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Treasure Above | Don't Let Wealth Steal Your Heart (Aug 17) · 1 Year Audio Bible Podcast

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What is your primary goal in life? What is
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it that you think about, plan for,
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research, and spend your time in? What is your primary
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goal? Are you chasing after treasures in the world?
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A fatter 401? A bigger, better house?
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Saving up the money for a down payment for a house?
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Or is your treasure in heaven where thieves do
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not break in and steal. Is your treasure Jesus
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Christ? What is your treasure that you seek? What is your
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primary goal? Listen in as we unpack these questions.
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Welcome to the Daily Audio Torah. Today is August
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17th. Now let's continue our journey reading through the entire Bible
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in 1 year.
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This week we are reading from the Israel Bible for the Old Testament
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and from the King James for the New Testament.
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Deuteronomy 8:1-20.
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You shall faithfully observe all the instruction that I enjoin upon you
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today, that you may thrive and increase and be
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able to possess the land that Hashem promised on oath to your
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fathers. Remember the long way that Hashem your
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God has made you travel in the wilderness these past 40 years,
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that He might test you by hardships to learn what was in your hearts,
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whether you would keep His commandments or not.
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He subjected you to the hardship of hunger and then gave
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you manna to eat, which neither you nor your fathers
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had ever known, in order to teach you that man does not
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live on bread alone, but that man may live on anything that
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Hashem decrees. The clothes upon you did
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not wear out, nor did your feet swell these 40
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years. Bear in mind that Hashem your God disciplines
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you just as a man disciplines his son. Therefore,
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keep the commandments of Hashem your God, walk in His ways,
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and revere Him. For Hashem your God is bringing you into
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a good land, A land with streams and springs and
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fountains issuing from plain and hill. A land of
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wheat and barley, of vines, figs, and pomegranates. A land
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of olive trees and honey. A land where you may eat food
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without stint, where you will lack nothing. A land
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whose rocks are iron and from whose hills you
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can mine copper. When you have eaten your fill, give thanks
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to Hashem your God for the good land which He has given you.
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Take care lest you forget Hashem your God and fail to keep His commandments,
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His rules, and His laws, which I enjoin upon
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you today. When you have eaten your fill and have built
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fine houses to live in, and your herds and flocks have multiplied,
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and your silver and gold have increased, and everything you own has
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prospered, beware lest
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your heart grow haughty And you forget Hashem your God, who freed
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you from the land of Egypt, the house of slavery,
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who led you through the great and terrible wilderness with
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its serpents and scorpions, a parched land with no water in
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it, who brought forth water for you from the flinty rock,
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who fed you in the wilderness with manna which your
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fathers had never known, in order to test you by hardships,
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only to benefit you in the end, and you say to yourselves,
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my own power and the might of my own hand
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have won this wealth for me. Remember that it is
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Hashem your God who gives you the power to get wealth,
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in fulfillment of the covenant that He made on oath with your
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fathers, as is still the case. If you do forget Hashem
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your God and follow other gods to serve them or bow down to them,
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I warn you this day that you shall certainly perish.
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Like the nations that Hashem will cause to perish before you,
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so shall you perish, because you did not heed
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Hashem your God.
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Nehemiah 12:27-13:31.
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At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, the Levi'im,
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wherever they lived, were sought out and brought to Jerusalem to celebrate
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a joyful dedication with thanksgiving and with song,
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accompanied by cymbals, harps, and lyres.
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The companies of singers assembled from the Jordan Plain,
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the environs of Jerusalem, and from the Netophathite
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villages, from Beth-hagilol, from the countryside
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of Gerba, and Azmaveth, for the singers built
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themselves villages in the environs of Jerusalem.
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The Kohanim and the Levi'im purified themselves.
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Then they purified the people, and the gates, and the wall.
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I had the officers of Judah go up onto the wall, and I appointed
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2 large thanksgiving choirs and processions.
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One marched south on the wall to the Dung Gate. Behind them
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were Hoshaiah and half the officers of Judah, and Azariah,
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Ezra, Meshullam, Jehudah, Benjamin,
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Shemaiah, and Jeremiah, and some of the young Kohanim with trumpets:
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Zechariah son of Jonathan, son of Shemaiah, son of Mattaniah,
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son of Micaiah, son of Zacur, son of Asaph,
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and his brothers Shemaiah and Azarel, Milalai,
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Gilali, Maai, Nethanel, Jehuda, and Hanani,
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with the musical instruments of David the man of Hashem,
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and Ezra the scribe went ahead of them.
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From there to the Fountain Gate, where they ascended
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the steps of the City of David directly before them,
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by the ascent on the wall above the House of David, and onward
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to the Water Gate on the east. The other Thanksgiving
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Choir marched on the wall in the opposite direction with me and
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half the people behind it above the Tower of Ovens to the Broad
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Wall, and above the Gate of Ephraim, the Jeshanah Gate, the Fish
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Gate, the Tower of Hananel, the Tower of the Hundred,
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to the Sheep Gate, and they halted at the Gate of the Prison Compound.
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Both Thanksgiving Choirs halted at the House of Hashem. And I,
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and half the prefects with me, and the Kohanim,
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Eliakim, Maseiah, Miniamin,
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Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah,
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Hananiah with trumpets, and Maseiah and Shemaiah,
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Eleazar, Uzzi, Jahchanan,
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Malkijah, Elam, and Ezer. Then the singers sounded
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forth with Jezariah in charge. On that day they offered
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great sacrifices and rejoiced. For Hashem
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made them rejoice greatly. The women and children also rejoiced,
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and the rejoicing in Jerusalem could be heard from afar.
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At that time, men were appointed over the chambers that served
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as treasuries for the gifts, the first fruits, and the tithes, into which
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the portions prescribed by the teaching for the Kohanim
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and Levi'im were gathered from the fields of the towns.
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For the people of Yehudah were grateful to the Kohanim and Levi'im who
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were in attendance. Who kept the charge of
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their God and the charge of purity, as well as to the singers
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and gatekeepers serving in accord with the ordinance of
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David and Solomon his son. For the chiefs of the singers
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and songs of praises and thanksgiving to Hashem already existed
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in the time of David and Asaph. And in
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the time of Zerubbabel and in the time of Nehemiah,
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all Israel contributed the daily portions of the singers and the
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gatekeepers and made sacred contributions for the Levi'im and the Levi'im
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made sacred contributions for the Aaronites.
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At that time they read to the people from the Book of Moses, and it
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was found written that no Ammonite or Moabite might
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ever enter the congregation of Hashem,
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since they did not meet Israel with bread and water and
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hired Balaam against them to curse them. But our God turned
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the curse into a blessing. When they heard the teaching, they separated
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all the alien admixture from Israel.
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Earlier, the kohen Elishav, a relative of
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Tobiah who had been appointed over the rooms in the House of our God,
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had assigned to him a large room where they used to store
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the meal offering, the frankincense, the equipment,
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the tithes of grain, wine, and oil, the dues of
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the Levi'im, singers, and gatekeepers, and the gifts for the Kohanim.
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During all this time I was not in Jerusalem, for in the 32nd
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year of King Artaxerxes of Babylon, I went to the king and
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only after a while did I ask leave of the king to return.
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When I arrived in Jerusalem, I learned of the outrage perpetrated
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by Elishav on behalf of Tobiah and assigning him a
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room in the courts of the House of Hashem. I was greatly
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displeased and had all the household gear of Tobiah thrown out
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of the room. I gave orders to purify the rooms and
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had the equipment of the House of Hashem and the meal offering and the frankincense
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put back. I then discovered
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that the portions of the Levi'im had not been contributed and
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that the Levi'im and the singers who performed the Temple service had made
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off, each to his fields. I censured
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the prefects, saying, How is it that the House of Hashem has been neglected?
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Then I recalled the Levi'im and installed them again in their posts.
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And all Judah brought the tithes of grain, wine, and oil
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into the treasuries. I put the treasuries in the charge
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of the kohen Shelamiah, the scribe Zadok, and Pedaiah
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of the Levi'im, and assisting them was Hanan son of Zakur,
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son of Mattaniah, for they were regarded as trustworthy
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persons, and it was their duty to distribute the portions
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to their brothers.
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O my God, remember me favorably for this, and do
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not blot out the devotion I showed toward the house of my God and its
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attendants. At that
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time I saw men in Yehudah treading winepresses on the
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Sabbath. And others bringing heaps of grain and
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loading them onto donkeys, also wine, grapes, figs, and all sorts
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of goods, and bringing them into Jerusalem on
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the Sabbath. I admonished
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them there and then for selling provisions.
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Tyrians who lived there brought fish and all sorts of wares and sold them
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on the Sabbath to the Judahites in Jerusalem. I censured
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the nobles of Yehuda, saying to them, What evil thing is this
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that you are doing, profaning the Sabbath day? This is just what
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your ancestors did, and for it Hashem brought all this misfortune on
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this city. And now you give cause for further wrath against Israel
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by profaning the Sabbath.
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When the shadows filled the gateways of Jerusalem at the approach
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of the Sabbath, I gave orders that the doors be closed
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and ordered them not to be opened until after the Sabbath.
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I stationed some of my servants at the gates so that no goods should
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enter on the Sabbath. Once or twice merchants and
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the vendors of all sorts of wares spent the night outside Jerusalem.
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But I warned them, saying, What do you mean by spending the night alongside
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the wall? If you do so again, I will lay hands upon you.
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From then on they did not come on the Sabbath.
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I gave orders to the Levi'im to purify themselves and to
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come and guard the gates, to preserve the sanctity of the Sabbath.
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This too, O my God, remember to my credit,
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and spare me in accordance with your abundant faithfulness.
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Also at that time I saw that Yehudim had married
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Ashdod, Ammonite, and Moabite women. A good number
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of their children spoke the language of Ashdod and the
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language of those various peoples and did not know how to speak Judean.
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I censured them, cursed them, flogged them, tore out their hair, and adjured
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them by Hashem, saying, You shall not give your daughters in
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marriage to their sons or take any
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of their daughters for your sons or yourselves.
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It was just in such things that King Solomon of
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Israel sinned. Among the many nations there was not a king like
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him, and so well loved was he by his God that Hashem made him
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king of all Israel. Yet foreign wives caused
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even him to sin. How then can we acquiesce in
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your doing this great wrong, breaking faith with our God by marrying foreign
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women? One of the sons of Jehoiada son
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of the Kohen Gadol, Elishav, was the son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite.
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I drove him away from Me.
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Remember to their discredit, O My God, how they polluted
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the priesthood, the covenant of the Kohanim and the Levi'im.
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I purged them of every foreign element and arranged for the Kohanim
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and Levi'im to work each at his task
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by shifts, and for the wood offering to be brought at
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fixed times for the First Fruits. O My God,
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remember it! To my credit.
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1 Corinthians 11:1-16.
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But I, Paul, would have you know that the head of
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every man is Christ, and that the head of the woman is
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the man, and the head of Christ is God. Every man
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praying or prophesying, having his head covered,
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dishonors his head. But every woman that prays
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or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, for that
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is even all one, as if she were shaven.
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For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn.
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But if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven,
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let her be covered. For a man indeed ought not to cover
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his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God;
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but the woman is the glory of the man. For the man is
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not of the woman, but the woman of the man.
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Neither was the man created for the woman, but the woman for
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the man. For this cause ought the woman to have
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power on her head, because of the angels.
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Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman,
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neither the woman without the man, in the Lord. For as
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the woman is of the man, even so is the man also
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by the woman: but all things of God.
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Judge in yourselves: Is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered?
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Does not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man has long hair,
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it is a shame to him? But if a woman has long hair,
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it is a glory to her, for her hair is given her for a covering.
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But if any man seem to be contentious, we have
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no such custom, neither the churches of God.
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Psalm 35:1-16. Plead my
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cause, O Lord, with them that strive with me; fight against them that fight
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against me. Take hold of shield and buckler, and stand
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up for my help. Draw out also the spear, and stop the
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way against them that persecute me. Say unto my soul, I am
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your salvation. Let them be confounded
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and put to shame that seek after my soul. Let them be turned back and
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brought to confusion that devise my hurt.
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Let them be as chaff before the wind, and let the angel of
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the Lord Chase them! Let their way be
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dark and slippery, and let the angel of the Lord persecute them.
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For without cause have they hidden me their net in
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a pit, which without cause they have dug for my soul.
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Let destruction come upon him at unawares,
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and let his net that he has hidden catch himself;
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into that very destruction let him fall.
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And my soul shall be joyful in the Lord; it shall
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rejoice in His salvation. All my bones shall say,
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Lord, who is like unto You, which delivers the poor
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from him that is too strong for him; yes, the poor and the needy
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from him that spoils him? False witnesses did
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rise up; they laid to my charge things I knew
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not. They rewarded me evil for good, to the
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despoiling of my soul. But as for me,
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when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth.
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I humbled my soul with fasting, and my prayer returned
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to mine own bosom. I behaved myself
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as though he had been my friend or brother. I bowed down heavily as one
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that mourns for his mother. But in your adversity
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they rejoiced and gathered themselves together. Yes,
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the abjects gathered themselves together against me, and I know
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it not. They did tear me, and chased not.
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With hypocritical mockers and feasts they gnashed upon me
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with their teeth.
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Proverbs 21:17-18.
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He that loves pleasure shall be a poor man; he that
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loves wine and oil shall not be rich.
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The wicked shall be a ransom for the righteous; and the transgressor
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for the upright. I want to speak to you today
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from Deuteronomy chapter 8, and I want to begin in verse
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7. For Hashem your God is bringing you into a good land,
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a land with streams and springs and fountains issuing from plain and
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hill, a land of wheat and barley, of vines,
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figs, and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey,
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A land where you may eat food without stint, where you will
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lack nothing, a land whose rocks are iron and from
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whose hills you can mine copper.
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The Israel Bible commentary to verse 8 is the
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following: A land of wheat and barley, of vines, figs, and pomegranates.
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The Torah names 7 species as the special agricultural
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products of Eretz Israel. Even today, these 7 crops
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can be seen growing all over Israel. In particular,
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the pomegranate has always been a symbol of beauty. Its unique
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shape was a favorite design element appearing on
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the priestly garments and the pillars at the entrance to the
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Beit HaMikdash, the temple in Jerusalem.
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And so I
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want to now jump to verse 18.
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Remember that it is Hashem your God who gives you
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the power to get wealth in fulfillment
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of the covenant He made on oath with your fathers,
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as is still the case. If you do forget
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Hashem your God and follow other gods to serve them or bow down
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to them, I warn you this day that you shall certainly
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perish. Like the nations that Hashem will cause to perish
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before you, so shall you perish because
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you did not heed Hashem your God.
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So this verse is so relevant
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today, and what can happen
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is You raise
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children.
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What can happen is a person can grow up in a family and be raised
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in a church setting and go to church every week and
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live in a Christian environment in a home,
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and off they go to college. And then they get their degree,
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and maybe it's in accounting or engineering
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or computer science or whatever the degree might be. They go off into a
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career field, and then they start to get successful
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and make a lot of money and buy
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a house, get married, have a wife and kids. And all of a sudden,
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that person has forgotten the Lord their God.
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And they're chasing after money to
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serve and bow down to it, to make sure they have a
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big 401k, to make sure they have a big beautiful house.
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I warn you this day that you shall certainly perish like
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the nations that Hashem will cause to perish before you. So shall you perish because
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you did not heed Hashem your God.
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Now, I'm not saying
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that it's wrong to own a house or to have a big 401,
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but in the scheme of things, the grand scheme of things,
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what is the priority? Has God been made irrelevant?
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Is God not even a factor in the equation anymore?
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The thing we have to be so careful of is that when a person becomes
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successful, in the world, and they have become
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a homeowner, and they have a great lucrative career,
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that all of a sudden there's just no time for God
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or the things of God. They're not in church. They're not in the Bible.
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They're not seeking God at all. And that,
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my friend, is a dangerous place to be.
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In Psalm 37, Verses 1 and 2, it is
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written, don't worry about the wicked or envy
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those who do wrong, for like grass they
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soon fade away, like spring flowers they soon
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wither. And in Psalm
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49, it goes on to say regarding the wicked who
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are wealthy,
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starting in verse 1, listen to this, all you people. Pay attention,
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everyone in the world. High and low, rich and poor,
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listen, for my words are wise and my thoughts
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are filled with insight. I listen carefully to many proverbs
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and solve riddles with inspiration from a harp.
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Why should I fear when trouble comes, when enemies surround me?
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They trust in their wealth and boast
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of great riches, yet they cannot redeem
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themselves from death by paying a ransom to
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God. Redemption does not come so easily,
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for no one can ever pay enough to live forever
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and never see the grave.
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Those who are wise must finally die,
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just like the foolish and senseless, leaving all their
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wealth behind. The grave is their eternal home
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where they will stay forever. They may name their estates after
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themselves, but their fame will not last.
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They will die just like animals. This is
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the fate of fools, though they are remembered as
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being wise. But as for me,
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God will redeem my life. He will snatch
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me from the power of the grave.
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So don't be dismayed when the wicked grow rich
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and their homes become ever more splendid,
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for when they die, they take nothing with them.
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Their wealth will not follow them into the
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grave. In this life, they consider themselves fortunate
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and are applauded for their success, but they will die
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like all before them and never again
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see the light of day. People who boast
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of their wealth don't understand. They will die just
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like animals.
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So that's a good reminder if you
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happen to be around other people whether
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it's co-workers or family members or neighbors who
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kind of rub your nose in their wealth and
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are a bit arrogant and proud and talk about their home
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like it's a castle, and maybe you're a renter or
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live in something very modest or humble,
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remember these words that I shared with you today from
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Psalm 49. And also remember
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the verse from Deuteronomy chapter 8, verse 18.
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Remember that it is Hashem your God who
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gives you the power to get wealth in fulfillment
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of the covenant that he made on oath with your fathers, as is
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still the case. And if you do forget the Lord
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your God and follow other gods, such as the god of
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money, the god of chasing after a house, the god
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of chasing after a big 401k,
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if that becomes the preeminent primary focus and source and
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goal, then is an idol of the heart.
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If you follow other gods to serve them or bow down to them,
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I warn you this day that you shall certainly perish.
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Remember that we have an eternal soul,
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that we're going to spend eternity After
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we die, either in heaven where there's
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light and love and beauty and truth, or hell
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where it's torment and torture for all eternity,
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forever. So be about
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the Father's business, keep your focus on him, and remember,
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Jesus is your treasure.
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Don't chase after treasures of the earth.
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Chase after Jesus, who is the ultimate treasure.