← Don't Miss This Study
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Hi there. Welcome to Don't Miss this a scripture study podcast with Dave Butler and Grace Freeman.
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Each week we point out things in the scriptures that we love and think you don't want to miss.
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Thanks for listening. Hi, I'm Dave Butler.
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And I'm Grace Freeman.
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Welcome to Don't Miss this our weekly scripture study class. You guys, we are loving this year already. Old Testament is such a fun book. It's such a good book. Where I legit driving over here was excited for this lesson. I don't know if anyone's ever said that about church, but I am because this is such a good one. And just then I know what's coming also which is so good. If you're just joining us, we love the Old Testament. We point out things in scripture that we think you don't want to miss and just it's our scripture study class. It's a chance to sit down and get into the scriptures and be inspired by scriptures and just be Jesus centered faith centered people and family. So we're so happy that you are here. We have a newsletter that goes out every week. You can sign up for that@don't missthestudy.com in that newsletter will be links to all the things that we have created that are going to help you like the journal that we have for to use in class. You're in class right now. Welcome. The 365 calendar that keeps track of your reading and sends you out with a challenge every day. So great for families. The posters also great for families. And a decoration in your house. The tip ins that help turn your scriptures into a study Bible. And also there is the free timeline. We do not have a timeline piece today but we have this timeline that follows the stories that you can download for free and get printed out and add along. It's a great like teaching tool. Help you understand the Old Testament better.
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So and don't feel like you're too far behind to start. If you're like wait a minute, I don't have any of that and now I'm too late. We're like eight pages in.
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Yeah, we're fine. You guys. We have a whole year. Whole year. When we get to summer we're halfway. So even summer is fine to jump in. So whenever you're jumping in is so great. Grab all of those things. We also have our app that includes all of our videos and resources all in one place including all our dailies. Our dailies are one of our best offerings. I think they are a Monday through Friday scripture little Background, little thought with questions for discussions if you're trying to have a nightly devotional by yourself or with your kids at night. So anyways, we have. Everything we've made is to try and help you. Hopefully it can be super helpful. We are in Moses chapter 7 today. This also is a chapter that you will not find an equivalent to in the book of Genesis. So for lots of chapters so far, we've done had Genesis, Genesis open and Moses open and Abraham open. And we're jumping around on those today. We're in one book of Scripture, which is just Moses chapter seven. This is a vision that you'll find in here that you don't have anywhere else in scripture except for Moses 7. When you read this, I think you know how there are just some days where you are looking too much of the news or too much is going on in your family and you're just tired. You know, you're just overwhelmed by negative perception. News, actual events happening. And you just think to yourself, is this ever going to end? Is this ever going to get better? Does God actually care about any of this? It's just for those who feel exhausted by a wicked world, a hard world, this chapter is for you. It's a vision that Enoch has. We met Enoch last time, so if you didn't hear last time's lesson, you might want to go back and get introduced to Enoch from Moses chapter six. But it's a man named Enoch and he has a vision that God gives him of the history of the entire world. And sometimes it's so good when you're just in the drudgery of the mundane or the hard to zoom out and see the beginning from the end and get God's perspective on it. So that's what Moses 7 is.
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Oh, and we can't wait. It's the best little ever. And where it begins is kind of with what Enoch is the most famous for. It's the Enoch story that kind of, if you like, say it in one sentence. This is the glimpse of Enoch's. Whoa. Enoch's life that you get. And it starts with his city, the city of Enoch. And you kind of know he's been trying to figure this out and preach and find his people. And then all of a sudden you get a glimpse. We already saw a little bit last time. Kind of like how the world was doing. And there's that verse that's so powerful about. Their ears were dulled and their eyes couldn't see and their hearts were hard. And so you kind of know, but it Almost feels like you get like, glimpse into the future of where does that lead? Because in the beginning, that doesn't seem too intense. It's like, oh, yeah, like, I'm not hearing what I need to hear, and I'm not seeing what I need to see. And my heart's a little bit hard. But then all of a sudden, by the time you get to Moses 7, it looks like the result of that. What does that. What does that kind of living lead to? And I am going to start in chapter seven, verse 16. And from that time forth, there were wars and bloodshed among them. It feels like a mess. They fled. They stand away from God. It just seems chaotic in the middle of all of that. And then within that same verse, verse number 16, it talks about the wars, it talks about the bloodshed. And then there is this glimpse into Enoch and what is happening for his people. But the Lord came and dwelt with his people, and they dwelt in righteousness. And we know the story of the city of Enoch. It's this righteous city gets taken up. Everyone talks about, oh, they're so good. We focus so much on them that I fear that sometimes we don't remember the world that they lived in. And even, at least for me, maybe it's just because I'm naive. I'm not like a professional scripture reader. But when I think about that story, I'm like, yeah, they were so good. They probably had it so easy, like with the olden days. Like, they didn't have TikTok and they didn't have so many things to listen to and the terrible news and all this stuff. And it's like, wait, wait. It was really bad. They weren't living in an easy world. They were living in a world with war and bloodshed and tragedy and death and people who did have hard hearts and people who were causing a lot of issues. That is the world where this story begins, a messy one, a complicated one, one that Satan is trying to control, one that Satan is having a lot of success controlling. And then in the middle of all of that, the Lord shows up for this people. And I think that that is something like, I just, like, want to pause and just think about that for, like, probably the rest of my life, is that that's how his story begins, is not with Enoch's people begin to live super righteously. Enoch's people were making all these great choices. Enoch's people were blank, blank, blank. But what begins this is the Lord comes and he dwells with his people. The Lord Sees a group of people who has good hearts, who wants to try, who has good intentions in a really, really mess. I am not going to forget you. I will show up for you. I'm going to come in the midst of you, and I will be with you. And then all of a sudden you hear about this, like, world that they live in, and it's so, so good. All of a sudden you start reading in verse number 17, the Lord is going to bless the land. They were blessed upon the mountains and upon the high places, and they did flourish. And the Lord called his people Zion because they were of one heart and one mind and dwelt in righteousness, and there was no poor among them. And you read that and already your heart is captivated and it is won over to this idea of Zion because it sounds so beau. But I don't think that you realize how beautiful that city is until you realize the city that the beginning of this chapter describes. Because before it gets to Enoch city, before it gets to Zion, it starts talking about a land called Canaan. And this is in verse number seven. And if you have the study guide, the workbook, this is going to be the worksheet for the week is going to be a comparison of these two cities. The city that we know from Enoch, but the city right before that, that makes us realize we why the city of Enoch is so powerful, so beautiful, it almost seems like magic that it could be that way. Because right before that, you see the city in verse number seven, and it's going to describe it. And the Lord said unto me, prophesy, and I prophesied, saying, behold, the people of Canaan, which are numerous. I underlined that in my Scriptures because I think it's important to realize this wasn't a few people. They were living in a really messy, complicated world where a lot of people's hearts were getting won over to the side of deception and lies and really difficult things. It is. There are a lot of them. They shall go forth in battle array against the people of Shem and shall slay them that shall be utterly destroyed. And the people of Canaan. And then it begins to describe their city. What are they like? What life are they living? What's their lifestyle? They shall divide themselves in the land, and the land shall be barren and unfruitful, and none other people shall dwell there but the people of Canaan. And I. The worksheet goes through and it has like three little sections to describe what their city was like. And sometimes we hear those words and it's interesting because we, like, there's those, like, they're so scripturally familiar to us. Unfruitful and barren and division. And we hear that and it's like, oh, yeah, that makes sense in scripture that I think sometimes we forget, like, what does that look like? Because his world is not that different from ours. And if we really understand those words and maybe just like translate them a little bit into our language, you're going to realize that this is a lifestyle that is so easily lived today. They shall divide themselves in the land, in their own groups. They were being exclusive, they were having cliques. They were saying, no, no, you don't belong with us. Even to people that did. Like, they were all in the same land. And they said, our goal right now is not to gather. Our goal right now is not to be inclusive. Our goal is to be exclusive. We want to say no to people. We want to leave people out. That feeling is not one that has disappeared from the earth since this time division is still common. And we find that in beliefs, in political beliefs, in religious beliefs, in beliefs about the dumbest things that you talk about every single day with your friends. And then all of a sudden you, like, walk away and you're so mad at someone because they disagree with you. Why, why that division is so clear? That's how it starts. And then all of a sudden, the land shall be barren and unfruitful. And that word barren to me is so interesting because I, like, automatically I just picture, like a desert. And when I think about that, I think about, you can't get what you need. You can't get anything that is going to be exactly what you're hoping for. You are going to be less. You are going to be left wanting something more. That's a barren world. And I think of maybe not like our physical circumstances in all cases, even though that is still true, but I also think of how many things in this world that Satan has taken control of that we go there expecting to fill needs, we go there expecting to feel differently. And we walk away feeling barren. Our head hits the pillow at night and we feel empty. We feel like we're missing something that is barrenness, Unfruitful. I love that word unfruitful because we already have the word barren. And it made me wonder, like, what's the difference between barren and unfruitful? And I started thinking about, unfruitful is something that's not producing what you hope it's going to. And how often do we find that in our world that we say, I'm doing all of these things. I'm reading all of these books. I'm trying all of these habits, and it's not producing the result I want. I'm trying to do all of these things, and it's leaving me without what I wanted. It's leaving me without. And that last line, I think, like, I, like, added it, and it's kind of similar to division, but none other people shall dwell there but the people of Canaan. And I just think it's so interesting that this group of people is not one that is living a life that wants to invite other people into it. And I think that so often, like, it seems like that type of lifestyle seems like we, like, feel drawn to it. And I started realizing, like, people who are experiencing barrenness and unfruitful lives actually don't want other people to live them unless they want other people to be as miserable as they are. And that's the world that they were living in. And then you go back and you read verse number 17, that's the other side of the worksheet. And you remember the world that the Lord set up when he dwelt there. And he said, let me show you a glimpse of a different lifestyle, a different life you could choose. And he starts talking about blessings and how all of a sudden, in all the high places. I think it's interesting that it says high places because maybe it's because I hate hiking, but, like, immediately that feels like more work. Like, I'm like that. Like, I don't know why he included that. And, like, it's probably just a me moment. But I just was thinking so strongly about how that wasn't easy. It wasn't easy to get there. It wasn't easy to get the results they wanted. They had to climb for them. But they did flourish. It was worth it in the end. They did get what they wanted. And even more than that, they got even more than they wanted.
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And I was gonna say I like that flourish is. I don't even. I feel like I just said that really weird. But that word is a word that means the opposite of barren. And it means the opposite of unfruitful. That is how I would read that word is. I would say they actually. Because when you're talking about barren and talking about a land, I also thought about the fact that in Scripture, sometimes that word barren is to talk about, like, someone who can't have a child, right? Who can't produce life. So barren might be the opposite of life and renewal. And that is kind of what they're feeling. I love that description you were giving of laying your head down at night and just feeling like unsatisfied versus a kind of lifestyle he teaches that might be harder but leads to blessing and leads to. Leads to flourishing. Right. I think someone could ask themselves, like, are my relationships more like Canaan or my relationships more like Zion? Am I battling in all my relationships? Am I, am I divisive in all my relationships? Because that's going to lead to barrenness and unfruitfulness. It's not going to produce anything that you wanted to it to, but the other that requires something out of you. It requires sacrifice. It requires love to be of one mind and one heart to find what is common. It takes a sacrifice for there to be no poor among them. Right. But that is going to actually lead to a much more enriching, flourishing life.
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Well, and have I talked about this on here? Just remind me if I have. About everyone wants a village and no one wants to be a villager.
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That feels new and happy to be.
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Well, if I have, sorry everyone. It's going to be short anyway. So if you just skip 10 seconds. Skip. But I just watched this video honestly, and it was this girl that was just talking and she was like. I started realizing that I'm living my life expecting a village for me and I never show up as a villager for someone else. And being a villager is inconvenient. Being a villager takes work, takes you.
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To the high places.
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Yes, exactly. When you're wanting this relationship, it is going to take effort. When you want to live in a community like this with people like this, when you want your relationships to be Zion like relationship going to just be easy, it's going to be a climb. You are going to have to be a villager. Show up when it's inconvenient, do things that are difficult. And it's interesting because the result is so different. They were of one heart and one mind. They dwelt in righteousness compared to a group of people that said, we don't want you here. And even within our own group, we are going to find divisiveness. We're going to find reasons to exclude people. This one says we're going to find reasons to bring people in and we're going to expect that they will live in unity with us.
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And I think it's important to point out righteousness I've heard described before and defined in its root words as right relationship to be of one heart and One mind is going to require some things like sacrifice, which I mentioned, but also repentance, right? So to be a people who dwell in righteousness, that doesn't mean like, oh, I just choose that and always live it. I'm fixing my relationship, I'm apologizing, I'm striving, I'm. I'm part of becoming one heart and one mind. And dwelling in righteousness is an effort on my part, which includes mess ups and it includes apologies and it includes something that we're actually working on. And I think it's also important to say this is not arbitrary. It's not like God set up these fake things that were just like, this is what is required to have relationship with me and relationships with others. This is just the law of relationship. Relationships require these things.
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And this last line, and there was no poor among them, I think we just read that and we immediately go to generosity, which is exactly what you're saying, like you're gonna have to sacrifice. And I think that's true. But what I was reading when you look at Zion compared to Canaan is that last line that says that last line in verse number seven that says, and no people shall dwell there but the people of Canaan. And what would lead them to live like that? And it's scarcity. It's a scarcity mindset. We don't want anyone else here because there's not even enough for me. If I'm living in a barren life, then I don't believe that other people should come because there's not. I don't wanna share what I already don't have. There's this mindset that there's not gonna be enough for me. Why would I ever want anyone else to come in and be involved in my life? Because I wanna keep the blessings. I wanna keep what I need. I wanna keep what I have. And then all of a sudden verse 18, you start realizing that's not the way life is meant to live. And that is the opposite scarcity mindset compared to an abundant mindset. There was no poor among them. Which instantly leads me to think people were so much less concerned about them holding on to what they had and so much more concerned about giving all they could to everyone else. And look what it built. You think that it's gonna make your life barren when all reality it is turning your life into Zion. That is what generosity does.
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That's awesome. So you've got that worksheet that you can have that extra study and fill out those words that are there. And the verses are in there in that worksheet. But there's also space to just really write out and dive deep into thinking about, okay, what do those actually, what's that mean? In my life and in my relationships and in my life, is it more barren and unfruitful? Or where am I seeing flourishing and blessing? And then look to the guide like it's showing the way, you know, the way to live. You can either live divisive and scarcity, or you can live with an abundance mindset and that generosity and sacrifice. One of the things that I think so awesome about that, that comparison is it shows that Zion is possible in a Canaan world. And I think that is one of the great hopes that this chapter gives that. Yes, the world may look like this, like battle, like wars, like divisiveness, but Zion was created and can be created again. We don't have to wait for anything to happen. And one of the things I think is powerful about this chapter is we learn about the power of one. We learn about Enoch as somebody who actually makes a difference, because I think it's natural. And he did this even in Moses, chapter six, if you remember, said, I, I'm. People are gonna hate me. I'm just a kid. I don't have any skill sets for this. Like, what is one person even going to do? And luckily, he was encouraged by the spirit of the Lord to move forward in this work. And I'm so glad he did, because in this chapter, obviously, everyone has to be involved for it to be one heart, one mind, right? But it starts with one person. And I think this chapter is a clarion call and a reminder to everybody, whoever you are, whether you're a lady, a young lad or an old lad, whatever, if you have skill sets or no skill sets, one person can make a difference. And I think we start to see in this chapter some of the examples of what that might look like. If you're the kind of person who's like, wait, I want to make a difference. I want to build Zion in a Canaan world. Look, look at some of these verses. Verse 12 is one example you might want to underline. Enoch continued to call upon all the people. Two parts there. One, he continued to call. That is something that is so beautiful about him, something that reflects the heart of Jesus that he has. We're gonna see that in just a little bit. But he didn't give up. That's what it looks like to make a difference, is you don't give up. You keep calling upon all the people, verse 13. So great was the faith of Enoch. I think, if you want to talk about how do I not have a scarcity mindset, but an abundant mindset. Get your eye and your heart set on God, who is bounteous and generous and good and everlasting and eternal. If your eye is set on what is in front of you, you're only going to see what's in front of you instead of the potential that God wants you to see. So to live with faith that things can change, that things can be different, that God can. Can do things with whatever it is that I offer him. Another thing that's really powerful in 13, at the end of 13 is it says this, so powerful was the word of Enoch, and so great was the power of the language which God had given him. And I think that's something worth thinking about. My words can have a lot of influence, and they can have a lot of power. I'm not talking about mine. I'm speaking for all of us right now and saying that all of our words, right? This is something that I want to think to myself, is that my words can have an impact. I mean, we were just talking. Some fella who watches our show sent this mean email last week, and we. I've been thinking about it nonstop for 24 hours, right? And it's like it just is evidence of what somebody's words can do and the impact that they can have. For negative, sure, but in this case, for good, right? The words that you use, particularly if they is. It is the language which God has given you. I feel like when it talks about when the Lord will say to Enoch, I want you to prophesy. Enoch can, with all confidence, use the language of hope and use the language of faith and use the language of change, because he knows that's what God can do. And you and I can look at a situation and know that God can change this and God can heal this, and God can fix this wherever a person is. And so Enoch is using that language that God has given him the power of language to encourage and to speak hope and to speak faith. And I like that there's the phrase, like when you get into 17 and 18, 18 in particular, they. And the Lord called his people Zion. I like that the word called is past tense, as if he were calling them that before it was ever that description, that he almost just could see the potential in them and began to call it like. Like he did with Peter, right? Whose name was Simon. He says, I'm going to call you the rock. From now on, I'm going to see what is good in you and I'm going to point that out. And that's the language that I am going to use with you. And so this chapter shows us two things. One, that Zion in a Canaan world is actually possible. It's actually doable, right, because of God, but also the power of one person's influence that you and I can make a difference in someone else's life, in our communities and in this world. Like that. This chapter shows that is possible. And one other principle on that I think is important to have, you know, when we're thinking about this is verse 21 where it says this and it came to pass, the Lord showed unto Enoch all the inhabitants of the earth, and he beheld. And lo, Zion in the process of time was taken up into heaven. That phrase process of time is one you probably want to underline. And remember that this whole experience of building Zion, the influence of Enoch on the people, was in process of time. It's taking us back again to that Genesis, the Genesis creation lesson that we learned that you may be on day one or day two or day three, unfinished but still good. It takes the full week. It takes a process of time and to give yourself grace for the own process that you're in and other people around you and the efforts that you are putting into, into this. I, I, I think Alma 32 gives us reason to believe that as we start living Zion like principles, do you remember that chapter says you'll begin to notice a change. Like you might not say this is flourishing or this is fully blessed right now, or this is heaven on earth. But I do think you'll be able to start noticing life starting to grow and light starting to enter in and your heart beginning to swell. I love that those phrases in Alma chapter 32 that remind us, listen, this is, is a process for all of us. The analogy the Lord uses is trees a lot. The tree of life and trees. I don't know if you've ever planted one from a seed, but they take a long time. We still have not planted peach trees in our backyard because I keep thinking about how long they take. And now if I had planted them when we moved in, we would have them at this point, but it feels intimidating. But if you just know it gives you grace and helps you just keep on moving. If you know this is something that is, it happens in process of time.
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B
Well, it's so interesting that you bring that up about like that idea of like, oh, it's going to take too long or I don't want to do it because it's going to take too long. And it's so interesting because Enoch is having this vision and he's going to get a glimpse of big picture and he's going to see so much. He's going to see the world and the kids and everyone's choices in the world, and he's gonna have this moment. But he also sees Satan in verse number 26. And what he teaches about Satan is something like, in the worst way, like, I highlighted in my scriptures, because I don't want to miss this. Like, I actually think it's important to realize he. In verse 26, and he beheld Satan and he had a great chain in his hand. And I immediately underlined that and drew a line back to verse 21. And the word, the section that says in process of time. And what I started thinking is that the goal of a chain is to hold people back. The goal of a chain is to stop them, is to keep them where they are, is to stop progress. And in this vision that he just. He just learned this lesson that a relationship and Zion and life with God and covenant, relationship is a process, and it's going to take time. And immediately he sees the enemy and the enemy's tool. And the enemy's tool is something that stops that. And I think that is so often exactly what holds us back to becoming the type of people that lived in the city of Enoch is the lies and the beliefs that Satan plants in us that make us believe we are chained down. And it says right here. And it veiled the whole face of the earth with darkness. And he looked up and laughed and his angels rejoiced. And I'm like, yeah, no wonder. Because like David's dumb example of a peach tree that it's like, oh, it's gonna take too long. I'm sorry. Okay. Scream out the wrong way.
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A
Those peach trees are important to us.
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Like, it just like, that's such a silly little belief, right? It's just like, oh, it's gonna take too long. Well, now you've lived in your house years and years, and look at what you've missed out on. No offense, in the kindest way possible. Like, seemed a little harsh, you know, but it, like, really made me start thinking, like, what are the chains Satan's using to hold us back? And it is, it's gonna take too long. Or like, it's not that big of.
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A
A deal, or what I say is not gonna make a difference or what I do is not going to make a difference. I feel like that's a line that I hear, and sometimes I'm tempted to believe it's just like, what is one person supposed to do? Or what is one text even gonna help?
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It's not gonna work.
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Right. Right. So. Right. The problem's too big and I'm too small and it's. And that would be. I love that you're calling that a chain holding me back. Because the opposite of that. I'm just gonna throw this in here real fast.
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B
Go.
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A
Is that language that God gave to Enoch? Right. The power of his words, especially if they were the kind of words that God uses.
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B
Yeah.
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And I want to speak in a way that if I wrote that down, someone could say, oh, was. Is that Scripture or was that David? Right. I want that to be confusing to people, that they would say like, oh, did Jesus say this? Or did you know? Have you ever seen those videos where people are like, who said it? Was it Taylor Swift or the Bible or whatever? You know what I mean? How complimentary to her, by the way, that you could be confused. But I want somebody to confuse my words with the words of Jesus and to say, oh, I actually don't know if that sounds that, you know, that. Who does? Who was that? Yeah, that would be complimentary. That means that I'm using the language that he gave me, which would be opposite of holding somebody back kind of.
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Language, which made me sit down today.
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A
And to ourselves. I'm so sorry to interrupt you. The way we speak to ourselves.
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B
Well, that's what I'm talking about today is that, like, I, like sat there and I thought, oh, like, I don't think I've realized how many chains Satan has put on me. And I've allowed Satan to put on me simply because of the lines and the beliefs that I say in my head that I believe about myself that are holding me back. And I, like in my notes app, as I was reading these verses stopped and I thought, what are the chains that are holding me back? And I think typically when I've thought that, I just go to habits and all these things, and all of those are really good. And I think that's such a good discussion. But this time when I did it, I really paused and I thought, no, like, what are the beliefs that are stopping me from progressing? What are the beliefs that are making me stop, like, going through this process of time that's described in verse number 21? And I wrote down those beliefs and those ideas and I Like, driving here, listened to that song Waymaker, and I don't even know who sings it. So sorry, everyone, I'm having no information for you. But it just, like, goes through and it, like, lists the titles of Jesus. And one of them, it just is like, Chain Breaker. And I, like, think that that is such a key truth to remember right here, is that Satan wants to chain you down. He wants to bring the world into darkness because he wants to stop your progress. But we believe in someone who breaks chains. We believe in someone who is capable of ridding you of that darkness. And those things that are holding you back, the limiting beliefs, the ideas that you have, the habits, all that he's capable of breaking them. And I think that the reason that this was so hard for Enoch, he saw this and Satan was happy and. And everyone was devastated. And I think that, like, the reason that, like, it made sense to me that everyone was so devastated, to be so honest, is because I said, because that's so easy to be chained down by. That's so real to get chained down by. And of course that's devastating because think about how often we are chained, like, I'm chained by that all the time. Think about how easy it is for me to believe that. And then you get a glimpse into the heart of God, because you just saw the heart of Satan, one that laughs when you are stuck, the one that tries to stop you, one that is happy and joyful when you are in prison. And all of a sudden, then you get a completely different view of the God that we believe in verse 28. And it came to pass that the God of heaven looked upon the residue of the people. And he wept. And he wept. He looked at those, at the chains and at the people who were stuck, the people that couldn't get out of something by themselves. And all he could do was cry. The God we believe in, Christ. And then Enoch asks a question, and he just says, but wait, how is that possible? How is that possible that you could be crying? And it's such a beautiful moment to me that he says, how can you even weep? You're so holy and you're so big, you span from eternity to eternity. Why are you looking at this group of people and why is it making you cry? Because you see so much. There's so many kids you have to care about. There's so much you have to do. Why are you looking at this and crying? And were it possible, verse 30, that man could number the particles of the earth, millions of earths like this it would not be a beginning to the number of the creations. And thy creations are stretched out still. It's too big. You're too big to care about something like this. You're too big to care about these people. You're too big to care about these problems. And yet that is underlined in my scriptures in verse 30. You are there, and your bosom is there, and you are just, and you are merciful, and you are kind forever, somehow, God, you are so big and you are so grand, and you are capable of being in charge of eternities, to eternities, to millions of earths, to millions of people. You are capable of being in charge of that. And yet you are right here with tears in your eyes when you look on your individual kids and your individual problems, and all of a sudden you see that question again. How could you weep? How is that even possible? And the Lord says to Enoch, because these are your brethren, and they are the workmanship of my hands. I might be big, but I am not too big for my own kids. I might be in charge of all of eternity, but I created you. And so why would I ever look over someone who is struggling, who I made my kids? I'm not too big for my own kids. That's the. That's the word of the week this week is weep. And for one instance, like, you're like, wait, I don't want to weepy. I don't want to have a week that is like that word until you remember what it's teaching you about God. And then how thankful are we to get this scripture that reminds us that we believe in a God who is not far away. We don't believe, that is, in a God who is sitting on his throne, distanced, barely concerned about individuals, and only concerned about the life of the world. We believe in a God who is a father, a God who created us, a God who looks down and says, I care about your problems. I care about your tears. I care about the moments that you cry. I, in fact, am not so far away that I will cry also. What you care about, I care about. What you cry about, I cry about. I am in the middle of it with you. I will care about what you care about. And. And I just thought about a little lesson that you'll have, like, with your kids, when you talk about that. And how cool would it be to say, like to just pause and say, what do you care about right now? For good and for bad? A weeping God also means that we have a happy one. A weeping God Also means we have one that laughs with us and cares about what we care about. A weeping God is evidence of a caring God. Not just a God who cares about bad things, but a God who cares about all things for all his kids. And how powerful to just sit down and flip a paper upside down and say, what are the things you care about most in your life? Is it your math grade? Or is it the fact that you're trying to teach your kid the Alphabet? Or are you caring about your growth in your business? Are you caring about what is it? Write down the things you care about and let this poster be evidence that God cares about them too.
- [35:07]
A
Yeah, and if I could suggest in this poster we have the verses 31 and 32 as the verses to read, and I would just also include 30 into that. If you're going to have this kind of mini lesson to teach this poster, just because of that argument that people are going to have, people are going to write down those things and then they're going to say, yeah, but with all the numbers of particles of earth, with millions of earth like this and the curtains that are straight, you know that it's like with everything happening in the world, certainly God doesn't care about my math grade or my business. And 30 is the answer to that. With all the millions of earths. And that phrase to underline, and yet thou art there and thy bosom is there, meaning God's not just physically involved. God is emotionally involved in everything that we are doing. We know that he's there. And can I say something about that verse? Because that idea has come up a couple of times and will come up more. That is actually the most repeated promise in the Old Testament. When we talk about what are the promises to covenant Israel that you're going to find all throughout the year that we're marking and finding. Remember, they're in the journal every single week and we keep a record of them in the app also just the ones that we have found. But you're going to find more even. But there is at least that to start with. The most common repeated one is that I will dwell with you, that I will be there. And every time throughout this whole year that. That we read that phrase. Let's also remember that I'm not just there physically. I'm emotionally involved as well. So Enoch is having this vision, this is the first part of the vision that he sees. And. And God's going to teach something different. And I think, I mean a little bit different, that it's going to sound like it's opposite of what just happened. Because he's going to talk about being a God of judgment. And you're going to see in 36 and 37 the fire of his anger, and in 38, the. The floods that he's going to send to the earth. We're going to talk about Noah next time, more in more detail. But he's going to talk about these judgments. And it's important to also understand, as we read the Old Testament, especially this year, that God is a God of judgment, that he's not going to let things get too bad. But there's two things that are really important to understand that are happening behind the scenes with every single one of those stories, each, even if it doesn't say it in there. And we'll probably bring this up next time also, but one, I think it's important to remember that all judgments of God, their intention is not destruction. The intention is restoration. And everybody knows this. Like, there is, like, evidence of this in nature, in health, right? That we cut out a cancer, right. And that will cause damage. And it feels like it's destruction. But the purpose of it is restoration and healing. Or we'll. We'll cut off branches or burn, you know, in fields. And the purpose of the burning of a field, if you're a farmer in Idaho right now, you're just yelling on your couch saying, it's good, it's good, you know, But I would see it and think you're a bad guy. You know, you're burning all those plants, and it's like, oh. Because the purpose is healing, and the purpose is nutrients, and the purpose is restoration. We have to remember that every time we see a judgment of God, there's actually a hint of it in verse 38. Maybe I'll just point this out real quick where he just says, but behold, these which your eyes are upon shall perish in the floods. And behold, I will shut them up. A prison have I prepared for them. Prison sounds really scary. But look at 39, he says, and that which I have chosen hath pled before my face. Wherefore he suffereth for their sins, inasmuch as they will repent in that day that my chosen shall return unto me, and until that day they shall be in torment. Don't focus on the word torment or prison. Focus on the word until in 39, that there is an end to that. There is. It's not going on forever. There's a purpose and there's a reason for it. And I think that's really, really important, especially in this book of scripture, to remember those two things.
- [39:08]
B
Well, and it's so interesting that this comes immediately after a God who weeps. And it just makes me want to think, like, God doesn't hate his kids. God hates sin. Yes, and no wonder God hates sin. Like those two verses 38 and 39, like in my scriptures, like I want to write that line, like, remember who the real enemy is. His kids are not the enemy. That is not what he's angry at. He's not angry at his kids. He's angry at a sinful world. He's angry at sin. That's the enemy. Satan is the enemy. That is who the real enemy is. He's making a plan to rescue you from the enemy. That's verse 39. He says, I'm going to get you out of this. But I need you to know, of course God doesn't tolerate sin because look at what it does to his kids. He was weeping about it. Of course God is going to be willing to do whatever he can to rescue his kids from the life he just saw them in, the. The lives that made him weep. Of course he's going to step in and do anything he possibly can because he knows who the real enemy is.
- [40:07]
A
Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And you see Enoch start to understand that verse 40 for this shall the heavens weep, right? What Grace was just saying. And then 41 Enoch, it says, Enoch saw all the doings of the children of men wherefore he knew and looked upon their wickedness in their misery and wept and stretched forth his own arms and his heart swelled wide as eternity and his bowels yearned and all eternity shook. 41 is a description of Enoch's heart, what's happening. But I think it's a reflection of the heart of Jesus. And there's words in there that take me to the cross. That he looked upon all the wickedness in misery and wept and stretched forth his arms and his heart swelled and his heart yearned and all eternity shook. I mean, everybody who's felt any kind of emotion for somebody else to seeing the pain in somebody else and how it just causes your heart to yearn and your arms to stretch and you to just shake with wanting to help and wanting to change and wanting to do something about this. Now multiply that by the whole world. And 41 is a description of the heart and arms of Jesus just shaking and then also doing something about it. And Enoch sees all this in 44 and he says, I had bitterness of soul and I wept over my Brethren. And I said to the heavens, I will refuse to be comforted. And I think there are plenty of people listening who've been in that place where they just. Like I said, I will never get over this. My heart will never be put back together. It will always stay broken. Like I refuse to be comforted. I can't. It's impossible. And I don't even want to deal with that at all. And that's why. I mean, we're going to see questions like this throughout the entire chapter and moments where you see yourself in these words. But the Lord said unto Enoch in 44, lift up your heart and be glad and look. And this is the value and the beauty of scripture. It's a chance for someone who's in a place where they're refusing to be comforted. And the Lord says, lift up your heart, be glad and look. And he looks and he sees. And Enoch saw the day. It said in 47, the coming of the Son of Man, even in the flesh and his soul rejoice, saying, the righteous is lifted up and the Lamb is slain from the foundation of the world and through faith, I am in the bosom of the Father, and behold, Zion is with me. And he sees that solution. He sees that Jesus is going to come to solve the problem. But then something interesting happens, and it happens in time, too, because Jesus comes and it feels like the whole world is rescued. And it was. But then 48 says, oh, and then there's wickedness again among the children. Children have been. And. And Enoch hears the earth mourn and he cries again. There's a lot of crying in this chapter, everybody. So if you're a crier, this is your. This is your moment.
- [43:10]
B
I think the poster says weep.
- [43:11]
A
Yeah, this is your moment. This is your. You're feeling a companionship here. Enoch asked a question. He says, oh, Lord, wilt thou not have compassion on the earth? And will thou not bless the children of Noah? And it came to pass that Enoch continued his cry until the Lord saying, I ask the Lord in the name of Thine only begotten even Jesus Christ, that thou will have mercy upon Noah and his deceit and his seed or descendants, that the earth might never more be covered by the floods. I want to add into that list that we made earlier of one person can make a difference. The power of prayer of one person. Here we have one man, Enoch, asking the Lord to please have compassion on Noah and his descendants. And look at what verse 51 says. And the Lord could not withhold. He could not hold back. I am a dad. And there have been plenty of times when my kids have asked me for something and I have felt verse 51, I could not withhold. Because of the love I have for those kids, I could not hold back. My answer could be nothing but yes. And he covenanted with Enoch, and he swore unto him with an oath that he would stay the floods, number one, and don't miss this part. That he would call upon the children of Noah. And he sent forth an unalterable decree that a remnant of his seed should always be found among the nations while the earth shall stand. And the Lord said, blessed is he through whose seed the Messiah shall come. I am Messiah, the King of Zion, the rock of heaven as broad as eternity. And whoso climbeth in at the gate and climbeth up by me shall never fall. 51 through 53 is an answer to one man's petition. And it's this promise from the Lord. I will not give up on this family. I will not give up on the earth. I will not give up on any of you. There is an unalterable decree from heaven that God won't give up on your kids, that God won't give up on your situation. That God will not give up on you. That's one of the most beautiful promises and greatest set of verses in this chapter. Whatever. Whatever. That's, that's a promise to the end of time.
- [45:36]
B
And I think that you hold onto that promise, but I don't think it stops your heart from asking the questions, then why is the world so hard? And why are we just gonna give? Like, are we just gonna let the world go to this? Are we just gonna let this happen? And you start asking, are my sad days ever gonna end? Am I ever gonna stop crying? All the criers that were loving this episode earlier are like, yeah, but wait, like, when does it end? And when do my tears dry? And can you help, Help me? And can you save the day?
- [46:03]
A
Yeah, I, I, I actually can I just say that there's a couple times in this chapter where those questions come up and, and they're. Let me give a few. 58. When is the earth going to rest? Right. When, when are we going to rest from all of this? We saw the, we saw the others. Oh. I, like, made a list of them, and now I'm not even finding any of them in here. But yeah, but listen, you find them.
- [46:29]
B
That'S a little tricky.
- [46:29]
A
Yeah, yeah, yeah. There's so many times he's asking that question that are, that are like, that yeah, right. How long is another one of the questions that he asks? How long is it going to be like this? Are. Are you going to forget about us? He keeps asking questions like this. And I think it's an awesome chapter to read and ask, you know, ask ourselves, what are my questions for the Lord right now? What are the questions like this that I'm asking about? And to write them out and to ask them, because Enoch is. And the Lord has an answer.
- [46:58]
B
And that's the thing that is the most beautiful part, is that the Lord has an answer, that he hears the questions and he says, I know what to say. And the questions are questions that might be, like, really specific to Enoch in these visions, but they're not questions that are unfamiliar to us. Just like David said, we start asking, well, when am I gonna stop crying? And when am I gonna find rest? And the answer is in 55. And the Lord said unto Enoch, look, I love that he keeps telling them that, that there's something about, like, obviously Enoch's seeing a vision, but I just lately have been just thinking about that word look. And what am I spending my time looking at? And what does the Lord want us to look at? And this is what he says, look. And he looked and beheld the son of man lifted up on the cross after the manner of men. Look, Jesus will come. Jesus is on his way. That's what you can look forward to. But wait, things aren't going that well. When will the world have rest? Jesus is on the way. How will I ever stop crying? Jesus is on the way. But what about this world? It's a disaster. Don't worry. Jesus is on the way. That is how this vision ends. He says, but like, yeah, but Jesus dies and he's not going to come back, and that's going to be it. And God says, no, no, no, I promise. Jesus is on his way. Jesus will come back again. Lately I've been loving that this is like, kind of like a side note, but it's just like, it feels like one of the answers to one of my questions is that I love that we have a second coming. Because it's a promise that once wasn't enough. That he looks at the world and he says, jesus is gonna come and he's gonna die for your sins. But then he's gonna go away and don't worry, he's gonna come back. I love the promise of a God who comes back again, who isn't done just once. He says, oh, no, he'll be on his way. And you go to like verse number 61 and you get that answer. When shall the earth rest? Enoch asks in 58, 61. And the day shall come that the earth shall rest. And before that day, it is going to be a disaster. Okay? You can bet on that. It's going to be messy and it's going to be dark. The heavens are going to shake and the earth and great tribulations will be everywhere. And everyone wants me to stop reading and skip that part, but I circle that. I love that word at the very end of verse number 61. My people will I preserve. Yeah, I will save my people. And 62.
- [49:17]
A
And let me just say this is one way I love to read. My people will I preserve is you're going to make it. That's the promise from the Lord that says, you're going to make it through this. Everything's going to be okay in the end. And I promise you're gonna make it.
- [49:33]
B
Yep. And the reason why is because Jesus is on the way. And I will send people who make sure you do not forget that promise. That is 62. I will send forth out of the earth to bear testimony of my only begotten Son. And you will watch what happens when that testimony is born. Righteous and truth, Righteousness and truth will I cause to sweep the earth as with a flood. It's so interesting to me that he uses that word flood, especially in context of the Old Testament. Because we know what's coming. We've read the book or like we've heard the stories, at least Noah. And we like have heard this, like, it almost feels like this, like foreshadowing this like, moment that it's like, ah, Noah's people. And we know what's gonna happen is the earth is gonna be flooded because God wants to destroy sin and he wants fresh starts and the earth is gonna be flooded. But what I love even more is not only will he flood the earth to rid the earth of sin, but also he will flood the earth to fill it with goodness. He does both. I will sweep the earth as with a flood to gather out mine elect from the four quarters of the earth unto a place which I will prepare. And it will be good. And it will be called Zion, a new Jerusalem, a Zion like the one we read about earlier. A Zion that pre promises abundance and goodness and one heart and one mind and enough for everyone and blessings upon blessings. And that verse 63 makes me want to cry every single time because I just think about all of those people who are asking all of those Questions and the promise that comes in 63 because I love that we have a God who says, I know what questions you're asking and the answer is that Jesus is on the way.
- [51:14]
A
And 63 is the picture of that last day. That's the he says, then shalt thou in all thy city meet them there. And we'll receive them into our bosom and they shall see us and will fall upon their necks. And then we'll fall and they will fall upon our necks and we will kiss each other and the earth will have rest for a thousand years. And it came to pass that Enoch saw the day of the coming of the Son of Man in the last days. And and that's the promise at the very end. We believe in a happily ever after here. We believe in a God who says, oh, and with all the questions and crying that were happening earlier, one day there will be hugs and kisses and everything will be made right. And Zion won't just be a single spot, it'll be the whole world. It'll be the experience that everybody has all together. And that's and I like in 62 it says, and this people that I'm going to gather until this who be who are going to be in the middle be looking forth for the time of my coming. He says we can live in the the veil of darkness, the darkened time, the tribulation time, and still be looking forward to his coming and knowing that it's going to happen and reminding each other of it and putting our eyes on all the hope and the good that God is flooding into the world. And I let's just end on this verse. It's so good. And Enoch at the very end, verse 69, and all his people walked with God and he dwelt in the midst of Zion. That's the promise through all of it. And you and I can choose to live that fruitful, flourishing, blessed life by walking with God in the midst of this Canaan world and the promises that he'll be there. He's there with us through it all. So, so good. Okay, we will see you next time. If you want to follow along in everything we're doing, you can find us on Instagram @don'tmissthis study, at this week's Grace and at mrdavebutler.
- [53:09]
B
And if you want to subscribe to the app or get our weekly newsletter, all of the information can be found at don'tmissthisstudy.com See you next week.