Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Christophobia: Dead Man With the King… Part 5
Christophobia: Dead Man With the King… Part 5: "As quickly as I resurfaced on the Balcony, as if to draw a deep breath, I was plunged again back into the underworld of earthly life. I reco..."
Ezekiel 4-5 Summary
Dear Girls,
Ezekiel 4 and 5 contains picture sermons that God asks Ezekiel to "play out" to declare His judgment on the house of Israel.
In the beginning of the chapter we find God telling Ezekiel to play war and lay siege to Jerusalem demonstrating what would occur in the near future. Here are verses 1 through 3.
“You also, son of man, take a clay tablet and lay it before you, and portray on it a city, Jerusalem. Lay siege against it, build a siege wall against it, and heap up a mound against it; set camps against it also, and place battering rams against it all around. Moreover take for yourself an iron plate, and set it as an iron wall between you and the city. Set your face against it, and it shall be besieged, and you shall lay siege against it. This will be a sign to the house of Israel.
The iron plate represents the barrier of sin that Israel had put up between themselves and God. Judgment was coming...nothing could stop it. Our sin is a barrier that prevents us from having fellowship with God. Humility and an honest cry breaks down this wall of separation.
Next he lay for part of each day on his side. 390 days on his left side and then 40 days on his right to demonstrate how many years both Israel and Judah had sinned. While he was doing this he was also rationing his food and water and cooking over refuse...just as God's people would do when judgment came.
The last sign was the shaving of his head...baldness on a man in Israel never spoke of good things. The hair represented three destinies for the people. death by famine, death by the sword and dispersion among the nations. Some of the hair would also be tied to the bottom of Ezekiel's garment which represented the remnant that would be protected and saved by God. Our God always remembers mercy.
Chapter 5 verse 6-7 gives us the reason why God was angry with His people.
"Thus says the Lord GOD: 'This is Jerusalem; I have set her in the midst of the nations and the countries all around her. She has rebelled against My judgments by doing wickedness more than the nations, and against My statutes more than the countries that are all around her; for they have refused My judgments, and they have not walked in My statutes.' Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: 'Because you have multiplied disobedience more than the nations that are all around you, have not walked in My statutes nor kept My judgments, nor even done according to the judgments of the nations that are all around you'— therefore thus says the Lord GOD: 'Indeed I, even I, am against you and will execute judgments in your midst in the sight of the nations." --Ezekiel 5:5-8
Did you get that one part where God says, I, even I, am against you. God their Father...was now against them. The one who had cared for them, fed them, guided them and protected them was now NOT on their side. Uh oh. Judgment time had truly come. God had been patient with Jerusalem for 390 years. The people had broken their Father's heart with their evil and unfaithfulness. They had abused the privileges and blessings the Lord had bestowed upon them. Who is able to stand in the face of God's anger. God would have no pity....His people would now be despised among the nations and would suffer much.
Love
Mom
Ezekiel 4 and 5 contains picture sermons that God asks Ezekiel to "play out" to declare His judgment on the house of Israel.
In the beginning of the chapter we find God telling Ezekiel to play war and lay siege to Jerusalem demonstrating what would occur in the near future. Here are verses 1 through 3.
“You also, son of man, take a clay tablet and lay it before you, and portray on it a city, Jerusalem. Lay siege against it, build a siege wall against it, and heap up a mound against it; set camps against it also, and place battering rams against it all around. Moreover take for yourself an iron plate, and set it as an iron wall between you and the city. Set your face against it, and it shall be besieged, and you shall lay siege against it. This will be a sign to the house of Israel.
The iron plate represents the barrier of sin that Israel had put up between themselves and God. Judgment was coming...nothing could stop it. Our sin is a barrier that prevents us from having fellowship with God. Humility and an honest cry breaks down this wall of separation.
Next he lay for part of each day on his side. 390 days on his left side and then 40 days on his right to demonstrate how many years both Israel and Judah had sinned. While he was doing this he was also rationing his food and water and cooking over refuse...just as God's people would do when judgment came.
The last sign was the shaving of his head...baldness on a man in Israel never spoke of good things. The hair represented three destinies for the people. death by famine, death by the sword and dispersion among the nations. Some of the hair would also be tied to the bottom of Ezekiel's garment which represented the remnant that would be protected and saved by God. Our God always remembers mercy.
Chapter 5 verse 6-7 gives us the reason why God was angry with His people.
"Thus says the Lord GOD: 'This is Jerusalem; I have set her in the midst of the nations and the countries all around her. She has rebelled against My judgments by doing wickedness more than the nations, and against My statutes more than the countries that are all around her; for they have refused My judgments, and they have not walked in My statutes.' Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: 'Because you have multiplied disobedience more than the nations that are all around you, have not walked in My statutes nor kept My judgments, nor even done according to the judgments of the nations that are all around you'— therefore thus says the Lord GOD: 'Indeed I, even I, am against you and will execute judgments in your midst in the sight of the nations." --Ezekiel 5:5-8
Did you get that one part where God says, I, even I, am against you. God their Father...was now against them. The one who had cared for them, fed them, guided them and protected them was now NOT on their side. Uh oh. Judgment time had truly come. God had been patient with Jerusalem for 390 years. The people had broken their Father's heart with their evil and unfaithfulness. They had abused the privileges and blessings the Lord had bestowed upon them. Who is able to stand in the face of God's anger. God would have no pity....His people would now be despised among the nations and would suffer much.
Love
Mom
Ezekiel 3:4-27 - Summary
We already looked at Ezekiel 3:1-4....this study will briefly cover the rest of the chapter.
Verses 4-11 find God strengthening Ezekiel for his tasks...preparing him to set his face to do His will. There are many times in our lives that we will need to do just this. Focus on the goal...set our face, our body and our mind to do His will and then as Ezekiel was we will be strengthened and lifted by the Spirit and enabled to do those things He has called us to do.
Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me a great thunderous voice: "Blessed is the glory of the LORD from His place!" I also heard the noise of the wings of the living creatures that touched one another, and the noise of the wheels beside them, and a great thunderous noise. So the Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit; but the hand of the LORD was strong upon me. Then I came to the captives at Tel Abib, who dwelt by the River Chebar; and I sat where they sat, and remained there astonished among them seven days.--Ezekiel 3:12-15
The Spirit brought Ezekiel to the captives who dwelt by the River Chebar and Ezekiel sat with the people before he spoke to them God's word. He identified with their pain and sat where they sat and waited patiently for the word of the Lord. He did not speak to them his words but God's. It is so important that we understand and empathize with the people God places in our lives to minister to. Understanding is essential to compassion. The only way to get understanding is to sit in the place of those whom God has called you to minister. As you do this, your attitude will change and the compassion and love you feel for them will be reflected in the things you say.
God goes on in this chapter to make Ezekiel His watchman over the people. Ezekiel would hear a word or a warning from the Lord and speak it to the house of Israel. This was a serious thing...but God would open and close his mouth and also give him the words he was to speak. He who hears, God says, let him hear; and he who refuses, let him refuse. Ezekiel's job was to speak...results were up to God. Acts 20:26-27 speaks to the same thing.
Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God.
Love
Mom
Verses 4-11 find God strengthening Ezekiel for his tasks...preparing him to set his face to do His will. There are many times in our lives that we will need to do just this. Focus on the goal...set our face, our body and our mind to do His will and then as Ezekiel was we will be strengthened and lifted by the Spirit and enabled to do those things He has called us to do.
Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me a great thunderous voice: "Blessed is the glory of the LORD from His place!" I also heard the noise of the wings of the living creatures that touched one another, and the noise of the wheels beside them, and a great thunderous noise. So the Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit; but the hand of the LORD was strong upon me. Then I came to the captives at Tel Abib, who dwelt by the River Chebar; and I sat where they sat, and remained there astonished among them seven days.--Ezekiel 3:12-15
The Spirit brought Ezekiel to the captives who dwelt by the River Chebar and Ezekiel sat with the people before he spoke to them God's word. He identified with their pain and sat where they sat and waited patiently for the word of the Lord. He did not speak to them his words but God's. It is so important that we understand and empathize with the people God places in our lives to minister to. Understanding is essential to compassion. The only way to get understanding is to sit in the place of those whom God has called you to minister. As you do this, your attitude will change and the compassion and love you feel for them will be reflected in the things you say.
God goes on in this chapter to make Ezekiel His watchman over the people. Ezekiel would hear a word or a warning from the Lord and speak it to the house of Israel. This was a serious thing...but God would open and close his mouth and also give him the words he was to speak. He who hears, God says, let him hear; and he who refuses, let him refuse. Ezekiel's job was to speak...results were up to God. Acts 20:26-27 speaks to the same thing.
Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God.
Love
Mom
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