Ryan King – Geography of the Holy Lands – Class 1 – The Glory Of All Lands

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The general heading of the
geography of the Holy Land and

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today’s topic being the glory of
all lands.

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Look, good afternoon, dear
brothers and sisters and young

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people.
It was our brother Thomas who

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said that the Deity delights in
stimulating the intellect of His

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creatures.
And our Heavenly Father, who

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made our minds, has taught us
the same simple principles in a

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variety of ways.
He knows that if His people are

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to be successful in their battle
against sin that they will need

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lots of power on their side,
lots of mental stimulation.

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And so He has given us the same
pack of lessons in His word, but

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in many, many different ways.
Just think about some of the

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ways that our Heavenly Father
teaches us.

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These are just to name a few.
There is proverb and parable.

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He does it by miracle and sign.
He speaks through creation and

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nature.
Doth not nature itself Teach

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you, said the Apostle, through
history and genealogy.

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The plant in the animal Kingdom
tells us about our nature

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through prophecy and vision,
song and praise, type and

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shadow, law and commandment,
sacrifice and offering.

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You know, when you think about
it, brothers and sisters, God

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could have recorded every
fundamental doctrine, all that

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we need for salvation in a small
book.

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But he has given us a whole
Bible of 66 books, whereby we

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can find many different ways,
many different reminders as to

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how we can serve Him.
He made our minds.

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He knows what we need.
And this week, we’d like to

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consider, God willing, a way
that our Heavenly Father teaches

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us that you might not have
considered, but one that I think

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you will find to be very, very
powerful, one that falls under

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this category here of creation
and nature.

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Because out of all God’s
creation, which we know declares

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His glory, there is one
particular creation that is

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very, very special, and that
creation is the land of Israel

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itself.
I’d like you to turn to Ezekiel

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Chapter 20 as we open our
studies.

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Ezekiel Chapter 20 is where we
have taken the theme for our

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opening session, Ezekiel 20.
You’ll notice that chapter that

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deals with the two great
exoduses of Israel, one past and

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one yet to come.
And in speaking about the past,

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he says in verse six of Ezekiel
Chapter 20.

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And the day that I lifted up my
hand unto them to bring them

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forth of the land of Egypt into
a land that I aspired for them,

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flowing with milk and honey,
which is the glory of all lands.

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So out of all the places upon
the earth, there is one place

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that God has created that is
very special, the land of

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Israel, which is the glory of
all lands.

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So here’s the question we have
to ask ourselves.

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Why is it the glory of all
lands?

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Is it because it’s the biggest?
We can fly over the breadth of

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Israel in a jumbo jet in about 3
minutes.

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Is it the glory of all lands
because it’s the prettiest?

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No, it can only be the glory of
all lands, brothers and sisters,

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because there is a spiritual
dimension in that land that no

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other land has.
The land, as we will see, God

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willing, this week, was created
to teach lessons.

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Even researchers who know
nothing about the Bible tell us

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that the Land of Israel is
unique.

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Its topography is different from
many other places that we find

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in the earth.
In one day it will become the

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center of God’s Kingdom where
all the focus of the world will

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be turned.
Something else that’s

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interesting about that land that
you may know is that it really

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sits in the center of the earth
itself.

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You have probably seen this
painting that sites or depicts

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Jerusalem as being the center of
the earth.

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In the very middle of Europe,
Asia and Africa is the land of

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Israel.
So in the midst of the whole

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earth, you will know that the
Mediterranean, the word

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Mediterranean means the middle
of the earth.

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In the middle of the earth there
sits this little jewel, this

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glory of all lands.
And God willing, this week we

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want to see why it is the glory
of all lands and why one day the

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desire of all nations will come
into that place.

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So let’s just look at a few
facts about this land.

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It’s small, not very large.
Again, certainly not going to

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rank amongst the largest
countries of the earth.

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It’s roughly the size of the
state of New Jersey.

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These studies were kind of
designed for an American

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audience, but although it was a
is a small country, brothers and

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sisters, it’s a land that really
has everything.

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There are snow capped mountains
in the north which we’ll see

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when we go to Mount Hermon.
In the very north there is the

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Nygev desert.
Lying to the South.

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Roughly 60% of the land is the
Nygev desert.

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The word Nygev is the Hebrew
word for South.

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So most of the southern part of
Israel is what’s known as the

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Nygev hills and valleys.
Down the middle we will see that

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there is a hump that really goes
right up the middle of the Land

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of Israel.
We will have a look at that hump

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in a few minutes, and there are
three great bodies of water, and

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for lack of a better phrase, we
call them the Med, which is to

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the West, the large body of
water.

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To the West, the dead, which
you’ll see right there in the

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center, the lowest point on the
Earth’s surface, and the red,

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which is the little tip that you
see coming up at the bottom.

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The Med, the dead and the red. 3
Great bodies of Water whereby

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Israel, a small country, is able
to have a pretty thriving

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economy because it has these
great natural advantages.

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So although it’s a small land,
brothers and sisters, it’s a

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land that really has everything.
It’s as though God has packed

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into this little land all of
these different facets of life.

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And so the land is now going to
take all of those things and

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teach spiritual lessons by them.
Let’s come to Deuteronomy

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Chapter 11, and to the to the
reading that we have where we

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see the uniqueness of the land
of Israel being highlighted to

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the new generation that was
leaving Egypt and was going into

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the land.
And this generation is going to

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be told straight away that
there’s something different

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about the land that you’re going
into.

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They had come from Egypt, and
Egypt was vastly different to

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the new land that they were
about to enter.

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Deuteronomy Chapter 11 and verse
10 tells us this.

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For the land whither thou goest
in to possess it is not as the

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land of Egypt from whence you
came out, where thou sowest thy

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seed and waterist it with thy
foot as a garden of herbs.

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So the first fact that we learn
about the land of Israel is it’s

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not like the land of Egypt.
Egypt is a flat land.

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It’s watered by the Nile.
There are canals that run all

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the way through Egypt.
And so easy was it to water

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Egypt that you could do it with
your foot.

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There were these, what they call
sluice gates that you see now

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that they used to open dams of
water.

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And with these sluice gates,
they were operated by a foot

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pedal.
And so when you wanted to water

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your field in Egypt, you just
kick the foot pedal open.

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Out would come the water, and
then when it was sufficiently

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watered, you would just kick it
closed.

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You watered it with your foot,
no effort at all required

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because Egypt was flat.
But it’s not like that in the

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land of Israel.
You’re going to need something

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more powerful if you want to
survive in that land.

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Because verse 11 says the land,
whether you go to possess it, is

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a land of hills and valleys and
shrinketh water of the rain of

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heaven.
This is a topographical map of

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Israel.
It’s a land of hills and

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valleys.
You see, right down the center

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is the hump that we just spoke
of.

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You’ve got all these foothills
leading up to the central spine

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of the Judean hills.
It’s not like the land of Egypt.

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You’re going to need something
more powerful.

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As a matter of fact, if you look
at the 12th verse, Deuteronomy

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11 and verse 12 says it’s a land
which Yahweh thy God careth for

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now the word careth it, for
there actually means to tread,

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to tread.
It’s the same word.

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If you look over at verse 24 of
this chapter, every place where

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the soul of your feet shall
tread will be yours.

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It’s a land which Yahweh, your
God treadeth for.

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In other words, you could water
Egypt with your foot.

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If you’re going to survive in my
land, you’re going to need my

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foot.
There’s nobody that can water

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that with their foot.
You’ve got the hills of Judea,

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3500 feet above sea level.
Go 10 miles east down to the

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Arabah, the depression of the
Jordan Valley, 1000 feet below

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sea level.
There’s nobody that can water

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that with their foot.
God says you’re going to need my

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foot.
I’m putting you in that land

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that you might learn to develop
faith in me because in that land

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you have to rely upon me.
So God put them in that land for

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a reason that they might learn
to trust and put their

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confidence in Him.
In Isaiah Chapter 5, just to lay

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some foundations in our studies
we’re told something else about

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the the land of Israel.
Isaiah chapter 5.

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This is the song of the
vineyard.

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We know that Yahweh had a
vineyard Israel.

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He expected that vineyard to
produce fruit, which is the one

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purpose of a vineyard to produce
fruit.

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And in order that vineyard might
produce fruit.

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He gave it many, many
privileges.

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Isaiah chapter 5 and verse one
which reads, Now will I sing to

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my well beloved, That’s to God.
A song of my beloved touching

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his vineyard.
We know the vineyard is Israel.

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From verse seven my beloved hath
a vineyard in a very fruitful

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hill.
What did he do for this

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ecclesia?
Well, verse two says he fenced

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it.
He gathered out the stones

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thereof.
He planted it with the choicest

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vine.
So what Yahweh did was he gave

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this ecclesia, this vineyard
which was Israel, every

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advantage, every means whereby
they could produce fruit.

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And verse two says he fenced it.
And I want to show you how he

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fenced it.
The land itself is really

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designed to be a box.
Now today you don’t have to

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worry about that because there’s
airplanes and and means of

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getting around these things, but
they didn’t have it in those

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days.
The land of Israel is designed

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as a box.
If you go to the western side,

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what you see on that chart as
the phrase coastal plain, the

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Mediterranean coast, there is
not one natural harbour anywhere

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along that western coast.
And so much of a problem was

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that that when the Romans came
in, in the days of Christ, they

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actually had to dig one.
They called it Caesarea.

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God didn’t give them, you know,
miles of shoreline that they

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could expand beyond the oceans.
He didn’t give them natural

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seaports.
Why?

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Because he wanted them in that
lane.

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So it wasn’t easy for them to go
West, and nor was it easy for

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them to go north at the top of
the land of Israel.

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If you can see on the chart
where it says upper Galilee, you

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will find Mount Hermon 9000 feet
above sea level.

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Not easy to go north with a
mountain that’s 9000 feet high

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and off of Mount Herbane.
There are the Lebanese and the

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anti Lebanese ranges, making it
difficult for Israel to venture

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beyond that territory.
So they can’t go West, they

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can’t go north.
What about going east?

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You’ve got the depression of the
Jordan Valley sloping down 1000

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feet below sea level.
You’ve got the hills of Gilead

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and Moab beyond there, making it
difficult for them to go east.

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In the South you’ve got the
Negev desert, dry arid,

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stretching right down to Egypt.
And So what God did through this

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land was he fenced his people
in.

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He didn’t want them expanding
far and wide like Tyre and other

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powers.
He wanted them in that land.

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Why?
Well, Deuteronomy 11 has just

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told us so that they could look
to him for blessing and for

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sustenance.
He wanted their focus and their

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00:14:04,040 –> 00:14:07,720
faith to be in him.
It’s not like the land of Egypt

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00:14:07,720 –> 00:14:09,160
where you could water it with
your foot.

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00:14:09,640 –> 00:14:13,800
It’s a land that drinks in the
water of the rain of heaven.

220
00:14:14,680 –> 00:14:17,520
And I want you to look to me for
faith.

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00:14:17,920 –> 00:14:20,520
And the lament of Isaiah 5, of
course, is, is that despite

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00:14:20,520 –> 00:14:25,440
providing them these things,
they were unable to produce the

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00:14:25,440 –> 00:14:30,040
fruit that he desired.
So we want to look at some of

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00:14:30,040 –> 00:14:33,840
the unique features of that
land, God willing.

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00:14:33,840 –> 00:14:36,880
This week I think that you’ll
find many of the principles that

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00:14:36,880 –> 00:14:40,760
we all know to be true.
Some of our first principle

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00:14:40,760 –> 00:14:44,280
doctrines, some of the
principles that we know from

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00:14:44,320 –> 00:14:48,160
everyday life, we’ll see
reinforced in the land of Israel

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00:14:48,560 –> 00:14:51,440
that we’ll consider.
So let’s look at a few of the

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00:14:51,920 –> 00:14:55,120
facets of it.
More particularly, this is

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00:14:55,120 –> 00:14:58,520
another topographical map of the
Land of Israel.

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00:14:59,560 –> 00:15:06,200
You see how from the seacoast to
the Dead Sea is only 45 miles,

233
00:15:06,960 –> 00:15:12,400
but there is this huge hump over
that 45 mile stretch.

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00:15:13,840 –> 00:15:16,800
Jerusalem, which is really right
in the center there, is at the

235
00:15:16,800 –> 00:15:21,120
top of the Judean hills.
It’s about 2700 feet above sea

236
00:15:21,120 –> 00:15:25,640
level, but if you just go to the
east down to the Dead Sea, you

237
00:15:25,640 –> 00:15:30,920
drop down below sea level.
It’s really like a sliding board

238
00:15:31,160 –> 00:15:36,280
on either end.
And this hump in the middle is

239
00:15:36,280 –> 00:15:38,600
what we’d like to focus on a
little bit more.

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00:15:40,680 –> 00:15:44,760
There are three ranges of hills
along this hump.

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00:15:45,200 –> 00:15:48,760
I want to try and just get the
overview of the land here in our

242
00:15:48,760 –> 00:15:51,600
first session so that you’re
somewhat familiar with its its

243
00:15:51,600 –> 00:15:55,280
locations.
There are three ranges of hills

244
00:15:55,760 –> 00:15:59,680
along Israel’s Hump.
You’ve got the Galilee Hills in

245
00:15:59,680 –> 00:16:05,440
the north, the Samaritan hills
in the center, and the Judean

246
00:16:05,440 –> 00:16:09,160
hills in the South.
That’s along this hump of land,

247
00:16:09,760 –> 00:16:14,120
Galilee Hills, Samaritan hills,
Judean Hills.

248
00:16:15,840 –> 00:16:20,280
These hills are about 3500 feet
above sea level, and they run up

249
00:16:20,280 –> 00:16:24,720
and down the central part of
that particular land.

250
00:16:28,800 –> 00:16:33,440
Now, on either end of the hump,
we’ll see that there are two

251
00:16:33,440 –> 00:16:36,200
famous plains.
There’s what’s known as the

252
00:16:36,200 –> 00:16:40,200
Plain of Sharon, and these are
the biblical names for these

253
00:16:40,200 –> 00:16:41,880
places.
There’s the Plain of Sharon,

254
00:16:42,320 –> 00:16:47,160
which is on the western side,
what we sometimes refer to as

255
00:16:47,160 –> 00:16:50,160
the coastal plain or the
maritime plain, known in the

256
00:16:50,160 –> 00:16:54,960
bottle as the Plain of Sharon.
The city of Tel Aviv is in the

257
00:16:55,440 –> 00:16:59,160
plain of Sharon, and that runs
all the way up to Haifa or Mount

258
00:16:59,160 –> 00:17:04,359
Carmel.
On the other end of the hump we

259
00:17:04,359 –> 00:17:08,480
find what’s known as the Arabah.
And this Arabah or the Jordan

260
00:17:08,480 –> 00:17:11,880
depression runs really from the
Sea of Galilee, which you see

261
00:17:11,880 –> 00:17:16,119
there in the north all the way
down below the Dead Sea.

262
00:17:17,079 –> 00:17:22,240
It’s flat, it’s arid, and most
of it is below sea level.

263
00:17:22,760 –> 00:17:25,079
So the land is really not all
that difficult to understand.

264
00:17:25,800 –> 00:17:30,240
We’ve got a hump in the middle,
3 ranges of hills, the Galilee

265
00:17:30,240 –> 00:17:33,560
hills in the north, the
Samaritan hills in the center,

266
00:17:33,840 –> 00:17:35,800
the Judine hills on the in the
South.

267
00:17:36,320 –> 00:17:39,560
And then on either end we’ve got
these two famous plains, the

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00:17:39,560 –> 00:17:46,880
Plain of Charan and the Arabah.
It’s a very unique land and it’s

269
00:17:46,880 –> 00:17:50,240
a land that I think you’ll all
find very, very easy to follow.

270
00:17:51,680 –> 00:17:55,160
Let’s just zero in on a couple
of these places a little bit

271
00:17:55,160 –> 00:17:58,520
more.
We mentioned earlier that there

272
00:17:58,520 –> 00:18:02,120
are a series of bumps.
You see these little bumps right

273
00:18:02,120 –> 00:18:05,400
here leading up to the Judean
hills.

274
00:18:06,160 –> 00:18:10,000
All of these little undulating
hills are what’s called in the

275
00:18:10,000 –> 00:18:14,440
Bible, the Shephilah.
It was famous in the times of

276
00:18:14,440 –> 00:18:17,120
David.
The Valley of Elah is here.

277
00:18:18,040 –> 00:18:22,160
It’s famous in the we’ll see in
the times of Samson, Zora and

278
00:18:22,160 –> 00:18:25,920
SJO where he operated, or in
this territory known as the

279
00:18:25,920 –> 00:18:29,000
Shephilah.
And that is the biblical name

280
00:18:29,120 –> 00:18:31,280
for this territory.
If you just turn to Zechariah

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00:18:31,280 –> 00:18:35,920
Chapter 7, we’ll show you how
this word Shephilah is in fact

282
00:18:35,920 –> 00:18:38,280
used.
Zechariah Chapter 7.

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00:18:46,880 –> 00:18:48,920
The Shephilah.
These are the hills that lead up

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00:18:48,920 –> 00:18:53,120
to the central spine of the
land, lead up to the hump.

285
00:18:54,040 –> 00:19:00,440
Zechariah Chapter 7 and verse 7
not always rendered Shephilah by

286
00:19:00,440 –> 00:19:04,520
the authorized version, but
rendered either by a couple of

287
00:19:04,520 –> 00:19:07,520
different terms.
Zechariah 7 and verse 7.

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00:19:08,320 –> 00:19:11,360
Should not she hear the words
which Yahweh hath cried by the

289
00:19:11,360 –> 00:19:15,520
former prophets when Jerusalem
was inhabited in prosperity, and

290
00:19:15,520 –> 00:19:19,400
the city is thereof round about
her when men inhabited the South

291
00:19:20,560 –> 00:19:23,720
and the plain.
Now the word plain there is

292
00:19:23,720 –> 00:19:27,480
actually the word Shephilah.
It’s the word that means the

293
00:19:27,480 –> 00:19:30,520
lowlands.
It’s the lowlands.

294
00:19:30,920 –> 00:19:35,680
It broadens its way out down
towards the coast, but it also

295
00:19:36,000 –> 00:19:38,440
works its way up towards the
Judean hills.

296
00:19:38,440 –> 00:19:42,280
And as you make your way into
the Shephilah, you’ll find that

297
00:19:42,280 –> 00:19:45,480
the hills get more and more
compacted, more and more

298
00:19:45,480 –> 00:19:47,760
constricted.
It was the area where David very

299
00:19:47,760 –> 00:19:51,440
often would hide from Saul, this
territory known as the

300
00:19:51,720 –> 00:19:55,240
Shephilah.
It’s going to be a very famous

301
00:19:55,240 –> 00:19:58,080
territory that we’ll go to in
our studies.

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00:19:58,520 –> 00:20:01,120
Now you notice that there’s
another word in that verse, the

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00:20:01,120 –> 00:20:05,800
word for Seth, and this is a
part of the land that we we, we

304
00:20:05,800 –> 00:20:12,080
might get to as well, this
territory of the Niigip.

305
00:20:12,800 –> 00:20:17,000
That word there for South there
is the word Negev.

306
00:20:17,160 –> 00:20:20,320
So all of this territory down
here at the bottom, which in

307
00:20:20,320 –> 00:20:24,240
ancient times was inhabited by
the tribe of Judah that is known

308
00:20:24,240 –> 00:20:32,160
as the Negev, and it’s the usual
word translated South in the Old

309
00:20:32,160 –> 00:20:35,760
Testament and in that verse
there in Zechariah Chapter 7.

310
00:20:36,600 –> 00:20:39,480
So I think that you will find
these things are very easy to

311
00:20:39,480 –> 00:20:41,400
follow.
Some of us may not be

312
00:20:41,400 –> 00:20:45,040
geographically inclined, but
it’s a very simple land to look

313
00:20:45,040 –> 00:20:46,840
at.
There’s a hump that goes right

314
00:20:46,840 –> 00:20:50,680
down the middle, 3 ranges of
hills and then plains on either

315
00:20:50,680 –> 00:20:54,080
side.
I could just look at a couple of

316
00:20:54,080 –> 00:20:56,560
examples where an understanding
of the land, brothers and

317
00:20:56,560 –> 00:21:00,960
sisters can help us in our Bible
study passages that might mean

318
00:21:01,200 –> 00:21:05,440
absolutely nothing to us without
an understanding of the land.

319
00:21:05,440 –> 00:21:07,840
I like to look firstly at Psalm
60.

320
00:21:31,870 –> 00:21:34,710
Psalm 60 mentions a lot of
different locations in the Holy

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00:21:34,710 –> 00:21:37,950
Land and we perhaps wonder when
we read this Psalm what it’s all

322
00:21:37,950 –> 00:21:42,040
about.
Psalm 60 says in verse 6 God has

323
00:21:42,040 –> 00:21:46,000
spoken in His Holiness.
I will rejoice.

324
00:21:46,000 –> 00:21:49,800
I will divide Shechem and Mete
out the valley of Succoth.

325
00:21:50,440 –> 00:21:52,920
Gilead is mine.
Manasseh is mine.

326
00:21:53,440 –> 00:21:55,720
Ephraim also is the strength of
mine head.

327
00:21:56,320 –> 00:22:00,640
Judah is my lawgiver.
Moab is my washpot over Eden

328
00:22:00,640 –> 00:22:04,040
will I cast out my shoe?
Philistia, triumph thou because

329
00:22:04,040 –> 00:22:06,600
of me who will bring me into the
strong city?

330
00:22:06,800 –> 00:22:09,440
Who will lead me into eat them?
And you wonder when you read all

331
00:22:09,440 –> 00:22:12,120
of those those places there.
Well, what’s that all about?

332
00:22:12,120 –> 00:22:15,960
What’s that for?
Well, we have to get the setting

333
00:22:15,960 –> 00:22:18,880
of this particular Psalm to
understand just what it’s about.

334
00:22:19,520 –> 00:22:23,360
In the 60th Psalm we’re given in
the superscription to the Psalm.

335
00:22:23,800 –> 00:22:28,080
The context of these words, the
superscription or the heading to

336
00:22:28,080 –> 00:22:32,800
Psalm 60 which we find in our
Bibles, says this and this does

337
00:22:32,800 –> 00:22:34,760
of course form part of the
original scripture.

338
00:22:35,520 –> 00:22:41,680
It says a Mctam of David to
teach when he strove with Aram

339
00:22:41,680 –> 00:22:48,640
Nahariam and with Aram Zoba when
Joab returned, and smote of Edom

340
00:22:49,040 –> 00:22:53,320
in the valley of salt 12,000.
So now we know the background to

341
00:22:53,320 –> 00:22:57,200
these words in Psalm 60.
So it was that time when David

342
00:22:57,200 –> 00:23:02,400
was extending by faith the
territory of the land of Israel.

343
00:23:02,920 –> 00:23:08,080
He was up there in Aram
Nahariyam and Aram Zoba.

344
00:23:08,640 –> 00:23:12,800
Now on the map here we can see
roughly where David was.

345
00:23:13,280 –> 00:23:15,720
David was up here by the
Euphrates River.

346
00:23:16,840 –> 00:23:20,520
He was extending by faith the
work that Joshua had begun.

347
00:23:20,760 –> 00:23:24,440
Remember, the promised land in
the beginning was intended to be

348
00:23:24,440 –> 00:23:29,720
from the now to the Euphrates.
And David here in Psalm 60 was

349
00:23:29,720 –> 00:23:33,080
endeavoring to extend Israel’s
territory all the way up to the

350
00:23:33,080 –> 00:23:37,680
entering end of Hamath between
the two rivers, as Aram

351
00:23:37,680 –> 00:23:42,080
Nahariyam means between the
Tigris and the Euphrates River.

352
00:23:42,720 –> 00:23:45,280
And it says they are in the
heading of Psalm 60.

353
00:23:45,280 –> 00:23:49,520
And with Aram Zoba, which was
around this territory there the

354
00:23:49,520 –> 00:23:52,080
Orantes.
So David was way up in the

355
00:23:52,080 –> 00:23:56,560
north, conquering all this
territory, extending the borders

356
00:23:57,080 –> 00:24:01,040
of the land of Israel.
Now while David was up there

357
00:24:01,040 –> 00:24:05,520
doing that, the Edomites invaded
the land.

358
00:24:07,680 –> 00:24:13,080
The land was undefended.
The army, his most able

359
00:24:13,080 –> 00:24:17,760
generals, were all up in the
north, helping him conquer that

360
00:24:17,760 –> 00:24:21,840
territory.
And meanwhile the Edomites

361
00:24:22,080 –> 00:24:26,080
invade the land.
Psalm 44, which actually goes

362
00:24:26,080 –> 00:24:29,280
with Psalm 60, was written
around about this time by a son

363
00:24:29,280 –> 00:24:32,640
of Cora.
And Psalm 44 is the perspective

364
00:24:32,640 –> 00:24:38,400
of a son of Cora who was caught
in the land when the Edomites

365
00:24:38,400 –> 00:24:42,360
invade it.
So what’s David going to do?

366
00:24:43,840 –> 00:24:49,000
Well, David wrote Psalm 60
appealing to God for help.

367
00:24:51,000 –> 00:24:54,000
Verses one to five is his
appeal.

368
00:24:54,880 –> 00:24:59,800
Oh God, thou hast cast us off.
Thou hast scattered us.

369
00:24:59,800 –> 00:25:02,760
Thou hast been displeased.
Thou turn thyself to us again,

370
00:25:03,280 –> 00:25:06,200
as he’s trying to come to grips
with the Providence of God.

371
00:25:06,200 –> 00:25:09,840
He he was up here doing a good
thing, extending by faith the

372
00:25:10,160 –> 00:25:13,040
territory of Israel to the
borders that God had intended.

373
00:25:13,040 –> 00:25:14,960
And meanwhile this terrible
thing happened.

374
00:25:14,960 –> 00:25:17,960
What we what are we going to do?
Verse 2.

375
00:25:17,960 –> 00:25:19,560
Thou hast made the earth to
tremble.

376
00:25:19,560 –> 00:25:22,360
Thou hast broken it.
Heal the breaches thereof, for

377
00:25:22,360 –> 00:25:27,120
it shakes.
Thou hast showed thy people hard

378
00:25:27,480 –> 00:25:30,040
things.
Thou hast made us to drink the

379
00:25:30,040 –> 00:25:33,320
wine of astonishment.
Thou hast given a banner to them

380
00:25:33,320 –> 00:25:36,040
that fear thee that it may be
displayed because of the truth

381
00:25:36,720 –> 00:25:39,160
that thy beloved may be
delivered.

382
00:25:40,080 –> 00:25:45,640
Save me with thy right hand, and
hear me So here’s David’s appeal

383
00:25:45,640 –> 00:25:50,400
to God for help.
Save me with thy right hand and

384
00:25:50,400 –> 00:25:55,760
hear me now.
In verses 6 to 8 we find God’s

385
00:25:55,800 –> 00:25:59,360
answer, Or verses 6 to 9 we find
God’s answer.

386
00:25:59,360 –> 00:26:03,600
God has spoken in His Holiness,
which is the language of the

387
00:26:03,600 –> 00:26:05,720
covenant promise of Second
Samuel 7.

388
00:26:06,560 –> 00:26:10,280
God has spoken in His Holiness,
and this is what he had to say.

389
00:26:10,280 –> 00:26:16,240
You just look at the territory
of the land and you look at all

390
00:26:16,240 –> 00:26:19,320
the places that are mentioned in
those verses.

391
00:26:20,760 –> 00:26:24,040
You’ll notice that they cover
just about every direction of

392
00:26:24,040 –> 00:26:28,360
the land.
I will divide Shechem.

393
00:26:29,680 –> 00:26:31,440
Well, Shechem, we’ll go there
tomorrow.

394
00:26:32,040 –> 00:26:38,240
It’s on the West side, right in
the middle and meet out in the

395
00:26:38,240 –> 00:26:42,360
valley of Saketh.
Saketh is on the east side, just

396
00:26:42,360 –> 00:26:47,240
over on the other side of Jordan
pretty much even with Shechem on

397
00:26:47,240 –> 00:26:49,000
the other side of the Jordan on
the east.

398
00:26:51,640 –> 00:26:54,560
Gilead is mine, That’s on the
east.

399
00:26:56,520 –> 00:27:00,280
Manasseh is mine.
Manasseh, you’ll know, had a

400
00:27:00,280 –> 00:27:02,440
double portion.
He had portions on both the

401
00:27:02,440 –> 00:27:05,600
eastern side of Jordan as well
as on the western side.

402
00:27:06,480 –> 00:27:12,800
Manasseh is mine, Ephraim also
Ephraim was one of the tribes in

403
00:27:12,800 –> 00:27:16,520
the north.
It’s the strength of mine head.

404
00:27:16,800 –> 00:27:22,280
Judah in the South is my
lawgiver, Moab.

405
00:27:23,480 –> 00:27:27,440
Moab was to the east, As you can
see, on that neck is my wash pup

406
00:27:28,160 –> 00:27:31,640
over Edom.
That’s to the far South.

407
00:27:32,520 –> 00:27:37,560
Will I cast my shoe, Felicia,
that’s to the West.

408
00:27:38,200 –> 00:27:42,160
Triumph thou because of me.
So what God was saying to him in

409
00:27:42,160 –> 00:27:45,920
that very simple answer was,
David, I promised the whole land

410
00:27:48,160 –> 00:27:50,160
to you.
It will be under your control.

411
00:27:50,160 –> 00:27:52,440
It’s mine and I have given it to
you.

412
00:27:54,000 –> 00:27:58,400
And we know from the book of
Chronicles, which is coterminous

413
00:27:58,400 –> 00:28:01,960
with Psalm 61st Chronicles
chapter 18 says that David

414
00:28:01,960 –> 00:28:06,560
dispatched two of his ablest
generals, Joab and Abhishek, and

415
00:28:07,400 –> 00:28:11,520
they came down into the land and
they smote of the Edomites in

416
00:28:11,520 –> 00:28:15,040
the valley of salt. 12,000 And
the record of Chronicles says,

417
00:28:15,280 –> 00:28:21,280
And David got himself a name.
And so in God’s very thorough

418
00:28:21,280 –> 00:28:23,920
and very complete answer, he
signaled to David.

419
00:28:26,320 –> 00:28:29,200
Don’t worry, David, I’m still
with you.

420
00:28:29,960 –> 00:28:33,520
You’re doing the right thing.
I promise the whole land will be

421
00:28:33,520 –> 00:28:36,400
under your control.
And David responded by sending

422
00:28:36,400 –> 00:28:38,960
his ablest generals.
And they went down there and

423
00:28:38,960 –> 00:28:42,000
slew of the Edomites, 12,000
men.

424
00:28:43,640 –> 00:28:46,800
Now, without an understanding of
the land bows and sisters, that

425
00:28:46,800 –> 00:28:50,560
passage doesn’t mean anything.
It’s just a random list of

426
00:28:50,560 –> 00:28:54,240
places seeming to have no
connection.

427
00:28:54,880 –> 00:28:57,280
But when you look at each one of
those places listed there in

428
00:28:57,280 –> 00:29:00,600
verses 6 to 9, you’ll see that
they cover all the different

429
00:29:00,600 –> 00:29:06,520
aspects of the land.
East, West, Middle NS, all that

430
00:29:06,520 –> 00:29:10,400
would be promised to be under
David’s control, and David knew

431
00:29:10,400 –> 00:29:14,680
by that very language that God
would give that to him.

432
00:29:15,840 –> 00:29:19,200
He sent forth Joab and Abhishek
I and they went and they got

433
00:29:19,200 –> 00:29:22,520
David a name when he slew the
Edomites.

434
00:29:23,400 –> 00:29:26,520
So Psalm 60 is one of those
passages where having an

435
00:29:26,520 –> 00:29:29,160
understanding of the land is
immensely helpful.

436
00:29:29,760 –> 00:29:31,240
Let’s come and have a look at
another one.

437
00:29:31,320 –> 00:29:44,920
In the book of Judges,
Judges, Chapter 16,

438
00:30:05,240 –> 00:30:08,600
we know about Samson and some of
his heroic acts of faith.

439
00:30:09,280 –> 00:30:11,120
Now Samson was a man who
operated.

440
00:30:11,600 –> 00:30:14,160
He spent most of his time
operating in the Shefila, which

441
00:30:14,160 –> 00:30:16,280
we mentioned was the bumps,
those little bumps, those

442
00:30:16,280 –> 00:30:18,520
undulating hills that lead up to
the Hill Country.

443
00:30:18,840 –> 00:30:22,640
The Shefila is right here.
That is where Samson spent most

444
00:30:22,640 –> 00:30:25,400
of his time between Zora and
Estayol.

445
00:30:26,000 –> 00:30:28,360
The tribe of the Danites, of
course, had been promised the

446
00:30:28,360 –> 00:30:31,360
northern part of the Shefila,
but they were unable, through

447
00:30:31,360 –> 00:30:33,720
lack of faith, to take that
territory.

448
00:30:34,040 –> 00:30:37,200
And the great struggle, as we
know of Samson’s life, is that

449
00:30:37,200 –> 00:30:40,680
his tribe had not taken the
inheritance that God had

450
00:30:40,680 –> 00:30:42,520
promised.
It was just the camp of Dan

451
00:30:42,920 –> 00:30:46,320
rather than the inheritance of
the tribe.

452
00:30:47,600 –> 00:30:50,560
And so Samson has all of these
various exploits against the

453
00:30:50,560 –> 00:30:53,880
Philistines.
He’s trying to to get back the

454
00:30:53,880 –> 00:30:56,760
territory that belonged to his
tribe, which the Philistines

455
00:30:57,000 –> 00:31:03,240
stood in occupation of.
So in Judges Chapter 16, we know

456
00:31:03,240 –> 00:31:06,160
the great story of Samson in
Gaza taking the gates of the

457
00:31:06,160 –> 00:31:10,480
city.
Samson took those gates and he

458
00:31:10,480 –> 00:31:14,200
did something very significant
with them and this is where an

459
00:31:14,200 –> 00:31:16,800
understanding of the land is
going to really, really help

460
00:31:16,800 –> 00:31:20,920
you.
In Judges chapter 16 verse two.

461
00:31:22,840 –> 00:31:26,280
And it was told the Gazites
saying Samson is come hit her.

462
00:31:27,040 –> 00:31:30,120
And they compassed him in and
laid wait for him all night in

463
00:31:30,120 –> 00:31:34,160
the gate of the city and were
quiet all the night saying in

464
00:31:34,160 –> 00:31:36,000
the morning when it is day we
shall kill him.

465
00:31:36,920 –> 00:31:39,840
And Samson lay till midnight and
arose at midnight and took the

466
00:31:39,840 –> 00:31:44,920
doors of the gate of the city
and the two posts and went away

467
00:31:44,920 –> 00:31:48,240
with them, bar and all, and put
them upon his shoulders and

468
00:31:48,240 –> 00:31:51,040
carried them up to the top of
the hill.

469
00:31:51,360 –> 00:31:56,160
That is before Hebron.
Now where in the record of the

470
00:31:56,160 –> 00:31:59,600
judges prior to this would you
have read about Hebron?

471
00:31:59,640 –> 00:32:02,400
I mean, the last time we read
about Hebron in the account of

472
00:32:02,400 –> 00:32:04,560
the Judges was many years
earlier with Caleb.

473
00:32:05,960 –> 00:32:08,800
All of a sudden now it gets a
mention when Samson takes the

474
00:32:08,800 –> 00:32:12,400
gates of the Philistines to that
particular place.

475
00:32:14,320 –> 00:32:18,960
Now, Samson didn’t normally
operate in the area of Hebron.

476
00:32:20,280 –> 00:32:24,920
Hebron is the highest point in
the Judean hills.

477
00:32:25,960 –> 00:32:31,640
Samson lived up here at Zora,
the northern part of the

478
00:32:31,640 –> 00:32:36,600
Shephilah.
Now, when Samson took those

479
00:32:36,600 –> 00:32:40,560
gates, he would think logically
that he would just go home.

480
00:32:41,640 –> 00:32:44,320
After all, that’s what Samson
had done on earlier occasions.

481
00:32:44,320 –> 00:32:47,840
For instance, if you just come
back to Chapter 14 of Judges

482
00:32:48,800 –> 00:32:52,760
after he had slain, the 30 men
in Ashkelon, taken their

483
00:32:52,760 –> 00:32:56,280
garments as as payment to the
Philistines for interpreting his

484
00:32:56,280 –> 00:33:00,200
Riddle.
We’re told there the Spirit of

485
00:33:00,200 –> 00:33:03,520
Yahweh, chapter 14, verse 19,
came upon him.

486
00:33:04,480 –> 00:33:09,200
He went down to Ashkelon, slew
30 men of them, took their spoil

487
00:33:09,800 –> 00:33:12,240
and gave change of garments unto
them, which expounded the

488
00:33:12,240 –> 00:33:13,400
Riddle.
And his anger was kindled.

489
00:33:13,400 –> 00:33:15,080
And he went up to his father’s
house.

490
00:33:15,640 –> 00:33:18,240
And after each successive
skirmish against the

491
00:33:18,240 –> 00:33:20,640
Philistines, he finds Samson
just returning to his house.

492
00:33:20,640 –> 00:33:24,280
Now his house was in Zorro, in
the Shefila.

493
00:33:25,960 –> 00:33:27,480
That’s not where Samson takes
the gates.

494
00:33:27,480 –> 00:33:31,840
When you come over to Chapter 16
and verse 3, Samson doesn’t take

495
00:33:31,840 –> 00:33:35,800
the gates to Zorro.
We find that Samson takes the

496
00:33:35,800 –> 00:33:44,280
gates this time to Hebron.
Now Hebron, as you can see here

497
00:33:44,280 –> 00:33:48,600
from the map, is is quite a long
ways from Zora, where Samson

498
00:33:48,640 –> 00:33:52,360
operated.
Not only is it a fair distance

499
00:33:52,360 –> 00:33:56,240
away, Hebron is at the top of
the Judean hills.

500
00:33:56,640 –> 00:34:01,360
He is down here on the plain, on
the floor of the Philistine

501
00:34:01,360 –> 00:34:08,639
plain in Gaza, and he takes it
all the way up to Hebron. 3500

502
00:34:08,639 –> 00:34:14,199
feet high is Hebron.
Imagine carrying these big gates

503
00:34:15,040 –> 00:34:18,760
all the way up through the
Shephilah, up those hills to

504
00:34:18,760 –> 00:34:22,560
Hebron, far away from where
Samson normally operate.

505
00:34:22,560 –> 00:34:26,159
Now, why would he take the gates
to Hebron?

506
00:34:26,400 –> 00:34:29,840
What was in Hebron?
Well, the Hebron is of course

507
00:34:29,840 –> 00:34:33,760
the burying place of the
Fathers, where the faithful

508
00:34:33,760 –> 00:34:37,400
fathers of Israel and their
faithful wives are buried.

509
00:34:38,840 –> 00:34:42,400
Just join me in Genesis chapter
22, because you probably know

510
00:34:42,400 –> 00:34:45,600
this point, but I think it is.
We want to see it now from the

511
00:34:45,639 –> 00:34:50,679
standpoint of the geography of
the land in Genesis chapter 22,

512
00:34:52,719 –> 00:34:57,320
the last of the promises, the
7th, that God had made to

513
00:34:57,320 –> 00:35:00,520
Abraham.
Now no longer any conditions in

514
00:35:00,520 –> 00:35:03,360
Genesis chapter two.
He says in blessing, I will

515
00:35:04,240 –> 00:35:13,680
bless you.
Genesis chapter 22, verse 16.

516
00:35:17,200 –> 00:35:21,200
And God said to him by myself
have I sworn, saith Yahweh,

517
00:35:21,200 –> 00:35:23,880
because thou hast done this
thing, and hast not withheld thy

518
00:35:23,880 –> 00:35:26,680
son.
Thine only Son, then in blessing

519
00:35:26,680 –> 00:35:31,320
I will bless thee, and in
multiplying I will multiply thy

520
00:35:31,320 –> 00:35:34,720
seed as the stars of heaven.
And as the sandwich is upon the

521
00:35:34,720 –> 00:35:41,520
seashore.
And thy seed Samson will possess

522
00:35:42,680 –> 00:35:53,080
the gate of his enemies.
And he took the gates not back

523
00:35:53,080 –> 00:35:59,640
to his hometown in Zora.
He took the gates to Hebron, the

524
00:35:59,640 –> 00:36:02,920
burial place of the fathers,
where the promise of Abraham

525
00:36:02,920 –> 00:36:04,320
would have been ringing in his
ears.

526
00:36:04,680 –> 00:36:12,480
Thy seed shall possess the gate
of his enemies, and by that act

527
00:36:12,480 –> 00:36:16,400
Samson was telling us where his
heart rested.

528
00:36:17,400 –> 00:36:21,240
He had his weaknesses, but his
heart and his faith was there in

529
00:36:21,240 –> 00:36:26,040
Hebron with the Fathers as he
carries these gates on his back,

530
00:36:27,440 –> 00:36:31,080
far away from home.
He was showing by that his faith

531
00:36:31,560 –> 00:36:34,840
and what God had spoken many
years earlier to Abraham.

532
00:36:34,840 –> 00:36:38,480
My brothers and sisters, if you
didn’t know the geography of the

533
00:36:38,480 –> 00:36:44,320
land, it was just a simple fact
that Samson took the gates to

534
00:36:44,320 –> 00:36:48,400
Hebron.
No, he went out of his way to do

535
00:36:48,400 –> 00:36:52,440
that because he wanted to show
where his heart was.

536
00:36:52,840 –> 00:36:57,680
His heart was there in Hebron
with the Fathers and with their

537
00:36:57,680 –> 00:37:00,880
faithful wives, and he wanted to
be a part of that promise that

538
00:37:00,880 –> 00:37:07,280
thy seed would indeed one day
possess the gate of his enemies.

539
00:37:08,520 –> 00:37:11,640
And we hope to find many points
just like that, God willing,

540
00:37:11,960 –> 00:37:14,040
brothers and sisters, over the
course of this week.

541
00:37:14,880 –> 00:37:17,520
I think that as we go through
the land, you will see just how

542
00:37:17,520 –> 00:37:21,680
remarkable it is that it has so
many lessons to teach us about

543
00:37:21,680 –> 00:37:25,200
our walk and the truth, about
the doctrines that we all

544
00:37:25,200 –> 00:37:29,160
believe and cherish, and about
the great hope that we have that

545
00:37:29,160 –> 00:37:34,960
one day that land will become
truly the glory of all lands.

546
00:37:35,240 –> 00:37:37,760
And we pray for our Heavenly
Father’s blessing in our

547
00:37:37,760 –> 00:37:42,280
endeavors as we look at His
Land, the land of Eretz Israel.

548
00:38:17,720 –> 00:38:20,200
On behalf of everyone, I’d like
to thank our brother Ryan for

549
00:38:20,200 –> 00:38:22,160
his most interesting talk this
afternoon.

550
00:38:22,720 –> 00:38:25,000
We look forward with interest in
tomorrow’s class, which is

551
00:38:25,000 –> 00:38:27,560
entitled Shechem, The Place of
Decision.

552
00:38:27,560 –> 00:38:30,440
We’re going to close off our
afternoon session.

553
00:38:30,760 –> 00:38:34,800
We’re singing from Hymn 389 and
please remain standing

554
00:38:34,800 –> 00:38:36,680
afterwards for a word of prayer
through the mouth of our

555
00:38:36,680 –> 00:38:41,880
brother, Don Short, So Hymn 389.
Reading from verse two, it says

556
00:38:41,880 –> 00:38:45,000
pilgrims on the earth and
strangers like the fathers in

557
00:38:45,000 –> 00:38:49,200
the land, we in their one faith
united in their city, hope to

558
00:38:49,200 –> 00:38:50,880
stand.
Hymn 389.

559
00:39:26,320 –> 00:39:38,200
The there one thing to Isaac in
their city hold his hands

560
00:39:38,240 –> 00:39:45,160
strength, and always by yours
presence and the hell may be

561
00:39:45,240 –> 00:39:56,840
talking strike me out to oh
Jesus, and they have seen to

562
00:39:58,720 –> 00:40:13,520
you.
The.

563
00:40:34,240 –> 00:40:38,080
Father in heaven, we would draw
9 to thy throne of grace once

564
00:40:38,080 –> 00:40:42,320
again this day, to give thee all
the praise and the glory and

565
00:40:42,320 –> 00:40:46,320
honour which is due to thy most
holy name, and indeed to thy

566
00:40:46,320 –> 00:40:50,080
most holy name alone.
And indeed, Father, what a

567
00:40:50,080 –> 00:40:56,120
privileged people we we are, to
have had this opportunity once

568
00:40:56,120 –> 00:40:59,800
again this day, to come together
around the table.

569
00:40:59,800 –> 00:41:03,760
If thou is prepared for us in
the presence of our enemies, sin

570
00:41:03,760 –> 00:41:09,400
and death, and in remembering of
the Lamb that was slain from the

571
00:41:09,400 –> 00:41:14,840
foundation of the world, to be
enlightened, and reminded once

572
00:41:14,840 –> 00:41:19,160
again of these wonderful and
great things that thou has done

573
00:41:19,480 –> 00:41:23,160
on our behalf, when we were yet
in our sins, that Christ died

574
00:41:23,160 –> 00:41:29,240
for the ungodly which was us.
And as we have come together

575
00:41:29,240 –> 00:41:36,080
this morning, Father, and here
thy words of exhortation from

576
00:41:36,080 –> 00:41:42,600
thy wordest day, to be gathered
here to hear about thy great and

577
00:41:42,600 –> 00:41:47,440
wonderful land, Israel, May we
be encouraged by these things.

578
00:41:48,200 –> 00:41:54,080
May our minds may be in two to
that great and Holy Land, that

579
00:41:54,080 –> 00:41:57,960
great witness that thou hast
laid for the world round about

580
00:41:58,800 –> 00:42:02,840
that one bright light of hope
for the world to see.

581
00:42:03,880 –> 00:42:09,120
Maybe we be encouraged by these
things this week, Father, And

582
00:42:09,120 –> 00:42:13,000
may thou add thy blessing, and
each and every single one of us

583
00:42:13,000 –> 00:42:18,160
as we leave this place.
Now May we be encouraged this

584
00:42:18,160 –> 00:42:22,920
day, and as we return again this
afternoon, this evening, to hear

585
00:42:22,920 –> 00:42:24,800
Thy word expounded once again to
us.

586
00:42:25,240 –> 00:42:27,360
Maybe we be strengthened and
encouraged by it.

587
00:42:27,880 –> 00:42:31,480
May our hearts rejoice in the
hope of Thy salvation.

588
00:42:32,440 –> 00:42:34,640
Hear our prayer, Father for us
through Jesus Christ.

589
00:42:34,640 –> 00:42:36,120
We ask it.
Amen.

590
00:42:48,920 –> 00:42:49,040
None.