no more gap

Posted on August 13, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

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no more gap

Ezekiel 12:26-28

Ezekiel 12:26 The word of Yahveh happened to me:
Ezekiel 12:27 “Son of Adam, notice that the house of Israel is saying, ‘The vision that he sees concerns many years from now; he prophesies about distant times.’
Ezekiel 12:28 Therefore say to them, ‘This is what the Lord Yahveh says: None of my words will be delayed any longer. The message I speak will be fulfilled. This is the declaration of the Lord Yahveh.'”

no more gap

Ezekiel’s generation was used to prophets who covered themselves by saying that their predictions might not be fulfilled immediately. They suggested a gap — a period of time between their predictions and the fulfillment of their predictions. The LORD said that Ezekiel was not going to be that kind of prophet. That put a lot of pressure on him. If there was no immediate fulfillment of his predictions, he would risk being branded a false prophet.

There are believers today who have the prophetic gift. They have been gifted with a call to challenge people to take God seriously and to challenge evil and hypocrisy in their generation. There are also imposters who claim to be prophets but are not. They might cover themselves the way the false prophets did in Ezekiel’s time. The gap may be a sign that the prediction is not from God.

LORD, give us eschatological discernment.

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meaningless memes

Posted on August 12, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

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meaningless memes

Ezekiel 12:21-25 (JDV)

Ezekiel 12:21 Again the word of Yahveh happened to me:
Ezekiel 12:22 “Son of Adam, what is this proverb you people have about the land of Israel, which goes, ‘The days keep passing by, and every vision fails’?
Ezekiel 12:23 Therefore say to them, ‘This is what the Lord Yahveh says: I will put a stop to this proverb, and they will not use it again in Israel.’ But say to them, ‘The days have arrived, as well as the fulfillment of every vision.
Ezekiel 12:24 Because there will no longer be any false vision or flattering divination within the house of Israel.
Ezekiel 12:25 But I, Yahveh, will speak whatever message I will speak, and it will be done. It will no longer be delayed. Because in your days, rebellious house, I will speak a message and bring it to pass. This is the declaration of the Lord Yahveh.'”

meaningless memes

Ezekiel’s audience was a people who didn’t take prophets seriously. They kept hearing meaningless memes. The prophets fell over themselves trying one positive message after another, all of them predicted that things were going to turn around and get better. Since things never got better, nobody valued prophecy anymore.

False proverbs might be popular from time to time, but only the truth will last. Today’s popular meme is tomorrow’s embarrassing memory.

God tells Ezekiel that things are going to change. Starting with him, some prophets are going to emerge that everyone will take seriously because their words will come true. They won’t be popular, because they will prophesy of coming judgment. But they will command respect.

Looking at our Old Testament as it appears today, we might get the impression that there were many prophets like Ezekiel who called on an evil generation to repent. But this incident reveals that most of Ezekiel’s contemporaries were pretending. They kept trying to convince their audience that things were going to get better.

In today’s religious environment, there are prophets who also constantly come up with positive and encouraging messages — in spite of reality. They would rather create clickbait than create change. History will prove the shallow and temporary nature of their memes.

LORD, give us the courage to speak your truth to a generation used to being lied to.

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ordinary events

Posted on August 11, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

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ordinary events

Ezekiel 12:17-20 (JDV)

Ezekiel 12:17 The word of Yahveh happened to me:
Ezekiel 12:18 “Son of Adam, eat your bread while trembling and drink your water while anxious shaking.
Ezekiel 12:19 Then say to the people of the land, ‘This is what the Lord Yahveh says about the residents of Jerusalem in the land of Israel: They will eat their bread with anxiety and drink their water in dread because their land will be stripped of everything in it because of the violence of all who live there.
Ezekiel 12:20 The inhabited cities will be destroyed, and the land will become dreadful. Then you will know that I am Yahveh.'”

ordinary events

For Ezekiel, even his ordinary meals became an opportunity to proclaim God’s word to his generation. The same can be true for you and me as well. All those ordinary events — things that happen every day — can become means of radiating the light of the gospel to the darkness in our community.

Jesus came into a world of darkness and he radiated God’s light there. Of course, because he is God’s unique Son, many of the things he did were extraordinary. But not everything he did was a miracle. He came “eating and drinking” (Matthew 11:19). He found ways of radiating God’s light in the thousands of ordinary events that made up his day. We can follow that example.

A meal is one of those ordinary events. Ezekiel’s ordinary meals became means of prophesying. Every time he stopped to eat and drink, he was ministering the word.

LORD, our lives are filled with ordinary events that we have not been using to radiate your light. Teach us how to turn these ordinary events into means of communicating your message to those who see and hear us.

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doing something weird

Posted on August 10, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

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doing something weird

Ezekiel 12:7-16 (JDV)

Ezekiel 12:7 So I did just as I was commanded. In the daytime, I brought out my bags like an exile’s bags. In the evening I dug through the wall by hand; I took them out in the dark, carrying them on my shoulder in their sight.
Ezekiel 12:8 In the morning the word of Yahveh happened to me:
Ezekiel 12:9 “Son of Adam, hasn’t the house of Israel, that rebellious house, asked you, ‘What are you doing? ‘
Ezekiel 12:10 Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord Yahveh says: This pronouncement concerns the prince in Jerusalem and the whole house of Israel living there.’
Ezekiel 12:11 You are to say, ‘I am a sign for you. Just as I have done, it will be done to them; they will go into exile, into captivity.’
Ezekiel 12:12 The prince who is among them will lift his bags to his shoulder in the dark and go out. They will dig through the wall to bring him out through it. He will cover his face so he cannot see the land with his eyes.
Ezekiel 12:13 But I will spread my net over him, and he will be caught in my trap. I will bring him to Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans, yet he will not see it, and he will die there.
Ezekiel 12:14 I will also scatter all the partners who surround him and all his troops to every direction of the wind, and I will draw a sword to chase after them.
Ezekiel 12:15 They will know that I am Yahveh when I disperse them among the nations and scatter them among the countries.
Ezekiel 12:16 But I will spare a few of them from the sword, famine, and epidemic so that among the nations where they go they can tell about all their repulsive practices. Then they will know that I am Yahveh.”

doing something weird

After going through the motions of packing his bags regularly and pretending to go into exile, naturally, the people around him started asking him what Ezekiel was doing. The LORD instructed him to explain his actions. He was predicting that the king would go into exile and that the nation would be laid waste by war, famine, and epidemic.

If Ezekiel had not done something out of the ordinary, he would not have gotten the people’s attention.

If you and I stay on the ordinary track, we might not get the chance to tell our people what they need to hear. We should not be afraid to do something weird once in a while, just to get people asking.

LORD, show us how to get our generation’s attention, so we can share your gospel.

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luggage

Posted on August 9, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

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luggage

Ezekiel 12:1-6 (JDV)

Ezekiel 12:1 The word of Yahveh happened to me:
Ezekiel 12:2 “Son of Adam, you are living in the middle of a rebellious household. They have eyes to see but do not see, and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious household.
Ezekiel 12:3 “Now you, son of Adam, get your bags ready for exile and go into exile in their sight during the day. You will go into exile from your place to another place while they watch; perhaps they will understand, though they are a rebellious house.
Ezekiel 12:4 During the day, bring out your bags like an exile’s bags while they look on. Then in the evening go out in their sight like those going into exile.
Ezekiel 12:5 As they watch, dig through the wall and take the bags out through it.
Ezekiel 12:6 And while they look on, lift the bags to your shoulder and take them out in the dark; cover your face so that you cannot see the land because I have given you as a sign to the house of Israel.”

luggage

Ezekiel was told to pack his luggage daily and nightly. He was to pretend to go into exile while the people looked on. God was trying to get their attention. He was telling the people that the way they were going, exile was the next step.

I have lived in lots of different places, but everywhere I go I find locals who have never moved from the house they were born in. Ezekiel probably knew lots of people like that — people that cannot imagine living someplace else. Nothing is guaranteed.

LORD, give us hearts that long to stay in your will, so we don’t have to experience the uncertainty of exile.

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in our dreams

Posted on August 8, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

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in our dreams

Ezekiel 11:22-25 (JDV)

Ezekiel 11:22 Then the cherubs, with the wheels beside them, lifted their wings, and the impressive appearance of the God of Israel was above them.
Ezekiel 11:23 The impressive appearance of Yahveh rose up from within the city and stopped on the mountain east of the city.
Ezekiel 11:24 The Breath lifted me up and brought me to Chaldea and to the exiles in a vision from the Breath of God. After the vision I had seen left me,
Ezekiel 11:25 I spoke to the exiles about all the things Yahveh had shown me.

in our dreams

This passage reminds me of some of my best sermons — which I preached in my sleep! I felt so good during those dreams where I shared the word to a ready audience and connected so well. I felt so strange waking up and realizing that it was a dream.

Ezekiel had the opportunity to preach to the exiles in Chaldea. It was in the middle of a vision. Those exiles didn’t hear what he said. But it must have felt wonderful for Ezekiel.

Thank you LORD, for giving us a chance to encourage others — even if it is sometimes in our dreams.

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the have nots

Posted on August 7, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

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the have nots

Ezekiel 11:14-21 (JDV)

Ezekiel 11:14 The word of Yahveh happened to me again:
Ezekiel 11:15 “Son of Adam, your own relatives, those who have the right to redeem your property, along with the entire house of Israel – all of them – are those to whom the residents of Jerusalem have said, ‘You are far from Yahveh; this land has been given to us as a possession.’
Ezekiel 11:16 “Therefore say, ‘This is what the Lord Yahveh says: Though I sent them far away among the nations and scattered them among the countries, yet for a little while I have been a sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone.’
Ezekiel 11:17 “Therefore say, ‘This is what the Lord Yahveh says: I will gather you from the peoples and assemble you from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.’
Ezekiel 11:18 “When they arrive there, they will remove all its repulsive acts and repulsive practices from it.
Ezekiel 11:19 I will give them integrity of heart and put a new breath within them; I will remove their heart of stone from their bodies and give them a heart of flesh,
Ezekiel 11:20 so that they will follow my prescriptions, keep my rules, and practice them. They will be my people, and I will be their God.
Ezekiel 11:21 But as for those whose hearts pursue their desire for repulsive acts and repulsive practices, I will bring their conduct down on their own heads.” This is the declaration of the Lord Yahveh.

the have nots

Those already sent into exile were the have nots. The ones fortunate enough to avoid that fate were the haves. But God was about to change things. The fortunate ones will be punished for their idolatry. Some of the refugees will return and once again be God’s people in God’s land.

Maybe we are haves today, or maybe have nots. The sure thing is that God is watching. He does not blame us for our unfortunate status. But he will hold us accountable for what we do with our blessings.

LORD, make us consistently committed to being faithful to you.

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this has to be it

Posted on August 6, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

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Ezekiel 11:13 (JDV)

Ezekiel 11:13 Now while I was prophesying, Pelatiah son of Benaiah died. Then I fell face-down and cried out loudly, “Oh, Lord Yahveh! You are bringing the remnant of Israel to an end!”

this has to be it

Ezekiel was convinced after witnessing Benaiah’s death in a vision that the end had come. That is so typical of us. When bad things start to happen around us, we jump to the eschatology sections of our Bible study notebooks.

We know now that although God was purging Jerusalem of evil he was not bringing his remnant to an end. We have the advantage of hindsight.

LORD, give us the wisdom to stay with you until the end — without assuming that we are already there.

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not safe in the stew

Posted on August 5, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

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not safe in the stew

Ezekiel 11:5-12 (JDV)

Ezekiel 11:5 Then the Breath of Yahveh came on me, and he told me, “You are to say, ‘This is what Yahveh says: That is what you are thinking, house of Israel; and I know the thoughts that come into your mind.
Ezekiel 11:6 You have multiplied your murdered ones in this city, filling its streets with them.
Ezekiel 11:7 ” ‘Therefore, this is what the Lord Yahveh says: The murdered ones you have put within it are the meat, and the city is the pot, but I will take you out of it.
Ezekiel 11:8 You fear the sword, so I will bring the sword against you. This is the declaration of the Lord Yahveh.
Ezekiel 11:9 I will take you out of the city and hand you over to foreigners; I will execute judgments against you.
Ezekiel 11:10 You will fall by the sword, and I will judge you at the border of Israel. Then you will know that I am Yahveh.
Ezekiel 11:11 The city will not be a pot for you, and you will not be the meat within it. I will judge you at the border of Israel,
Ezekiel 11:12 so you will know that I am Yahveh, whose prescriptions you have not followed and whose rules you have not practiced. Instead, you have acted according to the rules of the nations around you.'”

not safe in the stew

Someone had started a meme implying that Jerusalem was always going to be a safe place. The city was the pot, and its people were the meat — safe in the stew. But God told Ezekiel to go against that meme. There would be no safety for a people who had rejected God.

It is an unfortunate thing that as a representative of God I must now stand with Ezekiel and break today’s memes. All around us the wicked are making plans and devising schemes to protect themselves. But there is no protection for a planet that has rejected its God. We are not safe in the stew.

LORD, prepare us to be ministers of your gospel in the coming crisis.

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guilty advice

Posted on August 4, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

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guilty advice

Ezekiel 11:1-4 (JDV)

Ezekiel 11:1 The Breath then lifted me up and brought me to the eastern gate of Yahveh’s house, which faces east, and I noticed at the gate’s entrance twenty-five men. Among them, I saw Jaazaniah son of Azzur, and Pelatiah son of Benaiah, leaders of the people.
Ezekiel 11:2 Yahveh said to me, “Son of Adam, these are the men who plot evil and give guilty advice in this city.
Ezekiel 11:3 They are saying, ‘Isn’t the time near to build houses? The city is the pot, and we are the meat.’
Ezekiel 11:4 Therefore, prophesy against them. Prophesy, son of Adam!”

guilty advice

What was guilty about the advice these leaders were giving? Didn’t Jeremiah advise the people in exile to settle down and build?

Well, let’s look a little closer at this advice. It was not given to refugees in exile, but to citizens of a city that God had just promised to destroy. The city is the pot, and the people are the meat. But that does not mean protection for the meat. It means they are going to be cooked.

When leaders are telling us to ignore God and his word — that everything is going to be alright — we need to ignore their advice. The advice comes from guilty hearts. The leaders want us to follow them off the cliff. When God is calling for our repentance, the worst thing we can do is encourage acceptance of the status quo.

LORD, give us the courage to reject the guilty advice we are being given.

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