Ezekiel 24
Day of the attack on Jerusalem verse 1- 2
Again in 9/10/09 – the word of the LORD came unto me
saying
Son of man – write you the name of the day
even the same day
the king of Babylon set himself
against Jerusalem this same day
Parable of pot of meat verse 3- 5
AND utter a parable unto the rebellious house
and say unto them
This says the Lord GOD
Set on a pot – set it on – and also pour water into it
gather the pieces thereof into it
even every good piece
the thigh – the shoulder
fill it with the choice bones
Take the choice of the flock
and burn also the bones under it
and make it boil well
and let them seethe
the bones of it therein
Jerusalem is the bloody city verse 6- 8
WHEREFORE this
says the Lord GOD
Woe to the bloody city – to the pot whose scum is therein
and whose scum is not gone out of it
bring it out piece by piece
let no lot fall upon it
For her blood is in the midst of her
she set it on the top of a rock
She poured it not on the ground – to cover it with dust
that it might cause fury to come up to take vengeance
I have set her blood upon the top of a rock
that it should not be covered
LORD putting fuel under the pot verse 9- 13
THEREFORE
this says the Lord GOD
Woe to the bloody city
I will even make the pile for fire great
Heap on wood – kindle the fire – consume the flesh
and spice it well – and let the bones be burned
THEN set it empty upon the coals thereof
that the brass of it may be hot – and may burn
and that the filthiness of it may be molten in it
that the scum of it may be consumed
She has wearied herself with lies
and her great scum went not forth out of her
her scum shall be in the fire
In the filthiness is lewdness – BECAUSE I have purged you
and you was not purged
you shall not be purged
from your filthiness any more
till I have caused MY fury
to rest upon you
LORD says it is time for judgment verse 14
I the LORD have spoken it – it shall come to pass
and I will do it
I will not go back – neither will not spare
neither will not repent
According to your ways – and according to your doings
shall they judge you – says the Lord GOD
Prediction of death of wife of Ezekiel verse 15- 17
Also the word of the LORD came to me
saying
Son of man – BEHOLD
I take away from you
the desire of your eyes with a stroke
YET neither shall you mourn nor weep
neither shall your tears run down
Forbear to cry – make no mourning for the dead
bind the tire of thine head upon you
and put on your shoes on your feet
and cover not your lips
nd eat not the bread of men
Wife of Ezekiel dies verse 18
SO I spoke unto the people in the morning
and at even my wife DIED
and I did in the morning
as I was commanded
People trusted in Temple verse 19- 21
AND the people
said unto me
Will you not tell us
what these things are to us that you do so?
THEN I answered them
The word of the LORD came unto me
saying
Speak unto the house of Israel
This says the Lord GOD
BEHOLD – I will profane MY sanctuary
the excellency of your strength
the desire of your eyes
and that which your soul pities
AND your sons and your daughters
whom you have left
shall fall by the sword
People are to do as Ezekiel had done verse 22- 24
And you shall do as I have done – you shall not cover your lips
nor eat the bread of men
And your tires shall be upon your heads
and your shoes upon your feet
you shall not mourn nor weep
BUT you shall pine away for your iniquities
and mourn one toward another
THUS Ezekiel is unto you a sign
according to all that he has done shall you do
and when this comes
You SHALL KNOW THAT I AM THE Lord GOD
Survivor will come to Ezekiel in Babylon verse 25- 27
ALSO – you son of man
shall it not be in the day when I take from them their strength
the joy of their glory – the desire of their eyes
and that whereupon they set their minds
their sons and their daughters
that he that escapes in that day shall come unto you
to cause you to hear it with your ears?
IN THAT DAY
shall your mouth be opened to him which is escaped
and you shall speak – and be no more dumb
and you shall be a sign unto them
and they SHALL KNOW THAT I AM THE LORD
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 12 She has wearied herself with lies, and her great scum went not forth out of her: her scum shall be in the fire. (2457 “scum” [chel’ah] means rust, impure deposit, filth, symbol of impurity of Jerusalem, encrustation of greenish corrosion, implying it to be an unclean substance, or disease.)
DEVOTION: Have you ever tried to clean up a pot that was tarnished with rust or dirt? It was old and someone thought it should be saved if it could be cleaned up. So you were the one who had to do the cleaning. You used a S.O.S. pad and scrubbed away at it for a great time to find that it could not be cleaned up.
This is what had happened to Judah. The LORD had sent Ezekiel to inform them that HE had used many prophets to try in clean them up but they refused to be cleansed. The liked the life they were living and thought that as long as the Temple was there for them to worship it the LORD would never really judge them for their actions. They were wrong. The LORD was longsuffering but under the ministry of true prophets HE would tell them that they were believing a lie.
The false prophets had given them a sense of false security. They would rather listen to someone who was saying what they wanted to hear rather than someone who was telling them they NEEDED to hear.
That was true then and it is true today as well. Most of those who claim to be believers are listening to the same message that the children of Judah were listening to in their day. It was a false message that everything is OK.
The problem is that many places of worship are full of rust and filth rather than the pure word of the Bible. People are worshiping the god of music and pastors who tickle their ears. God had had it with Judah and HE is probably had it with the churches of many countries today.
A false gospel is preached many places and the people are believing the false gospel which is just a lie wrapped up in some portion of a verse in the Bible. The Bible is misquoted to bring a message that was never intended.
CHALLENGE: Are you listening to the wrong message or the true message of the Word of God? Don’t just listen to what you want to hear but listen to what you need to hear from true prophets of the LORD.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 17 Forbear to cry, make no mourning for the dead, bind the tire of your head upon you, and put on your shoes upon your feet, and cover not your lips, and eat not the bread of men. tire” [p@’er] means head-dress, ornamental sash, turban, or a winding on the head. Habits are hard to break.)
DEVOTION: Traditions are hard to stop. Here we find that Ezekiel is told of the LORD that he was not to practice what is normal when someone dies that is loved. In this chapter Ezekiel’s wife is going to die.
The LORD chooses to use Ezekiel’s family as an example to the children of Israel. HE chooses Ezekiel’s wife. Ezekiel is told that he is not to mourn. He is not to cry. He is not to weep. He is not to let tears run down his cheeks. He is not to take off his head-dress. He is to put his shoes on. He is to not cover his lips. This tells us a little about how the children of Israel mourned for their dead.
Here we have a man who is a prophet of God who is about to lose his wife as a sign of what is coming to Israel. The LORD is telling the children of Israel that HE is not going to mourn their going into captivity. HE is going to judge them because they counted on the temple building more than HIM. They were full of scum. Not even a fire could get rid of all the sins they were committing.
My wife and I have been married for forty-five years yesterday. It would be hard on either one of us if the other died. Can you imagine not shedding a tear for your spouse? Some would not have trouble doing that, but the LORD has said that we are one. Here we have the LORD in a covenant relationship with Israel and HE is not going to mourn because HE has done everything to convince the children of Israel to return to true worship. They will not listen. They were HIS wife and they would not listen to HIM.
Could the LORD take someone we love away from us to get our attention? Could the LORD take all the blessings of this nation away to get our attention? Could the LORD take HIS Holy Spirit away from our churches because we are not serving HIM? Are we looking at the building more than HIM? Should HE have to take something away before we chose to listen to HIM? Let’s keep short accounts with the LORD.
CHALLENGE: Appreciate your spouse daily. Pray for your spouse. Remember that our spouse is the one we live with for the rest of our life, not our children.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 25 Also, you son of man, shall it not be in the day when I take from them their strength, the joy of their glory, the desire of their eyes, and that whereupon they set their minds, their sons and their daughters. (4885 “joy” [masows] means mirth, rejoice, exultation, gladness, delight, gaiety, and merriment)
DEVOTION: The LORD states to Ezekiel that HE is going to take everything that the children of Israel depended on rather than HIM.
Jerusalem was full of people who seemed to be living the good life. They were raising their families. They enjoyed their children. They had wrapped their lives around their children. They wanted the best for their children. They were fulfilling their desires through their children.
Now the LORD was judging them and their children were going to be affected by the invasion. The LORD was allowing even the children to be killed by the Babylonians because they were learning the habits of their parents.
We can sometimes be so concerned for our children that we forget about our personal relationship with the LORD. If our example to our children is wrong they will learn wrong habits and beliefs.
Our delight should be in the LORD. If our delight is in the LORD our children will see it and practice being delighted in the LORD. The people of Jerusalem were not training their children right and they were not following the LORD.
Today we have to realize that the LORD has given us the same commands. We are to raise our children to honor the LORD and bring HIM glory. If they are not doing this they will find the judgment coming their way.
Ezekiel will speak out regarding judgment that has already happened. His wife was to be an example of the judgment. It is too late if we mourn rather than listen to the Word of God that warns us to live our lives properly, so that, we don’t have to see our families suffer unnecessarily.
CHALLENGE: Protect your family by giving them proper training. Keep the LORD first in your life and your children will follow your good example.
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: 27 In that day shall your mouth be opened to him which is escaped, and you
Shall be a sign to them; and they shall know that I am the LORD. (6412
“escaped” [paliyt] means fugitives, survivor, someone who flees from an uncongenial situation, escaped by flight especially form a battle or slaughter, or deliverance)
DEVOTION: Ezekiel was told to be silent while the LORD sent judgment on the people. Once the judgment was sent, he was allowed to open his mouth again.
He was only going to be speaking to those who had survived the attack. He was going to inform them that the LORD said it was going to happen and it did.
The voice of Ezekiel was going to inform the people what had taken place and why. They were a rebellious people and the LORD had warned them enough times for them to understand the message but they still didn’t change their behavior.
God wants us to understand that HE does warn us if things are going to go in the wrong direction and HE gives us time to repent but if we chose not to repent then the judgment will come just as it came on the children of Israel in the Old Testamet.
Too often we count on the longsuffering of the LORD instead of looking for HIS mercy once we repent of our sins and turn toward HIM again. This is a daily choice we have to make if we want to have the blessings of the LORD.
The children of Israel thought they could continue in sin and the LORD would never judge them. They were wrong and if we think the same way – we are WRONG!
God want us to confess our sins and walk in a way that is pleasing to HIM if we want HIS blessings on our life. HE continues to be longsuffering but just as HE did with Israel HE can do with us today.
CHALLENGE: The question we need to answer is “Are we keeping short accounts with the LORD by daily going to him in confession and seeking HIS forgiveness and blessing? Israel waited too long before they asked for help!
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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)
Sanctuary verse 21
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Word of the LORD verse 1, 15, 20
10/ 10/09
Parable verse 3
Thus says the Lord God verse 6, 9
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 1, 14, 15, 20, 27
Lord – Adonai (Owner, Master) verse 3, 6, 9, 14, 21, 24
GOD – Jehovah verse 3, 6, 9, 14, 21, 24
Lord GOD verse 3, 6, 9, 14, 21, 24
Woe to the bloody city
blood in the midst
I will even make the pile for fire great verse 9
I have purged thee verse 13
MY fury to rest upon Jerusalem verse 13
I the LORD have spoken it- it shall come to pass verse 14
I will do it verse 14
I will not go back verse 14
I will not spare verse 14
I will not repent verse 14
Judge verse 14- 17
according to your ways and
according to your doings
I will take away form you the desire of
your eyes with a stroke
neither shall you mourn, weep,
tears run down
forbear to cry
make no mourning for the dead
bind the tire of your head upon you
put on your shoes upon your feet
cover not your lips
eat not the bread of men
Word of the LORD say verse 20- 23
Speak to the house of Israel
This says the LORD
I will profane MY sanctuary
the excellency of your
strength
the desire of your eyes
that which your soul
pities
your son and daughters
shall fall by the
sword
You shall not cover your lips
Nor eat the bread of men
Your tires shall be upon your
heads and your shoes
upon your feet
You shall not mourn
nor weep
You shall pine away for your
iniquities and mourn
one toward another
Know that I am the Lord GOD verse 24, 27
I take from them their strength, the joy of
their glory, the desire of their eyes
and that whereupon they set their
minds, their sons and their daughters verse 25
I am the LORD verse 27
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)
King of Babylon verse 2
Set himself against Jerusalem
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Rebellious house verse 3
Scum verse 6, 11, 12,
Filthiness verse 11, 13
Lies verse 12
Lewdness verse 13
Not willing to be purged verse 13
Wrong ways verse 14
Desire of your eyes verse 16, 21, 25
Profane God’s sanctuary verse 21
Iniquities verse 23
Set minds on Temple instead of God verse 25
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Parable verse 3
Purged verse 13
Obey commands verse 18
Sign verse 24, 27
Know the LORD verse 24, 27
Joy verse 25
Open mouth verse 27
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Son of man = Ezekiel verse 2- 16, 18, 20, 24, 25, 27
write the name of the day
utter a parable
set on a pot – pour water into it
gather pieces into it of an animal
every good piece
thigh
shoulder
fill it with choice bones
choice of the flock
boil well
seethe the bones therein
spice it
bones be burned
wife died
I answered them
The word of the LORD came to me
saying
In that day shall your mouth be opened to
him which is escaped and you
shall speak and be no more dumb
and you shall be a sign to them,
and hey shall know that
I am the LORD
Jerusalem verse 2, 3, 6-9
rebellious house
bloody city
purged and not purged
filthiness
Ezekiel’s wife dies verse 18
People said to Ezekiel verse 19
Wilt you not tell us what these things
are to us- that you do so?
House of Israel verse 21
Ezekiel is a sign verse 24
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
In that day verse 27
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QUOTES regarding passage
This message was a prelude to the prophecy of 36:22–32, which predicted a final cleansing in the end time after Israel has returned to the land (vv. 11–12).
All God’s efforts to bring moral restoration through the ministry of the prophets had proven fruitless (v. 13). Therefore God announced that the time to act had come. He would not restrain judgment (v. 14); he would have no pity, nor would he relent.
God especially condemned Judah for callous disregard for the sanctity of human life (24:1–14). This indifference to human life was evident in the proliferation of crimes of violence and the lack of compassion for the innocent victims of those crimes. The severe judgment sent by God upon Judah should be ample warning to those today who share the same callous disregard for the value of human life, both the born and the unborn. (Cooper, L. E. (1994). Ezekiel (Vol. 17, p. 237). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
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9–14 The second verdict—speech continued the interpretation and expansion by emphasizing Jerusalem’s purification through the judgment. Through the intense heat of the fire, the meat boiled till only the bones remained and were charred (vv.9–10). On completion of this intense boiling (the siege), the contents were removed (deportation into exile) and the empty “pot” placed on the fire till it became red hot and “its heavy deposits” (Filthiness of bloodshed) were melted and consumed (vv.11–12). God would cleanse his holy city Jerusalem. He had previously cleansed her (most likely in reference to the deportation of 605 b.c. and 597 b.c.), but she was still unclean. She had become dirty and rusty again with the filthiness of her bloodshed (v.13a). But the Lord’s fire of judgment would now accomplish a complete work so that Jerusalem would be purified, but not till God caused his wrath on Jerusalem to cease (v.13b). Ezekiel’s entire prophecy implies that God’s wrath will cease and Israel will be cleansed completely when God begins to restore Israel to the land of Canaan in the end time (cf. 36:22–32).
This message was certain. God had spoken, he would do what he had said. He would not neglect this righteous judgment, for he was just. He spared no one in pity nor would he be sorry for anyone, for Jerusalem would receive the just due of her wicked deeds (v.14). (Alexander, R. H. (1986). Ezekiel. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel (Vol. 6, pp. 860–861). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
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God had tried to cleanse His people from their impurities but they resisted all such efforts. Therefore they would experience the purifying work of God’s wrath. God’s patience had run out; the time had come for Him to judge. He would not hold back or have pity. God’s mercy prompts Him to withhold judgment as long as possible to enable people to repent (cf. 2 Peter 3:8–10), but He does not wait indefinitely. A time comes when God punishes wickedness. (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. 1274). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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This chapter closes the section of the book that focuses on the destruction of Jerusalem (chapters 4–24) and it is divided into two parts: a parable about a boiling pot (24:1–14) and an “action sermon” involving the sudden death of the prophet’s wife (vv. 15–27). After that, Ezekiel deals with God’s judgment on the Gentile nations (chaps. 25–32) and His glorious promises for the people of Israel (chaps. 33–48). (Wiersbe, W. W. (2000). Be reverent (p. 114). Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor/Cook Communications.)
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The Jerusalem leaders were confident of deliverance because they were depending on a lie: “Our God will never allow His chosen people to be killed, His holy city and temple to be destroyed.” This was a delusion, and Ezekiel put an end to it. It was because the Jews were His chosen people that God was punishing them, and because Jerusalem was His holy city that He couldn’t allow it to continue wallowing in wickedness. The only way to purge the city was to burn it and make it a great funeral pyre (Ezek. 24:9–10). He judged the people in the city (the “select pieces of meat in the pot”) and then burned the pot as well!
Both Jeremiah and Ezekiel had to deal with the false confidence of the people, a confidence based on a false interpretation of theology. Jeremiah warned Judah, “Do not trust in these lying words, saying, ‘The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord are these’ ” (Jer. 7:4, nkjv). The presence of the temple in Jerusalem wasn’t a guarantee that the city would be saved, especially when what was going on in the temple was contrary to the will of God. Any theology that makes sin easy and divine punishment unimportant is not biblical theology. God’s judgment begins with His own people (1 Peter 4:17), and Hebrews 10:30 warns us that “the Lord will judge His people” (nkjv).
Our world today lives on delusions and myths because, like the Jews in Ezekiel’s day, the world won’t accept the authority of the Word of God. People still believe that might makes right, that money is the measure of worth and success, that the aim of life is to have fun and do what you want to do. You can believe whatever you please about God, yourself, and others, and everything will turn out fine because there are no consequences. But one day God will expose the stupidity of these delusions and the world will discover too late that there are consequences to what we believe and how we behave. (Wiersbe, W. W. (2000). Be reverent (pp. 115–116). Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor/Cook Communications.)
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She had wearied herself with lies in her effort to cover her infamy and hide her shame, but all was of no avail. So manifest was her corruption that her filthiness and lewdness could not be purged or cleansed away until she had endured the fury of the Lord which her guilt deserved. (Ironside, H. A. (1949). Expository notes on Ezekiel, the prophet. (p. 163). Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers.)
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Ver. 12. She hath wearied herself with lies, &c.] With serving idols, which were lying vanities; by trusting to the alliances of neighbouring nations, which deceived her; or by committing sin, in which there was no satisfaction; or it may be understood of wearying of God with their sins, and particularly with her lying promises of repentance and reformation: and her great scum went not forth out of her; notwithstanding her promises; or notwithstanding the admonitions given, and the chastisements inflicted on her, yet she continued hardened in her sins, impenitent and unreformed: her scum shall be in the fire; like a pot that boils over, its scum falls into the fire, and is consumed there; and in no other way, but by the fire of divine judgments, or the burning of the city, could the wickedness thereof be consumed. The Targum is, “and they shall not go out of her that work iniquity; in the fire shall she be burnt, because of the multitude of her sins.” (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 6, p. 127). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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24:25-27. When the news of Jerusalem’s fall reached the exiles, the prophet’s mouth would be opened; he would no longer be silent. Ezekiel had been commanded to remain silent before his fellow exiles except to pronounce the prophecies God gave him (cf. 3:25-27). His part-time dumbness would end when the prophecies he had delivered were confirmed (cf. 33:21-22). (Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary. (1985). The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Eze 24:25–27). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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24:25–27 Ezekiel was not to utter any more prophecies to Judah until a fugitive brought him the news that their stronghold had fallen. That event is recorded in 33:21, 22. The intervening chapters, 25–32, are prophecies to Gentile nations, not to Judah. (MacDonald, W. (1995). Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments (A. Farstad, Ed.) (Eze 24:25–27). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.)
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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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Israel demands a king from the Lord.
INSIGHT
The Lord intends to rule Israel by theocracy, which means that God will rule through a man who will be His spokesman. In rejecting this method, the Israelites are not rejecting Samuel but God. To be sure there is a problem with Samuel’s sons not walking after the Lord, but rather than ask God for another theocratic administrator, they demand a monarchy. In seeking to correct a legitimate problem, they make matters worse because their motives are wrong. They have a selfish desire for a king like the nations around them.
When we see legitimate problems, we must be careful that we do not demand wrong solutions. There is no substitute for pure motives when it comes to problem solving.
(Quiet Walk)
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Build Yourself Up
“But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.” (Jude 1:20-21)
The New Testament relationship of the twice-born to the eternal condition is compared to a “building” of God (Ephesians 2:22) made up of “lively stones” (1 Peter 2:5). Thus, there is often the exhortation for us to build a holy association with each other (Romans 14:19) and to seek to build a strong assembly as we work together (Ephesians 4:16).
Each of the many references uses some combination of descriptive preposition or adjective along with the term for house. The general application assumes that since we will be “housed” together in eternity, we should seek to be building that house while on Earth. Even those who are in authority in the “house of God” (1 Timothy 3:15) are to be focused on building that house (Ephesians 4:11-12).
Jude addresses the individual. He presumes we are aware that we are “built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets” with “Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone” (Ephesians 2:20). Even with a “wise masterbuilder” like Paul to give us inspired instructions (1 Corinthians 3:10), we need to be very careful how we build on the foundation that Jesus Christ has laid for us. Our work can be “gold, silver, and precious stones, wood, hay, [or] stubble,” and will be evaluated by the “fire” of God’s timeless judgment (1 Corinthians 3:12-13).
The construction of the building—both the larger house and the individual “lively stones” that make up the house—are to be built up on the “most holy faith.” Once the foundation has been laid by Jesus Christ, we are to be “rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving” (Colossians 2:7). (HMM III, Institute for Creation Research)
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On Sunday May 12th, between 20 and 30 gunmen entered a Catholic church during Mass in Dablo, Burkina Faso, and started shooting the congregation. Six people, including Father Simeon Yampa, were killed. The attackers then set fire to the church with some worshipers still inside.
Probably 95 percent of Americans couldn’t find Burkina Faso on a map. But that doesn’t make what’s happening to Christians there any less serious or any less deserving of our attention.
In fact, this was the second such attack on a church in the region in two weeks. The Sunday after Easter, “gunmen on motorbikes” attacked a Pentecostal church in a neighboring province, killing the pastor, Pierre Ouédraogo and five worshipers.
Burkina Faso, which was called Upper Volta until 1984, was not a particularly dangerous place for Christians until just a few years ago. While Christians are only a quarter of the population, the country, unlike other Muslim-majority nations, hasn’t been ranked on lists like Open Door’s.
As the Christian Post put it, “Although Burkina Faso is a majority-Muslim country . . . religious groups have largely coexisted peacefully there.”
These recent attacks owe their origins to neighboring Mali, a nation that is on the Open Doors list. Since 2012, Mali has been locked in a series of conflicts pitting the central government against Islamist and Islamist-backed forces.
Even after the initial conflict was put down by the French military, jihadis have continued to operate in Mali, which has been characterized as “fragile,” with “…weak state legitimacy leaving citizens vulnerable to a range of shocks.” In this case, the violence in Mali has spilled over into Burkina Faso in the form of Islamist attacks on not only Christians but also those deemed insufficiently Muslim.
After killing Father Yampa and his parishioners, the attackers “destroyed all places serving alcohol,” as part of an ongoing campaign to establish a so-called “caliphate” in the part of Africa between the Sahara and the rain forests of Central Africa. (BreakPoint Daily Commentary)
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A RIGHT CONCEPTION OF GOD
Hallowed be thy name. Luke 11:2
When the disciples came to our Lord and said, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples,” He replied, “When ye pray say, Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name” (Luke 11:1-2). You must start, said our Lord, with a right conception of God. Now is this not where we all tend to go astray? So often our initial error and trouble is that our ideas of God are so loose. Let us be quite frank and honest about this. Most of us, before we listen to Jesus Christ, rather feel that we are in a position even to criticize God: “Why should God….? Why this? Why that?” We are, we think, the judges even where God is concerned.
Now what our Lord tells us at the beginning is, “Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground” (Exodus 3:5). Can you imagine God, can you picture Him? God is utterly and absolutely holy, so much so that we cannot imagine Him, eternal in His holiness and His absolute perfection.
That is what our Lord taught about God, and we must start there. We have to realize that if to know God is the first essential thing in rest and peace, we must begin by knowing something of His nature and character, and that is what our Lord always taught about Him. Take His own attitude toward the Father. Look at the time He spent in prayer; observe the way in which He was always careful to say that He did nothing of Himself, that the works He did were those the Father had given Him to do, and that all the words He spoke were those that the Father gave Him.
A Thought to Ponder: You must start, said our Lord, with a right conception of God.
(From The Heart of the Gospel, pp. 173-174, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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This is an affirmation of His deity, and with it, His transcendence, holiness, and judgment. The Savior has become the Judge; the intercessor becomes the executioner. (p. 109)
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HE demands a church that won’t tolerate false teaching and immorality. (110)
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The congregation at Thyatira had succumbed to some sort of first-century feminism and abdicated some level of influence in the church to a woman, contrary to the clear principle set forth by the apostle Paul in I Timothy 2:12: “I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man.’ (p. 110)
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Baal was a Canaanite god associated with rainstorms and fertility; the ritual of his worship included self-mutilation and perverse orgies. Israel had been guilty of worshiping Baal in the past, but under Jezebel and Ahab, it became an officially sanctioned religion. As a result, Jezebel’s name became synonymous with the worst evils of false religion, as well as the corruption of God’s people. (p. 111)
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The false notion that salvation is simply a function of mental assent still plagues the church. Gnostic teachings allowed for a radical disjunction between what people say they believe and how they live their lives. That same inconsistency is pandemic in the church today. Countless people in supposedly evangelical churches believe they are saved simply because they walked an aisle and prayed a prayer to “receive Christ.” (p. 113)
(Christ’s Call TO REFORM the Church by John MacArthur)
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