Ezekiel 7:1-9:11 + Hebrews 5:1-14 + Psalm 105:1-15 + Proverbs 26:28
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Old Testament – Ezekiel chapter 7 has a line that repeats twice in verses 4 & 27: “Then you/they will know that I am the LORD!” We are seeing here that God is not happy with Israel in large part because they do not realize that he is the Lord. They have sold out to other gods and idols and sin and don’t really think God will do much about it. Well, God opens this chapter with strong words in verse 1: “The end is here!” God’s patience has run out. But, keep in mind that God kept trying to get the Israelites to repent over and over and over again. They wouldn’t. Do we sometimes test God’s patience? If so, will we repent in the areas of our life where we test God’s patience?
Ezekiel chapter 8 reminds me of a lawyer making a case in court! And God absolutely puts forth a strong case for why the end arrived for Jerusalem in the 5th/6th century B.C. It is so sad to see these sins take place in and around the Temple. In chapter 9 we see six angels of God appear from the north gates – where one of the major idols was located. In this vision, these 6 angels are carrying out God’s judgment on Israel. Verse 7 gives us a hint that God is preparing to leave the Temple completely: “”Defile the Temple!” the LORD commanded.” We’ll pick this up in tomorrow’s readings… Below is an artist’s interpretation of Ezekiel’s visit to Jerusalem: (I realize this is one of the more “unique” pieces of art I have posted up – just wait until we get to the book of Revelation! 🙂
New Testament – Hebrews chapter 5 verse 10 today tells us this about Jesus: “And God designated him to be a High Priest in the line of Melchizedek.” Who is Melchizedek? He first appeared in Scripture in Genesis 14:18-20: “Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.” Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.” Melchizedek was clearly important, as Abram gave him a tenth of everything. And Christ is a “High Priest in the line of Melchizedek.” The thing to keep in mind is that most Bible scholars do not believe that Melchizedek was literally Christ. So, for us today, it’s fine history to know. But, Christ is our High Priest, as this chapter of Hebrews makes clear.
Verses 11 – 14 today are a great reminder that as Christians we must learn to become “self-feeders.” We can’t rely only on pastors and teachers and mentors to provide us with spiritual nourishment. We must learn to grow our relationship with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit through our own study and prayer as well. I submit that the One Year Bible is one great way to feed yourself spiritually daily! How else are you feeding yourself spiritually these days?
Psalms – Psalm 105 verse 4 stood out to me today – “Search for the LORD and for his strength, and keep on searching.” I like that – search! If you search for God, he will indeed be found. Have you ever searched for God? And for his strength? Are you maybe searching now? Do you believe he will be found? Will you keep on searching?
Verses 8 & 9 remind us of this character of God: “He always stands by his covenant– the commitment he made to a thousand generations. This is the covenant he made with Abraham and the oath he swore to Isaac.” The covenant continues today through the new covenant (testament) brought to us through Jesus.
Proverbs – Proverbs 26:28 teaches us: “A lying tongue hates its victims, and flattering words cause ruin.” This is a great reminder not to lie nor to flatter! Why do you think flattering words cause ruin? Have you been flattered recently? Have you felt odd when being flattered? Do you flatter others? Should you?
YouTube: Today’s Proverb reminds me of the Casting Crowns song “Slow Fade,” which was in the movie Fireproof. Here’s the video for the song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QASREBVDsLk
Are you in a slow fade in your life? Click here for the fast track to God!
Please join us in memorizing and meditating on three verses of Scripture today: “In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” Hebrews 5:12-14 (NIV)
Prayer Point: Pray that you are a self-feeder of God’s Word and Truth. Pray that you are not dependent on others to feed you, but that you are mature and can feed yourself, distinguishing good from evil.
Comments from You: What verses or insights stand out to you from today’s readings? Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!
Grace, love, peace, and joy!
Mike
p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Bible readings at this link.
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BLOG READERS HISTORICAL COMMUNITY COMMENTS:
Ezekiel 7-9:11 and Hebrews 5:1-14
Has anyone else noticed that the majority of the text written in the Bible confronts God’s folks, His people? Most of the admonishments, rebukes and judgments are not directed toward non-believers, but to believers: people who are suppose to be His people.
Notice:
The word of the Lord came to me: “You, son of man this is what the Sovereign Lord says to the land of Israel: An end! The end is coming on the four corners of the land! The end is now upon you, and I will release my anger against you; I will judge you according to your behavior, I will hold you accountable for all your abominable practices.
(Ezekiel 7:1-3 NET.)
And
On this topic we have much to say and it is difficult to explain, since you have become sluggish in hearing. For though you should in fact be teachers by this time, you need someone to teach you the beginning elements of God’s utterances. You have gone back to needing milk, not solid food. For everyone who lives on milk is inexperienced in the message of righteousness, because he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, whose perceptions are trained by practice to discern both good and evil.
(Hebrews 5:11-14 NET.)
I think all of us who call ourselves Christians should get a clue and realize that we are indeed call to witness to the unsaved in our family, community and to the world; however, our witness should not be of eloquent words, coercion or fear. We are not told to scare people into the kingdom of God. In fact the Word says that anything not done in faith is sin (Romans 14:23).But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. (Hebrews 11:6 KJVR)
We are called to be a witness not to witness. Our witness is our lifestyle, our joy in the Lord, our love for one another. These things are what draw the unbeliever to Christ. But if we, believers, have to be told to stop murdering, cheating, slandering, etc. then our witness is non-existent and any words used to bring people to Christ are empty and hypocritical. . Let us begin to speak to a dying hurting world through our lifestyle, through our countenance and through the Fruit of the Spirit that grows in us when we stay attached to the Vine that is Jesus Christ. (John 15:5)
Grace and peace,
Ramoma
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I found this quote, and I thought it was very good:
It is only obedience that allows God’s grace to cover the wrongs incurred.
This grace prevents the parties from becoming victims who will seek
compensation for their pain.
~~~
Proverbs 10 (Green’s Literal Translation)
13
Wisdom is found in the lips of him who has understanding, but a rod is waiting for the back of him who lacks heart.
14
The wise store up knowledge, but the mouth of the foolish is near ruin.
~~~
Many oriental religions believe that ultimate reality is silence. Lao-tse, the famous Chinese philosopher, said:
“The word that can be uttered is not the divine word; that word is Silence.”
I believe that ultimate reality is relationship – relationship with a God who
speaks. God broke the silence of eternity with the words: “Let there be
light.”
Lao-tse had to say that ultimate reality was silence for he knew nothing of a God who speaks.
With words God created a world. We do the same. Our words create aworld of order or disorder, of cosmos or chaos.
Be wise – watch your words.
~~~
Father, I see that when You spoke, You created a world and that when I speak,
I do the same.
Give me the wisdom to use words in a way that will build up and not pull down; construct, not destruct.
This I ask in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Vance
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My thoughts on Proverbs 26:28 = There is a big difference between flattery and complimenting someone. A compliment is given sincerely and given for no other reason than to make the other person feel good. Flattery is “kissing up” to someone by giving an insincere compliment in hope of getting something good for yourself in turn. Compliments are wonderful – they make the receiver smile and warm their heart. They brighten someone’s day and make them feel good about themselves. Compliments are given from the heart and with a twinkle in the eye. Flattery on the other hand is trying to use the other person’s feelings for your own personal gain and most people recognize it for what it is. Supervisors and leaders of all kinds deal with flattery on a daily basis. It is not the person doling out flattery that gets ahead but instead it is the person with integrity that climbs the ladder of success. It is sad but many people even try flattery on God. They think that as long as they say good things about God that they will receive something good from God in return. We need to learn to have a pure heart in dealing with mankind and with God for God looks at what is in a person’s heart.
God Bless!
Pat
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Mike just a small note on your comment:
>>They have sold out to other gods and idols and sin and don’t really think God will do much about it. Well, God opens this chapter with strong words in verse 1: “The end is here!” God’s patience has run out. But, keep in mind that God kept trying to get the Israelites to repent over and over and over again. They wouldn’t.>>
The past couple of days I have been meditating on the following passage in Psalms:
Mercy and loving-kindness and truth have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. (Psalms 85:10 AMP)
It seems that we like Israel and Judah want mercy without truth and I believe the above passage speaks of them going hand in hand, one without the other. When we cry out for mercy from God which is what we are doing when we call His name but ignore His commands, we are demanding mercy without dealing in truth. First, mercy is a gift and once it is demanded then it ceases to be a gift. Second, asking God for mercy when we fail to deal in the truth of our situation and issues is asking God to go outside of His character.
Judah, Israel and we, ourselves, demand God to do for us what we are unwilling to do for ourselves and well as failing to admit our sin and guilt. We cannot do four ourselves what God can do for us but if we want from God then we have to submit to His way of doing things; His righteousness and not our “meaning” of right thinking, right living, and right being. All of our stuff is as filthy rags.
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; faithful love and truth go before You. (Psalms 89:14 HCSB)
Grace and peace,
Ramona
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i think it is also interesting that Melchizedek was not apointed by Jewish tradition into his priesthood. I can only wonder at what influenced Melchizedek to take the role of priest. Was there a community of people who feared and obeyed God that he was a part of, or did God call him out and teach him how to be a priest trough devine revelation? Maybe we can ask Melchizedek ourselves when the fullness of the Kingdom of God has come (that is, if we are not to busy singing praises to God!)
Shawn
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Flattery and compliments BOTH lead to ruin. The only thing worse than telling a child he or she is stupid every day is to tell the child they are smart (fact, not opinion). Children grow up believing either intelligence or effort is primarily required for success (see the Art of Learning). Give both groups easy problems and everyone gets them right. Then give them impossible problems and the first group assumes they weren’t smart enough. Finally, give both groups easy problems again but sadly now the first group can no longer do them. Telling a child he or she is smart is worse because it’s near impossible to see the threat. People usually feel bad after most compliments because they have never been taught about presuppositions of power (see Virginia Satir). Dr. Schnarch (the next Freud) showed decades ago that relationships never end due to poor choice of words, lack of effort, or even perversions but because at least one person has intentionally destroyed the relationship (often with seemingly kind words – also see Verbal Judo and The Gentle Art of Verbal Self-defense) due to clinical neuroses (30% of Americans) or personality disorders (15% – usually seeks jobs as councilors, K-12 teachers, law enforcement, and religious leaders… whose kind words are, in fact, often specifically designed to destroy).
When I ask Christians what are their spiritual gifts, they most often respond with encouragement, but most remind me of the Peanuts comic strips in which Linus and Charlie Brown are all bundled up with caps and coats on a snowy, wintry day. They spot Snoopy shivering in the cold. Desiring to comfort him, they walk over to him. Linus speaks first, “Be of good cheer, Snoopy.” Charlie Brown adds, “Yes, be of good cheer.” Then, they turn and walk away. Snoopy is left still shivering. A big question mark appears over his puzzled expression, as he watches Linus and Charlie Brown walk away. Even sincere efforts or compliments are never enough if they were our will and not His. Moreover, Christian love is supposed to carry us beyond words to deeds. The exhortational communication gift of encouragement (often grouped with Prophecy and Teaching), when real, is a critical healing check against getting off course and uses good social skills (like active listening) and the wisdom to prescribe practical step-by-step plans to help others mature in Christ (using personal experiences amplified by scripture) based on being able to discern (required of anyone to follow God’s will) the growth needs of others as well as the spiritual gifts they may be slow to recognize. The gift of encouragement means recognizing and successfully providing admonishments to believers (as in I Thessalonians 5:12) who have strayed from their faith. Thus real encouragement is always about criticism. Amy Carmichael has even said, “If you have never been hurt by a word from God, it is probably that you have never heard God speak.” This One Year Bible Blog has any value ONLY if something burns (alas, I’ve never read anyone loudly complaining of such pain). Kinds words, says the Bible, only lead to ruin.
Apostle Paul said “I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.” (Romans 7:18) Christ once noticed two people praying in a temple: one who could not face God and begged forgiveness for doing everything wrong (he would have clearly accepted the portrayal of a failure for his own life) and another who thanked God for not being so greedy, dishonest, an adulterer, while fasting and tithing regularly (Like 18:9-14). Christ said ONLY the first person (who believed he had a poor relationship with God) actually had a true relationship with God. But we always assert our goodness and our rewards as just deserts. When they called Christ good, however, He said, “Why do you call me good? There is none good except God.” (Mark 10:18) Is this how we regularly respond to compliments made to us or do we consider ourselves somehow better than Christ? Jesus was not, of course, someone you would want to invite to a barbecue. Buddha, in contrast, had much nicer things to say to people. But, then he didn’t end up nailed to a cross (as did ten of the original twelve disciples; 1 John 3:13, 2 Timothy 3:13, and John 17:14 tells those who are Christ’s will be hated by the world… are you hated?). Can you imagine Jesus responding to someone with “I don’t agree, but that’s interesting! Thanks for sharing?” True inspiration, said Michelangelo, is more about releasing the hand from the marble that holds it prisoner by removing what does not belong (not done with a compliment).
And concerning silence, Francois Fenelon once wrote, “How rare it is to find a soul quiet enough to hear God speak.”
“My Lord, I repent from the bottom of my heart all my sins. I rejected paradise and I accepted hell. I deserve damnation because I offended you, the source of infinite goodness, although you loved me so much. I ask your mercy, my Lord. Forgive me, and I vow that with your help I will not offend against you any more,” prayer by Mother Teresa at the UN in 1988.
FG
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HI.
Pslam 105 v 4 also struck me today. It caught my eye and sent me searching for my study guides etc. Mathew henry’s commentary was very enlightening on the subject.
Lorraine
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Hi,
Just commenting on the solid food that real Christians supposed to be feeding on. It comes from esteeming others above ourselves. You see, after reading God’s word, we realize how worthless we are without Jesus. Only if you feed on the solid food you would begin to understand this. People who do not feed on the solid food do not realize this and we have to be patient with them, even to esteeming them more than ourselves, for them to repent or change and come into the true knowledge of knowing that we are nothing and Jesus is everything. A solid food Christian really understands the full implication of the knowledge and begins to live according to it.
David
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Wow Great reading/devotional for today.
I am really enjoying reading again through the book of Hebrews. How Christ is our Great High Priest. Very Rich and encouraging!
Thanks for your devotionals they are very helpful. I have been through the One year bible 2 or 3 times so far and yet each year I learn something new in God’s Word
MItch
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There is a nice historical corroboration between Ezekiel 8 and the worship of Tammuz.
Bajo
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I like the illustrations which go with the posts. Gives a better understanding of the visions
Amrita
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Ramona,
Thanks for your words today. In fact, it made me remember, actions speak much louder than words in our Christian walk.
Joe
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These passages are tough ones to hear, but remind us of God’s great holiness, fairness and ultimate rein. I love the Bible for speaking the truth – while reminding us of His great love and faithfulness to generation after generation.
Sam
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Psalms – Psalm 105 verse 4 – “Search for the LORD and for his strength, and keep on searching.”
If you search for God, he will indeed be found. Have you ever searched for God? And for his strength? Are you maybe searching now? Do you believe he will be found? Will you keep on searching?
I got a kick out of the visual that went with the verse and your comments. As the news of the world unfolds everyday, and the horrible situations that occur, I often ask “God, where are you in all of this?” The answer for me is that God is in charge. It is not our plans, but His. If I had not been part of this Bible Blog for several years, I would not have been secure in my faith that I know what He is doing. I don’t know how many times this year that I have said to myself: “God is in charge. Thank you God.”
Judie
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As I read Ezekiel today, the image of the city I reside in keeps coming to mind as if those visions the Lord allowed Ezekiel to see were referring to what I also see around me. While He is patient to wait for repentance to come, it is also painfully clear that God is resolute in carrying out His judgment. May we take Him seriously at His word and continue to pray for the lost.
Karen
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It was sad to see that Israel defiled the living God. They were worshiping idols, the sun, they had all kind of creatures on the wall. In His temple none the less and didn’t even respect it. It makes me wonder how many times do we defile God’s temple that we carry around? I know I’m ashamed sometimes of myself. We need to be humble and broken down to see our inner selves and see Jesus in others. He wants to feel and have broken hearts for what breaks his.
I love the baby analogy on eating solid food vs baby milk etc..I find it interesting too that Melchizadek came up again..Jesus is in the line of Him and that too is fascinating since he came and helped minister to Abram. Neat.
What a covenant he has given is..seek Him! Seek Him while he may be found. Amen! God is good and generous through the generations. He is faithful.
Don’t flatter people just be authentic and be you. They will respect ypu a whole lot more. .
Dee
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