Re: Verse reading–Ezekiel 20:1-32 (day seven)
“Will you judge them, son of Man? Then confront them with the detestable practices of their fathers.” (v 4) It is confusing. In Ezekiel 18 we learned that personal responsibility is what matters. The choices of our fathers do not determine who we are with God. In Ezekiel 20 the Lord speaks of the “detestable practices of the fathers” as if these past mistakes have current relevance. Which is it? Both, actually! History exercises a significant influence on our lives. Unless/until we choose to change/break those patterns (and this by the grace of God) we are destined to repeat and perpetuate past patterns. Without repentance, examples and experiences from the past will control the present. “Will you defile yourselves after the manner of your fathers. . .(and then expect that) I will be inquired of by you?” (v 30-31) It is not the past that breaks my relationship with God. It is the present pattern of continued sin.
Month: May 2014
Inner Honesty
Re: Verse reading–Ezekiel 20:1-32 (day seven)
“As surely as I live, I will not let you inquire of me.” (v 3) When the elders of Judah got a “no comment” from the Lord, it must have been a shock. Isn’t God required to listen to us when we are ready to talk? No. Not unless we meet the condition of inner honesty. Not unless we stop living in denial, unwilling to face the long issues negatively impacting our relationship with Him. For years the Lord had warned His people about the effects of idolatry (v 7), disobedience (v 13), and disregard for the Sabbath (v 20). Had they been willing to honestly look at these sinful patterns, the heart of the Lord would have opened to them in mercy. Failing this, only silence. “Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, in the hidden part You will MAKE me know wisdom”–Psalm 51:6. We do not have to be perfect. We do have to be honest.
Remember??
Re: Verse reading–Ezekiel 20:1-32 (day five)
The “older I get, the better I was”- words of a wise friend spoken to me many years ago. I often use them in humor reflecting on my years as a basketball player. But the truth of those words is profound. Interesting the effects of the human heart on our memory. Often the moments of sin or disobedience will be remembered as “less severe”, while the moments of faithfulness or obedience will be remembered as more glorious (our own glory) than they actually were. Seems Israel had this same problem. So, Ezekiel gives a brutally honest and accurate recounting of Israel’s history in chapter 20. So what’s the cure for our “selected memory”? May I suggest 2? Humility (James 4) and a Contrite Heart (Psalm 51)
Mercy
Re: Verse reading–Ezekiel 20:1-32 (day four)
“But who is keeping count?” God is! In this passage, God rehearses for Israel their rebellious history…a history that should have brought about their destruction. Verses 9, 14, and 22 tell us of God’s mercy…”But I acted for the sake of My name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations.” God preserved Israel, not because they deserved it, but to protect His name. God is jealous for his reputation and as His children, we should not do anything that would give cause for the world to profane His name. Aren’t we just like Israel? We continually fail to be obedient to God and don’t deserve His mercy. When we yield control of our lives to Him, He has promised to forgive and save our lives. It is not merit, it is His mercy and trustworthiness to keep His Word. What a great God we serve!
Judgment
Re: Verse reading–Ezekiel 20:1-32 (day three)
“Will you judge them, son of man?” Judgment is a moral obligation; condemnation is a power trip. Our attempts to condemn are attempts to set ourselves in God’s place. But how the world needs wise discerners of good and evil. Nonetheless, those who judge rightly will be received no more warmly than those who attempt to condemn. “Men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.” Loving people, though, means telling the truth to them.
Prone to Wander
Re: Verse reading–Ezekiel 20:1-32 (day two)
O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy grace, Lord, like a fetter,
Bind my wand’ring heart to Thee:
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, Lord, take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.
If reading the account of the people of Israel shows anything it is that we have a penchant to sin, and the God continually shows us grace. No matter how often we are set on a path of blessing and fulfillment, when we get comfortable, we become ungrateful. Our hearts wander from the source of all blessings. There is a just answer to our sin, and that is judgement and death, but God through Jesus has provided for us victory. My prayer today is to not become comfortable in our blessing, but refined by the renewing Grace of God.
Unanswered prayer
Re: Verse reading–Ezekiel 20:1-32 (day one)
“Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel and say to them. . .’I will not let you inquire of me.’ ” (v 3) In the seventh year of their exile, a strange and sad moment comes for the leaders of Judah in Babylon. After much adversity they are ready for spiritual help, only to find that God is unwilling to communicate with them. So long as the idols of Egypt are still secretly in their homes (see v 7), and so long as they remain resistant to the faithful participation in the covenant sign of Sabbath, He will be fiercely silent. Most of forget that repentance from sin is part of the faith equation. “Your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.” (Isaiah 59:2) Why should God face us until we are willing to face ourselves and our sin?
Is it a choice?
Re: Verse reading–Ezekiel 18:1-18 (day seven)
“Suppose there is a righteous man who does what is right. . .he will surely live. . . Suppose there is a violent son who sheds blood . . .he will surely be put to death.” (v 5,9,10, 13) One of the great moral debates of this generation centers around same sex attraction and homosexual behavior. Is it a choice? “No”, say those who advocate for societal acceptance. “This is the way God made me”. The scientific data is still indefinite. However, one thing is certain. Even within the variations of our attractions and sexual interest there are very real choices being made. Do I come to God with my sexuality? Do I subordinate it to His holy will or does it become an idol? Do I participate in impurity? NONE of us can control all circumstances of interior or exterior life. ALL of us have choices that either lead to freedom or bondage. In that sense, it is a choice!
Unlearning Old Proverbs
Re: Verse reading–Ezekiel 18:1-18 (Day 6)
“What do you people mean by quoting this proverb about the land of Israel: ‘The fathers eat sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge?’ As surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, you will no longer quote this proverb in Israel.” (vs. 2-3). Ezekiel knew it. When God works in our lives, things change! What we think. What we expect. Even old proverbs (unchallenged and oft quoted statements of truth) are discarded. “God helps those who help themselves” is a modern example. Those of us who have experienced God’s grace would never say it. We are more likely to say, “For by grace you have been saved through faith.” Just as Ezekiel predicted, encountering God teaches us new truths. Old proverbs unlearned, check! New ideas embraced, check!
American Idols
Re: Verse reading–Ezekiel 18:1-18 (day five) All the talk of idols seems really outdated and not applicable to 21st Century American Christian Culture. Right?? Wrong!! That’s what I was thinking until I began reading a book I just purchased by Kyle Idleman. He writes, “What if the gods of here and now are not cosmic deities with strange names? What if they take identities that are so ordinary that we don’t recognize them as ‘gods’ at all? What if we do our ‘kneeling’ and ‘bowing’ with our imaginations, our cash, our search engines, our calendars? What if I told you that every sin you are struggling with, every discouragement you are dealing with, even the lack of purpose you’re living with are because of idolatry?”
So, I again have such a respect and hope in reading the scripture. I also have an opportunity to search my heart and life and look for idols while reflecting on Ezekiel 18.