Today, I am reading and commenting on  Ezekiel 46-48.

The passage continues with the description of the restored temple from Ezekiel’s vision and with the instructions for worship in it.  In today’s passage I noticed that the common people were instructed to enter from either the north gate or the south gate of the temple, and to leave through the opposite gate.  If they entered through the north gate, they were to exit through the south gate, and those who entered through the south gate were to exit through the north gate.  Now, this is not the first time I have seen that, but this year I thought I should write a little bit about it.  I am not sure why God would give this instruction through Ezekiel, but I can imagine one positive consequence of following it.  It would force a certain degree of mixing among the people.  I mean think about it.  When people go to a large gathering they tend to go in through the entrance which is most convenient to them, and then leave by the same entrance.  The only people they interact with, most of the time, are the people who go in, and out, the same entrance they do, because they never cross paths with those who enter from the opposite side.  With this instruction, those who went in once entrance would need to, at least, pass by those who went in the other entrance.  It seems unlikely that this would be the only reason, but perhaps it is part of the reason God commanded this through Ezekiel.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Ezekiel 44-45.

Today’s passage begins with Ezekiel concluding his description of the temple he saw in his vision.  Ezekiel tells us that the east gate of the temple will remain shut and never be opened because God entered the temple through the east gate.  Then he mentions that only “the prince” would be allowed to sit in the gateway, which is where he would eat (I am assuming Ezekiel is referring to the prince eating of the offerings which he had made).  My initial reaction was to just move past this without giving it much thought because it was part of Ezekiel’s description of the temple he saw in his vision, and I have never understood what we are supposed to understand from that description.  However, today it struck me that there is something very specific about the gate through which the glory of the Lord entered the temple remaining shut and no one else ever passing through it.  Even having that thought left me with no understanding of what meaning it has for us.  As I wrote this it occurred to me that in some way it reflects on the fact that Jesus went through death and resurrection so that He might enter into our hearts.  No one else can pass through what He did in that experience.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Ezekiel 41-43.

Every year when I come to this passage I struggle with what to write.  Ezekiel goes into a detailed description of the measurements of the rebuilt temple he saw in his vision.  As I read that my eyes start to glaze over and before I get to the end of chapter 42 I’m reading the words but not really comprehending them.  Today, I really made an effort to re-engage my brain when I got to the place where the man guiding Ezekiel told him about the room where the priests would eat the most holy offerings.  There he tells Ezekiel that the priests must change out of the garments they wear while ministering in the temple before going out among the common people.   I never really took notice of that before because it is not that different from the instructions Moses gave Aaron and his sons regarding the garments they wore in the Tabernacle.  However, I took note of it today and saw that Ezekiel was emphasizing that restatement of the commandment from Moses in order to highlight the way in which the people of Jerusalem had failed to keep the temple and its surrounds holy.  Ezekiel writes about how the people of Jerusalem had practiced their detestable practices right next to the temple, in areas which should have been kept holy in order to prevent contamination of the temple.  To what degree do we allow ourselves to practice detestable practices with but a wall in our minds between them and the holy place where God dwells within us?

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Ezekiel 39-40.

Every time I read today’s passage I cannot help but think about the idea I heard as a child that Ezekiel’s description of the aftermath of an attack on Israel by the hordes of God sounds like nuclear weapons were used.  I am not sure what to make of it, but Ezekiel writes that fire would come down on Magog and “the coastlands” (it is unclear to what coastlands Ezekiel is referring, since none of the lands he describes as part of the alliance are ones we associate with being coastal) sounds a lot like it might indicate the use of nuclear weapons.  Then, the idea that teams of people would be employed to travel the land and bury the bodies sounds like perhaps the bodies have either been exposed to high levels of radiation or biological weapons which might still be contagious.  Finally that after seven months, anyone who came across a human bone would leave a marker and wait for the teams specially employed to come and bury the remains further suggests that.  I really struggle with how to interpret this passage, but then I come to something that has stood out to me about many of Ezekiel’s prophecies this year.  First, Ezekiel writes about the fire falling upon Magog and God says through him, “…and they will know that I am the Lord.”  Then later in that same prophecy, God says to Ezekiel that He will restore the fortunes of Jacob and “Then they will know that I am the Lord their God,…”  Again and again throughout the Book of Ezekiel, God gave Ezekiel prophecies which included some variation of “This or that will happen and then they will know that  I am the Lord.”  Which leads me to conclude that if we look at what is going on throughout the world, we WILL know that God is the Lord, that He is our Lord.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Ezekiel 37-38.

I have always loved Ezekiel’s vison of the valley of dry bones.  It has such an important lesson for us.  It goes into great detail describing how God was able to turn a pile of bones that had no flesh of any kind left on them into a vast army.  The people who those bones had originally belonged to were long dead, but God was able to bring them back to life.  We read that and think that it teaches the lesson that no matter how moribund a group, an organization, may seem, God’s Spirit can bring it back to life.  And it does indeed teach that lesson, but I never noticed that there is another, related, lesson right at the beginning of that story.  The story starts with God asking Ezekiel if the bones could live and Ezekiel responds by saying, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.”  Ezekiel did not look at those bones and say, “They can never live again.”  Nor did he say, “By the power of God, these bones will live again.”  No, he said, “Lord, you alone know if these bones can live again.”  So, while we are correct to interpret this vision as telling us that nothing and no one is so dead that cannot bring them back to life, we also need to remember that only God knows if the dry bones will live again.

Today’s passage ends with Ezekiel’s prophecy concerning Gog invading Israel.  He writes that God will muster a great army by allying with many nations to attack Israel when Israel was a land which had recovered from war and was at peace.  Many people read this prophecy and attempt to figure out what current countries represent those mentioned here.  Then, once they have figured out what countries will be part of the alliance with Gog, they try to determine when this prophecy will be fulfilled.  For all intents and purposes this prophecy says that all the nations will gather to make war.  What we often miss is God’s reason for allowing this to happen.  God allows this great war to happen so that He would have the opportunity show His great might and power.  When this battle comes to its conclusion, those who took part will know that our God is Lord over all.  Time and again, God gave Ezekiel a prophecy concerning the fall of different nations, and at, or near, the end of those prophecies, God tells Ezekiel, “Then they will know that I am the Lord.”

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Ezekiel 34-36.

Today’s passage begins with a prophecy against leaders who use their positions of leadership solely for their own benefit with no concern for the well-being of those whom they lead.  Leaders who failed to strengthen the weak, or bind up the injured.  God promises to remove such leaders from positions of authority and replace them Himself.  God will care for His people and seek out those who were scattered by the lack of care by the shepherds He had appointed.  However, Ezekiel is not finished after condemning the bad leaders who had led God’s people into sin.  He goes on to condemn those who made life difficult for others, those who drove people from God.  We cannot absolve ourselves of blame just because we were not in a position of leadership.  If we drove others from God because we made their life difficult, God will hold us accountable.  Ezekiel goes on to write about how God would gather Israel to Himself, gather His people.  He does do this because of the goodness of His people, but rather so that nations will see that He is Lord.  God has not called us because we have conducted ourselves in good and holy ways.  He has called us and put His Spirit in us in order to move us to follow His decrees and show people everywhere that He is Lord.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Ezekiel 32-33.

Ezekiel continues his prophecy about the downfall of Egypt at the beginning of today’s passage.  And once more he repeats that when this disaster comes to pass, then those on whom it falls will know that God is Lord.  Those who look to someone or something else upon which to order their lives will face terrible suffering and destruction, and then they will learn that God is indeed Lord.  Once Ezekiel has concluded his prophecy concerning Egypt, he once more to his metaphor about the watchman.   The message given here to Ezekiel applies to us today.  If God gives us a message that someone’s wicked acts will lead to their suffering and death, He expects us to pass that message on to them.  He will not hold us responsible if they do not listen to that message, but if we do not speak that message to them God will hold us accountable for their suffering.  God does not wish for the wicked to suffer for their wickedness.  His desire is for them to turn to Him from their evil ways, and to do good.  We should share that desire.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Ezekiel 29-31.

As I start to write my thoughts on today’s passage I am not sure how I will be able to say as much as I like out of them.  My wife always laughs when I start out this way because so often once I start writing it goes from one thing to another.    In any case, Ezekiel prophesies the downfall of Egypt.  He tells that the pride of Egypt’s rulers led to that downfall.  The Pharaoh had come to believe that he deserved credit for the Nile and the benefits it brought Egypt.  The people of Egypt had become proud and arrogant.  They had promised to support other peoples then when those peoples needed their support had failed to provide it.  All of this led to Egypt’s downfall.  And God said that when Egypt’s downfall happened, then they would know that He is Lord.  The people of Egypt saw tragedy and destruction because they thought that they need not listen to God.  If we do not freely acknowledge that God is our Lord, we will suffer terrible things so that we come to understand that He is.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Ezekiel 27-28.

Ezekiel begins his prophecy against Tyre by describing its wealth and the power it gained by trading with all parts of the world.  He goes into detail about how so many nations provided goods and services to Tyre in exchange for the goods and services Tyre obtained elsewhere.  Then Ezekiel tells how people all over the world will mourn the downfall of Tyre because of the trade they will lose when it falls.  Only after all of that does Ezekiel explain why Tyre would fall.  He tells us that Tyre would be brought down because of the pride of her rulers.  The rulers of Tyre gained wealth because of their skill, but once they had accumulated wealth they began to believe that they were untouchable, that they were gods.  So it goes with all nations which rise to great wealth and/or power, in time the rulers believe that they are entitled to their wealth and power and that no one can take it from them.  They begin to treat those who are dependent upon them, and upon whom their wealth and power depends, as objects to used and disposed of for their own pleasure.  They stop entering into honest trade agreements, thinking that their trade partners have no options.  Eventually, they sow the seeds of their own destruction.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Ezekiel 24-26.

Today’s passage begins with Ezekiel comparing Jerusalem to a copper cook pot.  As he describes how the pot is put over the fire, he makes the point that it doesn’t make any difference that the best quality meat was put into the pot.    I had always imagined the “heat” Ezekiel says was applied to the pot as God’s wrath being poured out on Jerusalem for their sin.  Today, it struck me that the “heat” applied to the pot was the sins of the people, particularly the sins of the elites, of the wealthy and powerful.  Their sins have boiled off that which would have made the “stew” edible until the contents were burned to the metal so that no amount of cleaning could remove it.  That is what is happening to our society today.  After finishing his metaphor, Ezekiel talks about the fall of Jerusalem and God’s judgement against the nations surrounding Judah.  Repeatedly as he describes these things God, speaking through Ezekiel, says, “Then you (or they) will know that I am God.”  Yesterday, I wrote about people doing terrible things because they had forgotten God.  Today’s passage tells us that if we forget God, He will allow terrible things to happen to us until we once more know that He is God, and act accordingly.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.