I love reading in a variety of translations. It can give a broader perspective of the passages we’re reading. The NIV reads that Ezekiel was in the 30th year. 30th year of what? I thought it was the 30th year of their exile. Sometimes they’ll say they received a revelation during a certain year of a king’s reign. I read this chapter through 3 times yesterday. I have the NLT (New Living Translation) in the car. I read in the NLT, “on July 31 of my 30th year.” Biblical scholars are able to cross reference dates with events mentioned in these books. One thing I learned is that Ezekiel has more dates than any other prophecy. Was Ezekiel 30 years old when he started his ministry? It’s the age Jesus was when he began his public ministry.
From my notes on Ezekiel: “Nebuchadnezzar soon responded by sending a force against Jerusalem, subduing it in 597 b.c. Jehoiakim’s son Jehoiachin and about 10,000 Jews (see 2Ki 24:14), including Ezekiel, were exiled to Babylon, where they joined those who had been exiled in Jehoiakim’s “third year” (see Da 1:1 and note). Nebuchadnezzar placed Jehoiachin’s uncle, Zedekiah, on the throne in Jerusalem, but within five or six years he too rebelled. The Babylonians laid siege to Jerusalem in 588, and in July, 586, the walls were breached and the city plundered. On Aug. 14, 586, the city and temple were burned.”
Jeremiah prophecied that Jerusalem would be overthrown for 70 years. It’s what Daniel read from Jeremiah as well.
“The word came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, which was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon…Therefore the LORD Almighty says this: ‘Because you have not listened to my words, I will summon all the peoples of the north and my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants and against all the surrounding nations. I will completely destroy them and make them an object of horror and scorn, and an everlasting ruin. I will banish from them the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom, the sound of millstones and the light of the lamp. This whole country will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years.’” (Jeremiah 1:1, 8-11)
After reading this Daniel recorded, “In the first year of Darius son of Ahasuerus (a Mede by descent), who was made ruler over the Babylonian kingdom- in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the LORD given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.” (Daniel 9:1-3)
Ezekiel recorded, “In the thirtieth year, in the fourth month on the fifth day, while I was among the exiles by the Kebar River, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God. On the fifth of the month-it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin- the word of the LORD came to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, by the Kebar River in the land of the Babylonians. There the hand of the LORD was upon him.” (1:1-3)
So on July 31, 593 b.c., Ezekiel received his call to ministry in dramatic form. He “was active for 22 years, his last dated oracle being received in April, 571 (see 29:17). If the “thirtieth year” of 1:1 refers to Ezekiel’s age at the time of his call, his prophetic career exceeded a normal priestly term of service by two years (see Nu 4:3). His period of activity coincides with Jerusalem’s darkest hour, preceding the 586 destruction by 7 years and following it by 15.” (www.ibs.org)
The full description of the four creatures he saw take up most of the first chapter. Verse 20 says, “wherever the Spirit would go, they would go.” That’s how I want to live my life. Wherever I see the Spirit going is where I want to go. You can’t stand still and follow Jesus! He’s always on the move. He might move us to a lakeside so we don’t move for awhile, or to catch a vision on the mountain top, but then he’ll take us back down into the valley to touch the lives of others.
I’m not going to get into the description on these creatures, because I think the main point of chapter one is the “voice from above the expanse over their heads as they stood with lowered wings.” (v25) When he saw the Figure on the throne, he wrote how “this was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking.” (v28) We can get so caught up in the experience that we forget the One we’re experiencing. God had a message to give Ezekiel. What message is God giving you today? Are you taking the time to listen to Him? He might not come to you preceded by four-faced creatures, but He still wants to communicate with you today.
Filed under: scriptures | Tags: ezekiel, God, Jesus, reading, scriptures
After hearing Brennan Manning in February of 2006, I decided to read through the Bible as many times as I could. I saw in him a man who was in love with God. I didn’t want Brennan’s writing ability or his speaking ability. I didn’t want his notoriety. I wanted his relationship with God. I was envious of the closeness he experienced with God. So, part of my pursuit of God was splitting my Bible up into 6 sections and reading a certain number of chapters out of those sections each day (Pentateuch:4 History: 4 Poetry: 5 Prophecy: 5 Gospels+Acts: 4 Letters: 3). I read through the Bible twice in 2006 and three times this year.
But I was missing something. Depth. I missed digging deeper. After five times through, I had my most difficult times reading through Job and Ezekiel. So, I thought I would spend this next year with Ezekiel. I want to get to know him. I’ve collected some notes and will probably collect more over this next year’s journey. I’ll write my own thoughts out through each chapter as I get to know Ezekiel better in 2008.
Filed under: scriptures | Tags: Bible, ezekiel, Jesus, prophecy, scriptures
Here are some notes on Ezekiel’s prophecy that I have collected from different sources. All the sources are named.
Background on Ezekiel (from the NIV Study Bible Introduction on Ezekiel)
Ezekiel lived during a time of international upheaval. The Assyrian empire that had once conquered the Syro-Palestinian area and destroyed the northern kingdom of Israel (which fell to the Assyrians in 722-721 b.c.) began to crumble under the blows of a resurgent Babylon. In 612 the great Assyrian city of Nineveh fell to a combined force of Babylonians and Medes. Three years later, Pharaoh Neco II of Egypt marched north to assist the Assyrians and to try to reassert Egypt’s age-old influence over Canaan and Aram (Syria). At Megiddo, King Josiah of Judah, who may have been an ally of Babylon as King Hezekiah had been, attempted to intercept the Egyptian forces but was crushed, losing his life in the battle (see 2Ki 23:29-30; 2Ch 35:20-24).
Jehoahaz, a son of Josiah, ruled Judah for only three months, after which Neco installed Jehoiakim, another son of Josiah, as his royal vassal in Jerusalem (609 b.c.). In 605 the Babylonians overwhelmed the Egyptian army at Carchemish (see Jer 46:2), then pressed south as far as the Philistine plain. In the same year, Nebuchadnezzar was elevated to the Babylonian throne and Jehoiakim shifted allegiance to him. When a few years later the Egyptian and Babylonian forces met in a standoff battle, Jehoiakim rebelled against his new overlord.
Nebuchadnezzar soon responded by sending a force against Jerusalem, subduing it in 597 b.c. Jehoiakim’s son Jehoiachin and about 10,000 Jews (see 2Ki 24:14), including Ezekiel, were exiled to Babylon, where they joined those who had been exiled in Jehoiakim’s “third year” (see Da 1:1 and note). Nebuchadnezzar placed Jehoiachin’s uncle, Zedekiah, on the throne in Jerusalem, but within five or six years he too rebelled. The Babylonians laid siege to Jerusalem in 588, and in July, 586, the walls were breached and the city plundered. On Aug. 14, 586, the city and temple were burned.
Under Nebuchadnezzar and his successors, Babylon dominated the international scene until it was crushed by Cyrus the Persian in 539 b.c. The reign of the house of David came to an end; the kingdom of Judah ceased to be an independent nation; Jerusalem and the Lord’s temple lay in ruins.
WIKI The Book of Ezekiel was written for the Israelites living in exile in Babylon. Up until that exile their custom had been to worship their God in the temple in Jerusalem. Exile raised important theological questions. How, the Israelites asked, could they worship their God when they were now in a distant land? Was their God still available to them? Ezekiel speaks to this problem. He first explains that the Israelite exile is a punishment for disobedience and he then offers hope to the exiles, suggesting that the exile will be reversed once the Israelites return to God.
Generally speaking, life was good in captivity. Unlike their ancestors, who were enslaved and socially marginalized while in exile in Egypt, the Jews of Ezekiel’s time were able to become part of the society they found themselves in. The Israelite Exiles were told by Jeremiah not to worship the foreign gods, but Jeremiah did tell them that they could become part of the Babylonian culture. They did this well, often being called upon by the Babylonians to complete projects using their skills as artisans. Unlike other enemies, the Babylonians allowed the Jewish people to settle in small groups. While keeping their religious and national identities, many Jewish people did start to settle into their new environment. From building homes to opening businesses, the Jews seemed to settle into their exile land for the long haul.
This growing comfort in Babylon helps to explain why so many Jewish people decided not to return to their land. Many people would have been born in exile and would know nothing of their old land, so when the opportunity came for them to reclaim the land that was taken from them, many decided not to leave the Babylonian land they knew. This large group of people who decided to stay are known to be the oldest of the Diaspora communities along with the Jews of Persia.
Author
What is known of Ezekiel is derived solely from the book that bears his name. He was among the Jews exiled to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar in 597 b.c., and there among the exiles he received his call to become a prophet (see 1:1-3). He was married (see 24:15-18), lived in a house of his own (see 3:24; 8:1) and along with his fellow exiles, though confined to Babylonia, had a relatively free existence there.
He was of a priestly family (see NIV text note on 1:3) and therefore was eligible to serve as a priest. As a priest-prophet called to minister to the exiles (separated from the temple of the Lord with its symbolism, sacrifices, priestly ministrations and worship rituals), his message had much to do with the temple (see especially chs. 8-11; 40-48) and its ceremonies.
Ezekiel was obviously a man of broad knowledge, not only of his own national traditions but also of international affairs and history. His acquaintance with general matters of culture, from shipbuilding to literature, is equally amazing. He was gifted with a powerful intellect and was capable of grasping large issues and of dealing with them in grand and compelling images. His style is often detached, but in places it is passionate and earthy (see chs. 16; 23).
More than any other prophet (more even than Hosea and Jeremiah) he was directed to involve himself personally in the divine word by acting it out in prophetic symbolism.
Occasion, Purpose and Summary of Contents
Though Ezekiel lived with his fellow exiles in Babylon, his divine call forced him to suppress any natural expectations he may have had of an early return to an undamaged Jerusalem. For the first seven years of his ministry (593-586 b.c.) he faithfully relayed to his fellow Jews the stern, heart-rending, hope-crushing word of divine judgment: Because of all her sins, Jerusalem would fall (see chs. 1-24). The fact that Israel was God’s covenant people and that Jerusalem was the city of his temple would not bring their early release from exile or prevent Jerusalem from being destroyed (see Jer 29-30). The only hope the prophet was authorized to extend to his hearers was that of living at peace with themselves and with God during their exile.
After being informed by the Lord that Jerusalem was under siege and would surely fall (24:1-14), Ezekiel was told that his beloved wife would soon die. The delight of his eyes would be taken from him just as the temple, the delight of Israel’s eyes, would be taken from her. He was not to mourn openly for his wife, as a sign to his people not to mourn openly for Jerusalem (24:15-27). He was then directed to pronounce a series of judgments on the seven nations of Ammon, Moab, Edom, Philistia, Tyre, Sidon and Egypt (chs. 25-32). The day of God’s wrath was soon to come, but not on Israel alone.
Once news was received that Jerusalem had fallen, Ezekiel’s message turned to the Lord’s consoling word of hope for his people-they would experience revival, restoration and a glorious future as the redeemed and perfected kingdom of God in the world (chs. 33-48).
Connections with other books in the Bible (From Wikipedia)
It is generally agreed that the closing visions of the Book of Ezekiel are referred to in the book of Revelation.
(Ezek. 38 = Rev. 20:8; Ezek. 47:1-8 = Rev. 22:1,2). Other references to this book are also found in the New Testament. (Compare Epistle to the Romans 2:24 with Ezek. 36:22; Rom. 10:5, Galatians 3:12 with Ezek. 20:11; 2 Peter 3:4 with Ezek. 12:22.)
It is also generally agreed that the Book of Ezekiel refers to the Pentateuch (e.g., Ezek. 27; 28:13; 31:8; 36:11, 34; 47:13, etc.) quite often, and shows on a number of occasions that its author is familiar with the writings of Hosea (Ezek. 37:22), Isaiah (Ezek. 8:12; 29:6), and especially with those of Jeremiah, (Jeremiah 24:7, 9; 48:37).
According to traditionalists, Ezekiel 14:14 refers to the Daniel described in the Biblical Book of Daniel, fourteen years after Daniel’s deportation from Jerusalem, and Ezekiel 28:3 mentions this Daniel again as being ‘pre-eminent in wisdom’. In support of this interpretation, traditionalists note that the name Daniel appears in the Book of Ezekiel immediately after the names of Noah and Job, two other major Biblical characters.
Some non-traditionalist commentators disagree, noting that a “Daniel” also appears in ancient Ugaritic texts, that Daniel isn’t specifically described as a contemporary (indeed, the phrase “Noah, Daniel and Job” implies otherwise), and that the Book of Daniel is widely regarded by modern scholars as having been written centuries later.
Since the book of Ezekiel contains more dates (see chart, p. 1661) than any other OT prophetic book, its prophecies can be dated with considerable precision. In addition, modern scholarship, using archaeology (Babylonian annals on cuneiform tablets) and astronomy (accurate dating of eclipses referred to in ancient archives), provides precise modern calendar equivalents.
Twelve of the 13 dates specify times when Ezekiel received a divine message. The other is the date of the arrival of the messenger who reported the fall of Jerusalem (33:21).
Having received his call in July, 593 b.c., Ezekiel was active for 22 years, his last dated oracle being received in April, 571 (see 29:17). If the “thirtieth year” of 1:1 refers to Ezekiel’s age at the time of his call, his prophetic career exceeded a normal priestly term of service by two years (see Nu 4:3). His period of activity coincides with Jerusalem’s darkest hour, preceding the 586 destruction by 7 years and following it by 15.
Important dates (from Wikipedia)
The Book of Ezekiel can be dated based on the links it records between the rule of King Jehoiachin (King of Jerusalem) and the other events that the book describes.
According to this system, Ezekiel was originally written in the 22 year period between 593 to 571 BC. The following table lists events in Ezekiel with their dates.
|
Dates of Book of Ezekiel |
||
|
Event |
Verse Reference |
Date |
| Chariot Vision (Merkabah) | 1:1-3 | June 6, 593 BC. |
| Call to be a Watchman | 3:16 | June 13, 593 |
| Temple Vision | 8:1 | August 23, 592 |
| Discourse with Elders | 20:1 | July 19, 591 |
| Second Siege of Jerusalem | 24:1 | December 22, 589 |
| Judgment on Tyre | 26:1 | March 30, 587 |
| Judgment on Egypt | 29:1 | December 13, 588 |
| Judgment on Egypt | 29:17 | March 3, 571 |
| Judgment on Egypt | 30:20 | April 5, 587 |
| Judgment on Egypt | 31:1 | May 28, 587 |
| Lament over Pharaoh | 32:1 | February 18, 586 |
| Lament over Egypt | 32:17 | April 2, 586 |
| Fall of Jerusalem | 33:21 | December 13, 586 |
| New Temple Vision | 40:1 | September 26, 573 |
On the fifth day of the fourth month in the fifth year of his exile (5 Tammuz, 593 BC), he said he beheld on the banks of the Chebar the glory of God, who consecrated him as a prophet. The latest date in his book is the first day of the first month in the twenty-seventh year of his exile (1 Nisan, 571 BC); consequently, his prophecies extended over twenty-two years.
The elders of the exiles repeatedly visited him to obtain a divine oracle (chapters 8, 14, 20). He exerted no permanent influence upon his contemporaries, however, whom he repeatedly calls the “rebellious house” (2:5, 6, 8; 3:9, 26, 27; and elsewhere), complaining that although they flock in great numbers to hear him they regard his discourse as a sort of aesthetic amusement, and fail to act in accordance with his words (33:30-33). If the enigmatical date, “the thirtieth year” (1:1), be understood to apply to the age of the prophet, Ezekiel was born exactly at the time of the reform in the ritual introduced by Josiah. Concerning his death nothing is known.
He had a house in the place of his exile, Tel-Abib, where he lost his wife, in the ninth year of his exile, by some sudden and unforeseen stroke (Ezek. 8:1; 24:18).
His ministry extended over twenty-six years 597 – 571 BC (29:17), during part of which he was contemporary with Jeremiah, and probably also with Obadiah. According to tradition, he would also have been contemporary with Daniel (however, Daniel is regarded by some as being written much later, with Ezekiel’s references to “Daniel” being seen as references to an ancient Ugaritic hero of that name, not a contemporary). The time and manner of his death are unknown. His reputed tomb is pointed out in the neighbourhood of Hilla or ancient Babylon, at a place called Al Kifl. http://archnet.org/library/sites/one-site.tcl?site_id=7827
After being led away by the Babylonians on May 29, 597, Ezekiel, along with the other Israelites, was resettled in Babylon. Ezekiel himself lived in his own home in exile at Tel-abib near Chebar canal, which was near Nippur in Babylonia.
The OT in general and the prophets in particular presuppose and teach God’s sovereignty over all creation, over people and nations and the course of history. And nowhere in the Bible are God’s initiative and control expressed more clearly and pervasively than in the book of Ezekiel. From the first chapter, which graphically describes the overwhelming invasion of the divine presence into Ezekiel’s world, to the last phrase of Ezekiel’s vision (“the Lord is there”) the book sounds and echoes God’s sovereignty.
This sovereign God resolved that he would be known and acknowledged. Approximately 65 occurrences of the clause (or variations) “Then they will know that I am the Lord” testify to that divine desire and intention (see note on 6:7). Overall, chs. 1-24 teach that God will be revealed in the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple; chs. 25-32 teach that the nations likewise will know God through his judgments; and chs. 33-48 promise that God will be known through the restoration and spiritual renewal of Israel.
God’s total sovereignty is also evident in his mobility. He is not limited to the temple in Jerusalem. He can respond to his people’s sin by leaving his sanctuary in Israel, and he can graciously condescend to visit his exiled children in Babylon.
God is free to judge, and he is equally free to be gracious. His stern judgments on Israel ultimately reflect his grace. He allows the total dismemberment of Israel’s political and religious life so that her renewed life and his presence with her will be clearly seen as a gift from the Lord of the universe.
Furthermore, as God’s spokesman, Ezekiel’s “son of man” status (see note on 2:1) testifies to the sovereign God he was commissioned to serve.
The three major prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel) and Zephaniah all have the same basic sequence of messages: (1) oracles against Israel, (2) oracles against the nations, (3) consolation for Israel. In no other book is this pattern clearer than in Ezekiel (see Outline).
Besides clarity of structure, the book of Ezekiel reveals symmetry. The vision of the desecrated temple fit for destruction (chs. 8-11) is balanced by the vision of the restored and purified temple (chs. 40-48). The God presented in agitated wrath (ch. 1) is also shown to be a God of comfort (“the Lord is there,” 48:35). Ezekiel’s call to be a watchman announcing divine judgment (ch. 3) is balanced by his call to be a watchman announcing the new age to follow (ch. 33). In one place (ch. 6) the mountains of Israel receive a prophetic rebuke, but in another (ch. 36) they are consoled.
Prophetic books are usually largely poetic, the prophets apparently having spoken in imaginative and rhythmic styles. Most of Ezekiel, however, is prose, perhaps due to his priestly background. His repetitions have an unforgettable hammering effect, and his priestly orientation is also reflected in a case-law type of sentence (compare 3:19, “If you do warn the wicked . . .,” with Ex 21:2, “If you buy a Hebrew servant . . .”).
The book contains four major visions (chs. 1-3; 8-11; 37:1-14; 40-48) and 12 symbolic acts (3:22-26; 4:1-3; 4:4-8; 4:9-11; 4:12-14; 5:1-3; 12:1-16; 12:17-20; 21:6-7; 21:18-24; 24:15-24; 37:15-28). Five messages are in the form of parables (chs. 15-17; 19; 23).
Other prophets deal largely with Israel’s idolatry, with her moral corruption in public and private affairs, and with her international intrigues and alliances on which she relied instead of the Lord. They announce God’s impending judgment on his rebellious nation but speak also of a future redemption: a new exodus, a new covenant, a restored Jerusalem, a revived Davidic dynasty, a worldwide recognition of the Lord and his Messiah and a paradise-like peace.
The contours and sweep of Ezekiel’s message are similar, but he focuses uniquely on Israel as the holy people of the holy temple, the holy city and the holy land. By defiling her worship, Israel had rendered herself unclean and had defiled temple, city and land. From such defilement God could only withdraw and judge his people with national destruction.
But God’s faithfulness to his covenant and his desire to save were so great that he would revive his people once more, shepherd them with compassion, cleanse them of all their defilement, reconstitute them as a perfect expression of his kingdom under the hand of “David” (34:23-24), overwhelm all the forces and powers arrayed against them, display his glory among the nations and restore the glory of his presence to the holy city.
Ezekiel powerfully depicts the grandeur and glory of God’s sovereign rule (see Themes) and his holiness, which he jealously safeguards. The book’s theological center is the unfolding of God’s saving purposes in the history of the world-from the time in which he must withdraw from the defilement of his covenant people to the culmination of his grand design of redemption. The message of Ezekiel, which is ultimately eschatological, anticipates-even demands-God’s future works in history proclaimed by the NT.
- I. Oracles of Judgment against Israel (chs. 1-24)
- A. Ezekiel’s Inaugural Vision (chs. 1-3)
- 1. Overwhelming display of the glory of the Lord (ch. 1)
- 2. Ezekiel’s call to be a prophet (2:1-3:15)
- 3. Ezekiel’s task as watchman (3:16-21)
- 4. Restraints on Ezekiel’s prophetic ministry (3:22-27)
- B. Symbolic Acts Portraying the Siege of Jerusalem (chs. 4-5)
- 1. Ezekiel’s symbolic siege of Jerusalem (ch. 4)
- 2. God’s razor of judgment at work (ch. 5)
- C. Oracles of Divine Judgment (chs. 6-7)
- 1. Doom for the mountains of Israel (ch. 6)
- 2. The end has come on the land (ch. 7)
- D. Corruption of the Temple and Its Consequences (chs. 8-11)
- 1. Idolatry in the temple (ch.
- 2. Judgment on the idolaters (ch. 9)
- 3. God’s glory departs from the temple (ch. 10)
- 4. God’s sure judgment on Jerusalem (11:1-14)
- 5. Those in exile to be restored (11:15-21)
- 6. Conclusion of the vision (11:22-25)
- E. Ezekiel Symbolizes the Exile of Jerusalem (ch. 12)
- 1. An exile’s baggage (12:1-16)
- 2. Anxious eating (12:17-20)
- 3. The nearness of judgment (12:21-28)
- F. Oracles concerning God’s Judgment on Judah (13:1-24:14)
- 1. Condemnation of the false prophets (ch. 13)
- 2. Condemnation of the idolaters (14:1-11)
- 3. No mediators can turn back God’s judgment (14:12-23)
- 4. Jerusalem likened to a piece of burnt vine (ch. 15)
- 5. Jerusalem allegorized as an adulterous wife (ch. 16)
- 6. Allegory of two eagles and a vine (ch. 17)
- 7. The soul who sins will die (ch. 18)
- 8. A lament over the fall of Jerusalem’s kings (ch. 19)
- 9. Apostate Israel purged and renewed through judgment (20:1-44)
- 10. Babylon, God’s sword of judgment (20:45-21:32)
- 11. The sins for which Jerusalem is judged (ch. 22)
- 12. Jerusalem and Samaria allegorized as adulterous sisters (ch. 23)
- 13. Jerusalem cooked over the fire (24:1-14)
- G. The Death of Ezekiel’s Wife Symbolizes Jerusalem’s Fall (24:15-27)
- II. Oracles of Judgment against the Nations (chs. 25-32)
- . A Prophecy against Ammon (25:1-7)
- A. A Prophecy against Moab (25:8-11)
- B. A Prophecy against Edom (25:12-14)
- C. A Prophecy against Philistia (25:15-17)
- D. A Prophecy against Tyre (26:1-28:19)
- 1. Tyre’s destruction announced (ch. 26)
- 2. A lament over Tyre (ch. 27)
- 3. A prophecy against the king of Tyre (28:1-19)
- E. A Prophecy against Sidon (28:20-24)
(For Israel, a restoration, 28:25-26) - F. A Prophecy against Egypt (chs. 29-32)
- 1. Egypt a doomed monster (29:1-16)
- 2. Egypt a payment to Nebuchadnezzar (29:17-21)
- 3. Laments over Egypt (30:1-19)
- 4. The pharaoh’s arms are broken (30:20-26)
- 5. The pharaoh a felled Lebanon cedar (ch. 31)
- 6. Lament over the pharaoh (32:1-16)
- 7. The pharaoh consigned to the realm of the dead (32:17-32)
- III. Oracles of Consolation for Israel (chs. 33-48)
- . Renewal of Ezekiel’s Call as Watchman (33:1-20)
- A. Jerusalem’s Fall Reported and Its Remnant Condemned (33:21-33)
- B. The Lord to Be Israel’s Shepherd (ch. 34)
- C. A Prophecy against Edom (ch. 35)
- D. Israel’s Complete Restoration Announced (ch. 36)
- E. Israel’s Dry Bones Revived and Unity Restored (ch. 37)
- 1. Israel’s dry bones restored to life (37:1-14)
- 2. Again one nation under one King (37:15-28)
- F. The Great Battle of the Ages (chs. 38-39)
- G. The New Order for Purified Israel (chs. 40-48)
- 1. The temple area restored (40:1-47)
- 2. The new temple (40:48-42:20)
- 3. God’s glory returns to the temple (43:1-12)
- 4. Restoration of the great altar (43:13-27)
- 5. Restoration of the priesthood (ch. 44)
- 6. Restoration of the theocratic order (chs. 45-46)
- 7. The river of life from the temple (47:1-12)
- 8. The boundaries of the land (47:13-23)
- 9. The distribution of the land (48:1-29)
- 10. The twelve gates of the new city (48:30-35)
AboutBibleProphecy.com
Ezekiel lived about 2600 years ago, during the time that the Babylonian Empire had subdued the nation of Judah and had destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple. He was the son of Buzi, a Zadokite priest. Ezekiel was among the Jews in Judah who were taken as captives by the Babylonians to Babylon. He received his call as a prophet during the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin. Ezekiel’s ministry lasted about 22 years.
Ezekiel’s prophecies about the destruction of Jerusalem caused friction among the Jews who were with him in Babylon. But, when his prophecies came true, people began to listen to him more intently. Ezekiel’s wife died during the day that the Babylonians began their siege of Jerusalem. This siege began in about 586 BC, after Ezekiel and others had been taken as captives to Babylon. The siege ended with the destruction of Jerusalem and of the Temple in Jerusalem.
After the destruction, Ezekiel’s prophecies more or less changed from the theme of unbending judgment to the theme of hope and comfort in the future. Ezekiel was very much a shepherd and a watchman for the nation of Israel. As a shepherd, he protected the people. And as a watchman, he warned of dangers ahead.
Ezekiel’s name means “God strengthens.” The Bible’s book of Ezekiel is the third of the four Major Prophets.
Ezekiel’s prophecies
Below is a partial listing of Ezekiel’s prophecies.
Ezekiel 4:3-6
Ezekiel predicted when Israel would be re-established
Ezekiel 11:17
The Jews would have Israel as their country, again
Ezekiel 20:34
Ezekiel said the Jews would return to Israel
Ezekiel 22:14-15
The Jews would be scattered to other countries
Ezekiel 25:14
The Jews would avenge the Edomites
Ezekiel 26:3
Tyre would be attacked by many nations
Ezekiel 26:4
Tyre would be scraped and made bare
Ezekiel 26:7-9
Tyre’s mainland would be destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar
Ezekiel 26:12
Tyre’s stones, timber and soil would be cast into the sea
Ezekiel 26:21
Tyre would never again be found
Ezekiel 29:15
Egypt would never again rule over nations
Ezekiel 34:13
The people of Israel would return to “their own land”
Ezekiel 36:8-10
Israel would be restored and repopulated
Ezekiel 36:11
Ezekiel prophesied prosperity for a restored Israel
Ezekiel 36:24
Israel would be re-gathered
Ezekiel 36:33-35
Israel would be rebuilt and resettled
Ezekiel 37:10-14
Israel would be brought back to life
Ezekiel 37:15-19
The people of Israel again would be a united people
Ezekiel 37:21-22
Israel would be re-established as a united nation
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May not be reproduced in any form without proper permission.
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Ezekiel Bread
Combine the following whole grains:
- 2-1/2 cups hard red wheat
- 1-1/2 cups spelt or rye (Biblically spelt was used, Ezekiel 4:9)
- 1/2 cup barley (hulled barley)
- 1/4 cup millet
- 1/4 cup lentils (green preferred)
- 2 Tbs. great northern beans
- 2 Tbs. red kidney beans
- 2 Tbs. pinto beans
Stir the above ingredients very well. Grind in flour mill.
(NOTE: all of these grains and beans can be ground in the GrainMaster Whisper Mill with no problems).
Measure into large bowl or DLX:
- 4 cups lukewarm water
- 1 cup honey
- 1/2 cup oil
Add to liquids:
freshly milled flour from the above mixture of grains
- 2 tsp. salt
- 2 Tbs. yeast
Stir or knead until well kneaded about 10 minutes. This is a batter type bread and will not form a smooth ball.
Pour dough into greased pans. You may use 2 large loaf pans (10×5x3) or 3 med. loaf pans or 2-9×13 brownie pans. Let rise in a warm place for one hour or until the dough is almost to the top of the pan. If it rises too much it will over flow the pan while baking. Bake at 350o for 45-50 minutes for loaf pans and 35-40 minutes for brownie pans.
*For fasting divide bread into 8 equal parts weighing 1/2 pound each. Eat a 1/2 pound cake and drink a quart of water every day. For fasting I do not alter the recipe.
This is a very sweet, moist, cake-like bread. For a more traditional bread texture I have used this combination of grains in The Beckers Bread and Roll recipe. Replacing the 7 cups of flour with the 9 cups of flour from the milled grains in this recipe. You may also add fruits and nuts or use the flour made from this mixture in other favorite recipes. This healthy combination of grains and beans is worth experimenting with. Combining grains and beans makes a complete protein.
Filed under: scriptures | Tags: devil, prayer, satan, sermon, spiritual warfare
Adam and Eve gave birth to two sons – Cain and Abel. Abel lived in such a way that he enjoyed a close relationship with God. Cain didn’t. In fact, when he came to place something in the offering plate, God didn’t accept it because he wasn’t really doing it from the heart. God accepted Abel’s offering, making Cain jealous of his brother. When you’re jealous, disappointed, angry, or confused, it can open the door to a wrong decision.Cain was furious and depressed. Somehow God warned him of what was happening in his mind and in his life.
“If you do right, won’t you be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door. It desires to have you, but you must master it.” (Genesis 4:7)
Is it a sin to be angry? No. But centuries later a man would write a letter to some friends, saying, “Hey, it’s OK to be angry. Just don’t lash out and sin in your anger. Maybe you don’t necessarily feel like killing them. But your words can be just as sharp. Cutting remarks can kill someone’s self esteem. Don’t let the sun go down while you are ticked off. You won’t be able to sleep anyway, so you might as well talk it out. If you don’t, you’ll give the Devil a foothold in your life.” You give him a place to stand. You give him something to hold on to.
You know what a foothold is, right? If you have ever been on a climbing wall, when you can put your foot on a foothold, it allows you to reach for something more. The Devil always wants more. When he can take hold of something in your life, it allows him to reach for more. If you’re angry and you’re lashing out at someone, the Devil then begins to reach for your kids, your parents, or your friends. If not dealt with properly, your anger will allow him to walk right in through the front door of your life and take hold of everything in your home.
My camouflage Bible says, “Don’t let the sun go down on your anger and don’t give the Devil an opportunity.” (Ephesians 4:26-27) Opportunity knocks. Don’t answer the door!
Out of his anger, Cain attacked and killed his brother. The devil came knockin, and Cain opened the door.
During the springtime when kings were marching out to war, David decided he would hang back at the palace, sending his General Joab to fight his battles for him. Did you catch that? David should have been taking care of his responsibilities. He was lazy, complacent, and now, maybe a little bored.
One night, David couldn’t sleep. From his roof top patio in his palatial palace, he saw a woman bathing – a very beautiful woman. She was drop dead gorgeous. She was hot. So David sent someone to find out more about her.
You don’t think he sent a note asking whether she liked him, do you? I guess that is a little junior highish! He gets the 411 on her, and tells his employees to go get her.
I wonder if God whispered the same thing in David’s ear. “If you do right, David, won’t you be accepted? But if you don’t do what’s right, sin is crouching at your door. It desires to have you, but you must master it.” David didn’t master his passion. In fact, he gave in to it. It mastered him. It conquered him.
Why was David walking around that night? Couldn’t he sleep? Were visions of other women, other escapades, in his mind? Could it be that he was frustrated with his wife Michal?
Things were obviously not going well. They weren’t on the same page spiritually. They probably weren’t on the same page in a number of ways. The day David brought the Ark of the Covenant into the city of Jerusalem for the first time, he “was dancing with all his might before the Lord.” And check this out. David’s wife “Michal looked down from the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, and she despised him in her heart.” (2 Samuel 6:14-16) To DESPISE means to regard with contempt, distaste, disgust, or disdain; scorn; loathe; to dislike intensely.
Things were not going well for this couple. Call in Dr. Phil. Call in Dr. Ruth. Call in Oprah, because this couple needed help. Cold shoulder. A rift in their relationship. Brick wall. They have fallen out of love and they have fallen hard.
And that night, when David’s men were out taking care of his responsibilities, David’s mind started to wander. He and Michal were in a world of hurt and were worlds apart. Their marriage was on the rocks. He took a walk, but his mind was wandering as well. Instead of taking his thoughts captive, his thoughts held him captive.
As he looked down, he saw an opportunity. Maybe David ignored a line he wrote in one song: “I will pay attention to the way of integrity….I will live with integrity of heart in my house. I will not set anything godless before my eyes. I hate the doing of transgression; it will not cling to me.” (Psalm 101:2-4) At that point in his life, he was not going to let anything into his house.
This night was different. She came upstairs to his private quarters. Did she know what he wanted? Scripture doesn’t say, but that night David stole a wife, destroyed a relationship, and killed a man to attempt to conceal the evidence.
Guys, is it a sin to want a woman? No way. Check out the Song of Solomon. It’s a beautiful poetic picture of a married couple in love. It talks about the fact that it is incredible within the bounds of marriage.
The same man who wrote some friends about anger wrote to some other friends about their marriage. He said, “Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.” (1 Corinthians 7:5)
What’s he saying? Sex is not the most important aspect about your relationship. You have to pray. You have to worship together. You have to be on the same page spiritually. David and Michal were not. She should have been down on the streets with him dancing with him. She should have been celebrating with him. David. Michal. Give some attention to spiritual aspect of your relationship, but, do this by mutual consent. Mutually agree together how much time to take for prayer. Why? Because your desire for each other will grow to the point that you might start looking at someone else. Don’t give the devil an open door to your relationship.
The devil came knockin, and David opened the door.
Where am I going with this? We are in a four week series on the supernatural. The first week we learned that what we see is not necessarily what we get. There’s more to this life than what meets the eye. Last week we learned that we’re not alone. God has an army and He’s not afraid to use it to protect His people. This week we’re focusing on the demonic: Satan and his angels.
You’ve heard the phrase: opportunity knocks. Well, Satan and those who work with him look for opportunities to gain entrance into our lives. When the devil comes knockin, don’t open the door.
In a letter to his friends in Ephesus, Paul wrote about the spiritual forces of evil that are at work waging war against us. I want to show you where these spiritual forces came from first, and then we’ll look at ways we can keep the doors of opportunity shut so he can’t have his way with us and in us.
Isaiah 14:12-15 tells the story of “the shining morning star,” “day star,” or “son of the dawn.” The word for day star is where the name Lucifer comes from. The “Day Star” said to himself: “I will ascend to the heavens; I will set up my throne above the stars of God….I will make myself like the Most High.” That act of rebellion set things in motion for a war in heaven.
Revelation 12:7-11 gives the details of that battle. Within the heavenly realms, the Archangel Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and his angels. The Bible calls that ancient serpent, the devil. When Satan could not win, “there was no place for them in heaven.” He was thrown to the earth along with his angels.
Since Satan knows his time is short, knowing that God will crush his head under our feet (Romans 16:20), all hell is breaking loose to make war with God’s children (Revelation 12:17). If he’s going down, he is going to take down as many people as possible. So he and his angels deceive the nations (Romans 20:10), incite people to sin (1 Chronicles 21:1), sow weeds into people’s lives to choke the word that God is trying to plant in them (Matt. 13:39). They take possession of peoples’ lives. They bind people. They steal, kill and destroy. Satan’s name means accuser (Zechariah 3:2). He captivates people. He plans his moves in each of our lives. (Ephesians 6:11). He is a roaring lion looking for lives to devour (1 Peter 5:8). He tests, tempts and torments people. He disguises himself as an angel of light (1 Corinthians 11:14). For a time he hinders God’s work from happening (1 Thes. 2:18 and Daniel’s story).
All of this in an attempt to bring us down, tear us down, tear us up, chew us up and spit us out.
The only time we have to fear spiritual forces of evil is when we let them into the doors of our lives. When the devil comes knocking, don’t open the door. When the devil came knocking in Cain’s life, Cain opened the door. When the devil came knocking in David’s life, David opened the door.
When the devil came knocking during Jesus’ 40 days of fasting, Jesus didn’t open any doors. In fact, he slammed them shut. You can find this account in Luke 4. The Spirit led Jesus out into the wilderness, and after the 40 days, Scripture says he was hungry. Really? I know it’s hard to believe. But he was hungry. And that hunger created an opportunity for Satan to tempt him.
“If You really are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread,” the devil said. When the devil comes knockin, don’t open the door.
Jesus closed the opportunity by quoting Scripture. “Man must not live on bread alone.”
As Jesus was looking at all the kingdoms of the world, all that authority created an opportunity for Satan to tempt him. He whispered in His ear, “I’ll give You all this. If you worship me, all this will be Yours.” When the devil comes knockin, don’t open the door.
Jesus closed the opportunity by quoting Scripture. “Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.”
Jesus then walked into the center of Jerusalem, to the pinnacle of the temple. That situation created an opportunity for Satan to tempt him.
“If You are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here.” Satan then quoted Scripture himself. You do realize that the devil knows the Word of God? In fact, James says that all in the demonic realm believe in God – but shudder with fear. When the devil comes knockin, don’t open the door.
Jesus closed the opportunity by quoting more Scripture. “Do not test the Lord your God.” Then there is this key line in this whole spiritual battle.
“After the Devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time.” He is always looking for the opportunity to walk right into your life to steal, kill and destroy. Think about it. He got you to fall last night and that’s all you’re thinking about this morning. You’re thinking you shouldn’t even be here because of what you did last night or last week. When you start hearing those voices, realize that Satan’s name means accuser. He is bringing accusations against you in order to take you in, chew you up, tear you down and spit you out.
What opportunities do we give the devil to enter in and influence our lives?
• Anger. When we’re angry. If we don’t deal with those feelings of anger and resentment, we will give a devil a place to hold onto in our lives. (Ephesians 4:27)
• Fatigue. When we’re tired. “The Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.” Jesus found his disciples sleeping, exhausted from their grief. “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray, so that you won’t enter into temptation.” When you’re tired you start to let down your guard.
• Desire. Our own desire for sin can give him an opportunity. (James 1:14) We’re tempted when we are drawn away and enticed by our own evil desires. Sometimes we want it. Sin is fun, right? It’s fun for a very short time.
• Singleness or marital problems, where you’re married but you feel like you’re single. That can give the devil an opportunity to steal your love, kill your marriage and destroy your family. (1 Cor. 7:5)
• Doubts. Jesus’ story about the farmer showed how the devil comes in to sow doubt in your life so you won’t believe the words of God. (Mark 4:15)
• Getting drunk or high. “Be on your guard, so that your minds are not dulled from carousing, drunkenness, and worries of life.” (Luke 21:34) You are more prone to do something worse when you have had something to drink or taken something in order to take the edge off.
When the devil comes knockin, don’t open the door. How do you keep the door shut when opportunity comes knockin? I’ll get into more next week
- Get an alarm system. “Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the tactics of the devil.” (Ephesians 6:11) “Be sober! Be on the alert! Your adversary the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone to devour. Resist him, firm in the faith.” (1 Peter 5:8)
- Lock the door. “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the well spring of life.” (Proverbs 4:23)
- Stand up for your right to bear arms. “Stand, therefore, with truth like a belt around your waist, righteousness like armor on your chest, and your feet sandaled with the readiness for the gospel of peace. In every situation take the shield of faith, and with it you will be able to extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is God’s Word.” (Ephesians 6:14-17)
When the devil comes knockin, are you opening the door? In fact, are there ways you have turned the light on, opened the door, shaken the dust off the welcome mat, and have asked him to come in?
Think about the last time you let him come in and influence your life? What were the circumstances leading up to that? If you can get a handle on the plans he has for your life, on what he used to influence you to not follow Jesus Christ, you can then take a stand against him, resist him firm in the faith.
You can, as James says, “draw near to God, and God will draw near to you. Resist the devil, and he will flee.” When the devil comes knockin, don’t open the door.
Filed under: scriptures
When God Speaks, How Do We Hear Him Today? Here are a list of Scriptures that are helpful. If you find any more, let me know.
“For God speaks time and again, but a person may not notice it. In a dream, a vision in the night, when deep sleep falls on people as they slumber on their beds, He uncovers their ears at that time and terrifies them with warnings, in order to turn a person from his actions and suppress his pride.” (Job 33:14-17)
“After I came back to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple complex, I went in to a visionary state (fell into a trance-KJV, NIV) and saw Him telling me, ‘Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly…” (Acts 22:17)
Yes, He speaks. But we must remember…
“Long ago God spoke to the fathers by the prophets and different times and in different ways. In these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things and through whom He made the universe. He is the radiance of His glory, the exact expression of His nature.” (Hebrews 1:1-3)
“I testify to everyone who hears the prophetic words of this book: If anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book. And if anyone takes away from the words of this prophetic book, God will take away his share of the tree of life and the holy city, written in this book.” (Revelation 22:18-19)
“What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have observed, and have touched with our hands, concerning the Word of life…what we have seen and heard we also declare to you…” (1 John 1:1-3)
“First of all, you should know this: no prophecy of Scripture comes from one’s own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by the will of man; instead, moved by the Holy Spirit, men spoke from God.” (2 Peter 1:20-21)
Does “the gift” of prophecy still exist? What does it mean and what is its purpose?
“If I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge…but do not have love, I am nothing.” (1 Corinthians 13:2)
“Pursue love and desire spiritual gifts, and above all that you may prophesy…. The person who prophesies speaks to people for edification, encouragement and consolation…. He who prophecies builds up the church.” (see 1 Corinthians 14) (Hosea 6:5 – for tearing down?)
“If they had really stood in My council, they would have enabled My people to hear My words and would have turned them back from their evil ways and their evil deeds.” (Jeremiah 23:22)
“Are you jealous on my account? If only all the Lord’s people were prophets, and the Lord would place His Spirit on them.” (Moses to Joshua in Numbers 11:29) “If there is a prophet among you from the Lord, I make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream.” (Numbers 12:6-8)
“In those days some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. Then one of them, named Agabus, stood up and predicted by the Spirit that there would be a severe famine throughout the Roman world….So each of the disciples, according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brothers who lived in Judea.” (Acts 11:27-29 see also 21:10-11)
“Both Judas and Silas, who were also prophets themselves, encouraged the brothers and strengthened them with a long message.” (Acts 15:32)
“And He personally gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, for the training of the saints in the work of the ministry, to build up the body of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:11)
“Timothy, my child, I am giving you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies previously made about you, so that by them you may strongly engage in battle.” (1 Timothy 1:18)
“Do not neglect the gift that is in you; it was given to you through prophecy, with the laying on of hands by the council of elders.” (1 Timothy 4:14)
If I am going to pass along a message from one person to another, what do I first have to do?
“The boy Samuel served the Lord in Eli’s presence. In those days the word of the Lord was rare and prophetic visions were not widespread….Now Samuel had not yet experienced the Lord, because the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.” When God called his name again, Samuel responded, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” (1 Samuel 3:1, 7-10)
“I will say whatever my God says.” (Micaiah to Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 18:13)
“The Lord God does nothing without revealing His counsel to His servants the prophets.” (Amos 2:7)
Test them…
- 1 Thes. 5:19 Don’t stifle the Spirit. Don’t despise prophecies, but test all things.
- 1 Jn. 4:1 Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to determine if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
- Dt. 13:1-5 If that prophet says to follow some other god, put him to death.
- Dt. 18:15:22 If that prophet speaks something that doesn’t come true, don’t listen to him.
- Isaiah 9:15 They could be lying.
- 2 Chr. 18:21 They could be hearing from a lying spirit.
- Isaiah 28:7 They could be confused because of their drunkenness.
- Jer. 23:16 They could be speaking from their own minds, not the Lord’s mouth.
- Jer. 28:9 Only when the word of the prophet comes true will the prophet be recognized as one whom the Lord has truly sent.
For further study: Genesis 20:7; Numbers 11:24-30, 12:6-8, 24:3-4, 24:15-16; Deuteronomy 13:1-5, 18:15-22; 1 Samuel 3:1,7,20, 9:19, 19:20-23; 1 Chronicles 25:1-2; 2 Chronicles 18:6-27, 20:14-21, 29:25, 33:18, 34:22, 36:15-16; Ezra 5:1-2, 6:14; Nehemiah 6:14, 9:30; Isaiah 9:15, 28:7-13; Jeremiah 5:13, 23:16-32, 28:9, 33:3; Lamentations 2:9,14; Ezekiel 33:33; Daniel 7:1; Hosea 6:5, 9:7; Amos 3:7-8; Zechariah 13:3-4; Matthew 5:12, 10:41, 23:34; Luke 2:36, 11:49; Acts 11:27, 13:1, 15:32, 19:5-7, 21:4, 9-18, 22:17; Romans 1:2, 12:6; 1 Corinthians 12:28-29, 14:1-40; Ephesians 3:5, 4:11; 1 Thessalonians 5:19-21; 1 Timothy 1:18, 4:14; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Hebrews 1:1-2; 1 John 4:1; Revelation 22:6
Filed under: scriptures
Everyone has a story. There is a great one in John 4 about a woman who really wanted to hide from people because of her knack of jumping into bed with guys and breaking it off. She had been divorced multiple times, and the relationship she 
was in at the time… well, let’s just say she had no intention of making a long term commitment. That’s when Jesus walked into her life. Read about her story below.
Here’s her story.
After tiring from his journey, Jesus sat down next to a well. That’s when he saw her. Asking her for a drink, the woman was surprised since Jews usually didn’t associate with Samaritans.
She knew something about thirst. She had been married five times. Not all that excited to tie the knot again; she decided to simply live with the next guy. God refuses to have a story without us, and He chooses not to be the only character in the story. God refused to have a story that didn’t include this woman and chose to have her be a part of that story. Repeat after me: “I have a story. God has a story. He wants me to be in His-story.”
At this point, let me say something about our stories. Our stories mark our identity. Stories identify who we are. The events of our lives shape us. What I have done and what has been done to me leaves a mark. Have you ever seen someone trip and fall? What do you say? “Ohhh, that’ll leave a mark.” The mistakes I have made and the things I have suffered in life leave marks. My story shapes me like her story shaped her. But her story is not an autobiography. It’s a biography. God is writing the story, and God chose to have her be a part of this story just like He chooses to have you be a part of His-story.
You know, when Jesus’ disciples rejoined him, they “were surprised to find him talking with a woman.” I think we’re all surprised who God includes in His story. Fact is, we can’t prejudge who we think God wants in His story. He wants everyone. You know what this woman did – this Samaritan woman, this woman with a history, a past, her own story to tell?
John 4:28-30 says, “leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, ‘Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?’ They came out of the town and made their way toward him.”
They knew her story. This little town knew what she was about. Put yourself in this little city. There’s a woman you know who has been married and divorced five times. You don’t see her all that much because she keeps to herself. She goes out to the well while no one else is there. She then comes back into town, announces to everyone, “You have to meet this man I just met at the well. He told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?”
What would have been your response? “So what? He tells you everything you ever did. I could have told you that. I mean, everybody knows it. It’s front page news.” It wasn’t that He revealed all her sins. It was that she was no longer looked down on because of her past. Jesus, in the way He spoke to her, made her realize her story was now being written by God. Her story was included in History, His-story.
John recorded that “Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony.” What did John record as her story? Did she write it out? What was her grand story? “Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony: ‘He told me everything I ever did.’” That was her story. That’s it. No more. No less.
What’s your story?
Filed under: scriptures
I had an experience that changed my life. I was sitting in an outdoor chapel in Romeo, Michigan listening to a man tell me how crazy God was for me. How crazy is love when love sacrifices His one and only Son so that I can experience life? You see, God loved the world – you, me – so much that He gave up His only Child to death so that we could experience life. Real life. Fulfilling life. Eternal life. In fact, He wants to breathe new life into you.
John, one of Jesus’ closest friends, experienced Him this way. In his Gospel John wrote, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, so that whoever would believe in Him would not die but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) John wrote in a letter to his friends, “This is how we know what love is – Jesus Christ laid down His life for us.” (1 John 3:16)
I want you to experience Him for the first time. Stop what you are doing and call out to Him. Tell Him about your desire to know Him. Read about Him. Read one of the life stories written about Him (Matthew, Mark, Luke or John) on http://www.biblegateway.com/.
At this point, if all you are doing is questioning and seeking, keep searching. This is a safe place for you if you have ever had any questions about Jesus – a man who changed people’s lives when He walked this earth; a man who is still impacting lives today. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at jesus.xp@hotmail.com.
Experience is everything
His Story is About Humble Beginnings
Who is Jesus Christ? He is God’s only begotten son, yet He came from the throne of His Father to the womb of a woman. He became Son of Man that we might become sons of God.
He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born of a virgin. He lived in poverty, and was unknown outside of Nazareth. He had neither wealth nor influence.
He laid aside His purple robe for a peasant’s gown. He was rich, yet for our sakes He became poor. He slept in another’s stable; He rode another’s donkey; He was buried in another’s grave.
His Story is About a Miraculous Ministry
Who is Jesus Christ? History has never known such as He. In infancy, He startled a king. As a boy, He stunned the theologians with His knowledge and wisdom, for His knowledge was directly from God.
In manhood, He ruled the elements and quieted the raging sea. He healed without medicine, and fed thousands from a boy’s lunch. Even demons obeyed Him and He gave back life to those who were dead.
Yet He suffered and sustained in body and soul the anger of God against the sin of the whole human race. He was despised and rejected of men. Though He was innocent, He was condemned by a civil judge and sentenced to death on a cross.
His Story is About Life-changing Impact
Who is Jesus Christ? By His suffering and death, He paid completely for the sins of all who believe in Him. He set us free 
from the certain judgment and eternal condemnation of God that was to fall on all of us.
Some have given their lives for others, and great men have come and gone, yet Jesus Christ lives on. Herod could not kill Him. Satan could not stop him. Death could not destroy Him. The grave could not hold Him. Having fully satisfied God’s perfect justice, He conquered death and rose on the third day as He said He would.
His Story is About Personal Experience
Who is Jesus Christ? For the last 2,000 years, every man, woman and child has been confronted with this same question. In Mathew 16:15, Jesus put it this way, “But who do you say that I am?” One of His disciples, Simon Peter, replied: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Now it’s your turn. Who do you say that He is?
Filed under: scriptures
As I read through 1st and 2nd Kings, I was struck by a group of people simply called sons of the prophets. Some have commented that communities of prophets came together for the purpose of building each other up and cultivating their relationships with God. It’s quite possible that these communities of prophets were gathered together, almost forced to live with each other, when Jezebel was out to destroy them all.”Obadiah, who was in charge of (Ahab’s) palace…was a man who greatly feared the Lord and took 100 prophets and hid them, 50 men to a cave, and provided them with food and water when Jezebel slaughtered the Lord’s prophets.” (1 Kings 18:3-4)
It was after this event, if memory serves me correctly, that I began to notice these sons of the prophets. The NIV Study Bible notes that “the relationship of the Lord’s great prophets to these communities was understandably a close one, the Lord’s prophets probably being their spiritual mentors.” It seems likely that Elijah and Elisha had been mentors of these sons of the prophets.
There was a close relationship between Elijah, Elisha and these prophets. God told Elijah, “You are to anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel and Elisha…as prophet in your place.” (1 Kings 19:16) Did Elijah do it? No. Elijah’s protégé told one of the sons of the prophets, “When you get there, look for Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, son of Nimshi. Go in, get him away from his colleagues, and take him to an inner room.” So the young prophet went to Ramoth-gilead, and when Jehu got and went into the house, “the young prophet poured the oil on his head and said, ‘This is what the Lord God of Israel says: I anoint you king over the Lord’s people, Israel.” (2 Kings 9:1-7)
God told Elijah to do it, but he instead passed the message on to Elisha. Elisha enlisted one of his “sons,” and had him complete this important task. There are jobs we think only the professionals should do. At times we don’t think we have the education to do certain things. Yet, in God’s kingdom, we’re all “professionals.” As my pastor told me, “God doesn’t call the qualified. He qualifies the called.”
God isn’t calling us to teach students. He’s calling us to raise children. Who are you parenting? Who would say they are a “son of a prophet” because of your influence on their life?
Filed under: scriptures
In 2 Timothy 1:7, Paul told his young leader that “God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”
It seems my spirit of self-gratification is usually stronger than my spirit of self-discipline, and a strong marker is how I eat. Back in college I was fairly disciplined about the way I was taking care of myself. In the beginning of our marriage I told myself I wouldn’t do what a number of other men do – get comfortable and not take good care of themselves.
Paul told another young leader, Titus, that the leaders he raises up “must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined.” I admire leaders who lead themselves well. Solomon said that his teachings should be used for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life (Proverbs 1:3). He said, “it is not good to eat too much honey, nor is it honorable to seek one’s own honor. Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control.” (Proverbs 25:27).
Don’t let that one slip by without giving it some thought. You are like a city without the fortification and protection of tall, thick brick walls that keeps your enemies out if you do not control yourself. You let in a dangerous element if you lack self-control. He also said in Proverbs 29:11, “a fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.” Paul said what should mark every believer’s life is “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Unlike those who go about living the way they want to, “those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.” (Galatians 5:22-24)
He told Timothy that “people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.” (2 Timothy 3:3-4)
He told the Thessalonians to be alert and self-controlled. (5:6) He told his young leaders to “teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance.” (Titus 2:2)
He told Titus to have the older women in the church train the younger women to “love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled” (v5) and to encourage the young men to be self-controlled (v6). He also told Titus that “the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. God’s grace teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope; the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.” (Titus 2:11-13)
The reason we live self-controlled, upright and godly lives has nothing to do with how we look. To discipline my body, making it the slave of my spirit, has everything to do with worship. It is my spiritual act of worship. Everything I do has to do with my great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Peter said to “prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled” (1 Peter 1:13) for two reasons.
You need to be “clear-minded and self-controlled so that you can pray” (1 Peter 4:7). He also said to be self-controlled and alert because “your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” We are to “resist him, standing firm in the faith.” (1Peter 5:8-9)
We can’t hope to lead others if we are not leading ourselves well.
Filed under: scriptures
I’ve heard it said, “I love the ministry. I just can’t stand the people.” I absolutely love the kids I’m working with. I’m just having a hard time with some of the adults. Sometimes I feel like writing for a living just to get away from leading.
Sticking your neck out, you might get your head cut off. Putting your foot forward, you might get your legs kicked out from under you. Putting your hand up, you might get it shot down. Voicing your opinion, you might get shut up. Even though these may all happen, leaders lead. They lead.
They’re out front. They may get shot at first. They may also lead their troops to victory. Leaders lead. They lead. They don’t follow. They put their foot forward. They put their hand up. They voice their opinion. They’re out front. They give direction. Yes, it would be easier to follow. But that’s not leadership. I’m going to take some shots along the way, but I guess I would rather take my shots on the front lines instead of being a coward in the trenches. When Moses led, there were times when he got shot at.
“Then Moses led…” He didn’t follow. “Moses led the people…” You could lead animals. You could be somewhere where no one talks back. “Moses led the people of Israel away from the Red Sea…” When you are leading, you are always leaving something behind.
From the Red Sea “they moved out into the Shur Desert.” Was that their destination? Of course not. But sometimes when you are leaving your Red Sea in search of the Promised Land you may, and I say may, go through a desert or two. When you go through the dry times in life, what will your response be? “They traveled in this desert for three days without water. When they came to Marah, they finally found water. But the people couldn’t drink it because it was bitter.” As we are leaving the Red Sea in search for the Promised Land, when we move into those dry times, we have to make sure we don’t turn bitter. When the people turned bitter inside, “the people turned against Moses.”
When you allow bitterness to eat you up inside, the next step is to bring it outside. “We were supposed to be going to ‘a land flowing with milk and honey,’ so why are we in the desert? Who brought us here anyway? Things are not going as promised. Moses said nothing about walking through the desert three days straight. I’m thirsty! I bet if I were in his shoes I would have led us in a different way. If I were leading, I sure as heck would have made sure we had enough water. Moses sure didn’t plan this out. He should have thought more about those details. Maybe somebody else could do a better job.”
“The people turned against Moses.” Yes the people were thirsty. Walking anywhere is tough. Think about the fact that moms were walking their children. They may have been carrying things on their way. They had a right to be tired and thirsty, yet they turned from their legitimate needs to illegitimate bitterness.
What could Moses’ reaction have been? “It amazes me how fast these people can go from excitement and exuberance to exhaustion and complaining. We just went through the ‘middle of the sea on dry land, as the water stood up like a wall on both sides.’ We were only days from our deliverance when ‘the Lord rescued Israel from the Egyptians.’ We all sang together a couple days ago on the shores on the sea. Now they turn against me? Maybe I’ll just take my family and leave. We’ll just see how they manage.” Did doubts creep into his mind? Did he start second guessing his decision about leading them? “I should have stayed in Egypt. I had it made there.” Was he reminded of his failures? Did his past come back to haunt him? Did he have trouble sleeping? All we know is that when “the people turned against Moses…Moses cried out to the Lord for help.”
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“When leaders lead, they have to remember that they are spiritual leaders who are led.” |
Leaders do lead, but sometimes, well… all the time, leaders need to be led. Leaders need to be led by the Leader of leaders. When “the people turned against Moses…Moses cried out to the Lord for help.” When “Moses cried out to the Lord for help…the Lord showed him a branch.”
“A branch!”
“A branch?”
“What the heck! What good is a branch going to do? I’m ready to quit. I’m ready to ditch this whole thing. I’m so sick of people. I’d rather go back and lead my sheep. I call out to You and You show me a branch?”
That would have been my reaction. Once Moses was shown the branch, he instinctively knew what to do with it.
“Moses took the branch and threw it into the water. This made the water good to drink. It was there at Marah that the Lord laid before them the following conditions to test their faithfulness to Him: ‘If you will listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his sight, obeying his commands and laws, then I will not make you suffer the diseases I sent on the Egyptians; for I am the Lord who heals you.’”
When leaders lead, they have to remember that they are spiritual leaders who are led. Let that sink in. When we lead from where we have been, especially if the Leader of leaders is leading us as leaders, we will be led to do things according to the purposes of God. God called the people out of Egypt and chose Moses to lead them. Moses was given a vision of where they would be going without seeing it in the physical. When they set out, leaving behind what they were comfortable with, they went through some difficulties on the way.
Instead of the people taking their concerns to God, they turned on the leader. Instead of asking God for a solution, the people pointed out the problems. Oh, it’s easy to point out the problems. It’s so easy to talk behind the leader’s back to other followers, but it’s healthier to become a part of the solution. It’s easy to point the finger at someone else. It’s more difficult to be a part of the solution.
Since Moses got his vision from God, since he knew the destination was in the mind of God, Moses was in the habit of crying “out to the Lord for help” every step of the way.
“The Lord showed him….” He was not only in the habit of listening “carefully to the voice of the Lord,” he was also in the habit of seeing the possibilities. What was it about the branch that took away the bitterness in the water, making “the water good to drink?” Was there something about its properties that it scientifically reacted with the bitter properties of the water? Did it sweeten the bitterness somehow, or did God intervene miraculously? Whatever the case, God showed Moses the solution. Could God have revealed the solution to one of the people? Instead of turning against their leader, could the people have turned to God?
Could the Lord have shown someone else the branch? It’s possible. But the bitterness in their hearts was worse than the bitterness in the water. The branch took away the bitterness of the water. What the people needed was something deeper.
“For the time is coming,” says the Lord, “when I will place a Righteous Branch on King David’s throne.” (Jeremiah 23:5) “Soon I am coming to bring My Servant, the Branch.” (Zechariah 3:8) Jesus, the Branch, died on a tree to take away the bitterness. Just as the branch was thrown into the water, the Righteous Branch must come into the water of our lives. We are of no use until the Branch takes away the bitterness in our hearts. Both leaders and followers need to see the Branch, seize the Branch, and place that Branch into the waters of our own lives to turn the bitterness into sweetness.
We will quench the thirst of no one, whether we are a leader or a follower, if the Branch has not taken away our bitterness. Follow Moses’ example. Turn to the Lord for help. Look for the possibilities and then be a part of the solution.
Filed under: scriptures
Why are there times we experience blocks in communication and connection with our Creator? When we’re thirsty for more of God, where do we go? How can we experience Him more?
Draw near: “Since He had healed many, all who had diseases were pressing toward Him to touch Him.” (Mark 3:11) I have heard of His healing power and know what it means to be close to Him. I’ve been there, and I want to go back. I believe I am on my way, but there may be some things in the way as I press toward Him to be touched by Him. “The crowd was pressing in on Jesus to hear God’s word.” (Luke 5:1)
The crowd. That’s my problem. Too much is crowding my life right now. In fact, I attemped to get away from my office so my administrative tasks wouldn’t crowd out the time I wanted “to touch Him” and “to hear God’s word.” The crowd. They are always in the way. They’re loud, always clamoring for our attention. They keep you from where you’re heading. They bump into you, demanding your attention. All you want to do is have someone simply remove the crowd so nothing hinders His touch and His word. What’s crowding your life? What do you need to remove in order to “draw near to God?” (Psalm 73:28). James 4:8 says, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” Hosea wrote in his prophecy, “So let us know, let us press on to know the Lord.” (Hosea 6:3) My camouflage Bible (Holman Christian Standard) reads, “Let us strive to know the Lord.” As you draw near, what do you draw with?
What to draw with: Do you remember the Samaritan woman drawing water at the well in John 4? When Jesus told her about the living water, she told Him, “but sir, you have nothing to draw with.” My camouflage Bible reads, “Sir, you don’t even have a bucket, and the well is deep.” Yes, ma’am. The well is deep, and you had better know what to draw water with.
What are you drawing (living) water with? Do you have a bucket? This well is deep. Too many people don’t realize the living water is there to draw. She didn’t know until Jesus told her. Others had heard about it but were mistaken what it was. Her first response continued on the line of her physical thirst: “Sir, give me this water so I won’t get thirsty and come here to draw water.” Since Jesus had the right bucket, He knew where to drop it. “Go call your husband and come back here.”
He dropped the bucket into the deepest recesses of her heart, but only found her hurt. Her heart was full of hurt. Five weddings. Five divorces, and now she’s living with a guy because she is afraid of taking the plunge into a long-term commitment. The plunge she needed and received was into the living water. “You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep.” So what do you draw with? “You will worship,” Jesus said. Worship is what you draw with.
Sometimes the well is deep. Real deep. It might take longer to get to the water. Why?
Draw deep: One reason is that God is not shallow. Jesus said, “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:24) At times you will have to go deep to draw near. You may have to fight the crowds to get there. You might have to eliminate what crowds your mind and your heart. Don’t you think the woman at the well had a lot of hurt crowding her heart? Go deep. Draw near. Press in. Press on.
Reopen to draw out: Another reason it might take awhile to draw living water out is that the well might be stopped up. “The Philistines stopped up all the wells that his father’s slaves had dug in the days of his father Abraham, filling them with dirt…. Isaac reopened the water well that had been dug.” (Genesis 26:15, 18) Do you realize that soon after he reopened the wells “he went up to Beer-sheba (and) the Lord appeared to him that night.”
When you reopen wells that had quenched your thirst in earlier days, it’s as if those waters of living water start to flow again and God reveals Himself to you all over again. God doesn’t dangle food in front of my face saying, “Here, boy. Go fetch.” He is always there ready and willing to pour His Spirit into our lives. If I am in the practice of protecting my heart so no dirt enters, and if I am cultivating a life that draws the living water out, then it won’t take so long to experience His outpouring during worship or prayer, whether those times are corporate or personal.
Isaiah said, “On that day you will say: ‘I will praise You, Lord, although You were angry with me. Your anger has turned away, and You have had compassion on me. Indeed, God is my salvation. I will trust Him and not be afraid. Because Yah, the Lord, is my strength and my song. He has become my salvation.’” Isaiah then told them what the result of their worship would be: “You will joyfully draw water from the springs of salvation, and on that day you will say: ‘Give thanks to the Lord; proclaim His name! Celebrate His deeds among the peoples. Declare that His name is exalted. Sing to the Lord, for He has done glorious things. Let this be known throughout the earth. Cry out and sing, citizen of Zion, for the Holy One of Israel is among you in His greatness.’” (Isaiah 12:1-6)
Just like the woman at the well, our attention is turned to worship if we want to “draw water from the springs of salvation” and experience the presence of the Holy One: “The Holy One of Israel is among you in His greatness.”
Protecting the source: In order to experience God, more of Him (quality) and more frequently (quantity), we need to protect the mouth of the well. After Jacob had his worship experience in the House of God (Bethel), after he had his experience of God (Genesis 28:10-22), “Jacob resumed his journey and went to the eastern country. He looked and saw a well in a field. Three flocks of sheep were lying there beside it because the sheep were watered from this well. When all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds would roll the stone from the opening of the well and water the sheep. The stone was then placed back on the well’s opening.” (Genesis 29:1-3)
A flat stone was placed on the well’s opening to protect what was inside. When you get to a well, if you only have to slide the stone from the opening, you can water the gathered flock of sheep right away. Could you imagine the painstaking labor if you had to first clear the well of impurities every time you gathered at the well? The sheep would go away thirsty.
Too many people think they don’t experience God because God isn’t in the practice of showing Himself. They get so used to going through the motions that they don’t expect God to show up. The real problem may be that they haven’t protected their heart, so when they go to draw living water from the well there is so much filth and dirt they can’t get to the water.
Solomon wrote, “Guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of life.” (Proverbs 4:23) Guard the very opening of your life. Keep a stone over your heart to guard it from being tainted and stopped up from impurities and sediment. Otherwise, every time you gather together, you will be trying to clear dirt away instead of drawing water.
You know, of course, that the purpose for going to a well is to draw water, right? Just checking.
I am thirsty. I want to drink often. I want to drink deep. The well is deep, and that is where I want to go. “Deep calls to deep,” David wrote (Psalm 42:7). It’s no mistake that this is the same song where David sang, “As a deer longs for streams of water, so I long for You, O God. I thirst for God, the living God. When can I come and appear before God?” (42:1-2) The depths are calling to me. That’s where I want to be. That’s where I want to go.
Drink Up: How do I bring people to a place of fresh revelation? Asked more simply, how do I help people encounter God? “His delight is in the Lord’s instruction, and he meditates on it day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that bears fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.” (Psalm 1:2-3) If I really want people to be fruitful and not wither away, I must uncover wells of revelation and living water so they can go and drink on their own. I also have to be a man who meditates on God’s instructions day and night. I need to lead where I want others to go. Both sheep and shepherd drink from the same well.
Prayer: Jesus, I want to experience you on a deeper level more frequently. Protect the opening of my heart so that when I go to that place I can drink deep and drink often. You said, “If anyone is thirsty, he should come to Me and drink! The one who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, will have streams of living water flow from deep within him.” (John 7:37-38) You said this “about the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were going to receive.” (7:39) I can experience You from deep within my soul. Isaiah experienced Your Spirit while in worship. The woman at the well was encouraged to tap the well of her heart by worshiping in spirit and in truth.
