Conquest of Canaan - Devotion
There we go. Before I welcome you. You've already been welcomed before. I welcome, you. I particularly this morning want to welcome the king who is with us in our midst, but I really feel in that necessary. It's really necessary to know that and to allow him to instruct us today. So Lord thank you. For being here. Please guide my words that I honor, not only the text, but that, I honor you, I ask this in Jesus name, amen, and amen. It's a very difficult reading today. It's very complicated and very difficult. It's only been given twice on the short tight sequins, and the last seven years, and I don't know if I gave it last time or not, but if you're giving a bigger teaching, you don't have to focus on the issues that are really hard to deal with, but when you have the very tight readings, you have to deal with the text. and the text this week is extremely difficult and problematic, the involves The conquest of Canaan, which some people call the extermination of the Canaanites. And I've heard so many teachings on the Canaanites were destroyed.
That I get very confused. Some Christians use this text to Prop up their own beliefs. About Sin and about correction. On the extreme, right? You have people blowing up abortion clinics and killing abortion doctors because they think it's something God wants him to do on the extreme left. You have a true and loving God could never
justify the destruction of the people.
These are extreme lens.
But that's the culture we live in. So, how do you deal with this?
the only way I know to deal with it is to take a serious, look at the text End up and figure out what's going on. So I'm a little bit buried. and this morning, with all the, Washing a water and things in the songs, I was going. Yeah, thank you. And I felt like this was a very necessary slide today. Because when I am in the middle of this weather, I'm defending.
The Bible to people who hate God, or whether I'm criticizing someone who thinks they have a good self-righteous explanation for why the Canaanites were killed either way. I feel dirty, I feel like I've got Grime all over me. I feel like I need to shower and so Lord. Please cleanse Us in Jesus name. Amen and amen. song this morning, brought brought something to my mind and I wanted to To give you this, if I can get it back.
The joy of the Lord is your strength. Where's that from? Nehemiah, what's the context?
The context is Nehemiah is just read the law and the people are reeling in agony because they realize this is going to destroy some parts of their life and they're not they're not going to know what to do about it and Nehemiah or Ezra. I'm not sure which one but he says don't be grieving right now. This is a holy day to the Lord celebrate the Lord. The joy of the Lord is your strength and the word. Joy here. What's a good word for joy in Hebrew. Sync. All right, that's not it. Anyone else? That's not it either. Anyone else there a couple of them that's not it. Either the words head headphone yeah. Sword head. What's mean? Well, there only two places in the Bible. This word is used And so to figure out what it means, you have to go to the other place. And this is a principle that we've been learning for seven years words connect. So, this is a connecting word, had the joy sing to the Lord, all the Earth, tell him his salvation from day-to-day declare. His glory among the nation's, His Marvelous Works among all peoples for great. Is the Lord, and greatly to be praised for, he is to be feared above all gods, for the gods of the peoples are worthless idols. But the Lord made the heavens Splendor and Majesty are before him strength and Joy are in his place. Wherever God is, he has Joy.
Does it mean when he says?
The joy of the Lord is your strength. Doesn't mean your joy. That's not your strength. Your strength is God has Joy. God has a plan. He's bring it to fruition and he's cool with it. He knows it's the greatest plan. He's always known that. There's no changing it. The joy of the Lord what he has where he is is more important than how you feel. Yeah, it is. It is awesome. So thank you. Lord. Amen. Conquest painting. I could have called this the extermination of the Canaanites and I thought so I dug in on the words and everything and a better forward for this is devotion. What devotion are we talkin about? Are we talkin about the devotion of the Israelites and destroying these people, baby. That's definitely part of it, but there's more to it. Doug shaking his head. Scratching his head cutter. Yeah. I deviated hugely from the readings but these are the main verses that I'm quoting today dates. And in order to figure out what's going on, you have to figure out what's going on. You kind of have to you kind of have to figure out the dates and you can't because everyone's arguing about all these dates. I don't know if you've ever gotten in these arguments about dates or not, but it's crazy how many people argue about it. There was no flood as it was one example. And now there was a flood when about 2100 BC. Genesis 9, I happen to be a young Earth creationists. I believe that there was a flood I believe that Adam created, Adam created, God created Adam and Etc. And there was a flood, one of the words for what's going on. In the destruction of the Canaanites is the word. A r, r, r, r, r r.
It. It's it's a word that can be in Terraria. Are are there you go? He's got it. He's got it. Or are it's about. So there's different ways to understand. What's the translated destroy This is one of them. This one in particular has to do with a violation of a relationship to God, particularly relating to God. You've done something that really, really offends. God if uses this r r r It's it's just something that's interesting. And I do well, when did the Amorite iniquity begin? Because at roughly 2,000 BC you and that's the date that I'm taking the abrahamic Covenant, the 80 brahmic Covenant, scuse me cuz he wasn't Abraham. Yet the abrahamic Covenant took place where God says I'm going to get rid of all these people, and you're going to have this land. So I think that about 2100 PC is the presumed beginning of the amorites iniquity. So by the time God is having this Covenant relationship discussion with a ROM ROM when God is making this Covenant is knocked out. and there are two things that go through the blood pieces of flaming fire and a smoking fire pot and I take them to be the fire of God. And the altar of sacrifice. So, I take these two images in this story. To be God, the father and Christ Jesus, the sacrifice. Jesus made a covenant with God and Jesus. Wait a minute. This is a coven with around. Yeah. But guess who is descendant will be?
God, the father is making a covenant with avram's to send it. You shua my own interpretation. You can argue with me if you want. I think it's pretty good. Anyway hundred years roughly, before the Covenant the Emirate iniquity began the Canaanite iniquity, began the whatever you want to call it cuz there's a lots of different tribes begin. So roughly 500 years later, they leave. The land. In order for this to mean anything you need to have a Hebrew Bible. So you need to have writing and a lot of people say there wasn't any writing, Moses didn't have any alphabet. He couldn't have written anything yet. Did we watched a couple movies on it and that's my own personal belief as well, my own idea, based on that movie and other things is I think Joseph probably develop the aleph-bet because he needed a way not realize what Joseph was doing. He stored a massive amount of grain and he sold it to all the people of the world. For their properties. For their persons. For everything. They said they sold everything to Joseph and he's got to keep track of this. Now, if you're writing down hieroglyphics scripts, there is no script, it's hieroglyphic thousands of images. You're never going to get this job done. So, I think he devised the aleph-bet, so he could have something, he could teach them fairly intelligent, guys, limited to 22, letters to keep count of everything that was going on. And that I think is the best argument for the development of the brakes. Scrub, without that, we would not have the Torah. Without that we would only have memorized things. We wouldn't have anything in writing. We wouldn't have a Bible, So someone had to develop it and this is what I think it was developed and then the conquest and the candy and the crossing crossing over the red, that the Jordan crossing over the Jordan going, into the land and conquering Kanan. Israel is the first mention of Israel in history is the as well as I know of is pharaoh who wrote on a steel that he had destroyed the Israelites. And I have to say that the The great ancient leaders used hyperbola a lot. They claim things that weren't actually true to make it look like they knew how great they were and they were going to tell everyone about it. And that has not that well doesn't happen anymore. And I are they right? Right. You get it. If you want to see my arguments on why this is this, I could show it to you later. The end of the Seder. So I'm going to, I'm going to go to the end because I don't want to get buried in the middle and not get to the end, the elders and Priests the nearest city. This is what Doug Doug taught about the elders Proclaim. Our, our hands did not shut this Blood. Our eyes did not see it except atonement. Oh Lord, don't set guilt of innocent blood in the midst of your people, so their blood guilt. So their blood guilt will be up tone for Now, this is in contradiction to numbers. Number says, blood pollutes, the land and no atonement can be made for it except by the blood of the one who said it. If someone is killed, the only way to atone for that, murder is the death of the person, who shed the blood, who killed the other person. The only way you can atone for blood blood for blood, That's not what the wrong pieces.
Deuteronomy has an impossible thing here. They're saying, we don't know. Please. Lord atone. Hence, the water. Install. The images of the egg larva. Father D capitulated calf. But Why this here? At the end of this thing, on the Canaanites that we haven't even talked about yet. I think it has to do with the whole land is polluted with the blood of all the dead bodies. At the end of the Canaanite.
The what? Oh, John stalking something else. Don't set guilty of innocent blood in the midst of your people. So their blood guilt will be a tone for you. God can do this. We can't, we can't find the guilty party. No atonement will be made for the Bloodshed except by the blood of the one who said it. I think this is key to the idea that God is the one, who's going to be purging the land of iniquity after this thing, whatever it is happens. The rest of the stator. Now these are the 8ish Warfare laws don't fear. God is with you, that sounds pretty good exemptions for new homeowners, new vineyard, owner, newlyweds, and fearful faint-hearted. Anyone scared, you can't go to war and you want a new homeowner? Can't go to war and a newlywed. Can't go to war. Planning on getting married, can't go to war. Ineligible, I had a 2's to firm it a long time ago. I should have had a 4-f but I didn't. They gave me a to ice it ran out. So I got drafted and that's why I join the airforce. But then, it says, appoint competent leaders. We need good leaders. If you appoint, inept leaders, are you going to have a whole mess of things going on and the distant cities? Not the ones are going into but a long time from now, if you've got someone going to war against you if they could pitch late with you, if though, if you'll be the Victor then they will be your servants but kill the Snowman of cities, which resists cases for Canaanite cities. Kill everything that breathes. Why? Because they send. Not what it says.
To destroy their idolatrous practices.
Not because they send to destroy their idolatrous practices. Don't cut down fruit trees. Only for trees, which don't produce fruit may be used in war. So this is the only big problem that I have with this whole list kill everything that breathes. Destroyer idolatrous practices. I don't have a problem with the explanation of this by Christian. Sometimes really offends me because they're justifying their view of what's right and wrong. And I can't I can't I can't I can't allow that. I think it dishonors. God did not explain the text accurately. I think it's I think it's dishonoring of the text and of God. Covenant of the pieces. So this is the coven of the pieces. Way back to your Offspring. I give this land from the river of the Egypt to the river. Euphrates, the kenites, kenizzites cabinets, Hittites, parasites ref. I am amorites. Can I get scared and jebusites? I think it's 10. 7th, 8th, 9th 10th, and I counted wrong with my fingers, 10 Nations. I was, I had that problem in elementary school to
10 Nations. Okay, that's interesting. Here we are in this week's reading in the cities. Your God is giving you for an inheritance kill, everything to Breeze hittite, Samurai skin mites or parasites, High, B and Debbie sites, Six Nations. This is confusing already as the Lord, your God has commanded that they may not teach you the Abominable practices. They've done for their gods that you won't send against the Lord, your God. Okay, clear. That's the reading from this portion today conquest of Canaan, the few verses. The Lord will bring you into the land, and I will clear. Drive Away. Seven Nations, more normal has numerous and mightier than you before you. This is in Deuteronomy work. Were Moses's retailing. What God Said. Initially God said he would drive out the nation's. He didn't say you'll have to go in and kill the nation's, what changed?
The sin of the spies. That changed it. They don't know, we're not going to do that. We're not going to go into the nation and and and and have any part of it. We're going to were going to send spies and so do they send spies into spy out the nation, not to seek the nation. There's a word play going on there and I will go into depth on it. But there's a weird play. They went out to spy out the nation Nazi to chase after the nation. It's part of the word play.
And when they went in, they came back in the gave report. It's a land of giants. The land swallows up, its inhabitants, we felt like grasshoppers. No, those were all accurate statements there. Giants in the land. It's a land that swallows up its inhabitants. What can that mean?
Not genetically, pure. That's one argument.
Okay. well, that's
Falling people, the Nephilim, and all that.
fallen angels that I've heard that, I've even Yeah, I've heard it. I've heard it. I've even taught it because I believed it for a long time.
Here's a problem. There's a problem today. It's been proven that the Canaanite Gene is still around.
so, we should tell these genetically,
Yeah, that's where I'm at.
oh, Okay, my apology for offending. Someone. I was sure I defend someone today. I really was. I prayed that I would give the teaching accurately and I wouldn't offend God by misrepresenting the text So if I misrepresent the text Lord, please forgive me in Jesus name. Amen. So God says, he's going to drive them out, they go in the Giants are falling. That that's a land that swells up its inhabitants. What does it mean the land swallows up its inhabitants? Without genetic argument all that. It means their bearing Giants all over the land.
They're dying in front of them. God has already sent a plague forward to drive out. These people, they're dying in front of the short guys is little Israelites and the little Israelites short, guys. Go through the land. Unhindered, no one challenges them, no one fights them. No one does anything. They take the fruit, they take all kinds of good stuff. They enjoy the time in the Landon, they all make it back alive. None of them were killed by the Giants. The Giants We're afraid of them. We know, 40 years later, the Giants were terrified of them. Because Rahab says, we've been shaking in our boots for 40 years because we know who your God is, and what he does, we're terrified of you little guys. so we know that this swallows up inhabitants has some Merit at least that does
the Lord your God will give them over to you for a complete destruction. The word here there are three words Haram Haram has it in and it has a Nuance of devote. It's devoted. Like, to vote them to this punishment. Make no covenants with them show. No mercy to them. Drive out all the inhabitants of the land and destroy a lot. This is another word for killing the Canaanites. That shoes avadh. It doesn't mean destroy. It doesn't mean the vote and means lose it. What is that mean? Rob, I don't know. You know, if if my brother has something that he liked and I wanted to hide it from him and you do, make sure he didn't get to play with it again. I would lose it. I didn't destroy it. I didn't know where it was anymore. I lost it. I think that's part of the Nuance in that word. Demolish, their high places. Now, this is, this is indicating don't Just Lose It. Smash it to bits and don't let anything remain of it. It actually wants to be even more than that Ancient Ancient Ancient attempts to prove Believers would never be resurrected was to kill them and burn them in a fire. Cremate them. So their ashes were ashes and God could never raise those ashes. Except we have Ezekiel, the valley of dry bones, speak to the bones, speak to the Isis. God can raise up. I believe he will.
I know he will. So grinding it up into ashes, doesn't doesn't really always accomplish much the spoil and livestock were taking his plunder, but Israel, destroyed eliminated, all the people who breathe, so that actually has that the demolishing aspect, Joshua defeated 31 Kings of Canaan. But the destruction narrative only describes Hazel and Jericho. There are other places but that's the main thrust of it. This is a map targeted, people groups, very complicated from the lexham Bible. This is the legend cuz you can't read it here and this is a summary.
The kings were defeated in 31 places. The site people were destroyed and 12. The town was utterly destroyed in 10. The the late bronze air era remains that have been found their 19 cities that have been found and identified accurately sites burned by the count of the Israelites. Jericho and Hazel are the most important that we know of and insights of major battles Jericho and Hazel or here's another one. This one on the left is a map, showing all of the Canaanite cities listed in the arm on a letters with documentation of the clay found in these areas and their they're known to be former Canaanites settlements. And that's a map by Steven not lie and and dr. Rainey Against The Gods. So we have a difference going on. I want to talk about it against the gods and everything devoted to them in Egypt, God brought judgment on all the gods of Egypt, but it didn't kill. All the Egyptian Canaan. Seems different pain and he's destroying. The people seems like and there's no comment saying he destroyed, he was, he had judgement against the gods of Canaan. Is that saying that? That's weird. That's kind of unusual often Astor. Argued this is something I said earlier. How could a truly holy and loving God, command the wholesale, Slaughter, genocide of an entire people, what's not being seen, or Realize by those who remain intent on criticizing maligning denigrating and vilifying our God. Why don't they see? God is a good god. And when they hear the argument from some Christians, they go. Well, now the Christians not even a good Christian. And so we see the signs that true hate is Christian love or something like that. I disagree. Is there some different difference between Egypt and Canaan Canaanites in soaked in order to understand Canaanites? Then you kind of have to try to figure out what it was.
If this offends, anybody, I apologize. Canaanite, worship involved, the whole family men, women children and individuals Canaanites demonstrated Devotion to their gods by imitating them. The Canaanites were extremely violent, demonstrating power, like they're Gods and idolatrous practice by doing things. And these are things that they would do and we don't have a better word for it. g******** bestiality child sacrifice. These are things. We consider pretty bad. Canaanite myths. It was straight at their beliefs and their behavior to be like the gods that they served now.
If they're actually genetically like the gods, they served us even worse.
But never mind. Can write meth. I'm just going to give you one brief example there dozens of these. And and these canelite Miss make the way through all the pantheons of the ancient world. You'll see parallels everywhere, zinncredible L and Asher are kind of like the Mother and Father God. They're the High up. Parent God's. They birthed all the gods which the Canaanites believe we're seventy married. His sister or not. And he also married his daughter Pedro. and he also,
Was tempted by a Shira to have sex with him and he told Elle about it and he'll said go ahead and have sex with her to dishonor her and humiliate her. And so he did so but all is he didn't care who he's doing it with, he's doing it with everybody. Mother daughter, sister, everybody mote. The grave. God killed all four power. He wanted the power of ball and he had it cuz he killed ball. But I'm not who's the sister and also the goddess of war, love and fertility. Besides she going to take care of of the moat and she killed him. And she also kills yum. Enemy God to see God, and then and then I'm not. She's real angry about it. I guess she tears, yum and moats, heads and hands off and uses them as jewelry.
I'm not kidding. This is the myth. Not. If this is the myth that you're trying to emulate this God, what are you going to do? You're going to do all kinds of crazy stuff, that's what they did. The Canaanites received these myths as instructions for Life, consequently Temple sex in orgies called prostitutes, the cult prostitutes were considered priests were Central to Canaanite, worship, sexual Union with the priests demonstrated Union, with the gods and goddesses And they would shriek out and ecstatic utterances. And then you, if you would believe that you'd heard from the gods, And that was the thing that Paul was having a problem with in Corinthians later on.
Side note, incest, adultery, and homosexuality. Now we're going to talk about the actual sins. Incestuous sex with practice, by canaan's gods, and by Canaanites themselves. Lot's, daughters as an example, bore him sons, and they had no, that they had no shame about it. No, shame. They didn't call him John or Toby, or anything like that, they call them. Monie Love.
Dad son. My Father's son says name. This is my Father's son. Can you imagine going to a party and saying hi? This is my Father's son. He's my son. My Father's son and I'll moan of my people and was always a little less in your face. The ammonites were a little bit nicer and some ways than the moabites the moabites never did much good with the Israelites around adultery was forbidden for married women, but men had no restrictions. Dominant powerful men. Like the men in Sodom.
We're held in high regard, the more powerful. They were, the more in-your-face with power. They became the bigger bullies. They were the more they were renowned for being powerful. Gross. We don't like bullies today military political leaders prove their worth by demonstrating power and control. Like in Sodom, Canaan was a culture of bullies. Abusive might was considered Praiseworthy at the very least. Bestiality and child sacrifice, I apologize. This is terrible stuff. That's why I had to feel like I had to take a shower practice by gods and people, and worship of gods, that it people who worship the gods did it. Also, Molech moloch literally means ruler comes from the Hebrew word Malak.
Molar Roller. He's the Supreme kind of ruler. He's not the biggest God but he's the one that they gave their children to was the Canaanite god and he required child. Sacrifice in particular, the first born son. When you read through these myths, you read a lot of things that sound Christian firstborn son resurrected, from the dead conquering of death on and on and on.
I think that Adam was taught the truth by God and he told his children what would happen and over time those stories as beautiful stories that God shared with Adam became perverted. So I think they knew the story but they had it wrong. They Twisted it. That's my explanation of
Pantheon's. Another thing whenever you built the house, if you wanted to have a nice life in the house, you sacrificed your child, then laid him down as the Cornerstone Here's another Christian word. Chief Cornerstone.
To ensure blessing victory in battle, is also ensured by child sacrifice and we go. No, that wouldn't happen yet. Read 2nd Kings, it's pretty terrible story. That is his done, this crazy thing, he's made an ally of Ammon and the Israelis in the ammonites are fighting the moabites and King Misha. That is losing in battle and he sends out a bunch of Swordsmen and they all died. And so he takes his son. Who's going to be king? Who would have been King and he sacrifices him and burns him on the wall. Thinking that will give him Victory. And after me, she does this is real. Prevails It's a six-story. It's not about an Israelite King doing. It's about a moabite king doing it. So we know they did it say in the Bible as far as I can tell. No, other ancient people use their own children. Or substituted animals for them for sacrifice. If you didn't have a son and you wanted to bless your house, you kill an animal and lay it in its place. Pretty sick stuff.
Our seder, three different words for destroy. A ROM, has the Nuance of being devoted. Devote this Haram, destroy them. The vote them. You would normally put those two words together in English, but they're together in Hebrew, some odd, eliminate completely annihilate of odd lost. Devote her arm to complete destruction. It says devote them to complete destruction. So I'm going to play with the words here. Haram them to Haram Haram. That's not exactly it that you get it. It's, it's different different word plays on the word, but the using the devote them to vote to vote. It's kind of what it's saying. And I think the God is saying since they're so devoted to their gods. I will devote them. To their gods. That's what I think the destructions about. I really do.
Who's being judged? Hear the gods are the people.
Yes. See God has a problem with the gods of Canaan because they're doing terrible things. And he has a real problem with the people of Canaan because they're following the practices of the Gods. Yes.
First time that God. Destroyed. Fat people.
Yeah.
Right. Right.
The flood being the first best example, Sodom and Gomorrah being the next best example. Yep. And by the way, Sodom and Gomorrah they were Canaanites.
Haram.
Our world today. Well, we don't have any of these problems today. I'm sorry to tell you the world has adopted some of these Canaanites beliefs.
Bestiality. It's illegal in Hawaii, New Mexico, West, Virginia, and Wyoming. Didn't know that.
People are kind of going. What? I didn't know that. Incest, this site didn't. I'm just amazed Ohio, allows incest between Consenting adults. If one of them is not the parent of the other,
not the other ones, father or mother. Mothers having incest with their sons. Ohio doesn't like fathers having incest with their daughters? Ohio, doesn't like anything else is fine, legal in Ohio, Ohio stands alone in this category. All the other states. If you want to find out, if it's legal, you have to check out the state code and then you have to figure out if it's a misdemeanor or a felony and what level of felony or misdemeanor and what's the punishment of fine or jail time or imprisonment for a long time, it varies from state-to-state, Houghton. Very, I don't know. I'm offended by it. Rather than talk about LG rather talk about homosexuality. I'm just going to say lgbtq Plus today in our entire world, this is generally legal and often encouraged
Even in our schools.
Yeah, our world is adopted some Canaanite beliefs child sacrifice.
If you don't think abortion is child sacrifice, you're not in the same page that I am, but I'm not going to dwell on that heavily. Another one is Faith healing there. A lot of cases. Worldwide even where parents have prayed for healing for their child from pneumonia. And the parents refused reasonable Medical Aid and some people have accused them of sacrificing their child at the cost of their faith. And in in our body here we believe in praying for people for healing.
but it's
I'm not going to say, Now go and don't see the doctor or take any of the medicine again because you've been healed. Like I won't, I won't do that. I got his never told me to do that. If he ever does, I'll do it. But he's never told me to do it. I've got reservations about proclaiming what my healing gift provides. I Have No Reservations about what God's healing gift provides. But I can always claim that he's giving me that gift. Specifically. So yes, my wife went through chemotherapy. Yes, she's going to have a double mastectomy and we're going to continue with this because it's the best possible medical recommendation. I do. I believe in faith healing. Yes, but misuse of Faith healing. I don't want to go there. I can't call it misuse, I can't. But some people have so far in our world today. Dominant, violate violent action against others. Is generally opposed, we don't like violence, right? Who doesn't like violence the right or the left?
Both right now, does the left justify violence and certain cases? Does the right justify violence in certain cases? Yes, where is the right? Where's the truth? I don't see. This is. This is, this is
What I'm saying is some people in our culture in the world, believe in violent action. And they believe it demonstrates their power. I don't like it. I opposed it, but I am not sure how I can do much about it, but that's a role today. It's just a summary of our world today. Michael
Yeah. Yeah I would I would have to study that text before I made any comment on it that I have been agonizing over this text this week. that that's another text that would be hard to study, but I wouldn't I be willing to try But I can't, I can't speak to it without studying it in depth. Applications applications. What's this mean? To me, God's covenant, with Abraham, Abraham? Isaac and Jacob etcetera. I mean it, when it goes on to come and goes on to us today. Even as John said earlier, regarded one specific land to a specific time and three a specific people. Specifically. He's claiming this land because he his name is going to dwell there. That's different. In the world. It's the only place where it is. Well, the people in Israel should be killing the Canaanites today. No, not today then. Not today. These generally don't apply to us today. We have responsibility and authority and I go what, what, what can I say? This is what this is. All I could come up with. We have responsibility and authority to speak, and teach the truth in love in our going, wherever we go. Wherever you go, speak the truth, teach the truth. In love, not with violence.
Our God. The god of the living is with us a couple weeks ago we had this
Soul is calling up Samuel from the grave and some people in the Torah class were kind of bothered. The ghosts are real. It's ghosts aren't real. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob Samuel, these people are living there, just not hear their living somewhere, but they're not living here. We're not supposed to try to have parties with them.
That's what God says not to do. He doesn't say. Don't believe that they're there. And it can't. We're surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses.
Who are living? Our God is the god of the living and he's with us. We should not be fearful but, we should also not be violent. We have the entire Bible and the presence of his holy spirit to guide, instruct pretend and even defend us. The Bible is hard. Sometimes like today is hard to get through and hard to understand and you have to wrestle with it, but it's there, and if you allow yourself to walk through it and wrestle with it, you learn truce that are essential for life. Applications via hafte and you should love. They are Hosta. That's the application and you shall love. Who is my neighbor? The one who showed Mercy, proved to be a neighbor.
The rich man asked Jesus, who is my neighbor? Jesus has a conversation with him about the prodigal son and others are the the Samaritan Good Samaritan. Jesus has a conversation with Emily, ask him. Which is the one who showed Mercy always says, which one is the neighbor. And he said, the one who showed Mercy the rich man said that and Jesus says go and do likewise. So at the time of Christ, rest of the time of Christ, the Dead Sea Scrolls, people had this sang love your neighbor, but hate your enemy.
It's in the manual of discipline. And for roughly 2,000 years, it was believed that this was a belief of early Jews and Christians for roughly 2,000 years taught that this was a belief of early Jews and they were right but that wasn't the main lines use it was a Dead Sea Scrolls people. Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. Who's my neighbor anyone in this group of friends? Who's my anime? Anyone outside this group of friends Jesus said
Everyone is your neighbor, even your enemies.
I give you a new commandment that you love one another including your neighbor who includes your enemies. Just as I Jesus have loved you, loved each other. You are to love one another. By this, all people will know that you are my disciples that you love one. Another
That's the application. Do we live in a land like Canaan today? Absolutely. What are we supposed to do? Kill everyone around us? Absolutely not. How should we then live speak? Teach the truth in love. By this all people will Ian will know you are, your shoe is disciples. Amen. Holy God, we pray. We pray that this is not caused Great offense with anyone.
We pray that you will help us. To walk accordingly in the world. We live in today. With Truth and Love. And mercy.
It's been said of this can a congregation. There's a lot of love here. It's also said there's a lot of mercy here. It's also been said, this is a safe place Lord. We pray that you will continue to help us to make this a safe place where people can speak freely.
And where we will be able to demonstrate your presence, in our lives, and in our community. In Jesus name. Amen, and amen.