I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have found that by writing this daily blog of what I see when I read these scriptures, I get more out of them. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them. I am sorry if my posts are not posted in a timely fashion for the next little while. I have my power back, but I am not able to get online in my normal routine because my Internet service has not been restored. I am able to post by using either the Internet at a friend’s house or by going to someplace that has free Wifi access. I am going to try to get something closer to my normal routine by writing down the passages for the next day and writing the blog offline. however, I usually compose these on my desktop PC and typing them on my laptop is a different experience. Please bear with me as I work to adapt to this disruption of my usual routine.

     Ezekiel prophecies that God is bringing judgment on the people of Israel. God is bringing such a judgment that even men of great righteousness would only be able to save themselves from. The prayers of these men of great righteousness would not even be able to sae their sons and daughters. Yet even though God is bringing such a fierce judgment against the people of Israel, He will preserve a few unto Himself. There will be survivors who will learn to worship God and bring comfort to those who despaired of the people ever turning to God.
     Ezekiel then compares the people of Israel to the wood from a vine. Wood from a vine is not suitable to make anything useful. All it is good for is as fuel for a fire. Ezekiel tells us that the people of Jerusalem have made themselves to be like the wood of a vine and thus God will burn them up completely.
     Ezekiel then compares the nation of Israel to a baby that was abandoned immediately upon birth. At its infancy God saw it and willed it to live, providing for its needs. When Israel became a young woman, God took her as His wife. He provided her with fine clothes, expensive jewelry and the finest food. Then she became famous for her beauty and trusted in it for her security. Israel took the fine things that God had provided her and gave them to other lovers. Israel took the jewelry that God had given her and used it to create idols to worship in place of God. She dressed those idols in the clothes that God had provided her. She poured out the fine drink and offered the fine food as sacrifices to these idols she worshiped in place of God. She even sacrificed the children that God had given her to these false gods.
     I am not normally a fan of reading the United States into prophecies concerning Israel, but I see some of the same patterns here. The United States started out weak and abandoned. When one looked at the early country, there was reason to question whether it could even survive, let alone thrive. But thrive it did, despite its many sins God chose to bless it with wealth and power. Yet the people of the United States have chosen to create their own gods to worship rather than worship the God who has blessed them. They have sacrificed their goods on the altar of selfish pleasure. They have chosen to sacrifice their very children to their idols. This is not just true of abortion where children are killed for convenience and ambition. It is also true of many of our schools where instead of teaching children, they are used as pawns to gain and keep political power. How long until God brings judgment on us as He did on the people of Israel? Was Hurricane Sandy a warning from God for us to turn from our selfishness to Him?

     Continuing the theme about the new priesthood that was established in Jesus, the author tells us that the Law made nothing perfect. This was why it was set aside in favor of a better Law. The priests of the Law existed in greater numbers because they were unable to continue as priests after their deaths. Jesus on the other hand was raised from death and is able to continue as our high priest forever. We need no other priest than Jesus. We need no one else to intercede between ourselves and God. The priests of the Law needed to daily offer up sacrifices for their own sins and for the sins of the people. Jesus, on the other hand, is holy and undefiled by sin so that He needed only offer Himself up once as a sacrifice for our sins.
      This is an important lesson for us to pay attention to because we as humans tend to create a priesthood to stand between us and God. We do not need such a priesthood because Jesus is all that we need between us and God. Yet, time and again people start to place some as above them and between themselves and God. Whether they call them “Father”, or “Reverend”, or “Pastor” these are all attempts to say, “This person is better than me, they will stand between me and God and interpret God’s commands for me.” But it is also more than that. It is also an attempt to say that I do not have to follow all of God’s commands, because some of them are for the “clerics” and I am just “laity”.

      Let us sing praises to God, for who can tell of all of His wonderful deeds. He will bless us if we keep justice and practice righteousness at all times. We must not make the mistake of thinking that we are better than our ancestors. We sin just as they did. The psalmist tells us that the people of Israel rebelled after God brought them out of Egypt, yet God again performed miracles to save them. When God performed miracles to save them, they turned to Him and worshiped Him. Do we turn to Him and worship Him when He acts to save us? Let me continue to praise the Lord for all that He has done for me. Let me worship Him and keep His commands.

      Anger and rage are forces to be feared, but jealousy cannot be reasoned with. I would rather deal with someone who will openly tell me to get lost than someone who secretly wishes I would spend more time with them. When our friends tell us things for our betterment that hurt it is better than when our enemies tell us how wonderful we are.

     I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have found that by writing this daily blog of what I see when I read these scriptures, I get more out of them. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them. I am sorry if my posts are not posted in a timely fashion for the next little while. Well, I have my power back, but I am still not able to get online in my normal routine because my Internet service has not been restored. I am able to post by using either the Internet at a friend’s house or by going to someplace that has free Wifi access. I am going to try to get something closer to my normal routine by writing down the passages for the next day and writing the blog offline. In addition, I usually compose these on my desktop PC and typing them on my laptop is a different experience. Please bear with me until I get back into my usual routine.

     Ezekiel’s vision continued with the man in linen, who had marked those people selected for salvation, given coals from the presence of the Lord. The man in linen was instructed to spread the coals over the city of Jerusalem. Then Ezekiel saw the presence of the Lord depart from the Temple.
     The Spirit of the Lord than carried Ezekiel to the east gate of the Temple and showed him 25 leaders of the people of Jerusalem, two of whom Ezekiel names. Ezekiel tells them that they have been guilty of sins against the people of Jerusalem and of speaking false prophecies. Ezekiel tells them that they will be driven from Jerusalem and killed. While Ezekiel is prophesying against these men, one of them dies. Ezekiel then cries out to God, asking if Him if He will destroy even the remnant remaining of Israel.
     God replies that those who have been already been sent into exile are also Israel. God tells Ezekiel that He will gather the exiles back to His land. God will put a new spirit in them and they will remove the vile images and detestable idols from the land. God says that He will replace their hearts of stone with hearts of flesh. Have we allowed God to replace our hearts of stone with hearts of flesh? Do we look at those around us still suffering from the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy and desire to help them in whatever way we can? Or are we content that we have power and seek after the pleasures that are available to us?

     The writer tells us that now he will move on from basic teachings to meatier ones. He then goes on to tell us that those who have tasted of God’s glory who turn away from God can never be brought back to repentance. I am not sure what he means here, but I will interpret it in light of my experience. I do not believe he is talking about those who profess faith and then for one reason or another drift away from the faith. Rather I think he is talking about those who profess faith and then consciously reject it.

     The psalmist recounts how God sent Joseph into Egypt as a slave, shackled and beaten. But Joseph was faithful and God raised him up to become ruler over all of Egypt, second only to Pharoah. Then Jacob and Joseph’s brothers and their children came to Egypt and lived there. Until they became numerous and the people of Egypt felt threatened by them. Then the Egyptians enslaved the people of Israel. God sent Moses and Aaron to free them, bringing judgment on the Egyptians in the form of the plagues.
     Are we faithful in our sufferings as Joseph was? Are we willing to be God’s messengers as Moses and Aaron were?

     Do not boast of the great things you are going to do in the future, because things may happen to change your plans. Recognize that all of our plans for the future will only come to pass insofar as they are God’s will. In addition, do not tell others how wonderful you are, let them see for themselves and let them tell others what they think of you. How many times have you heard someone who is constantly telling you all the good things they do for others, people who you never see doing any of these good things? When someone tells you of the wonderful things they have done, don’t you have a tendency to wonder if they are like those people? Let our actions speak for us, if we receive no recognition from people, we will still receive recognition from God.