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>> Jeff Chamblee: The Bible.

>> Jeff Chamblee: It's the word of God. Sharper than any two edged sword. This sacred book is living and active and contains all that's needed for life and godliness. Stay with American Family Radio for the next hour as we study God's word and take your Bible questions.

Alex McFarland: Exploring the Word focuses on Biblical sacrifices

Welcome to Exploring the Word.

>> Alex McFarland: Well, hello everybody. Alex McFarland here along with Jeff Shambley. And you are listening to the American Family Radio Network. And this is the show where we read the Bible. It's, not a complicated premise. We read God's word, we learn from scripture, and then later on in the show, as we always do, we take Bible, questions and phone calls. We would love to hear from you, no matter the question. Although we are in numbers 28 and we're going to be talking about how Christ and salvation is depicted in some of the sacrifices that God gave Israel. Now remember, this is several centuries before the birth of Jesus, but all of the rituals, all of the Mosaic Law, all of the sacrifices really point to Jesus who would come. And of course from Calvary's cross, he would be the final sacrifice. That's why he could say, and this is rejoicing to all of our souls. But Christ could say from the cross, it is finished. No more native sacrifices. Because as John the Baptist said, he, Jesus was the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Well, Jeff Chambley of the Stand is with us. And Jeff, you know, there's a lot about life, a lot of details that we experience, but really when it all boils down to it, the fact that we can know the Lord, we can know that our sins are forgiven and that we have assurance for eternity for through a relationship with Jesus Christ. I mean, that makes every day a joy really, isn't it?

>> Jeff Chamblee: Exactly. And the word joy is what I was thinking of when you were saying that, Alex, what a privilege it is to know that we belong to the Lord. And as we look in these passages, like in numbers 28, and we look at these daily sacrifices and monthly sacrifices and feast days, you know, it's tempting to get lost in the details and get all bogged down, but really this is a picture of what God has provided that we might be brought to him through a mediating high priest. And of course you and I know that that's the Lord Jesus. So that's what we're talking about today.

>> Alex McFarland: Ah, as Numbers 28 begins. And we would invite you to get a copy of God's Word and turn there, but it says this and the Lord spake Unto Moses saying, command the children of Israel and say unto them, my offering and my bread for my sacrifices made by fire, for a sweet savor unto me shall you observe to offer unto me in their due season. And you shall say unto them, this is the offering made by fire which you shall offer unto the Lord. Two lambs of the first year without spot, day by day, for a continual burnt offering. You know, when you think about it, Jeff, I've always thought one of the reasons that it would seem like there was a great incentive to joyfully accept Christ as the Messiah. You know, I think about the continual sacrificing of animals. I mean, it would have been. I don't know any other way to say it. It would have been messy.

>> Jeff Chamblee: Yeah.

>> Alex McFarland: You know, and, think about it. How blessed we are, folks. if you believe as we do, that Jesus is the son of God and he was able to pay our sin debt on the cross, he died. The appropriate measure of God's wrath that we deserved was put on Jesus. He rose again the third day. And so animal sacrifices that looked toward the Savior who would come. we don't have to do that anymore. And my goodness, what a blessing that is. But, they had to do, as we'll read in numbers 28, they had to sacrifice a lamb in the morning and in the evening. Jeff. I guess it, one of the reasons is because we, we sin every day and we need a sacrifice. These animal sacrifices, we were a temporary covering of our guilt, the blood of Jesus, a permanent eradication of our sin and our debt before God. The other thing, and I'm going to throw it to you, Jeff, it says it was an offering by fire. The Bible says that our God is a consuming fire and that the holiness of God around his throne, God's unapproachable holiness is like a fire. in a way, this, sacrifice that was consumed by fire is pictorial of what it took to make it possible for fallen man to really be in the presence of the eternal holy God.

>> Jeff Chamblee: Yeah. And a group of people like these Israelites are coming out of Egypt and going through the wilderness. They have to be trained as to who the true God is and what he requires. And like you said, this continual offering of sacrifices. In this chapter, Alex lays out daily offerings, weekly offerings, monthly offerings, and then special feast day offerings. So over and over throughout the week and the calendar year, these Israelites were reminded that God is holy and I have to have a sacrifice to come to him. One of the things that stood out to me in verse I think it's verse two is the word sweet aroma that follows right after what you just mentioned, and the word sweet aroma. This is how God looks at the sacrifices and the worship of his people. That it is a pleasing aroma to him, that he gets pleasure out of the devotion of his people. And that is a great revelation that we see in the New Testament even today, where God seeks true worshipers. And he counts our worship today as a pleasant fragrance to him. So that's one of the things I think that we see carried over into the New Testament from Numbers is this pleasure of God and a devoted worshiper that we can bring to Him.

>> Alex McFarland: Amen. Amen. in verse 6 of Numbers 28, it says regarding these. These lambs that are going to be killed morning and evening. It is a continual burnt offering which was ordained in Mount Sinai for a sweet savor, a sacrifice made by fire unto the Lord. Okay, Mount Sinai. What's the connection between these sacrifices and Mount, Sinai? You'll remember, after they got out of Egypt, Moses went up on the mountain for 40 days and got the tablets of the law. Well, these sacrifices look forward to the coming of the Lord Jesus, who would die and rise again on Mount Calvary. But it also looks back. And let me say this, Jeff, sometimes when I'm out ministering, I'll talk to people about salvation. And very often I've heard people say regarding, you know, their relationship with God, they say, well, but, Mr. McFarland, I've tried to keep the Ten Commandments. Well, the law on Mount Sinai is not a plan of salvation, really. The law, which we've all broken. And of course, the Bible says if you offend in one point, you're guilty of all. But the law really shows how desperately we need a savior. Because, you know, the Bible says that the law, Galatians says, was a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ. Now, what is. What does that mean? Well, it means if you look and says, thou shalt not lie. Well, we've. We've all told lies. We've all mishandled truth. the Bible says to make no graven images or not be an idolater. But let's be honest. In. In all of our fallen hearts, there are things that we loved more than the love due to the Lord Almighty. So we're sinners. We need a savior. Sinai, is a reminder of how much we need a savior.

Jeff: It's almost like history is the story of several mountains

But, Jeff, I want to throw an idea at you, and, you feel free to agree or disagree. It's almost like history is the story of several mountains. Mount Sinai, Mount Calvary. I think about the Mount of Olives, where one day Christ will touch down when he descends from heaven. And Sinai showed us how much we needed a savior. Mount Calvary, the love of that Savior. And Mount, the Mount of Olives, the return. And you know, the Mount of Olives is going to split in two. And I think about time and eternity. I think about the past and our future. I think about our former guilt, and if you're a believer, our present status as the redeemed, history is going somewhere, isn't it?

>> Jeff Chamblee: Absolutely. Yeah. And I love what you mentioned about, the Mount of Olives and the fact that every believer should be looking forward to the return of Jesus when he sets his foot on that mountain and it cleaves in half, as the scripture says. Yeah, I think that's a great way of looking at it. You know, the writer of Hebrews makes a direct comparison between Mount Zion and Mount Sinai to illustrate what Jesus has done in fulfilling the law. Not to say that the law is not useful today. It certainly reveals our sin to us and it sets forth God's holiness and the standards by which we should aspire to live. But we don't use the law for salvation. And I think that's a key thing to bring out to everyone.

>> Alex McFarland: Amen. Well, it goes on. And, verse nine says, and on the Sabbath day, two lambs of the first year without spot and two tenths of flour for a meat offering mingled with oil and the drink offering thereof. This is the burnt offering of every Sabbath besides the continual burnt offering and his drink offering. And, you know, quoting Jonathan Edwards. Jonathan Edwards, the great, preacher of the, the first Great Awakening, and he was one time president of Yale University. But Edwards once said, if even one human in all of history, were redeemed, the mercy of God would have been imminently demonstrated. So praise God for his saving mercy. But, again, you know, Jeff, when I read all this about the daily sacrifices and then on the Sabbath day, an additional sacrifice, and there's flour and oil, and I want to speak to that in a moment, but I've got to tell you, this Levitical system is burdensome. I mean, you think about it, folks, endlessly, as long as we live, but praise God for the one that Matthew 5:17 says, Fulfill the law in its entirety.

>> Jeff Chamblee: M. Amen.

Jeff: Our worship demands that we bring something that is costly for us

I don't know if this is what you were going to mention with the grain offering, but this did pop out to me in my study of the passage today. But, you know, these Israelites are in the desert, and so there's just not a lot of grain going around. And so, when you bring a grain offering, it represented God's provision and his abundant provision for them. And when someone would bring grain, that's very costly. you know, our worship demands that we bring something that is costly for us. I was looking at a video by, Dr. Scott Stripling, who was doing an excavation at Shiloh in Israel today. And one of the things that they've discovered in this ancient site where the tabernacle was, was there were gold items in this pile of animal bones that were sacrificed at where the tabernacle was. And he made the point that someone had brought something very rare and very precious, because gold was rare. But in this passage, we see that grain, is being brought to the Lord, and that represents what is not, you know, what doesn't come easy for us. So when we go to worship, it may not be, easy for us to sing, or we may be embarrassed, but we all should be challenged to give something that is costly, financial. Our gifts, our tithes, whatever, bring to worship what cost us something.

>> Alex McFarland: Amen. That. That is true. And, and let me just say this. I've been privileged to preach in a lot of churches and consulted churches, you know, with churches that have, you know, solicited my, input on some different things. And Jeff. And feel free to reprimand me if I'm just being an old curmudgeon, but so many churches talk about their schedules, and they say we want to make it more convenient for people to come. And I hear that a lot in church growth, you know, roundtables about making church convenient. I gotta be honest, I don't know that we're supposed to make church convenient. I think that we should offer something that actually has value and cost us.

>> Jeff Chamblee: Yeah.

>> Alex McFarland: I think it should stretch us. I think that serving the Lord and growing in the Lord and being a part of a church should break us out of our self, appointed routines. And I think we need to be in God's rhythms, not our own. But, I digress.

Last year Preborn helped to rescue over 67,000 babies from abortion

Well, Jeff, take us out in this first break on today's edition of Exploring the Lord.

>> Jeff Chamblee: All right, we'll continue with more of exploring the Word. We're in numbers, chapter 28. We invite you to join us. We'll continue with more in just a moment.

>> Bert Harper: Will you take a moment and celebrate life with me? Last year, PreBorn helped to rescue over 67,000 babies from abortion. Hi, this is Burt Harper and I want to thank you for your partnership. Think about what you did. 67,000 babies are taking their first breath now because of you. Your $28 sponsored one ultrasound that was given to a woman as she was deciding about the future of her child. Once she saw her precious baby for the first time and heard that sweet heartbeat, her baby's chance at life doubled. But preborn's mission is not only to rescue babies lives, but also to lead women to Christ. Last year Preborn network clinics saw 8,900 women receive salvation. Your help is crucial to continue their life saving work.

>> Dr. Jessica Peck: And all my life you have been faithful and all my life you have been so, so good with every breath that I have made oh, I'm gonna sing of the goodness of God.

>> Jeff Chamblee: Welcome back to Exploring the Word on American Family Radio. I had to wait till she finished that phrase. I was not going to jump in in the middle of that and interrupt her. We are in the book of numbers, chapter 28.

Jeffger: I had a pastor tell me never to thank people for worship

Alex, before we get back into that, a thought just crept past my mind from one curmudgeon to another. So let me just toss this one in. Since you're mentioning, you know, our worship being costly and not making worship ne easy for people. I had a pastor tell me one time, or actually request of me, as a worship leader, never to thank people for coming to worship. And I had to stop and think about that for a moment because, you know, we don't have the position, we're not, they're not coming to worship for us, so we don't offer them thanks. We can say we're glad that you're here, but to thank someone when it is their obligation and their privilege as believers is really out of place. And so that has just popped into my. Every time I go to a church and someone says thank you for coming, you know, I think about that a little bit today and that is our privilege and not something that someone should thank us for other than God, you know.

>> Alex McFarland: Exactly, exactly. And you know, let's remember, and I'm speaking to myself here, but really I think the western world of the 21st century, we need to have humility and remember that God didn't have to give us life. And yet he did. Life is a great privilege. And of course the main, as the catechism says, the, the chief end of man, the, the teleos, the purpose of life is to know God through Jesus Christ. Now these, these offerings there, there was the, the burnt offerings and the meal offerings and the drink offerings and the peace offerings and the sin offerings, the trespass offerings. much, much, much has been written. A little bit speculative, not all, but like how they point to Christ because it was, you know, it's been said Jesus is in the Old Testament, concealed. He's in the New Testament, revealed. But I think obviously the blood of the sacrifice, the Bible says the life is in the blood. Hebrews 9 says that without the shedding of blood, there's no remission of sin. And remission, as in to remit. There's a couple of, meanings that go with that. For one, the removal of. But also the payment of. Like if you ever get a bill in the mail and it'll say, please remit, you know, the power bill or the, you know, the water bill, it'll say remit. So there's a payment. Well, our sin, for us to be redeemed, there had to be a remission or a payment. And the, the remission of our sin was achieved through the blood of Jesus. I think about the fire, which speaks to God's holiness, and the grain. Now remember, Jesus said, my body, this is the bread. My body broken for you. I think of the, the grain, which is what bread was made of, does speak to the incarnation and the body of Christ. The oil speaks of God's Holy Spirit. And Jeff, I don't, you know, when we talk about the blood, the grain, the fire, the oil, I don't think I'm taking it too far to really see, the Trinity in this. The holiness of the Father, the body and blood of the Son, the Spirit of God. And so I realized that, well, let me just say this, quoting Hebrews 11. We have every reason to serve the Lord full out enthusiastically. Because let me explain Hebrews 11, which is that great faith hall of fame. And it mentions Deborah and Barak and Samson and all these great people. And it says, space forbids us to name all these others that wandered about, you know, hungry, were sawn asunder, in other words, martyred. And it says these having not yet received the promise, but saw it afar off. Now what does that mean? It means they didn't fully know what you and I know. We are so blessed. I mean, we have the whole Bible. We know Christ arose. We know about the Bethlehem manger and the empty tomb. And if, if the Israelites of old and the saints of old, even someone like Rahab, who was not Jewish, if they, with a minimal fraction of God's revelation, could Give their life for the Lord. How much more so us? I mean, we're 2,000 years into the church age. We know what prayer is, revival. We've got the entire Bible any day we want it to read. And, Israel is back in their land, and the gospel, even as we speak, is going around the world. Jeff, we have incentive to give God all we've got for the Great Commission, don't we?

>> Jeff Chamblee: Yeah, you know, I was listening to you talk about that. When we go to worship on Sunday, we have, like you said so much, 2,000 years of church history, seeing the witnesses that have given their lives, the martyrs, the scholars, the men who have written and explained this scriptures to us, the great Protestant Reformation. All of this to see God working and to know that the gospel is going forth. You know, when we worship, we bring a lot more, I think, than anyone did in the Old Testament. And probably chiefly because, Alex, I think we have the Holy Spirit who is indwelling us. You know, we have been united with Christ and so certainly have a lot to be thankful for.

>> Alex McFarland: And 2000 years of hymnody.

>> Jeff Chamblee: Hymnody. Yeah.

>> Alex McFarland: hey, I like praise music and I've played in a bunch of praise bands, but I also love the great hymns of the faith. Everything from, Isaac Watts to Fanny Crosby to Handel. And I mean, really, the rich, rich history and tapestry and present moment that is part of the body of Christ. Oh, my goodness, we should rejoice in all that we have in Jesus.

Numbers 28 gives instructions on the Passover and on the first fruits

Well, Numbers 28 goes on with the, the different offerings and very, very specific rituals and prescriptions, if you will, for the offerings. verse 16 talks about the 14th day of the month is the Passover of the Lord. And then the 15th day of this month is the feast. And of course, the Passover, was the final plague that got them out of Egypt, when the death angel would pass and the firstborn male of every household died, unless there was blood on the doorpost of the house, the lintels and the doorpost. And so there is instruction on the Passover, and then also on the first fruits, and, on the seventh day. Verse 25. I know I'm going somewhat quickly to, cover all this, but, well, I'm going to go to verse 23. You shall offer these beside the burnt offering in the morning, which is for a continual burnt offering. Now, this was continual at least until the Messiah came, who was the fulfillment of all this. And on the seventh day, you shall have an holy convocation. You shall do no servile work Also in the day of the first fruits, when you bring a new meat offering unto the Lord after your weeks be out, you shall have a holy convocation and do no work. Well, Jeff, for one thing, they would, they would go and hear the law read and they would hear the law expounded upon. Now, this is before the, the birth of the church that we're a part of. But in addition to the sacrifices, the priests, they were to read and they were to expound and teach the people. and Jesus really was a teacher. I mean, he was a rabbi. He was so much more than that. But, the Bible says that Christ fulfilled the threefold office of prophet, priest and king prophet. In that, of course, Christ foretold the future. He forethold the word of God. He was a priest, an advocate between God and man. And this goes all the way back to the book of Job, the, the daysman, or the reconciler, the arbiter, the, the umpire who could put one hand on man, one hand on God, one hand on earth, one hand on heaven. But also Jesus is the king who would come, the king of kings. but all of these things, the convocations were even more than just the sacrifices, the reading of God's word and the expounding of it, that people would live it and implement it into their lives.

>> Jeff Chamblee: I was reading this morning, I think it was Jehoshaphat or his son, when he took over from his father, one of the things that he did was send teachers into the land to instruct people in the law. And so over and over we see God reinstructing his people, putting it in their minds over and over again what their worship was to be like. And Alex, just a comment. in the, See, the new moon offerings or the, monthly offerings that are there, one of the things that stood out to me in this was there's a point in scripture where God says, I hate your new moon celebrations. And it's in the prophets. And so you can get this idea that as long as you go through the motions and you give these sacrifices and you give something that costs you something, that God is completely satisfied, but he wants our hearts. And the reason where he told the Israelites that I hate your new moon celebrations and your festivals is because they were coming with a mindless, heartless religion, checking off the boxes and having idolatry in their hearts at the same time. And so as New Testament believers, I think we need to be reminded that we are to come to God wholly committed to him and not walking away from church Attendance, feeling like we've done God a favor, but we bring to him true thanksgiving, true worship, and true devotion. That is what pleases God.

>> Alex McFarland: Amen. Amen. Well said. And, for them of old, for we at the present moment, it's not to be ritual or religion, but reality. and I think one of the greatest, ways to keep your heart and to remember it's not just outward formality is gratitude. Oh, my goodness, for life, for salvation, for the, manna for the day. I mean, just in the wilderness, you remember, he fed them, he gave them manna for the day. And even really to this point, we too, look for God daily for our provision. and, the gratitude that we really ought to have will keep our heart right before, or God will use it to help keep our heart right. okay. There were basically three sacrifices that, the Jewish people were to engage in and really to be led out by the Jewish males. Of course, Passover and the feast of Tabernacles and the feast of Unleavened Bread. And all of which are very pictorial of Christ's finished work on the cross. and it's been said, by the way, that all of God's work could be put under one of two categories. God's great work of creation. God's great work of redemption. Of course, creation was six days, and God rested on the seventh. And really, ever since Genesis 3, God has been working out this unfolding panoramic, plan of redemption or salvation. And we see Christ in. In all of these. These feasts. Ver. chapter 29. In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a holy convocation. Do no work. It is a day of blowing the trumpets unto you. And you shall offer a burnt offering for a sweet savor unto the Lord. One young bullock and one ram. Seven lambs of the first year without blemish. And their meat offering shall be a flower mingled with oil. 3 10th deals for a bullock and 2 10th deals for a ram. Jeff, you mentioned they're in the wilderness. you can't just go to some store and buy that. I would think this would take planning and intentionality because in addition to the grains and the oils and the things that would be for sacrifice, you still have to keep enough to feed your existing animals and to feed your family. And, it would take a lot of care and oversight to be an observant Jewish family.

>> Jeff Chamblee: Wouldn't, would. And that's why you had to be continually taught these things. And it had to Be in front of you all the time. You know, this offering of the Feast of Trumpets that begins in chapter 29, the blowing of the trumpets represents a repentance. So they're starting this new year. And by the way, chapter 29 begins the fall feasts. So they're starting the new year, with the feast of Trumpets, Rosh Hashanah, which means the head of the year. And so they begin the year with a call to repentance. And so even here, God puts in his word the principle of contrition, the principle of humility, brokenness before the Lord. That has to be part of our worship as well.

>> Alex McFarland: Well, you're right. And Rosh Hashanah, much has been made of that. People have speculated, will Jesus return during the Feast of Trumpets? Because, you know, of course, first Thessalonians talks about where the shout the voice of the archangel and the trumpet of God. You know, we don't know. And as Bert Harper often says, that we're not on the planning committee, we're on the welcoming committee. But, yeah, I would encourage you. And there are many commentaries, in fact, a couple that are. I'm sure. I'm sure they're in your church library. If your church has a library. You've probably got Haley's Bible Handbook. It's usually published by Zondervan. It's. It's fantastic. Then there's another book, Wilmington's Guide to the Bible. Harold, Wilmington passed away a few years ago, but he was a prolific author.

So many great things in Wilmington's Guide to the Bible about feasts

So many great things in, Wilmington's Guide to the Bible. And I mean, they go into real, real depth about the meaning of these, These feasts, which all point to Jesus. If you read through chapter 29, again, more sacrifices, more, in a way, there's. They're very similar, but in a way, there, There are differences because there were harvests, like you say, there was the fall feasts, the new moon. Now, the Bible says that, the heavens and earth belong to God. and from the rising of the sun. I believe it's Psalm 1, hundred thirteen, that says, from the rising of the sun to the going down of the same, may the Lord, the name of the Lord, be praised. Jeff. Every day, every year, all of time in history, the universe itself belongs to our sovereign God. And these feasts and our hearts obedience. Show that and honor that.

>> Jeff Chamblee: Amen. We'll continue with more on exploring the Word in just a few moments. Don't go away.

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Exploring the Word on American Family Radio welcomes new listeners

Stream.aca.net welcome back to Exploring the Word on American Family Radio.

>> Dr. Jessica Peck: Oh, my hope is in Jesus. Thank God yesterday's gone. All my sins are forgiven.

>> Alex McFarland: Oh, I love that song. All our hope is in Jesus. Hey, by the way, the number, if you want to call in with a Bible question, it's triple 858-98840. That's 888-589-8840. Hey, call in if you've never called in with a Bible question. You want to be a first time caller. Today would be a really good day to do that.

Jeff Graham starts week of apologetics training with Jay Warner Wallace

And Jeff, before we go to the call board, I've got to say where I am. What an honor. I was here two weeks ago, back again at the COVID the Billy Graham Training center in Asheville, North Carolina. And, let me ask everybody to please pray tonight. Just in a few moments, we start a week of apologetics training. I'm here along with Jay Warner Wallace. Jim Wallace, you've seen him on Dateline. He's a former Los Angeles detective, became a Christian. He wrote a book, ah. Called Cold Case Christianity. How he, with his, detective skills, he was challenged to take a look at the gospels by his buddies that were believers. And in his 50s, after years of atheism, J. Warner Wallace became a devout born again believer. He's a dynamic defender of the faith. And he and I are here together for five days teaching apologetics. So we're just praying that the Lord would really move in a lot of lives, certainly beginning with our own.

>> Jeff Chamblee: Yeah, it sounds like you're gonna have a great time. I wish I could be a part of that and hear you guys.

>> Alex McFarland: Wow. Well, it's, it's great to be here. And again, the number, if you've got a Bible question, it's triple 858-98840.

Exploring the Word welcomes William in Illinois and Jeff in Ohio

But we open up the phones today, beginning with Illinois. William. William in Illinois. Welcome to Exploring the Word.

>> Caroline: Good day, brothers. I worked in a lot of industry over the years and I had to deal with some hard cases. But the Bible says about don't cast your pearls before swine. Forget that. Which is. Oh, no, don't give that. Which is, always the dogs. Or cast your pearls before swine. did John the Baptist deal with that when they were coming down to deal with him about baptizing, with that attitude that they had, the Pharisees and them. Thank you for your answer. Goodbye.

>> Alex McFarland: Well, God bless you. You know that that's called an idiom. Idiom. And there are sayings in the Bible, many, many of which have existed to this day. Okay. In Matthew 7, Jesus says this. He says, do not cast your pearls before swine. Do not give dogs what is sacred. And, you know, the Book of Proverbs talks about, dogs, doing things that are. That are, not clean. And swine to observant Jews. That was an unclean animal. Jeff, let me just kind of say a thought. And you chime in there. There comes a time in dealing with some people when you realize your words are just rolling off their back like water off a duck. And words of truth are precious pearls. I mean, good, good counsel. And while I do think on the one hand, we are to invest in people, we're to go the extra mile, do all that we can do to help people, sometimes you just have to say, I've done all I can do, and dust your feet off. That, too, is an idiom. So I think casting pearls before swine, Jesus says, or they will run and trample you. There comes a point where you've done all the ministry or all the attempted ministry, and if you don't just move along, they're going to bring you down rather than you bringing them up. Jeff, what do you think?

>> Jeff Chamblee: Yeah, I couldn't agree more with you, Alex. you know, it's the Lord that opens the heart, that softens the heart, to allow the news of the gospel to go in. But there's a point, and only William, you would know where that is, where your words are going to have no effect regarding John the Baptist and your comments on that, Alex, I've always seen John the Baptist as the one who was. People came to him, and when the Pharisees came, he had words like, who warned you to escape from the judgment that's to come, do works appropriate for repentance. And so he was very straightforward, with his words and didn't chase people down, but told him the truth. And so I think there's a. There's a balance in there, and we, we have to know where that is. Good call though.

>> Alex McFarland: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Very good question. we're going to go to Ohio. Will in Ohio. Thanks for holding. Welcome to the program.

>> Caroline: Thanks for having me. Appreciate your ministry. I always learn a lot and makes me think.

How do you deal with the critic who criticizes the Old Testament law

I had a question about the Old Testament law. I think some people separate them into the moral, the civil and the ceremonial law for just for distinction. How do you deal with the critic who, who complains, or says, you know, why doesn't, why don't we still stone, certain people for certain acts or why don't we still wear certain type of materials and things like that? And I just thought you may have had this question before, you might deal with it in your conference, but I thought it might be helpful.

>> Alex McFarland: great, great question. And yes, we do get that a lot because, especially skeptics and a lot of younger people that maybe have read some blog site and you know, a lot of times the objections will go like this. Oh, do you believe the Bible is God's word? Well, absolutely we do. And they'll say, oh, well, I guess, you know, shoplifters would get executed or stoned. No, a lot of those objections fail to look at the context. Now even though Jesus fulfilled the ceremonial laws, the fact is that the m. Moral, laws really do predate the establishment, of the tabernacle in the wilderness. And so you have to look at the context. For example, I've said it this way, Jeff, you know, God will never call any New Testament Christian to go fight some Amalekites because so much of the Old Testament, so much of the Old Testament, God was bringing Israel into their land to raise them up as a nation in fulfillment of promises and prophecies through whom to send the Messiah. And so while in Jesus were fulfilled, fulfilled the civil and the ceremonial and, and all the moral laws, while, the ceremonial laws that were specific to the Jewish people in the Old Testament times, we don't have to do all that because it's fulfilled in Christ. Christ's righteousness is ours through faith, not outward ritual. But that doesn't mean that the moral prohibitions have been rescinded. It is still against the law to commit murder unless it's self defense or national defense. It is still against the law to sin, to steal and to perjure oneself. So, Jeff, I think those and sewing new cloth on old cloth, those were not only prescriptive but very pictorial. But they were most m. Certainly for Israel, not for the church or the world at Large today.

>> Jeff Chamblee: you know, one of the things that Ray Comfort does is use the law, like you said, Alex, the moral law, to bring people to conviction, to help them understand that they're sinners before God. But that's not the same as saying that there are certain sacrifices you need to offer. We're under the new covenant now. We're not under the old covenant. We are under the reign of grace, not the reign of sin, for believers. So, the moral law certainly is applicable today.

>> Alex McFarland: Amen.

Susan in Virginia asks about Jewish wedding customs and traditions

Susan in Virginia, welcome to Exploring the Word.

>> Caroline: Hi there. This is my first time to call for anything.

>> Alex McFarland: Well, anybody. Well, a hearty welcome.

>> Caroline: Thank you. I watched a, documentary, on Friday night, well, Saturday night, with my husband, and it was called the Wrath, before the Wrath. Have you heard of that?

>> Alex McFarland: I. I haven't, Jeff.

>> Jeff Chamblee: No, I have not.

>> Caroline: Okay. It's, It has, several things that are different about Galilean weddings versus any other, of the Jewish faith in that area or anywhere. do you. Do you happen to know what a couple of those might be?

>> Alex McFarland: I have to confess that I really don't know. I really don't know about that. you know, I saw a Jewish wedding when I was in Jerusalem a couple of years ago. and I know there's some, you know, very special rituals, like, you know, stepping on a glass bottle and, breaking that. That is, a lot of it. I've heard Jewish friends say it symbolizes some of the pain and danger that they've gone through. But. Jeff, do you know much about the. The Jewish wedding customs and the ones from Jerusalem to Galilee? I have to confess ignorance.

>> Jeff Chamblee: No, Susan, I'm a blank page on that. You'll have to. You'll have to inform us on that one.

>> Alex McFarland: But, let. I tell you what, let's do. we'll do a little research. Whenever we come across something that we don't know, we, do some research when we get back to you. And Susan will certainly try to do that. Jerome in Texas. Jerome, welcome.

>> Speaker H: Thanks a lot. Alex and Bird, thank you very much for being great mentors.

Elijah: First Timothy 2:12 says the senior pastor is male

I'd like to ask a New Testament question based on First Timothy 2:12, because, we came up in a wonderful. Under a wonderful woman pastor. Prior to. When I got to the church, my wife came up under a great woman pastor who left behind a great man who I still consider one of the greatest, you know, pastors that, That I, That I've ever experienced. So first Timothy 2:12 is a, topic of Contention in my mavericks. And we go back and forth. Elijah, can you give me some clarification on do women preach, teach men m in the church, or still holding to that.

>> Alex McFarland: let me jump in on this. And Jeff, you can as well. Paul says this. I do not allow a woman to teach nor usurp authority over a man, but to be in silence. Okay? This is the subject of what we call ecclesiology. Now, ecclesiology deals with how we carry out church. And I realize that while we're all in agreement on soteriology, salvation, or at least we should be in agreement that our faith is in Jesus, who paid our sin debt on the cross. There are differences different groups have on ecclesiology. Now, I work with a couple of pretty old school, hardshell, rigid mentors in grad school, one of whom was norm Geisler. And Dr. Geisler. And the reason I bring him up, because he's a very respected theologian. He's in heaven now. But even Dr. Geisler did not mind having women. Women speak in church and even sometimes teach men. Now, I'm not. I'm not saying this is good or bad. I'm just saying here was what Dr. Geisler said in his handling of this passage. He said that, obviously the. The senior pastor is male because, you know, it says that the man should be, quote, the husband of one wife. That's first Timothy 3:2. And a woman cannot be the husband of one wife. So the senior pastor is male. But that does not necessarily preclude a woman from teaching or speaking. Why? Because Dr. Geisler would say, well, if. If it's with the oversight and authority of the pastor, she hasn't usurped authority. But, clearly there are women that have teaching gifts. I think about the late Kay Arthur, who was a friend of mine. I think about Anne Graham Lotz, who is very, very gifted, and Elizabeth Elliot. Jeff, do you remember Elizabeth Elliot, who was a m. Missionary? She was on the radio for years.

>> Jeff Chamblee: Oh, yeah.

>> Alex McFarland: I would say this, and I'm gonna throw it to you. I don't mean to be so long. different churches and groups have different protocols on this. But I will say this about the rise of female pastors there. There's a philosophy called egalitarianism. And egalitarian, philosophy doesn't want there to be any distinction between male and female. And not always, not always. But very often those that advocate for women pastors, they tend to lean liberal, in a lot of ways. And so it can be a slippery Slope. I'm not completely averse to sitting under a woman teaching, but I want to know several other things about what's going on to really make a judgment call. But Jeff, feel free to disagree, brother.

>> Jeff Chamblee: Well said, Alex. I think that the issue at hand is the senior pastor. For me, it is, you know, looking at one Timothy. We have to go to Scripture for our rule of faith here and how we are to have things done in the church. And that's why Paul wrote to Timothy. It's interesting that right after this verse that Jerome just mentioned in chapter three, we get into the qualifications for overseers and deacons. in both of those cases they speak of men. And so I think clearly there's a paradigm where men are the leaders in the church, in terms of exercising authority. But that is not to say that women are not equal in standing before God in terms of salvation and worth and giftings and all of those things. But in terms of how the church operates, I think we need to be very careful.

>> Alex McFarland: Andrew in Kentucky. We're going to try our best to get your question in, before time elapses. But Andrew, welcome.

>> Caroline: Yes, thank you for taking my call.

Jeff Chamblee: Pre Bethlehem appearance of Jesus is sometimes called theophany

Just real quick, you were talking about Christ in the Old Testament versus the New Testament, concealed versus revealed. And a lot of scholars and different people think that the pre incarnate Christ was actually the angel of the Lord mentioned in the Old Testament. And there's such evidence, you know, in the book of Daniel, when Daniel saw, what what he said was walking on the water and you know, his hair was like wool and his eyes were like fire and even that fourth man in the fire, what would you say to the pre incarnate Christ maybe potentially being that same angel of the Lord?

>> Alex McFarland: Amen. Well, there's a term called theophany that is a pre Bethlehem appearance of Christ. And while I do think, you know, the angel of the Lord or the fourth man in the fire, it was Jesus, but it wasn't the incarnate Jesus. Yet while Christ could appear on earth when he wanted to, and there are several times that he certainly did, Bethlehem was different. That wasn't just a theophany, that was the incarnation. Jeff Shambley, what say you?

>> Jeff Chamblee: I agree with that. you know, we do see Christ in the Old Testament because Christ is eternal. He is an uncreated being. And so he was certainly part with God's creation and so forth in the Old Testament. So great questions today, Alex.

>> Alex McFarland: Great question. Hey, probably the best book on that is by a conservative scholar named James Borland. It's called Christ in the Old Testament, a fantastic book. Jeff Chamblee, thank you so much. Brent Austin, Marty Sparks, and you listeners, thanks for joining us. Tell somebody about afa. Tell everybody about Jesus.

>> Jeff Chamblee: The views and opinions expressed in this broadcast may not necessarily reflect those of the American Family association or American Family Radio.

Numbers 28:1-29:6: A Sweet Smelling Aroma