Week 34 Day 5 – The River of Life

Earlier in his book, Ezekiel saw one of the most terrible visions that a Jewish priest of his day could have possibly seen.  He saw the glory of the Lord depart from the Temple.
How must Ezekiel have felt in that moment?

Read Ezekiel 43:1-5
How must Ezekiel have felt after he saw this vision?

Read Ezekiel 47:1-12
What does Ezekiel see in this vision?

Get a map of Israel (there should be one in the back of your Bible.  If not, find a Bible Dictionary or a Bible Atlas). If the river that flows from the Temple is traveling east, what is the Sea that it will be touching?  What is that sea like today?  What will the river do to that sea?

What will be along the side of the river?  What is unique about these things?

Special note:  It is important to note that, due to the physical geography of Jerusalem, it would be impossible for a river to flow directly eastward and down to the Dead Sea. Remember, Ezekiel is not seeing a literal snapshot of the future, he is seeing a prophetic vision full of imagery.  What is the significance of the imagery of this vision?  What is it saying about the future of Israel?

Read Revelation 22:1-6 (you may want to read a little before it to catch a glimpse of the New Jerusalem that is described as well).  What similarities do you see between John’s vision and Ezekiel’s vision?

The point of these visions given to Ezekiel and to John was to show the people that there is always hope when God is involved.  God is the author and sustainer of life.  When His name is glorified, He will live in the center of the city and life itself will flow from Him.  When we have God at the center of life then we will eat from the fruit of the trees of life that bear fruit every month, not just one month out of the year.  Life is eternally accessible in the Kingdom of God.  May we begin to eat from this tree today, and continue to be nourished by its life-giving juice beyond our present circumstance!

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Week 34 Day 4 – Dancing Skeletons

Ezekiel 37:1-14

Even in the darkest hours of life and circumstance, God can bring hope.  How many times in your life have you been in a circumstance where you felt so empty that it seemed your bones were dried up and there was nothing left of life inside you?  Perhaps you hit that desperate spot because of your own sin and you are suffering the consequences for your actions (much like the people of Israel).  Don’t despair.  Even the bones can repent, turn to God, and have the breath of life breathed back into them.  Or, perhaps your circumstances are not necessarily the result of your sin but are more like the suffering of Job or Joseph.  Even in those moments God can breath meaning into them that are deeper and beyond our understanding.  Don’t forget.  God is the one who created humanity by simply “breathing” into a lump of clay.  If He could make life out of what was dead, how much more could He breath life and meaning into something that was once alive to begin with.  Look for this resurrection hope in your life today and begin breathing in the wind/breath of life.

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Week 34 Day 3 – First Things First

Ezekiel 36:22-32

In our society we have been deeply influenced by a philosophy of radical individualism.  All the messages we hear in the media tell us to “look out for number one -- you,” “you are the master of your own destiny,” “If it feels right for you, then go for it!”  As Christians we can easily dismiss the obvious anti-christian message in these phrases, yet we tend to miss the deeper-lying root of the message that rings through our theology.  Much of our talk of a relationship with God has to do with what God can do for us.  God can heal you from your pain.  God can deliver you from an addiction.  God can restore broken relationships.  While these things are all true and are the overflow of an authentic relationship with God, is it possible that these things have become the focus of our theology rather than the byproduct of it?  In other words, has the church resorted to selling the gospel with the benefits of believing rather than the glory of God?

Here’s the reality.  God is God and we were created to worship Him and bring glory to His name.  The quality of a church, or an individual life, should not be based upon the “happiness quotient” or the “customer satifsfaction index” of the members.  Rather, it should be based upon the level to which God was honored and His name was glorified by the congregation’s, both collectively and indivdually, conduct and character.  Let’s make sure that everything we do is motivated by bringing honor and glory to God, first and foremost.  When God is glorified and we are in a right relationship with Him, then the healing power of the gospel will flow freely through His people and overflow into the world.  First things first!

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Week 34 Day 2 – Not for Entertainment

Ezekiel 33:30-33

Ezekiel was a professional preacher.  Every day he would speak the words of the Lord to the people of Israel that were in captivity.

What attitude did the people have toward Ezekiel and his message?

What was the problem with this attitude?

Think about examples of how you have seen this attitude at work in the church in our day.  How often have you slipped into this kind of attitude?

How often we get comfortable in our American churches.  Everything is going so well that we can become complacent and apathetic towards the sin that has infected us.  Church becomes more of an entertainment venue about which we critique with a “thumbs up or thumbs down” mentality, rather than viewing it as an opportunity to come into the presence of the Holy God to be cleansed by His word.  Evaluate your heart today.  What is your attitude towards God’s Word?  Do you take it to heart, or is it just a “love song” that makes you feel all warm inside?  God loves you.  He loves you so much that He does not want you to tolerate mediocrity in your life!

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Week 35 Day 1 – Hard World, Soft Heart

Ezekiel 33:1-11

In the midst of pages of prophetic words of doom, gloom, anger, and wrath from the mouth of the Lord, this passage shines as a bright reminder of the deep heart of God.  God does not delight in hurting people.  Like the old saying goes when a parent spanks a child, “this is going to hurt me more than it hurts you,” so it is with God.  God created us for loving Him.  Imagine how much pain it must have brought to His heart when He finally had to pull out all the stops of punishment against His beloved city.

We can use this message in application to our view of the world around us.  In light of the depravity that is so apparent on our street corners, our billboards, our magazines, TV stations, and movie screens, it can be easy to become harsh and judgmental.  When that happens to you, remember this passage.  God does not take joy in punishing the wicked.  He loves them.  Our job as Christians is not to judge or condemn anyone.  Only God can do that.  Our job is to be the watchman, as Ezekiel was, and warn the people of the coming wrath of God.  We are to remind them of God’s love for them and invite them to repent of the sin that is killing them and enter into the joy of the Kingdom of God.  Let’s keep soft hearts this week.

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Week 35 .pdf now available

click here to download the .pdf for Ezekiel part 2.

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Week 34 Day 5 – God of the Nations

Ezekiel 25-32

For centuries the people of Jerusalem had been told that they were the people of God, that the Temple was God’s earthly dwelling, and that God was the Lord Almighty, God above all gods.  Now where was He?  Were the Babylonian gods actually more powerful than Yahweh?  Were the people actually just another nation among many that was doomed to extinction?  Where was the hope?

The next two sections of Ezekiel answer this question.  Today we will focus on the message in section two of Ezekiel (chs. 25-32) and all of next week will be devoted to the message of hope found in section three.

Chapters 25-32 are prophecies and laments concerning the nations surrounding Judah. These messages against Ammon, Moab, Edom, Philistia, Tyre, Sidon, Egypt can be summarized in the following paraphrase:

“You nations have observed the fall of Jerusalem.  It may seem that the God of Jerusalem has been defeated.  You may feel secure that you have been right all along and that your strength has prevailed over the Israelites.  Let me remind you of something.  I still love my people.  They are my people and I am disciplining them right now.  You however, have never been my people and you have rejected me from the beginning.  Jerusalem may be down for a moment, but, rest assured, I will restore them and they will be glorious.  Your fate is another story.  I will judge you in the end.  You may have won the battle, but Jerusalem will win the war!”

The take home, and the message of hope from this section is simple:  God is the God of all nations and is in control of all events.  As the children of God, it is our job to not allow the circumstances of our lives to dictate our feelings towards God.  No matter how bleak the situation may seem, God is still on His throne.  Remember, His throne has “wheels” (ch. 1)!

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Week 34 Day 4 – Stand in the Gap

Read Ezekiel 22:23-31.

In the mid 1990’s, Promise Keepers (A national Christian Men’s ministry) gathered a million men in Washington D.C. called “Stand in the Gap.”  Why do you think they called it by this name?

Today we are reminded of another recurring theme in the Old Testament (and New).  God’s people are called to be a shining light in the dark world around them.

If just one person had stepped up to the plate in Jerusalem, then God would have spared them.  We saw Him do this with Hezekiah and Josiah.  Both of these kings brought religious reform to the city and kept the destroyers at bay for a little while longer.  In Ezekiel and Jeremiah’s day, there were no good men left.

There are two points to think about.

1. Many times, in our culture,  we place an emphasis on the personal benefits of salvation and forget about the curltural impact that the gospel can have.  We don’t have a good relationship with God just so that we can go to Heaven.  This doesn’t just happen in a vacuum.  When we are filled, we overflow.  We impact our society, if we are connected and interacting with our society. 
2. Are we willing to stand in the gap, or are we hiding in a hole, just waiting for the second coming.  Many times we can slip into an isolationist mentality and not want to be involved in the community in order to have a positive impact upon it.  As bad as our culture is, there is still enough of the remnant of God presence to make a difference.  Let’s ask God for the strength and courage to be Gap Standers.

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Week 34 Day 3 – Accountability

Ezekiel 18:1-32

Whether you had parents or were raised by a relative or were raised by the system, someone had an impressionable role in your life as a child.  Perhaps you were blessed with “good” parents who only made a few mistakes.  Or, perhaps you had parents or some adult who abused you or led you down some destructive paths.  In either case, these adults did what they did, and you didn’t have a choice in it.  There are two questions to ask.

1. Have you forgiven them?
2. Have you gotten past it and taken responsibility for your own actions?

God is going to test your life based upon your decisions, not your parents.  Let’s ask God for a “new heart” and a “new spirit” today.

Much of modern psychology has been invested in studying the effects of parents on the development (healthy or unhealthy) of the individual’s psyche.  My parents were __________, therefore I’m the way I am.  While this is true to a great extent, it is also a terrible trap that can lead to irresponsibility, excuse making, a victim mentality,  and an inability to change.  This is not just a modern phenomenon.  The people of Jerusalem were suffering the same malady.  In Ezekiel 18, the prophet preaches against this dangerous philosophy and practice.

Read the following excerpt for a great summary of vv. 1-2.

God asked Ezekiel about a proverb being circulated. This proverb—The fathers eat sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge—must have been well known in Israel because Jeremiah also quoted it (cf. Jer. 31:29-30). The proverb’s point was that children were suffering because of their parents’ sins. True, Jerusalem was suffering, but as stated in the proverb the people thought they were suffering not because of their sins but because of their parents‘ sins.So these people were blaming God for punishing them unjustly (cf. Ezek. 18:25).

God saw that this false proverb had to be refuted. Yet, as with all false doctrines, a kernel of truth in the teaching made it seem plausible. In the Ten Commandments God indicated that He was “a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me” (Ex. 20:5). This same threat was repeated in Exodus 34:6-7 and Deuteronomy 5:9. Even Ezekiel had traced God’s coming judgment back to the people’s past actions (cf. Ezek. 16:15-29). But the point of these passages was that the effects of sin are serious and long-lasting, not that God capriciously punishes the innocent for their ancestors’ evil ways.

Blaming others for their misfortunes, the people were denying their own guilt. This was wrong because every individual is personally responsible to God. For every living soul belongs to Me, the father as well as the son. Those who are guilty will receive their own deserved punishment. The soul who sins is the one who will die (cf. 18:20). The people of Israel could not rightly charge God with injustice.

Walvoord, J. F. (1983-c1985). The Bible knowledge commentary : An exposition of the scriptures (Eze 18:1). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

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Week 34 Day 2 – Formula for Destruction

Ezekiel 16:49-52
In chapter 16 Ezekiel draws an analogy between a promiscuous, unfaithful woman and the city of Jerusalem.  He also says that Jerusalem had “sisters” named Samaria (the Captial of the Kingdom of Israel) and Sodom (the city where Lot lived that was completely destroyed in Genesis).

There is a recurring theme in the Old Testament.  It seems that the greatest sin that Israel committed, next to idolatry, was the mistreatment of the needy.  Look again at the list of accusations brought against Sodom:

arrogance:  having or showing an exaggerated opinion of one’s own importance, merit, ability, etc.; conceited; overbearingly proud
Collins English Dictionary. 2000 (electronic ed.). Glasgow: HarperCollins.

overfed:  having a surplus of the basic needs.

unconcerned:  this is a Hebrew phrase that is difficult to translate.  It literally reads, “an abundance of quietness, peace, or inactivity.” 

Listen to the different ways it has been translated:

prosperous ease (RSV)

spoiled (CEV)

abundance of idleness (KJV)

complacent in their prosperity (NAB)

careless ease  (NASB)

laziness (NLT)

Read Jesus’ parables in Luke 12:16-20;  Luke 16:19-31.

Where in your heart and in our church do we need to repent of these sins and “bear our disgrace.”

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