Hey everybody. Welcome back to another edition of the daily Bible podcast. Let's. What's up folks. How's your Saturday going? Hopefully it's good. And, uh, you're out there and joined some nice weather before the cold returns. Again, on Monday, it's supposed to have this Arctic polar plunge on. The snow doesn't show up. I'm okay with that. Yeah. I don't think it's supposed to snow again. I'll take. That's okay. I guess. Yeah. Yeah. Anyways, hopefully you're enjoying your weekend, your Saturday, and, uh, getting into the swing of 2025. How are your resolutions going? This, your pastor out? Are you still have you, I know you talked about national quitting day. That's in our rear view mirror. Yeah, so. I made it past that. That's good. So I'm excited for that. I'm doing okay. I don't have any major, crazy things on my radar. Yeah. There's a few things that I'm really trying to show up and so far, so good. Good. The challenge will be. After winter retreat. Yeah, because once you're thrown off your normal routine, that's when I find your habits and the projects that you're working on are most vulnerable because you get out of the swing of things and suddenly it's like, oh, I missed one day and I missed two days now I miss 30 days and you give up on the whole thing. So I'm hoping that I can do these things. During winter retreat and I'm praying that, that, that maintains that's good. Yeah. How about you? Yeah, I've been, uh, did you lose 180 pounds? I did. It's amazing. I'm a negative five. Just floating through your life. That's why you were in the seatbelt on this office. It's funny. Uh, no, I I've been trying to get back on the treadmill again because it's cold. Outside it is cold outside. And our gym has a 16 and over policy and I go to the gym. You. Usually around four or five and there's, there's a lot of people there that are not 16. Really? Yeah. And I give them dirty looks. Do you call the HOA director? Call Karen and Kevin. I do. I'm like, Hey guys, that's. You didn't hear it from me, but, uh, there is a couple people in there that shouldn't be there. No, but, uh, yeah, Jim, culture's weird, you know, at far more than I do. Cause I go to our HOA. Which is not really a gym. It's not the same. It's it's just, I mean, yeah, it's got treadmills in it. It's got, you can do all the gym stuff there, but. It's not really. Oh, what are you, what were you pointing out though? Like what's weird about the culture that you're noticing. It's just like. It's just a strange thing to go and work out a bunch of rounds around a bunch of other people. I don't know why it just is weird. I love watching people as you're working on. Because the treads off are on the far end of the gym. Sorry face out the window. And some I'm usually just staring out the window, but it's just, it's a weird place because everybody's there to work on themselves. Like what's interesting is when you're part of a team like team sports, which has been most of my. You know, athletic career before this. You're there as a team to work together towards a team goal. And so you're, you're working out together, but you're still focused on the team goal or whatever in the gym you go in and it's just, everybody's there for themselves. They're just there to, to try to improve themselves. And I mean, I guess that's why I'm there too. So I. W what am I? It's just a weird place. It's a weird place. You'd have never thought of it that way, but I guess there is something strange about people going into a box and, air controlled box to go lift heavy things into approximate athleticism. To look like you're being athletic when you're not. Yeah, I guess it is. There's something to that, but it's kind of like stretching or even, you know, reading, reading before you go and do the thing. I think of the gym as something that you're doing to prepare yourself for the rest of the day. So it would be something akin to eating before you go into the activity. Interesting. This is like the activity. In fact, this morning I got, I get a late start on Thursdays because of late Wednesday nights. So I always decide, am I going to get, am I going to do something? Am I going to do the bike or go exercise, whatever. And I always choose, I take it back. Most of the time I will choose to do the exercise because I knew it benefits my work. I'll get more work and better work done if I do the exercise. And that's how I conceive of it. It's a matter of stewardship and an ability to serve the Lord better with my life. If I do those things interesting. 'cause I, so I've been, you put me on to this guy, Kerry knew Hoff. And so Carrie knew Hoff is a, we can't recommend everything. He says, by the way. No, not everything he says, but he writes a lot on leadership and he is a pastor. And so he. He brings some of that flare to it as well. Uh, he's, he's got a book that he wrote about doing basically. What you're best at when you're at your best. And he talks about it, your green zones, your yellow zones, your red zones throughout the day. And he, he pictures it like a clock and he says, Hey, look at your clock. And, and, uh, and those times throughout the day where you're at your best mental, your sharpest and everything else, that's your green zone. Then you've got your yellow zone. Maybe you're doing meetings during that time. Then your red zone is like, man, I can't put two thoughts together. And so he made the point and I thought about it. I was like, oh, that's interesting. Th that he tries to save his workouts for his red zones, because he doesn't really need to be super, mentally sharp to be able to go get a workout in. And I started to think about that. I was like, man, that that's freedom because a lot of times I'm trying to get the workout done in the morning and it's eating into my green zone time because I'm doing my workout during the time that I'm at my sharpest measure usually. And so I started this year pushing my workout back towards the end of the day. And, uh, and read a book while I'm on the Treader, whatever it may be. And, uh, and yet you like to do at the beginning of the day because you feel like it jumpstarts your, your productivity. There are studies. Uh, on humans. So it's not just an animal studies or. Well, I mean, cause you could, you can approximate again. This is probably helpful for humans based on these studies by rats. But there are studies that show that when you work at the beginning of the day, it's going to have a day long effect on your mental clarity and your energy. And I found that to be personally true. Yeah, but I just don't like getting up earlier to have to work out. I'm with you, man. I'm with you. Some things have to sacrifice. All right. Let's jump into our daily Bible reading for the day. Genesis 1920 and at 21. Uh, Genesis 19, we just left off and yesterday he's reading that, uh, this, this, the often he plus a couple, uh, had showed up to Abraham and said, Hey, things are not going well in Sodom. And we're going to destroy it. Abraham had said, if you find 10 righteous spirit and they said, okay, yeah, we'll spare it. If there's 10 righteous. Well, it turns out there's not a. Because the angels two angels are sent to retrieve law in his family and to spare them from the judgment about to befall Solomon in the scene. Uh, this is one of the most uncomfortable scenes that I think we find here and it just. Lot. Lot takes a big hit in my eyes. Um, In this scene because the angel show up and, and he brings them into his house because he doesn't want them to be abused in the city square. And yet here come the men and they want to abuse these angels and a lot wants to send his daughters out to them. And this is where a lot just takes a hit in my eyes. I can't think of a scenario. In which I would be comfortable trading my daughter for the life of, of anyone else. You know, I mean, It just. I get it's a different culture. It's a different time. Family had different ties. Hospitality was, was a big deal and it was different in that time, but I just don't think a lot does. Right. When he says, let me send my daughters out instead of giving you these, these angels, these visitors that have come to my home PetSmart. Your thoughts on, on lot in this section? Yeah. I'm not going to defend them by any stretch. I'm. I'm just thinking to myself like, oh, I don't think anyone's letting it say. I think LA was a great guy. Except what we have in Peter. Which says that righteous lot. That's what he calls. It was tormented in his soul because of what was happening in the city. So something about him was right before the Lord, such that scripture in the new Testament affirms his character. Now what he does not acceptable, not commendable, even in the least it's highly condemn Annabelle, but that goes to show that God uses imperfect. Fallen end even. I don't want to call them wicked, but just morally reprehensible creatures and still uses them for his purposes. He's going to be called righteous in God's sight. Totally. And he spared from Sodom because of that. He's not speared from Sodom because he's Abraham's right. That's true. From Sodom because he was. Is righteous, righteous. Yeah, God goes to, to bring them out. So yeah, I'm with you there. I just, and this is, is a little bit of a foreshadowing of what's going to happen later between lot and his daughters, which is also not great, but, um, yeah, that's. Oh, yeah. And, and, and they, who knows, it'd be fascinating to know more why they're hesitant to leave. Is it because this has been their home for so long is because they love the people and they're, they're feeling. You know, fear on behalf of the people that are there, but they're hesitant to leave in the angels in an act of mercy, grabbed them and basically forced them out of the house. They're like, come on, we're going. It's time to go get moving. Um, and that's just God's mercy on them to, uh, to against even perhaps there will, at this point. Get them out of the house. Well, we know at least for the girls, they were, they would be trolled. So they were, they were old enough, however old that was, we know that could be relatively young given our current cultural standards, but they were be true. So I know they were probably thinking about their. Husbands. Yeah. Yeah, which is why they act the way that they do and the next chapter. But yeah, there's a lot of interesting stuff that's going on. And we would probably say a lot was infected too much with the wickedness of the city, even though he was considered righteous in God's eyes. That doesn't mean that his righteous standing wasn't in some way, corrupted by his, his circumstances and the culture that he was sitting in. Yeah. Yeah. That's true. Yeah. Verses 23 through 29, then Sodom and Gomorrah are destroyed. And as they're fleeing in a tragic scene, lots of wife as a. JC Ronald has made famous in his sermon. Uh, looked back and she looks back longingly as they're fleeing, and she turns to a pillar of salt. She is destroyed. Uh, along with those in Sodom and Gomorrah, as she looks back longingly at what God was condemning at what God was judging and JC Raul has got a great sermon, I think called Lee lot's wife looked back. Um, that is all about that and about how we can be tempted to look back at what God has, has condemned as, as wicked and evil. What God has delivered us from a scripture says such were some of you, but you were washed, you were cleansed, you were sanctified and. Even just being a part of the church, the ekklesia those that are called out from the world. And as Christians, we can be tempted to look back at what, uh, what God has condemned as, as evil, the things that used to characterize us before our salvation. And we can look back longingly at that. And by God's grace, we're not going to be turned to pillars of salt, but the danger is there for us as well. It's been argued before that the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah was in hospitality. They are inhospitable to people that, that they should have been hospitable to. In fact, They would site All 1649, where he says it's been pride in excess, that that caused God to respond as harshly as he did. Um, he also mentions and I'm thinking about Matthew vines here. He's probably the biggest proponent. Not that he's been on the scene at nearly as much as he was a few years ago. Uh, but could you quickly talk about the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah and why we know it's more than just in hospitality. Yeah, it's in just a. At warning parents on this beep beep beep you might want to, uh, to press pause for a second. Um, Yeah. Listen. The sin of homosexuality, which is what was the primary sin in Sodom. Number one, it's evidenced by the fact of what they want to do. The angels, when the crowds come to lot's house, they're, they're not wanting the angels to go and party with them. They're wanting the angels to sexually abuse them. Yeah. It's more than in hospitality at that point. Yeah, for sure. More for sure. And then the other thing here is equal when it says she and her daughters had pride. Uh, homosexuality is one of the greatest expressions of pride that there is it's, it's the desire of that, which looks like yourself. It's the desire of that, which is just like you. And so it is an expression of pride, is it is an expression of arrogance and self worship. Uh, to one of the greatest levels that there can be. And so I think it fits even with the Zico 1649, the pride is the pride of homosexuality. And so that is what we see here in Sodom. And Gomorrah is one of the main. It's, it's not the only sin. There are other sins, certainly, but we can't get away from the fact that one of the most grievous wicked wickedness is. Mrs. Uh, wickedness. Thank you. Yeah. Uh, one of the greatest, uh, depravities in Sodom and Gomorrah, it was the sin of homosexuality. Yeah. And Ezekiel 16 says that they practiced an abomination before me. They did it an abomination before me in. Jude seven says they practiced unnatural desire, which is why God destroyed them. So yes, it is those things, but it's not only those things. And those things only lead to the greater thing that God had to say, okay, you're done. This is a big deal and I can't tolerate it any longer. Right. Right. Exactly. Exactly. Yeah. Good, good point of clarification on that. Versus 33 38, then we get this next disturbing account. And again, parents, uh, if you're still wondering, can we bring our kids back in? Maybe wait, just a beat again on this one. Um, In this account, lots of daughters. Uh, basically get him drunk and lay with him, such that they would have, uh, offspring by their father, which is, uh, not good. It's not commended here. This is not part of God's desire here. In fact, what happens as a result of this is this in such an incestuous as a union is going to lead to the MobileBytes. And the Ammonites to people who are going to prove to be thorns in the side of Israel for many, many, many years to come after this. Uh, Ruth is going to be one of the Moabites. And so God is still going to do some, some good through this, even after all of this, but still. Uh, this is not a good thing. What happens in verses 30 through 38? What do you think the rationale is? So we see here that they say our father is old and there's not a man on earth to come into us after the manner of all the earth. So are, are they thinking. That when God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, that he'd really destroyed. All of human life. What do you think they're thinking here? That or. They didn't know where to turn. As far as you were going to see Abraham to get a wife for Isaac here in the next couple of days, he's going to send people back to his Homeland and. Depending on how old they were. They may not have had the wherewithal to know how they would even begin to go about that. Um, or just the hopelessness of we had something set up. We had our life planned and now our life is completely destroyed. And. Uh, where do we go from here? How do we, which way is up at this point? Yeah. That's yeah. Okay. I guess maybe there's a shock value that they just saw something so atrocious. But man, their decision to do this awful thing results in two clans that are going to be thorns in the side of Israel for forever, basically the Moabites and the Ammonites. Yup. Yeah. And yet. God's line is going to come through Ruth through the Moabites through the mobile. Yeah, mind blown. Crazy. Crazy. Chapter 20. Uh, this is not a repeat. This is a. Part two, Abraham has his wife again, lie about her identity. Uh, if he didn't remember the lesson, he repeats it again so he can learn again. So. Uh, they, they come to, um, the, the territory, the negative between Kadesh and shore. It says in, uh, Abraham said of Sarah, his wife. She is my sister. And so here you have a I've been Malecki is probably, uh, uh, Title more than a name of Amalek. It means son of the king. Yeah, ABI Mellick. And, and so we'll see multiple Abimelech's in scripture and I, it probably was more of a title than anything else. Uh, Emily takes her to be part of his harem. Uh, warned in a dream not to touch her. He confronts Abraham who confesses to the reality. Now she's my wife, but he says, but she's also my sister because she's the son of my father, but not my mother. It basically says, Hey, she's my half sister. Uh, out of a fear of God, of intellect sends them away with wealth and riches as a testimony of his innocence in the matter. But it's also a way of God continuing to bless Abraham, even in spite of Abraham's home, boneheaded stupidity here. Chapter 21. Then we get the birth of Isaac. Uh, verses one through seven, Isaac is born as a result of the promise. And so the son of the promise is here. Uh, in fulfillment of that promise that God made to both Abraham and Sarah, and this leads to conflict between Sarah and Hagar. Uh, and there there's a competition between them with regards to their sons and who was the. The son of promise or the center of choice or who's the preferred son? So Sarah has Abraham send Hagar away. Again. Abraham is just passive here and, uh, th that's leading to problems. Well, Hagar is sent away and God comes to comfort Hagar. And again, reiterates the promise that he was going to make a nation out of. Her son and he was going to provide for, and, uh, and take care of Ishmael. And so, um, th this conflict takes place and, uh, Hagar is, is sent away with, uh, with Ishmael there. Um, But then we flashed back towards the end of chapter 21 here. And, uh, and Abraham is with a and there's a well that's in dispute here. And, uh, they. Negotiate and go back and forth. And finally, a covenant is struck between Abraham and. Uh, Ben Mullica over the dispute of, well here. So, uh, some more. Uh, understanding for us of how the land promises coming about as, as God is, is working these relationships and these negotiations, it's going to be progressive promise, which is still not fulfilled even as we sit here listening to it today. But, uh, part of the, the. The foreshadowing of Abraham getting the land in the end, I think is what's going on there? So Abraham is a hundred years old now. That put Ishmael I'm in the ballpark of 14, 15 years old. And that puts us 25 years from Genesis chapter 12. He was 75 years old when God made the promise to him that he was going to bless him and multiply him. So I just want to point this out, because again, the timing of this, it feels so compressed because we're reading it so quickly, but just think about how long that is 25 years waiting for God to deliver on a promise that yeah. I'm sure for him felt like he was never going to come. But a year before this God promises, I'm going to give you a child. Uh, they're through Sariah Sarah now, and here it is delivering on it. And now Ishmael is going to sound like we're talking about a child when, when we read the narrative, but he's about 14, 15 years old. So keep that in mind as you read along. Yeah. Yeah, it does feel awkward because it seems like she's carrying a toddler and laying the toddler down underneath the bushes and going and sitting somewhere else, which is interesting. I don't know. Cause I've always read it that way. Yeah. Until I started doing the math and saying, wait a minute, this kid is he's. He's a teenager. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But clearly dependent upon his mom's yes. Quite a bit. So. Oh, I guess was a bit of a mama's boy. But, uh, yeah. So with Jacob, as we're going to find out a few days, So, yeah. Anyways, anything else on that? The end of chapter 21 there? I think again, I think this is just part of, of God showing an and. Confirming the land promises again with, with, uh, Abraham here. Well, just one quick note here in verse 33, uh, Abraham planted a tea. Tamarisk tree and Beersheba and called there on the name of the Lord. The everlasting God, I love that title. In fact, I think this is the first time we come across this title for God. He's the everlasting God, he's not a God that has a shelf life. He can't be, he can't expire after a certain period of time. And we just saw that over the course of 25 years, he was faithful. He continues to be faithful to Abraham. He doesn't reject him. Despite the fact that God, God has plenty of opportunities to reject Abraham and say, dude, you're a knucklehead. Um, dealt with you. You make too many mistakes. I think it's important for us to see because God is as committed to us. In fact, nah, nah, I say he is more committed to us. Because of what Christ has done. We are not only acceptable in his eye, but we are righteous in his sight. God looks at us as though we had done the same thing. Jesus had done perfect in our righteousness, not a single sin or stand upon us and we can thank Jesus for that. So this is an incredible thing for it, for Abraham to say about God, but we could say it even louder and better because of our awareness of who Jesus is for us. We could even, you know, sing it. The strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord. That's true because he is the everlasting God, the everlasting God. The everlasting God. Seven 11 songs that I love those that's another Tellman song. They just get stuck in the nugget, man. It's a good song. It's service kicking off song. Cause it's. I have to do it. I'm gonna have to get she's brings the energy. I see you get upset. When I do old songs are too old. A CCM is. No, no, no. I would say that at all. In fact, I sent you that real the other day, that him victory and Jesus. I never heard that song. Yeah. But did you go back and listen to the original? No, I thought this new one was so much better. Why even listen to the original, this one's great. So AI basically took victory and Jesus, the him, and made it like a. A hard rock song. And, uh, and so I sent pastor rod a reel of that. And it was really good. He didn't have the background of the, the original him in, in his mind. You should go listen to the original him though. Oh man. Wow. That's quite, that's quite different. Anyways, y'all let's pray. And then we'll be done with this episode. Got, we are thankful for that reality, your title, the everlasting God. And, uh, and you're the same yesterday today and tomorrow. And God, we are thankful for that and thankful for the way that we get to relate to you as a, as a result in Christ, as, as pastor rod was just talking about and the, the blessings that we have they're in. And so. Uh, God give us fruit. As we continue to read your word and spend time in it on a daily basis. So we thank you for this in Jesus name. Amen. Amen. I'll keep reading your Bibles and tune in again tomorrow for another edition of the daily Bible podcasts evokes. Bye.

Hey, thanks for joining us for another episode of the daily Bible podcast. We hope and pray this has been a blessing to you and your time in the word. If it has, if you would subscribe to this podcast, leave a like, leave a comment and share it with some friends and family. That would be awesome. If you need more information about Compass Bible Church here in North Texas, you can go to compassntx. org. Again, that's compassntx. org. And we'll be back with you tomorrow for another episode of the daily Bible podcast.