Ezekiel 22
Jerusalem is infamous for sin verse 1- 5
Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me – saying
Now – you son of man – will you judge
will you judge the bloody city?
Yea – you shall show her all her abominations
THEN say you
thus says the Lord GOD
The city sheds blood in the midst of it – that her time may come
and makes idols against herself to defile herself
You are become guilty in your blood that you have shed
and have defiled yourself in your idols
which you have made
and you have caused your days to draw near
and are come even to your years
THEREFORE I have made you a reproach unto the heathen
and a mocking to all countries
those that be near – those that be far from you
shall mock you which are
infamous and much vexed
LORD lists some of the sins of the people verse 6- 12
BEHOLD – the princes of Israel
every one were in you to their power to shed blood
in you have they set light by father and mother
in the midst of you have they dealt
by oppression with the stranger
in you have they vexed the fatherless and the widow
You have despised MINE holy things
and have profaned MY Sabbaths
in you are men that carry tales to shed blood
in you they eat upon the mountains
in the midst of you they commit lewdness
in you have they discovered their fathers’ nakedness
in you have they humbled her that was set apart
for pollution
and one has committed abomination
with his neighbor’s wife
and another has lewdly defiled his daughter-in-law
and another in you has humbled his sister
his father’s daughter
in you have they taken gifts to shed blood
you have taken usury and increase
you have greedily gained of your neighbors by extortion
and have forgotten ME – says the Lord GOD
LORD going to purge Jerusalem of its sins verse 13- 16
BEHOLD – THEREFORE I have smitten MINE hand at your
dishonest gain which you have made
at your blood which has been in the midst of you
Can your heart endure – or can your hand be strong in the days
that I shall deal with you?
I the LORD have spoken it – and will do it
And I will scatter you among the heathen
and disperse you in the countries
and will consume your filthiness out of you
And you shall take your inheritance in yourself
in the sight of the heathen
and you shall KNOW
THAT I AM THE LORD
LORD compares Jerusalem with the dross of metals verse 17- 22
And the word of the LORD came unto me – saying
Son of man – the house of Israel is to me become dross
all they are brass and tin and iron and lead
in the midst of the furnace
they are even the dross of silver
THEREFORE thus says the Lord GOD
BECAUSE you are all become dross – BEHOLD
THEREFORE I will gather you
into the midst of Jerusalem
as they gather silver – brass
iron – lead – tin
into the midst of the furnace
to blow the fire upon it – to melt it
So will I gather you in MINE anger and in MY fury
and I will leave you there – and melt you
Yea – I will gather you
and blow upon you in the fire of MY wrath
and you shall be melted in the midst thereof
As silver is melted in the midst of the furnace
so shall you be melted in the midst thereof
And you shall KNOW THAT I THE LORD
have poured out MY fury upon you
No distinction between holy and wicked verse 23- 26
And the word of the LORD came unto me – saying
Son of man – say unto her
You are the land that is not cleansed
nor rained upon in the day of indignation
There is a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst thereof
like a roaring lion ravening the prey
They have devoured souls
they have taken the treasure and precious things
they have made her many widows in the midst thereof
Her priests have violated MY law – and have profaned MINE holy things
they have put no difference between the holy and profane
neither have they shown difference between the
unclean and the clean
and they have hid their eyes from MY Sabbaths
and I am profaned among them
Leaders and prophets lie verse 27- 29
Her princes in the midst thereof are like wolves ravening the prey
to shed blood – and to destroy souls – to get dishonest gain
And her prophets have daubed them with untempered mortar
seeing vanity and divining lies unto them – saying
Thus says the Lord GOD – when the LORD
has not spoken
The people of the land have used oppression
and exercised robbery
and have vexed the poor and needy
yea – they have oppressed
the stranger wrongfully
No one to stand in gap verse 30- 31
And I sought for a man among them – that should make up the hedge
and stand in the gap before ME for the land
that I should not destroy it – BUT I FOUND NONE
THEREFORE have poured out MINE indignation upon them
I have consumed them with the fire of MY wrath
their own way have I recompensed upon their heads
says the Lord GOD
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 12 In you have they taken gifts to shed blood, you have taken usury and increase, and you have greedily gained of your neighbors by extortion, and have forgotten me, says the Lord GOD. (7911 “forgotten” [shakach] means to dismiss from the mind, stop remembering, to cease to care, ignore, or let it grow lean.)
DEVOTION: There are many people who have grown up in a good church that have gone into the world and dismiss from their minds all the teaching they received in church. They might remember some of the Bible stories that were taught as if they were only just stories they could learn anywhere. They were like listening to any story book that was good for them while they were young but think that they don’t apply to their lives as adults.
The Bible is for all ages. The telling of what happens in the Bible might be adapted to fit an age group but should have the same power because it is TRUTH as opposed to just a good story.
The children of Israel had heard it all most of their life if they went to the Temple to worship. There were good priests who taught truth. There were good prophets that had visions from the LORD. However, there were also wicked priest and wicked lying prophet who were just in it for the money or for the prestige of the office. Many took advantage of people.
God didn’t like it during this time period and HE doesn’t like it now. HE only wants those who are genuine believers to teach other genuine believers the truth of HIS WORD. HE expects that once it is taught it will be practiced in the lives of those who are listening.
Too often, we find that there are people who attend good churches who once they have gone through the doors into the world stop remembering what they have been taught just a few hours before. Homes are not places where parents continue to teach the truth of the Word of God and where they complement those who have taught the truth.
Instead some still have roast preacher for lunch. Some don’t give the LORD HIS portion of their weekly income. Some don’t witness to those around them. They grow lean in their relationship to the LORD. Israel was an example of this and it displeased the LORD.
Too many of those attending good Biblical churches are following the example of Israel instead of being like Ezekiel and Jesus who spoke the truth in love. Are you speaking the truth in love to those in your church, in your home and in your work place?
CHALLENGE: Ezekiel was just another human God used to spread HIS message of warning that judgment was coming if there wasn’t a turnaround in the actions of those who claimed to be HIS followers.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 14 Can thine heart endure, or can thine hands be strong, in the days that I shall deal with you? I the LORD have spoken it, and will do it. (6213 “deal” [asah] means act with effect, produce, put in order, to observe, to take action with respect to someone or something, manufacture, or to produce by labor)
DEVOTION: The children of Israel were warned that there was a day of reckoning coming. They were continuing to sin thinking that the LORD would never deal with them. They were wrong.
Throughout the Old Testament we find that HIS people would test the LORD and HE would deal with them and they would straighten out for a while and then return to their sins. It is sad but true that faithfulness is hard for any group that say they are going to follow the LORD.
We are sinners by nature and without the help of the LORD we will continue to sin without regard for consequences. However, there is a group in the nation of Israel that would stay true to the LORD and there is a group even today that are staying faithful to the LORD. Are they sinless? NO! They continue to sin but they confess their sins regularly and try to live a life that is pleasing to the LORD. They fail but they confess their sins and listen to the HOLY SPIRIT as HE leads them in a way that is pleasing to the LORD.
We can and neither can Israel every be sinless but they can sin less with the help of the LORD and the ministry of the Holy Spirit in their lives. We have to depend on the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us each day. We have to confess our sins regularly and with the LORD’S help sin less.
Judgment came to the children of Israel and it will come to us as well. Our responsibility is to confess our sins daily and ask for HIS help to live a life that is pleasing to HIM.
CHALLENGE: There is coming a day when believers will stand before the LORD at the JUDGEMENT SEAT OF CHRIST to receive our rewards for our service to the LORD. The question seems to be “How many crowns will you receive?”
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: 26 Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things: they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they shown difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my Sabbaths, and I am profaned among them. (2490 “profaned” [chalal] means defile, treat with contempt, dishonor, make common, pollute, or desecrate)
DEVOTION: The LORD gives Ezekiel a message that all HE finds in Jerusalem are individuals who like to shed innocent blood. They like to worship false gods. They liked to take advantage of those who were poor and had no one to defend them. They liked to practice ungodly acts toward the opposite sex. They were greedy.
Therefore the LORD had to send judgment. HE looked at all the different groups in society: prophets, priest, leaders, and common people. They were all dross in HIS eyes.
This verse deals with the priests, who were supposed to, instruct the people in worship of the LORD. They were the ones who should show the people the difference between the things that were holy and profane. They were supposed to teach them the difference between animals that were unclean and clean. They were supposed to warn the people that they could only come to the Temple when they were clean according to the standards set down in the Law of the LORD. So they were held responsible for the daily living of those who were called the people of God.
They polluted all the LORD’S holy things. They violated the LORD’S laws. They taught the people that all things were common. There was no difference. Everything was good. Nothing was evil. The LORD was looking for someone to “stand in the gap.” No one was found. Even among the spiritual leaders of the people.
Many in our churches don’t respect the BIBLE and the teaching of those who have fought the battles for our faith before us. Some are teaching that people that there is no absolutes. They are saying that everyone has to make the standard for themselves. When this happens, everyone does what is right in his or her own eyes.
If the pastors and leaders are teaching wrong doctrine, what are the people to do? God’s people are scattered rather than gathered. Let’s gather the people of God together and show them the difference between those that are holy and those that are not.
CHALLENGE: Leaders receive the greater judgment for their example. Leaders receive greater responsibility to train those who are looking up to them for direction.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 30 And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none. (6556 “gap” [perets] means breach, broken wall, rupture, bursting forth, to make a split or break)
DEVOTION: With God one person can make a difference. HE is always looking for at least one man to stand against the crowd. We find David standing in the breach between Israel and the Philistines when he went against Goliath. We find Abraham praying to the LORD for the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. He asked the LORD to spare the cities if ten men could be found. They were not found.
Can you imagine the LORD looking throughout the land of Israel and in the city of Jerusalem for anyone who would honor HIM? Remember that HE is omniscient and omnipresent. Nothing is outside HIS eyesight. The fact is that even the thought life of those in this world is known to HIM.
So with nothing hidden from HIS knowledge HE can make a statement that should shock those who are living in Jerusalem. It should even shock us if it is true today.
The LORD was looking for someone to stand between HIM and the rest of the children of Israel. HE told Ezekiel that HE could not find one. All of the people in Jerusalem were sinning to the point of no return. HE had to send judgment. The sins listed in this chapter are extensive. It seems that they liked to sin more than they liked to serve the LORD.
Today we find that it is easier to for even believers to disobey the LORD rather than trust and serve HIM. Excuses are multiplied by those who claim HIM as their LORD. It seems that everyone is too busy to serve. Many claim that they are afraid to serve the LORD. These excuses don’t please the LORD.
CHALLENGE: We need to be someone who is willing to follow the leading of the LORD in our life. We have to make a difference in our world. We have to make a difference in our homes. We have to make a difference in our churches.
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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)
Priests have violated MY law and have
profaned MINE holy things verse 26
Priests have put no difference between
the holy and profane verse 26
Priests have hid their eyes from MY sabbaths verse 26
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Word of the LORD verse 1, 17, 23
Thus says the Lord GOD verse 3, 19, 28
LORD has spoken verse 14
Law verse 26
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 1, 14, 16, 17, 22, 23, 28
Lord – Adonai (Owner, Master) verse 3, 12, 28, 31
GOD – Jehovah verse 3, 12, 28, 31
Lord GOD verse 3, 12, 19, 28, 31
Made Israel a reproach verse 4
Made Israel a mocking to all countries verse 4
Judgment of God verse 14
I am the LORD verse 16
Anger of God – wrath verse 20- 22, 24, 31
MY fury verse 22
I am profaned among priests verse 26
I have poured out MINE indignation verse 31
I have consumed them with
the fire of MY wrath verse 31
I have recompensed their own way upon
their heads verse 31
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)
Heathen verse 4, 15, 16
Strangers verse 7
Neighbors verse 12
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Abominations verse 2, 11
Idols verse 3, 4
Defile verse 3, 4, 11
Shed blood verse 3, 4, 6, 9, 12, 13, 27
Heathen verse 4, 15, 16
Oppression verse 7, 29
Vexed fatherless and widows verse 7
Despised holy things verse 8, 26
Profaned Sabbaths verse 8, 26
Eat on the mountains (worship false gods) verse 9
Commit lewdness verse 9
Discovered father’s nakedness verse 10
Humbled women verse 10, 11
Lewdlh defiled his daughter in law verse 11
Taken usury verse 12
Extortion verse 12
Forgotten God verse 12
Dishonest gain verse 13, 27
Filthiness verse 15
Dross verse 18
Conspiracy of her prophets verse 25
False prophets verse 25, 28
Devoured souls verse 25, 27
Taken the treasure and precious things verse 25
Made many widows verse 25
Priests have violated MY law verse 26
Violated law verse 26
Profaned verse 26
No difference between profane and holy verse 26
No difference between clean and unclean verse 26
Profaned LORD verse 26
Divining lies verse 28
Robbery verse 29
Vexed poor and needy verse 29
Oppressed stranger wrongfully verse 29
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Judge verse 2
Humble verse 11
Honest verse 13
Know the LORD verse 16, 22
Holy verse 26
Clean verse 26
Stand in the gap verse 30
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Son of man = Ezekiel verse 2, 18, 24
Judge
Day of indignation
Reproach to the heathen verse 4
Mocking of all countries verse 4, 5
Princes of Israel verse 6, 27
Are like wolves ravening the prey
To shed blood
To destroy souls
To get dishonest gain
House of Israel verse 17
Jerusalem verse 19
Prophets verse 28
Daubed them with untampered mortar
Seeing vanity
Divining lies
People of the land verse 29
Have used oppression
Exercised robbery
Vexed the poor and needy
Oppressed the stranger wrongfully
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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QUOTES regarding passage
God’s plan for reaching ungodly people and nations is still the same. He uses godly men and women to stand in the breaches in morality and spirituality and make the difference by calling the nation and individuals to repentance, faith, righteousness, and commitment to God in Christ. (Cooper, L. E. (1994). Vol. 17: Ezekiel. The New American Commentary (224). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
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The final triad of sins is listed in v. 12. The thirteenth sin named was accepting bribes to promote injustice (Exod 23:8; Deut 10:17; 16:19; 27:25; Isa 1:23; Amos 5:12; Mic 3:11). The fourteenth sin named was the exacting of exorbitant interest rates because of greed (see 18:8). Finally, the fifteenth sin mentioned summarizes all previous sins and offers the motive behind them. The people had forgotten God. Although to forget God precedes all sin, here it is listed last. The reason is that it is the summation of all that is wrong, that is, the proverbial last nail in the coffin.
Ezekiel joined Jeremiah and Hosea in condemning the lack of concern for God’s will on an individual basis (e.g., Jer 3:6–25; 7:9; 17:1–6; Hos 4:1–6; 11:7). This individual immorality had left the collective morality of the nation bankrupt and under sentence of judgment. The sins mentioned were not intended to be an exhaustive list but represent the kinds of offenses that made divine judgment a necessity.
The Bible is very specific about the nature and identity of sin. Such sins are the works of the flesh, such as those presented in Gal 5:19–21, where they are contrasted with the fruit (sing. in Greek) of the Spirit. (Cooper, L. E. (1994). Ezekiel (Vol. 17, pp. 219–220). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
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22:6–12. Ezekiel cited sins that specifically violated some of the Ten Commandments (cf. Ex. 20:1–17): social injustice (Ezek. 22:7), apostasy (v. 8), idolatry (v. 9), immorality (vv. 10–11), and greed (v. 12). The list concluded with another sin, the root problem behind the others: you have forgotten Me (cf. 23:35). (Dyer, C. H. (1985). Ezekiel. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 1269). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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A defiled people (Ezek. 22:1–12). The words “blood” or “bloody” are repeated seven times in this paragraph and speak of death and defilement. The prophet named two grievous sins: the shedding of innocent blood (injustice) and the worship of foreign gods (see 7:23; 9:9). The officials in Jerusalem were accepting bribes and condemning innocent people to death so that others could claim their property (Amos 5:11–17; see 1 Kings 21). These judges had no respect for God or for man made in the image of God, and yet they were supposed to be honest men who upheld the law of the Lord (Ex. 18:21–26; Deut. 16:18–20). So evil was the judicial system in Jerusalem that the Gentile nations heard about it (Ezek. 22:4–5) and reproached the name of the Lord. Jerusalem was a “city infamous [defiled] and much vexed [full of confusion]” (v. 5). But the time of their judgment was fast approaching. God had already declared the sentence but He had not yet begun the punishment. The princes had abused their power, but God would display His power.
Idolatry, injustice, and the abuse of power are rampant in our world today, and God in His mercy is holding back His hand of judgment to give sinners opportunity to repent and be saved. Divine truth and human rights are being ignored, but “the day of the Lord will come” (2 Peter 3:10) and sinners will be judged righteously by the all-knowing Lord.
Ezekiel named some of the sins that the people were committing, and he began with the abuse of people—parents, strangers and aliens, and orphans and widows (Ezek. 22:7). The Jews were commanded to honor their fathers and mothers (Ex. 20:12), and so are believers today (Eph. 6:1–3). God even attached a special promise to this commandment—“that your days may be long upon the land”—and now the Jews were about to be exiled from their land. The law also gave special consideration to widows, orphans, and aliens (Ex. 22:21–24; 23:9–11; Lev. 19:33–34; Jer. 5:28), and this commandment contained a warning. If these needy people were abused, the Jewish wives would become widows and the Jewish children would become orphans. Disobedience is a serious thing! The church today has a ministry obligation to strangers (Matt. 25:35, 43; James 2:1–13), widows, and orphans (James 1:27; 1 Tim. 5).
After dealing with the inhumanity of the people in Jerusalem, God condemned their idolatry (Ezek. 22:8). They defiled the temple with their idols (8:5ff) and by “worshiping God” hypocritically, not worshiping with clean hands and obedient hearts (Isa. 1:10ff). Jeremiah told them that they had turned God’s house into “a den of robbers” (Jer. 7:11), a place where thieves run to hide after they’ve broken the law. The Jews also polluted the Sabbath by treating it like any other day. The Sabbath was a special sign between God and Israel that they were His special people (Ezek. 20:12–13, 20; Ex. 31:13–17), and to violate this law was to defy the Lord’s authority and deny Israel’s calling and ministry in the world.
But how could the people persist in these sins and not be judged by the courts? Because the courts were run by wicked men who had no desire to acquit the innocent or punish the guilty. The rich were set free and the poor were exploited. People accepted bribes and agreed to slander innocent people (Ezek. 22:9, 12), forgetting that the law prohibited slander and false witness (Ex. 20:16; 23:1–3, 6–8; Deut. 16:19; 27:25). According to the law, if someone were accused of a capital crime, at least two witnesses had to testify, and these witnesses would be the first to cast stones at the convicted guilty party (Num. 35:30–31; Deut. 17:6–7; 19:15).
In my years of pastoral experience, I have seen local churches torn apart by slander and false witness, in spite of the clear teaching in the New Testament about integrity in bearing witness (1 Tim. 5:19; Matt. 18:16; 2 Cor. 13:1). It’s a sobering thought that liars as well as murderers will have a place in the lake of fire and will not enter the heavenly city (Rev. 21:8, 27).
In Ezekiel 22:9b–11, God targeted the immorality of the Jewish people, starting with their participation in the unspeakably filthy “worship” at the pagan shrines. The tragedy is that these idolatrous men brought their immorality home with them! Sons had intercourse with their own mothers or stepmothers, fathers with daughters-in-law, and brothers with sisters or halfsisters! (See Lev. 18:6ff; 20:10ff.) Men were committing adultery with a neighbor’s wife or with women having their monthly period (Ezek. 18:6; Lev. 18:19; 20:18).
How easy it is for us today to pass judgment on God’s ancient people, but what about God’s contemporary people? Sexual sins in the church and in so-called Christian homes have ripped churches and families apart, and many churches close their eyes to these offenses. Pornography—in print, on video, and on the Internet—is a common thing these days, and it’s getting more and more daring on television. Unmarried people living together, “trial marriages,” “gay marriages,” and even “mate-swapping” have shown up in evangelical churches, and when faithful pastors have attempted to deal with such sin, they were told to mind their own business. The offenders simply left and starting attending other churches where they could live as they pleased. As Ruth Bell Graham said, “If God doesn’t judge America, He will have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah.”
“The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Tim. 6:10, nkjv), so we aren’t surprised that the business people in Jerusalem were charging exorbitant interest on loans and were practicing extortion rather than business (Ezek. 22:12). The Jews could charge interest to outsiders, but not to their own people (Ex. 22:25–27; Lev. 19:13; 25:35–38; Deut. 23:19–20), and they were to be fair in all their business dealings. The world’s motto “Business is business” must never replace our Lord’s commandment, “Give, and it will be given to you” (Luke 6:38, niv).
Why were God’s chosen people living such wicked lives? Because they had forgotten the Lord (Ezek. 22:12), a sin that Moses had commanded them to avoid (Deut. 4:9, 23; 6:10–12; 32:18). They were admonished to remember their slavery in Egypt and God’s grace in redeeming them (5:15; 15:5; 16:12; 24:18), and also remember the Lord their God (8:18). People who forget God gradually become their own god and begin to disobey God’s Word, mistreat other people, and take God’s gifts for granted. The Prophet Jeremiah in Jerusalem was accusing the people of the same sin (Jer. 3:21). (Wiersbe, W. W. (2000). Be reverent (pp. 104–107). Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor/Cook Communications.)
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We shrink from meditating upon or even reading the awful charges brought out in verses 10 and 11, but God draws aside the veil by which they attempted to cover their filthiness, and shows up their moral defilement in all its dreadfulness. All things are naked and open to His holy eyes, and He cannot but deal in judgment with those guilty of such sins as are here described. Bribery, and that of the worst type, was also common among them. Even the magistrates accepted gifts in order to bias their attitude toward those unjustly accused before them, so that they condemned to death the innocent that they themselves might be enriched. Extortion and covetousness were prevalent among all classes—all these evils were the result of their having forgotten God, the One who had delivered them from Egypt and had watched over them through all the years of their sojourn in Canaan. (Ironside, H. A. (1949). Expository notes on Ezekiel, the prophet. (p. 150). Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers.)
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Ver. 12. In thee have they taken gifts, to shed blood, &c.] Innocent blood, as the Targum; judges upon the bench, whose office it is to take the part of the innocent, and clear him from unjust charges; and protect him from the violence of wicked and unreasonable men, that lay things to his charge, which, if true, would require blood; and yet men in such offices took bribes to bring in the innocent guilty, and pass sentence of death on him; which is a most shocking iniquity indeed: to take bribes in pecuniary matters is very wicked; but to do it in cases which affect life is most dreadfully cruel: or if it is to be understood of such persons who take bribes to bear false witness against a man, to the taking away of his life, it is a very heinous and detestable sin; for, as for a set of jurymen bribed to bring in a wrong verdict, which would be equally a most enormous crime; such a custom to try causes to be determined by a jury did not obtain among the Jews: thou hast taken usury and increase, and thou hast greedily gained of thy neighbours by extortion; not content with moderate usury and increase, and even that were forbid the Jews among themselves; so greedy were they of gain at any rate, that they extorted it of their neighbours, in the most violent and oppressive manner. Kimchi, by her friends or neighbours, understands the Assyrians and Egyptians; to whom she gave gifts, extorted by oppression from her own people, to get help of them: and hast forgotten me, saith the Lord; to seek for help from me; or they had forgotten his law, which forbids the above sins; they had forgotten the instructions, cautions, and directions he had given them. The Targum is, “and hast forsook my worship;” forgetfulness of God is the cause of all sin. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 6, p. 113). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
Psalm 51:2-3
The second step when we become convicted of sin is a recognition of the exact character or nature of what we have done. This is put here [in Psalm 51] perfectly in three words. The first is the word transgressions, the second is iniquity, and sin is the third.
What does transgression mean? It means rebellion; it means the uprising of the will against authority, and especially against a person of authority. Blot out my transgressions (verse 1). In other words, David admits he has transgressed. He has rebelled against an authority. His own will has risen up within him, and he has asserted himself. He has been governed by desire and has allowed himself to be swayed by lust. Transgression means a desire to have our own way, a desire to do what we want to do.
Iniquity what does that mean? Well, iniquity means that an act is twisted or that it is bent. It means perversion, and this is obvious in the case of David. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity the foul thing, that dastardly thing. “What was it in me that made me do it? How perverted I must have been to do that! I ask you as you examine yourself, do you not see that so many things you do are twisted and perverted? Jealousy and envy and malice how horrible the twist! The desire that evil may come to someone, the dislike of praise of another evil thoughts, bent, twisted, ugly, foul iniquity”! And we are all guilty of iniquity.
Sin means missing the mark. We are not living as we ought to be living. A man aims at a target; he shoots, but he misses it. That is what sin always means. A man is not treading the path God has marked out for him. A Thought to Ponder: We are all guilty of iniquity. (Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Out of the Depths, pp. 25-26)
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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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Hannah dedicates Samuel to the service of the Lord.
INSIGHT
We rarely give God sufficient thanks and praise for the things He does for us, and we rarely give Him adequate worship for who He is and for His significant answers to prayer.
By contrast, notice Hannah’s song of thanksgiving. She prays earnestly for a child, and when the Lord gives her one, she expresses her gratitude in full-blown poetic praise. Her response is fitting for the gift. (Quiet Walk)
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INEVITABLE DEDUCTIONS
He that honoreth not the Son honoreth not the Father which hath sent him.
John 5:23
What has the Son of God done to me by coming into this world? What difference has He made? Now it seems to me that there are certain inevitable deductions, and here they are.
My relationship to God is determined solely and entirely and absolutely by Jesus Christ. If you tell me that you believe in God, I say to you that it is of no value if you do not believe in Christ. I say again with Martin Luther, “I know of no God save Jesus Christ.”
“He that honoreth not the Son honoreth not the Father which hath sent him.” All things have been committed to Him. You cannot know God without Jesus Christ. “Neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsover the Son will reveal him” (Matthew 11:27). I cannot know God as my Father apart from the Son. I would have no forgiveness of sins if He, the Son of God, had not come and if He had not died for me on the cross. But because He has, I know my sins are forgiven. He and He alone can give me life anew; He imparts to me His own life, and He makes me a child of God. He came to do that, and He has done it. My eternal destiny is determined solely by my relationship to Him. I assure you in the name of God and of the Bible that when you come to the great day of judgment—for it is coming; we all have to die and meet God—I solemnly assure you that you will have only one question to answer. You will not be asked about the good you have done, or about your learning and knowledge, or about your political party; none of these things will matter. There is only one question, which is: “What think ye of Christ?”
A Thought to Ponder: I cannot know God as my Father apart from Christ, the Son.
(From The Heart of the Gospel, pp. 141-142, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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Love in Action
“Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up.” (1 Corinthians 13:4)
It is well known that “charity” in this famous “love chapter” is the Greekagape, which is translated “love” three times as often as it is translated “charity” even in the King James Version. Why then did the scholarly translators prefer to use “charity” in this chapter, of all places?
Possibly it is because 1 Corinthians 13 emphasizes what love does rather than what love is. Love is described in this chapter, not with adjectives or adverbs, but with verbs! “Charity,” in the Old English sense, was not merely giving to feed the poor (note v. 3) but meant agape love—an unselfish, enduring, and active concern on behalf of others.
In this passage (vv. 4-8, 13) are listed 17 actions that love, or charity,does or does not engage in. Love acts with patience and kindness; it does not envy others or seek to impress others, neither does it exhibit arrogance or conceit. Love is never rude, does not seek its own way, is slow to take offense, and bears no malice or resentment. Love does not gloat over the sins of others and is delighted when truth prevails. Love will bear up under any trial and will never lose faith; it is always hopeful and unlimited in its endurance.
Finally, genuine love will be eternal. Even faith will cease when it is replaced by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7), and hope will finally be fulfilled (Romans 8:24), but love will abide forever. Love, of course, is eternal because Christ is eternal, and Christ is God, and God is love.
This classic passage, describing genuine Christian love, could in fact be read as a beautiful description of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. That is, “Christ suffereth long, and is kind,” and so on, finally climaxing in the great truth, “Christ never faileth.” Jesus Christ is, indeed, love in action! (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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HE did not issue a manifesto instructing HIS people to engage or redeem secular culture. He didn’t present a strategy for assessing and addressing the felt needs of the community, or ending cultural inequity, or lowering the poverty rate. He didn’t lay out a plan for maximizing the church’s political or moral clout. He didn’t stress the need for tolerance, validation, spiritual safe spaces, or any of the other currently-fashionable evangelical talking points. INSTEAD, His concern was for the purity of HIS church. HE wanted HIS people to know how to confront and deal with sin. (p. 103, Christ’s Call TO REFORM the Church by John MacArthur)
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