The Lord said Israel’s king broke God’s covenant. Ezekiel faithfully recorded God’s Words regarding judgment and a new relationship with the Lord. God added a piece to the overall theme in Ezekiel’s message: I the Lord have spoken. Israel needed to pay attention to God’s Word as well as His…
We find quite a study in literature forms in Ezekiel. Visions, narrative, drama, proverbs, and here in chapter 17, allegory and parable. God is a God of story, and He delights in “happy endings” for His beloved; this chapter includes more treasure from God’s Word. The word of the Lord…
What a cheery way to start the new year—we’ve slogged through Israel’s sin, spiritual adultery, and depravity through Ezekiel’s descriptions. God compared unfaithful Jerusalem to her pagan neighbors, declaring the city more depraved than surrounding nations. The Lord even destroyed Sodom for its inhabitants’ sins. Through Ezekiel’s message, God continued…
We continue reading the dark and gloomy picture of Israel’s spiritual adultery in Ezekiel chapter 16. It’s as if Ezekiel doesn’t have enough words to describe their total depravity. “‘Therefore, you prostitute, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because you poured out your…
Picking up where we left off in Ezekiel, we learned back in November that God continued to pursue Israel, even in the midst of judging them for their detestable pagan practices. God offered new birth through covenant relationship with them. In the next part of this chapter, Ezekiel painted quite…
We don’t really have snow–yet. And I could count on less than ten fingers the number of sunrises I’ve seen this year (although there have been a few). Photos like this remind us God is faithful through it all. Ezekiel’s writing invites us to read slowly, study, pause, savor, and…
In this world of imperfect people, perhaps you need a fresh outpouring of love this day. A little afterglow to Christmas. This weekly Thursday blog post falls today, the day after Christmas. God’s Christmas gift to all of us is the fourth advent candle: love. Because we have the first…
Without looking back at last year’s writing, my recollection is we discovered one candle leads to the next so by the time we’ve lit them all, our faith shines brightly for all to see. The hope we have in Jesus provides us with peace greater than any the world might…
The week before Thanksgiving, the women’s Bible study I attend studied Titus chapter 2, which includes words to help us reflect on the first Advent candle, hope. The hope of Christmas spans past, present, and future. For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It…
My Bible contains section headings. I turned to Ezekiel chapter 16 and read, “An allegory of unfaithful Jerusalem.” This sounds like another dramatic scene—which role(s) might the Lord ask Ezekiel to play? The YouVersion online Bible I quote for these posts titles this section, “Jerusalem as an Adulterous Wife.” I…