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Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Well, good morning, everyone. Welcome to Mountain Baptist Church. Take your song books and turn to song number one. Song number one in your song books, and we'll sing Jesus, I, my cross have taken. And if you would stand, we'll sing song number one. Song books, and we'll sing Jesus, I, my cross have taken. And if you would stand, we'll sing song number one. I, my cross have taken. And if you would stand, we'll sing Jesus, I, my cross have taken. And if you would stand, we'll sing Jesus, I, my cross have taken. And if you would stand, we'll sing Jesus, I, my cross have taken. And if you would stand, we'll sing Jesus, I, my cross have taken. And if you would stand, we'll sing Jesus, I, my cross have taken. And if you would stand, we'll sing Jesus, I, my cross have taken. And if you would stand, we'll sing Jesus, I, my cross have taken. And if you would stand, we'll sing Jesus, I, my cross have taken. 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And if you would stand, we'll sing Jesus, I, my cross have taken. And if you would stand, we'll sing Jesus, I, my cross have taken. And if you would stand, we'll sing Jesus, I, my cross have taken. And if you would stand, we'll sing Jesus, I, my cross have taken. And if you would stand, we'll sing Jesus, I, my cross have taken. And if you would stand, we'll sing Jesus, I, my cross have taken. And if you would stand, we'll sing Jesus, I, my cross have taken. And if you would stand, we'll sing Jesus, I, my cross have taken. And if you would stand, we'll sing Jesus, I, my cross have taken. And if you would stand, we'll sing And then anniversaries. And then on the pregnancy list here we have Tiara Alesco Amanda Spina, Jennifer Simes, Alyssa Ford, Anastasia McShea and we have another one on the list there Tabby Gandy so the list is getting bigger and so praise the lord but just congratulations there. And so I think that's about all I can think of right now and so yeah a lot of stuff going on this coming month and so just being prayer a lot of traveling and so yeah. Offering boxes in the back there if you want to give a tithe or an offering. Mother baby rooms for the mothers and babies only. Brother David's gonna be reading Song of Solomon chapter 2 for us after we do another song. All right take your books and turn to song number 30. Song number 30 in your song books we'll sing nothing but the blood. Song number 30. One can wash away my sin, nothing but the blood of Jesus. One can make me whole again, nothing but the blood of Jesus. Oh precious is the flow that makes me like snow. No other fount I know, nothing but the blood of Jesus. For my part and this I see, nothing but the blood of Jesus. For my cleansing this my plea, nothing but the blood of Jesus. Oh precious is the flow that makes me white as snow. No other fount I know, nothing but the blood of Jesus. Nothing can force an atone, nothing but the blood of Jesus. Not of good that I have done, blood of Jesus. Oh precious is the flow that makes me white as snow. No other fount I know, nothing but the blood of Jesus. This is all my hope and peace, nothing but the blood of Jesus. This is all my righteousness, nothing but the blood of Jesus. Oh precious is the flow that makes me white as snow. No other fount I know, nothing but the blood of Jesus. All right, take your Bibles and turn to the Song of Solomon, chapter number two. Book of Song of Solomon, chapter number two. We'll have Brother Dave read that for us. Book of Song of Solomon, chapter number two. We'll have Brother Dave read that for us. Song of Solomon two, if you're there Simon. And the Bible reads, I am the rose of Sarin and the lily of the valleys. As the lily among thrones, so is my love among the daughters. As the apple tree among the trees of the woods, so is my beloved among the suns. I sat down under his saddle with great delight and the sweet was sweet to my taste. He brought me to the banqueting house and his banner over me was love. Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples, for I am sick of love. His left hand is under my head and his right hand doth embrace me. I charge you there, I charge you, oh you daughters of Jerusalem, by the whores and by the hinds of the field that you stir, nod up, nor wake my love till he please. The voice of my beloved, behold, he cometh weeping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills. My beloved is like a whore or a young heart. Behold, he stands behind our wall. He looketh both at the windows, sewing himself through the lattice. My beloved spake and said unto me, rise up my love, my fair one, and come away. For the winter is past, the rain is over and gone, the flowers appear on the earth, the time where the singing of birds has come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land. The fig tree putteth forth her green figs and the vines with her tender grape give a good smell. Arise my love, my fair one, and come away. O my dove, in the clutch of the rock, in the secret place of the stairs, let me see thy countenance and let me hear thy voice, for sweet is thy voice and thy countenance is comely. Take us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines, for our vines have tender grapes. My beloved is mine and I am his, he fearteth among the lilies. Until the daybreak and the saddles flee away, turn, my beloved, and be thou like a whore or a young heart upon the mountains of Beethoven. Let's pray. Dear Lord, I thank you for this opportunity to come back to church, so pray that you feel pastored with your spirit, and let us be our friend. In Jesus' name, amen. Amen. So you're there in Song of Solomon, chapter two, and the name of the sermon is Take Us the Foxes. I'm actually going to preach a sermon about foxes. But the Bible talks about foxes in different places, and basically I want to get into that subject as far as why God likens certain people to a fox, and kind of just in the principle of the fact that sometimes people will liken other people to animals and just different types of animals, but I'm specifically talking about foxes. And I'll kind of give you my reasoning why this is even in my mind or anything like that, but look at Song of Solomon 2 and verse 11. It says, For lo, the winter has passed, the rain is over and gone, the flowers appear on the earth, the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land. By the way, that's a turtle dove. I mean, I know I used to think too that it was like a turtle because they make they make a weird noise in the pond and everything, but that's not what it's talking about. I can cross-reference that for you another day, but it's talking about a turtle dove, so it's talking about birds, okay. Verse 13, it says, The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away. O my dove, thou art in the cleps of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs. Let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice, for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely. Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines, for our vines have tender grapes. Now you say, well, what's stemmed this thought process of these foxes and all that? But notice, what are the foxes doing? They're spoiling the vines. Now spoiling meaning like basically taking of the vines, and basically they're eating the grapes. Now there's a man named Aesop, that if you ever heard of the Aesop fables, and he's a Greek fableist, I don't know if that's, I think that's what you would call it. But basically, I'll tell you one story that I guarantee almost everyone in here knows is the tortoise and the hare. But there's a lot of other stories in Aesop's fables, and there's so many that are dealing with foxes. And I kind of know this a little bit because of just reading those stories to my children. And I always, you know, heard of, you know, the tortoise and the hare, and just different stuff like that. But there was like the fox and the stork. There's, you know, the fox and the crow. And anyway, I found out that there's actually 21 fables dealing with foxes, which is crazy, right? And I was reading a bunch, I didn't read them all, okay. But it's interesting because one of the most famous Aesop's fables, you may not even recognize as being a fable, like a children's story or anything like that. But have you ever heard of the term sour grapes? And the term sour grapes actually comes from a fable that was told, and this guy, they say he lived around like, we're talking 6th or 7th century BC. So, you know, we're talking ancient Greek. And, you know, I'm actually, you know, reading the actual, the ancient Greek that it was written in for fun, because I'm like that and everything. But I'm actually reading it in the ancient Greek, and so this is kind of on my mind. And the thing that kind of sticks out to me is what are these foxes doing in Song Solomon? They're eating grapes, right? Let me read to you this one fable, and it's not long, okay, dealing with sour grapes. It's where we get that kind of term, you know, oh, okay, sour grapes, huh? The idea of, and I'm going to explain to you what that even means when you tell someone that, but in this fable it says, a fox one day spied a beautiful bunch of ripe grapes hanging from a vine, trained along the branches of a tree. The grapes seemed ready to burst with juice, and the fox's mouth watered as he gazed longingly at them. The bunch hung from a high branch, and the fox had to jump for it. The first time he jumped, he missed it by a long way, so he walked off a short distance and took a running leap at it, only to fall short once more. Again and again he tried, but in vain. Now he sat down and looked at the grapes in disgust. What a fool I am, he said. Here I am wearing myself out to get a bunch of sour grapes that are not worth gaping for, and off he walked very very scornfully. So what's the lesson of the story? Basically when people will downplay or basically state that they don't want something just because they can't get it, right, it's that idea of like, I didn't want that anyway, you know, and it's because they can't attain to it, or they'll like, you'll have, you'll, you have maybe worked hard to get something, and they're just like, well I don't want that anyway. Who wants that? It's that idea of sour grapes, right. The grapes aren't sour, but he's basically scornfully stating that because he can't get them, okay. And the thing, the thing is with all these fables is the fox is not a good character. He's not like someone that you're striving to be. The fox is related to basically being, doing, basically being scornful, being a flatterer. I mean, the one that I remember to begin with that I read to my children was the fox and the crow, which is where there's a crow that has a basically a piece of cheese in its mouth, up in a tree, and the fox is down there wanting that cheese. So what's he do? He flatters the crow and basically talks about how the crow is just beautiful and, you know, he starts flapping, you know, the crow starts flapping its wings and it's just like, you know what, you know, I've heard that crows can just like, you know, when they, when they crow it's just magnificent. Mind you, the cheese is in its mouth and like would you, would you crow, you know, just and all that and the flattery, right, you know, oh you're just so beautiful and you, you know, you just sound amazing. Can I please hear that? And the, and the crow crows and the cheese falls out and then in one bite the fox eats the cheese and walk and runs away, right. So the idea is that a fox is, is crafty, sneaky, flattery, like all these different things and it's interesting because when you, when you read it and, and I'm not saying to, you know, obviously this Aesop guy could be, could be taking that from the Bible, you know, as far as taking that from like Solomon with the grapes and all that stuff or, you know, as far as like borrowing and everything else, but this has kind of come to mind. I'm just like literally you're talking about foxes in the Bible with grapes and it's one of the most famous kind of stories and still used to this day when it comes to those fables and the idea here is that this isn't just in the Bible that foxes are looked at in a bad light. It's just, it's a universal type of idea and the reason I state that is that when the Bible will call someone a fox, like if God calls someone a fox, you know, you'd be like well where in the Bible does it define what that means to be a fox? By nature we know that foxes are sly, crafty, sneaky, thieves, right, that we just know by nature that that's the way it is and this, listen, I don't think Aesop was a Bible-believing Christian, you know what I mean? Like obviously he was before, you know, Christ came to the earth, but I don't, I don't know the, I don't know anything about the guy besides his fables, but he knew what foxes would represent and all of that and I, you know, I was reading through some of these and it was like the fox and the wild boar, he's basically making fun of the boar, so he's just basically just making fun of this, this animal. The fox and stork, he tricks the stork, if you remember that's, I don't know if you've heard that story, but that's a, that's probably one that a lot of kids have read where the stork has a long beak and the fox basically put the soup that he made for the stork in this like big dish and the stork couldn't eat it and he ate it all up and he did it just because he wanted to play a trick on the stork, so they're tricking people, the crow is obviously flattery, there's the fox and the, and the cock or the rooster and he's basically lying to the rooster, he's up in the tree and he comes up to it and says, hey, just so you know, we're all friends now, we're not enemies anymore, we're all friends now, we're not enemies, you know, you can come down, you know, I want to give you a hug, like it's something like that, I'm paraphrasing a little bit, but it was something like that, he's like, hey, come down here, all of that and the, and the rooster basically says, says, hey, you know, I see a dog off in the distance and, and the fox is like, oh, I gotta go, he's like, hey, you know, you said that we're all friends now, you know, why, why don't you, why don't you stick around? He's like, well, you may not have heard the news yet and he runs away, right, because he's obviously trying to trick the rooster to come down so he can eat it, right, and so, you know, they're lying, they're crafty, you know, when you look at all these stories, there's like craftiness, there's pride, there's deceit, there's all this stuff, that's known naturally, right, that that's what a fox is like and so go to, go to Job chapter five, go to Job chapter five. So, okay, just in the world we kind of know that that's what a fox is like. By the way, this isn't going to be some groundbreaking doctrinal sermon, you know, when it comes to this, but I do think that this is an interesting thing to think about when you think about the fact that Jesus will call certain people like vipers and serpents and just different types of creatures to where it is pertinent to understand, like, why is he saying that? He doesn't just call them that for no reason, there's a reason why he's calling them that because of the attributes of the animal itself because they emulate those attributes. It's basically like, that person's like a snake, that person's like a dog, that person's like a swine, or if that person's like a fox, what does that mean? And so, for some reason, we were kind of talking about this, but what was in Russia, or domesticating foxes or something like that, but a lot of people like, like, it's like foxes aren't looked at like snakes and stuff like that, as far as, you know, being disgusted by them or anything, but foxes aren't exactly a domesticated animal, and so, anyway, so, if anything, this is a sermon to show you that foxes aren't, like, good creatures that we should try to emulate. In Job, chapter 5, verse 13, it says, he taketh the wise in their own craftiness, and the counsel of the froward is carried headlong. And the one thing that I think about when it comes to foxes is their craftiness. They're very crafty type of creatures, and we're talking about crafty, we're talking about, like, basically crafty to deceive. Like, they're very, they're not, foxes aren't dumb, is what I'm trying to get across. You know, the wisdom of, you know, talking about, they're wise, like, they know what they're doing, they know how to accomplish something, right? When you look at all these stories, like, the fox isn't dumb. The fox is actually very smart to try to deceive or lie or do whatever, to get what he wants. And so, when you understand that, when you're talking about a fox, you know, when you talk about a dog, it's kind of like a dumber animal, okay? And listen, I'm a dog person, I'm not a cat person, okay? But let's just be honest, they're not the smartest creatures out there. And so, when you think about, but, you know, serpents are considered to be wise, right? Be wise as serpents. And so, when you're dealing with a fox, I do believe that there's the idea of, like, that fox is not an idiot, but they are crafty, and they're deceiving, and they're lying, and those are the, those are dangerous in their own right. You know, obviously, big, dumb animals are dangerous too, but at the same time, you know, there's a different avenue that you're kind of getting at when you call someone that. If you call someone a fox, or you call them a dog, you're getting a different point across. And so, go to Psalm 12, Psalm 12 and verse 1, Psalm 12 and verse 1, Psalm 12 and verse 1, and you all probably know where I'm going with this eventually, and the fact that Jesus calls Herod a fox. And when you hear that, you're kind of just like, okay. Like, if you, but if you understand what that means when he says that about him, it's not just like, oh, he's a cute little animal. You know, people look at a fox and they're like, oh, that's kind of, they're, they're cute little animals, you know, that run around and everything that, you know, there, he was Robin Hood one time in a Disney movie. And, you know, there was, but when you understand, like, the backstory of, like, the idea of what a fox represents, and not just this cartoonish type of, you know, like, oh, it's cute, oh, you know, it's whatever that you've kind of made up in your mind in some cartoon world or something like that. The idea is that a fox is very deceiving, he's crafty, he's sly, you know, and what that, how that would represent when he called, when he's calling Herod a fox, it's a very, it's an insult. It's a huge insult, but it's also showing you the attributes of Herod. And so, I'll get to that, but there's actually another place where God likens people to foxes. And what is that talking about? And actually, it lines up with just the natural understanding of what a fox is. And so, in Psalm 12, verse 1, it says, Help, Lord, for the godly man seesteth, for the faithful fail from among the children of men. They speak vanity, everyone with his neighbor, with flattering lips, and with a double heart do they speak. The Lord shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things. Who have said, within our tongue, will we prevail? Our lips are our own. Who is lord over us? So, when you're dealing with, I believe, when you're dealing with, you're dealing with flattery, you're dealing with pride, you're dealing with all these different things that are, that are attributed to a fox. And go to Ezekiel chapter 13, and let me show you, first of all, you know, I knew the passage, you know, obviously, where Jesus calls Herod a fox. That always just sticks out in my mind. But in Ezekiel 13, God likens a group of people, specific people, to foxes. And let's just see, you know, what, who these people are. And that kind of gives us an idea of, okay, why is he calling them foxes? So in verse one here of Ezekiel chapter 13, it says, And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel that prophesy, and say thou unto them that prophesy out of their own hearts, Hear ye the word of the Lord. So who's he talking to? He's talking about the prophets that prophesy. And we're dealing with prophets that preach, right? The preachers, the prophets that are in, that are in Israel. Verse three, it says, Thus saith the Lord God, Woe unto the foolish prophets that follow their own spirit and have seen nothing. So you're dealing with prophets that are basically following their own intuition, whatever they think is right. And it's not that God has shown them something. Then it goes on to say in verse four, O Israel, thy prophets are like the foxes in the deserts. So this isn't a good thing. I mean, just by context, do you think that he's just like, Oh, by the way, I'm gonna give you a compliment. After he just got done ripping their face off and the fact that they're, they're prophesying things that I didn't, that they haven't seen, they're just prophesying their own spirit, not the spirit of God, their own spirit. Then it goes on to say about these prophets, Ye have not gone up into the gaps, neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel to stand in the battle in the day of the Lord. Now, the reason that verse should stick out to you is if you know Ezekiel 22 30. And I sought for a man among them that should make up the hedge and stand in the gap before me for the land that I should not destroy it. And he's stating, who's he stating that about? These prophets that didn't make up the hedge and stand in the gap. And he's calling on a bunch of foxes. And let's keep reading about these prophets, because when you think about, okay, he's calling them foxes. What is this? What's attributed to them? Well, they're, they're prophesying things that aren't from God. So that's one thing. It says in verse six, it says they have seen vanity and lying divination saying the Lord said, and the Lord hath not, not sent them. And they have made others to hope that they would confirm the word. Have you not seen a vain vision? Have you not spoken a lying divination? Whereas you say the Lord saith it, albeit I have not spoken. How many preachers out there are stating the Lord has said this and he didn't say it? And listen, all those preachers out there to say, well, you know, they'll put a quote and they'll put God after that. And one of the ones that just sticks out in my mind is this church that's out towards Kingwood. And on the sign it said, come as you are, in quotations, God. I'm like, nope, that's Kurt Cobain of Nirvana. You're like, well, you know, the principle there, listen, he didn't say come as you are. Obviously the idea of salvation is wherever you're at, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. But stop putting words in Jesus' mouth. Stop putting words in God's mouth. Now, obviously, if you're, if you're explaining, you know, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. And you're saying, God is telling you to believe on him. That's different because that is what he's saying, right? You're giving the sense and the meaning of the, of the passage. But if you say, thus saith the Lord, and then you just put some quotation there, you better be careful. Because if it's not chapter and verse there, then you may be one of these foxes. And this lying divination, this, you know, vanity that they, that they're preaching. And listen, this is happening in Baptist churches today, where there's a bunch of preachers that are saying that the Lord said something and he didn't say it. Or they're taking what the Lord says and says it's wicked, right? The Lord will say something and they'll say, it's wicked to actually do that. I mean, we're in June still, right? Last I checked. People are literally saying that it's wicked to, that God said that if a man lied with mankind, is he liable to the woman, both of them have committed an abomination, they shall surely be put to death, their blood should be upon them. And they'll say, that's wicked, that's wrong, that's disgusting. And there's Christians out there saying that. Wait, I thought the law of the Lord was perfect. And listen, you say, well, that's the Old Testament. Well, it was righteous at one time at least, wasn't it? Would you say, well, if you were back then, would you say it was righteous? But people are saying, one, that the Lord had said something when he didn't say it. And then the Lord says something and they're saying it's wrong. And so you can see how lying definitely applies here with the foxes, doesn't it? And when you see the fox, I mean, he's lying, he's deceiving. Flattery, for example, is a form of lying, right? Because you're saying something that you don't really truly mean or believe. And so what flattery is, is where you're saying something like that to get advantage. And I'm getting ahead of myself because there's other verses on this, but keep reading here. And this passage here is just very interesting to kind of understand, okay, what does God mean by a fox? When you get to the New Testament, when he calls Herod a fox, Ezekiel comes before, right? Ezekiel comes before we get to that passage. And if you understand, if you're like, oh man, that's not good. Because this is what he likened foxes to, is these prophets that are speaking lies, that are saying God said something when he didn't say it. And it's like reading a newspaper. It's like, literally, this is what we're dealing with today with preachers. Like, oh, this is back in the day, you know, when, why, I can't believe that prophets were like this. What do you mean were like this? Still are. And go on to verse eight there. Therefore, thus saith the Lord God, because you have spoken vanity and seen lies, therefore, behold, I am against you, saith the Lord God, and mine hand shall be upon the prophets that see vanity and that divine lies. They shall not be in the assembly of my people, neither shall they be written in the writing of the house of Israel, neither shall they enter into the land of Israel, ye shall know that I am the Lord God. Because even, because, even because they have seduced my people, saying peace, and there was no peace. Sound familiar? I mean, like, Jehu is like, whatever that, what, what has thou had to do with peace, as long as the, the abominations and wickedness of Jezebel are there. And, you know, people are saying peace, peace, we want, we should have peace with, with all these enemies of the Lord, with all these haters of God, we should have peace with them. When there is no peace. Listen, there, there is no peace with a hater of God. And you have preachers out there that will literally just negate what the Bible says. The Lord will say something and they'll just say, nope, that's wicked. The Bible will say, do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee? And they'll say, that's wicked, that's just as bad as being a sodomite or a pedophile. That, that, woe unto the preacher that does that. Whether they're saved or lost, woe unto that person. Because you are putting words, you're not only putting words in God's mouth, you're literally saying that what he said was wicked. How about you get off your high horse, get off your, your, your proud high horse of what you think is right and say, you know what, thus saith the Lord, that's what's right. But if you want to be a fox, you want to be this crafty, lying prophet, woe unto you. You know what the Bible says? He's against them. And the Bible also says in Jeremiah, when you have people that are, you know, the chaff, and listen, saved people can say these type of things, but obviously the unsaved are saying this just all over the place as well. But to me, I get more, I, I am more angry with the brother in Christ that is saying this than some unsaved person that is not even saved or, you know, the natural man saying it. Because the brother in Christ ought to know better. And the rod's coming their way, I almost guarantee it, but in the end, you know, I'm just going to preach what the, what the Bible says on this and let God deal with them. But, and the Bible says, what is the chaff to the wheat? And it talks about his word being like a hammer and like a fire. And you know what, I'm just going to keep preaching the word of God. And if they don't like it, they can lump it. They don't like it, then you know what, take that up with God. I didn't write the Bible. I love the Bible. And you say, well, you're hiding behind the Bible. Listen, I agree with everything it says. Like, do you agree with Leviticus 20, 13? Yes, I do. I think it's great. I think it's perfect. I think every word of God is pure. I believe every word of God is wholesome and true, righteous altogether. You know, whether it steps on my toes or not, it doesn't matter. It's right. I'm wrong. It's right. You're wrong. Get on with God's program. Get on with what he says. And don't be putting words in his mouth. And definitely don't be negating what he said. Now, what verse was I on there? Verse 10 there, it says, because even because they have seduced my people saying peace, and there was no peace, and one built up a wall and others daubed it with untempered mortar. And obviously, this wall, I believe, is kind of like a, it's not a real wall, but it's kind of like if you were to build up a wall, they're supposed to make up the hedge and stand in the gap, but they made up this wall that's made with this untempered mortar, meaning that this isn't a strong wall. This isn't some hedge that's actually going to hold up. They're holding this up with lies and deceit and vanity. And it says, say unto them which daub it with untempered mortar, that it shall fall, that it shall fall. There shall be an overflowing shower, and ye, oh great hailstones, shall fall, and a stormy wind shall rend it. It's amazing, you're building up this wall on lies. And there's a bunch of churches today that are building up these so-called walls around their church, and it's a bunch of lies and vanity. You know what God's saying? It's going to fall. It's going to fall. You know the Bible talks about building your house upon a rock and not upon the sand, and you know what He states with that? The whole point of what He's saying there is that you hear the words and you do it. You don't hear the words and negate it. You don't hear the words and add to it and take away from it. And keep reading there in verse 12. Lo, when the wall is fallen, notice this. It's not a matter of if it's going to fall. Just let me tell you something. When it falls, this is what it's going to be. It says lo, when the wall is fallen, shall it not be said unto you, where is the daubing wherewith ye have daubed it? Right? It's kind of like you're building this up on lies and false visions and all these different things. When it falls, you're going to be asking this question. Where is the daubing? You can think about it like you're building this wall on lies and you're daubing it with untempered mortar. What is the untempered mortar in the daubing? It's dealing with the lies and the vanity because it doesn't come to pass. That's why. And you're dealing with, especially in this passage, when you're dealing with Ezekiel, you're dealing with a bunch of prophets that are saying, oh, this captivity is not going to last 70 years. It's only going to be two years. This captivity is, you know, or basically, Jerusalem is not going to be completely demolished. And yet it is. Yet it actually does happen. But you can apply this, obviously, right now when you're dealing with preachers, prophets, that are stating things that are lies and that are stating, no, we're going to have peace or this is going to happen. And the Lord didn't say it. It says in verse 13, therefore, thus saith the Lord God, I will even rend it with a stormy wind in my fury and there shall be an overflowing shower in mine anger and great hailstones in my fury to consume it. So will I break down the wall that ye have daubed with untempered mortar and bring it down to the ground so that the foundation thereof shall be discovered and it shall fall and ye shall be consumed in the midst thereof and ye shall know that I am the Lord. Thus will I accomplish my wrath upon the wall and upon them that have daubed it and with untempered mortar and will say unto you, the wall is no more, neither they that daubed it, to wit, the prophets of Israel, which prophesied concerning Jerusalem, in which see visions of peace for her and there is no peace, saith the Lord God. So you have a bunch of prophets that are just lying, saying, oh no, there's going to be peace. We're not going to have captivity. You know what the thing is about that? I want peace, right? I want peace, but when I speak there for war. You know what's interesting about that? It's when Jeremiah was prophesying and you had these false prophets stating, Jeremiah is saying there's going to be a 70-year captivity and the other guys are saying, no, it's going to be two years and then we'll all come back in and that Jerusalem isn't going to be overtaken and all that. You know what Jeremiah said? He says, I think he either says amen or let it be so, or basically he wants that to happen. It's not like Jeremiah just wants everything to get destroyed and he's just like, praise the Lord, bring it all down. I mean, do you not think that I want to live a peaceable life? Do you think I want to be at war with certain people? Do you think that I just take pleasure in that? I'd rather be at peace. And so would Jeremiah, but you know what? He stuck to his guns and just stuck with what God said. What's interesting about this is that how this kind of couples with another passage dealing with a fox. So this passage is dealing with the fact that Jerusalem is going to be completely annihilated. And meaning that the temple's destroyed, but not only the temple, the whole city was destroyed. The wall was broken down and everything. Go to Nehemiah chapter four, Nehemiah chapter four, Nehemiah chapter four. When they come back in Nehemiah, well, obviously they build a temple first and then they build the wall. But this always just kind of, you know, when you think about a fox, and there's not that many mentions of foxes in the Bible, but I just think it's kind of interesting on how this parallels a little bit to this story and the fact that I'm going to, God's going to break down this wall, but then in another statement, and he's calling the prophets foxes that are putting this untempered mortar in there, but then you have these enemies of the Lord that are basically saying, no, a fox is going to break down your wall. And it's kind of like, just not, it's not the same by any stretch, but you still have this wall falling down and you're dealing with foxes. And it says in Nehemiah 4.3, it says, Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, Even that which they build, if a fox go up, they shall even break down their stone wall. What's interesting about this is that Tobiah is trying to get this completely, to where they can't build this wall, and he fails. And then he's basically just like, well, you know, the wall they're building, even a fox would break it down. Sounds familiar to the story. Like, they couldn't accomplish them not building this wall, so he's just like, wow, the wall they're building is just, it's nonsense anyway. Sounds like sour grapes to me. And it's interesting how all that kind of, you know, works with how a fox is scornful, and how they, you know, they're flattery, they lie, they're deceiving, like all these different things about foxes, it's just inherently true. And now the other place, the place that, you know, I always think of when I think about a fox, is where Jesus calls Herod a fox. Go to Luke chapter 13. Luke chapter 13. Luke chapter 13 and verse 31. So all that being said, when you read that story in Ezekiel, you're like, man, foxes, not a good thing, right? Not a good thing if you're a prophet and he calls you a fox. And so when he says this about Herod, think about this in verse 31, it says, the same day there came certain of the Pharisees saying unto him, get thee out and depart hence, for Herod will kill thee. So get the context, right? He's basically stating that Herod, they're saying that Herod's going to kill them. Now, whether that's true or not, you know, we're talking about the Pharisees saying this, so I wouldn't take them as like gospel truth that that's actually what Herod was trying to do. But at the same time, sure. I mean, Herod is not a good character here. But either way, the context here of what Herod is like is that he's going to kill Jesus. And what does Jesus say in verse 32? He said unto them, go ye and tell that fox, behold, I cast out devils and I do cures today and tomorrow. And the third day I shall be perfected. Nevertheless, I must walk today and tomorrow and the day following. For it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem. So that idea of being killed is still being presented in this whole argument. He says, oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which kill us the prophets and stone is them that are sent unto thee. How often would I have gathered thy children together as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings and you would not. Behold, your house is left unto you desolate and verily I say unto you, ye shall not see me until the time come when ye shall say, blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. It's interesting that he talks about chickens and you're dealing with a fox, isn't it? And the fact that he's talking about killing Jesus and how he's like, I wanted to gather you as basically a hen with her brood and you would not. But what do you do? You kill the prophets, don't you? You kill all the prophets that come unto you. And he's basically saying, I can't perish outside of Jerusalem because that's where they die. Do you see what slap in the face that is to Jerusalem? Is the fact that not only do you kill the prophets but they can't be killed outside of Jerusalem because you're basically, you have dominion over that. That is your forte. That is what you're known for. That's what you do is you kill the prophets that God sends unto you. And speaking about Herod, like Herod's going to kill you. It's like shocker, right? Is it shocking that the leader of Jerusalem is going to kill the Lord Jesus Christ when all the prophets that come unto her are all killed or stoned or beaten or scourged? So when you're dealing with a fox, there's a fox in the henhouse. You ever hear that phrase? The fox isn't going there to make friends. Now the fox may be, listen, I don't know if the fox can communicate with chickens. And the fox is in there like, hey chickens, let me in, we're friends. Didn't you hear the news? We're all friends. I want to give you a hug. And then they let him manage, he's like, ah ha ha, you're all dead. Now listen, I don't know what animals can communicate with each other. We know that Balaam's, you know, donkey, the ass spoke with man's voice. So whether that can happen, it doesn't really matter. The whole point is, is that the fox is trying to kill the chickens. The fox is trying to eat the chickens. And Herod is eating his own. That's what kind of leader he is. And let's look at Herod. Now Herod, I don't believe, started off as a fox in the story. Okay, now Herod that killed the children two years old and under, that Herod died. Okay, so just so you know, you're like, well man, he was wicked. I mean, he killed all the children. No, this is different Herod. Okay, so that Herod's dead, he's in hell. But at this point, this Herod, I believe, had a chance. And here's why, go to Mark chapter 6. Mark chapter 6, before John the Baptist was killed, and I believe, you know, before John the Baptist was put in the prison, I believe Herod liked John and liked his preaching. And notice what it says in Mark chapter 6 and verse 17. It says, For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife, for he had married her. For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife. So he's like, well John, you know, you should only preach on the gospel. You know, John the Baptist, you need to preach the gospel. No, he told Herod you shouldn't be married to your brother's wife, right? So he calls him out for that, and that's why Herodias wanted him dead. John the Baptist didn't want to kill him. Herodias did. Or at least John the Baptist didn't want, I mean, I'm sorry, Herod didn't want to kill John the Baptist. At least he was afraid to, at the very least, right? Because he was afraid the people would revolt against him. But in verse 19, Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him, but she could not. So who really wanted to kill John the Baptist? I mean, Herodias. That's ultimately the culprit. And you know the story with Herodias' daughter dancing, and that's how he got tricked into, not tricked, but he basically got duped into beheading John the Baptist. But in verse 20 here it says, For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and holy, and observed him. So he feared John, not just the people, he feared John. And he knew that he was a just man. He knew that this was a righteous guy here. And he observed him. And when he heard him, he did many things and heard him gladly. Meaning like, he was like listening to him, and heard him gladly, and was kind of doing what he was telling him to do, kind of thing. And so, that was Herod before John the Baptist died. I believe when John the Baptist was killed, he was cut off. Like his hope of salvation was done. That's just personally what I believe. When Jesus calls Herod a fox, I believe there's no hope of salvation for that guy. Just as much as when he calls the Pharisees and scribes the Pharisees a bunch of vipers, serpents, there was no hope for those guys. He's like, how can you escape the damnation of hell? I mean, if Jesus is saying that to you, if Jesus is saying, how are you going to escape the damnation of hell, then you're not going to escape it. But go to Luke chapter 23, and I want you to think about this. Jesus wouldn't speak a word to Herod. It's always funny to me when people are just like, oh, so you wouldn't give the gospel to some pedophile? No, I wouldn't. It'd be hard-pressed for me not spitting that person's face. If I knew that they were a pedophile. If I saw someone molesting a child, then they're going to meet God, or they're going to lift up their eyes in hell, what's going to happen. But no, I'm not going to give the gospel to a pedophile. And you say, well, I can't believe that. Then ask me why Jesus wouldn't speak to Herod. In Luke 23, verse 6, it says, When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. And as soon as he knew that he belonged on the Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who himself also was at Jerusalem at that time. And when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceeding glad. For he was desirous to see him of a long season, because he had heard many things of him, and he hoped to have seen some miracle done by him. So what does Herod really want to see? He's wanting to see some miracle, right? Then he questioned with him in many words, but he answered him nothing. So, he didn't say anything to him, not a word. Remember, he wouldn't speak to the, he wouldn't answer the accusations of all, when he went to Pilate, and they're like making all these accusations, he wouldn't say anything about it. He would speak to Pilate, but he wouldn't even acknowledge these accusations that were made about him with the Pharisees and all that. But with Herod, he answered him nothing. And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused him, still nothing. Staying silent, not saying a word. It says in Herod, with his men of war, notice what Herod does now, that he doesn't get anything out of Jesus. He doesn't hear it, and Jesus won't even speak to him. It says, and with his men of war, set him at naught, and mocked him, and arrayed him in a gorgeous robe, and sent him again to Pilate. So, they're like, well, maybe he would have listened, maybe, no. His true intentions was he just wanted to see some sign, he wanted something out of him, and, you know, I believe that he was already reprobated at that point. I believe that he was already past feeling he's a fox, he's a literal animal. And a specific animal, right? Because the Bible will talk about people being brute beasts, but they'll put, you know, the Bible will put specific animals on people for a reason. It's not just like, oh, well, let me just pick an animal, right? Let me just pick an animal, and that's going to be just associated with this person. No, there's a reason, because the attributes of that animal are that way. Now, Herod ends up murdering James, the brother of John. Go to Acts chapter 12, and he wanted to kill Peter, too. He's basically on a mission to kill the apostles after the resurrection, and, you know, obviously as the apostles are out preaching the gospel. So, you say, well, maybe he turned around, maybe, no. It's just a downhill slope for this guy. I believe he had hope back when John the Baptist was alive, but there was a point where he crossed the line, and there's no more chance for him. Acts chapter 12 and verse 1, it says, Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church, and he killed James the brother of John with the sword. So, here's the first martyr of the apostles, if you will, and we know this for sure. You have the book of martyrs, you know, Foxe's book of martyrs, and they'll be like different things about the apostles and how they died and stuff like that, and you got to take that with a grain of salt, right? But with James, the son of Zebedee, there's no grain of salt. Herod killed him with the sword. It says, And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. Then were the days of unleavened bread, and when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him, intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people. Peter, therefore, was kept in prison, but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him. And you know the story, he ends up getting out, but Herod was going to bring them forth to the people. I believe he was going to kill him as well, but obviously, God didn't allow that to happen. I want you to see how Herod dies, okay? Because when you think about these people, these wicked people, these people that can't sleep until they've done evil, these rulers, right? Think about the rulers that are in our country that are just, wicked as all get out. And the stuff that they do, the people that they kill, and they get away with it. You know, like the Clintons, by the way, I'm not suicidal. But like all these people, they just get away with it. I mean, what, what, what, Joe Biden's son just got slapped on the wrist? You know, like, it doesn't matter. They get away with it until they die. And listen, I want you to, I want, the death of Herod here, who killed John the Baptist, who killed James the son of Zebedee, one of the top three of the apostles. And I want you to see this in verse 20. And Herod was highly displeased with them of Tyre and Zitom, but they came with one accord to him, and having made Blastus the king's chamberlain their friend, desired peace, because their country was nourished by the king's country. And upon a set day, Herod reigned in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them, and the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man. Basically, he speaks really well. Everybody's just like, this is like a god right here. And it says, And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory, and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost. I don't know about you, but that's horrific. I think about the king in the Old Testament that had the bow issue. I think it was Jehoram. Don't quote me. You know, I could be wrong about that, but I think it was King Jehoram of Judah that had the bow issue. And it basically talks about, like, he wasn't buried. They didn't do a memorial for him. Like, it was just like, and the guy was wicked, you know, like, but eaten of worms. Like, that's how he went. So listen, the Lord knows how to take care of people like that. And obviously, our government should be taking care of these wicked people that are pedophiles and rapists and homos and, like, all these different things, right? The government should be doing that. But listen, we live in a government that's not for justice. That's not for the perfect law of liberty. And we have to live in that realm. I mean, Jesus lived in, you know, when he was on the earth, Rome was the law of the land at that time. And listen, the laws of the Bible didn't apply. Those, you know, adultery or, you know, different things. They couldn't put anybody to death or anything like that. And you know what? We just have to deal with that. We can't just take law into our own hands. But know this, is that if we're in that situation, I believe God can... That's when God ends up intervening. Do you think monkey pox is just a coincidence? Do you think AIDS is a coincidence? Do you think the lifespan of these people and the way they die and all this stuff is a coincidence? Or do you think it's the judgment of God coming down upon them? And, you know, these are natural beasts made to be taken and destroyed, the Bible says. Go to 2 Peter chapter 2, and just kind of ending with this and we'll be done, is that this is something... When you look at these active uses of a fox, what you have to understand is that they're very crafty. They're very deceiving. Those that are naive can be duped by them. When you think about that story about the rooster up in the tree and the fox is like, hey, we're all friends now. You know someone naive, what they're going to do? You're like, oh, okay, that's great. But if you know, like, no, that person is trying to trick me. And just having that idea of, hey, knowing the difference between a compliment and flattery, knowing the difference between a compliment and flattery, that's one thing that, especially as a pastor, listen, as a pastor, I'm constantly deciphering what's a compliment and what's flattery. And here's how a big way I know it's flattery, if it's way over the top. Now, some people can be young and just really excited and they just really like you, right? You're like a celebrity to them. I haven't had that, but, you know, that could happen, I guess. But you can have that. But if someone's just like, listen, you're the best. You're the best preacher that's ever, like, walked the earth. Like, I mean, I mean, this pastor, I mean, like, listen, I mean, your sermons, the way you preach, I mean, just, I mean, you're almost levitating up there. And they just lay it on like that and like, that is not a compliment. They're trying to get something. They're trying to flatter because they want advantage. And it's funny, I say it's funny, but it's funny when people do that and they think that I'm an idiot. Another way that I know that it's flattery is when it's always followed with criticism. Listen, man, that sermon was great. That's some great points. But why are you wrong on this all the time over here? Like, why won't you preach on this? Why won't you do that? You know, hey, listen, that's such a great point. I love you, brother. That's great. But why are you an idiot? You know, like, it's just like, it's always, it's always followed. I'm being a little hyperbolic there. Okay. But it's always followed up with something else. Right. And you know what? I'm not an idiot. I know a compliment from flattery most of the time. And I'm not against compliments. And you shouldn't be like afraid to compliment somebody. But at the same time, you need to know like, hey, when you start laying on a compliment really thick, it looks like flattery. So you want to be very careful that you're not even looking like you're trying to flatter somebody. But let me give you an example of what I mean by this. Is that in 2 Peter 2 and verse 18, remember we're dealing with these prophets that were like foxes. And what were they speaking? Lying vanities, right? Lying vanities. It says in verse 18, it says, for when they speak great swelling words of what? Vanity. They allure through the lust of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escape from them who live in error. So notice what they're doing, they're alluring them, right? They're alluring them in by these great words of vanity, right? These great swelling words of vanity. Meaning it's like this, it's, you ever hear those, like they'll be this great, like it's just the vocabulary is just right up here. And you're like, man, that's smart. You know what they said? Nothing. It was just vain. It was worthless. I know this because I grew up Catholic. You know, it's like, they're up there just like pontificating. It's just like this high and swelling words. And I remember going back to the Catholic church and be like, you know what? I never really listened to it. But I'm like, you know, I'm going to listen to it. And I'm like, they, that was nonsensical. They didn't make any sense. They contradicted themselves like three times in like one sentence. How's that even possible? But it's like this, the swelling words that make it look like, hey, that person, that person is smart. Right? This happens in the Calvinist realm. I got to beat that horse. Sorry. The Calvinist realm, where they use these theological terms, right? You know, it's just these high, you know, we're going to, we're going to deal with hermeneutics today, my friends. And I'm going to exegete this passage for you. And so that you can, you know, and just like, you know what, you know, you know what that means? Hey, I'm going to interpret this passage. Why don't you just say that? You know what all that was? All that fluff, all that, that the theological terms that only like theologians know, because they basically take a Greek word and just transliterate it just so they can sound smart. And it's all for vanity. It's all just a show. It's all just pretense. It's all just like, hey, look at me. I'm smart. I got some high vocabulary. Instead of just actually giving you the truth of what's being said. You know, the King James Bible was translated for the purpose that the plow man would know as much as the person that was in the clergy. That it's written in a way that's obviously beautiful and poetic and everything. But at the same time, listen, you don't need some theologian. You don't need to be a professor in like linguistics in order to understand it. Now in Jude 1 and verse 16, it says, these are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts, their mouths speaking great swelling words, having men's person in admiration because of advantage. So if there is a term for like dealing with someone that's like a fox, it's someone that uses great swelling words so that they can have advantage over somebody. And they're using men's persons for advantage. And so that's what you're dealing with when you're dealing with foxes. Herod was a fox. Those prophets in the Old Testament, they're a bunch of foxes. And beware of the foxes. Whether they're in leadership, whether they're in the pulpit, beware of foxes. Because they're only out there to get advantage. They'll say they love you. They say they care about you. But all they want to do is consume you. And I just think it's an interesting study to be honest with you that you're dealing with like foxes in the Bible, how that's just consistent with what the world knows is what a fox is like. And that makes sense, right? Is the fact that when I look at, when it says a dog, I don't have to like, okay, what's the theological meaning to dog here? You know what a dog is? A dog throws up and eats it again. Now the Bible states that, but you know that from facts. If you've ever had a dog. And listen, I'm not here to say like, I have two dogs. And you know, if I had a choice between a dog and a cat, there's no question that I would have a dog over a cat. But at the same time, I think chickens are better. So I'm veering towards the chickens and the cows and all that stuff because they have a purpose. Okay, my wiener's dogs don't. Anyway, the last thing I'm going to read here and then we'll be done is in Proverbs 26 verse 24, it says, He that hateth dissemblest with his lips and layeth up deceit within him, when he speaketh fair, believe him not, for there are seven abominations in his heart, whose hatred is covered by deceit, his wickedness shall be showed before the whole congregation, whoso dig at the pit shall fall therein, he that rolleth the stone, it will return upon him. A lying tongue hated those that are afflicted by it, and a flattering mouth worketh ruin. That's what you're dealing with when you're dealing with foxes. And you have to have discernment to know who the fox is. Just as much as the discernment to know who that wolf in sheep's clothing is. And I think, you know, I think it's an interesting study. But I think that it's something that we can take to heart to know, okay, well, when the Bible uses an animal to describe somebody, it's not incidental. And what I mean by that is it's not, it has a purpose. Incidental means like it doesn't have a purpose. Like it's just kind of there. It doesn't matter. You know, it doesn't matter. It could have been any animal. No, there's a reason. And let's end with a word of prayer. Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for today and thank you for your word. And pray that you be with us throughout the rest of the day. Pray that you bring us back at any point in time. And Lord, we just love you. And we pray all this in Jesus Christ's name. Amen. But they will come and sing one more song and then we'll be dismissed. All right. Take your song books and turn to song 129. Song 129 in your song books. We'll sing Rock of Ages. If you would stand, we'll sing song 129. Rock of ages clap for me. Let me hide myself in thee. Let the water and the blood from thy wounded side which flowed be of sin the double cure. Save from wrath and make me pure. Could my tears forever flow? Could my zeal no languor know? These for sin cannot atone. Thou must save and thou alone. In my hand no price I bring. Simply to the cross I cling while I draw this fleeting breath. When my eyes shall close in death. When I rise to worlds unknown and behold the on thy throne. Rock of ages clap for me.