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?
Tag: God
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!
Inner honesty
RE Verse reading–Ezekiel 20:1-32 (day six) “As surely as I live, I will not let you inquire of me.” (v 2) When the elders of Judah got a “no comment” response from God, it must have been a shock. Isn’t God supposed to “let bygones be bygones”? Isn’t He supposed to be available whenever we are ready to talk? Yes, but the condition for such a conversation is inner honesty. What God is not willing to do is have a conversation with people who avoid the long issues that impact the relationship. Idolatry, a pattern of disobedience, disregard for the Sabbath, address these issues and the heart of God will open in mercy. Pretend they don’t matter and hear Heaven’s silence. “Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom”–Psalm 51:6. Facing the truth about ourselves is always the hardest task. We all avoid it, but God requires it. “Come, let us reason. . .”
Standing On Our Own
Re: Verse reading–Ezekiel 18:1-18 (day two)
Each year when I was in the classroom I would meet young people with varying degrees of baggage (spiritual, physical, emotional, etc.). And the more I got to know each of them and their personal stories, I realized much of what they brought to the table was somehow inherited. Like it or not the consequences of our sin will impact our children. It was always disheartening to see the damage parental choices cause their children. But there is another side to that story. I would often see children who were not encumbered by those choices. Young men and women who realized the folly of their parent’s decision and pledged to take a different path. Their journeys were often more difficult than others, but they understood the reward more clearly than anyone else. This is the promise in Ezekiel and thanks be to God that we are no longer condemned by the sins of our parents. God has given each of us a place to stand and choose which path we will take.
New day. No victims.
Re: Verse reading–Ezekiel 18:1-18 (day one)
” ‘The fathers eat the sour grapes, but the children’s teeth are set on edge’. . . you are not going to use this proverb in Israel anymore.” (v 2-3) It was radical thinking! After Jerusalem was destroyed, the people of Judah began to drift into despondent “national fatalism”. They felt helpless and hopeless because God was judging them for the sins of their parents. There was no way out! Very similar to a modern mistake. Many feel trapped by the mistakes their parents made, wounded, helpless to do anything about it. Ezekiel saw a different day coming. (He saw the day we live in now.) He saw a day when people could know the empowering presence of God through a personal relationship with Him by faith in His Son. We are not victims now! What our parents did or didn’t do, what our circumstances gave or didn’t give does not limit who we can be in Christ.
Obedience to His Call
Re: Verse reading – Ezekiel 1:28-3:4 (day four)
The call of God is unmistakable! Verse 2 says, “As He spoke to me the Spirit entered me and set me on my feet; and I heard Him speaking to me.” Samuel, Elijah, Elisha, David, Habakkuk, Paul…the list goes on. When God spoke to one of His servants, things happened. Ezekiel heard from God and his life was set…he would be a spokesman for God. God expected obedience from Ezekiel. He said whether they listen to you or not…they are stubborn and obstinate and rebellious…they will know that a prophet has been among them. That is God’s command to us…we are to go and make disciples. (Matthew 28:19-20) We are not responsible for people’s response to our evangelistic efforts, we are only responsible for being obedient to go and tell. Just like He promised to protect Ezekiel, He will protect us when we are obedient. So what is keeping us from going?
Know
Re: Verse reading–Ezekiel 1-3 (Day Three)
“Son of man, stand up on your feet and I will speak to you.” God concerns himself with the likes of you and me; there are things that he wants us to know. That is evidence for love. When someone dear to us dies, we often think: Did he or she know what I thought or how I felt? We care about what our loved one knew or did not know. And so we determine to speak something to those loved ones still with us—something that will make life better. That is like God. And what we know from God not only makes life better, it makes life possible. There is something he wants you to know. Are you paying attention?
Ezekiel Saw De Wheel
Re: Verse reading–Ezekiel 1:28-3:4 (day two)
Now as I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the earth beside the living creatures, one for each of the four of them. As for the appearance of the wheels and their construction: their appearance was like the gleaming of beryl. And the four had the same likeness, their appearance and construction being as it were a wheel within a wheel. (Ezekiel 1:15, 16 ESV)
Ezekiel saw de wheel, way up in the middle of the air
In the next few weeks will encounter the ministry of the Prophet Ezekiel and you will quickly recognize some of the texts as being the inspiration for African American Spirituals. As we conclude our journey through Jeremiah you might think this a curious choice for inspiration. Exile, suffering, dark chapters, but then again what better place to find hope. Slaves who had been removed from all they knew and loved, treated with contempt and lower than animals found solace in the words of these prophets. They saw how God, though having a hard word for the Israelites, always watched over them.
If a people with such a bleak and tragic worldview could find hope in these stories, can’t we?
New Covenant
Re: Verse reading–Jeremiah 31:27-34; 32:1-15 (day six)
” The days are surely coming”, says the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the House of Israel.” (31:31) At the Last Supper, Jesus spoke about “a new covenant in my blood” (1 Corinthians 11:25) It was not the first time the disciples had heard these words. Jeremiah predicted the same thing. He described a new, blessed relationship that would be made possible by the death of the Christ. This new chapter, new arrangement would be marked by 3 things. 1) an inner desire to obey the commands of God-v 33; 2) a personal knowledge of God-v 34; and 3) the forgiveness of sins-v 34 (the basis for the first two). Most of us do not appreciate how fortunate we are to live in this remarkable chapter of salvation history! The Lamb of God has paid the price for sin. Guilt is gone. He is risen. The Spirit has come and gives us a desire to obey. It is the new covenant!