Tag Archives: Ezekiel 12-14:11

Daily Bible Study

November 5, 2014 Bible Study

For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have been convicted to seek to develop a disciplined prayer life. It is still a work in progress. Please pray for me, that the Holy Spirit may show me how to pray in a disciplined manner.

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Proverbs 27:3

    It is harder to bear up under the resentment triggered by the foolish things people say and do than under a weight of stone or sand. Give careful thought to what you say or do so that you do not foolishly provoke others to resentment and anger.
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Psalm 105:37-45

    God shows His power in wonderful and marvelous ways so that we will honour Him and follow His commands. God does not do these things because we follow His commands. He does them so that we will follow His commands. Christ did not die for our sins because we were righteous. He died for our sins in order to make us righteous. Thus it is with all of God’s great deeds.

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Hebrews 7:1-17

    Jesus is a priest in the order of Melchizedek. As the author here points out, Melchizedek means “king of justice”. In addition, Melchizedek was king of Salem, and Salem means “peace”. This connection reinforces what we read in other places where we are told that Jesus is the King of Justice and King of Peace. One thing the author does not point out is that Salem was the city we now know as Jerusalem, so Jesus was also King of Jerusalem (which also follows from His being the descendant of David).
    The take away from all of this is that the priesthood of Aaron has been superseded. The priesthood of Aaron interacted with God on behalf of the people. Under that structure, the high priest approached God and made offerings on behalf of himself and the people. But even after the high priest had made his offerings, the people still needed to go through the priests in order to approach God. However, under the new priesthood, our High Priest has made offering on our behalf once and we can now approach God with only Jesus as our intermediary.

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Ezekiel 12-14:11

    Ezekiel speaks out against prophets and religious leaders who, rather than call on people to give up their sins and turn to God, tell the people that all will be well. He warns against encouraging people to make cosmetic changes to their lives when what they need is fundamental transformation. It is not enough for us to show the appearance of righteousness, we must live righteous lives, doing what we can to help the impoverished and oppressed. Going to Church on Sunday is just not going to cut it. God is calling us to do more than that. We need to live our lives each day to bring healing to those around us who are suffering.
    Further, Ezekiel speaks out against those prophets who offer We must also call others to make genuine changes in their lives. It is not enough to offer them “charms” and rituals for them to follow. We must call people to turn from the sin which is causing their suffering. God is bringing judgement against those who do not turn from their sin. He is also going to bring judgement against us if we tell the sinners that they can avoid the judgement by making cosmetic changes when what they need is the fundamental transformation of accepting Jesus and the Holy Spirit into their lives.

Daily Bible Study

November 5, 2013 Bible Study — Judgment Against False Prophets

     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. In order to make that possible I read the passages and write my thoughts a day in advance. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.

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Ezekiel 12-14:11

     Ezekiel issues a stern warning against those who make prophecies based on their own imagination. He warns them that God will take action to stop those who speak of seeing visions which they never saw. As I read this passage it struck me as something which some in the Church today should listen to. It warns those who make prophecies but have not been sent by God. He tells us that these false prophets have spoken in the name of God, but have not made any effort to repair the breaks in the wall so that it will stand firm on the day of battle. Rather than strengthen the wall, they cover it with whitewash so that no one else can see where it is weak and strengthen it. Their prophecies have led to the death of those who should not have died and the sparing of the life of those who should not have lived.

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Hebrews 7:1-17

     The writer now explains what he means when he says that Jesus is a priest in the order of Melchizedek. We have no record of the beginning or ending of Melchizedek’s life, which allows us to think of him as a priest whose priesthood is eternal, unlike that of priests of the order of Aaron, whose priesthood ends when they die. So saying that Jesus is a priest in the order of Melchizedek means that His priesthood will never end. He will always be there to intercede with God on our behalf.
     Further, the writer points out that Melchizedek blessed Abraham and received a tenth of the plunder he had taken at a time before Isaac, the grandfather of Levi (from whom the priests of the order of Aaron are descended), was conceived, let alone born. The writer uses these two things to show that Melchizedek was a superior priest to Aaron (and his descendants). First, he points out that the person who receives a blessing (in this case, Abraham) is the lesser person and the one who blesses (in this case, Melchizedek) is the greater. Second, he points out that, in a figurative manner, the priests of the order of Aaron, who collect a tenth from others, gave a tenth to Melchizedek.
     Further he points out that if the Levitical priesthood could have allowed perfection to be obtained, there would have been no need for a priest to come from a different order. But since God found it necessary to establish a new order of priests, it was necessary to establish a new law as well. In order to become a priest of the order of Aaron one needed to meet physical requirements (one of which was being a descendant of Levi). Jesus did not become a priest of the order of Melchizedek by meeting physical requirements.

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     I have read through this passage numerous times, including several times today. However, just now is the first time I noticed what appears to me to be the writer’s primary purpose in talking about Jesus as a priest of the order of Melchizedek. He points out that the name Melchizedek means “King of justice” and that Melchizedek was the king of Salem, which can be translated as “King of peace.” The writer is telling us that Jesus is a priest of the order of the King of justice and of the King of peace. From this we conclude that Jesus’ priesthood is one of peace and justice. Jesus is a priest who calls us to worship God by striving for justice and peace.

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Psalm 105:37-45

     God has done great things for His people (both the Jewish people and those who follow Christ). He has done these things in order to encourage them to obey His decrees and follow His instructions.

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Proverbs 27:3

     Foolish talk and action causes resentment that is a greater burden than any physical weight.

Daily Bible Study

November 5, 2012 Bible Study

     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.

Setting Up the List Field

Ezekiel 12:1-14:11

     Ezekiel received instruction from God to act out the next prophecy. He was told to take his baggage and in the sight of the people dig a hole in the wall and go forth through it. When the people asked him what he was doing, he was to tell them that the prince in Jerusalem will gather his baggage and dig a hole in the wall and attempt to escape through it, but the prince will be captured and taken into captivity. Then Ezekiel told the people that their expectation that every prophecy was far in the future was no longer true. God was going to bring these things to pass, not only in their lifetimes, but in the very near future.
     Ezekiel follows this up with condemnation of false prophets. The false prophets had been telling the people of Israel that there would be peace when there was no peace. These prophets had been putting a whitewash of false righteousness over the sinfulness of the people. They were telling the people support this political agenda and it will fulfill your obligation to care for the poor and destitute. Then you don’t have to be bothered to actually do anything for them yourself.
     Then Ezekiel spoke out against some of the elders of Israel who came to consult him for the word of the Lord. Ezekiel told them that they were doing so to put a cover of righteousness over their idolatry. Ezekiel told them to put aside their idolatry and turn from their sins. God does not want us to support a political ideology that promises to help the poor and destitute. God wants us to help the poor and destitute.

“Put it right there.”

Hebrews 7:1-17

     The last chapter ended with the statement that Jesus has become a high priest of the order of Melchizedek. Melchizedek is mentioned in Genesis as the King of Salem and a priest of God to whom Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils after he had rescued Lot and other captives from raiders. The author of Hebrews points out that the priests according to the Law were descendants of Aaron, who was himself a descendant of Abraham. The author makes two points from this. The first is that Aaron himself, who the Law says shall receive a tenth from the people of Israel, metaphorically gave a tenth to Melchizedek (since Aaron was descended from a son of Abraham who was not yet conceived). The second is that when the priesthood is changed, there is of necessity a change of the Law that establishes the priesthood.
     The author further points out that if perfection could be attained through the priesthood of Aaron, there would be no need for another priest in the order of Melchizedek. But the psalmist declares that God is going to raise up another priest in the order of Melchizedek, one who will sit at the right hand of God. Here we have the logic whereby the Law of Moses has been fulfilled and a greater Law instituted in its place.

Preparing for Battle

Psalm 105:37-45

     The psalmist tells us that when the children of Israel departed Egypt the Egyptians were glad to see them go. The plagues had caused the Egyptians to want no more to do with the Israelites. God brought them out of Egypt with wealth and guided them through the wilderness. While they were in the wilderness God provided for them with manna and quail, causing water to flow out from the rocks. God brought them into a land inhabited by other nations and gave that land to the Israelites. God did all of this so that they might keep His commands and obey His laws. Will God do any less for us today if we keep His commands and follow His Word? Let us praise the Lord for all He has done for us.

“Do You Really Expect Us To Believe That?”

Proverbs 27:3

     Even the strongest, wisest person may find themselves reacting against their better judgment when provoked by a fool.