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.