it is coming, and he will do it

Posted on October 14, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

20221014

Photo by Tara Winstead on Pexels.com

it is coming, and he will do it

Ezekiel 24:6-14 (JDV)

Ezekiel 24:6 ” ‘Therefore, this is what the Lord Yahveh says: Tragedy to the city of bloodshed, the pot that has rust inside it, and its rust has not come out of it! Empty it piece by piece; lots should not be cast for its contents.
Ezekiel 24:7 For the blood she shed is still within her. She put it out on the bare rock; she didn’t pour it on the ground to cover it with dust.
Ezekiel 24:8 In order to stir up wrath and take vengeance, I have put her blood on the bare rock, so that it would not be covered.
Ezekiel 24:9 ” ‘Therefore, this is what the Lord Yahveh says: Tragedy to the city of bloodshed! I myself will make the pile of kindling large.
Ezekiel 24:10 Pile on the logs and kindle the fire! Cook the meat well and mix in the spices! Let the bones be burned!
Ezekiel 24:11 Set the empty pot on its coals so that it becomes hot and its copper glows. Then its impurity will melt inside it; its rust will be consumed.
Ezekiel 24:12 It has frustrated every effort; its thick rust will not come off. Into the fire with its rust!
Ezekiel 24:13 Because of the infamy of your uncleanness – since I tried to purify you, but you would not be purified from your uncleanness– you will not be pure again until I have satisfied my wrath on you.
Ezekiel 24:14 I, Yahveh, have spoken. It is coming, and I will do it! I will not refrain, I will not look compassionately, and I will not relent. I will judge you according to your ways and deeds. This is the declaration of the Lord Yahveh.'”

it is coming, and he will do it

Kelly* describes the first major part of Ezekiel this way:

“The structure of the book is evident. The first half consists of prophecies in strict chronological order before the final destruction of Jerusalem, when Zedekiah brought on himself the just punishment of his rebellion and perjury. ( Chaps. i -xxiv.) .”

We are nearing the end of this first part. It makes sense that we would hear from the LORD here his assurance that “It is coming, and I will do it!” (14). History records that he did just that.

For a very long time now, we have been proclaiming the literal, visible glorious return of our Savior to judge and renew this planet. Just as there were many who were convinced that Ezekiel’s prediction of the destruction of Jerusalem would not happen, so many today are convinced that Christ’s second coming is folklore. It is not. It is coming, and he will do it.

LORD, give us the wisdom to prepare for your coming in the clouds.

________

  • *Kelly, William. Notes on Ezekiel. (London: G. Morrish, 1876), p.5.
Posted in preparation, second coming | Tagged | Leave a comment

today’s direction

Posted on October 13, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

20221013

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

today’s direction

Ezekiel 24:1-5 (JDV)

Ezekiel 24:1 The word of Yahveh happened to me in the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month. This is what it said:
Ezekiel 24:2 “Son of Adam, write down today’s date, this very day. The king of Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem this very day.
Ezekiel 24:3 Now speak a parable to the rebellious house. Tell them, ‘This is what the Lord Yahveh says: Put the pot on the fire – put it on, and then pour water into it!
Ezekiel 24:4 Place the pieces of meat in it, every good piece – thigh and shoulder. Fill it with the best bones.
Ezekiel 24:5 Take the best of the flock and also pile up the fuel under it. Bring it to a boil and cook the bones in it.

today’s direction

The unacceptable had happened. When the city was under attack, God was not there to rescue them, because he was the force behind the attack.

Each day we are walking toward a day like that, or away from it. Each day matters. What will we do today that turns us in the right direction?

LORD, help us to turn from sin and toward you. May our lives be consistently faithful to you.

Posted in obedience, renewal | Tagged | Leave a comment

condemnation or compassion?

Posted on October 12, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

20221012

Photo by Jonathan Borba on Pexels.com

condemnation or compassion?

Ezekiel 23:43-49 (JDV)

Ezekiel 23:43 Then I said concerning this woman worn out by adultery: Will they now have illicit sex with her, even her?
Ezekiel 23:44 Yet they had sex with her as one does with a prostitute. This is how they had sex with Oholah and Oholibah, those depraved women.
Ezekiel 23:45 But righteous men will judge them the way adulteresses and those who shed blood are judged because they are adulteresses and blood is on their hands.
Ezekiel 23:46 “This is what the Lord Yahveh says: Summon a mob against them and consign them to terror and plunder.
Ezekiel 23:47 The mob will stone them and cut them down with their swords. They will kill their sons and daughters and burn their houses.
Ezekiel 23:48 So I will put an end to infamy in the land, and all the women will be admonished not to imitate your depraved behavior.
Ezekiel 23:49 They will punish you for your infamy, and you will bear the consequences for your failures of idolatry. Then you will know that I am the Lord Yahveh.”

condemnation or compassion?

How does one reconcile this passage with that describing our Lord’s compassionate treatment of the adulterous woman in John 8?

Jesus chose not to condemn the woman but warned her to “Go, and from now on do not sin anymore” (John 8:11).

But Ezekiel was not talking about a woman caught in adultery. He was talking about two nations steeped in idolatry. The condemnation he predicted was just and was fulfilled in history.

Further, both incidents — Ezekiel’s condemnation and Jesus’ forgiveness — result in the same thing: “Then you will know that I am the Lord Yahveh.”

We cannot always predict how our LORD is going to react, but we can be assured that his action will be just, and we will recognize his touch.

Posted in compassion, forgiveness, judgment, will of God | Tagged | Leave a comment

inside his house

Posted on October 11, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

20221011

Photo by Michael Morse on Pexels.com

inside his house

Ezekiel 23:36-42 (JDV)

Ezekiel 23:36 Then Yahveh said to me: “Son of Adam, will you pass judgment against Oholah and Oholibah? Then declare their repulsive practices to them.
Ezekiel 23:37 For they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands; they have committed adultery with their idols. And the children they bore to me they have sacrificed in the fire as food for the idols.
Ezekiel 23:38 They also did this to me: they defiled my sanctuary on that same day and polluted my Sabbaths.
Ezekiel 23:39 On the same day they slaughtered their children for their idols, they entered my sanctuary to profane it. Notice, that is what they did inside my house.
Ezekiel 23:40 “In addition, they sent for men who came from far away when a messenger was dispatched to them. And notice how they came! You bathed, painted your eyes, and adorned yourself with jewelry for them.
Ezekiel 23:41 You sat on a luxurious couch with a table spread before it, on which you had set my incense and oil.
Ezekiel 23:42 The sound of a carefree crowd was there. Hard drinkers from the desert were brought in, along with numerous men. They put bracelets on the women’s hands and beautiful tiaras on their heads.

inside his house

I am haunted by those words “what they did inside my house” in verse 39. The Lord knew how sinful Samaria and Jerusalem had been, both in courting the favor of foreign lands and their idols and in defiling the temple by trying to conduct business as usual in it.

Our generation needs to hear the hurt in the Lord’s words here. We are just as guilty in both places. We have sought after foreign gods, and tried to hide it by keeping up with traditions that we don’t understand in the church.

LORD, turn us away from the gods of this age, and back to you in truth.

Posted in hypocrisy, idolatry | Tagged | Leave a comment

the consequences of your indecency

Posted on October 10, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

20221010

Photo by Rachel Claire on Pexels.com

the consequences of your indecency

Ezekiel 23:28-35 (JDV)

Ezekiel 23:28 “For this is what the Lord Yahveh says: notice I am going to hand you over to those you hate, to those you turned away from in disgust.
Ezekiel 23:29 They will treat you with hatred, take all you have worked for and leave you stark naked, so that the nakedness of your prostitution will be exposed, both your infamy and obscenity.
Ezekiel 23:30 These things will be done to you because you committed fornication with the nations, defiling yourself with their idols.
Ezekiel 23:31 You have followed the path of your sister, so I will put her cup in your hand.”
Ezekiel 23:32 This is what the Lord Yahveh says: “You will drink your sister’s cup, which is deep and wide. You will be an object of ridicule and scorn, for it holds so much.
Ezekiel 23:33 You will be filled with drunkenness and grief, with a cup of devastation and desolation, the cup of your sister Samaria.
Ezekiel 23:34 You will drink it and drain it; then you will gnaw its broken pieces, and tear your breasts. For I have spoken.” This is the declaration of the Lord Yahveh.
Ezekiel 23:35 Therefore, this is what the Lord Yahveh says: “Because you have forgotten me and cast me behind your back, you must bear the consequences of your indecency and obscenity.”

the consequences of your indecency

Coffman comments on this text “Since the worship of those evil pagan gods was depraved and licentious almost beyond imagination, the representation of God’s Chosen People here under the figure of two sisters, insatiable in their lewdness, must be accepted as authentic and appropriate.”

We need passages like this in the Bible to remind us that sin is not a light thing. Our God is passionate about judging sin, even among people who claim him as their God.

LORD, purge us of our unfaithful ways.

Posted in judgment, sin | Tagged | Leave a comment

his jealous rage

Posted on October 9, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

20221009

Photo by Little Visuals on Pexels.com

his jealous rage

Ezekiel 23:22-27 (JDV)

Ezekiel 23:22 “Therefore, Oholibah, this is what the Lord Yahveh says: notice I am going to incite your lovers against you, those you turned away from in disgust. I will bring them against you from every side:
Ezekiel 23:23 the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans; Pekod, Shoa, and Koa; and all the Assyrians with them – desirable young men, all of them rulers and governors, officers and administrators, all of them riding on steeds.
Ezekiel 23:24 They will come against you with a mob of peoples and with weapons, chariots, and wagons. They will set themselves against you on every side with large and small shields and helmets. I will delegate judgment to them, and they will judge you by their own standards.
Ezekiel 23:25 When I vent my jealous rage on you, they will deal with you in wrath. They will cut off your nose and ears, and the rest of you will fall by the sword. They will seize your sons and daughters, and the rest of you will be consumed by fire.
Ezekiel 23:26 They will strip off your clothes and take your beautiful jewelry.
Ezekiel 23:27 So I will put an end to your infamy and prostitution, which began in the land of Egypt, and you will not look longingly at them or remember Egypt anymore.

his jealous rage

What happened to Jerusalem was the result of the rage of a jealous God. The LORD took the very same nations who had lured Jerusalem into idolatry and turned those nations against the city. The resulting destruction by sword and fire was cataclysmic.

This is not a description of hell, but it does describe the motivation behind hell. Our God views our lives of sin as infamy and prostitution, and he will put an end to it. Repentance and faith is our only way out of this fate.

LORD, forgive us our idolatry. Restore us to your favor in Christ.

Posted in idolatry | Tagged | Leave a comment

other sister

Posted on October 8, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

20221008

Photo by Labskiii on Pexels.com

other sister

Ezekiel 23:11-21 (JDV)

Ezekiel 23:11 “Now her sister Oholibah saw this, but she was even more depraved in her lust than Oholah, and made her promiscuous acts worse than those of her sister.
Ezekiel 23:12 She lusted after the Assyrians: rulers and governors, warriors splendidly dressed, horsemen riding on steeds, all of them desirable young men.
Ezekiel 23:13 And I saw that she had defiled herself; both of them had taken the same path.
Ezekiel 23:14 But she increased her obscenity when she saw male figures carved on the wall, images of the Chaldeans, engraved in bright red,
Ezekiel 23:15 wearing belts on their waists and flowing turbans on their heads; all of them looked like officers, a depiction of the Babylonians in Chaldea, their native land.
Ezekiel 23:16 At the sight of them she lusted after them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea.
Ezekiel 23:17 Then the Babylonians came to her, to the bed of love, and defiled her with their lust. But after she was defiled by them, she turned away from them in disgust.
Ezekiel 23:18 When she flaunted her obscenity and exposed her nakedness, I turned away from her in disgust just as I turned away from her sister.
Ezekiel 23:19 Yet she multiplied her acts of obscenity, remembering the days of her youth when she committed fornication in the land of Egypt
Ezekiel 23:20 and lusted after their lovers, whose sexual members were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of stallions.
Ezekiel 23:21 So you revisited the infamy of your youth when the Egyptians caressed your nipples to enjoy your youthful breasts.

other sister

This is another one of those PG passages in Scripture. It describes the judgment upon Jerusalem and the reason for it. Jerusalem lusted after the young studs of Babylon like her sister Samaria had lusted after the young studs of Assyria. She had allowed herself to be used until that was all she was. Like Samaria, it was now Jerusalem’s time to bear the penalty for her sinful idolatry.

LORD, may our desire be for you and your word. Purge from us the lust for other things.

Posted in idolatry | Tagged | Leave a comment

Samaria’s shame

Posted on October 7, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

20221007

Photo by Labskiii on Pexels.com

Samaria’s shame

Ezekiel 23:1-10 (JDV)

Ezekiel 23:1 The word of Yahveh happened to me again. This is what it said:
Ezekiel 23:2 “Son of Adam, there were two women, daughters of the same mother,
Ezekiel 23:3 who acted like prostitutes in Egypt, behaving promiscuously in their youth. Their breasts were fondled there, and their virgin nipples caressed.
Ezekiel 23:4 The older one was named Oholah, and her sister was Oholibah. They became mine and gave birth to sons and daughters. As for their names, Oholah represents Samaria and Oholibah represents Jerusalem.
Ezekiel 23:5 “Oholah committed fornication even though she was mine. She lusted after her lovers, the Assyrians: warriors
Ezekiel 23:6 dressed in blue, rulers and governors, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding on steeds.
Ezekiel 23:7 She offered her sexual favors to them; all of them were the best of Assyria. She defiled herself with all those she lusted after and with all their idols.
Ezekiel 23:8 She didn’t give up her obscenity that began in Egypt, when men slept with her in her youth, caressed her virgin nipples, and poured out their lust on her.
Ezekiel 23:9 Therefore, I handed her over to her lovers, the Assyrians she lusted for.
Ezekiel 23:10 They exposed her nakedness, seized her sons and daughters, and killed her with the sword. Since they enacted judgment against her, she became notorious among women.

Samaria’s shame

This is another one of those PG passages in Scripture. Samaria had lusted after the young studs of Assyria. She had allowed herself to be used until that was all she was.

LORD, may our desire be for you and your word. Purge from us the lust for other things.

Posted in shame | Tagged | Leave a comment

repairman search

Posted on October 6, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

20221006

Photo by Ksenia Chernaya on Pexels.com

repairman search

Ezekiel 22:23-31 (JDV)

Ezekiel 22:23 The word of Yahveh happened to me. This is what it said:
Ezekiel 22:24 “Son of Adam, say to her, ‘You are a land that has not been cleansed, that has not received rain in the day of curse.’
Ezekiel 22:25 The conspiracy of her prophets within her is like a roaring lion tearing its prey: they devour throats, seize wealth and valuables, and multiply the widows within her.
Ezekiel 22:26 Her priests do violence to my instruction and profane my devoted things. They make no distinction between the devoted and the common, and they do not explain the difference between the clean and the unclean. They close their eyes to my Sabbaths, and I am polluted among them.
Ezekiel 22:27 “Her officials within her are like wolves tearing their prey, shedding blood, and destroying throats in order to make profit dishonestly.
Ezekiel 22:28 Her prophets plaster for them with whitewash by seeing false visions and lying lots, saying, ‘This is what the Lord Yahveh says,’ when Yahveh has not spoken.
Ezekiel 22:29 The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery. They have oppressed the poor and needy and unlawfully exploited the resident alien.
Ezekiel 22:30 I searched for a man among them who would repair the wall and stand in the gap before me on behalf of the land so that I might not destroy it, but I found no one.
Ezekiel 22:31 So I have poured out my curse on them and consumed them with the fire of my fury. I have brought their conduct down on their own heads.” This is the declaration of the Lord Yahveh.

repairman search

Our church has a very old parsonage, so things break down every once in a while. I don’t have to worry about finding a repair technician because we have members who have the expertise and are willing to help with repairs. They come to mind as I think about what the LORD was saying through Ezekiel in today’s text.

He was looking for someone who could make the necessary repairs. He first looked among the prophets. Surely those who spoke for God could find a way to protect the people from the coming wrath. But no prophet was found who could fix the hole.

Next, he looked among the priests. He couldn’t even find a priest who had not neglected the basics of religion.

Next, he searched among the officials. No ruler could be found who had the necessary skill to repair the damage in the wall.

Finally, he searched among the commoners — the hoi polloi. Still no repairman.

What a sad state we are in when things are broken and there is no one who can address the problem.

LORD, make us the kind of men and women who can stand in the gap, repair what needs to be fixed in the spiritual lives of people in our community.

Posted in leadership, responsibility | Tagged | Leave a comment

merely dross to me

Posted on October 5, 2022 by Jefferson Vann

20221005

Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com

merely dross to me

Ezekiel 22:17-22 (JDV)

Ezekiel 22:17 The word of Yahveh happened to me. This is what it said:
Ezekiel 22:18 “Son of Adam, the house of Israel has become merely dross to me. All of them are copper, tin, iron, and lead inside the furnace; they are just dross from silver.
Ezekiel 22:19 Therefore, this is what the Lord Yahveh says: Because all of you have become dross, notice I am about to gather you into Jerusalem.
Ezekiel 22:20 Just as one gathers silver, copper, iron, lead, and tin into the furnace to blow fire on them and melt them, so I will gather you in my anger and wrath, put you inside, and melt you.
Ezekiel 22:21 Yes, I will gather you together and blow on you with the fire of my fury, and you will be melted within the city.
Ezekiel 22:22 As silver is melted inside a furnace, so you will be melted inside the city. Then you will know that I, Yahveh, have poured out my wrath on you.”

merely dross to me

A coming siege is described by picturing Jerusalem as a melting pot, and all the people will be gathered inside it. Pressure will be applied, and heat. God’s wrath will come, and only the pure metals will survive. Unfortunately, there are no pure metals. The house of Israel had become merely dross to him. May this never happen among us. May each of us reflect the gold of our Savior’s love, and come out of the present suffering intact.

LORD, give us lives worthy of your grace.

Posted in wrath of God | Tagged | Leave a comment