GOD’S PEOPLE ARE MARKED

Ezekiel 9:1-11 / Keywords 9:4

and said to him, “Go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it.”

 

Judgment on the Idolaters

9:1 Then I heard him call out in a loud voice, “Bring near those who are appointed to execute judgment on the city, each with a weapon in his hand.” 2 And I saw six men coming from the direction of the upper gate, which faces north, each with a deadly weapon in his hand. With them was a man clothed in linen who had a writing kit at his side. They came in and stood beside the bronze altar.

3 Now the glory of the God of Israel went up from above the cherubim, where it had been, and moved to the threshold of the temple. Then the Lord called to the man clothed in linen who had the writing kit at his side 4 and said to him, “Go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it.”

5 As I listened, he said to the others, “Follow him through the city and kill, without showing pity or compassion. 6 Slaughter the old men, the young men and women, the mothers and children, but do not touch anyone who has the mark. Begin at my sanctuary.” So they began with the old men who were in front of the temple.

7 Then he said to them, “Defile the temple and fill the courts with the slain. Go!” So they went out and began killing throughout the city. 8 While they were killing and I was left alone, I fell facedown, crying out, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! Are you going to destroy the entire remnant of Israel in this outpouring of your wrath on Jerusalem?”

9 He answered me, “The sin of the people of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great; the land is full of bloodshed and the city is full of injustice. They say, ‘The Lord has forsaken the land; the Lord does not see.’ 10 So I will not look on them with pity or spare them, but I will bring down on their own heads what they have done.”

11 Then the man in linen with the writing kit at his side brought back word, saying, “I have done as you commanded.”

1. While Ezekiel was being shown visions of Jerusalem’s sin, next he saw six men who were coming to execute God’s judgment, plus one who had a writing kit! His job was to put a mark on all those who grieved and mourned over the detestable things done in Jerusalem (4). Then the terrible judgment was carried out, but those who had the mark were spared (6).

 

2. This vision symbolizes how, in Jesus, we are marked by God to be saved from his judgment. Just as the mark was put on those who grieved and lamented, the requirement for our salvation is repentance—genuine grief over our sin and others’ sin. The true mark God gives us is not something visible. It is the Holy Spirit, who is the seal of our salvation, the proof that we belong to God.

 

3. This vision also reminds us that we can be confident that God is able to save us out of judgment, even if it is happening all around us. We should see ourselves as “marked” and have a sense of identity as set-apart people.

 

Prayer Father, thank you for marking those who belong to you in order to save us from judgment. Help me grieve over the sins of myself and others and see myself as your treasured possession.

One Word Marked for the Lord

DETESTABLE PRACTICES

Ezekiel 8:1-18 / Keywords 8:9

And he said to me, “Go in and see the wicked and detestable things they are doing here.”

Idolatry in the Temple

8:1 In the sixth year, in the sixth month on the fifth day, while I was sitting in my house and the elders of Judah were sitting before me, the hand of the Sovereign Lord came on me there. 2 I looked, and I saw a figure like that of a man.[a] From what appeared to be his waist down he was like fire, and from there up his appearance was as bright as glowing metal. 3 He stretched out what looked like a hand and took me by the hair of my head. The Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven and in visions of God he took me to Jerusalem, to the entrance of the north gate of the inner court, where the idol that provokes to jealousy stood. 4 And there before me was the glory of the God of Israel, as in the vision I had seen in the plain.

5 Then he said to me, “Son of man, look toward the north.” So I looked, and in the entrance north of the gate of the altar I saw this idol of jealousy.

6 And he said to me, “Son of man, do you see what they are doing—the utterly detestable things the Israelites are doing here, things that will drive me far from my sanctuary? But you will see things that are even more detestable.”

7 Then he brought me to the entrance to the court. I looked, and I saw a hole in the wall. 8 He said to me, “Son of man, now dig into the wall.” So I dug into the wall and saw a doorway there.

9 And he said to me, “Go in and see the wicked and detestable things they are doing here.” 10 So I went in and looked, and I saw portrayed all over the walls all kinds of crawling things and unclean animals and all the idols of Israel. 11 In front of them stood seventy elders of Israel, and Jaazaniah son of Shaphan was standing among them. Each had a censer in his hand, and a fragrant cloud of incense was rising.

12 He said to me, “Son of man, have you seen what the elders of Israel are doing in the darkness, each at the shrine of his own idol? They say, ‘The Lord does not see us; the Lord has forsaken the land.’” 13 Again, he said, “You will see them doing things that are even more detestable.”

14 Then he brought me to the entrance of the north gate of the house of the Lord, and I saw women sitting there, mourning the god Tammuz. 15 He said to me, “Do you see this, son of man? You will see things that are even more detestable than this.”

16 He then brought me into the inner court of the house of the Lord, and there at the entrance to the temple, between the portico and the altar, were about twenty-five men. With their backs toward the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east, they were bowing down to the sun in the east.

17 He said to me, “Have you seen this, son of man? Is it a trivial matter for the people of Judah to do the detestable things they are doing here? Must they also fill the land with violence and continually arouse my anger? Look at them putting the branch to their nose! 18 Therefore I will deal with them in anger; I will not look on them with pity or spare them. Although they shout in my ears, I will not listen to them.”

Footnotes

a. Ezekiel 8:2 Or saw a fiery figure

 

1. God gave Ezekiel another vision for the elders of Israel—and for us. Ezekiel saw a fiery angelic being, who picked him up in the spirit and flew him to Jerusalem, where he could see how much sin was being committed there.

 

2. Ezekiel saw an idol that had been set up near the inner court of the temple (3). Then the angel had Ezekiel go inside the city wall, where people were worshiping images of unclean creatures. Who was worshiping in this detestable way? They were the elders, who were supposed to be spiritual guides of Israel! God also showed women who were worshiping the Babylonian god Tammuz, and men bowing down and worshiping the sun (14,16). These were the types of sins that would bring God’s judgment on Jerusalem. God wanted Ezekiel to see these sins, even though they were unpleasant, so no one could pretend these things were not happening or think idolatry was something abstract.

 

3. Sinful acts are often done in the dark to keep them a secret. But this does not make them less detestable, even if no human being knows about them. Idolatrous practices corrupt our very soul. In Jesus, we are called to be children of light who have come out of darkness.

 

Prayer Father, I know that you can see all sin. Help me not love things done in darkness.

One Word Leave behind detestable practices

MONEY CANNOT SAVE

Ezekiel 7:1-27 / Keywords 7:19

They will throw their silver into the streets, and their gold will be an unclean thing. Their silver and gold will not be able to save them in the day of the LORD’S wrath. They will not satisfy their hunger or fill their stomachs with it, for it has made them stumble into sin.

 

The End Has Come

7:1 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, this is what the Sovereign Lord says to the land of Israel:

“‘The end! The end has come

    upon the four corners of the land!

3 The end is now upon you,

    and I will unleash my anger against you.

I will judge you according to your conduct

    and repay you for all your detestable practices.

4 I will not look on you with pity;

    I will not spare you.

I will surely repay you for your conduct

    and for the detestable practices among you.

“‘Then you will know that I am the Lord.’

5 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“‘Disaster! Unheard-of[a] disaster!

    See, it comes!

6 The end has come!

    The end has come!

It has roused itself against you.

    See, it comes!

7 Doom has come upon you,

    upon you who dwell in the land.

The time has come! The day is near!

    There is panic, not joy, on the mountains.

8 I am about to pour out my wrath on you

    and spend my anger against you.

I will judge you according to your conduct

    and repay you for all your detestable practices.

9 I will not look on you with pity;

    I will not spare you.

I will repay you for your conduct

    and for the detestable practices among you.

“‘Then you will know that it is I the Lord who strikes you.

10 “‘See, the day!

    See, it comes!

Doom has burst forth,

    the rod has budded,

    arrogance has blossomed!

11 Violence has arisen,[b]

    a rod to punish the wicked.

None of the people will be left,

    none of that crowd—

none of their wealth,

    nothing of value.

12 The time has come!

    The day has arrived!

Let not the buyer rejoice

    nor the seller grieve,

    for my wrath is on the whole crowd.

13 The seller will not recover

    the property that was sold—

    as long as both buyer and seller live.

For the vision concerning the whole crowd

    will not be reversed.

Because of their sins, not one of them

    will preserve their life.

14 “‘They have blown the trumpet,

    they have made all things ready,

but no one will go into battle,

    for my wrath is on the whole crowd.

15 Outside is the sword;

    inside are plague and famine.

Those in the country

    will die by the sword;

those in the city

    will be devoured by famine and plague.

16 The fugitives who escape

    will flee to the mountains.

Like doves of the valleys,

    they will all moan,

    each for their own sins.

17 Every hand will go limp;

    every leg will be wet with urine.

18 They will put on sackcloth

    and be clothed with terror.

Every face will be covered with shame,

    and every head will be shaved.

19 “‘They will throw their silver into the streets,

    and their gold will be treated as a thing unclean.

Their silver and gold

    will not be able to deliver them

    in the day of the Lord’s wrath.

It will not satisfy their hunger

    or fill their stomachs,

    for it has caused them to stumble into sin.

20 They took pride in their beautiful jewelry

    and used it to make their detestable idols.

They made it into vile images;

    therefore I will make it a thing unclean for them.

21 I will give their wealth as plunder to foreigners

    and as loot to the wicked of the earth,

    who will defile it.

22 I will turn my face away from the people,

    and robbers will desecrate the place I treasure.

They will enter it

    and will defile it.

23 “‘Prepare chains!

    For the land is full of bloodshed,

    and the city is full of violence.

24 I will bring the most wicked of nations

    to take possession of their houses.

I will put an end to the pride of the mighty,

    and their sanctuaries will be desecrated.

25 When terror comes,

    they will seek peace in vain.

26 Calamity upon calamity will come,

    and rumor upon rumor.

They will go searching for a vision from the prophet,

    priestly instruction in the law will cease,

    the counsel of the elders will come to an end.

27 The king will mourn,

    the prince will be clothed with despair,

    and the hands of the people of the land will tremble.

I will deal with them according to their conduct,

    and by their own standards I will judge them.

“‘Then they will know that I am the Lord.’”

Footnotes

a. Ezekiel 7:5 Most Hebrew manuscripts; some Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac Disaster after

b. Ezekiel 7:11 Or The violent one has become

1. The Lord once again had Ezekiel prophecy judgment on Israel that would result in complete destruction. This prophecy was specifically focused on the wealthy. He called the judgment a “repayment” for their detestable practices (4, 9). Sinful people imagine they can pursue greed and selfish desires forever, but the end result is violence (10-11). People think that through buying and selling, they can secure their future. But when judgment comes, all the profit and loss count for nothing, and silver and gold cannot save anyone (13, 19). The rich also try to raise armies to protect themselves (14), but God would not let this succeed.

 

2. It is so easy for us to become engrossed in money-making. But sinful people invariably turn their gold into idols (20). This is an illustration of how greed and idol-worship are the same thing because we end up worshiping whatever we give our time and energy to. We need to give our hearts to the highest thing, to God and his kingdom and glory. Then we have the true joy of worship, and our hearts can stay pure in corrupt times.

 

Prayer Father, help me not idolize money or money-making. I know that I have salvation only through worshiping you.

One Word Worship God, not gold

THEY WILL REMEMBER ME

Ezekiel 6:1-14 / Keywords 6:9

Then in the nations where they have been carried captive, those who escape will remember me--how I have been grieved by their adulterous hearts, which have turned away from me, and by their eyes, which have lusted after their idols. They will loathe themselves for the evil they have done and for all their detestable practices.

Doom for the Mountains of Israel

6:1 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, set your face against the mountains of Israel; prophesy against them 3 and say: ‘You mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Sovereign Lord. This is what the Sovereign Lord says to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys: I am about to bring a sword against you, and I will destroy your high places. 4 Your altars will be demolished and your incense altars will be smashed; and I will slay your people in front of your idols. 5 I will lay the dead bodies of the Israelites in front of their idols, and I will scatter your bones around your altars. 6 Wherever you live, the towns will be laid waste and the high places demolished, so that your altars will be laid waste and devastated, your idols smashed and ruined, your incense altars broken down, and what you have made wiped out. 7 Your people will fall slain among you, and you will know that I am the Lord.

8 “‘But I will spare some, for some of you will escape the sword when you are scattered among the lands and nations. 9 Then in the nations where they have been carried captive, those who escape will remember me—how I have been grieved by their adulterous hearts, which have turned away from me, and by their eyes, which have lusted after their idols. They will loathe themselves for the evil they have done and for all their detestable practices. 10 And they will know that I am the Lord; I did not threaten in vain to bring this calamity on them.

11 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Strike your hands together and stamp your feet and cry out “Alas!” because of all the wicked and detestable practices of the people of Israel, for they will fall by the sword, famine and plague. 12 One who is far away will die of the plague, and one who is near will fall by the sword, and anyone who survives and is spared will die of famine. So will I pour out my wrath on them. 13 And they will know that I am the Lord, when their people lie slain among their idols around their altars, on every high hill and on all the mountaintops, under every spreading tree and every leafy oak—places where they offered fragrant incense to all their idols. 14 And I will stretch out my hand against them and make the land a desolate waste from the desert to Diblah[a]—wherever they live. Then they will know that I am the Lord.’”

Footnotes

a. Ezekiel 6:14 Most Hebrew manuscripts; a few Hebrew manuscripts Riblah

1. The Lord had Ezekiel prophecy the complete destruction of the nation Israel, which would cleanse the people of idolatry. This sin breaks the most important commandment: Worship God alone. The land was covered with the elements of idol worship: high places, idols, and incense altars. Because of the people’s hard heartedness, this judgment was the only way to break Israel of her idol worship. Both the idols and the people who worshiped them would be destroyed (4).

 

2. Among those who survived this judgment, there would finally be repentance (8). Verse 9 describes so well what repentance means: to remember God and how we have grieved his heart, and to loathe ourselves for the wicked things we have done. It is terrible that this judgment was necessary to produce genuine repentance in the remnant of Israel.

 

3. When people today hear God’s word, that is God’s grace giving them the opportunity to repent before such a judgment comes on them. Thank God for those who have repented of past sinful lives and come to Jesus. Let’s always be ready to cast out idols that try to take root in our hearts.

 

Prayer Father, thank you for warning us about the judgment that comes due to idolatry. Help me remember you whenever I am tempted by some idolatrous desire.

One Word Turn from idols to the Lord

THE PEOPLE DIVIDED UP

Ezekiel 5:1-17 / Keywords 5:3

But take a few strands of hair and tuck them away in the folds of your garment.

 

God’s Razor of Judgment

5:1 “Now, son of man, take a sharp sword and use it as a barber’s razor to shave your head and your beard. Then take a set of scales and divide up the hair. 2 When the days of your siege come to an end, burn a third of the hair inside the city. Take a third and strike it with the sword all around the city. And scatter a third to the wind. For I will pursue them with drawn sword. 3 But take a few hairs and tuck them away in the folds of your garment. 4 Again, take a few of these and throw them into the fire and burn them up. A fire will spread from there to all Israel.

5 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: This is Jerusalem, which I have set in the center of the nations, with countries all around her. 6 Yet in her wickedness she has rebelled against my laws and decrees more than the nations and countries around her. She has rejected my laws and has not followed my decrees.

7 “Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: You have been more unruly than the nations around you and have not followed my decrees or kept my laws. You have not even[a] conformed to the standards of the nations around you.

8 “Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself am against you, Jerusalem, and I will inflict punishment on you in the sight of the nations. 9 Because of all your detestable idols, I will do to you what I have never done before and will never do again. 10 Therefore in your midst parents will eat their children, and children will eat their parents. I will inflict punishment on you and will scatter all your survivors to the winds. 11 Therefore as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, because you have defiled my sanctuary with all your vile images and detestable practices, I myself will shave you; I will not look on you with pity or spare you. 12 A third of your people will die of the plague or perish by famine inside you; a third will fall by the sword outside your walls; and a third I will scatter to the winds and pursue with drawn sword.

13 “Then my anger will cease and my wrath against them will subside, and I will be avenged. And when I have spent my wrath on them, they will know that I the Lord have spoken in my zeal.

14 “I will make you a ruin and a reproach among the nations around you, in the sight of all who pass by. 15 You will be a reproach and a taunt, a warning and an object of horror to the nations around you when I inflict punishment on you in anger and in wrath and with stinging rebuke. I the Lord have spoken. 16 When I shoot at you with my deadly and destructive arrows of famine, I will shoot to destroy you. I will bring more and more famine upon you and cut off your supply of food. 17 I will send famine and wild beasts against you, and they will leave you childless. Plague and bloodshed will sweep through you, and I will bring the sword against you. I the Lord have spoken.”

Footnotes

a. Ezekiel 5:7 Most Hebrew manuscripts; some Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac You have

1. For Ezekiel’s next demonstration to the exiles, God had Ezekiel shave his head and beard. The hairs represented the people of Jerusalem, and God had Ezekiel divide the hair into three parts to symbolize the different fates that they would face (2). Some would fall to the sword, others would perish inside the city, and others would be scattered and pursued (12). Only a few, corresponding to the hairs tucked in the folds of Ezekiel’s garment, would be saved (3). They represented those close to God who would be saved from the judgment.

 

2. God’s judgment would be horrible, beyond people’s imagination (14-17). God brought this about because the Israelites didn’t set themselves apart from other nations by following God’s laws, thus becoming even worse than those nations (7). 3. We come to Jesus for salvation because we know there is a judgment. Those who come close to God through Jesus do not share the same eternal fate. So, we should realize the importance of being different from the pattern of the world, reflecting our belonging to God. Jesus told us to strive to enter the narrow gate (Mt 7:13-14). If we come to Jesus by faith, he accepts us and holds us closely to him, guarding us from judgment.

 

Prayer Father, I know there is a judgment that divides people up. Help me not follow the pattern of the world. Hide me in the folds of your garment.

One Word Be different; be close to God

EZEKIEL REENACTS A SIEGE

Ezekiel 4:1-17 / Keywords 4:5

I have assigned you the same number of days as the years of their sin. So for 390 days you will bear the sin of the house of Israel.

 

Siege of Jerusalem Symbolized

4:1 “Now, son of man, take a block of clay, put it in front of you and draw the city of Jerusalem on it. 2 Then lay siege to it: Erect siege works against it, build a ramp up to it, set up camps against it and put battering rams around it. 3 Then take an iron pan, place it as an iron wall between you and the city and turn your face toward it. It will be under siege, and you shall besiege it. This will be a sign to the people of Israel.

4 “Then lie on your left side and put the sin of the people of Israel upon yourself.[a] You are to bear their sin for the number of days you lie on your side. 5 I have assigned you the same number of days as the years of their sin. So for 390 days you will bear the sin of the people of Israel.

6 “After you have finished this, lie down again, this time on your right side, and bear the sin of the people of Judah. I have assigned you 40 days, a day for each year. 7 Turn your face toward the siege of Jerusalem and with bared arm prophesy against her. 8 I will tie you up with ropes so that you cannot turn from one side to the other until you have finished the days of your siege.

9 “Take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and spelt; put them in a storage jar and use them to make bread for yourself. You are to eat it during the 390 days you lie on your side. 10 Weigh out twenty shekels[b] of food to eat each day and eat it at set times. 11 Also measure out a sixth of a hin[c] of water and drink it at set times. 12 Eat the food as you would a loaf of barley bread; bake it in the sight of the people, using human excrement for fuel.” 13 The Lord said, “In this way the people of Israel will eat defiled food among the nations where I will drive them.”

14 Then I said, “Not so, Sovereign Lord! I have never defiled myself. From my youth until now I have never eaten anything found dead or torn by wild animals. No impure meat has ever entered my mouth.”

15 “Very well,” he said, “I will let you bake your bread over cow dung instead of human excrement.”

16 He then said to me: “Son of man, I am about to cut off the food supply in Jerusalem. The people will eat rationed food in anxiety and drink rationed water in despair, 17 for food and water will be scarce. They will be appalled at the sight of each other and will waste away because of[d] their sin.

Footnotes

a. Ezekiel 4:4 Or upon your side

b. Ezekiel 4:10 That is, about 8 ounces or about 230 grams

c. Ezekiel 4:11 That is, about 2/3 quart or about 0.6 liter

d. Ezekiel 4:17 Or away in

1. Hundreds of miles away from where Ezekiel was living with the exiles, the situation of the remnant of Israel in Jerusalem was getting worse and worse. God did not want the exiles in Babylon to be indifferent. He had Ezekiel build a clay model of Jerusalem. Then Ezekiel acted out a very difficult and unusual demonstration of the siege of Jerusalem by lying on his side for 390 days. God also had Ezekiel eat rationed food cooked in an unclean way, symbolizing the famine conditions in Jerusalem (9-15).

 

2. The exiles could see Ezekiel’s demonstration and pray for Jerusalem and also repent of their own sins, which had played a part in this catastrophe (16-17). For Ezekiel himself, it was an extended period of prayer. We are called to pray for those who are suffering as if we ourselves were going through the same trials (Heb 13:3 ). God told Ezekiel that by doing this, he would be bearing the sin of the people of Judah (5,6). It reminds us of Jesus who bore all our sin, though he was innocent. We are like Jesus when we intercede in prayer for sinful people.

 

Prayer Father, help me not be indifferent to the suffering of others. Help me pray earnestly for others to be saved from their sins, like Jesus, our great intercessor.

One Word Pray for others as for myself

A WATCHMAN FOR ISRAEL

Ezekiel 3:4-27 / Keywords 3:17

“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me.

 

3:4 He then said to me: “Son of man, go now to the people of Israel and speak my words to them. 5 You are not being sent to a people of obscure speech and strange language, but to the people of Israel— 6 not to many peoples of obscure speech and strange language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely if I had sent you to them, they would have listened to you. 7 But the people of Israel are not willing to listen to you because they are not willing to listen to me, for all the Israelites are hardened and obstinate. 8 But I will make you as unyielding and hardened as they are. 9 I will make your forehead like the hardest stone, harder than flint. Do not be afraid of them or terrified by them, though they are a rebellious people.”

10 And he said to me, “Son of man, listen carefully and take to heart all the words I speak to you. 11 Go now to your people in exile and speak to them. Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says,’ whether they listen or fail to listen.”

12 Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me a loud rumbling sound as the glory of the Lord rose from the place where it was standing.[a] 13 It was the sound of the wings of the living creatures brushing against each other and the sound of the wheels beside them, a loud rumbling sound. 14 The Spirit then lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness and in the anger of my spirit, with the strong hand of the Lord on me. 15 I came to the exiles who lived at Tel Aviv near the Kebar River. And there, where they were living, I sat among them for seven days—deeply distressed.

Ezekiel’s Task as Watchman

16 At the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me: 17 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. 18 When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for[b] their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. 19 But if you do warn the wicked person and they do not turn from their wickedness or from their evil ways, they will die for their sin; but you will have saved yourself.

20 “Again, when a righteous person turns from their righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block before them, they will die. Since you did not warn them, they will die for their sin. The righteous things that person did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. 21 But if you do warn the righteous person not to sin and they do not sin, they will surely live because they took warning, and you will have saved yourself.”

22 The hand of the Lord was on me there, and he said to me, “Get up and go out to the plain, and there I will speak to you.” 23 So I got up and went out to the plain. And the glory of the Lord was standing there, like the glory I had seen by the Kebar River, and I fell facedown.

24 Then the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet. He spoke to me and said: “Go, shut yourself inside your house. 25 And you, son of man, they will tie with ropes; you will be bound so that you cannot go out among the people. 26 I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth so that you will be silent and unable to rebuke them, for they are a rebellious people. 27 But when I speak to you, I will open your mouth and you shall say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says.’ Whoever will listen let them listen, and whoever will refuse let them refuse; for they are a rebellious people.

Footnotes

a. Ezekiel 3:12 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text; Masoretic Text sound—may the glory of the Lord be praised from his place

b. Ezekiel 3:18 Or in; also in verses 19 and 20

1. God again told Ezekiel that his mission to speak God’s words would be difficult. Ironically, God’s own people would be more resistant to God’s words than the foreigners (6-7). But God would make Ezekiel spiritually tough enough to take on his task, making his forehead hard like flint (9). It means he would not be daunted by opposition.

 

2. At first, God did not have Ezekiel say anything. He just had him live among the exiles and become deeply distressed as he saw his people’s sin (15). Then Ezekiel could better understand the mission God was giving him, which is to be a watchman for Israel (17). A spiritual watchman keeps a lookout for sin, to warn God’s people about the temptation of sin that can creep stealthily into their lives. God made Ezekiel personally responsible for warning his people when he saw them falling into sin (20-21).

 

3. Through prayerfully living among his people, Ezekiel could deeply understand their sin problems. As shepherds, we are also called to understand the sin traps that people today are falling into and warn them so they may be saved.

 

Prayer Father, thank you for toughening me up for your mission. Make me a watchman for this generation with spiritual insight.

One Word A watchman who warns about sin

EZEKIEL EATS A SCROLL

Ezekiel 2:1-3:3 / Keywords 2:8

But you, son of man, listen to what I say to you. Do not rebel like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you.”

Ezekiel’s Call to Be a Prophet

2:1 He said to me, “Son of man,[a] stand up on your feet and I will speak to you.” 2 As he spoke, the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet, and I heard him speaking to me.

3 He said: “Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me; they and their ancestors have been in revolt against me to this very day. 4 The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn. Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says.’ 5 And whether they listen or fail to listen—for they are a rebellious people—they will know that a prophet has been among them. 6 And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words. Do not be afraid, though briers and thorns are all around you and you live among scorpions. Do not be afraid of what they say or be terrified by them, though they are a rebellious people. 7 You must speak my words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen, for they are rebellious. 8 But you, son of man, listen to what I say to you. Do not rebel like that rebellious people; open your mouth and eat what I give you.”

9 Then I looked, and I saw a hand stretched out to me. In it was a scroll, 10 which he unrolled before me. On both sides of it were written words of lament and mourning and woe.

3:1 And he said to me, “Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the people of Israel.” 2 So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat.

3 Then he said to me, “Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it.” So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.

Footnotes

a. Ezekiel 2:1 The Hebrew phrase ben adam means human being. The phrase son of man is retained as a form of address here and throughout Ezekiel because of its possible association with “Son of Man” in the New Testament.

1. Ezekiel was overwhelmed by the vision of God and the four living creatures with wheels. But God humbled Ezekiel that he might raise him up and give him an important mission (3): to speak God’s words to his own people. However, they would probably not listen (4). That meant Ezekiel needed to grow in courage.

 

2. God began training Ezekiel for this mission by having him eat a scroll! It symbolizes how God’s words are our spiritual food, and that to preach God’s words to others, the first step is to chew up and digest the word for ourselves. Ezekiel found that the scroll tasted sweet, showing that God’s words were highly nourishing to his inner self. 3. By the discipline of persistent Bible study, we can be equipped with God’s words to do his will. But most important is to have an open heart to “eat”—that is, to deeply accept what God tells us— to take God’s words in, and to let it change us on the inside. Then we also can speak God’s words without fearing people by leaving the results to God.

 

Prayer Father, thank you for the mission you gave me, even though it may bring opposition. Thank you for your delicious words. Help me not neglect them as my spiritual food.

One Word Eat the words God gives

GOD ON THE MOVE 

Ezekiel 1:1-28 / Keywords 1:12

Each one went straight ahead. Wherever the spirit would go, they would go, without turning as they went.

 

Ezekiel’s Inaugural Vision

1:1 In my 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.

2 On the fifth of the month—it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin— 3 the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, by the Kebar River in the land of the Babylonians.[a] There the hand of the Lord was on him.

4 I looked, and I saw a windstorm coming out of the north—an immense cloud with flashing lightning and surrounded by brilliant light. The center of the fire looked like glowing metal, 5 and in the fire was what looked like four living creatures. In appearance their form was human, 6 but each of them had four faces and four wings. 7 Their legs were straight; their feet were like those of a calf and gleamed like burnished bronze. 8 Under their wings on their four sides they had human hands. All four of them had faces and wings, 9 and the wings of one touched the wings of another. Each one went straight ahead; they did not turn as they moved.

10 Their faces looked like this: Each of the four had the face of a human being, and on the right side each had the face of a lion, and on the left the face of an ox; each also had the face of an eagle. 11 Such were their faces. They each had two wings spreading out upward, each wing touching that of the creature on either side; and each had two other wings covering its body. 12 Each one went straight ahead. Wherever the spirit would go, they would go, without turning as they went. 13 The appearance of the living creatures was like burning coals of fire or like torches. Fire moved back and forth among the creatures; it was bright, and lightning flashed out of it. 14 The creatures sped back and forth like flashes of lightning.

15 As I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the ground beside each creature with its four faces. 16 This was the appearance and structure of the wheels: They sparkled like topaz, and all four looked alike. Each appeared to be made like a wheel intersecting a wheel. 17 As they moved, they would go in any one of the four directions the creatures faced; the wheels did not change direction as the creatures went. 18 Their rims were high and awesome, and all four rims were full of eyes all around.

19 When the living creatures moved, the wheels beside them moved; and when the living creatures rose from the ground, the wheels also rose. 20 Wherever the spirit would go, they would go, and the wheels would rise along with them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. 21 When the creatures moved, they also moved; when the creatures stood still, they also stood still; and when the creatures rose from the ground, the wheels rose along with them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.

22 Spread out above the heads of the living creatures was what looked something like a vault, sparkling like crystal, and awesome. 23 Under the vault their wings were stretched out one toward the other, and each had two wings covering its body. 24 When the creatures moved, I heard the sound of their wings, like the roar of rushing waters, like the voice of the Almighty,[b] like the tumult of an army. When they stood still, they lowered their wings.

25 Then there came a voice from above the vault over their heads as they stood with lowered wings. 26 Above the vault over their heads was what looked like a throne of lapis lazuli, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man. 27 I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. 28 Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him.

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.

Footnotes

a. Ezekiel 1:3 Or Chaldeans

b. Ezekiel 1:24 Hebrew Shaddai

1. Ezekiel was a godly young man living with his fellow exiled Jews in Babylon. After losing their temple and homeland due to their sins, God’s people might have wondered if God was still with them in this distant place. Then God called Ezekiel to be a prophet in exile, and he gave him a vision showing how God would work in new ways.

 

2. In his vision, Ezekiel saw four angelic creatures, and next to each creature was a flaming wheel. The wheeled creatures could travel anywhere the Spirit went, rapidly, without turning or getting sidetracked (12). Above the creatures was a throne, and on it, Ezekiel saw the likeness of the Glory of the Lord (28). What did the vision mean? This “mobile throne” on wheels shows that God is not confined to one place but can move to wherever his people are, to wherever his Spirit is ready to work. Of course, God does not really need a vehicle to get somewhere. But it shows that God is a dynamic, living, moving God. This was what Ezekiel needed to see, to understand, that God was coming to be with his people in exile and begin something new.

 

3. We should also know that God is “on the move .” He can be with us wherever we are, and he can also send us anywhere to do his work while always traveling with us.

 

Prayer Father, thank you that you are living and active and can come to us wherever we are.

One Word God is moving

SAUL’S DEATH 

1 Samuel 31:1-13 / Keywords 31:12a

all their valiant men journeyed through the night to Beth Shan.

 

Saul Takes His Life

31:1 Now the Philistines fought against Israel; the Israelites fled before them, and many fell dead on Mount Gilboa. 2 The Philistines were in hot pursuit of Saul and his sons, and they killed his sons Jonathan, Abinadab and Malki-Shua. 3 The fighting grew fierce around Saul, and when the archers overtook him, they wounded him critically.

4 Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and run me through, or these uncircumcised fellows will come and run me through and abuse me.”

But his armor-bearer was terrified and would not do it; so Saul took his own sword and fell on it. 5 When the armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his sword and died with him. 6 So Saul and his three sons and his armor-bearer and all his men died together that same day.

7 When the Israelites along the valley and those across the Jordan saw that the Israelite army had fled and that Saul and his sons had died, they abandoned their towns and fled. And the Philistines came and occupied them.

8 The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. 9 They cut off his head and stripped off his armor, and they sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news in the temple of their idols and among their people. 10 They put his armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths and fastened his body to the wall of Beth Shan.

11 When the people of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, 12 all their valiant men marched through the night to Beth Shan. They took down the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth Shan and went to Jabesh, where they burned them. 13 Then they took their bones and buried them under a tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.

1. What Samuel spoke through the medium of Endor came to pass. The Philistines pursued and killed Saul and his three sons. Saul was critically wounded, but still alive. He commanded his armor-bearer to kill him, but the armor-bearer feared God and could not. So, Saul fell on his own sword and died. The Philistines put his armor in the temple of their god and fastened his body to the wall of Beth Shan. This was how they celebrated their victory over the Israelites.

 

2. Saul had begun his reign with a heroic act. He had rescued the city of Jabesh Gilead from the sadistic Ammonite king Nahash (1Sa 11). The men of Jabesh Gilead did not forget this. They risked their lives to recover the bodies of Saul and his sons from being shamefully exposed by the Philistines. They gave them a decent burial. They remembered God’s saving grace and gave honor to Saul and his sons.

 

Prayer Lord, help me to remember your grace and honor those who serve you.

One Word Remember God’s grace

DAVID DEFEATS THE AMALEKITES

1 Samuel 30:16-31 / Keywords 30:23

David replied, “No, my brothers, you must not do that with what the LORD has given us. He has protected us and handed over to us the forces that came against us.

 

30:16 He led David down, and there they were, scattered over the countryside, eating, drinking and reveling because of the great amount of plunder they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from Judah. 17 David fought them from dusk until the evening of the next day, and none of them got away, except four hundred young men who rode off on camels and fled. 18 David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives. 19 Nothing was missing: young or old, boy or girl, plunder or anything else they had taken. David brought everything back. 20 He took all the flocks and herds, and his men drove them ahead of the other livestock, saying, “This is David’s plunder.”

21 Then David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow him and who were left behind at the Besor Valley. They came out to meet David and the men with him. As David and his men approached, he asked them how they were. 22 But all the evil men and troublemakers among David’s followers said, “Because they did not go out with us, we will not share with them the plunder we recovered. However, each man may take his wife and children and go.”

23 David replied, “No, my brothers, you must not do that with what the Lord has given us. He has protected us and delivered into our hands the raiding party that came against us. 24 Who will listen to what you say? The share of the man who stayed with the supplies is to be the same as that of him who went down to the battle. All will share alike.” 25 David made this a statute and ordinance for Israel from that day to this.

26 When David reached Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to the elders of Judah, who were his friends, saying, “Here is a gift for you from the plunder of the Lord’s enemies.”

27 David sent it to those who were in Bethel, Ramoth Negev and Jattir; 28 to those in Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa 29 and Rakal; to those in the towns of the Jerahmeelites and the Kenites; 30 to those in Hormah, Bor Ashan, Athak 31 and Hebron; and to those in all the other places where he and his men had roamed.

1. The Egyptian slave led David to the Amalekites, who were all drinking and reveling in their plunder. So, David and his men fought them and thoroughly defeated them. They also recovered everything taken, including the people. What once was the plunder of the Amalekites was now David’s plunder.

 

2. When David and the men came back, they were met by the 200 men who were too exhausted to continue. Some among David’s followers did not want to share the plunder with those who stayed behind, but David made it a statute that those who stayed with the supplies would share equally with those who went to the battle. He taught them in this way that it is the LORD who protected them, and it was the LORD who delivered their enemies into their hands. His deliverance is for all. Upon returning, David sent some of the plunder throughout Israel. It was a sign of encouragement and a message from the LORD who delivers.

 

Prayer Lord, help me to depend on your protection and deliverance in all things. Help me to claim your victory and be a source of encouragement.

One Word The Lord delivers 

THE AMALEKITES ATTACK ISRAEL

1 Samuel 30:1-15 / Keywords 30:8

and David inquired of the LORD, “Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?” “Pursue them,” he answered. “You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue.”

 

David Destroys the Amalekites

30:1 David and his men reached Ziklag on the third day. Now the Amalekites had raided the Negev and Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag and burned it, 2 and had taken captive the women and everyone else in it, both young and old. They killed none of them, but carried them off as they went on their way.

3 When David and his men reached Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. 4 So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep. 5 David’s two wives had been captured—Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel. 6 David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the Lord his God.

7 Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelek, “Bring me the ephod.” Abiathar brought it to him, 8 and David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?”

“Pursue them,” he answered. “You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue.”

9 David and the six hundred men with him came to the Besor Valley, where some stayed behind. 10 Two hundred of them were too exhausted to cross the valley, but David and the other four hundred continued the pursuit.

11 They found an Egyptian in a field and brought him to David. They gave him water to drink and food to eat— 12 part of a cake of pressed figs and two cakes of raisins. He ate and was revived, for he had not eaten any food or drunk any water for three days and three nights.

13 David asked him, “Who do you belong to? Where do you come from?”

He said, “I am an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite. My master abandoned me when I became ill three days ago. 14 We raided the Negev of the Kerethites, some territory belonging to Judah and the Negev of Caleb. And we burned Ziklag.”

15 David asked him, “Can you lead me down to this raiding party?”

He answered, “Swear to me before God that you will not kill me or hand me over to my master, and I will take you down to them.”

1. When David and his men returned, they found that the Amalekites had attacked the city. They took captive all the people and burned the city. David and his men wept until they ran out of tears. David’s wives were among those captured. Worse than that, the men were so bitter they considered stoning David. In this situation there was nowhere to turn, but David found strength in the LORD his God.

 

2. At this time David sought the priest and inquired of the LORD. He had no plan, but he asked if he should pursue the raiding party, and the LORD answered, “Pursue them.” The LORD promised victory, so David left with 600 men. When 200 became exhausted David continued with the 400 that remained. Finally, he found an Egyptian who was a slave of the Amalekite army. This slave promised to lead David to the raiding party. It was God who was leading David according to his will.

 

Prayer Lord, you are my strength. Help me to depend on your leading in every situation.

One Word Trust God’s leading

DAVID SENT BACK FROM THE WAR 

1 Samuel 29:1-11 / Keywords 29:5

Isn’t this the David they sang about in their dances: “’Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands’?”

 

Achish Sends David Back to Ziklag

29:1 The Philistines gathered all their forces at Aphek, and Israel camped by the spring in Jezreel. 2 As the Philistine rulers marched with their units of hundreds and thousands, David and his men were marching at the rear with Achish. 3 The commanders of the Philistines asked, “What about these Hebrews?”

Achish replied, “Is this not David, who was an officer of Saul king of Israel? He has already been with me for over a year, and from the day he left Saul until now, I have found no fault in him.”

4 But the Philistine commanders were angry with Achish and said, “Send the man back, that he may return to the place you assigned him. He must not go with us into battle, or he will turn against us during the fighting. How better could he regain his master’s favor than by taking the heads of our own men? 5 Isn’t this the David they sang about in their dances:

“‘Saul has slain his thousands,

    and David his tens of thousands’?”

6 So Achish called David and said to him, “As surely as the Lord lives, you have been reliable, and I would be pleased to have you serve with me in the army. From the day you came to me until today, I have found no fault in you, but the rulers don’t approve of you. 7 Now turn back and go in peace; do nothing to displease the Philistine rulers.”

8 “But what have I done?” asked David. “What have you found against your servant from the day I came to you until now? Why can’t I go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?”

9 Achish answered, “I know that you have been as pleasing in my eyes as an angel of God; nevertheless, the Philistine commanders have said, ‘He must not go up with us into battle.’ 10 Now get up early, along with your master’s servants who have come with you, and leave in the morning as soon as it is light.”

11 So David and his men got up early in the morning to go back to the land of the Philistines, and the Philistines went up to Jezreel.

1. When the Philistine kings marched out to fight Israel, David and his men were marching in the rear with Achish. The Philistine king had included him in the Philistine forces because he trusted David. Now David was in an impossible situation. When he escaped from Saul, David took refuge among the Philistines— the enemies of God’s people. But when he allied himself with Achish and accepted his hospitality; now he had to fight his own people.

 

2. God intervened in a strange way. Achish may have trusted David, but the Philistine rulers did not. They remembered how the women of Israel had sung about his exploits. So, they overruled Achish. Achish was sorry to send David back, but he yielded to the wisdom of his allies and sent him back to Ziklag. Surely God’s hand of provision was in this

 

Prayer Lord, I easily get myself into predicaments that I can’t get out of. Teach me instead to wait on you.

One Word Wait for God