Category: OTC

Read: Ezekiel 19-21

Today we begin by reading a lament, a dirge of sorts, to help the people remember that what they once had is gone. Not so good. Then we follow up with clear examples of rebellion and God’s judgment against the people at that time, not some distant future. Lord, help us learn!

Chapter 19 provides a lament over Israel, once great, now sadly lost and confused.

“Take up a lament concerning the princes of Israel and say:
“‘What a lioness was your mother
among the lions!
She lay down among them
and reared her cubs.
She brought up one of her cubs,
and he became a strong lion.
He learned to tear the prey
and he became a man-eater.
Ezekiel 19:1-3

But it was uprooted in fury
and thrown to the ground.
The east wind made it shrivel,
it was stripped of its fruit;
its strong branches withered
and fire consumed them.
Now it is planted in the desert,
in a dry and thirsty land.
Fire spread from one of its main branches
and consumed its fruit.
No strong branch is left on it
fit for a ruler’s scepter.’
Ezekiel 19:12-14

Surely they could identify with this dirge at the time Ezekiel penned the lament. Sad history.

Chapter 20 provides a brief history of God’s desire to lead his people to a wonderful land, to a place where people could worship him freely in great comfort. But the people rebelled against the one who had provided everything for them.

But for the sake of my name I did what would keep it from being profaned in the eyes of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out. Ezekiel 20:14

Rebellion seems to be for the sake of rebellion:

“‘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. 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. Ezekiel 20:32-33

The Lord will not let his name be profaned, he will not allow such contentious activity continue without punishment.

“‘As for you, people of Israel, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Go and serve your idols, every one of you! But afterward you will surely listen to me and no longer profane my holy name with your gifts and idols. Ezekiel 20:39

We have been given free will, the freedom to choose poorly as well as wisely. We’ve also been given the ability to discern the difference and many, many examples of what a bad choice looks like and yet we tend to ignore the obvious and stray. No wonder Jesus compared us to sheep!

Even in those days, while history was unfolding upon them, they didn’t get what Ezekiel was telling them:  ‘Then I said, “Sovereign Lord, they are saying of me, ‘Isn’t he just telling parables?’” (Ezekiel 20:49).

Chapter 21 provides rationale for the Babylonian invasion and exile, God’s sword of judgment, say to her: ‘This is what the Lord says: I am against you. I will draw my sword from its sheath and cut off from you both the righteous and the wicked (Ezekiel 21:3). Groan Israel, wail loudly and wet yourself:

“Therefore groan, son of man! Groan before them with broken heart and bitter grief. And when they ask you, ‘Why are you groaning?’ you shall say, ‘Because of the news that is coming. Every heart will melt with fear and every hand go limp; every spirit will become faint and every leg will be wet with urine.’ It is coming! It will surely take place, declares the Sovereign Lord.” Ezekiel 21:6-7

Once again the prophet speaks clearly and vividly against the people who have become so profane. When I wonder why the Old Testament contains all these details, I’m reminded of my need to learn from the past, to see the clear difference between right and wrong. Further, I think this affirms that God is not some lofty being that is not involved and does not care. All these words seem to demonstrate that he wants to have a relationship with those he created. It’s hard to understand the dance, but easy to hear the music.

Read: Ezekiel 15-16

Comparing Jerusalem to a burnt vine, one that produces no grapes and is therefore useless, is rather tame compared to the graphic novel presented in chapter 16. The detailed description provided here is disturbing. I can only imagine the message given to those in Ezekiel’s time did not go over well. In fact, if we preached this message today, even used just these words in chapter 16, we would likely be tossed out of any church!

Jerusalem compared to a piece of burnt vine (Ezekiel 15)

God’s favored city, Jerusalem, is described as a vine that yields no grapes — is good for nothing.

“Son of man, how is the wood of a vine different from that of a branch from any of the trees in the forest?
If it was not useful for anything when it was whole, how much less can it be made into something useful when the fire has burned it and it is charred? Ezekiel 15:2,5

The Story of a Rescued Baby that becomes an Adultery and Worse (Ezekiel 16)

Chapter 16 starts out with a vivid picture of a newborn baby that was tossed into a field, rejected, left to die, yet redeemed by a gracious benefactor:

On the day you were born your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to make you clean, nor were you rubbed with salt or wrapped in cloths. No one looked on you with pity or had compassion enough to do any of these things for you. Rather, you were thrown out into the open field, for on the day you were born you were despised. Ezekiel 16:4-5

Because of great love and care, the girl grew up to be a woman. Ezekiel describes a girl who goes through puberty, her body going through physical changes then as it does now,

You became very beautiful and rose to be a queen. And your fame spread among the nations on account of your beauty, because the splendor I had given you made your beauty perfect, declares the Sovereign Lord. Ezekiel 16:13-14

Rescued from rejection, this is the making of a beautiful tale; then the story makes a hard left turn:

“‘But you trusted in your beauty and used your fame to become a prostitute. You lavished your favors on anyone who passed by and your beauty became his. Ezekiel 16:15

It goes from bad to worse:

“‘And you took your sons and daughters whom you bore to me and sacrificed them as food to the idols. Was your prostitution not enough? You slaughtered my children and sacrificed them to the idols. Ezekiel 16:20-21

Ezekiel holds nothing back as he rather graphically portrays Israel’s depravity, “spreading your legs with increasing promiscuity to anyone who passed by” (Ezekiel 16:25); with the Egyptians, Assyrians and the Babylonians. Even the daughters of the Philistines were shocked by your lewd conduct.

“‘I am filled with fury against you, declares the Sovereign Lord, when you do all these things, acting like a brazen prostitute!  Ezekiel 16:30

I don’t think I’ve ever read this chapter with such vivid visions of God’s anger against a people who had rejected his ways. Like so many passages in the Bible, this time through is more convicting than the last.

“‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will deal with you as you deserve, because you have despised my oath by breaking the covenant. Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you. Ezekiel 16:59-60

Yet, even now, the Lord will remember the covenant. Lord, help us to hear your words of old, to see how our past is marred with our irreverent behavior and your consistent, constant, conscious desire to draw us back to you. Talk about crazy love!

Read: Ezekiel 8-11

Detestable practices are revealed graphically to Ezekiel through a vision that once again evokes thoughts of sci-fi movies. Ezekiel must have been an incredible artist–just by the way he describes visions. Artists have a different way of looking at things.

Chapter 8: Idolatry in the Temple

Ezekiel has another vision, like a continuation of the first vision, complete with detailed descriptions that are difficult to visualize. In this chapter he is taken on a journey to the temple where he can see the detestable hearts of those as they defile the sacred place.

“Son of man, do you see what they are doing—the utterly detestable things the Israelites are doing here, things that will drive me far from my sanctuary? But you will see things that are even more detestable.” Ezekiel 8:6

Three times in this chapter we read, “you will see things that are even more detestable.” I guess Ezekiel is just getting started!

They are worshiping the idol of jealousy, drawing unclean animals on the walls; even the elders are worshiping idols of themselves.

“Son of man, have you seen what the elders of Israel are doing in the darkness, each at the shrine of his own idol? They say, ‘The Lord does not see us; the Lord has forsaken the land.’” Ezekiel 8:12

Worshiping themselves, worshiping the sun as it rose in the east with their backs to the temple and on top of that they add violence to the depravity. If we could see the heart of man, we would see these things, even today.

Although they shout in my ears, I will not listen to them. Ezekiel 8:18

Chapter 9 describes the horrible judgment that will be inflicted on the people, a rather graphic explanation of destruction. Chapter 10 explains that God’s glory will leave the temple.

Then the glory of the Lord departed from over the threshold of the temple and stopped above the cherubim. Ezekiel 10:18

Chapter 11 continues the narrative of judgment, then adds a promise for Israel’s return.

Twice in this reading we hear Ezekiel cry out to the Lord for the remnant, once in Ezekiel 9:8 and here:

Then I fell facedown and cried out in a loud voice, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! Will you completely destroy the remnant of Israel?” Ezekiel 11:13

Ezekiel knew well that most of God’s people were going to be wiped out, he was really concerned about the remnant, the few, what would happen to them. As with yesterday’s post, God provides a glimmer of hope, an assurance that he will return:

“They will return to it and remove all its vile images and detestable idols. I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Ezekiel 11:18-19

As we look across America and see so many dying churches (some of which died a while ago, but have not disconnected the life-support system), we can’t help but wonder what we would see if God would transport us like he did Ezekiel. I think there are moments when we can discern the true hearts of man, scant periods of time when we fully see the broken nature of those around us. If we care to look in the mirror, we will likely find we are included in the group.

But there is hope in Jesus Christ. Lord, help us to articulate this hope in words, songs, images, in all kinds of expressive means. Help us to live a life that shows we fully believe in this hope!

Read: Ezekiel 4-7

Ezekiel is given visual aids to help us appreciate what is going on in the closing days of Jerusalem as the center for the glorious people of God. It’s difficult to appreciate the difficulty. Seriously. The gravity of the situation is far removed from our current circumstance, but we must never forget the wrath of God that was poured out for their conscientious objection to the ways they were shown. Sin, at its worst, is that which we choose to embrace unashamedly even when we know it’s wrong. May we always have people in our lives that will speak truth.

A block of clay, an iron pan, side planks and baking bread

Chapter 4 provides some visual aids to help appreciate the degree to which the people of Israel had fallen. The block of clay with the city of Jerusalem drawn on it along with siege walls and battering ram provide an illustration of the fall of Jerusalem. The iron pan becomes an iron wall, impenetrable. Ezekiel is told to lie on his left side for 390 days and right side for 40 more to represent the years of sin. He’s given a recipe for a meager vegetarian diet, bread and water, to have during these days where he takes on the sin of the people.

He then said to me: “Son of man, I am about to cut off the food supply in Jerusalem. The people will eat rationed food in anxiety and drink rationed water in despair, for food and water will be scarce. They will be appalled at the sight of each other and will waste away because of their sin. Ezekiel 4:16-17

Shaven, burned and scattered

Ezekiel is told to shave his head and beard, then burn a third, strike a third with the sword and scatter a third to the wind, “But take a few hairs and tuck them away in the folds of your garment.” (Ezekiel 5:3) The remnant is small, but not small enough, Ezekiel is told to take a few of the remaining hairs and burn them in the fire.

“Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself am against you, Jerusalem, and I will inflict punishment on you in the sight of the nations. Because of all your detestable idols, I will do to you what I have never done before and will never do again. Ezekiel 5:8-9

The only consolation here is the very last phrase in verse 9, “and will never do again.”  The Lord is clearly angry with his people:

I myself will shave you; I will not look on you with pity or spare you. A third of your people will die of the plague or perish by famine inside you; a third will fall by the sword outside your walls; and a third I will scatter to the winds and pursue with drawn sword. Ezekiel 5:11-12

Only a few will remain, only a few will understand that God is grieved by their actions:

⁸ “‘But I will spare some, for some of you will escape the sword when you are scattered among the lands and nations. ⁹ Then in the nations where they have been carried captive, those who escape will remember me—how I have been grieved by their adulterous hearts, which have turned away from me, and by their eyes, which have lusted after their idols. They will loathe themselves for the evil they have done and for all their detestable practices. ¹⁰ And they will know that I am the Lord; I did not threaten in vain to bring this calamity on them. Ezekiel 6:8-10

The concept of God grieving is hard to imagine, but I think Tom Planck got a glimpse of this when thinking about the state of churches in this country, so many in disrepair (physically and spiritually).  I can’t help but think about the words of Jesus here, just before his arrest, as he prayed for us:

I have given them the glory that you gave me,
that they may be one as we are one
—I in them and you in me—
so that they may be brought to complete unity.
John 17:22-23

Complete unity in Christ–think about that for a while.

The End Has Come

Chapter 7 provides an emotional narrative of the end of people of God as they have come to know it; no more Jerusalem, no more pride in Judah.

Doom has come upon you,
upon you who dwell in the land.
The time has come! The day is near!
There is panic, not joy, on the mountains.
Ezekiel 7:7

Every hand will go limp;
every leg will be wet with urine.
They will put on sackcloth
and be clothed with terror.
Every face will be covered with shame,
and every head will be shaved.
Ezekiel 7:17-18

The people in Ezekiel’s day were far removed from the words of Jesus and if they stopped reading at this point I have no doubt the remnant, even the fewest of the few would have fallen, but there is more to read. I have to provide a glimmer of hope here:

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees… Ezekiel 36:26-27

Lord, as we read the words that are difficult to appreciate, help us to see how your hand is constantly in our present history, how you are concerned about our well-being. Please do not remove your hand from my shoulder, especially not today. Let me sense your presence and know with certainty that your plan is unfolding as you desire, even when I can’t see how.

Read: Jeremiah 52

The last chapter in Jeremiah parallels 2 Kings 24:18-25:21 and then 2 Kings 25:27-30. It appears here as an historical appendix, perhaps repeated as a reminder, I’m really not sure. The count of the people in exile is incredibly small: 4,600 people in all. This tiny number sheds new light on the term remnant!

As we recall, Zedekiah rebelled against God and was carried off into Babylonian exile; here he continues his rebellious ways toward the king of Babylon.

It was because of the Lord’s anger that all this happened to Jerusalem and Judah, and in the end he thrust them from his presence. Now Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. Jeremiah 52:3

Instead of surrendering peacefully as Jeremiah told him, Zedekiah fled and was captured. He was forced to watch the execution of his sons and officials, then his eyes were gouged out. He was imprisoned until he died. Daily tortured by the memory that no doubt replayed in his mind. Insanity would have been comforting I’m sure.

Some notes indicate this was only the number of men, but in any case,

This is the number of the people Nebuchadnezzar carried into exile:
in the seventh year, 3,023 Jews;
29 in Nebuchadnezzar’s eighteenth year,
832 people from Jerusalem;
30 in his twenty-third year,
745 Jews taken into exile by Nebuzaradan the commander of the imperial guard.
There were 4,600 people in all.
Jeremiah 52:28

The Jews were scattered across the countryside. Perhaps Jeremiah’s words to the surrounding nations in chapters 46-51 (see yesterday’s post) were meant to give them hope as they lived in fear, disbanded and isolated. There were literally millions of Jews, though few honored God, misled by kings who adopted the ways of their neighboring countries.

Today we finish reading Jeremiah, but I hope we learn from the words, that we read the warnings and see the signs of today that would lure us into sin. Jeremiah summarizes a great deal of activity over many years, but we have the privilege of perspective and can see the trap of evil as a spider’s web that caught our ancestors. One thread at a time, the spider wraps its prey over and over again. Each thread is individually broken easily enough, but together they form an impossible bond that holds its captive until death.

How many threads have wrapped us today? Which have become ropes that would strangle us? Lord, help us to see these clearly and escape that which would hold us and separate us from you.