Homeschool Helpers

Newsletter
Issue 162, September 17, 2010
From Homeschool Helpers

By Dan L. White

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Jeter the Cheater

Derek Jeter is an all star shortstop for the New York Yankees baseball team.
He is also now famous as Jeter the Cheater. In an important game near the
end of the season, a pitch was thrown inside. For those who don’t know
baseball, and many now don’t, if a pitch hits a batter, then the batter is
awarded first base. This inside pitch appeared to hit Jeter and bounce off, but
replays show that the ball only hit the small end of the bat. Jeter knew that,
of course. If you get hit with a hard ball going ninety miles an hour, you will
know it. But Jeter put on a big act, as if he had been hit, to get a free pass to
first base.

The Newark, New Jersey Star-Ledger of September 15, 2010 said, “Derek
Jeter dropped his bat, stepped toward the Yankees dugout, and clutched at
his left wrist. For extra effect, he doubled over at the waist. He cringed.”

“…Yankees manager Joe Girardi looked on with concern as trainer Gene

Monahan took Jeter by the left hand, feeling around it for broken bones, even
though Jeter already knew he wouldn't find any.

"Geno acted more than I did, I guess," Jeter said, with a smile on Wednesday
night, admitting to his bit of improvisational theater.””

The umpire bought the deception. Jeter went to first base and then scored as
a later batter homered, giving the Yankees a one run lead. Fortunately, the
Yankees lost the game by one run.

Jeter was honored last year as Sportsman of the Year. Normally that means
someone who is fair and honest in the way he conducts himself in sport. In
reality, he cheats whenever he can.

The Yankee manager went along with the deception, and bragged on Jeter
for getting away with it. The opposing manager was thrown out of the game
for arguing about the play, but then he also said that Jeter did a good job
with his charade. Other managers also talked about what a good job Jeter
the Cheater did. One manager said that everybody does it.

Everybody said it was right to lie. Apparently you could not be a major
league baseball player and not be willing to lie.

May I quote someone else here?

Exodus 20:16 World English Bible

(16) You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

Exodus 20:16 Good News Bible

(16) Do not accuse anyone falsely.

Exodus 20:16 Contemporary English Version

(16) Do not tell lies about others.

Jeter gave a false testimony against his neighbor, who was standing ninety
feet away. He told a lie about the pitcher. By his actions he accused the
pitcher of hitting him, when he full well knew that was false. This lie was
important, because it could have resulted in a difference of millions of dollars
for the team members.

Not that there is such a thing as an unimportant lie.

Notice Christ’s reaction when one of His group broke that ninth
commandment.

Acts 5 Good News Bible

(1) But there was a man named Ananias, who with his wife Sapphira sold
some property that belonged to them.
(2) But with his wife's agreement he kept part of the money for himself and
turned the rest over to the apostles.
(3) Peter said to him, "Ananias, why did you let Satan take control of you
and make you lie to the Holy Spirit by keeping part of the money you
received for the property?
(4) Before you sold the property, it belonged to you; and after you sold it,
the money was yours. Why, then, did you decide to do such a thing? You
have not lied to people---you have lied to God!"
(5) As soon as Ananias heard this, he fell down dead; and all who heard
about it were terrified.
(6) The young men came in, wrapped up his body, carried him out, and
buried him.
(7) About three hours later his wife, not knowing what had happened, came
in.
(8) Peter asked her, "Tell me, was this the full amount you and your
husband received for your property?" "Yes," she answered, "the full amount."
(9) So Peter said to her, "Why did you and your husband decide to put the
Lord's Spirit to the test? The men who buried your husband are at the door
right now, and they will carry you out too!"
(10) At once she fell down at his feet and died. The young men came in and
saw that she was dead, so they carried her out and buried her beside her
husband.
(11) The whole church and all the others who heard of this were terrified.

Ananias and Sapphira gave half their property for the use of the group, and
only lied about the other half. The money didn’t matter. The lie did.

We have talked before about the current overwhelming trend to approve evil
instead of condemning it.

New York Jets football coach Rex Ryan appeared in an HBO documentary
Hard Knocks using profuse profane language. Tony Dungy was the very
successful coach of the Indianapolis Colts football team and is known as a
conservative Christian. He is now a football commentator and he was asked
what he thought about Ryan’s overuse of obscenities. Dungy answered that
he was “disappointed with all the profanity. I think Rex can make his points
without all that.”

Do you see the contrast there? One coach is a filthy foul mouth. The other
only said he was disappointed with that.

Which of these does modern America attack?

World magazine cited the attacks on Dungy.

“New York Daily News columnist Bob Raissman accused him of “hypocrisy.”
Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal maligned Dungy for deciding
to “play the prude.” Bloggers suggested the NFL good guy had morphed into
an obnoxious Mother Hen.”

The Jet’s coach himself responded, again quoting from World, that “Dungy
had “unfairly judged” him: “Just because somebody cusses doesn’t make
him a bad person.””
Jeremiah 4:22 World English Bible
(22) For my people are foolish, they don't know me; they are foolish
children, and they have no understanding; they are wise to do evil, but to do
good they have no knowledge.

One coach cusses a blue streak. Another says he is disappointed with that.
The cussing coach is the hero, and the clean coach is the villain. This is
modern America. They know how to do evil, but to do good they have no
knowledge.

Once you take God out of the education, this is the mind you wind up with: a
lying, cussing, Godless mind that everybody thinks is normal. Sin becomes
sacred. Sin is normal. Sin is everywhere. This applies to cheating, language,
sex sins and violence.

Can you imagine a time when there is no sin?

The tenth day of the seventh Biblical month is the time of no sin. Luke
mentioned in Acts 27 that Paul and his group noted this day.

Acts 27
(8) And coasting along with difficulty, we came to a place named Fair
Havens, near which was a city, Lasea.
(9) And much time having been used up, and the voyage already being
dangerous, because the Fast was now already past, Paul warned them,
(10) saying, Men, I perceive that this voyage is about to be with much harm
and loss, and not only much cargo and of the ship, but also of our souls.

Summer was over and the change of seasons brought a change in the sea.
The Fast of Yom Kippur was past and the weather got rougher.

Yom Kippur is the day of two goats.

Leviticus 16 World English Bible

(7) He shall take the two goats, and set them before Yahweh at the door of
the Tent of Meeting.
(8) Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats; one lot for Yahweh, and the other
lot for the scapegoat (or escape goat, the goat that escapes or is run off).
(9) Aaron shall present the goat on which the lot fell for Yahweh, and offer
him for a sin offering.
(10) But the goat, on which the lot fell for the scapegoat, shall be presented
alive before Yahweh, to make atonement for him, to send him away for the
scapegoat into the wilderness.

(20) "When he has made an end of atoning for the Holy Place, the Tent of
Meeting, and the altar, he shall present the live goat.
(21) Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess
over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their
transgressions, even all their sins; and he shall put them on the head of the
goat, and shall send him away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who
is in readiness.
(22) The goat shall carry all their iniquities on himself to a solitary land, and
he shall let the goat go in the wilderness.

On Yom Kippur, the day of covering, commonly called the Day of Atonement,
two goats were selected. One goat was for Yahweh. The other was to have
all the sins put on his head and sent off into the wilderness. Aaron had to
wash off after touching that goat.

This is that goat.

Revelation 20:1-3
(1) I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key of the abyss
and a great chain in his hand.
(2) He seized the dragon, the old serpent, which is the devil and Satan, who
deceives the whole inhabited earth, and bound him for a thousand years,
(3) and cast him into the abyss, and shut it, and sealed it over him, that he
should deceive the nations no more, until the thousand years were finished.
After this, he must be freed for a short time.

That which the spring festivals depict happened at Christ’s first coming. That
which the fall festivals depict are still to happen, at His second coming. One
of those things is the time of no sin, when our sins are covered and the root
cause of sin is cast out.

Imagine that. No lies and no cussing. You play a game and you never cheat.
Instead of cussing, people speak words like apples of gold in pictures of
silver.

As we fast on this coming Day of Atonement, I can imagine that time. In our
Christian homeschool games, we call fouls on ourselves. Unlike Jeter, we
don’t try to cheat, even if we can get away with it. Instead of cussing the
other team, the young folks say something like, “Nice shot.” And since we’re
talking about goats, they’re very nice to this old goat and sometimes even
say that to me.

Imagine a time without sin, as Eden was before Satan led Eve and Adam
down. As America more and more learns to call evil good and good evil, we
so eagerly look forward to the time when that second goat, on whose head
are piled all the sins, is sent off to the wilderness, and our beloved Christ the
King, who covers us with His blood, our Kippurim, rules over a time without
sin.
Ryan cussing

Proverb – if he steals even though hungry

Ananias and sapphire lie

What if there was no sin?