Angels, Marks, and Remnants

O. T. #1871 "Angels, Marks, and Remnants"

January 29, 2021

Ezekiel 9

Give glory to the LORD your God... (Jeremiah 13:16)

I am the LORD: that is My name: and My glory will I not give to another, neither My praise to graven images. (Isaiah 42:8)

In heaven, an angel will loudly say, Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come: and worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. (Revelation 14:7)

LET IT GLOW

Of course, the glory of God could not remain in such a wicked place that the Temple of God had become. Ezekiel had seen in his vision how the Jews had changed it from a place of sacrifice and worship to Almighty and Holy God to a place of idol and false god worship. What an abomination unto God! The glory of the God of Israel had come to the Temple in 8:4; but in 9:3 the glory moved to the threshold or northern entrance of the Temple. The throne of glory was empty. It would become a throne of judgment.

This was only the first step in a sad journey of abandonment by a holy God who could no longer live among a sinful people. But of all the judgments God would inflict on Israel, this was the most crushing. God's people had turned their backs on Him, and in response He was turning His back on them. Believers today can forfeit the fellowship of God's active presence operating in their lives when they live with unaddressed sin (see 1John 1:5-9)  (The Tony Evans Bible Commentary )

Have we or loved ones that  turned their back on a Loving God and turned to a sinful lifestyle? We must confront them with the consequences of sin-death. But our God is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins when we repent. He will cleanse us of our unrighteousness. That is the good news.

LET IT GROW

Then an unusual thing happened. God called forth and gave a task to 6 men, probably angels that were in charge of Jerusalem, with axes of battle. The 6 were executioners to line up with a destructive weapon (weapon of war) in his hand. (verse 1) Then another man clothed with linen, who had an inkhorn (a cup; an ink-stand) at his side. He was told to walk through the city and mark on the foreheads all those who wept and sighed because of the detestable sins being committed in the city. The other men were to follow him and kill those people who did not have the mark on their forehead. Show no mercy, have no pity, even for the old, young, women, and children. They were to begin at the Temple, with the 70 leaders. They were to fill the courtyard with corpses, which defiled the Temple. (The Jews had already defiled it with their worship of idols.) So it happened and the men did as they were instructed.

The righteous remnant had been marked out for God's mercy amid His wrath. (verse 11) They cried to God in prayer because of the dishonor done to God's name. We should mourn for the sins of others. Back in Jeremiah 15:11, God promised it should go well with His remnant and they should be well treated.

The man making their marks represented Christ as Mediator and high priest. Jesus owns us and will one day confess us as His, for He knows His sheep. He keeps us securely in His hands. Therefore, we are secure for eternity. Jesus looses none of His that God gave Him.

I could find no other place in scriptures that speak of Christians having the mark of the remnant. Some say there are marks of a Christian as a believer that can be detected, found in 1 Corinthians 13, Galatians 5, 1John 1-4. We are to love others, love the brethren, love and obey Christ and His commandments, repent of our sins, reject false teachings, and have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Are we exhibiting those characteristics?

LET IT GO

May we fear no more, for we are held by You, our God.

May we cry over the lost souls of the evil ones in our nation.

Use us to share You love with those who do not know it.

Make us Your light in the darkness.

There is no one like my God.

Whose Steps Are We Following?

O. T. #1870 "Whose Steps Are We Following?"

January 28, 2021

Ezekiel 8-Part 6

LET IT GLOW

As a child, I would try to follow in dad's footstep in the snow. I had to do giant steps to be able to walk in them. So I wonder, whose steps are we following in today-those who do wickedness or Jesus' steps? The Jews way back in Ezekiel follow in the wrong steps. Read on to find out whose it was.

 

Jesus took Ezekiel in the spiritual realm to see in visions how the people in Jerusalem were worshiping. And the glory of God was there, but later left. It was their 5 sinful ways of worshiping idols that was seen by the prophet:

1. The image of jealousy was perhaps an idol of Baal set at the door of the inner gate on the northern side.

2. At the inner court wall there were images engraved of abhorrent creatures and beasts, probably considered unclean to Jews.

3. Then 70 elders offered incense to various gods of a baser sort, images on the wall.

4. Women wept before the Babylonian god of vegetation.

5. Lastly, 25 priests in the inner court turned their backs on the Holy of Holies where God had dwelt, worshiping toward the eastern sun. (verse 16)

This was the place where only Jewish priests were allowed and where they offered sacrifices for the Jews' sins. This was the practice of Persian worship as they bowed toward the east before the pagan god of the sun. I did not realize that until studying this in various commentaries.

The Jews in Jerusalem were incorporating the Phoenician, Egyptian, and Persian impure worship of idols, even committing heinous sins in the sight of God.  (Clarke Commentary)

Those men seen by Ezekiel were casting contempt on God, His worship, and the place of it. The sanctuary faced east and west. The priests originally bowed down facing west before the brazen altar when offering burnt offerings. (John Gill)

Finally, after studying Isaiah and Jeremiah, now Ezekiel, and reading of the visions God gave His prophets, I can actually understand how deeply this hurt God. His people had turned away from Him. They were without excuse, for the Jews had oracles, ordinances, and commandments from God concerning how to live and honor Him. Certainly, it was not a light thing for the house of Judah that they commit abominations.

LET IT GROW

Abominations means disgusting; abhorrence; idolatry or an idol.

What did the wicked Jews do? God explains in verse 17:

1. They filled the land with violence. Those that wronged God also wronged others without a conscience of the wrongs.
2. They returned to the Temple to provoke God to anger (through idol worship). Repeatedly they did it over and over again.
3. They put a branch to their nose. This was a custom used to honor idols they served. (Garlands were used in idol worship, found in Acts 14:13.

Is it any wonder that God said He would deal in wrath and not have pity, as will as not hear their cries? His very Name would be at stake if He tolerated this. (Liberty Bible Commentary)

Because the Jews filled their land with violence, God was going to do the same thing using their enemies with violence.

It is not the loud voice, but the upright heart that God will regard. (Matthew Henry)

We read of this in Proverbs 1 by Solomon. The sinners run to evil, shed blood, are greedy of gain, are scorners and fools and wicked who hate knowledge, refused God when He called them, and would not reverence Him.

Then shall they call upon Me, but I will not answer; they shall seek Me early, but they shall not find Me.  (Proverbs 1:28)

But whoso hearkeneth unto Me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil. (Proverbs 1:33)

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.

LET IT GO

May we hearken unto God, obeying His Word and Holy Spirit.

May we not follow in the steps of the wicked, but in the steps of Jesus.

Weeping Women

O. T. #1869  "Weeping Women"

January 27, 2021

Ezekiel 8-Part 5

LET IT GLOW

We are living in as time of difficulties and trials are everywhere effecting everyone, it seems. However, as believers in Jesus, our hope should not be for a problem-free life, for that will come when we are in heaven. Our focus should be on Jesus, who never changes. We can rest in His loving presence to get us through those trials. You know, when we trust in Jesus He can change our fear to confident trust. Even when our path is steep or treacherous, we are safe with Jesus by our side. It's the right responses, not the right circumstances that God is looking at. So letting Him guide our step one at a time brings us peace. God's abiding Presence is the best road map available.

[Resource: Sarah Young's devotional book, Jesus Calling]

Is Jesus calling you to trust Him today? When we do, then things fall into place, as we place our faith in Him. Heavy hearts become light when we soar above our troubles with Jesus.

Weeping women. Isn't it a natural response we women have when we are troubled, sad, mourn. In John 20, we read of a woman called Mary who went to the grave of Jesus and it was empty-no body. She was weeping. Then Jesus appeared to Mary and talked with her. He had risen from the dead, but not yet ascended to the Father. What a great revelation and comfort for a heavy-hearted and weeping woman!

Are you weeping over your children? Turn to Jesus.

LET IT GROW

We are continuing the visions that God showed to Ezekiel in Jerusalem:

1. First was the statue in the inner gate, that provoked God to jealousy;

2. Next was the engraved images of creatures on the inner court wall;

3 Third were the 70 elders offering incense in idol worship;

4. Now at the door of the gate of the LORD's house where the women sat weeping for Tammuz. (verse 14) We ask who this Tammuz was-he was a Babylonian deity and husband of Ishtar. After his death he supposedly became god of the underworld. Others say he was a vegetation deity. He was pictured haven died in the heat of the summer and rising in the spring. The Babylonians believed he dried up the plants in the summer, but brought new life and vegetation as he emerged in the spring. So that is who the Jewish women were worshiping and weeping for him. (Also, his worship included all manner of immorality.)

How absurd it was! They should have been worshiping the Creator and giver of life, our God.  No wonder He was angered.

LET IT GO

Our God is greater, stronger, higher than any other; our God is Healer. If our God is for us and with us, who can stop us or stand against us?

Yes, You are all-powerful, God.

Fellows of a Baser Sort

O. T. #1868 "Fellows of a Baser Sort"

January 26, 2021

Ezekiel 8-Part 4

LET IT GLOW

I suspected that she had babies hidden. Sure enough this past weekend there appeared 4 cutie kittens on my front porch. One is gray and the others are orange like Miss Kitty. It is fun to watch them play with each other. They don't know there is a deadly virus out there. They don't know sorrow because people we love are dying from it. They just live day to day enjoying life as they were created by God to do. So why are we people not more like those kittens? Why do we let the burdens of life weigh us down and keep us from enjoying the life God has given us? (Guilty)

Well, it's time to dig into chapter 8 again. So far, we have learned what visions God showed Ezekiel in Jerusalem before the Babylonian army destroyed the city and people:

1. He saw the statue that was worshiped by the Hebrews, which provoked God to jealousy. (verse 3)

2. On the inner court walls of the Temple were engraved images of abhorrent creatures and     beasts (unclean) that they worshiped. (verse 10)

3. There stood 70 key leaders seen worshiping and offering incense to various gods of a baser sort, as depicted in carved images and representations on the wall of the court. Now those guys should have know better; no, they did know better, dare I say.(verse 11)

The MacArthur Bible Commentary has this to say:

Obviously, this was not the Sanhedrin, since it was not formed until after the restoration from Babylon, though the pattern had been suggested much earlier (Ex. 24:9, 10). Those men were appointed to guard against idolatry. Jaazaniah was the son of Shaphan. If he was the son of the Shaphan who read God's Word to Josiah (2Kings 22:8-11), we have some concept of the depth of sin to which the leaders had fallen. He is not to be confused with the man in 11:1, who had a different father.

Then God asked Ezekiel if he saw what the leaders of Israel were doing with their idols in dark rooms. Those 70 idolaters said the LORD did not see them, for He had deserted their land. They thought God wasn't watching them? Hmm, were they ever wrong! Also, they did it without remorse or fear. It is a blasphemous reflection upon God, as if He had forsaken them first. they forsook Him first. We can't blame God for our sins. We must admit we are the sinful one, for God is holy without sin. 

Apparently they were worshiping this idol in secret. Talk about a secret lodge. They had one in the Temple there. Those today who say that God is dead are actually saying that He isn't looking at them. They think they are not responsible to God, that they owe Him noting, and they can do as they please. (from J. Vernon McGee's book The Prophets-Ezekiel))

We must not deceive ourselves into thinking God does not see what we do, hear what we say, look into our hearts for our motives and intents. He does. We are God's temple on earth. Is He pleased by what is going on in our minds and hearts? 

Don't quit sharing Jesus!

LET IT GROW

The phrase "lewd fellows of the baser sort" rang a bell in my mind. It was used in Acts 17. Paul and Silas were preaching Jesus Christ who suffered and rose from the dead, in Thessalonica at the Jewish synagogue. They were turning the world upside down. Some people believed in Jesus, but the Jews there did not believe, were moved with envy, and caused a riot using lewd fellows of the baser sort. (Those were wicked, unbelieving men that formed a mob.) So Paul and Silas left by night and went to Berea, where the Scriptures were searched daily.

Sounds like some people do not change throughout the ages. People rebel against authority and Truth and form mobs and riot. Sad that they are destructive for a cause that does no good.

Only God can change hearts. We must be busy doing kingdom work, sharing Jesus with others while we have time. Who knows what tomorrow holds? Are we serving Jesus or our self? 

LET IT GO

I love You Lord. Your mercy never fails me. I will sing of the goodness of God. All my life You have been faithful and so good. I surrender to You.

Creature or Creator

O.T. #1867  "Creature or Creator"

January 25, 2021

Ezekiel 8-Part 3

LET IT GLOW

I am always astounded with the things God does to reveal Himself to me. Last night I went out on the front porch to bring in the remaining catfood in a bowl. (A skunk has been visiting us lately since the warmer weather and I did not want to encourage its visits.) So I stepped off the porch to see the beautiful sunset God gave us. Looking around, I saw a dozen deer in the field, some were running around. What a sight. Suddenly my presence was known and the older does began grunting with each other, warning the young ones of danger. (The young ones ran into the woods.) So I hid in the holly bushes and the mammas continued to graze. It was getting dark so my binoculars did not help my vision. I consider it a blessing to be able to watch wildlife on our farm. Now, I don't worship the beautiful animals. I recognize that God is their Creator, too. However, the people of Judah did not hold my same views. Read on for more details.

In Ezekiel's vision, he was taken up by the spirit to Jerusalem to see the abominations of idolatry practiced by God's people. He is shown five activities in their worship of idols that resulted in the glory of God departing the Temple:

1.The image of jealousy idol stood at the entrance to the inner court of the Temple. (verses 3-5) If this was an image of Asherah, the Canaanite goddess of fertility, then they were encouraging sexual immorality and self-gratification. More details can be found in the previous post. How they polluted the place that was holy unto the Lord.

2. Next, Ezekiel saw hole in the wall in the inner court, dug it bigger, then went through a doorway.  He found a room with a wall on which was engraved images of every kind of abhorrent thing-crawling creatures and beasts-as well as all the idols of the house of Israel. (verses 7-10) No wonder God was put out with them.

Judah was worshiping the creature instead of the Creator (El Eyon).  They couldn't get any lower. (In Egypt, the pagans were doing the same thing, making different gods of things. So the plagues revealed that God was more powerful than their false gods/idols.)

LET IT GROW

In Romans 1:21, 25 Paul tells us, Because that, when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God... Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever.

Mankind does not change when living in the flesh and not by the Spirit of God. We read about the Egyptians, Romans, and see it today. What scenes Ezekiel saw his people doing in God's holy Temple, how they were sinning. The Israelites sunk down to the level of the nations round about her, and was no longer a witness for the living and true God. For this reason He destroyed the Temple.

 Sin would expel the people from their land and God from His sanctuary. The Temple is defiled as the people no longer worshiping the living and true God so they were breaking the first two commandments.

God's Spirit works within us in a similar way, revealing sin that lurks in our lives. How comfortable would you feel if God held an open house in your life today? (Life Application Study Bible)

We should be glad when the Holy Spirit convicts us of our sins. After all, it means we are a child of God. 

LET IT GO

Keep me faithfully worshiping You our Creator, not Your creation.

As one of Your creation, may I always worship my God, not things.

Keep my priorities straight-loving and worshiping Jesus.

Jealousy

O. T. #1866  "Jealousy"

January 22, 2021

Ezekiel 8-Part 2

LET IT GLOW

Have you been jealous? It may have been a person that we felt was our rival or a thing that someone has and we want. Did you know that God is a jealous God? Read on friend to find out more.

 

Ezekiel was sitting in his house in Babylon with the elders of Judah when the hand of the LORD God fell upon him.

Here, the word hand refers to the open hand (indicating power, means, direction).

 Did God extend His open, powerful hand to the prophet? Or was it a spiritual thing? (Guess have to wait ask him when we get to heaven.) Either physically or spiritually Ezekiel was taken to the Temple in Jerusalem, before it's destruction. Anyway, the Spirit of God lifted him up (by the hair) between earth and heaven, taking him to the door of the Temple. He saw what God had been seeing for years, what was going on in the Temple that was established for His worship alone. It was the abominable sin of idolatry that was happening there.

What 5 things took place in Ezekiel's vision at the Temple of God by the people of Judah?

1. At the northern inner gate there was a statue that provoked God to jealousy. (verse 4) It may have been the idol that King Manasseh had put inside the Temple (2 Kings 21), which was blasphemous and an abomination unto the Lord. It had been pulled out (by Josiah, but replaced later) and the people worshiped it (instead of repenting of their sin). Thou shalt have no other gods before Me. (Exodus 20:3) They were to neither make images to worship nor purchase them so they could bow down to them. Yet they did, and this made God jealous.

Jealous means intolerant of rivalry or unfaithfulness, according to Webster's Dictionary.

The prophet Nahum wrote in his book during the time the northern kingdom of Israel was destroyed by Assyria because of Israel's idolatry: God is jealous, and the LORD revengeth; the LORD revengeth, and is furious; the LORD will take vengeance on His adversaries, and He reserveth wrath for His enemies.

We know that God brought judgment upon Israel and Judah because of their unfaithfulness, worshiping idols instead of Him, the One True and Living God. He used pagan armies of Assyria and Babylon to punish them. Yet, God is merciful and loving. He would have saved Israel and Judah had they only repented of their sins. He is a righteous and just God who cannot permit evil in His universe, also.

Paul asked a good question in 1 Corinthians 10:22, Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy?

Are we spending enough time in worship and Bible study? Are we pleasing our God or making Him jealous because our time is spent doing other things?

LET IT GROW

God was also there in glory, but was ignored while the people worshiped the idol. (verse 4)

Sin would expel the people from their land and God from His sanctuary. (verse 6)

When we go to the church building to worship, do we/others take things with us? Do we/others sell items there? Are we/others on our phone instead of listening to the preacher proclaim God's Word? Are we singing songs that please our flesh or please God? Do we go to meet with friends and catch up on the latest or to meet with God? Do we leave the same way we had entered or is our heart changed? Is God's house a house of prayer?

It is good for us to evaluate our worship and spiritual growth.  

LET IT GO

Jesus, You alone are our Creator, Savior, Redeemer, and Hope.

Lead us in the path of righteousness.

May we worship You only, and in truth.

Be merciful to us sinners for we stay from You so often.

May our praises be heard praising You.

The Glory of God

O. T. #1865 "The Glory of God"

January 21, 2021

Ezekiel 8

LET IT GLOW

Who am I? Folks, I am so unworthy to speak on the topic of God's glory today. However, we can't skip over it. I am a child of God through the blood of Jesus and pray for His guidance today.

This vision occurred to Ezekiel a year and 2 months after the first vision in 1:1. The hand of the LORD ushered the prophet into a series of visions (verse 3) stretching to the end of chapter 11. (MacArthur)

In verse 2, Ezekiel saw the glory of the Lord, as in 1:26-28. Glory means splendor, honor in the Hebrew language.

Ezekiel was sitting in his own house in Babylon with the elders of Judah who sat before him. (verse 1) No doubt they were seeking a word from the Lord. (verses 1-3)  Matthew Henry says it could have occurred on the Sabbath day, as the men came to hear the word from the prophet and join with him in prayer and praise. There was no Jewish temple nor synagogue, neither priest nor altar where they were. Others say it was an extraordinary occasion when the elders visited Ezekiel to enquire of the Lord. (Isn't it ironic now that Judah was in captivity and the elders chose to seek the Lord?) Note that Ezekiel does not tell the elders about his vision until chapter 11.

The description Ezekiel gives in verse 2 is  the same as the one in 1:27. It is probable that it was the same person, the man Christ Jesus. Then there appeared to him a glorious figure comprised of fire from the waist down who gleamed of amber from the waist up. (verse 2)

Jesus showed Himself  in holiness and purity by fire, in all His splendor. He appeared to Moses in the burning bush, at the cleft of the rock, and in the Tabernacle in the wilderness. God's presence was seen by the people in the cloud by day and the fire by night during their walk in the wilderness, as well at Mount Siniai. It is usually referred to as the Shekinah, which is from the Hebrew root word for to dwell or abide since God dwelt with the people.

It was no ordinary God who entered the Tabernacle; it is the Shekinah glory. Who is the King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. The LORD of Hosts, He is the King of Glory. (Ps. 24:8-10)

Later, God dwelt above the Mercy Seat in the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle, where He met with Moses.  (Exodus 25:22) The Tabernacle was a temporary Temple of worship that could be transported from place to place. In the Temple, only the purified high priest could only enter the Holy of Holies once a year, on the Day of Atonement when offer the blood sacrifice for the Jews sins, sprinkling it on the Mercy Seat.

Throughout the Old Testament, having the Ark of the Covenant with the Jews was very important. It represented God's presence with the Jews.

Now this is the same Jesus that Paul (2 Cor. 12) and John (book of Revelation) saw in their visions in the New Testament. It was when they were taken into the third heaven.

As a Christian, we have God's presence with us in the form of the Holy Spirit in our soul. He speaks to us what the Father tells Him to say. Also, He convicts us of our sins. Only those who believe in Jesus, who have repented of their sins, and asked Him into their life will have the indwelling Spirit to guide us. Friend, are you one of us? 

LET IT GROW

The sights that Ezekiel saw in these visions were the abominable kinds of idolatry currently practiced in Jerusalem by those not in exile. It happened in the very Temple built for the worship of the Lord God of heaven. The visions Ezekiel saw and would see were not a mere hallucination, but was of the Lord, of which he was convinced. Jesus showed this prophet was happening and why He was departing the Temple. Ezekiel and you and me can understand it as we read through each sight next post. 

When man practices idolatry he either refuses to recognize God at all, or at best places Him alongside the many lesser gods. When man fails to give due recognition and worship to God, he then becomes a law to himself. Whatever he wishes to do he may then have a rational reason for so doing. It is for this reason that the first and greatest of commandments is Thou shalt have no other gods before Me. (Exodus 20:3)  (Liberty Bible Commentary)

Friends, it is time for us to do some serious soul searching. As God to show you if there are any idols in our life, anything that we hold more important than God or spend more time with. I may not be a statue, but it can be an object that we hold dear or a person we hold so important. Who or what are we loving today? Is it God first or something else? 

Let's continue to pray for our nation. So many have turned from God and His ways for us to life holy lives.

LET IT GO

May we love the Lord our God with all our heart, all our soul, and all our mind, and with all our strength.

Then we are to love our neighbor as our self.

It's Time and It's Too Late

O. T. #1864  "It's Time and It's Too Late"

January 20,2021

Ezekiel 7-Part 3

LET IT GLOW

When it was time, it happened. When it was time, God sent His judgment upon Israel and Jerusalem. When it was time, nothing could prevent it. The entire land of Israel was ripe for judgment. As said previously, those chosen people and nation brought idols into the Temple where God's glory was in the Holy of Holies. They either worshiped only those false gods using idols of gold or silver or they worshiped both God and the idols. Either way, they broke the first and second of the Ten Commandments. God warned them over and over again, sending prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah (and others) that if they did not repent and turn to only worshiping God, then their land  would be destroyed. But their hardhearts did not turn them. Thus, God's patience ran out. In 586 BC the final destruction of the Temple happened by Nebuchadnezzar and his army. As Ezekiel wrote this chapter, this was all in view. The time had come; time was up; punishment was coming at the appointed time. (Forgive me for reviewing so much, but we do have new viewers coming and I want to get them up to date on what was going on in this chapter.)

What can we gleam from this gloom and doom? God is faithful to His Word. Whether it is concerning discipline or blessing, He will do whatever He says He will do. We read it happening when God told Abraham that he would have a son, even though he was 100 years old and his wife Sarah was 90 when it happened. Then God used Moses to deliver the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt. (Wasn't he informed of that at the burning bush.) Didn't Isaiah predict a Messiah coming? (Jesus came to earth to be that Messiah.)

Here is a verse that gives us hope. Jesus was speaking to Martha after Lazarus had been dead 4 days- John 11:25-26 says, Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die. Believest thou this?

Folks, if we believe and trust in Jesus as our Savior, then we will live forever. What a promise! If you were to die today, where would you spend eternity? Jesus is the only way to God the Father. It is not by good works nor what family we are in, nor if we are a Jew. It is by grace through faith.

LET IT GROW

It's time and it's too late. When it was time for the Babylonian army to attack and destroy Jerusalem and it's inhabitants, it happened. It was the proper time, the prefixed time, and the purposed time. It was a time of reckoning with the wicked and rebellious people. Their secret sins came to light. God saw and sees all. He looks into the hearts of people.

Why did God do all this destruction and killings? After all, He is a loving God isn't He? We hear that so much, and it is true. However, the land was full of bloody crimes-Idolatry, blasphemy, witchcraft, Sodomy, and the like. The bloody crimes had to be paid for with bloody judgments. Sin is paid for with blood, like they did in the Old Testament with animal sacrificial blood. (And so it is today-Jesus paid the price for our sins.) Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb, the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world, as John the Baptist proclaimed when he saw Jesus?

They sought peace and the vision of the prophet, but it was too late. (verse 26) The calamity caused them to do this. But it was too late.

The fire of judgment must now do its refining work of separating the dross from the silver and gold. The end result is that the rebels will be cut off and the righteous remnant will be purified. (Liberty Bible Commentary)

Dear one, as long as you have breath, it is never too late for you to come repenting to Jesus. He awaits with open, loving arms of grace and mercy. Although, once you pass from life into death, it is too late. Then comes the judgment. I pray that it is not too late for you.

LET IT GO

How can we ever say enough thanks to Jesus for taking my nails on the cross, my beatings and sufferings?

Death could not hold You, the grave could not keep You.

Living He loved me, dying He saved me, buried He carried my sins far away, rising He justified, living forever. Oh glorious day!

My Savior, Jesus is mine!!

Wealth and Things

O. T. #1863  "Wealth and Things"

January 19, 2021

Ezekiel 7-Part 2

LET IT GLOW

Something interesting that I found in verses 10-14. It is the word multitude (crowd), which appears 4 times. As I looked it up in the Greek and Hebrew, it meant the same thing. It appeared numerous times in the gospels (Matthew-John). Jesus spoke to multitudes/crowds of thousands throughout His ministry. The interesting thing is that He taught them in parables (a fictious narrative, of common life conveying a moral). He used common situations and things to teach them a moral lesson. Doesn't a story with a specific meaning seem to stick with us longer than just points in a sermon? The prodigal son returning, the sower of seed on different ground, the lost coin, the man who built many barns for his abundance, the kingdom of heaven just to name a few. Such great lessons for life-God accepts us back when we have strayed away from  Him; the sowing of the gospel falls on various hearts; seek Jesus diligently; share our wealth with those in need, for we can't take it with us.

I hope you will study the New Testament while we continue in the Old Testament. It reassures us that Jesus is in control even when situations seem bleak.  He taught us so much and imparted wisdom for us for life.

LET IT GROW

 Well, getting back to our key verses (10-14), God's Word speaks of the multitudes, crowds:

• When the time came for the Babylonian army to wipe out the crowds of Jews in Jerusalem (their day of judgment), none of the proud and wicked people would survive. (verse 11)
• All their wealth and prestige would be swept away. Buyers, sellers, and merchants would be gone. (verse 12)
• The vision of God's anger touched the whole multitude in Jerusalem. (verse 13)
• The army of the Jews would not go into battle for they would not listen to the trumpet call. God's fury was upon the disobedient Jews.  (verse 14)

What can we learn from this?

Their wealth could not help the people when God's judgment came. Pride in their buildings was going to be brought down as they were destroyed. Judah trusted in its prosperity and possessions instead of in God. The wicked and proud will finally get what they deserve. A day of judgment will come as it did for the people of Judah. God is waiting for sinners to repent. (2 Peter 3:9) When we trust in jobs, economy, political system, or military might for our security, we put God in the back seat.

The people of Judah spent their money to make idols and purchase them. Money has a strange power to lead people into sin. Paul said the love of money was the root of all evil (1Timothy 6:10). Isn't it ironic that we can use the gift that comes from God, wealth, to buy things that separate us from Him. Isn't it a tragic when we use money to seek satisfaction for ourselves and so little time seeking God, the true source of satisfaction? Then we spend our time maintaining those things instead of seeking God.

Even the houses, sacred places, and Temple (because they put idols inside) were destroyed when the Babylonians came. Their pride was crushed when evil came. If we are going through a humiliating experience, God may be using that to weed out our pride in our life. Maybe you know someone going through this. Pray that they would turn to God.

Is our hope in eternal life with Jesus instead of things we have done or provided here?

Is Jesus first place in our heart? What good is things when our soul is lacking Jesus?

LET IT GO

Keep us loving You, Jesus, more than things.

Discipline us when we get our priorities messed up.

Thank You for being a forgiving and loving Father.

Like the prodigal son, we need our father.

Discipline

O. T. #1862 "Discipline"

January 18, 2021

Ezekiel 7

LET IT GLOW

Here is Ezekiel's second sermon. He is speaking as an eyewitness. In a sense he was as he saw visions and the Holy Spirit knew the future, giving him words to say. Many of the exiles would not accept the doom of Jerusalem that was ahead of them.

God would not allow His children to spread their disease of pride and idolatry to those around them. We read in verses 9 and 10 how God deals with His disobedient children as a loving parent does with a rod of discipline.(He is perfect in all of His ways.)

 I will recompense thee according to thy ways and thine abominations that are in the midst of thee; and ye shall know that I am the LORD that smiteth. (verse 9)

God smites His rebellious children in order for them to return to His holy ways and correct their ways. Otherwise we are headed for tragedy. When we hold onto bitterness, our life starts to unravel. Everything goes wrong, We may descend into confusion and chaotic ways. Our relationships may sour and we think everyone is against us. We will loose. He won't allow bitterness to continue. He comes to us in love, mercy, and great compassion. If we reject His offers, God will apply the rod of discipline to us, smiting us to bring us to repentance. (This may not apply to us, but we may know others in this position.)     [Resource: Knowing God By Name, by David Wilkerson]

Jehovah Makkeh means the God who smites in the Hebrew language.

Recompense refers to give, apply, bestow, bring, without fail, pay. It is found in verses 3,4,8, and 9.

Things had really gotten bad in Judah and Jerusalem. Before the siege of the Babylonians, there was bloodshed, plague, famine, fear, anxiety, and lack of security. Following the siege, the captives had no peace, no ministry of prophets, priest, and elders, and mourning by both king and people. What a mess.

We know that whatsoever a man sows that shall he also reap. Judah even set up alters to their false gods in the Temple of God. There they did immoral things. They defiles the holy place. It must have been nauseating to God. A holy God could not allow such things to continue.

Also, Judah had become so prideful in their wealth and in their buying idols of gold and silver. God is patient with sinners. His discipline is used to bring us to the truth that He is the only true living God to be loved and worshiped.

LET IT GROW

2 Peter 3:9 says, The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Such mercy! What we decide about God now will determine our fate for eternity. Jesus said that He is the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes unto the Father except through Him. Have you come to Jesus? Is He your Savior and LORD?

It is good news for us when God takes us to the woodshed. When He disciplines us, that means we are one of His children and He loves us so much that He does not want us to continue going astray.

LET IT GO

Thank You Father for Your patience with us, for Your everlasting love.

Keep us in Your will, honoring You, King Jesus.

Anyone Brokenhearted Today?

O. T. #1861  "Anyone Brokenhearted Today?"

January 15, 2021

Ezekiel 6-Part 2

LET IT GLOW

The masses of people were rejected, but grace and mercy were given to a godly remnant in the nation. There never has been, nor ever will be, a complete end to Israel. (MacArthur)

May I include that there will never be an end to the believer in Jesus Christ. When Jesus forgives our sins and comes into our heart making us one of His, it is forever. And when our body dies, our soul leaves this world to go into another one, heaven, where our Savior reigns as King of kings and Lord of lords. Now that is what I call mercy-not getting what we deserve, hell. Are you one of His, dear one?

Now, here is a question for you. Do you know that God has had a broken heart? That is how I take verse 9 when He says, ...I am broken with their whorish heart, which hath departed from Me...

Did you notice that the word broken has been used 3 times in this chapter? It appears in verses 4, 6, and 9. Here, in the Hebrew, broken means to burst; break (down, off, in piece); crush; hurt; tear.

To me, the important thing for us to notice is that God was broken, crushed, hurt, torn. Have we ever stopped to think that we can break the heart of God? I haven't. What caused this? The people turned to images and idols to worship instead of to their God. It was their unfaithful hearts and lustful eyes that longed for their idols that broke God's heart. So in His fury, God broke their hearts by sending the Babylonian army to surround Jerusalem's wall, resulting in famine and disease, as well as eventually killing many. (Some Jews scattered to other nations.) However, He had a remnant that repented of their sins and turned to God.

LET IT GROW

After reading this, I wonder if your heart has been broken or is now broken in pieces? It can be caused by so many things-divorce, death of a loved one, loss of a job, a friend's betrayal, loss of health, this crazy pandemic.

There is good news, my friend. Jesus came to bind up the brokenhearted. He read Isaiah 61:1, The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised. To preach the acceptable year of the LORD.

While on this earth, Jesus fulfilled this scripture, for He said so in verse 21. Are you poor in spirit? Is your heart broken? Are you being held captive by someone or something? Have you been spiritually blind? Have you been bruised by the treatment or words of others? Jesus can heal and deliver you, for He said so.

LET IT GO

Through it all my eyes are on You, Jesus, as Your eyes remain on me.

Give us resurrected hearts, healed hearts, love that seeps in and covers us.

Forgive us when we break Your heart as we disobey or turn away from You.

Renew our love today.

*Please pray for the McGee family. I mentioned the passing of our friend Rick, well his brother passed away the next day. Now a week later, his wife's mother passed away, too. We can't go visit them for one more week, for they are in quarantine.

There is a Remnant

Praying for our nation today. Today's lesson was written but not posted. (Jan. 13)

 

O. T. #1859 "There is a Remnant"

January 14, 2021

Ezekiel 5-Part 3

... and ye shall know that I am the LORD. (6:7, 10, 13, 14)

LET IT GLOW

 Our key verse/phrase is used by Ezekiel some 65 times in his book of prophesies. It shows that the essential reason for judgment on Judah is the violation of the character of God. The motive for all obedience to God's law is the fact that He is the Lord God. (MacArthur)

In the Hebrew language, LORD (Yhoah, pronounced yeh-ho-vaw') means Jehovah, a Jewish national name of God; Self-Existent or Eternal.

God wants us to know who He is and have a relationship with Him. Isn't that amazing?

Know means discern; understand; have respect; be sure; comprehend; declare.

That the Creator (El Eyon) reaches down and bids us to come to Him; that a Holy God, the King (Melch), who is royalty in heaven-Jesus, loves us; our Risen Savior (Yasha) and Majestic Redeemer (Gaal) would be with us offering grace and mercy, is astounding! Do I hear an amen?

Friend, do you understand who the LORD is? Do we comprehend that He has sovereign and absolute control over all things? Are you sure that He is LORD of your life and holds our eternal life in His hands? Is He your LORD of lords and King of kings today? That is who He is. He alone deserves our worship and praise. He is way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper; that is who He is. Even when we don't feel Him working, He is; He never stops working, this light in the darkness.

Their calamity was coming to Jerusalem (sword, famine, pestilence). However, it was by those means that Israel came to know that God is the LORD and not the many false gods they had so obviously been serving in futility.

LET IT GROW

I recall seeing Grandma's quilt top that Mom had tucked away. My sister took it, since she knew our grandmother and I didn't. (She died 2 months before I was born.) How precious it is. Well, as we read through this long book of the Bible, of the gloom and doom ahead of God's chosen people, keep in mind that He had a remnant preserved that would worship only Him.

The purpose of all God's punishment was not to take revenge, but to impress upon the people the truth that the Lord is the only true and living God. People in Ezekiel's day were worshiping human-made idols and calling them gods. Today money, sex, and power have become idols from many. Punishment will come upon all who put other things ahead of God. It is easy to forget that the Lord alone is God, the supreme authority and the only source of eternal love and life. Remember that God may use the difficulties of your life to teach you that He alone is God.  (Life Application Study Bible)

All along, the prophets have been telling Israel, Judah, and Jerusalem; Isaiah used the word 15 times, Jeremiah some 19 times, and Ezekiel used it 6 times.

What is a remnant?  God would have a remnant, which refers to preserve; left behind; rest; reserve; even though so many would be killed by Assyria and Babylon, would die from disease and famine, God still loved His beloved people.

This small group of people would be preserved only after they had learned some hard lessons. Sometimes God has to break a person in order to bring them to true repentance.

The people needed new attitudes, but they wouldn't change until God broke their hearts with humiliation, pain, suffering, and defeat. Does your heart long for God enough to change those areas displeasing Him? Or will God have to break your heart? (Life Application Study Bible)

That remnant escaped the sword and was scattered through the countries. (verse 8)  They were allowed to return to Jerusalem by Cyrus king of Persia after 70 years passed. We read about it in Nehemiah. Esther helped preserve her Jewish people.

Matthew Henry said, "Where God designs grace to repent He allows space to repent. They were monuments of mercy. What God said was made good, and made to work for good, and to answer a good intention. One way or other God will make sinners to know and own that He is the Lord, either by their repentance or by their ruin."

So trouble one, keep in mind that God works all thing for our good and His glory.

LET IT GO

Thank You Father for preserving Your people throughout time.

Glory to You for being gracious and merciful, loving and forgiving to us sinners.

Bless those who are going through hard times today with Your Spirit and strength.

Pleasing God

O. T. #1858  "Pleasing God"

January 12, 2020

Ezekiel 5-Part 2

And she hath changed My judgments into wickedness more than the nations, and My statutes more than the countries that are round about her; for they have refused My judgments and My statutes, they have not walked in them (verse 6)

LET IT GLOW

So I looked for some encouragement for us believers in Jesus. It is hard to find in another book of prophesies written for the purpose of correcting God's chosen people, Israel and Judah. Yet, I found it in Rick Warren's book, The Purpose Driven Life, which I think can apply to us:

You were planned for God's pleasure. You exist for His benefit, His glory, His purpose, and His delight. Bringing enjoyment to God, living for His pleasure, is the first purpose of your life. We often forget that God has emotions, too. He feels things very deeply. The Bible tells us that God grieves, gets jealous and angry, and feels compassion, pity, sorrow, and sympathy as well as pleasure, rejoices, enjoys, and even laughs.

You created everything, and it is for your pleasure that they exist and were created. (Rev. 4:11 NLT)

The Lord takes pleasure in His people. (Psalm 149:4a TEV)

Anything we do that brings God pleasure is an act of worship. Are we being a faithful servant of Jesus Christ? Are we striving to please our heavenly Father with our life and faith? Are we sharing His love today?

 

 

LET IT GROW

Here is another sign given to the Jewish exiles in Babylon. Again Ezekiel is given specific instructions from God to be an illustration of those things to come. What was Ezekiel the prophet/priest told to do?

• He was told to take a take a sharp sword and use it as a razor upon his head and beard. (verse 1)
• Then he was to use a scale to weigh the hair and divide the it into thirds. (verse 2)
• Ezekiel was to take the first third of hair and burn it inside the city drawn on the bricks. This represented the people left in Jerusalem who were going to be besieged and burned with fire inside the city at the time of its destruction, which is exactly what happened to them.
• The second third of hair Ezekiel took and smote it with a knife, really working it over. This depicted that those people who lived through the siege fell by the sword. 
• The last third of hair was scattered in the wind by Ezekiel. They went down to Egypt taking Jeremiah with them. They were scattered among the nations.
• Then Ezekiel was to take a little bit of the hairs and bind them in his skirts (border; an edge or extremity; uttermost part) . To me, this refers to the tunic which is an outer garment that priests wore. He was to take those hairs and throw them into the fire. A few number of Jews would be a faithful remnant whom God would preserve. They would escape the fire and sword would continue to be subjected to the fire of chastisement and judgment, for some would not have genuine faith in God.

What a terrible chastisement and judgment by the Lord. Israel was chosen to be a witness to the nations of what God can do through a people who obey Him. Israel rebelled by rejecting the Lord and all He represents, going their own way, serving idols, shedding blood, and becoming worse than their neighbors. Therefore, God's punishments came from His displeasure, anger, and fury. He is gracious, merciful, and slow to anger. He is justified in what He did to Judah after several decades of their sins.

 Is our commitment to Jesus genuine and heartfelt? Are we walking by faith and not by sight? Are we allowing the events of this world to keep us in fear or faith?

LET IT GO

Obey God's Word, applying it to my daily life.

Trust God in the good times and hard times.

Walk by faith.

Get Ready for Things to Come

O. T. #1857 "Get Ready for Things to Come"

January 11, 2021

Ezekiel 4-Part 2

LET IT GLOW

Previously, we read of the unusual illustrations which God told Ezekiel to provide as prophecies against Judah and Jerusalem. He take a brick and draw the walls of Jerusalem on it; then put an iron pan between himself and the city (symbolized God put a wall between Himself and Jerusalem) whenever he lay on his left side facing northern Israel 390 days (showing punishment for Israel's idolatry); and lay on his right side facing Judah for 40 days (punishment of Judah). His eating a small amount of bread, cooked over human dung (showing how they will eat in captivity); and drinking a quart of water a day. (Ezekiel had a problem with doing this, for it was against Levitical law and he was a priest.) Famine was coming to Jerusalem as the Babylonians surrounded the city. This drawn fort was to be connected with 2 battering rams or ramps, showing then enemy's army would break down the wall of protection and siege Jerusalem.  

The people saw all of this take place as these illustrated what was to come. Disease, famine, and an army were predictions from Isaiah and Jeremiah for God's people to repent of their immorality and worshiping false gods, idols. Ezekiel was faithful in obeying the Lord, so the people were without excuse. However, God told him they were hardhearted and hardheaded, thus not turning from their sins. Could America be heading down the same path? Is evil attacking us, striving to overtake us, and usher in the antichrist? Are we ready for the rapture of Jesus' believers, the church?

LET IT GROW

 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. (Isaiah 55:11)

When God speaks, nothing remains the same. God spoke and it was so, it was good. (Gen. 1:3-4) Whenever God revealed His plans, things happened just as He said, and God considered the result "good". (Phil. 2:13) God doesn't make suggestions. He speaks with the full determination to see that what He has said will come to fruition.

Whenever Jesus spoke, what He said came to pass. Have you been reading the words of Jesus in your Bible without experiencing His word that transforms everything around you? The Pharisees were satisfied with having the words instead of experiencing the person who spoke the words. (John 5:39) As you read your Bible and pray, listen to what God has to say to you about His will for your life.

[Resource: Experiencing God Day-By-Day, Henry and Richard Blackaby]

In chapter 5, there is another symbolic sign, the shaving of Ezekiel's head and beard. We will discuss this next time.

 

LET IT GO

Prepare for the rapture; get my house in order, look for the signs; for our redemption will draw night soon.

Unusual Directions

O. T. #1856  "Unusual Directions"

January 8, 2021

Ezekiel 4

LET IT GLOW

Blackaby, in his devotional book, Experiencing God Day-By-Day, wrote this for today's readings:

The world operates on vision. God's people live by revelation. The world seeks grand and noble purposes and goals to achieve. People dream up the greatest and most satisfying things in which they can invest their lives. Whenever people do not base their lives on God's revelation, they "cast off restraint." That is, they do what is right in their own eyes. Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; But happy is he who keeps the law. (Proverbs 29:18)

God's people function in a radically different way. Christians arrange their lives based on the revelation of God, regardless of whether it makes sense to them. God does not ask for our opinion about what is fest for our future, our family, our church, or our country. He already knows! What God wants is to get the attention of His people and reveal to us what is on His heart and what is His will, for God's ways are not our ways! (Isaiah 55:8-9) The only way to know God's will is for Him to reveal it to you. You will never discover it on your own. When you hear from the Father, you have an immediate agenda for your life: obedience.

How appropriate this is for this day in our nation's history. If this is my last post, because the evil ones prevent further study of the Bible, I must tell the truth of God's Word. (I have already experienced difficulty in writing this on Google.) I will take a stand for my Savior. Christians, pray for strength to stand no matter the consequences. Evil is trying to take over our nation right now as I write. I wonder if our good lawmakers have had their lives and family's lives threatened, so they have become turncoats. Cheaters, deceivers, fraudulent practices, and evil ones are trying to take over. Whatever happens in our nation, our God is still on His throne. Are you ready for the rapture of the believers? Are your loved ones saved? This is of utmost importance. Are we prepared for a repeat of WWII, when God's people were killed. I am serious, folks. Continue to love Jesus and His Word and God will bless you through hard times ahead of us.

LET IT GROW

Looking at today's chapter 4, we read of very unusual directions that God gave to His prophet Ezekiel. All of these warnings to Israel and Judah and Jerusalem occurred about 6 years before it happened. These were signs in the form of visuals and certain actions for God's messages to be conveyed. (Keep in mind that at this time in Ezekiel's writings, he was with those Jews in exile, and he sat 7 days among them to observe them.)

What are those signs which were unique tasks that God gave Ezekiel, what to do, how to do it, and what to say?

1. In his house, Ezekiel made a 3-D model of the outline of Jerusalem using tiles (a brick from the whiteness of clay). He was to lay siege against Jerusalem's wall by using ramps, military camps, and battering rams, on all sides. Obviously, the exiles knew what these military devices meant, but must have been in disbelief to think their holy city would ever come under such a devastating attack. After all, Jerusalem was the place of God's presence and protection. But their sins had already doomed Jerusalem, and God had set His face against the city and its sinful people to such an extent that He was like an iron plate or pan against them. (verses 1-3)
2. Ezekiel was given unusual actions-lay 390 days on his left side, facing the northern kingdom of Israel, to show that Israel would be punished 390 years. This happened from the time of the divided kingdom as Israel left and had their own evil kings established. They turned to idolatry as their neighbors did. Ezekiel was to lay on his right side facing the southern kingdom of Judah, to show Judah would be punished 40 years. And so it happened as God deemed as punishment for their idolatry, from the time Jerusalem fell and Cyrus of Persia allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem to rebuild it. (verses 4-8) We know the prophet did not spend all of his time lying on his sides, for he performed other tasks, only part of his time.
3. Specific instructions were given to Ezekiel concerning his bread and water for his consumption. The small amounts he was allowed symbolized the rations of those living in Jerusalem while surrounded by Babylon. His bread was only 8 ounces and water was only one and one half cups (1/6 of a gallon). His bread was to be baked over human excretions instead of that of cows' dung, which was disobeying the Jewish law, making it ceremonially unclean to consume. This illustrated how the exiles from Jerusalem would eat when they left the city. Isaiah and Jeremiah predicted famine was coming if the Jews did not repent and turn to God.

These instructions are probably overwhelming for most of us. Just think how difficult it must have been for Ezekiel to do. These signs were horrible for us to read, and for the Jews to see and hear. We will learn of another sign in chapter 5.  

LET IT GO

As Ezekiel remained God's faithful servant, so must we.

Pray, dear friends. God is faithful to His servants.

Love each other and help each other as we face hard times ahead.

*Please pray for the family of our good friend Rick McGee as they deal with his passing due to Covid yesterday. Many times he lead music in revives at our churches. Also, my husband and I joined his singing group throughout the years. Rick had many struggles in life-2 kidney transplants, other health issues. He led many youth to Christ along the way when he had Champions for Christ singing groups. such a faithful soldier for Jesus. He even became a preacher and pastor of the gospel. All who knew Rick loved him. He will be greatly missed. 

Sit and Listen

O. T. #1855  "Sit and Listen"

January 7, 2021

LET IT GLOW

 Ezekiel sat silently for 7 days among the exiled Jews. He heard what they said and observed what they did. (God sent him there.) He sat where they sat and was astonished. Ezekiel was overwhelmed with grief for  the sins and misery of his people. During that time, God did not show him visions, nor did men visit him,. He was left to digest his grief before the Word of the Lord came to him. First, he needed to be humbled so God could be exulted. (Matthew Henry)

Stephen Covey wrote in his book Seven Habits of Highly Effective People: He learned a valuable lesson of empathy as he observed rowdy and rambunctious children on a New York subway; He spoke to their father about their actions, not realizing their situation. They had come from the hospital just after their mother died. not knowing how to handle it.  His lesson learned that day was, seek to understand before seeking to be understood.

People may irritate or hut us because they are in pain. If they lash out at us, it is due to personal frustration. Let's look beyond their words and see their heart. Let's seek to understand before seeking to be understood. (David Jeremiah)

We often need to come down from our towers and walk a mile in someone else's shoes. Do we sit down with our friends and get down on their level? Do we try to see things from their perspective, the way they see it. Seven days was a long time to be feeling someone else's hurts. So, have we learned the fine art of compassion and empathy? Who needs us to sit where they sit this week? Are we ministering to the hurt and downtrodden this week? It's time for me to put some walk to my talk and do this more, sharing the love of Jesus by listening to the brokenhearted. Do we cry with them?

LET IT GROW

What job did God give to Ezekiel in verses 15-21? He was made a watchman unto the house of Israel. In the Hebrew language, the word watchman means to lean forward; to peer into the distance; to observe; await; look up. There are different kinds of watchmen-one who guards flocks against robbers and beasts; one who alerted a community of enemies approaching; ministers who guard their church flock against evil and pointing out their disobedience. What was Ezekiel's assignment? (Keep in mind that it was the idolatry of the Jews that caused them to be captives and removed from Jerusalem.)

• If Ezekiel did not warn the Jews that they were going to die in their sins, then God would hold him responsible.
• However, if he did warn them and they continued in disobedience and die in their sins, Ezekiel was not responsible.
• If a righteous man commits sins, he shall die; because he was not warned by the prophet, thus, his blood was required at the hand of Ezekiel.
• On the other hand, if the prophet warned the righteous man of his sin, and repents, then he shall live; Ezekiel had deliver his soul.

We don't fall from grace, loosing our salvation, since we are saved by grace through faith, not of works nor the law. A true believer in Jesus will not intentionally live in sin and deliberately practice sin. So, friend, we are held accountable for sharing the gospel good news to the lost.

LET IT GO

Learn to listen to the hurting.

Share the Word of God with them.

Listen with love.

Be compassionate to those who have failed; encouraging to those who are suffering because of their own doing sin.

Give it to Jesus. Let Him handle it. Take it out of our hands, Lord.

Are We Hard as a Diamond?

O. T. #1854  "Are We Hard as a Diamond?"

January 6, 2021

Ezekiel 3-Part 3

LET IT GLOW

 As a review, the Babylonians began their deportations of the Jews in 606 BC which included Daniel. The second group included Ezekiel, a young man about of about 25 years of age. He was taken to Tel-abib near the ship canal Chebar. (verse 15) Then 5 years later, God called Ezekiel to be His prophet to those exiled. This occurred about 6 years before Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed in 586. So Jeremiah was ministering to the Jews back home.

Ezekiel's task as a priest called prophet was to tell the captives that God would destroy Jerusalem, not Babylon, then one day gloriously restore the people and the Temple. In his first vision, Ezekiel saw a fiery chariot, surrounded by angels, come in a whirlwind. This symbolized God's judgment on Jerusalem. As a rainbow was in the storm, Ezekiel was shown God's mercy and His covenant would not fail His people. We will recall that Noah saw the rainbow after the storm, John saw it before the storm, and Ezekiel saw it within the storm.  [Resource: Wiersbe's Expository Outlines on the Old Testament]

With that said, God told Ezekiel to go speak His Words to the hardhearted and hardheaded captive Jews. Since he was obedient, those Jews were without excuse that they did not know what was coming because God sent a prophet in their midst-Ezekiel.

What encouragement did Ezekiel receive from God as he prepared for such a difficult task? We read in verses 8-10:

• God made hardhearted and stronger than his hearers. (verse 8) Ezekiel's nerve and courage  was made strong as steel for when he faced opposition.
• God made him adamant, which means a gem, probably a diamond (stone), which refers to Ezekiel being sharp as an engraving implement as God's message was given to him. It also refers to a thorn-bush, which means the words Ezekiel spoke would prick the hearts of the Jews.(verse 9)
• God told Ezekiel to let His Words sink deep into his own heart first. (verse 10a)
• God told the prophet to listen carefully for himself. (verse 10b)

I wonder how many sermons I have heard during my lifetime. I began attending church services and Sunday School when I was a child, then continued as a youth, and as an adult. Have I allowed God's Words to sink into my heart, then apply it? Have I allowed the Word to change my heart and life? Has it made my faith stronger through the years? How about you, dear friend?   

LET IT GROW

In verse 14, the Spirit of God lifted up Ezekiel to the River Chebar. He went in bitterness and turmoil, but the LORD's strong hand held him there.  He came to the colony of Judean exiles, was overwhelmed, and sat among them for seven days.  He sat in complete silence with the Jews, his people. This was the place where the prophet's ministry would begin.

Why was Ezekiel bitter and angry? Because the sin of Judah's people angered him as much as it angered the Lord. This is a reminder that the spirituality is manifested when we feel the way God feels about unrighteousness. (Tony Evans)

They had turned to idolatry, forsaking the worship and dependency upon God. As a child is disciplined for doing wrong and disobedience, so God disciplines His children. Have you been taken to the woodshed lately? It isn't pleasant, but needful so we have a repentant heart and changed life. Actually, it is a good thing, for it shows us the love and mercy of God for us. 

Is our heart strong as a diamond as we proclaim God's Word and Truth? How about our faith? Even when we face hardhearted people, we must be faithful to tell them what God's Word says.

LET IT GO

May Your Word prick our hearts, O LORD God.

Make it strong in us and shine in us like a diamond.

Help us to listen to the Spirit as He speaks to our heart, then obey when He says go.

Go

O. T. #1853  "Go"

January 5, 2021

Ezekiel 3-Part 2

LET IT GLOW

 What did we learn that Ezekiel's first kingdom assignment was? It was to eat the roll of the Word of God. He was to take it into his belly and let it become a part of him. What an unusual assignment, don't you think? Yet, with Jeremiah, God's Word became a burning fire in his bones, foretold of the coming Messiah; with Daniel, he refused to bow before an idol, being obedient to God's Word, experienced safety in a lion's den as he demonstrated faith in his God; Moses trembled when God spoke to him and we know all the miraculous things God did through him; Peter fell down on his knees realizing what a sinful man he was after denying Jesus, them preached such strong message on the day of Pentecost, resulting in over 3,000 being saved. So many faced giants with confidence in God, such as David.

If you "digest" God's Word, you will find that not only does it make you stronger in your faith, but its wisdom also sweetens your life. You need to feed yourself spiritually just as you do physically. You must make digesting God's Word a regular part of your life. (Life Application Study Bible)

Our God keeps His Word, keeps His promises, and works through His people to accomplish His purposes. Are we taking in God's Word in our heart and life so we can make a difference in our generation and world. It starts right here and right now. Who knows what things God will accomplish when we surrender to do His will and be obedient to His Word? May we be the living Word today for someone. How blessed we will be when we do. The sacrifice of time that we give studying God's Word  pleases Him and strengthens us. May we choose what is better, for it will not be taken away from us.

 

LET IT GROW

 As we read through this chapter, there is a two-letter word that is repeated 6 times. Did you recognize it? It is the word go, which is used in the Hebrew language as 3 different words with similar yet different meanings. (Before he went, Ezekiel was told to let all God's Words sink deep into his own heart first, then listen to them carefully for himself. verse 10)

In verses 1, 4, and 11, go means to walk; to carry; spread. Ezekiel was instructed to carry and speak God's Word to the house of Israel, those in captivity, whether they listened to him or not.  

In verses 22 and 25, the word go refers to break out; bring forth; grow. Ezekiel had to leave (break out) where he was, going forth into a valley (plain) where God was going to speak to him. He was told to not go, bring himself, among the rebellious ones.

In verse 24, go means abide; enter; run. So Ezekiel had to run to his house, enter into it, and shut himself inside it. He was going to be tied with ropes (bands) so he could not go out among the people.

Although there is no recording of physical violence toward this prophet, it is suggested that this meant these were bands of moral restraint, such as the people's rejection of his warning against their sin and impending judgment. (Liberty Bible Commentary)

Ezekiel was to fulfill much of his ministry at home, limiting it to those who came to hear him there. Those rebellious Jews could have a depressing influence upon Ezekiel. Thus, they would repress his freedom in preaching. God put a restraint on Ezekiel through a supernatural power so he could only go and speak where and when God chose. (verses 26, 27)  (The MacArthur Bible Commentary)

God chooses to whom He sends us and the words for us to share. If you are spending a lot of time at home, consider your family as your mission field. There are so many Christian sources available to us through media and books for our encouragement. I appreciate your faithfulness in joining me in studying through the Old Testament. I know it has been a hard thing as we have gone through Isaiah and Jeremiah, then Lamentations. However, we have found some sweet words along the way.

So when God tells us to go, may we be faithful in going and sharing His Word. As believers in Jesus Christ, we have the responsibility to share the good news to sinners so they may be saved and follow God. How can we keep silent when we know people who need to escape the wrath of God?

In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus commands us to Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you; and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

LET IT GO

Lord Jesus, bless us, keep us in Your will, make Your face shine upon us. May His favor be upon us to a thousand generations. May His presence go before us and around us as we go.

Use us to share Your love and Word today to those who need it.

May we take joy in our journey with You, Jesus. Help us to make the most of our time here before we go home to be with You forever.

Is the Word of God Sweet to You?

O. T. #1852  "Is the Word of God Sweet to You? "

January 4, 2021

Ezekiel 3

LET IT GLOW

Do we sometimes feel like we are not having a good effect on others? Like, what is the use? We are not alone, dear one. Ezekiel had a very difficult task in his kingdom work and assignment. God was preparing him ahead of time.

In the first chapter, we read of the vision of God that Ezekiel had-angels surrounding a chariot of fire which Jesus sat upon like a throne. Ezekiel fell face down, and reasonably so, for the glory of the LORD was before him. All of this definitely got this priest's attention, as it would anyone.

Then, Ezekiel, called son of man, was told to stand and the Spirit spoke to him. He was being sent to a rebellious nation of Israel, to a stubborn and hard-hearted people. His was a commission as that of Isaiah and Jeremiah, a difficult task to perform for his Lord. Whether those rebels listened or not to Ezekiel, at least they knew they had a prophet among them. He was told to not be afraid of them, but to deliver the messages the Sovereign LORD said to him.

What unusual command was Ezekiel told in 2:8 and 3:31 before he went to carry out his commission?

• Open his mouth and eat what the LORD gave him.
• A roll of a book was in a hand reaching out to Ezekiel, which the LORD unrolled. Both sides of it were covered with funeral songs, words of sorrow, and pronouncements of doom. (NLT, verse 9)

Here are some explanations which help us better understand what was going on in Ezekiel's vision.

In his vision Ezekiel saw a leather scroll opened so both sides could be seen. The message no doubt dealt with Israel's past history of disobedience, idolatry, bloodshed, chastisement, and woe over her impending judgment. (Liberty Bible Commentary)

Scrolls were normally written on one side only, but this judgment message was so full it required all the available space to chronicle the suffering and sorrow that sin had brought, as recorded in chapters 2-32. (The MacArthur Bible Commentary)

So regardless of his people's responses, Ezekiel was to give Israel God's messages. It is for the exiles in Babylon.  Now Ezekiel was a prophet, which means to announce, to proclaim, to bubble up, to pour forth. the Holy Spirit can bubble up in a person who delivers a divine message. The Hebrew prophets spoke for God. That is why they introduced their messages with "thus says the Lord of Hosts."

As a Christian, we have a message to proclaim to a dying world-Jesus Christ is come to be our Savior, Redeemer, and lives in our hearts. Folks, He wants to save our family and friends from the penalty of sin-death. And to give them eternal life in heaven, as well as strength to live here before then. The Holy Spirit will guide us when and where we are to share this Good News. All we do is submit, obey, and enjoy seeing a sinner saved by grace.

LET IT GROW

Did Ezekiel obey what the Spirit told him to do, eat the scroll? We read the answer in chapter 3. 

What other information is mentioned about it?

• First, he ate the scroll. (verse 3) God's messenger must first internalize God's truth for himself, then preach it, MacArthur explains.
• Next, it was sweet like honey. Even though it was a message of judgment, the scroll was sweet because it was God's Word (Ps. 19:10; Ps. 119:103) and because it vindicated God in holiness, righteousness, glory, and faithfulness.
• Cause thy belly to eat and bill thy bowels with this roll, was his instructions.(verse 3) Ezekiel was to digest the Word of God, reading it and making it a part of himself.

Then Ezekiel was told twice to go to the house of Israel and speak God's Words unto them. (3:1,4) He was sent to a people who spoke his language. Had he been sent to a foreign people that did not understand, then they would believe and repent, but it was not so for the surviving Israelites. They did not want to hear what Ezekiel had to say for they did not want to hear what God had to say to them. They were hardheaded and hardhearted people. Therefore, God was going to make Ezekiel just as tough so he could speak to them without being discouraged. (verse 7-9)

Folks, when we get discouraged, eat the sweet Word of God. Find encouragement there. It is filled with His grace, joy, and love that can touch our life. We must be prepared for the worse when only the bad comes. the race is not over. Our lives still count. Although we are not yet perfect, the Master's touch can be just what we need, just what another's soul needs.

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. (Hebrews 12:2) 

But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another. (1 John 1:17)

More to be desired are they (statutes of the LORD)than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. (Psalm 19:10)

Praise be to You, O Lord; teach me your decrees. (Psalm 119:12)

LET IT GO

Help us let go of our things we hold onto that are not what You desire for us.

Keep us walking by faith and not by sight, Jesus.

Make Your Words a part of our life today.

Use us to speak Your  sweet Words of strength and comfort to others.

As You are faithful, sweet Jesus, keep us faithful to You.