The Jewish roots of Christianity

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Bible teaching with an emphasis on Israel, prophecy and the Jewish roots of Christianity

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Episode: “That You Might Know”
Dr. Jeffrey Seif examines particular pieces of prophecy, noting Judah’s painful downfall, and God’s everlasting mercy through His promise to gather and rebuild Israel—something that is happening today. (Ezekiel 3 and 16)
Series: “Ezekiel and the MidEast “Piece” Process (2023)”
Dr. Jeffrey Seif, David, and Kirsten take viewers into one of the Bible’s most mysterious and fascinating books. Ezekiel prophesies Israel’s re-emergence as a nation-state at “day’s end,” and also warns that neighboring nation-states will marshal military resources as they seek to annihilate the fledgling state.

Caption transcript for Ezekiel and the MidEast ‘Piece’ Process (2023): “That You Might Know” (3/8)

  • 00:01 David Hart: Shalom. Hello again. Have you ever heard the phrase "Somebody's
  • 00:06 got too big for their britches"? On today's program, that someone was
  • 00:08 the southern kingdom of Judah.
  • 00:10 Find out how the Lord responded, right now, on "Our Jewish
  • 00:13 Roots," with Bible teaching by Dr. Jeffrey Seif.
  • 00:18 ♪♪♪
  • 00:23 male voice: We will go.
  • 00:25 male narrator: "The Lord said unto Ezekiel,
  • 00:28 'Son of man, can these bones live?
  • 00:37 Prophesy upon these bones and say unto them, "O ye
  • 00:42 dry bones, hear the word of the Lord."'"
  • 00:45 ♪♪♪
  • 00:55 ♪♪♪
  • 01:05 ♪♪♪
  • 01:12 narrator: "Ezekiel and the MidEast Piece Process."
  • 01:16 ♪♪♪
  • 01:20 David: We are glad you've joined us today.
  • 01:21 I am David Hart.
  • 01:22 Kirsten Hart: I'm Kirsten Hart.
  • 01:24 Dr. Jeffrey Seif: I am Jeffrey Seif, and I hope
  • 01:27 you'll be glad you joined us today.
  • 01:28 It's a tough story, but it's in the
  • 01:30 book, so we have to take a look.
  • 01:33 Kirsten: We don't like tough stories.
  • 01:35 We don't.
  • 01:36 It's hard to hear, like, how wretched some people are and how
  • 01:39 deep the sin is, and we want flowers
  • 01:42 and rainbows and happiness in a restored world,
  • 01:44 but we don't like to hear the reality.
  • 01:47 Dr. Jeffrey Seif: Right, and there's a tough story to tell
  • 01:50 here, but if you're raising kids, discipline goes with the
  • 01:53 program, and this is a tough stretch of highway here.
  • 01:57 We're gonna get to it.
  • 01:58 We're gonna get through it.
  • 02:00 In fact, let's go there now.
  • 02:05 narrator: It had become like a lewd marketplace.
  • 02:08 Once a homeless orphan, Israel had become a glorious nation.
  • 02:12 She had been faithful to the Lord, but like a wayward wife,
  • 02:16 Jerusalem had forgotten her true love.
  • 02:19 She was now fornicating with foreign gods, "like a harlot who
  • 02:23 poureth out fornications on everyone that passeth by."
  • 02:27 "And the Lord said unto Ezekiel, 'Cause
  • 02:29 Jerusalem to know her abominations.
  • 02:32 Wherefore, O harlot, hear the word of the Lord.
  • 02:35 They shall bring up a company against thee, and
  • 02:38 they shall stone thee with stones, and
  • 02:40 thrust thee through with their swords.
  • 02:42 So will I make my fury toward thee to rest, and I will be
  • 02:47 quiet, and will no more be angry."
  • 02:50 ♪♪♪
  • 02:54 Dr. Jeffrey Seif: The Ezekiel texts are just rife with
  • 02:57 visions, and here he envisions a story, a fascinating story, a
  • 03:02 scary story, a story about a girl gone bad.
  • 03:06 I want you to look in your Bibles,
  • 03:08 please, to the 16th chapter of Ezekiel.
  • 03:11 You go ahead and read it in your version.
  • 03:13 I'll give it you in mine.
  • 03:15 [speaking in Hebrew]
  • 03:19 "And the word of the Lord came to me, saying--"
  • 03:23 [speaking in Hebrew]
  • 03:25 "Son of man--"
  • 03:27 [speaking in Hebrew]
  • 03:32 "Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations."
  • 03:39 For centuries Judah was on a downward spiral, and as a result
  • 03:44 of Judah's perfidy, her faithlessness, judgment was
  • 03:49 mandated at a point in time out there in the future, given that
  • 03:53 she was recalcitrant, that is, she refused to correct herself.
  • 03:57 She was stiff-necked. She refused to bow.
  • 04:01 She refused to be corrected, and so
  • 04:03 she was going to be imposed upon.
  • 04:06 But the story is told here, and I, frankly, think it's one of
  • 04:09 the most shocking stories in the biblical narrative, played out
  • 04:13 against the backdrop of a little girl, an unwanted
  • 04:15 little girl, thrown out on an open field.
  • 04:20 So disinterested in her was the family, they
  • 04:22 didn't bother to wash her and clean her.
  • 04:24 They just saw her and threw her
  • 04:25 away, and there she was in a dump.
  • 04:28 And then we're told that a man of means passed by, who had pity
  • 04:32 on her, on the one who no other eye would pity,
  • 04:36 this unfortunate little girl, and he took her in.
  • 04:40 He washed her.
  • 04:41 He took care of her, raised her up, gave her the best of
  • 04:43 everything as a daughter, and then she came of age, and he
  • 04:47 fell in love with her, and she came under his protection.
  • 04:52 The net result is that she who was born in a dump became a
  • 04:56 queen, and she enjoyed a privileged
  • 04:58 status in a place comparable to this.
  • 05:02 Ruins like this are found all over the
  • 05:04 Holy Land, hundreds and thousands.
  • 05:07 The Antiquities Department isn't able to keep touch.
  • 05:09 Can't keep track.
  • 05:10 Can't dig it all up, but the stories amongst the felled
  • 05:13 stones of lives lived in this place and others like it, and
  • 05:18 once upon a time, in a rather privileged place, there was a
  • 05:21 woman brought into that world, but then she went bad.
  • 05:25 We're told this girl grew up and became
  • 05:28 beautiful, and she knew it.
  • 05:30 That was her problem. She knew it.
  • 05:33 And we're told in verse 14, I want you to look at this, that
  • 05:38 "Her renown went forth among the nations her beauty."
  • 05:42 She was Miss Universe.
  • 05:44 "For it was perfect through My splendor which I put upon thee."
  • 05:49 In other words, the Lord doted on her and raised her up, and
  • 05:51 that contributes to why she was so gorgeous, but she knew it.
  • 05:56 She was overly invested in it, and we're told in verse 15,
  • 06:00 tragically, "But you trusted in your own beauty, and you played
  • 06:04 the harlot because of your renown, and you poured
  • 06:07 out your harlotries on every stranger."
  • 06:11 There's a story here of a woman who spurns her noble husband.
  • 06:16 She's driven by desire for sex.
  • 06:19 She's driven by a spirit of harlotry.
  • 06:22 She wants more, and she wants more, and she wants more.
  • 06:25 And the irony of it is amazing because God had
  • 06:29 blessed her so much, and the fact that she
  • 06:31 spurned him was particularly egregious.
  • 06:35 Now, remember the background of this story, "Thus saith the
  • 06:38 Lord, 'Cause Jerusalem to know her abominations.'
  • 06:43 'For Jerusalem,' says Ezekiel, 'you are the woman.'"
  • 06:51 narrator: "And the spirit said unto Ezekiel, 'Behold, they
  • 06:55 shall put bands upon thee, and shall bind thee with them, and
  • 07:00 thou shalt not go out among them.
  • 07:02 And I will make thy tongue cleave to the roof of thy mouth,
  • 07:06 for they are a rebellious house.'"
  • 07:09 ♪♪♪
  • 07:15 Dr. Jeffrey Seif: I'm sure that he was perplexed,
  • 07:18 at one level, Ezekiel, what to do.
  • 07:20 He was so stirred up inside, because things were
  • 07:23 so bad, he wanted to say somethin'.
  • 07:25 You ever been that way as a parent?
  • 07:26 There's a child he wanted reprove.
  • 07:28 Should you talk to them, or shouldn't you?
  • 07:30 That is the question.
  • 07:31 Sometimes we can have problems with
  • 07:33 people in our webs of relationships.
  • 07:34 A child, a spouse, an employer, a subordinate,
  • 07:38 whatever, and "to speak" or "not to speak"?
  • 07:40 That is the question. Ezekiel was a prophet.
  • 07:43 And the word "prophet," "navi," means, in effect, "to speak
  • 07:46 forth," but sometimes, the word for the prophet is to be silent.
  • 07:50 The reason why I say that is, earlier on, in the Ezekiel text,
  • 07:54 in the 3rd chapter, Ezekiel is taken at the
  • 07:58 beginning of his ministry, and he's taken into
  • 08:00 his home, where he's bound up with ropes.
  • 08:03 He's tied up. What a drama.
  • 08:06 And not only is his body tied up,
  • 08:08 but, in fact, his mouth is tied up.
  • 08:10 We're told in chapter 3, verse 26, that he's going to be dumb,
  • 08:14 his mouth tied up as is his body until such time as the Lord
  • 08:18 says, "This is the time, the time to speak,"
  • 08:22 and then you have in verse 27, "I'll open
  • 08:24 your mouth and tell you what to say."
  • 08:26 And what did he tell him to say?
  • 08:29 It's not a happy word, at one level, because, as has been
  • 08:34 considered already, Ezekiel was very confrontational.
  • 08:40 In the 16th chapter, he paints a picture of a world gone bad,
  • 08:45 this analogy of a little girl who corrupted herself.
  • 08:49 She had everything, but she came to ruin.
  • 08:52 And we can hear the prophet speak.
  • 08:55 Actually, we can hear the Lord speak if ya look in 16 of verse
  • 08:59 35, and it's tragic what we're going to hear, first, in my
  • 09:04 translation, [speaking in Hebrew]
  • 09:10 "Wherefore, O harlot, hear the word of the Lord."
  • 09:15 Think of that for a minute.
  • 09:17 For someone to speak to their wife, their beloved, and look
  • 09:21 'em straight in the eye and say, "Hear, O harlot."
  • 09:27 It's a hard word, but these are hard times, and this woman has
  • 09:31 been hardened with the passage of time as she spurned the Lord
  • 09:35 her God and given her affections to others.
  • 09:38 And what's going to become of all of that?
  • 09:40 Well, this gets bad.
  • 09:42 I need to warn you, in verse 37, he says, "All your lovers, I
  • 09:45 will gather against thee, and they'll uncover your nakedness,
  • 09:50 that they may see your nakedness."
  • 09:53 And then he says in verse 39, "I'll give you into their hand.
  • 09:55 They'll throw you down.
  • 09:58 They'll strip you of your clothes."
  • 09:59 I mean, this goes bad.
  • 10:01 She'll be robbed. Her jewels will be plundered.
  • 10:04 They'll leave her naked and bare.
  • 10:06 They'll bring an assembly against her.
  • 10:08 They'll stone her. This is horrible.
  • 10:11 She made friends with these people,
  • 10:13 and then she is betrayed by them.
  • 10:18 And so it is that the Lord does just that.
  • 10:23 Ezekiel tells a story of God's confronting
  • 10:27 his people with their waywardness.
  • 10:30 That's the bad news.
  • 10:31 The good news is that there is a restoration motif, but before
  • 10:35 the good news gets good, the bad news get bad.
  • 10:41 And mindful of that, can I speak to you frankly?
  • 10:44 If there's someone within the sound of my voice that has
  • 10:47 wandered away from God, you're not living right, can I
  • 10:51 encourage you, as Ezekiel's encouraging them, to fix that?
  • 10:56 I believe that the opportunity of a lifetime should be seized
  • 10:58 within the lifetime of the opportunity, and if there's any
  • 11:02 kind of conviction, anything welling within you, why don't
  • 11:05 you reach up to God and get down on your knees and repent of your
  • 11:10 sins and reach up to him for a better world?
  • 11:13 And I want you to know that there's a better
  • 11:14 world that'll dawn over that horizon.
  • 11:17 But, of course, the decision is up to you.
  • 11:20 Here, the prophet is draconian. He's harsh.
  • 11:24 He's in your face, and he doesn't do that
  • 11:27 because he's in a particularly bad mood.
  • 11:29 He does it because, when people are hard-hearted, when they're
  • 11:32 stubborn, when they're hardened by sin, it's hard to penetrate,
  • 11:38 and so here, under the inspiration of the Ruach
  • 11:41 HaKodesh, the Holy Spirit, Ezekiel is working up a story,
  • 11:46 hoping to get past the desensitized manner of his
  • 11:50 constituents, but it was to no avail.
  • 11:52 At the end of the day, they didn't listen, and so it is, the
  • 11:55 engines of destructions rolled on, not to be averted.
  • 11:59 There wasn't repentance, and so it is, Israel came to ruin.
  • 12:04 That's the bad news, but there's a good news
  • 12:07 on the other end of the sentence.
  • 12:09 ♪♪♪
  • 12:15 David: Our resource this week, "The Mountains of Israel,"
  • 12:18 complete with eye-opening quotes from 18th and 19th century
  • 12:22 witnesses, maps, illustrations, charts, and references.
  • 12:27 This book provides the biblical point of view and refreshing
  • 12:30 perspective on the Arab-Israeli conflict.
  • 12:33 When you contact us, ask for our free monthly
  • 12:35 newsletter, the "Levitt Letter," which is full
  • 12:38 of insightful articles and news commentary.
  • 12:41 Call 1-800-WONDERS, or visit us at levitt.com.
  • 12:46 David: "Our Jewish Roots" is more
  • 12:47 than just a television program.
  • 12:49 See what you are missing on our social media outlets.
  • 12:53 Kirsten: On Facebook and Twitter, you'll find our "Daily
  • 12:55 Name of God" devotional, current news articles,
  • 12:59 the "Bearded Bible Brothers," and more.
  • 13:02 David: On our YouTube channel, you'll find
  • 13:04 faith foundations, music, interviews,
  • 13:08 the "Bearded Bible Brothers," and more.
  • 13:11 Kirsten: Or find everything on our website, levitt.com.
  • 13:14 David: We invite you to keep in touch
  • 13:15 and join us on social media.
  • 13:20 David: We would love for you to join us on a tour to Israel.
  • 13:23 It's life changing.
  • 13:24 I know we say it every week, but it has changed our lives, being
  • 13:28 able to go, and it will change your life.
  • 13:30 We have friends who have said, "I don't think there's any way
  • 13:34 financially that I'd be able to go to Israel."
  • 13:37 And what we say to them is "Pray about it and see if maybe God
  • 13:41 would open a door," and we've seen that happen.
  • 13:44 Miracles happen for people that go to Israel.
  • 13:46 We go in the fall and the spring.
  • 13:48 We would love for you to have a life-changing experience.
  • 13:51 Go with us.
  • 13:53 Kirsten: I would just--when you were saying that, I was
  • 13:54 thinking about the fact that you don't have to
  • 13:57 put all your money up front for tour.
  • 13:59 You can make payments, and it's so much easier
  • 14:03 that way, and our office will work with you.
  • 14:06 We have worked with people for decades.
  • 14:09 We will make that possible for you, so don't
  • 14:12 think it's too much in this lump sum.
  • 14:14 It'll work, and God calls his people to Israel.
  • 14:17 God also calls his people, I believe, to support
  • 14:20 ministries that love the land of Israel.
  • 14:24 We do here, and if you have been blessed or touched or have grown
  • 14:30 from what we have brought to you through "Our Jewish Roots," we
  • 14:33 would ask you to start supporting our program, and we
  • 14:37 can continue on showing the heart of Christianity
  • 14:42 through Jewish eyes is what we do here.
  • 14:45 And we also bring to life Bible stories, and this is, kind of,
  • 14:50 so interesting, the life of Ezekiel is very
  • 14:52 different than what God called him to do.
  • 14:55 Watch as God not tells Ezekiel to speak something but, rather,
  • 14:59 give a very interesting object lesson.
  • 15:02 Here's Ezekiel.
  • 15:04 ♪♪♪
  • 15:08 narrator: The Lord had dire warnings
  • 15:10 for his contemptuous people.
  • 15:13 "Lie thou upon thy left side for 390 days," he says to Ezekiel.
  • 15:19 Facing north in this position was symbolic of God's judgment
  • 15:23 on the northern kingdom of Israel.
  • 15:26 Ezekiel is then told to lie on his right side, facing Judah:
  • 15:31 "Thou shall bear the iniquities of Judah 40 days.
  • 15:34 I have appointed thee each day for a year."
  • 15:41 Dr. Jeffrey Seif: In Ezekiel chapter 16, verse 59, the Lord
  • 15:46 says, quote, "I will even deal with thee as thou has done, who
  • 15:51 hast despised the oath in breaking the covenant."
  • 15:54 God says, "Hey, listen, you screwed up.
  • 15:56 Well, I'm going to deal with you.
  • 15:59 Inasmuch as you've messed up,
  • 16:01 I'm going to mess you up a little bit."
  • 16:03 There's a Jewish expression, "Measure for measure.
  • 16:06 You sowed it, you reap it."
  • 16:09 God represents himself this way but not just this way.
  • 16:13 Inasmuch as we know that he was given toward disciplining Judah,
  • 16:17 a major piece in the puzzle, in the puzzling way that God deals
  • 16:22 with humanity generally and with Judah, particularly interesting
  • 16:27 is the fact that, though they have messed up, God's mercy is
  • 16:31 going to get the better of his judgment.
  • 16:33 He says in verse 60--and this is such good news.
  • 16:36 I've been waiting this whole program, program number three,
  • 16:39 to get to this, "Nevertheless I will remember my covenant with
  • 16:44 you in the days of your youth, and I will establish
  • 16:47 unto thee an everlasting covenant."
  • 16:50 You know, God disciplines, but he doesn't throw out.
  • 16:52 The discipline is something that's due children, and it's
  • 16:56 meant for a moral and spiritual development.
  • 16:59 It's not reflective of wanting to abandon us outright.
  • 17:02 Remember that this little girl was abandoned
  • 17:04 initially, and God wanted to bring her in.
  • 17:07 God finds us as castaways in so many ways, and what he wants to
  • 17:11 do is bring us into his family and make us part of his bride.
  • 17:16 It's a story that's initiated here in the Old Testament, and
  • 17:20 then it bleeds over into the New Testament as well.
  • 17:22 It's throughout the literature.
  • 17:24 God wants to bring us into his world.
  • 17:26 Sins notwithstanding, here, we have an offer on the table.
  • 17:30 God says, "Listen, I wanna bring you in.
  • 17:32 Nevertheless, though, I'm mindful of your sinfulness.
  • 17:36 I won't forever charge that against your account."
  • 17:39 He says in verse 62, "I will establish My
  • 17:43 covenant with you," and he'll do it afresh.
  • 17:47 "And you'll know that I am the Lord."
  • 17:50 Actually, the expression, "that you might know that I am the
  • 17:52 Lord," is employed some 90 times in the Ezekiel story.
  • 17:57 God, he disciplines the nation.
  • 18:00 When you look at the Ezekiel text, we learn they are of God's
  • 18:02 judgment upon Judah, God's judgment upon the nation states
  • 18:06 around Judah, but that's another story.
  • 18:09 And even though God's judgment will be brought to bear, his
  • 18:12 mercies will come at the end of days.
  • 18:14 And here, he says, "Guys, I'm gonna let it all loose."
  • 18:17 That is to say, "These armies are gonna
  • 18:18 come upon you," and it's been rather harsh.
  • 18:21 He's disciplined this faithless bride, but he says, you know, in
  • 18:25 the middle of all that or after all that, "I'm gonna remember,
  • 18:28 at the end of the day how much I loved you when it all began."
  • 18:32 And the kinder side of his nature, his wanting to be kindly
  • 18:36 disposed toward her, will get the better of his angst over her
  • 18:40 poor performance, and that's a great story, not just for Jews,
  • 18:44 but it's a story for all of you.
  • 18:46 It's an eternal story that needs to be told
  • 18:49 door to door, generation to generation.
  • 18:52 It's a story of, though we fail, there's a God with unfailing
  • 18:56 love, and that is such good news because, if you're like me,
  • 19:00 we're confronted with our daily trespasses.
  • 19:03 You know, the Lord said, "Forgive us our daily trespass
  • 19:06 inasmuch as we will forgive those who trespass against us."
  • 19:10 The whole forgiveness, a motif, is important.
  • 19:14 I know people think that that just began in
  • 19:15 the New Testament economy, but not so.
  • 19:17 There's a glorious story here of God's plan for Israel.
  • 19:22 He found her as a castaway.
  • 19:23 He's not going to cast her away.
  • 19:25 Yes, she will be disciplined.
  • 19:27 Yes, she had it coming, but because of who God is, what she
  • 19:30 has coming is a grace that triumphs over judgment, and so
  • 19:34 he says that "I will forgive you," in verse 63, "that you may
  • 19:39 remember and be confounded when I have forgiven you
  • 19:44 all that you have done," says the Lord God.
  • 19:48 Well, isn't that a great way to close out a teaching
  • 19:50 segment to remind there's a God who will
  • 19:53 forgive us for all that we have done?
  • 19:58 You might be thinking that you have become undone by forces
  • 20:04 working upon you, that you've given into temptation, you've
  • 20:07 ruined yourself, you're not only vitiated or defiled yourself,
  • 20:11 but you've disturbed others in your webs of
  • 20:13 relationship, and your house has fallen apart,
  • 20:18 not necessarily just internally but relationally as well.
  • 20:22 You could've made a shipwreck of your life, and the truth is, you
  • 20:26 had it coming, but there's another truth beyond that truth,
  • 20:30 and, that is, there's a Savior who's coming, and
  • 20:33 in advance of his coming, what he wants to do is
  • 20:35 come into your world now, and he can restore.
  • 20:39 Inasmuch as I'm around ruins now here in the
  • 20:42 Holy Land, these ruins are predicted to rebound at
  • 20:46 day's end, and that's not the story for the Jews.
  • 20:49 It's a story for you because it's a story
  • 20:51 of God who brings forgiveness to bear on people
  • 20:54 that need it, people like me and you.
  • 20:58 ♪♪♪
  • 21:08 ♪♪♪
  • 21:18 ♪♪♪
  • 21:28 ♪♪♪
  • 21:38 ♪♪♪
  • 21:48 ♪♪♪
  • 21:51 David: Ezekiel's message that was repeated over and over again
  • 21:54 is "That they may know that I am the Lord."
  • 21:58 I love that phrase right there.
  • 21:59 Dr. Jeffrey Seif: Yes, and they know it through judgment,
  • 22:02 and they know it through restoration.
  • 22:04 It's tough lessons.
  • 22:06 David: Sometimes we have to have that negative
  • 22:08 to be--to have that hope in our life.
  • 22:11 Dr. Jeffrey Seif: You know, and the book itself
  • 22:12 is full of all these dramatic vignettes that
  • 22:16 speak of difficult things to come, correct?
  • 22:18 Kirsten: It is kind of interesting.
  • 22:21 When I was a kid, I would get in trouble for talking too much.
  • 22:24 That's probably an obvious to some of you,
  • 22:27 and they just--you could be as silent, and you're
  • 22:29 a good man for that, but here's Ezekiel.
  • 22:32 God's saying, "I'm gonna make you mute."
  • 22:35 Like, "I'm gonna stick your tongue to the top
  • 22:36 of your roof--roof of your mouth, and
  • 22:38 you're gonna only speak when I tell you to."
  • 22:41 I don't know if I could've done that.
  • 22:43 Dr. Jeffrey Seif: He did a number of crazy things, you
  • 22:45 know, from lying on different sides, to talking and not
  • 22:48 talking, to cutting his beard off, and strange
  • 22:51 object lessons, and things that he says.
  • 22:55 I was shocked, at the top of the program, just to
  • 22:57 think of a story of a little girl grew up much loved,
  • 23:01 to turn real bad and went into wanton ways.
  • 23:05 You know, it's just--it's just a tough.
  • 23:08 Kirsten: That's a harsh picture.
  • 23:09 As a girl, as a woman, that's a harsh picture to see
  • 23:12 that that's how God felt about his people.
  • 23:16 That's very vivid imagery in that story.
  • 23:20 Dr. Jeffrey Seif: Yes, and then, this woman
  • 23:21 that's had too many beds and not enough rest, all
  • 23:24 of her lovers coming and killing her.
  • 23:26 It's just tough.
  • 23:30 Speaking of tough and speaking of going astray, when you do
  • 23:35 television, you never know who's watching.
  • 23:37 It's like that when you're speaking in a church too.
  • 23:39 You never really know the lives that people live.
  • 23:44 If it sounds a little bit too much like you, going astray,
  • 23:49 going into wanton ways, whatever they are, and experiencing the
  • 23:53 world turning on you as a result, you might look at it as
  • 23:57 God's way to bring you back, not just to throw you out.
  • 24:00 If we're at a place you need to come back home, one of the more
  • 24:03 famous stories in the newer testament is the
  • 24:06 prodigal son, who squandered it all and came
  • 24:08 back home and found a loving father.
  • 24:11 There's a tough story in this book, Ezekiel, and this program
  • 24:14 on Ezekiel, and if it relates to you, come on home.
  • 24:18 You'll find some outstretched arms, and you'll find a God who
  • 24:21 can restore and rebuild and lead you to greener pastures.
  • 24:26 David: We've heard this story since, for us, in Sunday school
  • 24:29 but, way back, in second grade for me, but, man, it is really
  • 24:33 coming to life, things that we didn't even realize, or maybe we
  • 24:37 heard, but when we see it in our dramatic reenactments
  • 24:41 and your teaching, it just comes to life.
  • 24:44 Dr. Jeffrey Seif: And, you know, I think more of the
  • 24:46 dramatic reenactments than the teaching.
  • 24:47 Words are words, and I try and do Biblical words justice, but I
  • 24:51 think the genius of our program, which you help us to get on
  • 24:55 with, is to reconstruct it visually, and that's
  • 24:59 just a very unique characteristic.
  • 25:02 Teaching from Israel has a unique distinctive.
  • 25:05 Teaching from a Jewish perspective
  • 25:07 has a unique distinctive.
  • 25:08 There's others that do that, some better, some worse.
  • 25:11 Your audience can be the judge. Who's competing?
  • 25:14 But I think a niche that we have just comes from
  • 25:18 the visual side of the house, and we wouldn't do it
  • 25:21 if you didn't help us, so thank you.
  • 25:23 David: I was gonna say, the flannel board that my second
  • 25:27 grade Sunday school teacher used--not the same.
  • 25:30 Kirsten: Do you know what I mean with the--you know the
  • 25:32 flannel board, and you stick the characters on there?
  • 25:34 Yeah, it's a little--it's a little different.
  • 25:36 It's a little bit more raw, and I appreciate the fact that
  • 25:39 you're taking a book that could be hard to read.
  • 25:42 I mean, you read some of these stories.
  • 25:45 It doesn't make sense, and a natural reaction to things that
  • 25:48 are hard literally to read and that are, you
  • 25:51 know, "Where does this fit into my life?"
  • 25:52 You wanna close it up because it's not a fun read.
  • 25:56 The New Testament's easy and fun, and you
  • 25:58 read this, and it's just like, "What?
  • 26:00 This, "Prostitute, a harlot, different beds," but you've
  • 26:03 taken that and applied it to our lives, and
  • 26:06 we're very appreciative for your insight.
  • 26:09 Dr. Jeffrey Seif: You're kind.
  • 26:10 I would rather do a lousy job of teaching the Bible
  • 26:11 and a good job of teaching my own insights.
  • 26:14 A lot of people, "Here's my book.
  • 26:15 You must read it." Eh, I don't know.
  • 26:17 Maybe it's self-serving. I like opening up the Bible.
  • 26:20 "Now, there's a book. We must read it."
  • 26:21 And the extent to which I and you afford me the opportunity to
  • 26:25 get into the book and offer a visual telling of it, to walk
  • 26:28 people through it, any book of the Bible is good real estate.
  • 26:31 It's good to go to, and it is good to go through.
  • 26:33 Kirsten: And that's a good way to end our program today.
  • 26:35 Those are good words.
  • 26:36 Dr. Jeffrey Seif: It's a good way to live a life.
  • 26:37 I wish more ministers were teaching the Bible
  • 26:39 instead of their own story and throwing a verse or two in.
  • 26:42 Kirsten: I agree.
  • 26:43 Dr. Jeffrey Seif: Well, speaking of a verse or two,
  • 26:45 we have some more, we'll do it next week.
  • 26:46 As we go now, [speaking in Hebrew]
  • 26:50 David: Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
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Episodes in this series

  1. The God of Israel Strengthens
  2. Troubles then and now
  3. That You Might Know
  4. The Hope of Restoration
  5. Neighbors Ready for Judgment
  6. The Valley of Dry Bones
  7. Battle of Gog and Magog
  8. The Restored Temple

Guest organizations and links