes fell from Saul’s eyes and he could see again. He got up and was baptized. (19) After eating, he regained his strength.

He stayed with the disciples in Damascus for several days. (20) Right away, he began to preach about Jesus in the synagogues. “He is God’s Son,” he declared.

(21) Everyone who heard him was baffled. They questioned each other, “Isn’t he the one who was wreaking havoc among those in Jerusalem who called on this name? Hadn’t he come here to take those same people as prisoners to the chief priests?”

(22) But Saul grew stronger and stronger. He confused the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ.

(23) After this had gone on for some time, the Jews hatched a plot to kill Saul. (24) However, he found out about their scheme. They were keeping watch at the city gates around the clock so they could assassinate him. (25) But his disciples took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the city wall.

(26) When Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him. They didn’t believe he was really a disciple. (27) Then Barnabas brought Saul to the apostles and told them the story about how Saul saw the Lord on the way and that the Lord had spoken to Saul. He also told them about the confidence with which Saul had preached in the name of Jesus in Damascus. (28) After this, Saul moved freely among the disciples in Jerusalem and was speaking with confidence in the name of the Lord. (29) He got into debates with the Greek-speaking Jews as well, but they tried to kill him. (30) When the family of believers learned about this, they escorted him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.

(31) Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. God strengthened the church, and its life was marked by reverence for the Lord. Encouraged by the Holy Spirit, the church continued to grow in numbers.

(32) As Peter toured the whole region, he went to visit God’s holy people in Lydda. (33) There he found a man named Aeneas who was paralyzed and had been confined to his bed for eight years. (34) Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you! Get up and make your bed.” At once he got up. (35) Everyone who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.

(36) In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (in Greek her name is Dorcas). Her life overflowed with good works and compassionate acts on behalf of those in need. (37) About that time, though, she became so ill that she died. After they washed her body, they laid her in an upstairs room. (38) Since Lydda was near Joppa, when the disciples heard that Peter was there, they sent two people to Peter. They urged, “Please come right away!” (39) Peter went with them. Upon his arrival, he was taken to the upstairs room. All the widows stood beside him, crying as they showed the tunics and other clothing Dorcas made when she was alive.

(40) Peter sent everyone out of the room, then knelt and prayed. He turned to the body and said, “Tabitha, get up!” She opened her eyes, saw Peter, and sat up. (41) He gave her his hand and raised her up. Then he called God’s holy people, including the widows, and presented her alive to them. (42) The news spread throughout Joppa, and many put their faith in the Lord. (43) Peter stayed for some time in Joppa with a certain tanner named Simon.

ACTS 10 (NKJV) – 6:34
Acts, chapter 10. (1) There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, (2) a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always. (3) About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, “Cornelius!”

(4) And when he observed him, he was afraid, and said, “What is it, lord?”

So he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God. (5) Now send men to Joppa, and send for Simon whose surname is Peter. (6) He is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea. He will tell you what you must do.” (7) And when the angel who spoke to him had departed, Cornelius called two of his household servants and a devout soldier from among those who waited on him continually. (8) So when he had explained all these things to them, he sent them to Joppa.

(9) The next day, as they went on their journey and drew near the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour. (10) Then he became very hungry and wanted to eat; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance (11) and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth. (12) In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. (13) And a voice came to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.”

(14) But Peter said, “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.”

(15) And a voice spoke to him again the second time, “What God has cleansed you must not call common.” (16) This was done three times. And the object was taken up into heaven again.

(17) Now while Peter wondered within himself what this vision which he had seen meant, behold, the men who had been sent from Cornelius had made inquiry for Simon’s house, and stood before the gate. (18) And they called and asked whether Simon, whose surname was Peter, was lodging there.

(19) While Peter thought about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are seeking you. (20) Arise therefore, go down and go with them, doubting nothing; for I have sent them.”

(21) Then Peter went down to the men who had been sent to him from Cornelius, and said, “Yes, I am he whom you seek. For what reason have you come?”

(22) And they said, “Cornelius the centurion, a just man, one who fears God and has a good reputation among all the nation of the Jews, was divinely instructed by a holy angel to summon you to his house, and to hear words from you.” (23) Then he invited them in and lodged them.

On the next day Peter went away with them, and some brethren from Joppa accompanied him.

(24) And the following day they entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was waiting for them, and had called together his relatives and close friends. (25) As Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. (26) But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I myself am also a man.” (27) And as he talked with him, he went in and found many who had come together. (28) Then he said to them, “You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean. (29) Therefore I came without objection as soon as I was sent for. I ask, then, for what reason have you sent for me?”

(30) So Cornelius said, “Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing, (31) and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your alms are remembered in the sight of God. (32) Send therefore to Joppa and call Simon here, whose surname is Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea. When he comes, he will speak to you.’ (33) So I sent to you immediately, and you have done well to come. Now therefore, we are all present before God, to hear all the things commanded you by God.”

(34) Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. (35) But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him. (36) The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ—He is Lord of all— (37) that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached: (38) how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. (39) And we are witnesses of all things which He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they killed by hanging on a tree. (40) Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly, (41) not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before by God, even to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. (42) And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead. (43) To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins.”

(44) While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. (45) And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. (46) For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God.

Then Peter answered, (47) “Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” (48) And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay a few days.

COMMENTS – 12:09
Let’s talk a little bit about Acts 10. In this chapter, we were introduced to Cornelius, a Roman centurion, an officer in the Roman army, but he was not a typical Roman. He was a devout believer in the God of the Jews, even though being a Gentile, the average Jew would have very little if anything to do with him. As a matter of fact, most Jews would have a strong dislike for or even hate him. I mean, after all, Rome was an occupying force in Israel, and most Romans treated the Jews with disdain.

But Cornelius was what the Jews of the time called a God-fearer, a Gentile who loved the God of Israel, but who did not become Jewish in how they live their lives or in circumcision. Jews came to respect them, but they couldn’t fully embrace them because they were Gentiles and had not become Jewish converts.

Well, we know that God loved and heard Cornelius’s prayers, because God gave him a vision of an angel while he was in prayer, with a message telling him to send some men to Joppa to bring Peter to speak to him.

And then the next day, while Peter was praying, God spoke to him in a vision. Peter was shown a large sheet filled with all kinds of animals, some of which Peter would consider kosher or clean, and some that were not. Well, God told Peter to kill and eat some of them. And then in typical Peter fashion, he said, “No, no, Lord, I’ve never eaten anything that wasn’t kosher or clean.” Then God told him, “What I have made clean, you must not call unclean.” Well, this happened three times, and then the sheet with the animals was taken back up to heaven.

Peter’s problem was he had a very limited view of God and what it was to be godly. And now God was going to shake Peter up to change his thinking. Sometimes we have a limited view of God and what it is to be godly. So God can shake us up, too. Listen to what Charles Spurgeon said about this. He said:

“Shake yourself up a little, my brother. If you are too precise may the Lord set you on fire, and consume your bonds of red tape! If you have become so improperly proper that you cannot commit a proper impropriety, then pray God to help you be less proper, for there are many who will never be saved by your instrumentality while you study propriety.”

Good stuff. Isn’t it interesting that at this point in Peter’s life, God had used him mightily for His Kingdom. Remember, Peter’s first sermon? About 3000 souls believed and were saved. And every day souls were being added to the church because of how God was using him. But Peter was still Peter. God uses us despite our own personalities, idiosyncrasies and imperfections. And if we’re willing to follow, he is willing to use us.

So this vision was shown to Peter three times. Kind of reminds me of the three times Peter denied Jesus on the night he was betrayed. How about you? I believe God repeated this three times, so that Peter would get the idea that God was serious and to make him see that God was not just talking about food.

And while Peter was still thinking about this, the men sent by Cornelius showed up looking for him. And the Holy Spirit told Peter to go with them doubting nothing, because they were sent by him.

Now, by then, Peter seems to have gotten the larger message that what God declares clean, Peter should not call unclean. He invited these Gentiles into his home, which is something no Jew would have done. Remember, Peter is now a Christian, but he’s also a Jew. And God on this day had enlarged Peter’s heart to embrace the Gentiles.

The next day, Peter went with these men to the home of Cornelius, who was waiting and prepared to meet him. He had even invited guests to hear what Peter had to say. And when Peter arrived, Cornelius fell at his feet, and he began to worship him. But Peter stopped him and lifted him up saying, “Stand up. I’m a man just like you.”

So here we see, Peter finally gets it. We are all the same in the eyes of God.

What is John 3:16-17 say? “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”

So what did Peter do in the home of Cornelius? He preached a salvation message to Cornelius and his household. And while he was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell on them and they were saved. And Peter said, “Let’s have a baptism!”

I accepted the Lord in a relatively small Southern Baptist church on a Sunday morning when I was a teenager, and I was baptized that same night. I like that. Many churches today don’t do that. They wait until they have a group of people before having a baptismal service. But I think there’s something to be said for baptizing sooner rather than later. I don’t see it as being crucial to salvation. But baptism is something that we’re told to do. It’s a sign of the decision that a person has made, that they now belong to the Lord. And in my opinion, following the command quickly is a good way for the new believer to understand that it is important to obey God right away, not when it’s convenient. It sets a precedent for them. But maybe that’s just me. But I liked that Peter said, “Let’s have a baptism!”

What a powerful message this chapter has for us today, beloved. We as a culture are more divided than I’ve ever experienced in my nearly 68 years of life. We’re politically divided. We’re racially divided. We’re economically divided. And it doesn’t have to be this way. This is not of God. This is of the enemy. People need the Lord today as much as they ever have and we need to do what Peter did. We need to tell people how Jesus came to seek and save the lost.

What are your thoughts? You have a comment? Let me know go to lifespringmedia.com/s12e297. Tomorrow is Epistle Sunday. We’ll read James 1 through 3. And James was someone who knew Jesus better than almost anyone else because he grew up with Jesus. He was one of Jesus’ brothers.

Boost!

NEW PRODUCER SHOUT-OUTS – 18:35
We have a Distinguished Producer today, Brother Paul of Seattle came in with his weekly $22.22 row-o’-ducks donation. Brother Paul, thank you. God bless you, And we have an Associate Producer today. If you’ve been listening for several months, at least, you’ll probably remember that we prayed for some time for Sean of San Pedro’s father-in-law, Howie. Well Howie sent in a $100 donation today, making him an Associate Producer. Howie, thank you so much. God bless you, brother. We prayed for a long time for you. And it is so good to know that you’re on the mend and doing well. Thank you so much for this donation.

300TH EPISODE MILESTONE PROMOTION – 19:29
Well, beloved, this coming Tuesday, June 28, we’ll mark show number 300 which means there will only be 64 episodes remaining. The clock is ticking down. So to mark the 300 episode milestone, we’re having a special promotion. Now normally a one-time donation of $300 would earn an Executive Producer credit but for this episode, you’ll receive a Distinguished Producer credit with your $300 donation, and a $130 donation will earn an Executive Producer credit and just a $30 donation will earn an Associate Producer credit. And in addition to these credits, I will send you a softcover copy of my book “Webb’s Easy Bible Names Pronunciation Guide” as my thank you to every person who donates at the Associate Producer, Executive Producer or Distinguished Producer level.

Now so that I know where to send the book, when you make your donation, be sure to give me your mailing address, and then I’ll send your copy right out to you. The cut off time for this is Monday, June 27, 2022 at 4pm Pacific. Episode 300 will be on the 28th, like I said, Tuesday, so I have to start production of the show no later than 4pm on the 27th. Of course, the equivalent value in satoshi will also apply for these credits. With the volatility of Bitcoin these days, I’ll use the value as of the cutoff time plus or minus 5%. Of course, you can boost the sats using a Podcasting 2.0 app. Or you can use the widget that is on the support page, where at lifespringmedia.com/support. That’s where you can always go to find out how to donate to the show.

Why do I ask for donations? Well, this is a value-for-value podcast, which means if you find value in what I’m doing here, if you find value in the show, if you think that the Lifespring Family Audio Bible is filling an important need in the world, then you place a number on that value and send it to me. I don’t have advertisers here to help pay the bills. It’s only me and you. And believe me there are very real expenses. There’s software subscriptions, there’s hardware updates that need to be done. There’s hosting fees and the list goes on. So if you’re glad this podcast is here for you, please help to support it, lifespringmedia.com/support.

ON THIS DATE IN CHURCH HISTORY – 21:57
On this date in church history, June 25, 1530, the principal creed of Lutheranism, The Augsburg Confession, was first presented to Emperor Charles V at the Diet of Augsburg (I think I’m pronouncing that right) prepared chiefly by Philip Melanchthon. It’s 21 Articles later influenced the Anglicans’ 39 Articles and John Wesley’s 23 Methodist Articles.

And on this date in church history, June 25, 1842, Daniel S. Warner was born. He was an American churchmen and founder of The Church of God in Anderson, Indiana.

PRAISE REPORT – 22:40
All right, I have got a praise that I didn’t think I would ever be able to bring to you in my lifetime. The Supreme Court of the United States today as I record this on June 24, 2022–today the Supreme Court of the United States overturned Roe v. Wade, returning abortion law to the States. It seemed as if Roe vs. Wade would always be the law of the land but here we are. Praise the Lord! In some states, the unborn will have new protections and in others, like this state where I live, California, abortions will continue unabated. Perhaps they’ll even accelerate. The fight isn’t over. And we have to continue to pray. But this is a giant step, beloved. Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!

CLOSING PRAYER – 23:29
Let’s pray. Our heavenly Father, we thank you for moving on the hearts of the Supreme Court justices and for giving them the courage to repeal Roe vs. Wade. We pray now that you would protect these justices from harm, and that you would bless them for ruling as they have.

And now we pray that you would also give courage and resolve and wisdom to those at the state level, who are going to be making decisions about the murder of innocent unborn children. May this ruling be only the first step in what will become a new direction for the United States a turn toward righteousness, Lord, even a revival that we’ve been praying for.

Lord God, we pray that you would continue to move in a mighty, mighty way. I pray, Lord, that you will be with a Lifespring family I thank you for each one and I pray God that they would feel you near to them today in a fresh and vibrant way. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.

Well, I got a little emotional there. Sorry about that. I didn’t see that coming, but this is just such an exciting day. If you have a prayer request or a praise, go to prayer.lifespringmedia.com.

OUTRO S12E297 – 24:41
Comment on the show at lifespringmedia.com/s12e297. Share the show, please. Send me an email at st***@*************ia.com. Thank you to the team: Kirsty, Sean of San Pedro and Denise. I thank God for you every day.

And, beloved, I thank you for inviting me into your life, into your ears, into your heart, today. It’s a privilege and I’m honored that you give me your time. Support the show at lifespringmedia.com/support. And until tomorrow, may God bless you richly. My name is Steve Webb. Praise the Lord! Hallelujah!

Bye.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai
Corrected by Denise

Transcript

Today is Prophecy Friday and we’ll read the book of Habakkuk. I’m calling today’s episode “The Conversation.”

There is a lot of conjecture on just who this prophet Habakkuk was. The fact is, we don’t have much information about him. The Jewish Rabbis have their ideas. Roman Catholicism has theirs, based on one of the books of the Apocrypha. 

What we do know is that this is a book of Habakkuk’s statements to God in the name of the people, and God’s statements to the people through Habakkuk. That is the textbook definition of what a prophet is. 

One sentence in the book should have certainly stood out to you if you have studied Martin Luther and the Reformation at all. Did you hear it? It was chapter two, verse four. Here it is again: “But the one who is right with God will live by faith.” Or it might be more familiar to you from the King James Version: “but the just shall live by faith.”

You might not have known that this was from the book of Habakuk. You might have thought that it was from Romans 1:16-17. Here it is, again from the King James Version: “16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

There in Romans, Paul was quoting Habakkuk. And the phrase, “The just shall live by faith” is the verse that caused Martin Luther to begin questioning the Roman Catholic church’s practices. It’s an important piece of church history that I recommend you study if you’re not familiar with it.

The first two chapters were a sort of conversation between Habakkuk and God. And then in chapter three we read a prayer of the prophet. In the translation we read today, this is verse 2:

2 Lord, I know how famous you are. I have great respect for you because of your mighty acts. Do them again for us. Make them known in our time. When you are angry, please have mercy on us.

But listen to it from the NASB: 2Lord, I have heard the report about You and I fear. O Lord, revive Your work in the midst of the years, In the midst of the years make it known; In wrath remember mercy.

In this verse, Habakkuk is asking God for something that you’ve heard me ask for during our prayer times together. He is asking God for a revival. He is asking God to do what He has done in the past. To bring people to Himself. Beloved, most of the problems we see in the world around us are because people have turned their backs to Him. They have shut Him out. Imagine how things would be different if people served Him instead of shunned Him?

Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. NIRV

This a value for value podcast. There are no advertisers because advertising=censorship. If you enjoy the Lifespring Family Audio Bible, decide how much value it brings to you. Only you can make that determination. Then put a number on the value and send it to me here: SUPPORT.

Download .txt file.

STEVE WEBB – 0:00
Paul was quoting Habakkuk.

INTRO S12E269 – 0:09
It’s the Lifespring Family Audio Bible coming to you from Riverside, California. Podcasting since 2004, I’m your OG Godcaster, Steve Webb. This is the daily show where we’re reading through the entire Bible in a year. Today’s Prophecy Friday, and we’re going to read the book of Habakkuk. I’ll have some comments for you. We’ll have an On This Date in Church History segment, and we’ll have a time of prayer. The show notes page for today’s episode is at lifespringmedia.com/s12e296. My email address is st***@*************ia.com. Let’s begin.

HABAKKUK 1 (NIRV) – 0:44
Habakkuk, chapter one.

(1) This is a vision the prophet Habakkuk received from
the Lord. Here is what Habakkuk said.

(2) Lord, how long do I have to call out for help?
Why won’t you listen to me?
How long must I keep telling you
that things are terrible?
Why don’t you save us?
(3) Why do you make me watch while
people treat others so unfairly?
Why do you put up with the wrong things
they are doing?
I have to look at death.
People are harming others.
They are arguing and fighting all the time.
(4) The law can’t do what it’s supposed to do.
Fairness never comes out on top.
Sinful people surround those
who do what is right.
So people are never treated fairly.

(5) The Lord replies,
“Look at the nations. Watch them.
Be totally amazed at what you see.
I am going to do something in your days
that you would never believe.
You would not believe it
even if someone told you about it.
(6) I am going to send the armies of Babylonia to attack you.
They are very mean. They move quickly.
They sweep across the whole earth.
They take over places
that do not belong to them.
(7) They terrify others.
They do not recognize any laws but their own.
That is how proud they are.
(8) Their horses are faster than leopards.
They are meaner than wolves in the dark.
Their horsemen charge straight into battle.
They ride in from far away.
They come down like an eagle
diving for its food.
(9) All of them are ready to destroy others.
Their huge armies advance like a wind out of the desert.
They gather prisoners like sand.
(10) They laugh at kings
and make fun of rulers.
They laugh at all of the cities
that have high walls around them.
They build dirt ramps against the walls
and capture the cities.
(11) They sweep past like the wind.
Then they go on their way.
They are guilty.
They worship their own strength.”

(12) Lord, haven’t you existed forever?
You are my holy God.
So we won’t die, will we?
Lord, you have appointed the Babylonians
to punish your people.
My Rock, you have chosen them to judge us.
(13) Your eyes are too pure to look at what is evil.
You can’t put up with the wrong things people do.
So why do you put up
with those who can’t be trusted?
The evil Babylonians swallow up
those who are more godly than themselves.
So why are you silent?
(14) You have made men as if they were the only fish in the sea.
They are like sea creatures that don’t have a ruler.
(15) The evil Babylonians pull all of them up with hooks.
They catch them in their nets.
They gather them up.
So they celebrate.
They are glad.
(16) They offer sacrifices to their nets.
They burn incense to them.
Their nets allow them to live in great comfort.
They enjoy the finest food.
(17) Are you going to let them
keep on emptying their nets?
Will they go on destroying nations
without showing them any mercy?

HABAKKUK 2 (NIRV) – 3:37
Habakkuk, chapter two.

(1) I will go up to the lookout tower.
I’ll station myself on the city wall.
I’ll wait to see how the Lord will reply to me.
Then I’ll try to figure out how to answer him.

(2) The Lord replies,
“Write down the message I’m showing you in a vision.
Write it clearly on the tablets you use.
Then a messenger can read it
and run to announce it.
(3) The message I give you
waits for the time I have appointed.
It speaks about what is going to happen.
And all of it will come true.
It might take a while.
But wait for it.
You can be sure it will come.
It will happen when I want it to.

(4) “The Babylonians are very proud.
What they want is not good.
“But the one who is right with God
will live by faith.

(5) “Wine makes the Babylonians do foolish things.
They are proud. They never rest.
Like the grave, they are always hungry for more.
Like death, they are never satisfied.
They gather all of the nations to themselves.
They take their people away as prisoners.

(6) “Won’t those people laugh at the Babylonians? Won’t they make fun of them? They will say to them,

“‘How terrible it will be for you
who pile up stolen goods!
You get rich by cheating others.
How long will that go on?’
(7) Those you owe money to will suddenly rise up.
You charge them too much interest.
So they will wake up
and make you tremble with fear.
Then they will take away
everything you have.
(8) You have robbed many nations.
So the nations that are left will rob you.
You have spilled man’s blood.
You have destroyed lands and cities
and everyone in them.

(9) “How terrible it will be for the Babylonians!
They build up their kingdom with money
they gained by cheating others.
They have tried to make the kingdom
as secure as possible.
After all, they did not want to be destroyed.
(10) They have planned to wipe out many nations.
But they have brought shame on their own kingdom.
So they must pay with their own lives.
(11) The stones in the walls of their homes will cry out.
And the wooden beams will echo that cry.

(12) “How terrible it will be for the Babylonians!
They build cities by spilling the blood of others.
They establish towns by committing crimes.
(13) I am the Lord who rules over all.
Human effort is no better than wood that feeds a fire.
So the nations wear themselves out for nothing.
(14) The oceans are full of water.
In the same way, the earth will be filled
with the knowledge of my glory.

(15) “How terrible it will be for the Babylonians!
They give drinks to their neighbors.
They pour the drinks from wineskins
until their neighbors are drunk.
They want to look at their naked bodies.
(16) But the Babylonians will be filled
with shame instead of glory.
So now it is their turn to drink
and be stripped of their clothes.
The cup of anger in my powerful right hand
is going to punish them.
They will be covered with shame instead of glory.
(17) The harm they have done to Lebanon
will bring them down.
Because they have killed so many animals,
animals will terrify them.
They have spilled man’s blood.
They have destroyed lands and cities
and everyone in them.

(18) “If someone carves a statue of a god, what is it worth?
What value is there in a god
that teaches lies?
The one who trusts in another god
worships his own creation.
He makes statues of gods that can’t speak.
(19) How terrible it will be for the Babylonians!
They say to a wooden god, ‘Come to life!’
They say to a stone god, ‘Wake up!’
Can those gods give advice?
They are covered with gold and silver.
They can’t even breathe.

(20) But I am in my holy temple.
Let the whole earth be silent in front of me.”

HABAKKUK 3 (NIRV) – 7:11
Habakkuk, chapter three.

(1) This is a prayer of the prophet Habakkuk. It is on shigionoth. Here is what he said.

(2) Lord, I know how famous you are.
I have great respect for you
because of your mighty acts.
Do them again for us.
Make them known in our time.
When you are angry,
please show us your tender love.

(3) God, you came from Teman.
You, the Holy One, came from Mount Paran. Selah.
Your glory covered the heavens.
Your praise filled the earth.
(4) Your glory was like the sunrise.
Rays of light flashed from your mighty hand.
Your power was hidden there.
(5) You sent plagues ahead of you.
Sickness followed behind you.
(6) When you stood up, the earth shook.
When you looked at the nations,
they trembled with fear.
The age-old mountains crumbled.
The ancient hills fell down.
Your mighty acts will last forever.
(7) I saw the tents of Cushan in trouble.
The people of Midian were suffering greatly.

(8) Lord, did your anger burn against the rivers?
Were you angry with the streams?
Were you angry with the Red Sea?
You rode your horses and chariots
to overcome it.
(9) You got your bow ready to use.
You asked for many arrows. Selah.
You broke up the surface
of the earth with rivers.
(10) The mountains saw you and shook.
Floods of water swept by.
The sea roared.
It lifted its waves high.

(11) The sun and moon stood still in the sky.
They stopped because your flying arrows flashed by.
Your gleaming spear shone like lightning.
(12) When you were angry, you marched across the earth.
Because of your anger you destroyed the nations.
(13) You came out to set your people free.
You saved your chosen ones.
You crushed Pharaoh, the leader of that evil land of Egypt.
You stripped him from head to foot. Selah.
(14) His soldiers rushed out to scatter us.
They were laughing at us.
They thought they would easily destroy us.
They saw us as weak people who were trying to hide.
So you wounded Pharaoh’s head with his own spear.
(15) Your horses charged into the Red Sea.
They stirred up the great waters.

(16) I listened and my heart pounded.
My lips trembled at the sound.
My bones seemed to rot.
And my legs shook.
But I will be patient.
I’ll wait for the day of trouble to come on Babylonia.
It’s the nation that is attacking us.
(17) The fig trees might not bud.
The vines might not produce any grapes.
The olive crop might fail.
The fields might not produce any food.
There might not be any sheep in the pens.
There might not be any cattle in the barns.
(18) But I will still be glad
because of what the Lord has done.
God my Savior fills me with joy.

(19) The Lord and King gives me strength.
He makes my feet like the feet of a deer.
He helps me walk on the highest places.
This prayer is for the director of music. It should be sung while being accompanied by stringed instruments.

COMMENTS – 10:17
There’s a lot of conjecture on just who this prophet Habakkuk was. The Jewish rabbis have some ideas, and Roman Catholicism has theirs based on one of the books of the Apocrypha, but really about all we do know is that this is a book of Habakkuk’s statements to God in the name of the people and God’s statements to the people through Habakkuk. That’s kind of the textbook definition of what a prophet is, right?

One sentence in the book should have certainly stood out to you if you’ve studied Martin Luther and the Reformation at all. Did you hear it? It was in chapter two, verse four. Here it is again: “But the one who is right with God will live by faith.” Or it might be more familiar to you from the King James Version, “But the just shall live by faith.”

Does it surprise you that that was from the book of Habakkuk? You might have thought that it was from Romans 1:16 and 17. Here it is again from the King James Version, Romans [1:]16 and 17: . “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” Verse 17, “For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.”

So, as you can see, there in Romans Paul was quoting Habakkuk. In the phrase, “The just shall live by faith” is the verse that caused Martin Luther to begin questioning the Roman Catholic Church’s practices. It’s a very important piece of church history that I recommend you study if you’re not familiar with it.

So the first two chapters were sort of a conversation between Habakkuk and God. And then in chapter three was a prayer of the Prophet. In the translation we read today. This is verse two:

“Lord, I know how famous you are. I have great respect for you because of your mighty acts. Do them again for us. Make them known in our time. When you are angry, please have mercy on us.”

But listen to it from the New American Standard: “Lord, I have heard the report about You and I fear. O Lord, revive Your work in the midst of the years, In the midst of the years make it known; In wrath remember mercy.”

So in this verse Habakkuk, is asking God for something that you’ve heard me ask for during our prayer times together. He’s asking God for revival. He’s asking God to do what he’s done in the past, to bring people to Himself. Beloved, most of the problems we see in the world around us are because people have turned their backs to him. They’ve shut him out. Imagine how things would be different if people served him instead of shunning him.

What do you think? Let me know on the show notes page at lifespringmedia.com/s12e296.

Tomorrow is Gospel Saturday, and we’ll read Acts 9 and 10. And I forgot to mention it when we started reading Acts, that this is the last book in the section of the Gospels for this season of the Lifespring Family Audio Bible. And you remember that we started reading Deuteronomy this past Monday, which is the last book in the Law. So that makes two sections from the seven sections of the Bible that we are in the last books of or of which we are in the last books. The bottom line is we truly are in the last weeks of the season.

Boost!

300TH EPISODE MILESTONE PROMOTION – 13:41
And speaking of the last weeks, the end is fast approaching. Next Tuesday, June 28, will mark show number 300, which means there’s only 64 episodes left after Tuesday’s episode. Now here’s an interesting statistic for you. Each episode average is about 23 minutes long, so by episode 300, the total for the season to that point will be in the neighborhood of 6900 minutes or 115 hours. And if you’ve been listening from the beginning, thank you for putting up with me. Well, to mark the 300th episode milestone, let’s do a special promotion again. Normally, a one-time donation of $300 would earn an Executive Producer credit but for this episode, you’ll receive a Distinguished Producer credit with your $300 donation. And during this time, a $130 donation will earn you an Executive Producer credit and just a $30 donation will earn an Associate Producer credit. And as a thank you, I’ll send a softcover copy of my book “Webb’s Easy Bible Names Pronunciation Guide” to every person who donates at the Associate Producer, Executive Producer or Distinguished Producer level.

So what you’re going to need to do when you make your donation, put a note in telling me your mailing address and I’ll send your copy right out to you. Now that cut off time will be Monday, June 27, 2022 at 4pm Pacific Time. As I said, Episode 300 will be on Tuesday the 28th, so I’ve got to start production of the show no later than 4pm on the 27th which is Monday. And of course, as always, the equivalent value in satoshi will apply for these credits. And with the volatility of Bitcoin these days–it’s up and down, mostly down–I’ll use the value as of the cutoff time plus or minus 5%. Of course, you can boost the sats using a Podcasting 2.0 app. Or there’s also a widget on the support page if you don’t have one of those apps. If you’ve been thinking about making a donation now would be a good time to do it. All you have to do is go to lifespringmedia.com/support.

ON THIS DATE IN CHURCH HISTORY – 16:01
On this date in church history, June 24, 1941, the two-day Constitutional Assembly of the Nippon Kirisuto Kyodan opened, during which the United Church of Christ in Japan was formed. Today 1/3 of all Japanese Protestants belong to the United Church.

CLOSING PRAYER – 16:28
Let’s pray. Our Heavenly Father just as Habakkuk prayed, we ask you for a revival today. Everywhere it’s apparent that people have rejected you and the world is in turmoil because of it. Use us Lord to do your work to share the Good News to point people to you. I ask Lord that you bless the Lifespring family today. And I pray this in Jesus name, amen.

If you have a prayer request or a praise, go to prayer.lifespringmedia.com.

OUTRO S12E296 – 17:02
Comment on the show at lifespringmedia.com/s12e296. I’d love to get an email from you. Send it to st***@*************ia.com. Thanks to the team, Kirsty, Sean of San Pedro and Denise. Thank you for sharing your day with me today. Support the show at lifespringmedia.com/support.

Remember the Monday deadline at four o’clock Pacific time and until tomorrow, may God bless you richly. My name is Steve Webb.

Bye.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai
Corrected by Denise

Transcript

Today is Poetry Thursday and we are going to begin the book of Ecclesiastes with the reading of chapters 1 and 2. I’ll have a short introduction before reading the chapters, then some comments after we’’re through. Then there’s an on this date in church history. I’m calling today’s episode “Catch the Wind.”

Ecclesiastes was written by King Solomon, the same King Solomon who wrote the book of Proverbs. Like Proverbs, Ecclesiastes is classified as a book of wisdom. But you will very quickly see that Solomon’s approach is much different here. I don’t want to give away too much right now, but I do want to say that it is important to stick with this book right up to the end. Don’t bail early, and don’t draw conclusions early. This is a book that requires patience on the part of the reader. 

So what do you think? Solomon sounds jaded and world-weary, doesn’t he? Almost makes you want to just give up, right? Well, don’t bail on him just yet. There is a reason that Ecclesiastes is in the Bible, but it takes a little while to discover it. It’s not a long book. There are only 12 chapters.

For those who may not know, Solomon was the son of King David. That’s the David of the David and Goliath story. After David slew Goliath, he grew up to become King of Israel. Solomon, the author of Ecclesiastes, became King after David died in his old age. When he became King, he asked God not for military might or great wealth, but wisdom in order to rule Israel well. God was pleased with this prayer, and he not only made Solomon the wisest man that had ever lived, but also the richest, with every other gift that could be desired.

As he writes this book, he is well along in years, and he has seen it all, and with all of his wisdom and all of his wealth and possessions, he has found that life is empty. Money, fame and power have not brought him happiness. Beautiful homes, good wine, the ability to have anything that his heart desired have only made him angry and sad. The thought of working his entire life to achieve these things, only to have to leave it all behind for someone else who didn’t work for them, is almost more than he can bear.

And so he sums it up by saying that it is all useless. Something tells me that Solomon would probably not be invited as guest speaker to many places.

Well, as I said. Hang around to see how this progresses. And please, don’t let Solomon depress you. God is still on the throne, He loves you, and Jesus is still the Savior of mens’ souls.

Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 1-2 ERV

This a value for value podcast. There are no advertisers because advertising=censorship. If you enjoy the Lifespring Family Audio Bible, decide how much value it brings to you. Only you can make that determination. Then put a number on the value and send it to me here: SUPPORT.

Download .txt file.

STEVE WEBB – 0:00
Well, that’s almost more than he can bear.

INTRO S12E295 – 0:09
Coming to you from Riverside, California, this is the Lifespring Family Audio Bible, and podcasting since 2004, I’m your OG Godcaster, Steve Webb. This is the daily show where we’re reading through the entire Bible in a year. Today is Poetry Thursday, and we’re going to begin the book of Ecclesiastes with the reading of chapters one and two. Before we begin the book, I’ll have a short introduction for you, and then after we read the chapters, I’ve got some comments. I’m calling today’s episode, “Catch the Wind”. The show notes page for today is at lifespringmedia.com/s12e295. My email address is st***@*************ia.com. Let’s begin.

INTRO TO ECCLESIASTES – 0:48
Ecclesiastes was written by King Solomon, the same King Solomon who wrote the book of Proverbs, and like Proverbs, Ecclesiastes is classified as a book of poetry. Sometimes it’s called a book of wisdom. But you’ll very quickly see that Solomon’s approach is much different here. I don’t want to give away too much right now. But I do want to say that it’s important to stick with this book right up to the end. Don’t bail early and don’t draw conclusions early. This is a book that requires patience on the part of the reader.

ECCLESIASTES 1 (ERV) – 1:22
Ecclesiastes, chapter one.

(1) These are the words from the Teacher, a son of David and king of Jerusalem.

(2) Everything is so meaningless. The Teacher says that it is all a waste of time! (3) Do people really gain anything from all the hard work they do in this life?

(4) People live and people die, but the earth continues forever. (5) The sun rises and the sun goes down, and then it hurries to rise again in the same place.

(6) The wind blows to the south, and the wind blows to the north. The wind blows around and around. Then it turns and blows back to the place it began.

(7) All rivers flow again and again to the same place. They all flow to the sea, but the sea never becomes full.

(8) Words cannot fully explain things, but people continue speaking. Words come again and again to our ears, but our ears don’t become full. And our eyes don’t become full of what we see.

(9) All things continue the way they have been since the beginning. The same things will be done that have always been done. There is nothing new in this life.

(10) Someone might say, “Look, this is new,” but that thing has always been here. It was here before we were.

(11) People don’t remember what happened long ago. In the future, they will not remember what is happening now. And later, other people will not remember what the people before them did.

(12) I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. (13) I decided to study and to use my wisdom to learn about everything that is done in this life. I learned that it is a very hard thing that God has given us to do. (14) I looked at everything done on earth, and I saw that it is all a waste of time. It is like trying to catch the wind. (15) If something is crooked, you cannot say it is straight. And if something is missing, you cannot say it is there.

(16) I said to myself, “I am very wise. I am wiser than all the kings who ruled Jerusalem before me. I know what wisdom and knowledge really are.”

(17) I decided to learn how wisdom and knowledge are better than thinking foolish thoughts. But I learned that trying to become wise is like trying to catch the wind. (18) With much wisdom comes frustration. The one who gains more wisdom also gains more sorrow.

ECCLESIASTES 2 (ERV) – 3:46
Ecclesiastes, chapter two.

(1) I said to myself, “I should have fun—I should enjoy everything as much as I can.” But I learned that this is also useless. (2) It is foolish to laugh all the time. Having fun does not do any good.

(3) So I decided to fill my body with wine while I filled my mind with wisdom. I tried this foolishness because I wanted to find a way to be happy. I wanted to see what was good for people to do during their few days of life.

(4) Then I began doing great things. I built houses, and I planted vineyards for myself. (5) I planted gardens, and I made parks. I planted all kinds of fruit trees. (6) I made pools of water for myself, and I used them to water my growing trees. (7) I bought men and women slaves, and there were slaves born in my house. I owned many great things. I had herds of cattle and flocks of sheep. I owned more things than any other person in Jerusalem did.

(8) I also gathered silver and gold for myself. I took treasures from kings and their nations. I had men and women singing for me. I had everything any man could want.

(9) I became very rich and famous. I was greater than anyone who lived in Jerusalem before me. My wisdom was always there to help me. (10) Anything my eyes saw and wanted, I got for myself. My mind was pleased with everything I did. And this happiness was the reward for all my hard work.

(11) But then I looked at everything I had done and the wealth I had gained. I decided it was all a waste of time! It was like trying to catch the wind. There is nothing to gain from anything we do in this life.

(12) Then I decided to think about what it means to be wise or to be foolish or to do crazy things. And I thought about the one who will be the next king. The new king will do the same as the kings before him. (13) I saw that wisdom is better than foolishness in the same way that light is better than darkness. (14) Wise people use their minds like eyes to see where they are going. But for fools, it is as if they are walking in the dark.

I also saw that fools and wise people both end the same way. (15) I thought to myself, “The same thing that happens to a fool will also happen to me. So why have I tried so hard to become wise?” I said to myself, “Being wise is also useless.” (16) Whether people are wise or foolish, they will still die, and no one will remember either one of them forever. In the future, people will forget everything both of them did. So the two really are the same.

(17) This made me hate life. It was depressing to think that everything in this life is useless, like trying to catch the wind.

(18) I began to hate all the hard work I had done, because I saw that the people who live after me would get the things that I worked for. I will not be able to take them with me. (19) Some other person will control everything I worked and studied for. And I don’t know if that person will be wise or foolish. This is also senseless.

(20) So I became sad about all the work I had done. (21) People can work hard using all their wisdom and knowledge and skill. But they will die and other people will get the things they worked for. They did not do the work, but they will get everything. That makes me very sad. It is also not fair and is senseless.

(22) What do people really have after all their work and struggling in this life? (23) Throughout their life, they have pain, frustrations, and hard work. Even at night, a person’s mind does not rest. This also is senseless.

(24-25) There is no one who has tried to enjoy life more than I have. And this is what I learned: The best thing people can do is eat, drink, and enjoy the work they must do. I also saw that this comes from God. (26) If people do good and please God, he will give them wisdom, knowledge, and joy. But those who sin will only get the work of gathering and carrying things. God takes from the bad person and gives to the good person. But all this work is useless. It is like trying to catch the wind.

COMMENTS – 8:15
Well, after reading the first few chapters, what do you think? Solomon sounds pretty jaded and world weary, doesn’t he? Almost makes you want to just give up, right? Well, no bail on him just yet. There’s a reason that Ecclesiastes is in the Bible. But it takes a little while to discover what that reason is. It’s not a long book, there’s only 12 chapters.

Now for those that don’t know Solomon was the son of King David. That’s the David of the David and Goliath story. And after David slew Goliath, he grew up to become king of Israel. Solomon, the author of Ecclesiastes became king after David died in his old age. Now, when Solomon became king, he asked God not for military might or great wealth, but wisdom in order to rule Israel well. And God was so pleased with this prayer that he not only made Solomon the wisest man that had ever lived, but also the richest with every other gift that could be desired.

Now, as he writes this book, he’s well along in years, and he’s seen it all. And with all of his wisdom and all of his wealth and possession, he’s found that life is empty. Money, fame and power have not brought him happiness. Beautiful homes, good wine, the ability to have anything that his heart desired, have only made him angry and sad. The thought of working his entire life to achieve these things, only to have to leave it all behind for someone else who didn’t work for them, well, that’s almost more than he can bear.

And so he sums it up by saying that it’s all useless or meaningless. Something tells me that Solomon would probably not be invited as a keynote speaker to many places.

Well, as I said, hang around to see how this progresses. And please don’t let Solomon depress you, God is still on the throne. He still loves you and Jesus is still the savior of men’s and women’s souls.

You have a comment? Let me know. Go to lifespringmedia.com/s12e295. Tell me what you’re thinking. Tomorrow is Prophecy Friday and we’ll read the book of Habakkuk.

Boost!

ON THIS DATE IN CHURCH HISTORY – 10:28
On this date in church history, June 23, 1683, English Quaker colonizer, William Penn signs the famous treaty with the Native Americans of Pennsylvania.

And on this date, June 23, 1738, Samuel Medley was born he was the English Baptist clergyman and author of the hymns “Oh Could I Speak The Matchless Worth” and “I Know That My Redeemer Lives.”

PRAYER REQEST – 11:02
Beloved, before we pray today, I’ve got a prayer request. The Davis family needs prayer. The grandson of one of my dear friends was shot and killed in front of his father’s house yesterday. I don’t know any of the details other than he was in his late 30s.

The grandfather, my friend, his name is Al, was one of the people that my father-in-law, Rip Collins brought to the Lord many, many years ago. It’s actually quite a story how Rip and Al became friends. Maybe someday I’ll tell you about it. But Al eventually became the Director of Chaplains, (I’m not sure the exact title), but he was the Director of Chaplains at the Chino prison for men here in Southern California. He’s a wonderful man who truly does love the Lord. He’s a sweetheart, I love him. He and his wife had five kids of which one is Tony, who was the father of Bryan, the one who was shot and killed. Well, Tony and his siblings were in the church youth group with the Lovely Lady LeeAnn and her siblings. I’m just giving you some context here, how I know Al and how I know the Davis family.

So whatever the circumstances of the shooting, I’m sure that the Davis family is hurting, and they need our prayers.

CLOSING PRAYER – 12:13
So let’s pray. Our heavenly Father of all the things that people strive for, wealth, fame, power, or anything else, the only thing that really matters, the only thing that lasts and brings a deep and abiding joy, is having a relationship with you. We know that because your Word tells us and I’ve learned it from my own experience. So Lord, I pray that our relationship with you would continue to grow closer and closer each and every day. And right now Lord, we pray for the Davis family. Hold them close, Father, during this time of loss. May they feel your presence and your love and may they look to you.

Be with the Lifespring family today Lord bless each one and I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.

If you have a prayer request or a praise, go to prayer.lifespringmedia.com. Give me whatever information you want me to know. Tell me your name. But if you want to remain anonymous on the show, let me know in your comments there. There’s an easy way to let me know to keep you anonymous. When you send in that prayer request or praise, I’ll praise with you or pray with you in my private prayer time. And we’ll pray and praise together on the show.

OUTRO S12E295 – 13:29
Comment on the show at lifespringmedia.com/s12e295. Send me an email at st***@*************ia.com. Thanks to the team: Kirsty, Sean of San Pedro and Denise. And thank you for inviting me into your life today.

Support the show, if you would, at lifespringmedia.com/support. If you receive any value from the show, if you believe that the Lifespring Family Audio Bible is filling a need, if you’re glad it’s here, lifespringmedia.com/support.

Until tomorrow, may God bless you richly. My name is Steve Webb. Pray for the Davises.

Bye.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai
Corrected by Denise

Transcript

Timothy LaFontaine

Today is Psalms Wednesday, and we’ll read chapters 122-124. I’ll have a short introduction before reading each chapter, then some comments after we’ve read all three. Then there’s an on this date in church history. I’m calling today’s episode “Ascents Part 2.”

I have been a lover of birds since I was three years old when my mom gave me a parakeet. When I was in college, my biology professor introduced me to bird watching, or birding. So far I have 82 different species on my life list of birds that I have personally seen. The latest addition was just a couple weeks ago. It was a Bullock’s Oriole taking a drink from the fountain on my front patio, in case you’re interested. If you’re a birder, let me know in the comments on the show notes page. 

So verses 6 and 7 got my attention: 6Praise the Lord, who has not let us be ripped apart by their teeth. 7We have escaped like a bird from the hunter’s net; the net is torn, and we have escaped. 

Charles Spurgeon: “As the bird could not get out of the snare, so the soul cannot escape from temptation; but God can bring it out, and he works the rescue. Hear this, ye that are slaves to drunkenness: God can deliver you. You that have fallen into licentiousness hear it – God can deliver you. Whatever the sin that has birdlimed (trapped) you, that gracious hand which once was nailed to the cross can set you free.” 

Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. HCSB

This a value for value podcast. There are no advertisers because advertising=censorship. If you enjoy the Lifespring Family Audio Bible, decide how much value it brings to you. Only you can make that determination. Then put a number on the value and send it to me here: SUPPORT.

Download .txt file.

STEVE WEBB – 0:00
God can deliver you.

INTRO S12E294 – 0:09
This is the Lifespring Family Audio Bible coming to you from Riverside, California. Podcasting since 2004, I’m your OG Godcaster, Steve Webb. This is the daily show where we’re reading through the entire Bible in a year and today’s Psalms Wednesday. We’ll read chapters 122 through 124. I’ll have a short introduction before reading each chapter, then some comments after we’ve read all three. We will have an On This Date in Church History today and I’m calling the episode, “Ascents, Part 2”. The show notes page for today is at lifespringmedia.com/s12e294. My email address is st***@*************ia.com. Let’s begin.

PSALM 122 INTRO – 0:49
Psalm 122 is the third of a series of 15 songs entitled A Song of Ascents, and this is one of the four that are attributed to David. These songs were sung by those going up to Jerusalem and the temple at various times of the year for the three feasts of the Jewish calendar: Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles. Of this song Charles Spurgeon wrote, “David wrote it for the people to sing at the time of their goings up to the holy feasts at Jerusalem. It comes third in the series and appears to be suitable to be sung when the people had entered the gates and their feet stood within the city.”

PSALM 122 (HSCB) – 1:26
Psalms, chapter 122.

(1) I rejoiced with those who said to me,
“Let us go to the house of the Lord.”
(2) Our feet are standing
within your gates, Jerusalem —
(3) Jerusalem, built as a city should be,
solidly joined together,
(4) where the tribes, Yahweh’s tribes, go up
to give thanks to the name of Yahweh.
(This is an ordinance for Israel.)
(5) There, thrones for judgment are placed,
thrones of the house of David.
(6) Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
“May those who love you prosper;
(7) may there be peace within your walls,
prosperity within your fortresses.”
(8) Because of my brothers and friends,
I will say, “Peace be with you.”
(9) Because of the house of the Lord our God,
I will seek your good.

PSALM 123 INTRO – 2:13
The Songs of Ascent were probably written by more than one person. According to commentator Adam Clarke, quote, “They have been attributed to David to Solomon to Ezra to Haggai, to Zechariah, and to Malachai without any positive evidence. Martin Luther wrote of Psalm 123, “This Psalm, as you see, is but short and therefore a very fit example to show the force of prayer not to consist in many words, but in fervency of spirit. For great and weighty matters may be comprised in a few words, if they proceed from the spirit in the unspeakable groanings of the heart, especially when our necessity is such as will not suffer any long prayer. Every prayer is long enough if it be fervent and proceed from a heart that understands the necessity of the saints.”

PSALMS 123 (HSCB) – 3:05
Psalms, chapter 123.

(1) I lift my eyes to You,
the One enthroned in heaven.
(2) Like a servant’s eyes on his master’s hand,
like a servant girl’s eyes on her mistress’s hand,
so our eyes are on the Lord our God
until He shows us favor.
(3) Show us favor, Lord, show us favor,
for we’ve had more than enough contempt.
(4) We’ve had more than enough
scorn from the arrogant
and contempt from the proud.

PSALMS 124 INTRO – 3:34
Psalm 124 is another of the four Songs of Ascent attributed to David. In this one, David gives thanks to God for His help, past and future.

PSALMS 124 (HSCB) – 3:44
Psalms, chapter 124.

(1) If the Lord had not been on our side —
let Israel say —
(2) If the Lord had not been on our side
when men attacked us,
(3) then they would have swallowed us alive
in their burning anger against us.
(4) Then the waters would have engulfed us;
the torrent would have swept over us;
(5) the raging waters would have swept over us.
(6) Praise the Lord,
who has not let us be ripped apart by their teeth.
(7) We have escaped like a bird from the hunter’s net;
the net is torn, and we have escaped.
(8) Our help is in the name of Yahweh,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

COMMENTS – 4:22
I’ve been a lover of birds since I was three years old, when my mom gave me a parakeet. When I was in college, my biology professor introduced me to bird watching, or birding. So far, I’ve got 82 different species on my life list of birds that I’ve personally seen. The latest addition was just a couple of weeks ago. It was a Bullock’s Oriole taking a drink from the fountain on my front patio, just in case you’re interested. If you’re a birder let me know in the comments on the show notes page.

So with my interest in birds, verses six and seven got my attention. Here they are again: “Praise the Lord, who has not let us be ripped apart by their teeth. We have escaped like a bird from the hunter’s net; the net is torn, and we have escaped.”

Listen to what Charles Spurgeon said about this: “As the bird could not get out of the snare, so the soul cannot escape from temptation; but God can bring it out, and he works the rescue. Hear this, ye that are slaves to drunkenness: God can deliver you. You that have fallen into licentiousness hear it – God can deliver you. Whatever the sin that has [trapped] you, that gracious hand which once was nailed to the cross can set you free.”

Let me hear your thoughts. Go to lifespringmedia.com/s12e294. Tomorrow we’ll begin the book of Ecclesiastes. We’ll read the first two chapters.

Boost!

ASSOCIATE PRODUCER SHOUT-OUT – 5:52
I want to thank today’s Associate Producer. Timothy LaFontaine came in with his monthly $20 donation. Thank you, Timothy, for helping to make episode 294 possible. God bless you. Beloved, if you’d like to know more about why it’s necessary to support the Lifespring Family Audio Bible go on over to lifespringmedia.com/support.

ON THIS DATE IN CHURCH HISTORY – 6:22
On this date in church history, June 22, 1745, David Brainerd, a colonial-era missionary to New England Native Americans, wrote in his journal, “I am often weary of this world, and I want to leave it on that account. But it is more desirable to be drawn rather than driven out of it.” Yes, that’s true. As long as we’re here, the Lord has a reason for us to be here. He has a work for us. So yes, we should be drawn into the world and not driven from it.

CLOSING PRAYER – 6:58
Let’s pray. Our Heavenly Father, sometimes we feel as weak and helpless as a bird when we face the troubles of our lives. And then we’re reminded as David was that you are our protector and our shield and our rescuer. You will not let us be ripped apart by the enemy of our soul. So we thank you for that assurance, Lord. I ask, God, that you’d be with the Lifespring family today, and I ask that you bless each one. I pray this in Jesus name, amen.

If you have a prayer request or a praise, go to prayer.lifespringmedia.com.

OUTRO S12E294 – 7:38
Well, yesterday’s show had a small problem for the first few hours after it was supposed to be published. And some of you emailed me that you were unable to download it. Well, thank you for letting me know. After I read the first email, I was able to fix the problem within about 60 seconds. So what does that tell you? Yeah, Operator error. Sorry about that.

Comment on today’s show and lifespringmedia.com/s12e294. Email me at st***@*************ia.com. Thanks to Kirsty, Sean of San Pedro and Denise for their generous donation of their time and talent. And, Beloved, thank you for inviting me into your life today. Support the show at lifespringmedia.com/support.

And until tomorrow, may God bless you richly. My name is Steve Webb.

Bye.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai
Corrected by Denise

Transcript

A servant of Christ from somewhere in the North country.

Sean of San Pedro

Rob Brink and Kevin Schneider

This is the 300th episode of the 12th season of the Lifespring Family Audio Bible. Today is History Tuesday. Our reading is 2 Chronicles 25-28. I’m calling today’s episode “Legacy.”

In these chapters we read of the reigns of Amaziah, Uzziah, Jotham, and Ahaz. 

Each of these kings were descendants of David, and as I have said in previous episodes, coming from a believing family does not mean that the next generation will follow God. The opposite is also true. Coming from a non-believing family does not mean the following generation will not follow God. We saw that in these kings, and I’m sure most, if not all of us have seen this in our own families. 

The reason I’m pointing this out is that I believe that many of us, especially those of us that are parents, take it for granted when raising our children in a believing home, that they will follow us in accepting Jesus as their Savior. Beloved, if we do that, we make a terrible mistake. We can never assume that our kids will absorb our faith as their own. There will come a time when they must choose to believe. Just as we chose to believe, they will have to choose. As parents, we have to be very deliberate in showing them in a thousand different ways why believing in Him is the very best thing they could ever do. We have to let them see that our faith is real, that Jesus is the center of our lives, and that He matters. Not just on Sundays, but every day. And we have to talk to them about our faith…and our talk has to match our walk. Our children are our most important missions field. 

Now back to today’s chapters…

As is common to most people, the first two of these kings, Amaziah and Uzziah, had their good points and bad. Their spiritual victories and spiritual failures. Each of us has strengths and weaknesses. It’s the human condition. Romans 6:23 tells us that the wages of sin is death. Anything less than perfection, anything less than a completely sinless life means that we fall short of the glory of God. That’s why we all need a savior.

There is a common thread that was evident in the chapters we read today with the failures of Amaziah, Uzziah and Ahaz. Each one of them sinned in their own ways, but the common thread was pride. Pride invariably brings destruction, even to people who showed great devotion to God in their early days. Once we begin to believe that our accomplishments come from our own abilities, we are headed for a fall. It can happen to anyone, at any age. I have discovered that my own susceptibility to sin is still alive, even after more than fifty years of being a follower of Jesus. If I take my eyes off of Him, if I begin to rely on my own “goodness”, I quickly find that I cannot walk His path on my own. As the old hymn says, “I need thee every hour.”

To his credit, of the four kings we read about today, only Jotham seems to have had a lifelong record of following God’s direction. Verse 6 of chapter 27 tells us, “Jotham grew powerful because he was determined to live as the Lord his God wanted.” What a legacy.

My legacy will unfortunately not be without a list of failures, but I am determined to keep my eyes on the prize, because I long to hear my Savior say on that day that I finally see Him face to face, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 25 NKJV; Ch. 26-27 GW; Ch. 28 ESV

This a value for value podcast. There are no advertisers because advertising=censorship. If you enjoy the Lifespring Family Audio Bible, decide how much value it brings to you. Only you can make that determination. Then put a number on the value and send it to me here: SUPPORT.

Download .txt file.

STEVE WEBB – 0:00
The common thread was pride.

INTRO S12E300 – 0:10
Coming to you from Riverside, California, this is the 300th Episode of the Lifespring Family Audio Bible, Twelfth Season. Podcasting since 2004, I’m your OG Godcaster, Steve Webb. This is the daily show where we’re reading through the entire Bible in a year. Today’s History Tuesday and we’ll read 2 Chronicles 25 through 28. I’ve got an On This Date in Church History for you. I’ve got some people to thank and I’m calling today’s episode, “Legacy”. The show notes page for today’s episode is at lifespringmedia.com/s12e300. Then my email address is st***@*************ia.com. Let’s begin.

2 CHRONICLES 25 (NKJV) – 0:46
2 Chronicles, chapter 25. (1) Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem. (2) And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, but not with a loyal heart.

(3) Now it happened, as soon as the kingdom was established for him, that he executed his servants who had murdered his father the king. (4) However he did not execute their children, but did as it is written in the Law in the Book of Moses, where the Lord commanded, saying, “The fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor shall the children be put to death for their fathers; but a person shall die for his own sin.”

(5) Moreover Amaziah gathered Judah together and set over them captains of thousands and captains of hundreds, according to their fathers’ houses, throughout all Judah and Benjamin; and he numbered them from twenty years old and above, and found them to be three hundred thousand choice men, able to go to war, who could handle spear and shield. (6) He also hired one hundred thousand mighty men of valor from Israel for one hundred talents of silver. (7) But a man of God came to him, saying, “O king, do not let the army of Israel go with you, for the Lord is not with Israel—not with any of the children of Ephraim. (8) But if you go, be gone! Be strong in battle! Even so, God shall make you fall before the enemy; for God has power to help and to overthrow.”

(9) Then Amaziah said to the man of God, “But what shall we do about the hundred talents which I have given to the troops of Israel?”
And the man of God answered, “The Lord is able to give you much more than this.” (10) So Amaziah discharged the troops that had come to him from Ephraim, to go back home. Therefore their anger was greatly aroused against Judah, and they returned home in great anger.

(11) Then Amaziah strengthened himself, and leading his people, he went to the Valley of Salt and killed ten thousand of the people of Seir. (12) Also the children of Judah took captive ten thousand alive, brought them to the top of the rock, and cast them down from the top of the rock, so that they all were dashed in pieces.

(13) But as for the soldiers of the army which Amaziah had discharged, so that they would not go with him to battle, they raided the cities of Judah from Samaria to Beth Horon, killed three thousand in them, and took much spoil.

(14) Now it was so, after Amaziah came from the slaughter of the Edomites, that he brought the gods of the people of Seir, set them up to be his gods, and bowed down before them and burned incense to them. (15) Therefore the anger of the Lord was aroused against Amaziah, and He sent him a prophet who said to him, “Why have you sought the gods of the people, which could not rescue their own people from your hand?”

(16) So it was, as he talked with him, that the king said to him, “Have we made you the king’s counselor? Cease! Why should you be killed?”

Then the prophet ceased, and said, “I know that God has determined to destroy you, because you have done this and have not heeded my advice.”

(17) Now Amaziah king of Judah asked advice and sent to Joash the son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, “Come, let us face one another in battle.”

(18) And Joash king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, “The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son as wife’; and a wild beast that was in Lebanon passed by and trampled the thistle. (19) Indeed you say that you have defeated the Edomites, and your heart is lifted up to boast. Stay at home now; why should you meddle with trouble, that you should fall—you and Judah with you?”

(20) But Amaziah would not heed, for it came from God, that He might give them into the hand of their enemies, because they sought the gods of Edom. (21) So Joash king of Israel went out; and he and Amaziah king of Judah faced one another at Beth Shemesh, which belongs to Judah. (22) And Judah was defeated by Israel, and every man fled to his tent. (23) Then Joash the king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Jehoahaz, at Beth Shemesh; and he brought him to Jerusalem, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate—four hundred cubits. (24) And he took all the gold and silver, all the articles that were found in the house of God with Obed-Edom, the treasures of the king’s house, and hostages, and returned to Samaria.

(25) Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, lived fifteen years after the death of Joash the son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel. (26) Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah, from first to last, indeed are they not written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel? (27) After the time that Amaziah turned away from following the Lord, they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish; but they sent after him to Lachish and killed him there. (28) Then they brought him on horses and buried him with his fathers in the City of Judah.

2 CHRONICLES 26 (GW) – 5:35
2 Chronicles, chapter 26. (1) All the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was 16 years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah. (2) Uzziah rebuilt Elath and returned it to Judah after King Amaziah lay down in death with his ancestors. (3) Uzziah was 16 years old when he began to rule, and he ruled for 52 years in Jerusalem. His mother was Jecoliah from Jerusalem. (4) He did what the Lord considered right, as his father Amaziah had done. (5) He dedicated his life to serving God in the days of Zechariah, who taught him to fear God. As long as he dedicated his life to serving the Lord, the Lord gave him success.

(6) Uzziah went to wage war against the Philistines. He tore down the walls of Gath, Jabneh, and Ashdod. He built cities near Ashdod and elsewhere among the Philistines. (7) God helped him when he attacked the Philistines, the Arabs who lived in Gur Baal, and the Meunites. (8) The Ammonites paid taxes to Uzziah, and his fame spread to the border of Egypt because he became very powerful. (9) Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at Corner Wall, Valley Gate, and the Angle, and he reinforced them. (10) He built towers in the desert. He dug many cisterns because he had a lot of herds in the foothills and the plains. He had farmers and vineyard workers in the mountains and the fertile fields because he loved the soil.

(11) Uzziah had an army of professional soldiers. They were ready to go to war in their companies based on the number organized by the scribe Jeiel and the officer Maaseiah. They were commanded by Hananiah, one of the king’s officials. (12) The total number of family heads among these warriors was 2,600. (13) Under them was an army of 307,500 soldiers. They were a powerful force that could support the king against the enemy. (14) For the entire army Uzziah prepared shields, spears, helmets, armor, bows, and stones for slings. (15) In Jerusalem he made machines designed by inventive people. The machines were placed on the towers and corners to shoot arrows and hurl large stones.

Uzziah’s fame spread far and wide because he had strong support until he became powerful. (16) But when he became powerful, his pride destroyed him. He was unfaithful to the Lord his God. He went into the Lord’s temple to burn incense on the incense altar. (17) The priest Azariah went in after him with 80 of the Lord’s courageous priests. (18) They opposed King Uzziah. They said to him, “Uzziah, you have no right to burn incense as an offering to the Lord. That right belongs to the priests, Aaron’s descendants, who have been given the holy task of burning incense. Get out of the holy place because you have been unfaithful. The Lord God will not honor you for this.”

(19) Uzziah, who held an incense burner in his hand, became angry. While he was angry with the priests, a skin disease broke out on his forehead. This happened in front of the priests in the Lord’s temple as Uzziah was at the incense altar. (20) When the chief priest Azariah and all the priests turned toward him, a skin disease was on his forehead. They rushed him away. Uzziah was in a hurry to get out because the Lord had inflicted him with the disease.

(21) King Uzziah had a skin disease until the day he died. Since he had a skin disease, he lived in a separate house and was barred from the Lord’s temple. His son Jotham was in charge of the royal palace and governed the country.

(22) Everything else about Uzziah, from beginning to end, is recorded by the prophet Isaiah, son of Amoz. (23) Uzziah lay down in death with his ancestors and was buried with them in a field containing tombs that belonged to the kings. People said, “He had a skin disease.” His son Jotham succeeded him as king.

2 CHRONICLES 27 (GW) – 9:19
2 Chronicles, chapter 27. (1) Jotham was 25 years old when he began to rule. He ruled for 16 years in Jerusalem. His mother was Jerushah, daughter of Zadok. (2) He did what the Lord considered right, as his father Uzziah had done. But unlike his father, he didn’t illegally enter the Lord’s temple. Nevertheless, the people continued their corrupt ways.

(3) Jotham built the Upper Gate of the Lord’s temple and did extensive building of the wall at the Ophel. (4) He built cities in the hills of Judah, and he built forts and towers in the wooded areas. (5) He fought with the king of the Ammonites and conquered them. That year the Ammonites gave him 7,500 pounds of silver, 60,000 bushels of wheat, and 60,000 bushels of barley. The Ammonites gave him the same amount for two more years. (6) Jotham grew powerful because he was determined to live as the Lord his God wanted.

(7) Everything else about Jotham—all his wars and his life—is written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah. (8) He was 25 years old when he began to rule as king. He ruled for 16 years in Jerusalem. (9) Jotham lay down in death with his ancestors, and they buried him in the City of David. His son Ahaz succeeded him as king.

2 CHRONICLES 28 (ESV) – 10:34
2 Chronicles, chapter 28. (1) Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And he did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as his father David had done, (2) but he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel. He even made metal images for the Baals, (3) and he made offerings in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom and burned his sons as an offering, according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel. (4) And he sacrificed and made offerings on the high places and on the hills and under every green tree.

(5) Therefore the Lord his God gave him into the hand of the king of Syria, who defeated him and took captive a great number of his people and brought them to Damascus. He was also given into the hand of the king of Israel, who struck him with great force. (6) For Pekah the son of Remaliah killed 120,000 from Judah in one day, all of them men of valor, because they had forsaken the Lord, the God of their fathers. (7) And Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, killed Maaseiah the king’s son and Azrikam the commander of the palace and Elkanah the next in authority to the king.

(8) The men of Israel took captive 200,000 of their relatives, women, sons, and daughters. They also took much spoil from them and brought the spoil to Samaria. (9) But a prophet of the Lord was there, whose name was Oded, and he went out to meet the army that came to Samaria and said to them, “Behold, because the Lord, the God of your fathers, was angry with Judah, he gave them into your hand, but you have killed them in a rage that has reached up to heaven. (10) And now you intend to subjugate the people of Judah and Jerusalem, male and female, as your slaves. Have you not sins of your own against the Lord your God? (11) Now hear me, and send back the captives from your relatives whom you have taken, for the fierce wrath of the Lord is upon you.”

(12) Certain chiefs also of the men of Ephraim, Azariah the son of Johanan, Berechiah the son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah the son of Shallum, and Amasa the son of Hadlai, stood up against those who were coming from the war (13) and said to them, “You shall not bring the captives in here, for you propose to bring upon us guilt against the Lord in addition to our present sins and guilt. For our guilt is already great, and there is fierce wrath against Israel.” (14) So the armed men left the captives and the spoil before the princes and all the assembly. (15) And the men who have been mentioned by name rose and took the captives, and with the spoil they clothed all who were naked among them. They clothed them, gave them sandals, provided them with food and drink, and anointed them, and carrying all the feeble among them on donkeys, they brought them to their kinsfolk at Jericho, the city of palm trees. Then they returned to Samaria.

(16) At that time King Ahaz sent to the king of Assyria for help. (17) For the Edomites had again invaded and defeated Judah and carried away captives. (18) And the Philistines had made raids on the cities in the Shephelah and the Negeb of Judah, and had taken Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Soco with its villages, Timnah with its villages, and Gimzo with its villages. And they settled there. (19) For the Lord humbled Judah because of Ahaz king of Israel, for he had made Judah act sinfully and had been very unfaithful to the Lord. (20) So Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came against him and afflicted him instead of strengthening him. (21) For Ahaz took a portion from the house of the Lord and the house of the king and of the princes, and gave tribute to the king of Assyria, but it did not help him.

(22) In the time of his distress he became yet more faithless to the Lord—this same King Ahaz. (23) For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus that had defeated him and said, “Because the gods of the kings of Syria helped them, I will sacrifice to them that they may help me.” But they were the ruin of him and of all Israel. (24) And Ahaz gathered together the vessels of the house of God and cut in pieces the vessels of the house of God, and he shut up the doors of the house of the Lord, and he made himself altars in every corner of Jerusalem. (25) In every city of Judah he made high places to make offerings to other gods, provoking to anger the Lord, the God of his fathers. (26) Now the rest of his acts and all his ways, from first to last, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. (27) And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city, in Jerusalem, for they did not bring him into the tombs of the kings of Israel. And Hezekiah his son reigned in his place.

COMMENTS – 15:07
Well, Beloved, in these three chapters, we read of the reigns of Amaziah, Uzziah, Jotham, and Ahaz. And each of these kings were descendants of David, of course. And as I’ve said in previous episodes, coming from a believing family does not mean that the next generation will follow God. And the opposite is also true. Coming from a non-believing family doesn’t necessarily mean that the next generation won’t follow God. We saw that in these kings, and I’m sure most if not all of us have seen this in our own families.

The reason I’m pointing this out is that I believe that many of us, especially those of us that are parents, take it for granted when raising our children in a believing home, that they’ll follow us in accepting Jesus as their Savior. Beloved, if we do that, we make a terrible mistake. We can never assume that our kids will absorb our faith as their own. There will come a time when they have to choose to believe. Just as we chose to believe, they’re going to have to choose. As parents, we have to be very deliberate in showing them in a thousand different ways why believing in him is the very best thing they could ever do. We have to let them see that our faith is real, that Jesus is the center of our lives, and that he matters, not just on Sundays, but every day. And we have to talk to them about our faith, and our talk has to match our walk. Our children are our most important missions field.

Now, back to today’s chapters…

As is common to most people, the first two of these kings, Amaziah and Uzziah had their good points and their bad points, their spiritual victories and spiritual failures. Each of us has strengths and weaknesses. It’s the human condition. Romans 6:23 tells us, though, that the wages of sin is death. Anything less than perfection, anything less than a completely sinless life, means that we fall short of the glory of God. And that’s why we need a savior.

This is a common thread that was evident in the chapters we read today with the failures of Amaziah, Uzziah and Ahaz. Each one of them sinned in their own ways. But the common thread was pride. Pride invariably brings destruction even to people who showed great devotion to God in their early days. Once we begin to believe that our accomplishments come from our own abilities, we’re headed for a fall. It can happen to anyone at any age. I’ve discovered that my own susceptibility to sin is still alive, even after more than 50 years of being a follower of Jesus. If I take my eyes off him, if I begin to rely on my own goodness, quote, unquote, I quickly find that I cannot walk his path on my own. As the old hymn says, “I need the every hour…”

BRYAH DUNCAN SINGS I NEED THEE EVERY HOUR – 17:51
I need thee every hour, most gracious Lord.
No tender voice like Thine, can peace afford.

COMMENTS (CONT’D) – 18:17
To his credit of the four kings we read about today, only Jotham seems to have had a lifelong record of following God’s direction. Verse 6 of chapter 27 tells us Jotham grew powerful because he was determined to live as the Lord his God wanted. Man, what a legacy.

My legacy will unfortunately not be without a list of failures. But I’m determined to keep my eyes on the prize, because I long to hear my savior say on that day that I finally see him face to face, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

What are your thoughts? Let me know at lifespringmedia.com/s12e300. Tomorrow is Psalms Wednesday. We’ll read Psalms 125 through 127.

Boost.

300TH EPISODE MILESTONE THANKS – 19:05
I’ve got some people to thank today for helping to bring the Episode 300 to you. We’ve got a Distinguished Producer today here from A Servant of Christ From Somewhere in the North Country. They sent in $300. And they said, “Let’s round out the year.” Well, let’s do that. Yes, thank you and God bless you.

And I’m going to make an executive decision here. I’m going to make Sean of San Pedro an Executive Producer. He sent in this donation last week before I announced that we were going to do anything special for this episode. He sent in $103 donation with this note, he said, “For S12e300. Congrats on the milestone. And we have a praise report. We’re having a boy!” Well, thank you for the donation, Sean. God bless you for that. And congrats to you and Brittaney. We shared in your joy when you found out that God was going to be adding a new little life to your family, your first child. And now that we know it’s a boy. We rejoice over that now with you too. And as I said, I’m going to credit you as an Executive Producer on this episode because you’ve been streaming and boosting sats almost from the day that I announced that the show had activated that feature. Not to mention you’re doing the chapters for the show and working on a very cool web app that makes the job easier. So Sean, you have undoubtedly earned this Executive Producer credit. Thank you for your donation of time, talent and treasure.

And we have a couple of Associate Producers today. Rob Brink from Troy, Michigan sent in $50, and he said, “Thanks for the podcast.” Well, Rob, thanks for the donation. If I’m not mistaken, this is Rob’s second donation. So, Brother, I thank you for it and God bless you.

And Kevin Schneider from Edmonton, Alberta send in $33.33. He’s been a Lifespring family member for some time now and he’s donated several times. Kevin, thank you very much. And God bless you. I truly appreciate each one of you that sent in a special Episode 300 donation today and it just warms my heart. Thank you.

ON THIS DATE IN CHURCH HISTORY – 21:06
On this date in church history, June 28, 1851, Eliza E. Hewlett was born. She was an American Presbyterian Church worker and devotional author. Four of her hymns are still sung today: “Will There Be Any Stars”, “More About Jesus Would I Know”, “Sunshine In The Soul”, and “When We All Get To Heaven”.

WHEN WE ALL GET TO HEAVEN – 21:25
When we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be.
When we all see Jesus, we’ll sing and shout the victory.

CLOSING PRAYR – 21:58
Let’s prayer. Our Heavenly Father, we thank you for your grace. We know that we are unable to live sinless lives and we confess our sins now. Help us to cling to you and to say NO to temptation. Help us to always remember that we cannot make it on our own and that we need you every minute of every day. We truly do need you every hour. Help us to remain humble and to be aware when pride begins to creep in. We only want to serve you and bring glory to your name. And we thank you and we rejoice with Sean and Brittaney as they await their new baby boy. I pray that he’ll be healthy and strong and, most of all, that he would grow up to be a man of God. Give Mom and Dad wisdom and love as they raise him and may the Holy Spirit guide them and fell them and may their home be a place of peace with you at the center.

I thank You, Lord for the Lifespring family and the brothers and sisters who pray with me and for me, and for those who sacrifice to help support the show. I pray that you’ll bless them and each and every one who allows me to come to this microphone every day to share your word. I pray this in Jesus name, amen.

If you have a prayer request or a praise that you’d like to share with the Lifespring family, go to prayer.lifespringmedia.com.

OUTRO S12E300 – 23:17
Comment on the show at lifespringmedia.com/s12e300. Send me an email at st***@*************ia.com. Thanks so much to the team: Kirsty, Sean of San Pedro and Denise. I thank God for you each and every day.

And thanks to A Servant of Christ From Somewhere in the North Country. Sean of San Pedro, Rob Brink, and Kevin Schneider for your very generous donations to help celebrate this 300th Episode of Season 12 of the Lifespring Family Audio Bible.

And, Beloved, thank you for inviting me into your life today wherever you are. I sure hope you’ll be with me for the remaining 64 episodes. And no matter how long you’ve been hanging around these parts, I thank you and I commend you for your commitment to read the Word of God with me. Let’s finish strong, shall we? Keeping our eyes on the prize. Support the show at lifespringmedia.com/support.

And until tomorrow, may God bless you richly. My name is Steve Webb.

Bye.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai
Corrected by Denise

Transcript

Today is MONDAY, the day we read from the Law. We’ll read Deuteronomy 4-6  I’m calling today’s episode “The Unified One.“

In chapter 6, verses 4 and 5, Moses is telling the children of Israel the great commandment, the one that encompasses all the others. It’s the commandment that Jesus quoted when the Pharisees asked Him which was the greatest of all the commandments. 

4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. 

Since Jesus said that this is the greatest commandment, we should understand it as clearly as possible, don’t you think?

We haven’t talked much about the concept of the Trinity on the show. But this verse seems like a good place to spend a few minutes on the subject. Many of you probably have a pretty good grasp on the idea of a triune God, but I know that there are some ls fam members who are fairly new to Christianity, and this is such an important topic that I do want to at least touch on it. This won’t be an in depth word study, but more like a 30,000 foot flyover view.

So you might ask, “What about Jesus and the Holy Spirit? They’re Gods, aren’t they?” No. No they are not. And what I mean by that is that they are not *separate* Gods. 

And this is where the idea of the Trinity comes in. Orthodox Christianity, or traditional Christianity if you prefer, believes that God is a Trinity, that there are three distinct persons who are together, one God. Not three Gods. One God. 

It can be difficult to get your head around, so let’s look at the word that was used in the original language, Hebrew, for the English word “one”. Here in Deuteronomy 6:4, the Hebrew word echad is used. “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is echad!” Echad refers to a single item made up of multiple parts, also called a “unified one.” 

Are there other places in the Bible that the word echad is used? Yep. Let’s look at a few.

The first time we see echad is Genesis 1:5: The Young’s Literal translation says: “…and there is an evening, and there is a morning — day one.” It was one day, with two parts: evening and morning. Echad day.

Genesis 2:24: Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. Echad flesh

In Exodus 26:6 “6 And you shall make fifty clasps of gold, and couple the curtains together with the clasps, so that it may be one tabernacle.” Obviously, the Tabernacle was made up of many parts, but here it is called one tabernacle. Echad tabernacle.

Listen to Ezekiel 37:15-17: “15Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 16“As for you, son of man, take a stick for yourself and write on it: ‘For Judah and for the children of Israel, his companions.’ Then take another stick and write on it, ‘For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel, his companions.’ 17Then join them one to another for yourself into one stick, and they will become one in your hand.” Two sticks become echad.

So the idea of three persons in echad God is not foreign to Scripture. 

There is a Hebrew word for a single item made up of one alone: yachid. This word is used in connection to one God exactly zero times in the Old Testament. Nowhere does the Bible say that the one God is a single entity. He is always referred to as echad God.

Here are some examples of yachid from the Bible:

* “He said, “Take now your son, your only [yachid] son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.” ” Genesis 22:2

* “Now she was Jephthah’s one and only [yachid] child; besides her he had no son or daughter.” Judges 11:34

* “they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son [yachid]” Zechariah 12:10

So again, verse 4 says, “The Lord our God, the Lord is one!”  In the phrase, “The LORD our God”, the Hebrew word for God here is Elohim. Elohim is a plural word. El is singular, Elohim is plural.  

In Genesis 1:26 we read, “Then God (Elohim) said, “Let us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness…” Let Us. Our image. Our likeness. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit were all present at the creation, as One God. 

At Jesus’ baptism, the Holy Spirit descended from Heaven like a dove, and the Father spoke, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” All three persons of the triune God were present at the baptism: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

We have so many verses that teach us that God is One, and in Him are three distinct persons.

There are those who misunderstand or who do not want to understand this concept, but it is important for believers to at least trust that this is true, by faith. 

I hope you have found this to be interesting, if not enlightening. 

Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 4 CEB; Ch. 5 NIRV; Ch. 6 NKJV

This a value for value podcast. There are no advertisers because advertising=censorship. If you enjoy the Lifespring Family Audio Bible, decide how much value it brings to you. Only you can make that determination. Then put a number on the value and send it to me here: SUPPORT.

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STEVE WEBB – 0:00
The Lord our God, the Lord is one.

INTRO S12E299 – 0:10
Coming to you from Riverside, California, this is the Lifespring Family Audio Bible, Podcasting since 2004, I’m your OG Godcaster, Steve Webb. This is the daily show where we’re reading through the entire Bible in a year. Today’s Monday, the day we read from the Law. We’ll read Deuteronomy 4 through 6. I’ll have some comments after we read. We’ll have an On This Date in Church History, and we’ll have a time of prayer. I’m calling today’s episode, “The Unified One”. The show notes page for today’s episode is at lifespringmedia.com/s12e299. I welcome your comments. And my email address is st***@*************ia.com. Let’s begin.

DEUTERONOMY 4 (CEB) – 0:52
Deuteronomy, chapter 4. (1) Now, Israel, in light of all that, listen to the regulations and the case laws that I am teaching you to follow, so that you may live, enter, and possess the land that the LORD, your ancestors’ God, is giving you. (2) Don’t add anything to the word that I am commanding you, and don’t take anything away from it. Instead, keep the commands of the LORD your God that I am commanding all of you.

(3) You saw with your own eyes what the LORD did concerning the Baal of Peor. The LORD your God destroyed everyone who followed the Baal of Peor, (4) but all of you who stayed true to the LORD your God are alive today. (5) So pay attention! I am teaching all of you the regulations and the case laws exactly as the LORD my God commanded me. You must do these in the land you are entering to possess. (6) Keep them faithfully because that will show your wisdom and insight to the nations who will hear about all these regulations. They will say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and insightful people!” (7) After all, is there any great nation that has gods as close to it as the LORD our God is close to us whenever we call to him? (8) Or does any great nation have regulations and case laws as righteous as all this Instruction that I am setting before you today?

(9) But be on guard and watch yourselves closely so that you don’t forget the things your eyes saw and so they never leave your mind as long as you live. Teach them to your children and your grandchildren. (10) Remember that day when you stood before the LORD your God at Horeb, when the LORD said to me: “Gather the people to me. I will declare my words to them so that they will learn to fear me every day of their lives on the fertile land, and teach their children to do the same.” (11) Then you all came close and stood at the foot of the mountain. The mountain was blazing with fire up to the sky, with darkness, cloud, and thick smoke! (12) The LORD spoke to you out of the very fire itself. You heard the sound of words, but you didn’t see any form. There was only a voice. (13) The LORD declared his covenant to you, which he commanded you to do—the Ten Commandments—and wrote them on two stone tablets. (14) At that time, the LORD commanded me to teach you all the regulations and the case laws that you must keep in the land that you are entering to possess.

(15) So watch your conduct closely, because you didn’t see any form on the day the LORD spoke to you at Horeb out of the very fire itself. (16) Don’t ruin everything and make an idol for yourself: a form of any image, any likeness—male or female— (17) or any likeness whatsoever, whether of a land animal, a bird that flies in the sky, (18) an insect that crawls on the earth, or a fish that lives in the sea. (19) Don’t look to the skies, to the sun or the moon or the stars, all the heavenly bodies, and be led astray, worshipping and serving them. The LORD your God has granted these things to all the nations who live under heaven. (20) But the LORD took you and brought you out of that iron furnace, out of Egypt, so that you might be his own treasured people, which is what you are right now.

(21) The LORD was angry with me because of your deeds and swore that I couldn’t cross the Jordan River or enter the wonderful land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance. (22) I will die here in this land. I won’t cross the Jordan River. But you will, and you will take possession of that wonderful land. (23) So all of you, watch yourselves! Don’t forget the covenant that the LORD your God made with you by making an idol or an image of any kind or anything the LORD your God forbids, (24) because the LORD your God is an all-consuming fire. He is a passionate God.

(25) Once you have had children and grandchildren and have grown old on the land, if you ruin things by making an idol, in any form whatsoever, and do what is evil in the eyes of the LORD your God and anger him, (26) I call heaven and earth as my witnesses against you today: You will definitely disappear—and quickly—from the land that you are crossing over the Jordan River to possess. You won’t extend your time there but will instead be totally destroyed. (27) The LORD will scatter you among the nations. Only a very few of you will survive in the countries where the LORD will drag you. (28) There you will worship other gods, made of wood and stone by human hands—gods that cannot see, listen, eat, or smell. (29) You will seek the LORD your God from there, and you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your being. (30) In your distress, when all these things happen to you in the future, you will return to the LORD your God and you will obey his voice, (31) because the LORD your God is a compassionate God. He won’t let you go, he won’t destroy you, and he won’t forget the covenant that he swore to your ancestors.

(32) Now look into it: into days long past, before your time—all the way back to the day God first created human beings on earth, from one end of heaven to the other. Has anything this amazing ever happened? Has anything like it ever been heard of before? (33) Has any people ever listened to a god’s voice speaking out of fire, as each of you have, and survived? (34) Or has any god ever tried to take one nation out of another nation using tests, miracles, wonders, war, a strong hand and outstretched arm, or awesome power like all that the LORD your God did for you in Egypt while you watched? (35) You were shown these things so that you would know this: The LORD is the only God. There’s no other god except him. (36) From heaven he made you hear his voice in order to discipline you. On earth he showed you his great fire. You heard his words from that very fire. (37) And because he loved your ancestors and chose their descendants after them, God brought you out of Egypt with his own presence, by his own great power, (38) in order to remove larger and stronger nations from before you and bring you into their land, giving it to you as an inheritance. That’s where things stand right now. (39) Know then today and keep in mind that the LORD is the only God in heaven above or on earth below. There is no other. (40) Keep the Lord’s regulations and his commandments. I’m commanding them to you today for your well-being and for the well-being of your children after you, so that you may extend your time on the fertile land that the LORD your God is giving you forever.

(41) Then Moses set aside three cities on the eastern side of the Jordan River (42) so that anyone who killed someone accidentally and without prior hatred could flee to one of these cities and be safe: (43) Bezer in the wilderness on the plateau for the Reubenites, Ramoth in Gilead for the Gadites, and Golan in Bashan for the Manassites.

(44) Now this is the Instruction that Moses set before the Israelites. (45) These are the laws and the regulations and the case laws that Moses made to the Israelites when they came out of Egypt. (46) This took place across the Jordan River, in the valley opposite Beth-peor, in the land of Sihon the Amorite king who ruled in Heshbon, whom Moses and the Israelites defeated when they came out of Egypt. (47) They took possession of his land and the land of Og, Bashan’s king—the two Amorite kings across the Jordan River to the east— (48) from Aroer, which is on the banks of the Arnon River, all the way to Mount Sion, also known as Hermon, (49) and all the desert regions across the Jordan River, on the east, down to the Dead Sea, beneath the slopes of Mount Pisgah.

DEUTERONOMY (NIRV) – 8:27
Deuteronomy, chapter 5. (1) I sent for all the people of Israel. Here’s what I said to them,

Israel, listen to me. Here are the rules and laws I’m announcing to you today. Learn them well. Be sure to follow them. (2) The Lord our God made a covenant with us at Mount Horeb. (3) He didn’t make it only with our parents. He also made it with us. In fact, he made it with all of us who are alive here today. (4) The Lord spoke to you face to face. His voice came out of the fire on the mountain. (5) At that time I stood between the Lord and you. I announced to you the Lord’s message. I did it because you were afraid of the fire. You didn’t go up the mountain.

The Lord said,

(6) “I am the Lord your God. I brought you out of Egypt. This is the land where you were slaves.

(7) “Do not put any other gods in place of me.
(8) “Do not make statues of gods that look like anything in the sky or on the earth or in the waters. (9) Do not bow down to them or worship them. I am the Lord your God. I am a jealous God. I punish the children for the sin of their parents. I judge the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of those who hate me. (10) But for all time I come to show love to all those who love me and keep my commandments.
(11) “Do not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will find guilty anyone who misuses his name.
(12) “Observe the Sabbath day. Keep it holy just as the Lord your God commanded you. (13) Do all of your work in six days. (14) But the seventh day is a sabbath in honor of the Lord your God. Do not do any work on that day. The same command applies to your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your oxen, your donkeys and your other animals. It also applies to any outsiders who live in your cities. I want your male and female servants to rest, just as you do. (15) Remember that you were slaves in Egypt. The Lord your God reached out his mighty hand and powerful arm and brought you out of there. So he has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.
(16) “Honor your father and mother, just as the Lord your God has commanded you. Then you will live a long time in the land he is giving you. And things will go well with you there.
(17) “Do not commit murder.
(18) “Do not commit adultery.
(19) “Do not steal.
(20) “Do not give false witness against your neighbor.
(21) “Do not long for your neighbor’s wife. Do not long to have anything that belongs to your neighbor. Do not long to have your neighbor’s house or land, male or female servant, ox or donkey.”

(22) Those are the commandments the Lord announced in a loud voice to your whole community. He gave them to you there on the mountain. He spoke out of the fire, cloud and deep darkness. He didn’t add anything else. Then he wrote the commandments on two stone tablets. And he gave them to me.

(23) The mountain was blazing with fire. You heard the voice coming out of the darkness. So your elders and all the leaders of your tribes came to me. (24) You said, “The Lord our God has shown us his glory and majesty. We have heard his voice coming out of the fire. Today we have seen that a man can still stay alive even if God speaks with them. (25) But why should we die? This great fire will burn us up. We’ll die if we hear the voice of the Lord our God again. (26) We have heard the voice of the living God. We’ve heard him speaking out of the fire. Has any other human being ever heard him speak like that and stayed alive? (27) Go near and listen to everything the Lord our God says. Then tell us what he tells you. We will listen and obey.”

(28) The Lord heard you when you spoke to me. He said to me, “I have heard what these people said to you. Everything they said was good. (29) But I wish they would always have respect for me in their hearts. I wish they would always obey all my commands. Then things would go well with them and their children forever.

(30) “Go and tell them to return to their tents. (31) But you stay here with me. Then I will give you all of my commands, rules and laws. You must teach the people to follow them in the land I am giving them as their very own.”

(32) So be careful to do what the Lord your God has commanded you. Don’t turn away from his commands to the right or the left. (33) Live exactly as the Lord your God has commanded you to live. Then you will enjoy life in the land you will soon own. Things will go well with you there. You will live there for a long time.

DEUTERONOMY 6 (NKJV) – 13:03
Deuteronomy, chapter 6. (1) “Now this is the commandment, and these are the statutes and judgments which the Lord your God has commanded to teach you, that you may observe them in the land which you are crossing over to possess, (2) that you may fear the Lord your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, you and your son and your grandson, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged. (3) Therefore hear, O Israel, and be careful to observe it, that it may be well with you, and that you may multiply greatly as the Lord God of your fathers has promised you—‘a land flowing with milk and honey.’

(4) “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! (5) You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.

(6) “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. (7) You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. (8) You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. (9) You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

(10) “So it shall be, when the Lord your God brings you into the land of which He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you large and beautiful cities which you did not build, (11) houses full of all good things, which you did not fill, hewn-out wells which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant—when you have eaten and are full— (12) then beware, lest you forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. (13) You shall fear the Lord your God and serve Him, and shall take oaths in His name. (14) You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are all around you (15) (for the Lord your God is a jealous God among you), lest the anger of the Lord your God be aroused against you and destroy you from the face of the earth.

(16) “You shall not tempt the Lord your God as you tempted Him in Massah. (17) You shall diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, His testimonies, and His statutes which He has commanded you. (18) And you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord, that it may be well with you, and that you may go in and possess the good land of which the Lord swore to your fathers, (19) to cast out all your enemies from before you, as the Lord has spoken.

(20) “When your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is the meaning of the testimonies, the statutes, and the judgments which the Lord our God has commanded you?’ (21) then you shall say to your son: ‘We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand; (22) and the Lord showed signs and wonders before our eyes, great and severe, against Egypt, Pharaoh, and all his household. (23) Then He brought us out from there, that He might bring us in, to give us the land of which He swore to our fathers. (24) And the Lord commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is this day. (25) Then it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to observe all these commandments before the Lord our God, as He has commanded us.’

COMMENTS – 16:17
In chapter 6, verses 4 and 5, Moses is telling the children of Israel, the Great Commandment, the one that encompassed all the others. It’s the commandment that Jesus quoted when the Pharisees asked him, which was the greatest of all the commandments, those verses are:

(4) “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! (5) You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.”

Well, since Jesus said that this is the greatest commandment, we should understand it as clearly as possible, don’t you think?

Well, we haven’t talked about the concept of the Trinity much on the show. But this verse seems like a good place to spend a few minutes on the subject. Now many of you probably have a pretty good grasp on the idea of a Triune God, but I know there are some in the Lifespring family who are fairly new to Christianity. And this is such an important topic that I do want to at least touch on it. This won’t be an in depth word study, but more like a 30,000 foot flyover view.

Okay, so you might say, “’The Lord our God is one.’ What about Jesus and the Holy Spirit? They’re Gods, aren’t they?” No, they’re not. And what I mean by that is, they’re not separate Gods.

And this is where the idea of the Trinity comes in. Orthodox Christianity, or traditional Christianity, if you prefer, believes that God is a Trinity, that there are three distinct persons who are together, one God. Not three gods, one God.

It can be difficult to sort of get your head around this. So let’s look at the word that was used in the original language, Hebrew, for the word that we translated into English as “one”. Here in Deuteronomy 6 for the Hebrew word “echad” is used. “Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God. The Lord is ‘echad’!” “Echad” refers to a single item made up of multiple parts, it’s called, “a unified one”.

Well, are there other places in the Bible that the word “echad” is used? Yes, there is. Let’s look at a few.

The first time we see this word, “echad,” is in Genesis 1:5, the Young’s Literal Translation renders it this way, “…and there is an evening, and there is a morning–day one.” It was one day with two parts, evening and morning. “Echad” day, day one, one day.

In Genesis 2:24, we read, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh”, or “echad” flesh.

In Exodus 26:6, “And you shall make 50 clasps of gold, and couple the curtains together with the clasps, so that it may be one tabernacle.” Well, obviously, the tabernacle was made up of many parts. And here it is called, one tabernacle, “echad” tabernacle.

Listen to Ezekiel 37:15-17, “(15) Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, (16) ‘As for you, son of man, take a stick for yourself and write on it: ‘For Judah and for the children of Israel, his companions.’ Then take another stick and write on it, ‘For Judah [Joseph], the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel, his companions.’ (17) Then join them one to another for yourself into one stick, and they will become one in your hand.” Two sticks become “echad”.

So the idea of three persons in “echad” God is not foreign to Scripture.

And there is a Hebrew word, by the way, for a single item made up of one alone, that word is “yachid”. And this word is used in connection to one God exactly zero times in the Old Testament. Nowhere does the Bible say that the one God is a single entity. He is always referred to as “echad” God.

Here’s some examples of “yachid” from the Bible just so you see how it’s used.

In Genesis 2:22, we read, “He said, ‘Now take your son, your only son,’” or your “yachid” son, “’whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah and offer him there is a burnt offering on one of the mountains in which I will tell you.’”

In Judges 11:34. ”Now she was Jephthah’s one and only, “yachid”, child; besides her, he had no son or daughter.”

And one more time, Zechariah 12:10, “They will look on Me whom they have pierced. And they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only, “yachid”, son.

So I think you’re beginning to see the difference between “yachid” as one and only and “echad,” a unified one. So let’s move on.

Again, in verse 4, we read, “The Lord our God, the Lord is one!” So in the phrase, “The Lord our God”, the Hebrew word for “God”, here, is “Elohim”. Well, “Elohim” is a plural word. “El” is singular. “Elohim” is plural.

And in Genesis 1:26, we read, “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image.’” The word for God there is “Elohim”. “Then (Elohim) said, ‘Let us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.’” Let us. Our image. Our likeness. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit were all present at the creation as one God.

And at Jesus baptism, we had Jesus there being baptized. The Holy Spirit descended from heaven like a dove. And the Father spoke, saying, “This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” All three persons of the Triune God were present at the baptism of Jesus: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

We have many, many verses that teach us that God is One. And in him, there are three distinct persons.

And there are many who misunderstand or who don’t want to understand this concept, but it’s important for believers to at least trust that this is true by faith.

So what do you think? Did you find this interesting, enlightening. You have more questions about it? Let me know on the show notes page at lifespringmedia.com/s12e299. Tomorrow is History Tuesday, and we’ll read 2 Chronicles 25 through 28.

Boost, boost, boost.

300TH EPISODE MILESTONE PROMOTION – 22:44
And just a reminder, tomorrow, June 28, 2022, will mark show number 300 of this the twelfth season of the Lifespring Family Audio Bible. Now you know, I’m a big fan of the Indy 500 race. I’ve told you that. They call it the greatest spectacle in racing. Well, they call it the 500, of course, because the race is 500 miles long. The track is two and a half miles around, so they do 200 laps. This year, the average speed was 234 miles per hour, and at that speed, it took just 39 seconds to drive one lap, two and a half miles. Why am I talking about laps at the Indy 500? Well, given the fact that tomorrow will be number 300 out of 364. That’s the equivalent to having raced 165 out of 200 laps of the Indy 500. Well, given the lap times of about 39 seconds at the Indy, that means that if we were at the Indy 500, this show would only have about 23 minutes left in the race.

Well, if you’ve been listening to the show, and haven’t yet participated in value-for-value, but you’ve meant to, there’s not a lot of time left, and episode 300 is a great time to do it. Because normally a one-time donation of $500 earns a Distinguished Producer credit. But for Episode 300, you’ll learn that title for just $300. And an Executive Producer credit usually comes with a $300 donation, but for episode 300, a $130 donation will earn that Executive Producer credit. And finally it normally takes a $100 donation to earn an Associate Producer credit, but for episode 300, just a $30 donation will earn you an Associate Producer credit.

But the goodness doesn’t stop there. In addition to these credits, I’ll send you a softcover copy of my book “Webb’s Easy Bible Names Pronunciation Guide” as my thank you to every person who donates at the Associate Producer, Executive Producer or Distinguished Producer level. So when you make your donation be sure to give me your mailing address and I’ll send your copy right out to you. And the cut off time is today Monday, June 27, 2022 at 4pm Pacific time. I need to start production on episode 300 this afternoon so that I can publish it tonight at 10 o’clock Pacific. So now is the time to go to lifespringmedia.com/support and make your donation while it’s on your mind. And of course, as always, the equivalent value in satoshi will apply to these credits. And with the volatility of Bitcoin these days, what I’ll do is use the value as of the cutoff time plus or minus 5%. Of course, you can boost the sats using a Podcasting 2.0 app that you’ll find at newpodcastapps.com. And there’s also a widget on the support page if you don’t want to use one of those apps.

ON THIS DATE IN CHURCH HISTORY – 25:39
On this date in church history, June 27, 1736, as a member of the Holy Club, to which John and Charles Wesley also belonged, future English revivalist George Whitefield preached his first sermon at the age of 21. Whitefield went on to preach thousands more sermons and became a force in colonial America’s Great Awakening.

CLOSING PRAYER – 26:09
Let’s pray. Our heavenly Father when the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, he taught us to address the father when we pray, but we understand that God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And when we pray, we pray in Jesus name. And the Holy Spirit helps us as we pray. Lord, even in prayer, you’re so lavishly giving and gracious far beyond what we deserve. I’ve prayed many, many times that you would give us a thirst for your word and a desire to know you better.

And now I ask that you would help us to be better and more committed people of prayer. Because in prayer, we do learn more about you and we become more aligned with your will. Since Jesus spent so much time in prayer, how much more time should we spend? I know, Lord, that I don’t spend as much time as I should in prayer. And I ask you now to forgive me in Jesus name. I will try to do better Lord, and I ask that you help me. I thank you for the Lifespring family, Lord. Please use this humble podcast to bring each one closer to you. I pray that the time they spend listening here would be given back to them multiplied many times over. Be with each of us today I pray in Jesus name. Amen.

If you have a prayer request, if you have a praise, go to prayer.lifespringmedia.com.

OUTRO S12E299 – 27:30
Comment on the show at lifespringmedia.com/s12e299. Send an email to me at st***@*************ia.com. Thanks to the team Kirsty, Sean of San Pedro and Denise. Thank you for inviting me into your life today. It is a privilege and it is a joy.

Support the show at lifespringmedia.com/support. Tomorrow is show number 300. If you receive value from the show, if you believe that the Lifespring Family Audio Bible is filling a need, if you’re glad it’s here, ask the Lord what he would have you do to support it, and then go to lifespringmedia.com/support.

Until tomorrow, may God bless you richly. My name is Steve Webb.

Bye.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai
Corrected by Denise

Transcript

Today is Epistles Sunday. We’ll read James 1-3. I’m calling today’s episode “Does It Show?.“  

James was a brother, or more correctly, half-brother of Jesus, though he was not a believer until after the resurrection, but he became known as a pillar of the early church.

After James writes his greeting, he immediately launches into the subject of dealing with difficulties. The Jews, believers in Jesus and otherwise, had been scattered, and under all sorts of persecutions.

James wanted them to know that hard times are meant to grow our faith.

There is no doubt that difficulties arise in every life. James wants us to see that God can and does use those times for our benefit. Don’t let anyone tell you that you must’ve done something wrong if you’re going through the fire.

And then he goes on to say that just hearing the scriptures is not enough. Don’t think that by going to church or reading the Bible, or listening to this podcast for that matter, is enough to make you righteous. You must act on what you hear. The Word has to make a difference in your life. You must take action on what you hear.

Then in the next chapter he talks about valuing some people over others, and how that is not what we should do. Each person has value, whether rich or poor, important in the eyes of men or insignificant. In God’s eyes, we are all the same. There are no celebrities in Heaven. 

James 2:14-20 has caused a lot of controversy over the years, but in my mind it is quite clear. The message is this: if you say you love God, but your life doesn’t show it, you are fooling yourself. To expand on that thought, if I love God, I am going to just naturally begin to do things that show the love of God. I don’t do those things to gain God’s favor, and I don’t do them to earn points in Heaven. I do them because He has changed who I am. If I am the same person I have always been, then I have not truly met Jesus, and I am still lost.

The example James gives is that of Abraham. He said he had faith, but until he showed that he was willing to sacrifice his son, Isaac, his faith was incomplete. It was only when he raised the knife to sacrifice his son that God pronounced him complete. And then, as James quoted from the Old Testament, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” And James said that Abraham was called the friend of God.

Now, don’t misunderstand. We are saved by faith alone. There is nothing we can do to earn any part of our salvation. Zero. Nada. Nothing. But unless my faith results in a changed life, it is worthless, because a true faith in God fills us with the Holy Spirit, who brings about the fruit of the spirit that was talked about by Paul in Galatians 5:22 and 23: … love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control…

Fruit just naturally grows on the tree, right? The apple tree doesn’t have to *try* to grow apples, it just does. Same with the fruit of the Spirit. If you have truly become a new person by yielding yourself to Jesus, then these things will become evident in your life. Is there a change in your life? Does it show? 

James wrote about how powerful the tongue is. He was referring to the actual spoken word, of course. But I think it would be safe here in the 21st century to expand the thought to what we say on the internet. On Facebook, Twitter and any other of the social media. 

Have you ever seen a post or comment on Facebook that ignited a firestorm of nasty responses? Probably so. Did anything good come of it? Probably not. 

Friends, if we are representatives of Jesus, we need to be aware of the words we use, both online and in the real world. People are watching and listening. I would much rather hold my tongue or step away from the keyboard than bring shame to Jesus’ name or break a friendship with someone who needs the Lord. I don’t want what I say online to negate my credibility as a believer or cancel any future discussion with someone that might otherwise ask to know more about how to have a relationship with God.

Scripture says that they will know we are His by the love we have for one another. Let’s be sure that when we are online we leave no doubt in anyone’s mind that we are His.

And if you find that social media elevates your blood pressure whenever you sign on, consider taking a break from it. Or completely close your account. Social media is an addiction for some people, and it can be harmful to your mental and emotional health. I closed my FB, Twitter and Instagram accounts several months ago, and I do not miss them. The first few days were a little strange, not checking my timelines, but now, I don’t miss them at all.

Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 1-2 NLT; Ch. 3 CEV

This a value for value podcast. There are no advertisers because advertising=censorship. If you enjoy the Lifespring Family Audio Bible, decide how much value it brings to you. Only you can make that determination. Then put a number on the value and send it to me here: SUPPORT.

Download .txt file.

Steve Webb 0:00
There are no celebrities in heaven

Steve Webb 0:10
Coming to you from Riverside, California, this is the Lifespring family Audio Bible podcasting since 2004. I’m your OG God caster Steve Webb. This is the daily show where we’re reading through the entire Bible in a year in today’s epistle Sunday, we’re going to begin the book of James by reading the first three chapters. I’m calling today’s episode, does it show the show notes page for today’s episode? Is it Lifespring media.com/s 12 e 298. My email address is Steve at Lifespring media.com. Let’s begin.

Steve Webb 0:42
James chapter one. This letter is from James a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. I am writing to the 12 tribes, Jewish believers scattered abroad. Greetings, dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way. Consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete needing nothing. If you need wisdom, ask our generous God and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world. And they are unstable in everything they do. Believers who are poor have something to boast about, for God has honored them. And those who are rich should boast that God has humbled them, they will fade away like a little flower in the field. The hot sun rises and the grass withers, the little flower drops and falls and its beauty fades away. In the same way the rich will fade away with all of their achievements. God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him. And remember, when you’re being tempted, do not say God is tempting me. God is never tempted to do wrong and he never tempts anyone else. temptation comes from our own desires which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death. So don’t be misled. My dear brothers and sisters, whatever is good imperfect is a gift coming down to us from God, our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens, he never changes or casts a shifting shadow. He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we out of all creation became his prized possession. Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters, you must all be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to get angry. human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts for it has the power to save your souls. But don’t just listen to God’s Word, you must do what it says. Otherwise, you’re only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey. It is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself walk away and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it. If you claim to be religious, but don’t control your tongue, you’re fooling yourself and your religion is worthless, pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress, and refusing to let the world corrupt you

Steve Webb 4:01
James chapter two. My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others? For example, suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who was poor and dressed in dirty clothes. If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, you can stand over there or else sit on the floor. Well, doesn’t this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives? Listen to me, do your brothers and sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the kingdom he promised to those who love Him? But you dishonor the poor? Isn’t it the ritual opposes you and drags you into court? Aren’t they the ones who slandered Jesus Christ, whose noble name you bear? Yes, indeed. It is good when you obey the royal laws. round in the scriptures, love your neighbor as yourself. But if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin, you are guilty of breaking the law. For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws. For the same God who said, You must not commit adultery, also said you must not murder. So if you murder someone, but do not commit adultery, you have still broken the law. So whatever you say, or whatever you do, remember that you will be judged by the law that sets you free, there will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you. What good is it dear brothers and sisters? If you say you have faith, but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing and you say goodbye and have a good day, stay warm and eat well, but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. Now someone may argue, some people have faith, others have good deeds. But I say, how can you show me your faith? If you don’t have good deeds, I will show you my faith by my good deeds. You say you have faith, or you believe that there is one God good for you. Even the demons believe this and they tremble in terror. How foolish? Can’t you see their faith without good deeds is useless? Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar. You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete. And so it happened just as the Scriptures say, Abraham believed God and God counted him as righteous because of his faith. He was even called the friend of God. So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do not by faith alone. Rahab the prostitute is another example. She was shown to be right with God by our actions when she hid those messengers and sent them safely away by a different road. Just as the body is dead without breath. So also faith is dead without good works.

Steve Webb 7:26
James chapter three. My friends, we should not all try to become teachers. In fact, teachers will be judged more strictly than others. All of us do many wrong things. But if you can control your tongue, you are mature and able to control your whole body. By putting a bid into the mouth of a horse, we can turn the horse in different directions. It takes strong winds to move a large sailing ship, but the captain uses only a small rudder to make it go in any direction. Our tongues are small too, and yet they brag about big things. It takes only a spark To start a forest fire. The tongue is like a spark. It is an evil power that dirties the rest of the body, and sets a person’s entire life on fire with flames that come from hell itself. All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures can be tamed and have been tamed what our tongues get out of control. They are restless and evil and always spreading deadly poison. My dear friends with our tongues we speak both praises and curses. We praise our Lord and Father and we curse people who were created to be like God in this isn’t right. Can clean water and dirty water both flow from the same spring? Can a fig tree produce olives? Or a great fine produce fangs? Does freshwater come from a well full of saltwater? Are any of you wise or sensible? Then show it by living right and by being humble and wise in everything you do. But if your heart is full of bitter jealousy and selfishness, don’t brag or lie to cover up the truth. This kind of wisdom doesn’t come from above. It is earthly and selfish and comes from the devil himself. Whenever people are jealous or selfish, they cause trouble and do all sorts of cruel things. But the wisdom that comes from above leads us to be pure, friendly, gentle, sensible, kind, helpful, genuine and sincere. When peacemakers plant seeds of peace, they will harvest justice. James was a brother or more correctly, a half brother of Jesus, though he was not a believer until after the resurrection, but he went on to become known as a pillar of the early church.

Steve Webb 9:40
So here in the book that bears his name, after he writes his greeting, he immediately launches into the subject of dealing with difficulties. The Jews, believers in Jesus and otherwise had been scattered in under all sorts of persecutions. And James wanted them to know that hard times are meant to grow our faith. Obviously we know The difficulties arise in every life. And James wants us to see that God can and does use those times for our benefit. Don’t ever let anybody tell you that you must have done something wrong if you’re going through the fire. And then James goes on to say that just hearing the scriptures is not enough. Don’t think that by going to church or reading the Bible, or listening to this humble podcast, for that matter is enough to make you righteous, you have to act on what you hear, God’s word has to make a difference in your life, you have to take action on what you hear. And then in chapter two, James talks about valuing some people over others and that that’s not what we should do. Every person has value, whether they’re rich or poor, important in the eyes of men or insignificant in God’s eyes, we’re all the same. There are no celebrities in heaven, in verses 14 through 20, in the second chapter, have caused a lot of controversy over the years. But really, in my mind, it’s pretty clear. The message is this. If you say you love God, but your life doesn’t show it, you’re fooling yourself. Now listen, if I love God, I’m going to just naturally begin to do things that show the love of God. I don’t do those things to gain God’s favor, and I don’t do them to earn points in heaven, I do them because he has changed who I am. If I’m the same person, I’ve always been, and I’ve not truly met Jesus, and I’m still lost. The example James gives is that of Abraham, he said he had faith. But until he showed that he was willing to sacrifice his son, Isaac, his faith was incomplete. It was only when he raised the knife to sacrifice his son that God pronounced him complete. And then as James quoted from the Old Testament, Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith. And James said that Abraham was called the friend of God. Now don’t misunderstand. We are saved by faith alone, there is nothing we can do to earn any part of our salvation, nothing. But unless my faith results in a changed life. It’s worthless, because a true faith in God fills us with the Holy Spirit, who brings about the fruit of the Spirit that was talked about by Paul, in Galatians, 522 and 23. You know that list? Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. Fruit just naturally grows on a tree, right? The apple tree doesn’t have to try to grow apples, it just grows apples. It’s the same with the fruit of the Spirit. If you have truly become a new person, by yielding yourself to Jesus, then these things will become evident in your life. Is there a change in your life? Does it show and then in chapter three, James wrote about how powerful the tongue is, he was referring to the actual spoken word, of course, but I think it would be safe here in the 21st century, to expand that thought to what we say on the internet, on Facebook, Twitter, and many of the other social media that’s out there. Now. I’m sure you’ve seen a comment or a post on Facebook or whatever that’s ignited a firestorm of nasty responses. Right. Well, let me ask you a question. Did anything good come of it? Probably not. Beloved, we as believers are representatives of Jesus, right. And since we are we need to be aware of the words we use both online and in the real world. People are watching and people are listening. So I would much rather hold my tongue or step away from the keyboard, then bring shame to Jesus name or break a relationship with someone who needs the Lord. I don’t want what I say online to negate my credibility as a believer or cancel any future discussion with someone that might otherwise ask to know more about how to have a relationship with God. Scripture says that they will know we are his by the love we have for one another. So let’s be sure that when we’re online, we leave no doubt in anyone’s mind that we’re his. And one more thing if you find that social media elevates your blood pressure whenever you sign on, consider taking a break from it or completely close your account. Social media can be an addiction for some people, and it can be harmful to your mental and emotional health. I close my Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts well over a year ago and I don’t miss them. The first few days were a little strange, not checking my timelines, but now I don’t miss them at all. So what do you think? Let me know in the show notes page at Lifespring media.com/s 12 e 298. Tomorrow being Monday we’ll be back in the book of Deuteronomy. We’ll read chapters four through six.

Steve Webb 14:57
On this date in church history, June 26, 1839 Scottish clergyman and missionary Robert Murray McShane wrote in a letter joy is increased by spreading it to others. I like that. And on this date June 26 1968. The Wesleyan Church, which is a non charismatic American holiness denomination was formed by the union of the Wesleyan Methodist Church, which was organized in 1843. And the pilgrim Holiness Church, which began as the International holiness union and prayer league in 1897. Now see, I thought the Wesleyan Church was around a lot longer than that. June 26 1968. What do you know?

Steve Webb 15:45
Just a quick reminder that this coming Tuesday June 28, will mark show number 300. After that, there’s only 64 episodes left to mark episode 300. We’re having a little promotion. Normally, a one time donation of $300 would earn an executive producer credit but for this episode, you’ll receive a distinguished producer credit with your $300 donation, and a $130 donation will earn an executive producer credit and a $30 donation and just $30 will earn an associate producer credit. But wait, there’s more. In addition to these credits, I’ll send you a softcover copy of my book web Zizi Bible names pronunciation guide is my thank you to every person who donates at the associate producer, executive producer or distinguished producer level. When you make your donation please be sure to give me your mailing address so I can send your copyright out to you. Cut off time is Monday, June 27 2022 at 4pm Pacific that’ll give me just enough time to get the episode produced for you and have it up by 10 o’clock Pacific that night. So come on in the water’s fine. Get yourself a special distinguished producer, executive producer or associate producer ship and a copy of my book webs easy Bible names pronunciation guide, just go to Lifespring media.com/support to make your donation

Steve Webb 17:11
Let’s pray. Our Heavenly Father we thank you so much for your word and specifically today, Lord for the writings of James, thank you for the reminder that our lives must show that we are yours and that you’re doing a work in us. Make us Lord evermore receptive to the changes that the Holy Spirit asks of us. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen. If you have a prayer request or a praise, go to prayer dot Lifespring media.com.

Steve Webb 17:42
Comment on the show at Lifespring media.com/s 12 e 298. Email me at Steve at Lifespring media.com Thank you for inviting me into your life today. I always enjoy our time together thanks to the team Kirsty Sean of San Pedro and Denise and until tomorrow. May God bless you richly. My name is Steve Webb. Bye

Transcribed by https://otter.ai
Corrected by Denise