Ezekiel 12
People don’t want to see or hear truth verse 1- 2
The word of the LORD also came to me
saying
Son of man – you dwell in the midst of a rebellious house
which have eyes to see – and see not
they have ears to hear – and hear not
for they are a rebellious house
Sign to the people: Ezekiel is to remove possessions verse 3- 4
THEREFORE you son of man – prepare you stuff for removing
and remove by day in their sight
And you shall remove from your place to another place in their sight
it may be they will consider
though they be a rebellious house
THEN shall you bring forth your stuff by day in their sight
as stuff for removing
and you shall go forth at even in their sight
as they that go forth into captivity
Sign to the people: Ezekiel to dig a hole in wall verse 5- 6
DIG you through the wall in their sight
and carry out thereby
In their sight shall you bear it upon your shoulders
and carry it forth in the twilight
you shall cover your face
that you see not the ground
FOR I have set you for a sign to the house of Israel
Ezekiel obeys command of the LORD verse 7
AND I did so as I was commanded
I brought forth my stuff by day
as stuff for captivity
and in the even I digged
through the wall with mine hand
I brought it forth in the twilight
and I bare it upon my shoulder in their sight
Sign a warning to Jerusalem of coming captivity verse 8- 11
And in the morning came the word of the LORD to me
Saying
Son of man – has not the house of Israel
the rebellious house – said to you
What are you doing?
Say you to them
Thus says the Lord GOD
This burden concerns the prince in Jerusalem
and all the house of Israel that are among them
Say – I am your sign – like as I have done
so shall it be done to them
they shall remove and go into captivity
King Zedekiah to flee Jerusalem verse 12- 14
And the prince that is among them shall bear on his shoulder
in the twilight and shall go forth
they shall dig through the wall to carry out thereby
he shall cover his face
that he see not the ground with his eyes
MY net also will I spread upon him – and he shall be taken in MY snare
and I will bring him to Babylon to the land of the Chaldeans
YET shall he not see it – though he shall die there
and I will scatter toward every wind
all that are about him to help him
and all his bands
and I will draw out the sword after them
Reason for the sign verse 15- 16
And they SHALL KNOW THAT I AM THE LORD
when I shall scatter them among the nations
and disperse them in the countries
BUT I will leave a few men of them from the
sword – famine – pestilence
that they may declare all their abominations
among the heathen whither they come
And they SHALL KNOW THAT I AM THE LORD
Another object lesson to people: Eating and drinking verse 17- 20
Moreover the word of the LORD came to me
Saying
Son of man – eat the bread with quaking
and drink the water with trembling and with carefulness
AND say unto the people of the land
Thus says the Lord GOD of the inhabitants of Jerusalem
and of the land of Israel
they shall eat their bread with carefulness
and drink their water with astonishment
that her land may be desolate from
all that is therein
BECAUSE of the violence of all them that dwell therein
AND the cities that are inhabited shall be laid waste
and the land shall be desolate
AND you SHALL KNOW THAT I AM THE LORD
LORD states it is time for prophecy to come true verse 21- 25
And the word of the LORD came to me
saying
Son of man
what is that proverb that ye have in the land of Israel
saying
The days are prolonged and every vision fails?
Tell them therefore – Thus says the Lord GOD
I will make this proverb to cease
and they shall no more use it as a proverb in Israel
BUT say unto them
The days are at hand and the effect of every vision
For there shall be no more any vain vision nor flattering divination
within the house of Israel
For I AM THE LORD – I will speak
and the word that I shall speak shall come to pass
It shall be no more prolonged – for in your days – O rebellious house
will I say the word – and will perform it
says the Lord GOD
People still think judgment will be delayed verse 26- 28
Again the word of the LORD came to me – saying
Son of man – BEHOLD – they of the house of Israel say
The vision that he see is for many days to come
and he prophesies of the times that are far off
THEREFORE say unto them – Thus says the Lord GOD
There shall none of MY words be prolonged any more
BUT the word which I have spoken shall be done
says the Lord GOD
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 2 Son of man, you dwell in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, but here not: for they are a rebellious house. ( 4805 “rebellious” [mariy] means bitterness, obstinacy, obstinate, contentiousness, defiance, resistance to one in authority, animosity, loathing of another or state of disobedience.)
DEVOTION: Ezekiel ministered in a very hard time period in the history of Israel. He was sent of God to speak to the people of Jerusalem about the coming invasion of Judah because of the disobedience of the people to worship the LORD alone.
They thought he was wrong. They didn’t believe him. They were obstinate to the point that they would not see what was really going on or hearing what the prophet had to say to them from the LORD.
We live in a time period where this is true too. There are many people who don’t believe the Bible and don’t even want to hear anything it has to say or what those who follow Christ have to say. They think that everything is great.
The children of Israel were wrong and most of the people in our world are wrong. Things are not getting better and better. Almost ninety percent of the people don’t what anything to do with the LORD in our world.
The state we are in today is the same state of disobedience that the children of Israel were in Ezekiel’s day.
Can we do anything about it? YES!! We can still give a message from the LORD that is found in the Bible. We can still warn people of what is coming. We can live as if we believed the Bible is true. Ezekiel did in his generation and we need to do the same in our generation even it they can’t see it or want to hear it.
Our country needs consistent believers who will not give in to the spirit of this age. We have to believe what the LORD wants us to teach and spread the word even if no one will listen.
CHALLENGE: It wasn’t easy for Ezekiel to speak to those around him but he did with courage. We need the same courage today!!!
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 11 Say, I am your sign: like as I have done, so shall it be done unto them: they shall remove and go into captivity. (4159 “sign” [mowpheth] means miracle, symbol, wonder, portent, or token of future event.)
DEVOTION: Ezekiel has been seeing visions about what was going to happen to the children of Israel. He saw the glory of the LORD leave the city in the last couple of chapters. He knew that the reason for the glory of the LORD leaving, it was because of the sin of the people. Here we find the LORD introducing a new message with the fact that the children of Israel are rebellious.
Ezekiel was made a symbol of what was going to happen in the near future. He was to pack some belongings and move it from one place to another to symbolize people taken away in captivity. He was even to dig a hole to crawl through to escape the captivity. The king and some of the princes tried to escape but were caught by the Babylonians.
The LORD said HE was going to leave some behind to tell their captors that they had disobeyed God and were paying the consequences.
Through all this the LORD wanted them to know that HE was Sovereign. HE had not forgotten them.
They thought they had a lot of time but the LORD said it was near. No more time!!! Judgment was NOW!!!
The warnings have been given to us that the LORD is going to return. We don’t know the day or the hour. However, we can see how what we thought could not happen is happening in our lifetime.
Sin is not sin anymore. Living right is not praised anymore. Marriage is not important anymore. Children are not disciplined anymore. Government wants to control what we hold dear. Government wants us to forget our personal convictions when we go to work or school. Government wants us to not say anything about sin according to the Word of God.
Many churches and leaders are NOT rendering unto God the things that are God’s. Christianity is made up of an exclusive family. Only those who follow the LORD Jesus Christ as the second person of the Triune God are members. Only those who are seeking daily fellowship with the LORD are listening to the Word of God. Only those who will NOT bow down to the world may enter heaven.
CHALLENGE: Being a proper follower of the LORD takes work. We have to walk against the grain. Learn to walk uphill!!!
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 19 And say to the people of the land, Thus says the Lord GOD of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and of the land of Israel; They shall eat their breed with carefulness, and drink their water with astonishment, that her land may be desolate from all that is therein, because of the violence of all them that dwell therein. (1674 “carefulness” [da’agah] means heaviness, anxiety, care, a vague unpleasant emotion akin to worry that is experienced in anticipation of some misfortune, dread, or worry)
DEVOTION: The children of Israel were going to see the enemy coming and know that there was nothing they could do on their own to win a battle against them but also know that because of their improper relationship with the LORD that HE would be no help to them.
It is hard to see an enemy army coming once you know that you have had help in the past because of a proper relationship with the LORD but now knowing that you have sinned against the LORD and deserved judgment and saw it coming.
Too often we know what we are supposed to do but think we can get away with just one more sin and think that the LORD would overlook it one more time but realize that HE was not going to do it again.
The LORD is longsuffering and doesn’t want one man or woman to perish in hell for eternity but HE has one requirement. The requirement is a proper relationship with HIM which includes confession of sin and turning from it.
Israel as a nation had received forgiveness many times but continued to practice the same sin over and over again. We tend to do the same in our life.
HE gives us a choice and we need to realize that there is a limit between parents and children that can be reached that will cause there to be consequences that get our attention.
For Israel the consequence was to go into captivity in a foreign land for a time period the LORD thinks is necessary to get their attention. It is also true today.
God allows us to sin and suffer the consequences, so that, we will turn from our sins and return to HIM. Confession with actions has to happen for us to learn our lessons and live a life that is pleasing to HIM.
CHALLENGE: Is the LORD at HIS limit with our sins? Is HE going to have to let us see consequences of our sins here before we see the consequences for eternity? HE gives each person a chance to ask for forgiveness and change their ways before it is too late.
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: 25 For I am the LORD: I will speak, and the word that I shall speak shall come to pass; it shall be no more prolonged: for in your days, O rebellious house, will I say the word, and will perform it, says the Lord GOD. (4900 “prolonged” [mashak] means draw out, be delayed, be extended, to be drawn out, or it will not be postponed.
DEVOTION: The LORD has given Ezekiel object lesson after object lesson to show the people that HE meant business. HE was going to send judgment. The people didn’t care. They loved to worship false gods and listen to false prophets. They liked a lifestyle that was displeasing to the LORD.
Now HE has given Ezekiel a couple of visions regarding the future of Jerusalem. He has gone to the leaders of the nation with these visions but they would not listen. He was already in captivity and showed the people with him what was going to happen to the rest of the children of Judah because of their disobedience to the LORD.
The LORD continually sent warnings to HIS people throughout their history. It didn’t prove successful most of the time. HE was long suffering because HE was not willing that any should perish but they made their choice and HE allowed them to receive the consequences of their sins.
HE also made a point of showing that the sins of one generation affect the next three generations. This was proven many times in the lives of the descendants of Abraham, Lot, David and the list goes on and on in the lives of the kings of Israel.
Today we need to realize that the Old Testament is written for our education as to how things happen in our world. Our children are affected by the sin we commit. Our grandchildren are affected by the sins we commit.
There is hope for each generation as they lean on the LORD HE can deliver them from the sins of their past generations. Also there is the promise that it only affects three generations or maybe four.
We can’t use the excuse of our up brings when we stand before the LORD. We each have to answer for our own sins. Yes, our parents can train us wrong but the LORD can retrain us if we allow HIM to. Allow the LORD to make you part of the remnant that will not go into captivity because of the sins of your parents.
Remember that the LORD does prolong judgment but it will still come in HIS time. HE controls the time of HIS judgment. We control our walk with the LORD.
CHALLENGE: Think the right thoughts regarding your relationship to the LORD. Be part of the remnant.
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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Word of the LORD verse 1, 8, 17, 21, 23, 26
Prophesy fulfilled verse 28
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 1, 8, 15- 17, 20, 25, 26
Lord – Adonai (Owner, Master) verse 10, 19, 23, 25, 28
GOD – Jehovah verse 10, 19, 23, 25, 28
Lord GOD verse 10, 19, 23, 25, 28
MY net will I spread on Israel verse 13
I will scatter toward every wind all that
Are about him to help him verse 14
I will draw out the sword after them verse 14
They shall know that I am the LORD verse 15
I shall scatter them among the nations verse 15
I shall disperse them in the countries verse 15
I will leave a few men of them
from the sword
from the famine
from the pestilence
they will declare all their abominations
among the heathen whither they
come verse 16
I am the LORD verse 16, 20, 25
LORD’S words come to pass verse 25
There shall none of MY words be prolonged
any more, but the word which I have
spoken shall be done verse 28
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Babylon verse 13
Land of the Chaldeans verse 13
Nations verse 15
Heathen verse 16
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Rebellious house verse 2, 3, 9, 25
Not seeing truth of God verse 2
Not hearing the truth of God verse 2
Abominations verse 16
Heathen verse 16
Violence verse 19
Vision fails verse 22
Vain vision verse 24
Flattering divination verse 24
Not believing prophesies verse 27
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Teach through object lessons verse 3- 6, 18- 20, 23
Obedience verse 7
Cause people to ask questions verse 9
Give message from the LORD verse 10
Believers life is a sign to others verse 11
Know the LORD verse 15, 16, 20
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Son of man = Ezekiel verse 2- 7, 9- 11, 18 – 20, 22- 28
Told to dig through the wall in sight
of people and carry out
Told to cover his face
Carried a pack on his shoulders
He did as he was told by the LORD
In the morning the word of the LORD
came to him
People asked him what he was doing
He was to tell people what the LORD
said to him
Told them – I am your sign, like as I
have done, so shall it be done
to them – they shall remove
and go into captivity
Told to eat his bread with quaking
and drink water with trembling
and with carefulness
Told to say to the people of the land
Thus says the Lord God of the
Inhabitants of Jerusalem
And of the land of Israel
They shall eat their bread with
carefulness and drink their
water with astonishment
Her land may be desolate from all that
is therein because of the violence
of all them that dwell therein
All cities shall be desolate
Days are prolonged and every vision
Fails
Thus says the Lord GOD
I will make this proverb that you
have in he land of Israel saying
The days are prolonged,
and every vision fails
They would know that I am the LORD
Captivity verse 4, 13
brought in Babylon the land of
Chaldeans
House of Israel verse 6, 9, 10, 12, 19, 22, 24, 27
Not see the ground with eyes
Jerusalem verse 10, 19
Prince of Jerusalem verse 10
They shall know that I am the LORD verse 16
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
Die in land of captivity verse 13
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QUOTES regarding passage
2, 3. It is attractive to suppose that the rebellious house, who have eyes to see, but see not, who have ears to hear, but hear not is an allusion to the acted messages already given but probably not yet heeded by the exiles. God now speaks to Ezekiel and expresses the hope, perhaps they will understand. There is certainly an echo here of 2:3–7, as also of Isaiah 6:9f. and Jeremiah 5:21. Jesus’ use of the parabolic method of teaching is further indication of the principle that in God’s service the preacher’s knowledge that his words will be ignored is never to be used as an excuse for not uttering the words (cf. Matt. 13:13–15; Mark 8:18; John 12:37–41). Ezekiel, like Jeremiah, had to be reminded that it was always possible that some would understand, and in this he may be regarded as the exemplar for all Christian workers in seemingly impossible situations or in singularly unfruitful spheres of service. There must always be the element of perhaps they will in such a ministry. And even though the result may still be negative, the obligation to speak is still there, if only to justify the hearer’s condemnation. ( Taylor, J. B. (1969). Ezekiel: an Introduction and commentary (Vol. 22, pp. 116–117). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
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God immediately reminded Ezekiel that he lived among “a rebellious people” (v.2). Ezekiel had been warned of this in his commission (2:3–8), but now he would experience the reality of that truth. The exiles had been watching his symbolic acts and hearing his judgment oracles for over a year. He had communicated the imminency of the judgment, its severity, and its basis (chs. 4–11) through every possible means. Though the elders had ears and eyes, they had neither heard his messages nor seen his visual signs in chapters 8–11. The people were blind and deaf to God’s truth (cf. Isa 6:9–10; Jer 5:21). Regrettably, such hardness of heart and blindness of eye had characterized Israel’s history. Ezekiel had to speak to this rebellion. (Alexander, R. H. (1986). Ezekiel. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel (Vol. 6, p. 795). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
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When the Lord called Ezekiel, He warned him that he would be ministering to a rebellious people (2:3–8) who were spiritually blind and deaf (12:2). In order to understand God’s truth, we must be obedient to God’s will (John 7:17; Ps. 25:8–10), but Israel was far from being obedient. Years before, Isaiah spoke to people who were spiritually blind and deaf (Isa. 6:9–10), and that was the kind of people Jeremiah was preaching to in Jerusalem (Jer. 5:21). When our Lord was here on earth, many of the people were spiritually blind and deaf (Matt. 13:13–14) and so were the people who heard Paul (Acts 28:26–28). In order to get the attention of the exiles and excite their interest, Ezekiel performed two “action sermons” and after each one gave a message from the Lord.
The leaders cannot escape (Ezek. 12:1–16). The Lord instructed Ezekiel to play the part of a fugitive escaping from a besieged city. Part of his activity occurred in the daytime and part at twilight, and the curious but perplexed Jewish exiles watched his strange actions. First, Ezekiel prepared a knapsack with essentials for a journey and took it outside in the daylight and hid it somewhere away from his house. Then he returned to the house and that evening dug through one of its walls, probably from the outside since the people could see him work. Houses were constructed of sun-dried bricks, so digging through the wall wasn’t a problem. After that, he retrieved his knapsack, went into the house, and climbed out through the hole, while his face was covered and his eyes were fixed on the ground. As the people watched, they asked, “What is he doing?”
Packing the knapsack and leaving it at a distance from his house conveyed the message that the leaders in Jerusalem were planning to flee for their lives. Digging through the wall from outside the house pictured the Babylonian army’s assault on the walls of Jerusalem. That evening, when Ezekiel climbed out of the house through the hole, the knapsack on his back, he depicted the Jewish leaders secretly trying to flee from the city to save their lives. History tells us that King Zedekiah, his officers, and his army escaped from Jerusalem exactly that way, but they were pursued by the Babylonians and captured (2 Kings 25:1–7; Jer. 52:4–11). The Babylonians killed the king’s sons and officers before his very eyes” put out Zedekiah’s eyes, and took him prisoner to Babylon, where he died.
The next morning, in the message that followed the “action sermon,” Ezekiel predicted that these events would occur. He also announced that though Zedekiah would be taken to Babylon, he would not see it (Ezek. 12:13; Jer. 52:11). How could such a thing happen? It was very simple: the Babylonians gouged out his eyes and Zedekiah couldn’t see anything! But it wasn’t the Babylonian army that captured the king of Judah and his officers; it was God’s “net” that caught them. Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian army didn’t win because of their own skill; they were God’s instruments to defeat the people of Judah and Jerusalem (Jer. 27:1–22). Jeremiah had admonished Zedekiah to surrender to the Babylonians (38:14ff), but the king didn’t have the faith to trust God’s Word and obey it. Had he humbled himself and surrendered, the people, the city, the temple, and the lives of the people would have been spared. (Wiersbe, W. W. (2000). Be reverent (pp. 57–59). Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor/Cook Communications.)
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12:2 rebellious house. The message of Ezekiel was addressed to his fellow exiles who were as hardened as those still in Jerusalem. They were so intent on a quick return to Jerusalem, that they would not accept his message of Jerusalem’s destruction. Their rebellion is described in familiar terms (Dt 29:1–4; Is 6:9, 10; Jer 5:21; cf. Mt 13:13–15; Ac 28:26, 27). (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Eze 12:2). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
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Though a man of God, Ezekiel himself dwelt in the midst of a rebellious people who did not use their eyes to see nor their ears to hear, but persisted in the path of folly and self-will. Ezekiel was commanded to prepare his goods for removing; that is, he was to pack up everything as though he were getting ready to leave his present place of abode; then as night drew on he was to remove to a new location, but furtively, as we are told, as men go forth into exile. Instead of passing through the gate of the enclosure in which he dwelt, he was commanded to dig through the wall and carry out his goods through the breach that was made. His face was to be covered that he might not see the land, for he was intended to be a sign unto the house of Israel, picturing to them the condition of the thousands of Judah who would seek to flee from the Chaldeans, only to be captured by them and led away into the stranger’s land.
The prophet did as he was commanded and went forth in the dark, bearing his goods upon his shoulder, in the sight of the people who doubtless looked on curiously. (Ironside, H. A. (1949). Expository notes on Ezekiel, the prophet. (p. 75). Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers.)
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Ver. 2. Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, &c.] The captives in Babylon, who murmured at their present condition and circumstances, and looked upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem to be in happy ones, and believed they would continue in them, as the false prophets persuaded them; not believing the prophets of the Lord; and encouraged them to stand out against the king of Babylon, repenting that they had surrendered to him, and hoped they should by their means be delivered; see the same character of them, ch. 2:3, 5, 6, 7 and 3:9, 26: which have eyes to see, and see not: they have ears to hear, and hear not; they had natural sense and understanding, and means and opportunities of being better informed, and of knowing the true state of things, and how they were, and would be; but they wilfully shut their eyes against all light and evidence, and stopped their ears, and would not hearken to the words of the prophets: for they are a rebellious house; stubborn, obstinate, and self-willed: or, a house of rebellion. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 6, pp. 49–50). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
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marah (מָרָה, 4784), “to rebel, be contentious.” The meaning of “being rebellious” is limited to the Hebrew language, as the meaning of this verb in other Semitic languages differs: “to make angry” (Aramaic), “to contend with” (Syriac), and “to dispute with” (Arabic). Marah occurs some 50 times in the Old Testament, and its usage is scattered throughout the Old Testament (historical, prophetic, poetic, and legal literature). Some personal names are partly composed of the verb: Meraiah (“stubborn headed”; Neh. 12:12) and Miriam (“stubborn headed,” if actually derived from the verb).
Marah signifies an opposition to someone motivated by pride: “If a man have a stubborn [carar] and rebellious [marah] son, which will not obey the voice of his father …” (Deut. 21:18). The sense comes out more clearly in Isa. 3:8 (nasb): “For Jerusalem has stumbled, and Judah has fallen, Because their speech and their actions are against the Lord, To rebel against His glorious presence.”
More particularly, the word generally connotes a rebellious attitude against God. Several prepositions are used to indicate the object of rebellion (˓im, et, generally translated as “against”): “… Ye have been rebellious against [˓im] the Lord” (Deut. 9:7); “… She hath been rebellious against [et] me …” (Jer. 4:17).
The primary meaning of marah is “to disobey.” Several passages attest to this: “… Forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the Lord, and hast not kept the commandment which the Lord thy God commanded thee” (1 Kings 13:21); cf. 1 Kings 13:26: “It is the man of God, who was disobedient unto the word of the Lord.…”
The Old Testament sometimes specifically states that someone “rebelled” against the Lord; at other times it may refer to a rebelling against the word of the Lord (Ps. 105:28; 107:11), or against the mouth of God (kjv, “word”; niv, “command”; cf. Num. 20:24; Deut. 1:26, 43; 9:23; 1 Sam. 12:14-15). The intent of the Hebrew is to signify the act of defying the command of God: “The Lord is righteous; for I have rebelled against his commandment …” (Lam. 1:18).
The verb marah is at times strengthened by a form of the verb carar (“to be stubborn”): “[They] might not be as their fathers, a stubborn [carar] and rebellious [marah] generation; a generation that set not their heart aright …” (Ps. 78:8; cf. Deut. 21:18, 20; Jer. 5:23).
An individual (Deut. 21:18, 20), a nation (Num. 20:24), and a city (Zeph. 3:1) may be described as “being rebellious.” Zephaniah gave a vivid image of the nature of the rebellious spirit: “Woe to her that is rebellious and defiled, the oppressing city! She listens to no voice, she accepts no correction. She does not trust in the Lord, she does not draw near to her God” (Zeph. 3:1-2, rsv).
The Septuagint translates marah by parepikraino (“make bitter; make angry; provoke; be rebellious”) and by atheteo (“to reject; not to recognize”). The English versions give the meanings “rebel; provoke” (kjv, rsv, niv).
B. Nouns.
meri (מְרִי, 4805), “rebellion.” This word occurs infrequently: “For I know thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck …” (Deut. 31:27; cf. Prov. 17:11).
The noun meratayim means “double rebellion.” This reference to Babylon (Jer. 50:21) is generally not translated (kjv, rsv, and niv, “Merathaim”).
C. Adjective.
meri (מְרִי, 4805), “rebellious.” This word occurs 23 times, mainly in Ezekiel. The word modifies “house” (referring to Israel) in Ezek. 2:8: “… Be not thou rebellious like that rebellious house.…” (Vine, W. E., Unger, M. F., & White, W., Jr. (1996). Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Vol. 1, pp. 193–194). Nashville, TN: T. Nelson.)
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Like penetrating lasers, the eyes of the Lord see everything. Nothing escapes His notice; no secret remains hidden, His piercing gaze sees right to the heart of His church, and into the heart of every believer. (p. 45)
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Matthew 18 lays out the prescription for dealing with sin in the church – a pattern the church today largely ignores to its own hurt. (p. 46)
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I frequently hear pastors say, “You need to learn to listen to the voice of God. You need to be tuned in so you can hear His still, small voice.” I have no idea what that means. God does not mumble. (p. 47)
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The glory of God, in the person of Jesus Christ, shines through the church, and thus the people of God reflect His glory to the watching world. (p. 50)
(Christ’s Call To Reform the Church by John MacArthur)
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How to Take a Stand for God
“But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.” (Daniel 1:8)
There inevitably come those times in the life of a Christian when he, for conscience sake in the light of the Word of God, must take a stand against some worldly practice. Daniel has given us a striking example of how to do this, not only courageously, but graciously and effectively.
As one of “the princes” of Israel, “of the king’s seed” (Daniel 1:3), he realized that he had the responsibility of maintaining a godly standard as a testimony for the true God when he was asked “to stand in the king’s palace” (Daniel 1:4) after he and his friends had been carried into captivity. Daniel knew that the king’s wine would surely be harmful were he to partake of it. Also, the king’s meat would certainly include pork and would be cooked with blood, which would be unlawful for him, as a good Jew, to eat (Leviticus 11:7-8; 17:10-14). He determined in his heart to take a stand against it.
Note, however, his stand was not belligerent or self-righteous, but courteous and reasonable. “He requested. . . . Prove thy servants, I beseech thee” (Daniel 1:8-12). The Babylonians thought they were doing him and his friends a great favor, and Daniel appreciated this. He suggested a scientific test: Let them try a vegetarian diet and water for just ten days to see if this wouldn’t produce better results than the gourmet fare of the palace.
God honored Daniel’s graciousness, as well as his courageous faithfulness, and so will He do for us as well. Both are essential ingredients of a fruitful Christian testimony in a non-Christian world. We must “be ready always to give an answer,” but this should be done, not in arrogance, but “with meekness” (1 Peter 3:15). (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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