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Jonah 3

Jonah commanded to preach again                    verse 1- 2 

And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time

Saying

Arise – go unto Nineveh – that great city

and preach to it the preaching that I bid you 

Jonah preached the LORD’S message                verse 3- 4 

SO Jonah arose – and went to Nineveh

            according to the word of the LORD

NOW Nineveh was

an exceeding great city of three days’ journey

AND Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey

            and he cried – and said

Yet forty days – and Nineveh shall be overthrown 

People of Nineveh believed and fasted                verse 5 

So the people of Nineveh BELIEVED God

and PROCLAIMED a fast

and PUT on sackcloth

from the greatest of them

even to the least of them 

King hears message                                             verse 6 

FOR word came unto the king of Nineveh

and he arose from his throne

            and he laid his robe from him

and covered him with sackcloth

            and sat in ashes 

King proclaims a time of fasting for all               verse 7- 8 

And he caused it to be

proclaimed and published through Nineveh

by the decree of the king and his nobles

saying

Let neither man nor beast – herd nor flock – taste any thing

            let them not feed – nor drink water

BUT let man and beast be covered with sackcloth

            and cry mightily to God

YEA – let them turn everyone from his evil way

            and from the violence that is in their hands 

King believed God might turn away anger         verse 9 

Who can tell if God will turn and repent

and turn away from HIS fierce anger

that we perish not? 

God saw their reaction to message                      verse 10 

AND God saw their works

that they turned from their evil way

AND God repented of the evil

that HE had said that HE would do to them

AND HE did it not

 

COMMENTARY:          

 

DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers

 : 2        Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid you. (7121 “preach” [qara’] means call, proclaim, utter a loud sound, to call unto, to read aloud, invite, or recite.)

DEVOTION:  God is a God of a second chance to follow HIS commands. There is not a second chance after death because the Bible says that it is appointed unto man once to die and then judgment. So after death the decision is final. Those who reject Jesus Christ in this life will not get a second chance but will be judged at the Great White Throne judgment and sent to the lake of fire.

Here we have a servant of the LORD who has been chastened by the LORD by living in a great fish for three days. Now he is told to proclaim the message he was given before he ran in the wrong direction.

God’s message doesn’t change. HE wanted the city of Nineveh to repent and turn away from their present lifestyle.

That is the message HE is proclaiming today to all those who presently don’t know the LORD. HE is not asking them to believe in God because even the demons believe in HIM. HE wants them to repent of their sins and serve HIM.

There needs to be a change of behavior. There needs to be genuine desire to serve HIM daily. We are all to proclaim the message of salvation to all those in our world.

WOW!! At the end of the chapter we learn that the whole city repented and the LORD changed HIS actions toward them because of their repentance.

CHALLENGE: We are all to proclaim the truth of the Word of God. All are called to be ministers of reconciliation. Do your job!!         

DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers 

: 5        So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. (539 “believed” [‘aman] means to stand firm, to trust, or to be certain.)

DEVOTION:  The people of Nineveh heard the preaching of Jonah. They were certain that what he said was true. Because they were certain, they sprang into action.

There are at least two types of belief. There is the belief that when you are caught you will be punished and so you don’t do it. There is the belief that you need to change your actions because you know it is right. There is a difference in motive. One is out of fear. The other is a command of the LORD because of HIS love for us. The people of Nineveh knew that the LORD was capable of destroying the city. They were motivated by fear. Whether it was because of a true belief in God, it is not said. Was there a revival in the city? Did everyone become a true believer? It is not said. They acted on the knowledge that the LORD is sovereign.

When we know something to be certain, we spring into action. The action needed in this case was to proclaim a fast, put on sackcloth and wait. Once the king heard that the people were doing something, he proclaimed a fast for all the people, asked all to turn from their evil ways and hoped that God would change the future by letting them live.

When we hear the truth of the Word of God, do we go into the action and repent and change? When we see the actions of our friends that are not according to the Word of the LORD, do we ask our friends to change their behavior? Remember that the LORD chastens those HE loves. All those who are true believers are HIS children. There are some who say they are believers but their actions don’t show it. They are not chastened. They are not true believers. We need to guard our actions. We need to watch our motives. Do we not sin because we don’t’ want to be caught? Or do we not sin because we want to please the LORD and glorify HIS name?

CHALLENGE: There are church people who like to be around Christians. Many who attend church are not genuine believers. Their actions and attitudes toward service show how genuine they are to their LORD.

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 : 5            The people of Nineveh believed God’s message, and from the greatest to the least, they declared a                            fast and put on burlap to show their sorrow. (NLT) 

DEVOTION:  What happens when someone believes the message of the LORD? Belief causes change. Before someone believes the message of the Word of God they act according to their own pleasure. After someone believes the message of the Word of God, they act according to God’s pleasure.

The people of Nineveh knew that God was going to destroy their city if something didn’t happen to change HIS actions. The first think they did after they believe the message of Jonah was too fast and sit in burlap. These were signs of humbling themselves before God.

They knew that their actions had to change. So they didn’t eat or drink anything for a certain time period. Also they were to turn from their evil ways toward the way the LORD wanted them to act.

When we get up each morning do we think about how the LORD wants us to act each day? Our responsibility is to obey the LORD and those who HE has put over us. For children this would be parents. For adults this could be employers.

CHALLENGE: We are to serve the LORD by our actions because we want to say thank you to HIM for providing us salvation.

DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers

: 9        Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may                             not perish? (NKJV)

DEVOTION:  We have found other places in the Word of God where it is stated that the LORD relented of HIS actions toward certain groups because of their actions. The word “repent” seems to confuse many people. God doesn’t need to repent of HIS actions. HIS actions are always good.

HE gives people a choice throughout the Word of God. They can choose to follow HIM or go in the opposite direction. There are consequences to each action. If they choose to follow HIM there are blessings. If they choose to go in the opposite direction they will be cursed. HE gives them warnings and choices.

Here we have the people during from their evil way toward the LORD.  HE sees their actions and takes away the curse for a time period. We will read later in the Old Testament that they went back to their old ways and the LORD judged the city.

We have choices each day. Our choices determine the LORD’s actions toward us. If we confess our sin HE is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Our responsibility is to stay in fellowship with HIM after we have made a commitment to follow HIM.

Some people are said to be saved yet so as by fire. This means that their works will not be made of precious stones or gold or silver only of wood, hay and stubble. However, some of those thinking those thoughts might be surprised because the LORD could say to those whose actions never please the LORD even after they say are became followers of HIM, “I never knew you!”

CHALLENGE:  Our actions need to represent our commitment to HIM. The people of Nineveh knew it.

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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:

BODY

Chastity (Purity in living)

Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)

              People of Nineveh proclaimed a fast                        verse 5, 7

                        Put on sackcloth                                                        verse 5 

Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)

Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)

Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)

SOUL

Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)

Frugality (wise use of resources)

Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)

Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)

Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)

SPIRIT

Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)

Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)

Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)

Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)

Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)

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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:

Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)

                       Word of the LORD                                                  verse 1, 3 

God the Father (First person of the Godhead) 

LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal)         verse 1, 3

I bid you (Jonah) – preach                       

God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)

God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)

Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God) 

God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign, Plural name)       verse 5, 8- 10 

Turn and relent                                                           verse 9, 10

Anger of God                                                              verse 9

God saw people of Ninevah turn from evil works    verse 10

HE did not do what HE said HE would do

because people of Ninevah turned                verse 10 

Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)

Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation) 

Nineveh – great city                                                  verse 2- 7

            Exceeding great city of three day’s journey

People of Nineveh believed God

            and proclaimed a fast and put on

            sackcloth                                                        verse 5

King of Nineveh                                                         verse 6

King put on sackcloth and sat in ashes                    verse 6

King of Nineveh  – decree – no one taste

            anything – let them not feed, nor drink

            water                                                              verse 7

Man and beast of Nineveh in sackcloth                   verse 8

King told people to cry mightily to God and

            to turn from evil way and violence               verse 8, 9 

Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels) 

Evil way                                                                      verse 8, 10

Violence                                                                     verse 8 

Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins) 

Preach                                                                        verse 2

Message to preach                                                    verse 4

Believed                                                                     verse 5

Fast                                                                            verse 5, 7

Turn from evil way                                                    verse 8, 10

Repent                                                                       verse 9 

Israel (Old Testament people of God) 

Jonah                                                                         verse 1- 4

            Arise and go to Nineveh – preach

            Went to Nineveh

            Cried – Yet forty days and Nineveh

                        shall be overthrown 

Church (New Testament people of God)

Last Things (Future Events)

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QUOTES regarding passage

3:9 These words of the king echo those of the ship’s captain in 1:6 (see Introduction: “Structure,” p. 219). The concluding expressions of hope are identical in Hebrew, literally, “that we may not perish”; the opening words, “perhaps” in 1:6 and “who knows?” in 3:9, are equivalent in meaning; and the divine response both men desired was essentially the same. The captain was hoping for a present peril to be removed if Jonah’s God should “take notice”; the king was hoping for an anticipated peril to be diverted should he “relent.” In both cases these pagans recognized that, as Jonah declared in 2:9, “salvation comes from the Lord.” It is in God’s hands whether sinners should perish or be delivered. But these pagans correctly rejected determinism, that humans are only actors in a play written and directed by supernatural powers, and that they have no will of their own and no way to affect the outcome.

The word translated “relent” (niḥam) varies in meaning in different grammatical forms and in different contexts, but it always connotes in some sense the feeling of emotional pain. Elsewhere it can mean to “comfort” or “regret.” As Sasson explains, here and in its two other uses in Jonah (3:10; 4:2) it refers to “divine actions that are contemplated but are never fulfilled.” The meaning “repent” or “change one’s mind” is an appropriate translation when the subject is humans (cf. Job 42:6; Jer 31:19). But when it refers to God’s decision to change an announced course of action in response to human repentance, prayer, or some other circumstances, the translation “relent” is preferable (see Amos 7:3 and comments in this volume). In this chapter God decided that in light of Nineveh’s turning, he would save them rather than follow through on his previous announcement to destroy them.

The word that characterizes vv. 8–10 by its repeated use is šûb, whose basic meaning is “return.” Other than its use in 1:13 in the causative stem (lit., “the men rowed hard to return to dry land”), all its uses in Jonah are in these verses. In v. 8 it is part of the king’s decree to turn from (“give up”) evil and violence. In v. 9 the word occurs twice, as reflected in a literal rendering of the central clause: “God may turn so that he relents and turns from his burning anger.” The last use of the verb is in v. 10, referring again to the repentance of the Ninevites.

We can only imagine the anxiety present in Nineveh at this point. There was hope yet no guarantee that God would indeed relent and turn from his fierce anger and spare Nineveh. Did fear increase as the time neared? Did the prophet Jonah make use of this time by sharing the truth of God’s way? The answers to these questions are not given, but one might imagine the increasing trauma during this interim time. (Smith, B. K., & Page, F. S. (1995). Amos, Obadiah, Jonah (Vol. 19B, pp. 267–269). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)

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9–10 The operative phrase in these two verses is that God “had compassion” (niḥam wayyinnāḥem), in a setting where KJV, RSV, RV have “repent.” NIV’s rendering is preferable because it avoids the possible misunderstanding linked with the traditional one; but that it is inadequate is shown by its being changed to “a God who relents” in 4:2, which in fact is nearer the sense here also. We may know the character of God only from what he does and the words he uses to explain his actions. When he does not do what he said he would, we as finite men can say only that he has changed his mind or repented, even though we should recognize, as Jonah did (4:2), that he had intended or desired this all along. Since, more often than not, it is the removal of threatened evil, punishment, and death that we experience—the opposite, however, is also true (cf. Jer 18:9–10)—we realize that the change of mind, the “repentance,” is due to divine compassion for frail and mortal man.

Despite all this, “compassion” is an inadequate rendering because it does not bring out the concept of a change. Thus “relent” is better. Paul could stress that the work of Christ was God reconciling the world to himself (2 Cor 5:18), for in Christ we see the unchangeable character of God in all its loving compassion. Here God’s change was due to the change in the Ninevites. Because of our almost incorrigible identification of faith with right belief, we fail to sufficiently realize that true faith must be bound up with true repentance. Notice that the name Elohim continues to be used of God. There is no suggestion that God’s mercy was accompanied by any revelation of his nature and character. We are always inclined to underestimate God’s “uncovenanted mercies,” to use a term much loved by an earlier generation. (Ellison, H. L. (1986). Jonah. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Daniel and the Minor Prophets (Vol. 7, pp. 383–384). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)

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Who knows? (cf. 2 Sam. 12:22; Joel 2:14) hints at the possibility of God’s withdrawing His threat. By their contrition the king hoped that Jonah’s God would relent of His judgment and turn from His … anger, thereby sparing the city. (Cf. we will not perish, in Jonah 1:6.) This fear of judgment from God is startling because the Assyrians were a cruel, violent nation (cf. Nahum 3:1, 3–4) fearing no one (cf. 2 Kings 18:33–35). (Hannah, J. D. (1985). Jonah. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 1470). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)

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Nineveh’s message to God (Jonah 3:5–9). In the Hebrew text, there are only five words in Jonah’s message; yet God used those five words to stir the entire population, from the king on the throne to the lowest peasant in the field. God gave the people forty days of grace, but they didn’t need that long. We get the impression that from the very first time they saw Jonah and heard his warning, they paid attention to his message. Word spread quickly throughout the entire district and the people humbled themselves by fasting and wearing sackcloth.

When the message got to the king, he too put on sackcloth and sat in the dust. He also made the fast official by issuing an edict and ordering the people to humble themselves, cry out to God, and turn from their evil ways. Even the animals were included in the activities by wearing sackcloth and abstaining from food and drink. The people were to cry “mightily” (“urgently,” niv) to God, for this was a matter of life and death.

When Jonah was in dire straits, he recalled the promise concerning Solomon’s temple (Jonah 2:4, 7; 1 Kings 8:38–39; 2 Chron. 6:36–39), looking toward the temple, and called out for help. Included in Solomon’s temple prayer was a promise for people outside the nation of Israel, and that would include the Ninevites. “As for the foreigner who does not belong to your people Israel … when he comes and prays toward this temple, then hear from heaven, Your dwelling place, and do whatever the foreigner asks of You, so that all the peoples of the earth may know Your name and fear You” (2 Chron. 6:32–33). Jonah certainly knew this promise, and perhaps it was the basis for the whole awakening.

Like the sailors in the storm, the Ninevites didn’t want to perish (Jonah 3:9; 1:6, 14). That’s what witnessing is all about, “that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life’ (John 3:16, nkjv). Their fasting and praying, and their humbling of themselves before God, sent a message to heaven, but the people of Nineveh had no assurance that they would be saved. They hoped that God’s great compassion would move Him to change His plan and spare the city. Once again, how did they know that the God of the Hebrews was a merciful and compassionate God? No doubt Jonah told them, for this was a doctrine he himself believed (Jonah 4:2). (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be amazed (pp. 87–88). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)

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Ver. 9. Who can tell, &c.] The Septuagint and Arabic versions prefix to this the word saying, and take them to be, not the words of the king, but of the Ninevites: though very wrongly: or who is he that knows; which some connect with the next word, he will return; that is, that knows the ways of repentance, he will return, as Kimchi and Ben Melech; or that knows that he has sinned, as Aben Ezra: or that knows the transgressions he is guilty of, will return, as Jarchi: and so the Targum, “whosoever knows that sins are in his hands, he will return, or let him return, from them:” but they are the words of the king, with respect to God, encouraging his subjects to the above things, from the consideration of the probability, or at least possibility, of God’s being merciful to them: if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce wrath, that we perish not? he speaks here not as despairing, nor as absolutely doubting, but as between hope and fear; for, by the light of nature, it is not certain that God will pardon men upon repentance; ’tis only probable or possible he may; neither the light of nature nor the law of Moses connect repentance and remission of sins, ’tis the Gospel does this; and it is only by the Gospel revelation that any can be assured that God will forgive, even penitent sinners: however, this Heathen prince encourages his subjects not to despair of, but to hope for, the mercy of God, though they could not be sure of it; and it may be observed, that he does not put their hope of not perishing, or of salvation, upon their fasting, praying, and reformation, but upon the will, mercy, and goodness of God. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 6, pp. 544–545). London: Mathews and Leigh.)

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FROM MY READING:

 From: TozerSpeaks by A. W. Tozer

 This is a principle so true of us all in our human experiences. Whenever I think I can stand up and say, “I am now strong enough, sufficient enough – I can do it!” then God fades out, and there comes only grief and woe and sterility and fruitlessness and finally, eclipse. (p. 56, A.W. Tozer, TozerSpeaks)

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Proverbs 3
The benefit of wisdom is better than gold.
INSIGHT
Inherent within the human heart is a longing for peace, love, and joy. Among Christians and non-Christians alike, the desire is the same. Yet peace, love, and joy do not answer just any beck and call. They will come only by certain means; they are fruits on the tree of wisdom. Wisdom will bring length of days (v. 2), peace (v. 2), favor with God and man (v. 4), strength to your bones (v. 8), honor (v. 16), pleasantness (v. 17), paths of peace (v. 17), confidence in life (v. 26), and freedom from the snares of life (v. 26). Foolishness brings harm (v. 29), oppression (v. 31), and shame (v. 35). We all long for the benefits of wisdom. We must remember that she comes with a price: submission to the will of God and the truth of Scripture. (Quiet Walk)

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SPECIAL REVELATION

I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen. Exodus 33:23
We ask, Is there any hope for us? And the answer is to be found in the second type of revelation of which the Bible speaks, and that is what we call special revelation. And the special revelation that we find in the Bible has a very distinct and definite object, which is to reveal to us the character of God, the nature of God, and especially the character and nature of God as they are revealed in His saving grace.
Now the Bible makes a unique claim at this point: It claims that it and it alone gives us this special knowledge of God. The Bible claims for itself that it is the record of God”s special revelation of Himself and of all His gracious and saving purposes with respect to men and women. The great message of this book from beginning to end is God revealing Himself. It is not the great religious quest of mankind. No; it is the great eternal God drawing back the veil and giving an insight into and a knowledge of Himself and of His great and gracious purposes. That is the subject matter of the Bible.
God has been pleased to reveal Himself through what are called theophanies–manifestations of God, the various appearances of God. This happened to Moses: “And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a cleft of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: and I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen” (Exodus 33:22-23). God said in effect, “You cannot see Me face to face, for no man can see Me in that sense and live. Nevertheless, I will reveal My glory to you.” Moses saw the glory of God; he saw the back parts of God passing by.
A Thought to Ponder
The Bible claims for itself that it is the record of God”s special revelation of Himself.
(From God the Father, God the Son, pp. 15-16, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)

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The Heart Is Deceitful
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9)
Just as in modern languages, ancient Hebrew used the term “heart” to mean the inward motivations that control a person’s words and deeds. According to the prophet Jeremiah, the spiritual heart is so innately wicked and deceptive that one cannot even understand his own heart—but God does!
One urgently needs a new heart, and God promises just that. “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26). “This is the covenant that I will make with them . . . saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts” (Hebrews 10:16).
The problem, of course, is heart attitude. In the third chapter of Hebrews, this is illustrated in terms of the attitudes of the children of Israel in the wilderness. First, their hearts had become hard heartsthrough their lack of gratitude, and three times the author warns us to “harden not your hearts” (Hebrews 3:8, 15; 4:7). As a result, they soon acquired erring hearts. “They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways” (Hebrews 3:10). Finally, their hearts were evil hearts, and God would warn us through them. “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God” (Hebrews 3:12).
An evil heart is defined here, in effect, as an unbelieving heart. A heart that refuses to receive and believe the Word of God is a wicked heart, inevitably generating wicked ways and evil doings. But Christ will create a new heart for all who will believe on Him and confess Him as God and Savior. “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness” (Romans 10:9-10). (HMM – The Institute for Creation Research)

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We abdicate neither our position nor our authority when we serve others. Instead, we prove that it’s safe for the Lord and his people to give us that position and authority. “They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons” (1 Tim.3: 10). What applies to deacons applies to any other leader: we must first prove that we know how to submit and serve, and then we can be trusted with authority. (p. 66)

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Servant leadership strengthens our faith and love, and faith and love manifest themselves in our lives in many ways, among them patience. (p. 67)

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If we want to hold a scepter, we must begin with a towel. (p. 68)

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There’s a difference between exercising authority and being authoritarian, between commanding and demanding. Blessed are those leaders who know that Jesus Christ is Lord and they are second in command. (p. 68)

(10 Power Principles for Christian Service by Warren W. & David W. Wiersbe)

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GOOGLE ENGINEER: “OUR TECH IS NOT POLITICALLY NEUTRAL (Friday Church News Notes, August 2, 2019,www.wayoflife.orgfbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) – The following is excerpted from “Google Engineer,” DailyWire, July 24, 2019: “The engineer, Greg Coppola, a senior software engineer in the Google Assistant division, told Project Veritas that he was going public with his warning in an attempt to encourage increased transparency in Big Tech amid what he described as an increasingly politically biased atmosphere. Claiming there’s no bias in Google’s algorithms is ‘ridiculous,’ he said. … ‘I’ve been coding since I was ten [years old.] I have a PhD, I have five years’ experience at Google and I just know how algorithms are,’ said Coppola (partial transcript via Project Veritas). ‘They don’t write themselves. We write them to do what we want them to do.’ ‘I think we’re just at a really important point in human history,’ he said in explanation for why he is coming forward. ‘I think for a while we had tech that was politically neutral. Now we have tech that really, first of all, is taking sides in a political contest, which I think, you know, anytime you have big corporate power merging with political parties can be dangerous. And I think more generally we have to just decide now that we kind of are seeing tech use its power to manipulate people. It’s a time to decide, you know, do we run the technology, does the technology run us?’ Asked about Google CEO Sundar Pichai testifying in front of Congress last December that there’s no bias in his company’s searches, Coppola said that while he respects Pichai a great deal, the claim is ‘ridiculous.’ … ‘I think everyone who supports anything other than the Democrats, anyone who’s pro-Trump or in any way deviates from what CNN and the New York Times are pushing, notices how bad it is.’ The problem of political bias in Big Tech has gotten worse in recent years, he argued. After about a decade of relative neutrality, people began to trust companies like Google to provide them unbiased means of finding information. ‘We haven’t had time to absorb the fact that tech might have an agenda,’ he said. The turning point in Big Tech from relatively neutral to increasingly partisan, he suggested, was Donald Trump’s presidential run. ‘I think as the election started to ramp up, the angle that the Democrats and the media took was that anyone who liked Donald Trump was a racist…’ he said. ‘And that got picked up everywhere. I mean, every tech company, everybody in New York, everybody in the field of computer science basically believed that.’

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