no cheating

Posted on September 6, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

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no cheating

Ezekiel 17:16-21 (JDV)

Ezekiel 17:16 ” ‘As I live – this is the declaration of the Lord Yahveh – he will die in Babylon, in the land of the king who put him on the throne, whose oath he thinks lightly of and whose covenant he broke.
Ezekiel 17:17 Pharaoh with his mighty army and the vast mob will not help him in battle when ramps are built and siege walls constructed to cut many throats.
Ezekiel 17:18 He thinks lightly of the oath by breaking the covenant. Notice, he did all these things even though he gave his hand in the pledge. He will not escape!
Ezekiel 17:19 ” ‘Therefore, this is what the Lord Yahveh says: As I live, I will bring down on his head my oath that he thinks lightly of and my covenant that he broke.
Ezekiel 17:20 I will spread my net over him, and he will be caught in my snare. I will bring him to Babylon and execute judgment on him there for the treachery he committed against me.
Ezekiel 17:21 All the best among his troops will fall by the sword, and those who survive will be scattered to every direction of the wind. Then you will know that I, Yahveh, have spoken.

no cheating

The king of Judah had made a terrible decision. He had made a covenant with Babylon but then decided to switch allegiance to Egypt. This infuriated God because the Babylonian exile was his idea. He intended to punish his own people for their idolatry and hypocrisy. He wanted to humble them, and so bring them back to himself. But they wanted to cheat.

Our God does not like it when we break the rules. We can justify our cheating all we want, but God knows when we step over the line.

LORD, keep us between the lines so that we demonstrate our commitment to you.

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price of escape

Posted on September 5, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

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price of escape

Ezekiel 17:11-15 (JDV)

Ezekiel 17:11 The word of Yahveh happened to me. This is what it said:
Ezekiel 17:12 “Now say to that rebellious house, ‘Don’t you know what these things mean? ‘ Tell them, ‘Notice, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, took its king and officials, and brought them back with him to Babylon.
Ezekiel 17:13 He took one of the royal family and made a covenant with him, putting him under oath. Then he took away the leading men of the land,
Ezekiel 17:14 so that the kingdom would be humble and not exalt itself but would keep his covenant in order to endure.
Ezekiel 17:15 However, this king revolted against him by sending his ambassadors to Egypt so they might give him horses and a large army. Will he flourish? Will the one who does such things escape? Can he break a covenant and still escape?

price of escape

We have been looking at Ezekiel’s parable of the eagles and the vine for two days now. Today’s text reveals its meaning. The royal family of Judah had sought to escape its covenant with Babylon by seeking help from Egypt.

What struck me as I pondered these words today is how quickly families are destroyed by those who encounter trouble and seek to escape it by breaking covenant with their spouse. In a fallen world like ours, some marriages may be destined to fail, but every divorced person also knows that escape comes at a heavy price.

LORD, give us strong marriages that honor you and respect and cherish each other.

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will it flourish?

Posted on September 4, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

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will it flourish?

Ezekiel 17:9-10 (JDV)

Ezekiel 17:9 “You are to say, ‘This is what the Lord Yahveh says: Will it flourish? Won’t he tear out its roots and strip off its fruit so that it shrivels? All its fresh leaves will wither! Great strength and many people will not be needed to pull it from its roots.
Ezekiel 17:10 Notice, though it is planted, will it flourish? Won’t it wither completely when the east wind slaps it? It will wither on the plot where it sprouted.'”

20220904 will it flourish?

The king and his sons had made the choice to abandon their covenant with Babylon and seek another eagle’s protection. The parable asks about this new plan. The question is “will it flourish”?

Perhaps there is a change you are considering for your life and family recently. Will it make things better, or get you in more hot water?

The New Testament encourages us to pray for wisdom if we need it. We all know how dangerous it is to make decisions based on faulty or incomplete information. Wisdom requires knowing things that we sometimes do not know. We need the courage to ask.

God of all wisdom, help us to avoid rash and hurting choices.

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leaving God out of the picture

Posted on September 3, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

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leaving God out of the picture

Ezekiel 17:7-8 (JDV)

Ezekiel 17:7 ” ‘But there was another large eagle with powerful wings and thick plumage. Notice this vine bent its roots toward him! It stretched out its branches to him from the plot where it was planted, so that he might water it.
Ezekiel 17:8 It had been planted in a good field by abundant water in order to produce branches, bear fruit, and become a splendid vine.’

leaving God out of the picture

As this parable continues, we are introduced to another large eagle. In real life, vines do not change their direction to accommodate the animals they encounter. But in this parable, that is exactly what the vine does.

The king and his sons chose to abandon their covenant with one evil empire and take sides with another. But their sin was leaving God out of the picture. Perhaps you and I should consider what choices we are making and whether our failures come from making those choices without seeking the Lord’s will.

God of all, show us how to consult with you before we make decisions outside of your will.

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the first eagle

Posted on September 2, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

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the first eagle

Ezekiel 17:1-6 (JDV)

Ezekiel 17:1 The word of Yahveh happened to me. This is what it said:
Ezekiel 17:2 “Son of Adam, pose a riddle and speak a parable to the house of Israel.
Ezekiel 17:3 You are to say, ‘This is what the Lord Yahveh says: A large eagle with powerful wings, long feathers, and full plumage of many colors came to Lebanon and took the top of the cedar.
Ezekiel 17:4 He plucked off its topmost shoot, brought it to the land of merchants, and set it in a city of traders.
Ezekiel 17:5 Then he took some of the land’s seed and put it in a fertile field; he set it like a willow, a plant by abundant water.
Ezekiel 17:6 It sprouted and became a spreading vine, low in height with its branches turned toward him, yet its roots stayed under it. So it became a vine, produced branches, and sent out shoots.

the first eagle

This is not the entire parable, so only some elements have been revealed at this point. This first eagle is the king of Babylon, and the vine is Zedekiah’s offspring. Although humbled and in exile, the vine spread, producing branches and sending out shoots.

It is human nature to want to get out of your humbling circumstances and make something better for yourself and your children. But like Zedekiah, we can be tempted to do this in ways that are outside God’s purposes for us. Not all of us are destined to be mighty eagles in this life. Sometimes, the best that we can hope for is to be a spreading vine under the mighty eagle’s power. Zedekiah had made a covenant with Babylon, and things went well with his children as long as he kept that covenant.

But — we will see in more detail later — there was another eagle, and the vine defaulted on its promises to the first eagle. That was an unwise choice. The vine was blooming where it had been planted, but it wanted more than God allowed.

LORD, give us the wisdom to seek a balance in our lives where we seek the best but stay true to our responsibilities and present boundaries.

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another covenant

Posted on September 1, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

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another covenant

Ezekiel 16:59-63 (JDV)

Ezekiel 16:59 ” ‘You see, this is what the Lord Yahveh says: I will deal with you according to what you have done since you have thought lightly of the oath by breaking the covenant.
Ezekiel 16:60 But I will remember the covenant I made with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish a permanent covenant with you.
Ezekiel 16:61 Then you will remember your ways and be ashamed when you receive your older and younger sisters. I will give them to you as daughters, but not because of your covenant.
Ezekiel 16:62 I will establish my covenant with you, and you will know that I am Yahveh,
Ezekiel 16:63 so that when I make atonement for all you have done, you will remember and be ashamed, and never open your mouth again because of your disgrace. This is the declaration of the Lord Yahveh.'”

another covenant

Through the long allegory of this chapter, the LORD explains his relationship with his people. It was an act of grace by which the LORD rescued Israel as an abandoned infant, and brought her up, removing her shame. He brought her up, and married her, and gave her more glory than all the others around her. She responded to this love by being unfaithful, committing adultery – idolatry with all of the nations around her. So, the LORD removes his protection from her, and she will once again become an object of reproach, bearing the penalty of her lewdness and her abominations.

But there is hope. The LORD will remember the covenant he had made with his wife. He will establish another covenant, an everlasting one. He will take his unfaithful wife back – but on new terms. Even Hittites and Amorites will be part of this new covenant.

LORD, thank you for including us in your new covenant, bought with the blood of Christ.

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just and merciful to all

Posted on August 31, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

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just and merciful to all

Ezekiel 16:53-58 (JDV)

Ezekiel 16:53 ” ‘I will restore their fortunes, the fortunes of Sodom and her daughters and those of Samaria and her daughters. I will also restore your fortunes among them,
Ezekiel 16:54 so you will bear your disgrace and be ashamed of all you did when you comforted them.
Ezekiel 16:55 As for your sisters, Sodom and her daughters and Samaria and her daughters will return to their former state. You and your daughters will also return to your former state.
Ezekiel 16:56 Didn’t you treat your sister Sodom as an object of scorn when you were proud,
Ezekiel 16:57 before your guilt was exposed? It was like the time you were scorned by the daughters of Aram and all those around her, and by the daughters of the Philistines – those who treated you triflingly from every side.
Ezekiel 16:58 You yourself must bear the consequences of your infamy and repulsive practices – this is Yahveh’s declaration.

just and merciful to all

The fact that God cares enough to restore the fortunes of Samaria and Sodom reminds the inhabitants of Jerusalem that they are not as special as they thought they were. Our God is just and merciful to all. That does not mean he ignores sin. No, he cannot ignore sin and rebellion even when it is in his own city. It is even more repulsive when those reputed to be God’s people sin.

LORD, make us visibly yours, and faithfully obedient.

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an assumed excuse

Posted on August 30, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

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an assumed excuse

Ezekiel 16:44-52 (JDV)

Ezekiel 16:44 ” ‘Notice, everyone who uses proverbs will quote this proverb about you: “Like mother, like daughter.”
Ezekiel 16:45 You are the daughter of your mother, who thinks lightly of her husband and children. You are the sister of your sisters, who think lightly of their husbands and children. Your mother was a Hethite and your father an Amorite.
Ezekiel 16:46 Your older sister was Samaria, who lived with her daughters to the north of you, and your younger sister was Sodom, who lived with her daughters to the south of you.
Ezekiel 16:47 Didn’t you walk in their ways and do their repulsive practices? It was only a short time before all your ways were more corrupt than theirs.
Ezekiel 16:48 ” ‘As I live – the declaration of the Lord Yahveh – your sister Sodom and her daughters have not behaved as you and your daughters have.
Ezekiel 16:49 Notice this was the violation of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters had pride, plenty of food, and comfortable security, but didn’t support the poor and needy.
Ezekiel 16:50 They were haughty and did repulsive acts before me, so I removed them when I saw this.
Ezekiel 16:51 But Samaria did not commit even half your failures. You have multiplied your repulsive practices beyond theirs and made your sisters appear righteous by all the repulsive acts you have committed.
Ezekiel 16:52 You must also bear your disgrace since you have helped your sisters out. For they appear more righteous than you because of your failures, which you committed more detestably than they did. So you also, be ashamed and bear your disgrace, since you have made your sisters appear righteous.

an assumed excuse

When I was a young boy, I was incredibly lazy. Instead of participating in sports in school, I wrote a fake note from “my doctor” excusing me from strenuous activity. Either my physical education instructor fell for it, or he (probably) just didn’t care. My assumed excuse was bogus. I had no excuse.

Ezekiel is now responding to an assumed excuse that the inhabitants of Jerusalem would give for their sinful behavior. They looked around at all the nations surrounding them — some of whom they were related to. They claimed to have been only following their lead.

The argument fell apart once Ezekiel began pointing out that none of those relatives ever rebelled against God the way Judah had. Jerusalem had privileges that came with a covenantal relationship, and that made their violations all that more heinous.

Consider — my friends — how responsible we are to our God, who gave us the privilege of knowing him through his only Son. How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?

LORD, we have no excuses. We can blame no one for our sins. We beg your forgiveness and ask you to empower us to become faithful and stay faithful to your word and to your Christ.

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naked again

Posted on August 29, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

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naked again

Ezekiel 16:35-43 (JDV)

Ezekiel 16:35 ” ‘Therefore, you prostitute, hear the word of Yahveh!
Ezekiel 16:36 This is what the Lord Yahveh says: Because your lust was poured out and your nakedness exposed by your acts of prostitution with your lovers, and because of all your repulsive idols and the blood of your children that you gave to them,
Ezekiel 16:37 Notice I am going to gather all the lovers you pleased – all those you loved as well as all those you hated. I will gather them against you from all around and expose your nakedness to them so they see you completely naked.
Ezekiel 16:38 I will judge you the way adulteresses and those who shed blood are judged. Then I will bring about the shedding of your blood in jealous wrath.
Ezekiel 16:39 I will hand you over to them, and they will demolish your mounds and tear down your elevated places. They will strip off your clothes, take your beautiful jewelry, and leave you stark naked.
Ezekiel 16:40 They will bring a mob against you to stone you and to cut you to pieces with their swords.
Ezekiel 16:41 They will burn your houses and execute judgments against you in the sight of many women. I will stop you from being a prostitute, and you will never again pay fees for lovers.
Ezekiel 16:42 So I will satisfy my wrath against you, and my jealousy will turn away from you. Then I will be calm and no longer angry.
Ezekiel 16:43 Because you did not remember the days of your infancy but enraged me with all these things, I will also bring your conduct down on your own head. This is the declaration of the Lord Yahveh. Haven’t you committed infamy in addition to all your repulsive practices?

naked again

In this allegory describing Jerusalem’s rebellion against her God, Ezekiel began the story of the city as an abandoned infant, naked and wallowing in blood. The LORD came along and rescued that child, exalting her into a yound beautiful woman. Then the LORD exalted her even more by taking her as his bride.

But the bride rebelled against her husband by going after other men, prostituting herself instead of being faithful to the one who exalted her. She even sought after other lovers by paying them a fee, so she was worse than a prostitute.

The jilted husband has had enough. He is going to strip this unfaithful wife of all her fine clothing. He will reduce her to the state she was in when he first rescued her.

LORD, may we have the wisdom to know that if we take away all the externals, all we have is a dependence upon you.

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you paid a fee instead

Posted on August 28, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

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you paid a fee instead

Ezekiel 16:30-34 (JDV)

Ezekiel 16:30 ” ‘How your heart was inflamed with lust – the declaration of the Lord Yahveh – when you did all these things, the acts of a domineering prostitute,
Ezekiel 16:31 building your mound at the head of every street and making your elevated place in every square. But you were unlike a prostitute because you scorned payment.
Ezekiel 16:32 You adulterous wife, who receives strangers instead of her husband!
Ezekiel 16:33 Men give gifts to all prostitutes, but you gave gifts to all your lovers. You bribed them to come to you from all around for your sexual favors.
Ezekiel 16:34 So you were the opposite of other women in your acts of prostitution; no one solicited you. When you paid a fee instead of one being paid to you, you were the opposite.

you paid a fee instead

When the LORD tells Ezekiel what kind of people the inhabitants of Jerusalem have been, he describes them as having the most wonderful advantage of being welcomed into the home of a loving husband — the LORD himself. But instead of being faithful to the husband who lavished his love and provision on her, Jerusalem sought other lovers. She was actually worse than a prostitute, since she paid a fee instead of one being paid to her.

Such is the result of a sinful life. In the end, you discover that you have actually given your life away instead of finding it. The wages of sin are always paid by the sinner.

LORD, strengthen our respect for you and ourselves. Show us how to stop giving away our lives for sin.

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