Hey, this is John Galantis from the Cleaview Today Show checking in with you guys to plug our new show, How to Read Biblical Hebrew with Dr. Abadan Shah. It's a video podcast. You can watch it right from your favorite podcasting app, and we're releasing new episodes every single week. You don't have to be intimidated about learning Biblical Hebrew.
We're going to start with the alphabet. We'll start with sounds, basic grammar. We'll work our way up. But our guarantee is this. If you follow this podcast and put in the work, you will be reading the Old Testament in its original language in no time.
Again, that's how to read biblical Hebrew with Dr. Abadan Shah. Links in the description.
Now let's start the show. We've all heard it a million times. Healthy boundaries in your life are a net good. But what happens when those boundaries become walls you can't escape? Understanding this and more coming up right now on the Theory Today Show.
You're listening to Clearview Today with Dr. Abadan Shah, the daily show that engages mind and heart for the gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm Ryan Hill. I'm John Galantis, and welcome to the Clearview Today mobile van. Great Van Studio.
Yeah, this is the Van Studio.
So I've been talking about it for months and months and months. I've been saying, Nashville, we are on the way to y'all NRB 2026.
Well, guess what? Right now, we literally are on the way. I think this is the first ever on-the-go episode we've ever done. Yeah, I don't know that we've ever recorded one while we were rolling. No, not at all.
So I was going to say, if you typically listen to this show in the car and maybe it sounds to you like, wait, is something going on with my car? Like, it's definitely the sound of the road. We are not in a. We are not in a treated studio space.
So, of course, excuse the audio interruptions, but hopefully, it'll give it a little bit of life to the conversation because all of us are right here in the van together with our host, Dr. Abaddon Shah. For those of you who are listening for the very first time today, know that Dr. Shah is a PhD in New Testament textual criticism, professor at Carolina University, author, full-time pastor, and the host of today's show. Dr.
Shah, welcome to the van.
Well, I have the front seat, I have the best. Seat in the house. It's the seat of honor. It's in the car in the van. And so excited to be going to NRB.
I know John has been talking about it. Yes. Ryan has been talking about it. And now the day is finally here where we are on our way to Nashville, Tennessee. Yes.
Yeah. To NRB 2026. 2026, NRB. We are on the way. Before we get there, though, I do want to read today's verse of the day from Nicholas B.
right here in our good old state of North Carolina, although we're not even in North Carolina right now. But Nicholas B is. And here's what he says from Isaiah 43 and verse 2. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flames scorch you. I love that. And I love hearing these daily verses from our users. Thank you so much for sending those in. Hey, just a reminder that you can send those verses at any time.
That's number 252-582-5028. It's like hearing God's word with fresh ears because you know that this verse has impacted that user. You know that this versus impacted that listener. And so thank you for sending those in and please keep doing so. Yes, absolutely.
Now, you know, that number also, I don't know if people knew this, that number is available to call. There is no point calling it. I'm getting, ever since we started doing, ever since we started doing the user submitted versus the day, people call the Clearview Today number at least 10 or 15 times a day. It's not an answerable number.
So you can feel free to call it if you want to, but no one's going to pick up. Dr. Shah, well, first and foremost, do we want to lay out like just paint a picture for everyone?
So David, who normally engineers the podcast or the radio show, is driving. Dr. Shah is in the seat of honor. I'm in the, I'm directly behind Dr. Shah.
We're in a 15-passenger van. I'm directly behind. I've never done a show looking at the back of your head, Dr. Shaw. I'm directly behind him.
To my left is my wife, Ellie. To her left is our son, Carson, who is sleeping peacefully in his car seat. And then all the way in the very back is Ryan. Holding it down. With the luggage.
Thank you for guarding the luggage, Ryan. It's my pleasure. You know, Dr. Shaw, one of the boundaries that we set is that Ryan always has to ride in the back, right? That's one of the boundaries that we set because the closer you sit to the front, it's really a position of prestige.
It's a position of honor. We made one of the hard ride. Rule that Ryan rides in the back. And I feel like that's a. Can I make an honest confession?
Yeah, sure. I love sitting in the back because I can stretch my legs all the way out. That is true. You're like much more comfortable. 6'4, 6'5, you need a lot of leg room.
You know, healthy boundaries, Dr. Shaw. No problem with that. It seems like a lot of time the conversation Tends to skew towards the more boundaries you have, the better. And that's not always true.
No, it's not. You know, the book that came out several years ago, I want to say a couple of decades ago by Henry Cloud and Townsend, I believe. It's a book on boundaries. Very important book because it teaches us that boundaries are important when it comes to relationships. There are things that you have to say, okay, that's off limits.
We have to. We have to keep these boundaries so that we can flourish, we can grow, and we can have healthy relationships.
So, in that sense, there are boundaries. Very helpful. Boundaries can also be helpful in the sense of protecting you from sin. You know, if you set a boundary that, hey, I will not frequent certain places because of the temptation that is there. Great.
That's a great boundary you have.
Some people even have boundaries that, hey, I will not get on the internet. Uh and you know just go certain sites or Even when it comes to social media, certain boundaries, those are wonderful things to do. But then there are boundaries that happen. Because We have gone through painful circumstances, traumas in life. whether childhood trauma or um You know, growing up years, trauma, or then.
Young adult adulthood traumas.
Somehow we have been through pain, and when we go through pain, Because we feel Hurt? hurt because of um various things like loss. Shock. Um Just sadness. We create certain boundaries, or I may even say.
I can even say the boundaries are created. And Now We we feel like We cannot advance. We feel like we are limited. In what we do. It's almost like the boundaries that we created.
What should have been a fence to keep things out has become walls that we can't escape. Right. I I agree. I mean, it it should be a hedge. Right.
Hedge is a good thing. It always used to bother me when I would hear people pray: God, put a hedge of protection around me. I put a hedge of protection around my children. And I often wonder, like, where in the world did we get this idea of a hedge? And then if you read the book of Job chapter 1.
When Satan comes before God along with all the other angels. And God says, Have you considered my servant Job? See how good he is? He fears God, he shuns evil, there's no one like him, he's a righteous man. And Satan responds with Of course he loves you.
Because You bless him. You have put a hedge around him. Him. And his family and everything that he has. Is that word hedge the same type of hedge where that we think of like a like a like a row of bushes and greenery around your garden?
Yeah, yeah, but basically the same thing. I gotcha. It's the same word group Sakak which means a fence. Like a like a nice hedge. That you can Sort of see-through.
but it prevents Uh Um Animals From coming inside your property. I mean, growing up in India, people who go to India on a business trip or a mission trip, they always come back and say, And there are animals on the street. I'm like, yeah. I mean, that is, to an American, that is kind of weird. I remember some of the photos you showed me of like cows and goats and stuff just on the street walking on pigs.
Yeah, they're set loose. I mean, they're trying to change that, but I don't think it's going to happen anytime soon. Really? Yeah, it's a mindset, it's a worldview. Yeah.
And many times, these wild goats would get into our. garden. My dad had a beautiful garden in front of her house, and it had all kinds of roses from all over India. I mean, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful plants. And these goats will come in and they would eat up you know, these these plants, these shrubs.
And so my dad. put this hedge, a really tight hedge, Around. We could still see outside. We could still enjoy, you know, seeing. The scenery, but It would prevent these animals from coming in.
That's the idea behind what Satan says: God, you have put a beautiful hedge around this man. Where outside wild animals cannot get to him. Right. It was not to keep. Job and his family inside, it was to protect him.
From The outside. Yeah, like imagine your dad trying to leave the house, right? And your dad is like, imagine like your dad is like, I can't get out of the house. There's a hedge here. Right.
Right. Like, I need to go into town to buy milk and to buy sugar and stuff, but I just can't get through this hedge. I can't get out. Yeah. It's more protective.
rather than anything else. But then you see A different use. It's the same word group, but it means something different. Right. In Job chapter 3, if you know the book of Job, Job is.
Trying to decreate the world. He has been through some incredible traumas. You know, he lost his. His livestock, his servants were killed. Fire fell from heaven and killed much more livestock and servants.
And then his entire family dies. I mean, all his children, seven sons, three daughters, killed in one instant. And then to make matters worse, God again brags on Job. Satan once again. Says, yeah.
Touch his body, skin for skin, and God gives Satan permission to now touch Job's body. And he's covered. He is covered in boils. He is scraping himself with a pot shirt. I mean, it's, it's, it's, I can't even begin to imagine.
the physical, emotional, mental, spiritual trauma that this man is going through. Yeah. And starting in Job chapter 3, we hear him talk for the first time. After seven days, seven nights, not a word, his three friends are standing there. Joe begins to speak, and what does he say?
He decreates the world. I wish I'd never even been born. Yeah. Yes. Let there be darkness.
I wish the day of my birth didn't exist. Let it be cursed. Wow. Yeah, I mean, it's it's... It is shocking that he's saying that, but he's not being suicidal.
He is simply thinking if. If I could decreate the world. Everything would go away. I would go away. And if I go away, my children are not there.
If my children are not there, they're not going to die. If they don't die, then I'm not going to hurt like I'm hurting. Right. Yeah, it it sounds Ludicrous, but Keep in mind, this man is going through incredible trauma. Right.
And This is His solution From pain. That's it.
So, what's happening in that moment, and I guess in the trajectory of Job, what's happening to the hedges in his life? Are they still this protective boundary or have they become something more?
Well, so very interesting that in that chapter, as he is. Decreating the world. It's known as the decreation plea. Michelle Keener, who has done some remarkable work from a trauma therapy perspective. She calls it the decreation plea.
In the midst of that, Job says something. He says Why is it that light is given to a person Who Doesn't have any hope. Yeah. And then he says, whom God has. Hedged in.
Wait a minute. It's the same kind of word. It's a biform of the same word that Satan uses for hedge. But this time, when Job uses that, he is talking not about a hedge, he's talking about a fence. He's talking about.
being Imprisoned. The same sort of thing. The same sort of thing. But in a negative sense. Very negative.
I mean, he's being sarcastic. He's, you know, he's saying, Yeah, yeah, all of you people tell me that I have God's hedge of protection around me. I feel like God has imprisoned me. Is this an extension of the decreation stuff? Like what God has said?
I'm saying something different. Yeah, in a sense, I think so. I think that's what he's saying. He's saying, I am not free. In fact, I am imprisoned.
And and then he again says that several more times. He talks about God has imprisoned me and he and he even uses a word that means God has put a has walled me in.
So he does not see it as I'm walling myself in because of all this trauma. He sees it as this is something that's being done to me because of the trauma or through this trauma. That's correct.
Okay. What are some examples of, I guess, an equivalent in maybe a listener's life? If they're thinking about these walls that they're experiencing, what are some examples of what that might look like or feel like for them?
Well, just think about it. You know, when somebody goes through trauma, it's not just that their worldview gets shattered.
Now, I'm not talking about a small trauma like you stubbed your toe or you lost your favorite sock or something like that. I'm talking about significant trauma. Significant traumas can include a car wreck. I'm not just talking about a fender bender. I'm talking about, I mean, you went through a car wreck.
Right. How do you feel the next time?
Someone says You know, can you drive? Yeah, you probably don't want to drive. You don't want to drive. There are boundaries around you.
Now you have healed. You're no longer hurting in the neck or the back or whatever trauma you had physically speaking. You may have paid off the insurance or whatever bills you had. I mean, all in all. Since you are healed, but now you have a boundary.
Yeah. Yeah, that's great. That makes sense. It's a boundary that you've set for yourself that is not a good boundary to hold. It's not reasonable to say, I'm not going to drive anymore.
And I would even say that it's not necessarily a boundary you have set, but a boundary that is now set. Yeah. That makes sense. Think about somebody who's gone through or is going through. cancer treatment or some other sickness or some blood disorder.
I mean, something that is very discouraging and frustrating You know, a person like that does not want to plan long term. Right. You talk about, hey, you know what? We're going to do next year.
Next year, let's go here. And that person is thinking, I may not even be around next year. Right. You see, that's a boundary. Yeah, that's a good point.
Think about someone who has lost a relationship. Screw it. They've they've they've lost. a dating relationship or a marriage relationship. When they get around people and you see somebody being friendly, you immediately can see the guard goes up.
It's like, uh-uh, I'm not going through that. Or let's be friends, or let's just hang out, and that's about it. Yeah. And in a sense, you feel like, oh, that's kind of sad. But in a sense, You are leading someone on because that other person feels like, I don't know what to say, but.
He is, he's got a wall around him.
So it's in our minds, we see these boundaries as self-protective, but really they're harming us in the long run, right? And other people. Wow. So You know, God is very compassionate and so should we. We be compassionate towards people who've gone through trauma of whatever kind.
You know, there's so many kinds of traumas.
So we should be compassionate and say, Yeah, it it's understandable.
So it's okay to say it's understandable, but in the end, if that's all we say is, oh, I understand, I understand where you're coming from, or I don't understand, but I but I get it. I mean, you know, you have to do what you have to do. But still, having those walls built up around you. Keeps you fenced in. You cannot live the life.
That God has for you. We got about 15 minutes left in the show, so we're about at the halfway point. What is the solution? What if someone's listening to this right now and they're like, I know for a fact, this is me, this is what I have done. And maybe I didn't mean to do it, maybe I wasn't cognizant of doing it, but I have unhealthy boundaries that have been set in my life.
How do I start undoing them?
Well, let's go back to the book of Job.
Okay. In the book of Job. God healed Job's schema. Schema is his worldview. Remember, we.
Talked about in our previous shows about the shattered glass in the living room window of Job's life. You know, we use that imagery to explain how when trauma happens, it's like a brick has gone right through our living room window. Right. But also, something else happens. It's not just that.
Your window, once it is repaired, you're back to normal.
So, you know, sometimes people think, oh, once I get saved, or if I get good friends, if I get into a Bible study, or if I start serving God, I'm good. I'm in a better place. True, true, you are. But just remember when you're going through trauma God has designed us to have certain protective mechanisms. that enable us to weather the trauma.
to go through that trauma. That's how God has designed us. That by itself is not evil. Right. But Once you have learn to move on.
The next step. Beyond just building the rebuilding the worldview of your life by God's grace, the next step. is to take down the walls. Right. And that is the point where many times people, especially even Christians, I would say Fail to take down the walls.
Is that something you can just do? Is it like, okay, I'm going to, even though this thing bothers me, even though this thing scares me, I have to just do it anyway? Is it a force or is it something that can be learned over time, prayed over? I mean, it needs to be taken down. Right.
But, you know, the truth. She'll set you free.
So learning the truth and going, yeah, I do that. And it's not helping me, it's not helping anybody around me. Right. I got to do something about it. How did Job's walls come down?
I mean, for Job, very interesting you asked that, Ryan, because in the last two chapters or three chapters when God shows up. The first speech. by God to Job is about Who made everything? Right. Who made this?
Who made that? Who made the other? And God is talking from cosmogony. from meteorology And from zoology. Yeah, I think it's important for us to remember, you know, it's not God chastising Job.
It's not saying, you know, kind of hatefully or punishing him, like, who do you think you are? I was here when it was created. You weren't here when it was created. It's God reminding him, hey, I know your world seems like it's upside down, but I've still got it. I've still, I'm still in control.
I mean, it's just like us. Even when we go through trauma, there are times where like something really deep or personal happens to us, but we see the world continuing on around us. And I think for some people, they can resent that. Or for others, it brings them comfort. You know what I'm saying?
Like, it's like, okay, the world is not ending. Things are still, there's still structure in place. There's still routine in place. Other people are functioning and I can learn to function again too. And God is in control.
Amen. The second thing that God does in the second dialogue between Yahweh and Job is about dinosaurs. And that really throws people off because it's like, what does that have to do with anything? Did God just watch Jurassic Park right before here? Yeah.
He's just kind of into it. Yeah, no, no. You know, George Bernard Shaw. I love that theme. Judge Bernard Shaw, you know, he was not a believer.
He said one time, he said. When I'm going through problems, the last thing I want is for God to come and ask me, Have you seen a hippopotamus?
So, you know, it's kind of funny because.
Now In the second dialogue, God Talks to Joe about dinosaurs. Right. Kind of out of nowhere, isn't it? Yeah, it's like. Like George Bernard Shaw, who was not really a believer.
He said one time, he said, You know, when I'm going through problems, the last thing I need for God to come and tell me, Have you seen a hippopotamus? But you, but it's kind of funny, but people do take it that way, right? Yeah, like, why is God talking about his dinosaurs and stuff? Think about it now. Michelle Keener talks about this.
She talks about When you are overwhelmed by your trauma, What you need. is another overwhelm? Of The Sublime Hmm. To be even further overwhelmed by something good. Yeah, no.
The sublime here does not mean something good or subtle or something like that. Sublime is the unexplainable, the incomprehensible.
Okay. The overwhelming. To get over what you are going through, you have to face something even stronger. That makes sense. Even more M uh overpowering.
And when you face something that is even more overpowering, and then seeing on the other side that there is some control over it. That is the way those walls are going to come down. Wow. By showing Job the behemoth, behemoth probably was a sauropod. Dinosaur?
Mm-hmm. And then In chapter 41, God shows Job the Leviathan, which was probably Plesiosaurus. God was showing Job, and go and read that, by the way. Read those two chapters in the descriptions of dinosaurs, how powerful they are, and how. It talks about the behemoth that it can lie down.
in the Jordan River. And and the water is gushing through Um the dinosaur's mouth and he doesn't even feel it. Wow. I mean, that's what it says. Yeah.
All that to say That These beings are very powerful. But God is Even more powerful than them.
So he's saying, basically, Job: Look, I know you've been through the worst thing imaginable, but. Take a look around you. Take a look at all of the chaos, all of the raw power that's in the world. I've got my hand on it completely. Exactly.
I can see you through this problem. Those dinosaurs, the behemoth, the Leviathan represent chaos, destruction. I mean, a behemoth did not walk through if it ever got into people's properties. It did not say, oh, I'm going to avoid their little huts. Gingerly tiptoe around.
Excuse me, y'all. Let me get through you here. Yeah. No, I don't think so. I mean, it even talks about the behemoth's tail like a cedar tree, 30, 40 meters tall.
You know, massive things. No. Job's world has gone through a trauma, chaos, destruction. And what God is telling Job: look at these dinosaurs, look at how chaotic and destructive they are. But they are like little pets in my hands.
Wow. That's incredible. What is the lesson for us?
Sometimes when you are going through trauma in your life Could it be that God is using this trauma to take down the walls that were built from the previous traumas? And then showing you that he is in control. Could it be that, you know, God allows you to go through stress? You know, we say, I don't want any more stress. You know, this is my boundary.
God says, I'm going to push that limit. Yeah. You know, oftentimes we talk about it in our staff meetings. That getting stretched is not a bad thing. That's right.
Because you're capable of so much more than you think you are. Right. So let God stretch you. Let God stretch you. Emotionally, let God stretch you relationally, let God stretch you financially.
Let God stretch you even spiritually because you're going to wrestle with questions. About God and the word of God. I mean, these stretchings are. to help overcome The old walls that have been built up in your life. Amen.
And what a reminder that even looking out into that chaos, that Joe was reminded, and like Joe, we're reminded that everything is all in God's hands anyway. Amen. I love it.
So good. Guys, make sure you join us next time. Same time, same place. We're going to be diving into another great topic here on the Clearview Today show. Thanks again to our sponsors for making today's episode possible.
And if today was your first time listening to us, hey, we love you. We're glad you joined the conversation today and we hope you come back again tomorrow. That's right. You can always support us by downloading the podcast anywhere you can find podcasting content. And you can support us financially at Abadanshah.com forward slash give.
That's right, Nashville, Tennessee. We are two hours out. By the time you guys hear this, tomorrow morning, we will be here in the convention floor. We're going to be setting up.
So we want you guys to come by, say hello. Dr. Shah is going to be doing some shows tomorrow with Pray.com, with TBN Plus.
So it's going to be really, really great. We're going to have some pictures. Book signing is coming the same exact day.
So Wednesday is going to be a very busy day. Also, huge apologetics conference is happening at Clearview Church on March 28th. In fact, just not even two hours ago, we just had a dinner with some of the speakers, or one of the speakers, I should say, where we planned out a bunch of stuff. It's going to be a great time. Link is in the description for you guys to purchase your tickets right now.
And if you use promo code today, that's T-O-D-A-Y, you're going to get 20%. Off at checkout. That's right. We love you guys. We'll see you tomorrow on Clearview Today.
