When reading through the Prophets it would be somewhat easy to conclude that, since God's plan was to redeem Israel, that all of Israel would be redeemed. Unfortunately, the reading for today shows that this isn't really the case. In 20:38, God states, "I will purge out the rebels from among you..." Some people would say that ... [Continue Reading]
God ‘ s people (Ezekiel 14-16)
It's a small phrase, but it's still worth mentioning: "my people." Throughout Israel's rebellion, they never stopped being God's people. He redeemed them from slavery, and He brought them into the land of promise. He removed them from the dictatorship of Pharaoh and blessed them with freedom. Even still, they turned ... [Continue Reading]
A frightening responsibility (Ezekiel 11-13)
Reading through this section (specifically the part about the part about the false prophets) reignited my passion of the frightening responsibility of being a teacher of God's Word. These prophets in Ezekiel are condemned for leading people astray, and the same condemnation applies to teachers today who lead people in the wrong direction. Every time I get ... [Continue Reading]
No room for idolaters (Ezekiel 7-10)
I'm currently in the middle of listening to a sermon series on the Ten Commandments, so as this theme of idolatry popped up here it was hard to ignore. I know I've mentioned it before, but idolatry seems to be common sin in the history of the world, and it can rear its ugly head in lots of ways. Anything that takes your affection away from God should ... [Continue Reading]
A horrible stench (Ezekiel 4-6)
God had the prophets do some pretty incredible things to try and get the attention of Israel and Judah, but in my mind none comes close to having Ezekiel burn a portion of his hair in the midst of the city. In the Old Testament, when a Nazirite vow was completed, the hair that was committed during the period of the vow was to be cut off and burned as a sacrifice ... [Continue Reading]
Sweet as honey (Ezekiel 1-3)
I find it mildly humorous that Ezekiel ate God's words, and then they were in his mouth as sweet as honey. It reminds me a little bit of a story in Angela's Ashes where Frank McCourt is taking communion for the first time in the Catholic Church and gets the wafer stuck on the roof of his mouth. Since Catholics believe in transubstantiation (that the ... [Continue Reading]
A prayer for restoration (Lamentations 4-5)
The author of Lamentations prays a prayer at the end of the book that it worth repeating: "Restore us to yourself, O Lord, that we may be restored!" (5:21a). "Restore us to yourself" implies that the Lord is someone to whom it is worth being restored. The implication also exists that the restoration includes a relationship. The ... [Continue Reading]
Do not fear (Lamentations 1-3)
The author of Lamentations (presumably Jeremiah) pleaded with God for help and received this response: "do not fear." That's good advice that we should all consider. In reality, when we recognize who God is and put Him in the proper place in our lives, then there isn't anything to fear. That's why Jesus said to seek first the ... [Continue Reading]
Sabbath at last (2 Kings 24-25; 2 Chronicles 36)
With the final remnant taken to exile in Babylon, the Promised Land was able to enjoy its Sabbaths that had been missed for so many years of Israel's and Judah's disobedience. Chronicles reminds us that God was not dead or asleep but patiently waiting for the proper time to redeem His people once again. Back in Exodus when God led the people out of ... [Continue Reading]
A higher standard (Psalm 79; Habakkuk)
Once again, I defer to the introduction of Habakkuk found in the English Standard Version of the scripture. It offers an incredibly helpful overview of this text.Habakkuk was probably written about 640–615 b.c., just before the fall of Assyria and the rise of Babylon. God used Assyria to punish Israel (722); now he would use Babylon to punish Judah. This prophecy ... [Continue Reading]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 45
- 46
- 47
- 48
- 49
- …
- 65
- Next Page »
Connect with Me