Creative Space for Wanderers
Read: Daniel’s visions are detailed and somewhat disturbing. His prayer and incredible devotion give us an example to admire and challenge us to a higher level. : Daniel’s Vision of a Ram and a Goat Another vivid vision that captured Daniel’s thoughts, I can imagine he woke up sweating! …suddenly a goat with a prominent horn …
Continue reading “Another Vision from Daniel and His Prayer”
Read: There is a lot to consider in these two chapters, but I hope that they encourage us to be a witness to the world, to be accountable to whatever our calling may be as we live out our lives for Christ. Ezekiel’s Call as a Watchman Revisited Flashback to chapter 3, here we are …
Continue reading “People Will Recognize Ezekiel; God Is The Shepherd”
Read: The last chapter in part one of Ezekiel compares Jerusalem to a cooking pot, the chosen are cooked along with the pot itself, one more parable for our ancestors to consider. The last section gives us something ponder: Ezekiel’s wife dies suddenly. The Lord tells Ezekiel and gives him direction to use this as …
Read: Two very different chapters, one a parable, the other offers encouragement to parents. Two Eagles and a Vine Two powerful leaders are portrayed in this parable as mighty eagles that pluck the top-most shoot from a choice cedar tree and plant them in fertile soil near water. The first was Nebuchadnezzar and the second was …
Read: The world was turning upside down during Ezekiel’s ministry. Major power shifts were in play as Assyrians are defeated by the Babylonians and Medes, then the Egyptians assert their influence as our ancestors were defeated over and over again. It was a particularly bad time to be a prophet, especially on the heals of shifting …
Read Voices. Which voices do you listen to? I remember the series we did at Shoreline Community Church in Monterey, CA, some years ago where we asked this question. Today we read about the consistent voice of the Lord through Jeremiah that spoke words the leaders of Judah did not want to hear. I hope …
Continue reading “Dungeon, Cistern, Courtyard; Babylonians Invade”
Read: I probably should have stopped to review Zedekiah’s history a few days ago to give us some perspective, but here we are today in the 10th year as king, near the end of his of his reign as king of Judah. At this point, he’s heard enough of Jeremiah, so he has him confined to …
Read: God used Nebuchadnezzar as an instrument of discipline against the nations. His actions are difficult to understand by most and we see prophets arise to say things the people wanted to hear, yet they were words not from the Lord. Jeremiah calls them out, not a pleasant exchange, but what else can he do? …
Continue reading “Nebuchadnezzar Rules; False Prophets; Letter to the Exiles”
: Sin and Punishment This rather somber reading may be characterized by : “They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious.” So many times I’ve joked at the wrong time and wrong place, words that burned because I didn’t weigh the thought before speaking. I forget how serious ministry is …
Read: This section of scripture is anything but uplifting. As we look into the depravity of Israel, with an emphasis on Jerusalem, we see a people who are far from God moving away even farther and the prophesied demise because of their sin. The question I wrestle with is this: are we like these people? …