Tag: Ezekiel

Scripture Focus: Ezekiel 33:9-11
9 But if you do warn the wicked person to turn from their ways and they do not do so, they will die for their sin, though you yourself will be saved.
10 “Son of man, say to the Israelites, ‘This is what you are saying: “Our offenses and sins weigh us down, and we are wasting away because of them. How then can we live?”’ 11 Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, people of Israel?’

Reflection: Implore Them to Stay
By Erin Newton

Charles Spurgeon spoke of the importance of evangelism through vivid imagery about a journey to the afterlife. The language paints a picture of friends clinging to their loved one’s ankles.

“If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our dead bodies. And if they perish, let them perish with our arms wrapped about their knees, imploring them to stay. If Hell must be filled, let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go unwarned and unprayed for.”

By God’s calling, Ezekiel becomes a watchman. His job is to warn others of incoming danger, to alert his friends and family. To be a prophet was to be a watchman. Speak truth, warn others. The consequences of the audience’s response would fall upon themselves.

Today, evangelism often makes us think about global missions. Sometimes we think about memorizing gospel presentations or starting purposeful conversations with strangers. Christians are engaged in evangelism by living ordinary lives and glorifying God. Whether intentional or subconscious, warnings or murmurs of warnings are spoken each day.

I think we struggle with how intentional we ought to be. For many, there is an aversion to sharing the gospel because spiritual abuse has created skepticism and resentment. We sometimes don’t know what to say or what parts of faith are of primary importance. Far too often secondary and tertiary issues have dominated conversations about Christ. These erroneous hierarchical debates lead to nothing but more skepticism and resentment.

A decade ago, my husband and I decided we needed to engage more with others about our faith. It wasn’t some sort of pious endeavor; it was a small voice in my soul. I couldn’t shake this question, “Do you really believe what you say you believe?” Perhaps today, we might label that question as the stirring of deconstruction. For me, it was the unraveling of a stagnant faith that had been stuck in the monotonous drone of religion.

What did I believe? Did I truly believe that only those with faith in Christ will live eternally with Him? Yes. I still do.

God spoke to Ezekiel, giving him a job. Tell others what you know. God’s desire is that none should perish. None. No rejection of Him is lightly received. No rejection of Him is our guilt. We are asked, like Ezekiel, to go unto all the nations and proclaim the good news.

Divine Hours Prayer: A Reading
Jesus taught us, saying: “Be on your guard, stay awake, because you never know when the time will come. It is like a man traveling abroad: he has gone from his home, and left his servants in charge, each with his own work to do; and he has told the doorkeeper to stay awake. So stay awake, because you do not know when the master of the house is coming, evening, midnight, cockcrow of dawn; if he comes unexpectedly, he must not find you asleep. And what I am saying to you I say to all: Stay awake!” — Mark 13.33-37

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Summertime by Phyllis Tickle.

Today’s Readings
Ezekiel 33 (Listen 6:03)
1 Timothy 5 (Listen 3:22)

Read more about The Blandness of Hell
Those who go to Hell, do so on their own. God lays no hand upon them…

The Blandness of Hell

Read more about Be on Lookout
Some Christians with a vigilante spirit confuse the call to alertness with a call to arms or a declaration of war.

Be on Lookout

Scripture Focus: Ezekiel 28.12-19
12 “Son of man, take up a lament concerning the king of Tyre and say to him: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“ ‘You were the seal of perfection,
full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
13 You were in Eden,
the garden of God;
every precious stone adorned you:
carnelian, chrysolite and emerald,
topaz, onyx and jasper,
lapis lazuli, turquoise and beryl.
Your settings and mountings were made of gold;
on the day you were created they were prepared.
14 You were anointed as a guardian cherub,
for so I ordained you.
You were on the holy mount of God;
you walked among the fiery stones.
15 You were blameless in your ways
from the day you were created
till wickedness was found in you.
16 Through your widespread trade
you were filled with violence,
and you sinned.
So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God,
and I expelled you, guardian cherub,
from among the fiery stones.
17 Your heart became proud
on account of your beauty,
and you corrupted your wisdom
because of your splendor.
So I threw you to the earth;
I made a spectacle of you before kings.
18 By your many sins and dishonest trade
you have desecrated your sanctuaries.
So I made a fire come out from you,
and it consumed you,
and I reduced you to ashes on the ground
in the sight of all who were watching.
19 All the nations who knew you
are appalled at you;
you have come to a horrible end
and will be no more.’ ” 

Reflection: Tyre, Eden, the Temple
By John Tillman

Ezekiel references Adam’s fall from Eden and the Temple in Jerusalem to describe judgment on the king of Tyre.

Tyre’s relationship with Israel blessed both kingdoms. The friendship started with David and continued (as trading partners) throughout the history of Israel and Judah. Tyre’s religious practices and beliefs, however, followed Ba’al and other Canaanite gods. Tyre never worshiped Yahweh other than acknowledging David’s God in the perfunctory way a business partner would and supplying many of the materials that were used to build the Temple. Still, God held this foreign king responsible to him for justice and the welfare of others. God holds him responsible for violence and using dishonesty to gain wealth in addition to gloating over Israel’s fate.

Ezekiel’s metaphor of the king being cast out of Eden implies that the sin of Tyre and Adam are similar. Adam didn’t sin by thoughtlessly taking some fruit his wife handed him. Like the king, he wanted to be “like God,” wanted to declare himself wise, and wanted to say for himself what was right and wrong.

The stones mentioned are ones from the breastplate of the high priest in Jerusalem’s temple. This implies Ezekiel’s thoughts about the pride and corruption of the priests and religious leaders. The trappings of power, items of glamour and beauty intended to glorify God, were turned toward themselves. Beauty birthed pride. Splendor corrupted wisdom.

This lament leaves no doubt that, regardless of an individual’s beliefs or the culture’s moral outlook, God will not give a pass to anyone who follows the way of Tyre, Adam, and Jerusalem.

If Tyre, Adam, and the spiritual leadership of the Temple can fall, so can we. The same sins they tripped on strike at our heels. Wealth, power, and pride make us indifferent to suffering. They have us turn a blind eye to corruption. They lead us to accept violence as a means to an end. No ruler of a nation, no CEO, no pastor, staff member, or volunteer leader of a church is exempt.

Let us test our pride: Are we glorifying God or ourselves?
Let us test our power:  Are we serving others or ourselves?
Let us test our wealth: Are we blessing others or ourselves?

And let us have hope in Jesus. When we fail, for the repentant, there is forgiveness. His promises of mercy are as sure as his promises of judgment.

Divine Hours Prayer: A Reading
Jesus said: “For God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but so that the world might be saved. No one who believes in him will be judged; but whoever does not believe in him is judged already, because that person does not believe in the Name of God’s only Son.” — John 3.17-19

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Summertime by Phyllis Tickle.

Today’s Readings
Ezekiel 28 (Listen 4:32) 
Ephesians 6 (Listen 3:17)

Today’s Readings
Ezekiel 29 (Listen 3:43)  1 Timothy 1 (Listen 2:59)
Ezekiel 30 (Listen 4:07)  1 Timothy 2 (Listen 1:38)

Read more about The Empire Has No Clothes
Isaiah confronted people with the truth, “The empire has no clothes!” Isaiah’s constant nakedness would not let Judah escape the image.

The Empire Has No Clothes

Read more about Prophets in Our Path
Let us have the salvation that God longs to give us. Let us listen to prophets in our path.

Prophets in Our Path

Scripture Focus: Ezekiel 27.27
27 Your wealth, merchandise and wares,
    your mariners, sailors and shipwrights,
your merchants and all your soldiers,
    and everyone else on board
will sink into the heart of the sea
    on the day of your shipwreck.

Reflection: Onlookers’ Delight
By Erin Newton

In modern terms, Tyre was a supercenter of goods. Like a mega-company that traded with dozens of nations, Tyre was a household name for the ancient Near East. She prided herself in her achievements and her wealth. She was the supplier of purple dye, the symbol of royalty. Tyre was successful and perhaps considered herself indispensable.

We are met again with a passage that does not speak about Israel. What is central to this chapter? Wealth. Extensive amounts of wealth. A long list of trade partners fills verse after verse. Imagine a business today with that sort of revenue. Tyre’s hope is not bound to one source; she is linked with every nation in the area. There is a feeling of financial security. But downfall is coming. God tells Ezekiel to speak a lament to the people.

How does one lament great wealth? The wise sage of Ecclesiastes surveyed the accumulation of wealth and ended with a lament, of sorts.

Ecclesiastes 5.10 says, “Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless.” Wealth can never be fulfilled. It always wants more and more. Tyre, seeing Israel destroyed, immediately assumes that destruction would result in benefits for herself.

Ecclesiastes 6.2 also says, “God gives some people wealth, possessions and honor, so that they lack nothing their hearts desire, but God does not grant them the ability to enjoy them, and strangers enjoy them instead. This is meaningless, a grievous evil.” With vast amounts of wealth, those who labor to obtain it die before they can fully enjoy such treasures.

Wisdom would tell us that wealth is not inherently bad: “The blessing of the Lord brings wealth, without painful toil for it” (Proverbs 10.22). The message about money is a mixed bag. It can be good. It can be bad.

There is an attitude that must be examined in the texts about Tyre. It is Tyre’s pleasure of Israel’s misfortune that causes her judgment. Pleasure derived from another’s demise is called schadenfreude. It expresses the joy and thrill experienced when another person suffers. It highlights the inner perversion of love.

Wealth alone was not a problem. Somehow the desire for riches turned the treaty of brotherhood into a den of vipers.

God calls us to love one another. We would never take joy in our failures. Loving our neighbors means not reveling in theirs. 

Divine Hours Prayer: The Call to Prayer
The Lord is King; let the people tremble; he is enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth shake. — Psalm 99.1

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Summertime by Phyllis Tickle.

Today’s Readings
Ezekiel 27 (Listen 5:15) 
Ephesians 5 (Listen 3:42)

Read more about Solomon’s Folly
Most people seek to retest Solomon’s findings. “Sure, sure, wealth and pleasure are meaningless,” we say, “but let me try.”

Solomon’s Folly

Read more about Neither Despair Nor Nostalgia
In golden ages, we often find excesses that will bankrupt the future. Solomon instituted forced labor and was consumed by pleasures of wealth, sex, and power.

Neither Despair Nor Nostalgia

Scripture Focus: Ezekiel 26.2-3
2 “Son of man, because Tyre has said of Jerusalem, ‘Aha! The gate to the nations is broken, and its doors have swung open to me; now that she lies in ruins I will prosper,’ 3 therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against you, Tyre, and I will bring many nations against you, like the sea casting up its waves.

Reflection: God’s People as Bystanders
By Erin Newton

Along the coast of the Mediterranean was an island called Tyre. Its location as a natural port created endless trading opportunities for all the major nations. It was an advantageous port coveted by the Egyptians, Assyrians, and Babylonians. No one could defeat Tyre, instead, multiple trade agreements were made.

One such agreement was made between Israel and Tyre. It was an agreement to supply each other with goods and was confirmed through the marriage of Ahab of Israel and Jezebel of Tyre.

Jezebel is the most recognized connection between Israel and Tyre. She was responsible for the increased Baal worship and the infamous showdown between Elijah and false prophets on Mount Carmel. It is hard to imagine that the trade partnership could be spoken of positively. Amos, however, spoke of it as a “treaty of brotherhood” (Amos 1.9).

Yet when the Babylonians conquer Israel, we hear the laugh and ridicule from Tyre, “Aha! … now that she lies in ruins I will prosper!” Tyre is ignorant. Without Jerusalem as a buffer, Babylon will target her next.

In this prophecy, Israel is a silent bystander. It is not a prophecy against Israel for making such a partnership. It is not a prophecy that predicts the retaliatory vengeance of Israel. Israel is weak, wounded, and silent. God alone is the active character in the prophecy.

Prophetic passages such as this can be difficult to apply. God’s people are not part of the message. In fact, they are only mentioned in passing. We don’t usually like to read things that are not about ourselves.

What do we do with a message such as this? We examine what this message says about God. Here, God is supreme. God not only tends to the welfare of his people but for the world. For a moment we take our eyes off our own situation. The rhythms of power, abuse, prosperity, and camaraderie fall under the surveillance and authority of God even if his people are not beating the drum.

Our God is a multidirectional God. He can be 100% committed and attentive to our personal needs while also 100% committed and attentive to the affairs of the world. He uses people and nations in accordance with his will. Not a single ruler of this world is outside of his authority.

We often falter in trying to make God too human. We forget that he is omnipotent.

Divine Hours Prayer: The Call to Prayer
Love the Lord, all you who worship him; the Lord protects the faithful, but repays to the full those who act haughtily. — Psalm 31.23

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Summertime by Phyllis Tickle.

Today’s Readings
Ezekiel 26 (Listen 3:45) 
Ephesians 4 (Listen 3:58)

Read more about Kingmakers Unmade
Tyre is a universal warning to all people but even more so to those of us blessed with even moderate wealth.

Kingmakers Unmade

Read more about The Poisonous Merry-Go-Round of Mockery
The more savage the headline, the better it will sell. They aren’t making beauty from ashes. They are making money from it.

The Poisonous Merry-Go-Round of Mockery

Scripture Focus: Ezekiel 20:32-33, 37
32 “‘You say, “We want to be like the nations, like the peoples of the world, who serve wood and stone.” But what you have in mind will never happen. 33 As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I will reign over you with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with outpoured wrath…
 37 I will take note of you as you pass under my rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant.

Reflection: For Better or For Worse
By Erin Newton

Israel was bound to God and God to them in covenant. It was a relationship in which God is glorified and the people receive his blessing. It was bound by the immutable word of God himself.

Despite the infidelity of Israel, her idolatry and oppression of the weak, God never released them from that covenant. They chose other gods to worship and corrupted the whole concept of monotheism. Yet through it all, nothing could separate them from God.

In Ezekiel 20, God reminds the people of this bond. The people have openly rejected him and declared their intention to worship something else. They want to punt the faith. “What you have in mind will never happen.”

Can you reject God and flee from his presence? In our minds we think it’s possible. Psalm 139:7-10 echoes the impossibility of departing from God.

7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
    Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
    if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
    if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
    your right hand will hold me fast.

Like Israel, we have been covenanted with God. It is the new covenant, sealed by the Spirit, sealed upon our hearts. There is much talk about deconstruction with some defining the term as the rejection of the faith entirely. Yet we see in Ezekiel that when God has given himself in a covenant, it is unmovable.

For Israel, the people needed to deconstruct the way they had been practicing religion. Their so-called worship of God was corrupt and manipulated. Priests and leaders had allowed faith to turn into idolatry.

Israel wanted to move on to some other form of worship not realizing their God had been with them all along. Return to him. That is the message for Israel. God would say the same to us today.

Is our deconstruction leading us to different idols or are we searching for true, undefiled worship? Can we see how God will be with us in our wandering? Through pain, the Israelites will return to the Lord. Refining our faith can be painful. This is a call for us to examine what exactly we are trying to reject.

Divine Hours Prayer: The Cry of the Church
In the evening, in the morning, and at noonday, I will complain and lament, and he will hear my voice. — Psalm 55.18

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Summertime by Phyllis Tickle.

Today’s Readings
Ezekiel 20(Listen 9:25)
Colossians 3(Listen 3:09)

Read more about Denying Our Exile
Israel thought it was God’s nation…They confronted anyone who questioned their narrative as unpatriotic.

Denying Our Exile

Read more about Presence is Precious
The presence of God is a gift of grace made available to those who seek it, recognizing it as the precious thing that it is.

Presence is Precious