August 16: Ezekiel 9-11

THURSDAY, AUGUST 16, 2012

Ezekiel 9–11

Today’s passage features Ezekiel’s prophecy of Judah’s destruction but also a beautiful vision of true restoration.  In this discussion of restoration, we may see the intimate heart of God in bringing people back to Himself and the grand newness of salvation.

 

The Lord delivers visions to Ezekiel in which He takes the prophet on a “field trip” to Jerusalem.  In the first place, Ezekiel can observe the temple but understands how idol worship has marred what God had initially intended.  Importantly, despite this idolatry, God has remained faithful to His place:  “And there before me was the glory of the God of Israel, as in the vision I had seen in the plain.”  God had not abandoned His children, but they had replaced true worship with bowing down to idols (false gods).

 

The Lord issues three different levels of “detestable” visions, including an “idol of jealousy,” 70 elders worshiping idols of animals, and a group of sun worshipers.  The Israelites had borrowed many of these practices from surrounding nations, but one can sense that the hardness of their hearts drove them away from the Lord.  In the case of the sun worship – a typical Egyptian practice, in which Ra served as the sun god – we read:  “With their backs toward the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east, they were bowing down to the son of the east.”  God righteously expresses His jealousy for the people.  This jealousy is not a fickle jealousy of a jilted lover.  Instead, as Creator and Sustainer of all that lives, God knows our hearts and the terrible consequences of turning our backs on Him and is rightly jealous for our affections.  Such behavior should stir similar emotions within us as those of the women mourning for Tammuz.

 

Clearly, the leaders of Israel have failed to promote true worship.  Their point of embarkation lay in their believing the lie that God had forsaken them and somehow departed from Israel.  Often, a single lie will lead us to act in ways contrary to what our “heart of hearts” might encourage us to do.  For example, were I to believe that I am unworthy of God’s love, I might live a life much like the Judaizers (mentioned in Galatians), seeking to earn God’s approval through my good works.  Or, as another example, I might struggle in believing that God will fully provide for my needs; in response, I might try to take matters in my own hands and use whatever Machiavellian method needed to put food on the table.

 

The leaders in Israel’s incredulity and forsaking of God drove Him from His throne, and the glory departed from the temple.  The “Promised Land” truly became barren in the departure of God’s holy presence from His temple.  Ezekiel sees that God will bring judgment upon the idolaters in Jerusalem as part of His departure from the temple.  Please note that God only selects “those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it” for His protection.  Despite our perception of God’s judgment, His purpose is to ultimately make His Name great:  “You will fall by the sword, and I will execute judgment on you at the borders of Israel.  Then you will know that I am the Lord.  This city will not be a pot for you, nor will you be the meat in it; I will execute judgment on you at the borders of Israel.  And you will know that I am the Lord, for you have not followed my decrees or kept my laws but have conformed to the standards of the nations around you.”

 

After this grave judgment, however, God promises restoration, both physical and spiritual, for His people.  First, He promises that:

 

“I will gather you from the nations and bring you back from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you back the land of Israel again.

 

“They will return to it and remove all its vile images and detestable idols.  I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.  Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.  They will be my people, and I will be their God.”

 

 

Only God Almighty could bring about such real change – through the power of the Holy Spirit.

 

 

QUESTIONS

 

1. What lies might you believe that are keeping you from loving God more deeply?  Where might they have come from?

2. Would you join me in praying for God’s spiritual rebirth for our family, friends, co-workers, and neighbors?

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Ezekiel 1 - 7

Ezekiel 1 – 7

 

Not gonna lie, I've been pretty intimidated by these chapters.  I'm not an expert on prophecy, symbolism, and I can't tell you what this all means!  Creatures with wings, four faces of a man, lion, ox, and eagle.  Nope!  Don't know.  Not my specialty.  I've been thinking and praying for the last couple days what to write, what to communicate, and I know that God is good and that He makes it happen.  There are great themes in the book of Ezekiel, but I'm going to focus on what I know and the questions I ask: Who is God?  What is He like?  How should I act towards Him? 

 

In chapter 1 we see an image of God – an appearance of His "likeness."  We know from Exodus that no one can see the face of God and live, but Ezekiel saw this brightness, glow, rainbow of amber and color and his first reaction and response was falling flat on his face.  John does the same in Revelation.  Kinda makes you wonder if that's a taste of what Heaven will be like: awe-filled by God's glory. 

 

I started making a list of notes of what I observed I think it's better than me trying to reconstruct paragraphs.

 

God:

He speaks, His voice is heard with instructions and a mission

Gives us nothing we can't handle, and conforms us to the tasks at hand

Many times reminds Ezekiel not to be afraid

Is a God of wrath, anger, and judgment.  He punishes when it's deserved.

But still reveals His mercy by leaving a remnant who will live

Reveals Himself through His voice, gives out his hand, the Spirit (Trinity)

Is Zealous.

But ALL happens for His glory, that his name be known.

 

Us/Man/Ezekiel:

Called to do hard things, very hard things.

Go to our own people and also the mission to the Gentiles.

Have to be self sacrificing and obedient – take up others burdens.

Mission may be dangerous and unthinkable.

The Word is like honey, needs to be in us in order to work for him (the eating of the scroll)

We have to step out or our norms, traditions and comfort zones to serve: what we eat  (chapter 4 bread and water rations) shaving the hair, beard, our identities may have to be alerted in order to effectively serve  

 

There are many more points that I have in my head and unfortunately this is kind of a rough draft.  There will continue to be challenging themes and interpretations, but I know to focus on God and His character and how I can be a better servant.  

August 14

Jeremiah 34:15-15 Recently you repented and did what is right in my sight... But now you have turned around and profaned my name; each of you has taken back the male and female slaves you had set free to go where they wished. At home, I have a Roomba, a robot vacuum cleaner. It's a small round device that moves across the floor, cleaning as it goes. When it bumps into a wall or a piece of furniture, it changes direction. This continues until the entire floor has been covered. There are times when our dog Sawyer gets in the way! If the Roomba bumps into him, it will again turn and go in a different direction. (I must admit that when I first heard of this robot, I thought it was silly, but now that I have one, I think it's amazing!) The Israelites in this passage are a lot like the Roomba, going in one direction and then another. Despite their long history of disregard for the Law, somehow they felt inclined to follow God's instructions when it came to setting slaves free every seven years. They realized that what they were doing was wrong and obeyed God by granting their slaves freedom. They started to go in the right direction. Unfortunately, this repentance was halfhearted and it didn't last. It's easy to imagine that as soon as the Israelites had work pile up (in other words, "bumped into a wall"), they regretted their choice and took back the slaves that they freed. It's frustrating to see them waiver in their faith like that, knowing that we suffer from the same kind of halfhearted repentance in our own lives. We desire to do the right thing and change directions, but we easily get caught up in the same sin we tried to leave behind. If you find yourself continuing to move in different directions, ask God to help you stay on the right path. Even if an obstacle gets in your way, He will give you the strength to stay on the path of wholehearted repentance. (Credit to F. LaGard Smith for these insights)

Monday Jeremiah 50:1-40, 51:59

Today's reading is all about the prophecy regarding the complete annihilation of Babylon: the captor's of God's children.  Babylon's destruction will be complete to the point that no trace of them will be found.  Through this destruction, Israel and Judah will be set free and their sins of disobedience and rebellion will be no more.  You can search for the sins of these nations but they will not be found because of God's forgiveness.

I am Judah.  I am Israel.  I was a rebellious child.  I was disobedient.  I lived a life that was in complete opposition to God.  I knew how he wanted me to live but I saw that life as confined, cramped, controlling.  It was a life that seemed boring, unsatisfying, & stifling.  I wanted what felt like freedom to do what I wanted to do.  Freedom to live a life I wanted to live.  God is a loving God not an overbearing controlling God as he can sometimes be thought as.  Being that loving God, he gave me just what I wanted.  He gave me over to the sinful life I wanted to live.  The problem is what I thought was freedom was actually captivity.  I became captive to a life that was nothing I thought it would be.  I found myself trapped, controlled by wrong choices, unsatisfied, hindered by the choices I had made and the life that I was now in.  My sin was my Babylon, it was my captor!

Eventually I was like God's children.  I longed to be freed from the bondage I was in.  I was tired of the captive life.  I longed for the chains to be loosed and to live a life of freedom within the safety of God's fortress of love, grace, mercy and forgiveness.

Jeremiah 50:4-5 (Today's reading)
"In those days, at that time," declares the LORD, "the people of Israel and the people of Judah together will go in tears to seek the LORD their God.  They will ask the way to Zion and turn their faces toward it. They will come and bind themselves to the LORD in an everlasting covenant that will not be forgotten.

Acts 3:19
"Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord."

With true repentance and a real desire to live within the boundaries of God's word (where true freedom exists) God will hear our hearts cries and free us from our captive sin.  That is what he did for Israel and Judah when their hearts were truly broken.

Jeremiah 50:33-34 (today's reading)
"This is what the LORD Almighty says: "The people of Israel are oppressed, and the people of Judah as well. All their captors hold them fast, refusing to let them go.  Yet their Redeemer is strong; the LORD Almighty is his name. He will vigorously defend their cause so that he may bring rest to their land."

John 8:34-36
"I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.  Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever.  So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

We too have that same Redeemer, the Lord Almighty who is strong and our defender when we are too weak to break the chains that hold us to a life of sin.  He is our defender and rescuer.  He is our hope and in him we find our freedom.  Not just partial freedom but complete freedom from the sins that hold us captive.

Jeremiah 50:19-20 (today's reading)
"But I will bring Israel back to his own pasture and he will graze on Carmel and Bashan; his appetite will be satisfied on the hills of Ephraim and Gilead. 20 In those days, at that time," declares the LORD, "search will be made for Israel's guilt, but there will be none, and for the sins of Judah, but none will be found, for I will forgive the remnant I spare."

What a gift.  Not only are Israel and Judah freed from captivity but the sins that caused them to end up there are nowhere to be found.  Even their guilt is no longer in existence.  All that Babylon represented in concern to their sins was gone completely.

Like Babylon, God destroyed my captor; he destroyed my sins that held me captive.  He didn't just set me free but destroyed my sins, annihilated them by his sacrifice on the cross.  Destroyed them so that not even a trace of them could be found.  All this so that I could be completely and truly freed from the guilt and sin that was in my life.  Never again can it hold me in bondage. 

What a treasure I have been given and I, all too often, fail to realize what exactly was done for me by my Redeemer, my Savior: Jesus Christ.  He forgave me, freed me, refreshed me, and has made my life full.  How truly blessed am I.

Thank you Lord Almighty, my Redeemer for your forgiveness. Thank you for not just removing my sins from me but for destroying them completely on the cross.  I can truly live a life of freedom knowing that they are no more.  Never to be held against me.  They can never hold my heart captive ever again.  I can hold tight to your peace, your joy, and find complete rest and satisfaction that only can be found in you.  Thank you for loving me enough to not let me remain in sin but to lead me from bondage into the pasture land of freedom.

JER 23

Jeremiah 23:9-22

False prophets of the region had misled, and brainwashed the Israelites into idolatrous ways, yet the Lord considered the false prophets of Jerusalem just as guilty of even more horrible wickedness, so much as so the people were committing blatant sin. These false teachers would to suffer the worst part of the Lord's displeasure. They fooled themselves believe that there was no harm in sin, and practiced it accordingly. Then they convinced others to believe so as well. Those who are resolved to go on in their evil ways, will justly be given up to believe many misinterpretations. Truth be told which of them had received any true revelation of God, or understood anything of his word? There was a time coming when they would look back on their foolishness and lack belief with heavy remorse. The teaching and example of the true prophets like Jeremiah led men to true repentance, faith, and righteousness. The false prophets completely led men to misguidance and ruin and to be content in their sins.

We find it horrible that the people of God can be so easily misled, misguided etc….! What a bunch of idiot's! In reality the world and all it has to offer, as well as our own SINFUL desires too mislead us. Let us not throw stones at these people when we are guilty of the same thing!

Jeremiah 23:23-32

Men cannot be hidden from God who sees it all! Will they never see what judgments they're bringing upon themselves and their families? Let them consider what a huge difference there is between these prophecies and those delivered by the true legitimate prophets of the Lord. Wow they are so bold to call their foolish dreams Divine oracles. The weak promises of peace these prophets make are no more to be compared to God's promises than chaff to wheat. The stubborn heart of man is like granite! If it is not softened by the word of God as a righteous fire, it will be broken to pieces by the same Word as if by a hammer. How can they be safe, or at all at ease, to have a God of almighty power against them? The word of God is no smooth, luke warm, deceitful message. Without question by its faithfulness it may certainly be distinguished from false doctrines.

Look at the cults all around us! We don't have to look that far to the cults. We can turn on the T.V. and look at these false churches that preach such falseness. Promises of abundant trouble free lives, the ole heath and wealth gospel, name it and claim it in the name of JESUS and it will be yours? (Are you kidding me, what book do they read and teach from? The bible says nothing about that)

We also have false teachers writing books and selling trash like "you can have your best life now!", "Become a better you", not to forget "it's your time" It is bad enough for them to preach such falseness, even worse for us to follow them when we have the word of God at our fingertips. If we just read our bibles we would see the portrait they paint is only excerpts, and passages taken out of context to be used for their gain. 

Jeremiah 23:33-40

Miserable indeed are those who are forsaken and forgotten of God; and men's joking at God's righteous judgments will not baffle them. God had taken Israel to be His people near and dear to him, but they will now be cast out of his presence. It is a mark of great and daring irreligion for men to joke and make light with the words of God. Every ridicules and profane word will add to the sinner's burden in the day of judgment, when everlasting shame will be their lot.

 

How would it be to be forgotten by God? The reality is how often do se forget about God? We follow our own desires, wants, pleasures, SIN the list could go no and no and no……

As Elijah the prophet said on MT Carmel while out numbered by the prophets of Baal and Jezebel. "Chose this day who you will serve"

--
Chuck Goulart
President
Anytime Appliance
203-943-0961

"Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is defined by results not attributes."

August 11

August 11, 2012 

Let's begin today by taking a pop quiz. I am calling this the "Hope" quiz. It will determine your level of hope this Saturday.

1. When facing a difficulty, do you tend to see the positive or the negative?           1 point if negative.

2. Do you worry frequently?                                                                                                  1 point if yes.

3. Is your future going to be better or worse?                                                               1 point if worse.

4. Is it possible to have complete peace in the midst of a life storm?                         1 point if no.

5. Are you able to forgive people who have wounded you?                                                  1 point if no.

6. Are you absolutely passionate about knowing God?                                             1 point if no.

If you have four or more points I think you are hope challenged. Hope is to our spirits what oxygen is to our lungs. Without hope our spirit dies. Our reading today is to a "hope challenged" nation. The southern kingdom of Judah is in the process of being invaded three times. The letter in Jeremiah 29 was written after the second conquest. It is addressed to the exiles living in Babylonia. If we were to summarize this letter in one word it would be "hope." The exiles needed to keep hope alive if they were going to survive this storm.

It is no different for us today. America is experiencing an epidemic of hopelessness. There are four words found in Jeremiah 29 that can restore us.

"Pain" is the first word. Hope is always born out of pain. Pain is the ground in which the tree of hope is planted. This means all of us are candidates for hope because we all have pain. These exiles had lost everything except their lives and what few possessions they could carry. But this exile was not the end of hope; in fact, it was actually the beginning of hope.

Jeremiah 29:4 This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. 

I thought Nebuchadnezzar carried them into exile, yet this verse says God did it. God was present at each step of this exile.  God is taking responsibility for the pain.  Pain is his instrument, his tool, to accomplish his goals.  Remember you are not alone in your pain.

The second word is "Prosper." Jeremiah 29:7 Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.

There is a time for pain to break us but we must move out of the victim stage and bloom where we are planted. Make the best of what God has given you. Some people complain because God put thorns on roses, while others praise Him for putting roses among thorns.  God desires us to praise him for putting roses on thorns.  Life is nothing less than thorns. But hope puts roses on them. Hope sees God's hand moving in the storm and then switches the question from "why" to "what do you want me to learn?" 

The third word is "Promise." Jeremiah 29:11 is a favorite life verse for many. "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

The promise in this verse is that God is in control and he has a plan. God doesn't promise exemption from the storms of life; he promises enablement in those storms. Many people think that God is in control only when life is storm free. This letter was written in the middle of the fierce storm of exile. Our goal is for a life of comfort and ease. God's goal is to make us into fully devoted followers, in the likeness of His Son Jesus. God also promises to prosper us, but His definition of prosperity is very different than ours.

The final word is "Passion."  Hope is a passion. The passion is for seeking God.

Jeremiah 29:13  ^"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."

That passion places hope in our lives.  God will not reveal himself or his plans to the half-hearted. He only reveals himself to the passionate. When we seek after God with all our hearts then He will be found. The challenge for us is the same challenge Judah struggled with. How can God occupy the very center of our hearts in a world with so many distractions? If you find you're "hope challenged" today you should probably check out your passion level for knowing God. They work hand and hand with each other.  Passionately pursue Him; He is the great hope restorer.

Friday, August 10, 2012

Friday, August 10, 2012

Remember God's promise to David in Psalm 89?

Psalm 89:3-4
3 You said, "I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
I have sworn to David my servant,
4 'I will establish your line forever
and make your throne firm through all generations.'"

If David's throne is to last forever, then how can David's line be
thrust from the throne? In today's reading, King Jehoiacan (a king in
the line of David) and his future offspring were dethroned. Here's
what Jeremiah said about King Jehoiacan:

Jeremiah 22:30
30 This is what the LORD says:
"Record this man as if childless,
a man who will not prosper in his lifetime,
for none of his offspring will prosper,
none will sit on the throne of David
or rule anymore in Judah."

Later we'll read about Jehoiachin's grandson, Zerubbabel, who will
return to Judah (when the Jews return from exile in Babylon), but will
be a governor (under the Persian Empire), not a king. So how does
God's promise to David hold credibility? Simple, King Jesus. In the
book of Matthew and in the book of Luke, Zerubbabel is listed in the
genealogy of Jesus. Also, we'll soon read what the angel Gabriel said
to Mary:

31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him
Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most
High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33
and he will reign over Jacob's descendants forever; his kingdom will
never end." (Luke 1:31-32)

Let's give praise to our eternal King today.


Another great theme in today's reading:
-God's patience – God allowed Judah to sin greatly over a period of
six generations of kings (from Manasseh to Jehoiachin) before allowing
King Nebachadnessar of Babylon to exile them. If I was married to
someone and they cheated on me, they'd be lucky to get six days before
I'd give them the boot. Six generations? God's patience is beyond my
comprehension.

Wait, what am I talking about? They cheated on God every day over six
generations. Wow! I can't even begin to make up an analogy in the
human sense, which would resemble God's patience and mercy.

I encourage you to be "Wowed" by God today.

God Bless,
Anthony