the clapping is due

Posted on October 4, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

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the clapping is due

Ezekiel 22:13-16 (JDV)

Ezekiel 22:13 ” ‘Now look, I clap my hands together against the dishonest profit you have made and against the blood shed among you.
Ezekiel 22:14 Will your courage endure or your hands be strong in the days when I deal with you? I, Yahveh, have spoken, and I will act.
Ezekiel 22:15 I will disperse you among the nations and scatter you among the countries; I will purge your uncleanness.
Ezekiel 22:16 You will be polluted in the sight of the nations. Then you will know that I am Yahveh.'”

the clapping is due

The nature of the uncleanness that led the LORD to punish his own people is identified here as two sins: dishonest profit and violence. God claps his hands as if to say “that’s enough” and the people are scattered throughout the nations. How long will our nations last? Brace yourselves. The clapping is due.

LORD, thank you for your patience.

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profanity, depravity, brutality

Posted on October 3, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

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profanity, depravity, brutality

Ezekiel 22:6-12 (JDV)

Ezekiel 22:6 ” ‘Notice, every prince of Israel within you has used his strength to shed blood.
Ezekiel 22:7 Father and mother are treated triflingly, and the resident alien is exploited within you. The fatherless and widow are oppressed in you.
Ezekiel 22:8 You think lightly of my devoted things and profane my Sabbaths.
Ezekiel 22:9 There are men within you who slander in order to shed blood. People who live in you eat at the mountain shrines; they commit depraved acts within you.
Ezekiel 22:10 Men within you have sexual intercourse with their father’s wife and violate women during their menstrual impurity.
Ezekiel 22:11 One man within you commits a repulsive act with his neighbor’s wife; another defiles his daughter-in-law with infamy; and yet another violates his sister, his father’s daughter.
Ezekiel 22:12 People who live in you accept bribes in order to shed blood. You take interest and profit on a loan and brutally extort your neighbors. You have forgotten me. This is the declaration of the Lord Yahveh.

profanity, depravity, brutality

These three words describe the kind of people the prophet was called to address. These are the kind of people who have forgotten God — living as if he does not exist. We read of such people in our newspapers and watch stories about them. They are the direct results of a society’s embrace of atheism. In Ezekiel’s day, the temple was still there, and the sabbaths were still being observed — although being profaned as well.

Disaster awaited these people. Can we imagine a scenario in which our own generation can be spared? Not without true repentance and a return to faith and obedience.

LORD, have mercy on us.

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robe and gavel

Posted on October 2, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

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robe and gavel

Ezekiel 22:1-5 (JDV)

Ezekiel 22:1 The word of Yahveh happened to me. This is what it said:
Ezekiel 22:2 “And you, son of Adam, will you pass judgment? Will you pass judgment against the city of blood? Then explain all her repulsive practices to her.
Ezekiel 22:3 You are to say, ‘This is what the Lord Yahveh says: A city that sheds blood within her walls so that her time of judgment has come and who makes idols for herself so that she is defiled!
Ezekiel 22:4 You are guilty of the blood you have shed, and you are defiled from the idols you have made. You have brought your judgment days near and have come to your years of punishment. Therefore, I have made you a disgrace to the nations and a mockery to all the lands.
Ezekiel 22:5 Those who are near and those far away from you will mock you, you infamous one full of turmoil.

robe and gavel

As God’s prophet, Ezekiel had the responsibility of condemning sin and making God’s people accountable for their actions. So, in this context, it is only right that God calls on Ezekiel to pass judgment.

Often today’s culture attacks the Christian who dares to speak out against the slaughter of the innocent, or the acceptance of sexually immoral lifestyles. They throw Jesus’ words in our face and tell us that he taught us “don’t judge” (Matthew 7:1). But they ignore what Jesus was actually teaching — that we should not judge hypocritically.

Both our Lord and this prophet teach that there is a time when believers are responsible to point out evil and hold people accountable for their sins. Perhaps there are many of us today who need to hear the Lord’s words to Ezekiel: “will you pass judgment?”

There is a time when the robe and gavel are appropriate.

LORD, forgive us for failing to condemn blatant sin in our land.

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what about Ammon?

Posted on October 1, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

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what about Ammon?

Ezekiel 21:28-32 (JDV)

Ezekiel 21:28 “Now you, son of Adam, prophesy, and say, ‘This is what the Lord Yahveh says concerning the Ammonites and their contempt.’ You are to proclaim, ‘A sword! A sword is drawn for slaughter, polished to consume, to flash like lightning.
Ezekiel 21:29 While they offer false visions and lying lots about you, the time has come to put you to the necks of the profane guilty ones; the day has come for final punishment.
Ezekiel 21:30 ” ‘Return it to its sheath! ” ‘I will judge you in the place where you were created, in the land of your origin.
Ezekiel 21:31 I will pour out my curse on you; I will blow the fire of my fury on you. I will hand you over to brutal men, skilled at destruction.
Ezekiel 21:32 You will be fuel for the fire. Your blood will be spilled within the land. You will not be remembered, for I, Yahveh, have spoken.'”

what about Ammon?

While the LORD is declaring his imminent judgment upon the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem, one obvious thought the people of Judah might be thinking is “What about Ammon — that wicked neighbor nation who will be gloating over Judah’s destruction? Ezekiel is instructed to tell the Ammonites that they should not gloat because the same sword appointed to strike Judah will someday strike them as well. The difference is that once Babylon is through with Judah, there will still be a Judah left. But once the sword is unsheathed and aimed at the Ammonites, it will destroy utterly. Ammon will not be remembered.

LORD, give us the wisdom to refrain from envying the wicked around us who seem not to suffer as much. May we realize that your justice will be done, and leave it in your hands.

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hats off

Posted on September 30, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

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hats off

Ezekiel 21:24-27 (JDV)

Ezekiel 21:24 “Therefore, this is what the Lord Yahveh says: Because you have drawn attention to your guilt, exposing your rebellions, so that your failures are revealed in all your actions – since you have done this, you will be captured by them.
Ezekiel 21:25 And you, profane and guilty prince of Israel, the day has come for your punishment.
Ezekiel 21:26 “This is what the Lord Yahveh says: Remove the turban, and take off the crown. Things will not remain as they are; exalt the lowly and bring down the exalted.
Ezekiel 21:27 A ruin, a ruin, I will make it a ruin! Yet this will not happen until he comes; I have given the judgment to him.

hats off

God’s instruction for the priest was “remove the turban” and the king was to “take off the crown.” Both leaders were being judged because they had led the people astray. In every generation, there comes a time when leaders must be evaluated based on whether they are leading people toward God, or away from him.

LORD, give us righteous leaders who seek to please you more than advance themselves.

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like false divination

Posted on September 29, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

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like false divination

Ezekiel 21:18-23 (JDV)

Ezekiel 21:18 The word of Yahveh happened to me:
Ezekiel 21:19 “Now you, son of Adam, mark out two roads that the sword of Babylon’s king can take. Both of them should originate from the same land. And make a signpost at the fork in the road to each city.
Ezekiel 21:20 Mark out a road that the sword can take to Rabbah of the Ammonites and to Judah into fortified Jerusalem.
Ezekiel 21:21 You see, the king of Babylon stands at the split in the road, at the fork of the two roads, to practice divination: he shakes the arrows, consults the idols, and looks at the liver.
Ezekiel 21:22 The answer marked Jerusalem appears in his right hand, indicating that he should set up battering rams, give the order to slaughter, raise a battle cry, set battering rams against the gates, build a ramp, and construct a siege wall.
Ezekiel 21:23 It will seem like false divination to those who have sworn an oath to the Babylonians, but it will draw attention to their guilt so that they will be captured.

like false divination

Like the Jews in Ezekiel’s day, we are so ready to claim that other people’s ideas are false and misleading, but also so ready to trust in our own false divination. The threads that hold together our worldviews are often just as flimsy. God used the Babylonian’s divination to condemn his own people, who had forsaken him for idols, just like Babylon had.

LORD, teach us your ways and give us the wisdom to trust you, not our own ideas.

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flash and slash

Posted on September 28, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

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flash and slash

Ezekiel 21:14-17 (JDV)

Ezekiel 21:14 “So you, son of Adam, prophesy and clap your hands together: Let the sword slap two times, even three. It is a sword for massacre, a sword for great massacre – it surrounds them!
Ezekiel 21:15 I have appointed a sword for slaughter at all their gates so that their hearts may melt and many may stumble. Yes! It is ready to flash like lightning; it is drawn for slaughter.
Ezekiel 21:16 Slash to the right; turn to the left – wherever your blade is directed.
Ezekiel 21:17 I also will clap my hands together, and I will satisfy my wrath. I, Yahveh, have spoken.”

flash and slash

When the passers-by saw this prophet brandishing his sword, they probably thought he was loony. But it was a symbol of a coming massacre — a prophecy of a terrible ordeal in which many would lose their lives. When those who claim God for their God rebel against him, his wrath comes upon their nation.

Reading through the Old Testament gives a person perspective. As much as I want to brag about my religion being a happy message of love, I am confronted with a God of love who must act against those who rebel against him. His arms are open for those who repent and return to him, but if not, there is a sword.

LORD, we hear the sound of the prophet clapping his hands together. We see the flash and slash. Bring us all back to you, Lord, before your day of judgment comes.

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sharpened and polished

Posted on September 27, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

20220927

Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko on Pexels.com

sharpened and polished

Ezekiel 21:1-13 (JDV)

Ezekiel 21:1 The word of Yahveh happened to me again. This is what it said:
Ezekiel 21:2 “Son of Adam, face Jerusalem and preach against the devoted places. Prophesy against the land of Israel,
Ezekiel 21:3 and say to it, ‘This is what Yahveh says: Notice I am against you. I will draw my sword from its sheath and cut off from you both the righteous and the guilty.
Ezekiel 21:4 Since I will cut off both the righteous and the guilty, my sword will therefore come out of its sheath against all people from the south to the north.
Ezekiel 21:5 So all people will know that I, Yahveh, have taken my sword from its sheath – it will not be sheathed again.’
Ezekiel 21:6 “But you, son of Adam, groan! Groan bitterly with a broken heart right before their eyes.
Ezekiel 21:7 And when they ask you, ‘Why are you groaning? ‘ then say, ‘Because of the news that is coming. Every heart will melt, and every hand will become weak. Every breath will be discouraged, and all knees will run with urine. Notice, it is coming and it will happen. This is the declaration of the Lord Yahveh.'”
Ezekiel 21:8 The word of Yahveh happened to me:
Ezekiel 21:9 “Son of Adam, prophesy, ‘This is what Yahveh says! ‘ You are to proclaim, ‘A sword! A sword is sharpened and also polished.
Ezekiel 21:10 It is sharpened for slaughter, polished to flash like lightning! Should we be glad? The scepter of my son, the sword thinks lightly of every tree.
Ezekiel 21:11 The sword is given to be polished, to be grasped in the hand. It is sharpened, and it is polished, to be put in the hand of the slayer.’
Ezekiel 21:12 “Cry out and wail, son of Adam, for it is against my people. It is against all the princes of Israel! They are given over to the sword with my people. Therefore slap your thigh in grief.
Ezekiel 21:13 Surely it will be a test! And what if the sword thinks lightly of even the scepter? The scepter will not continue.” This is the declaration of the Lord Yahveh.

sharpened and polished

He is a heartbroken God who lets loose a sharpened and polished sword upon his own people. Their rebellion is too great — their sin too dark for the Almighty to let it be. Thus the prophet is told to groan bitterly with a broken heart right before their eyes. He is to be a symbol of the Lord’s pain — a pain that cannot be eased without judgment.

LORD, open our eyes to your coming judgment. Help us to snatch people from Gehenna’s fire.

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made-up stories

Posted on September 26, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

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made-up stories

Ezekiel 20:45-49 (JDV)

Ezekiel 20:45 The word of Yahveh happened to me:
Ezekiel 20:46 “Son of Adam, face the south and preach against it. Prophesy against the forest land in the Negev,
Ezekiel 20:47 and say to the forest there, ‘Hear the word of Yahveh! This is what the Lord Yahveh says: Notice I am about to ignite a fire in you, and it will devour every green tree and every dry tree in you. The blazing flame will not be extinguished, and every face from the south to the north will be scorched by it.
Ezekiel 20:48 Then all people will see that I, Yahveh, have kindled it. It will not be extinguished.'”
Ezekiel 20:49 Then I said, “Oh, Lord God, they are saying of me, ‘Isn’t he just making parables? ‘”

made-up stories

Ezekiel faced a nation fed up with his stories. They refused to acknowledge that every word coming from the prophet was breathed out by Almighty God.

How our generation follows in those footsteps. We seek insight from every book but God’s book. We have rejected the word as just a bunch of made-up stories.

LORD, we want turn back to you. Give us an appreciation of your word that is proper for it.

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self-perspective, God-awareness

Posted on September 25, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

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self-perspective, God-awareness

Ezekiel 20:39-44 (JDV)

Ezekiel 20:39 ” ‘As for you, house of Israel, this is what the Lord Yahveh says: Go and serve your idols, each of you. But afterward, you will surely listen to me, and you will no longer defile my devoted name with your gifts and idols.
Ezekiel 20:40 For on my devoted mountain, Israel’s high mountain – the declaration of the Lord Yahveh – there the entire house of Israel, all of them, will serve me in the land. There I will accept them and will require your contributions and first gifts, all your devoted offerings.
Ezekiel 20:41 When I bring you from the peoples and gather you from the countries where you have been scattered, I will accept you as a pleasing aroma. And I will demonstrate my devotion through you in the sight of the nations.
Ezekiel 20:42 When I lead you into the land of Israel, the land I swore to give your fathers, you will know that I am Yahveh.
Ezekiel 20:43 There you will remember your ways and all your deeds by which you have defiled yourself, and you will detest yourselves for all the evil things you have done.
Ezekiel 20:44 You will know that I am Yahveh, house of Israel when I have dealt with you for the sake of my name rather than according to your evil ways and corrupt acts. This is the declaration of the Lord Yahveh.'”

self-perspective, God-awareness

Note the two things that God expects to happen as a result of the exile. First, his people will learn to see themselves as they really are. They will detest themselves because of their idolatry and compromise.

Second, they will learn to see God as who he really is. They will know that God is unique.

LORD, give us true knowledge of ourselves and a true appreciation of you.

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