Ezekiel 25
LORD commands judgment against Ammonites verse 1- 2
The word of the LORD came again unto me – saying
Son of man – set you face against the Ammonites
and prophesy against them
Reason for judgment: Cheering profaning of Temple verse 3- 5
AND say to the Ammonites
Hear the word of the Lord GOD
Thus says the Lord GOD
BECAUSE you say – AHA – against MY sanctuary
when it was profaned
and against the land of Israel
when it is desolate
and against the house of Judah
when they went into captivity
BEHOLD – THEREFORE I will deliver you
to the men of the east for a possession
and they shall set their palaces in you
and make their dwellings in you
they shall eat your fruit
and they shall drink your milk
And I will make Rabbah a stable for camels
and the Ammonites a couching place for flocks
and you shall KNOW THAT I AM THE LORD
Reason for judgment: Clapped their hands verse 6- 7
For thus says the Lord GOD
BECAUSE you have clapped your hands – and stamped with the feet
and rejoiced in heart with all your despite against the
land of Israel
BEHOLD – THEREFORE I will stretch out MINE hand upon you
and will deliver you for a spoil to the heathen
and I will cut you off from the people
and I will cause you to perish out of the countries
I will destroy you
And you shall KNOW THAT I AM THE LORD
LORD commands judgment against Moabites verse 8- 11
Thus says the Lord GOD
BECAUSE that Moab and Seir do say
BEHOLD – the house of Judah is like to all the heathen
THEREFORE – BEHOLD
I will open the side of Moab from the cities
from his cities which are on his frontiers
the glory of the country
Beth-jeshimoth – Baal-meon – Kiriathaim
unto the men of the east with the Ammonites
and will give them in possession
that the Ammonites may not be remembered
among the nations
And I will execute judgments upon Moab
and they SHALL KNOW THAT I AM THE LORD
LORD commands judgment on Edom verse 12- 14
Thus says the Lord GOD
BECAUSE that Edom has dealt against the house of Judah
by taking vengeance – and has greatly offended
and revenged himself upon them
THEREFORE thus says the Lord GOD
I will also stretch out MINE hand upon Edom
and will cut off man and beast from it
I will make it desolate from Teman
and they of Dedan shall fall by the sword
I will lay MY vengeance upon Edom by the hand of
MY people Israel and they shall do in Edom
according to MINE anger
and according to MY fury
And they SHALL KNOW MY VENGEANCE
says the Lord GOD
LORD commands judgment on Philistines verse 15- 17
Thus says the Lord GOD
BECAUSE the Philistines have dealt by revenge
and have taken vengeance with a despiteful heart
to destroy it for the old hatred
THEREFORE thus says the Lord GOD
BEHOLD – I will stretch out MINE hand
upon the Philistines
and I will cut off the Cherethims
and destroy the remnant of the sea coast
And I will execute great vengeance upon them
with furious rebukes
And they SHALL KNOW THAT I AM THE LORD
WHEN I shall lay MY vengeance upon them
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 3 And say unto the Ammonites, Hear the word of the Lord GOD; Thus says the Lord GOD; Because you say, Aha, against MY sanctuary, when it was profaned; and against the land of Israel, when it was desolate; and against the house of Judah, when they went into captivity; (4720 “sanctuary” [miqdash] means holy place, chapel, hallowed part, sacred place, of the temple, of the tabernacle, something consecrated, or clean.)
DEVOTION: We have to remember that the Ammonites were descendants of Lot the nephew of Abraham. These are children of his daughter who caused their father to be drink and then had sexual relations with him. These descendants were relatives of the Israelites that treated them poorly.
The children of Israel were supposed to conquer them but they lived with them as well as many people who had lived in the Promised Land. The LORD wanted them completed destroyed because HE knew that they would influence the children of Israel to worship false gods. It happened!
Now they were rejoicing over the fall of the Israelites. They were helping the enemy catch and kill the Israelites. The LORD told Ezekiel to prophecy what was going to happen to them in the near future.
One of the sins of the Ammonites was the fact that they rejoiced over the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. They were having a party and the LORD didn’t appreciate their actions.
Today we have a mixture of groups in the human church. Some of those who are in this category find no problem with some of the social changes in our society. They might even enjoy some of the changes in the requirements for church membership and who can be pastors or leaders in the church today.
God has set down some guidelines that are to be required for those who serve in the position of pastor, deacon and elder. HE has also set some guidelines for all believers in the New Testament.
The group outside the church like the Ammonites were not to be allowed to serve in leadership positions or even be taken into membership in a local church. This has changed. The Ammonites were allowed to rejoice over the fall of Jerusalem. They were rejoicing over the Temple being destroyed.
Today we have people rejoicing over Christian principles being taken out of the courts, schools and society in general. They would like to see all the standards of the LORD taken out of society.
Just like the Ammonites there will be many groups who will be judged by the LORD. Their days are numbered.
CHALLENGE: Our churches should ones that honor the LORD. They should be holy places. All those in attendance should be true to the LORD in their spirit and in truth.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 6 For thus says the Lord GOD; Because you have clapped your hands, and stamped with the feet, and rejoiced in heart with all your despite against the land of Israel (8055 “rejoiced” [samach] means be merry, to gladden, to express great joy, rejoice arrogantly, exult, be elated, have a feeling or attitude of joy and happiness, or mirth)
DEVOTION: Our attitude is very important in the eyes of the LORD. If we don’t have the right attitude regarding something that is going on in our life or in the lives of other it might displease the LORD.
Here we find that the Ammonites toward the children of Israel when they were used to defeat them was something that was displeasing to the LORD. It is because of their attitude that the LORD judged them and sent them into a time of judgment.
We should never be happy when the LORD is dealing with someone in a time of rebuke for their attitude. If our attitude is wrong then HE will have to deal with us as well.
Our attitude should be one of compassion when someone or in this case a nation is going through a hard time. We should never rejoice when others are suffering according to the LORD.
We should be ones who are praying for individuals or groups that the LORD is judging to change their actions and attitude toward the LORD. If we pray for them the LORD will bless us for our actions. HE wants us to have compassion as HE has compassion on those who repenting of their sins.
Sin is something in each of our lives. We have to confess our sin and understand why the LORD has to deal with it in our lives and in the lives of others.
CHALLENGE: The LORD uses discipline to help us realize that we are wrong and need to change directions. If we change directions than HE can bless us instead of sending judgment.
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: 15 Thus says the Lord GOD; Because the Philistines have dealt by revenge, and have taken vengeance with a despiteful heart, to destroy it for the old hatred. (7589 “despiteful” [sh@’at] means contempt, malice, scorn, or state or condition of a feeling of hostility and strife toward an enemy)
DEVOTION: The Philistines were in the Promised Land when the Israelites came from Egypt. They were supposed to be destroyed but the children of Israel just made servants of them when they were strong.
The book of Judges shows a back and forth relationship between Israel and the Philistines. David defeated their giant in battle. There was always a feeling of hostility between the Israelites and the Philistines.
This verse instructs us that the Philistines treated Israel badly when the Babylonians attacked them. They thought they could get vengeance for all the times that Israel had put them in slavery.
They had nothing but malice toward Israel when they were trying to escape from the Babylonians. They wanted revenge. They had an old hatred. They didn’t want to get rid of their bitterness toward their neighbor.
We are told that we are to love our enemy. We are told that bitterness is a sin. We are told that when we face difficult circumstances we are to grow better rather than bitter.
There are many families, churches and communities that claim to be followers of the LORD but they are bitter toward someone around them. Some Christians want the worse for those who have treated them badly. There are even some Christians that find it hard to pray for those in authority who are using that authority to accomplish things that are against God’s Word.
They might even think that it is righteous anger or bitterness.
We are to be in the forgiving business. We are not to carry an old hatred. If we carry an old hatred from year to year, we are not honoring the LORD. Get rid of any bitterness in your life. We are not to act like the unsaved Philistines. We are to act like Christ. We are to say with HIM “Father forgive them for they know not what they are doing.” What is in your heart????
CHALLENGE: The LORD informed the disciples that if they were not willing to forgive the Father in heaven could not forgive them. Forgive those who hurt you. Then the LORD can forgive us for our sins which are many. This is a matter of fellowship for a believer not salvation.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 17 And I will execute great vengeance upon them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall lay my vengeance upon them. (5360 “vengeance” [naqamah] means avenge, revenge, requital, recompense, punish, or inflict retribution)
DEVOTION: The Bible instructs us in the fact that the LORD is the only one who should punish. In Roman 3: 5 the question is asked “Is God unrighteous who takes vengeance?” The answer is NO!!
The problem is that we don’t usually want to wait for the LORD to deal with those who hurt us. There are verses that state we should wait for the LORD: Hebrews 10: 30 and Psalm 94:1.
When the LORD deals with other nations regarding their treatment of Israel we wonder why. God has judged Israel because of their sin but HE doesn’t want others to hurt HIS people out of revenge. The nations of Ammon and Moab are condemned for not helping their relatives. They were descendants of Lot, Abraham’s nephew. They should have helped their cousins when they were being invaded by the Babylonians. However, they instead captured them and gave them to the Babylonians.
The last nation in this chapter was the Philistines which have been the enemies of Israel since they entered the land. The Israelites were commanded by the LORD to kill all the inhabitants of the Promised Land when they entered it. They disobeyed the LORD and only asked them for money. This caused the children of Israel to start worshiping their false gods which brought them into disfavor with the LORD. Obedience is a necessary ingredient with the LORD.
Now we find that even we are to not seek recompense on those who mistreat us. We are to leave them to the LORD. If a believer hurts us we are to turn it over to the church and if nothing happens we are to leave it with the LORD. If an unbeliever hurts us we are to turn them over to the LORD and let HIM deal with them in HIS time.
Our problem is that we think God should work faster on those who have hurt us. There are two time frames in our world: our time frame and God’s time frame. Which is better? God’s is better.
We have to deal with bitterness if we don’t trust the LORD to deal with those who hurt us. Bitterness is sin. God doesn’t want us bitter. If we find ourselves in this state we need to go to the LORD in confession and ask HIM to help us deal with this issue.
CHALLENGE: Leave all retribution in the hands of the LORD. Trust HIM to do what is right in HIS timing. We are to wait on the LORD!
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 3
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Word of the LORD verse 1
Word of the Lord GOD verse 3
Thus says the Lord GOD verse 3, 6, 8, 12, 13, 15, 16
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 1, 5, 7, 11, 17
Lord – Adonai (Owner, Master) verse 3, 6, 8, 12- 16
GOD – Jehovah verse 3, 6, 8, 12- 16
Lord GOD verse 3, 6, 8, 12- 16
I will deliver Ammonites to the men of the east verse 4
I will make Rabbah a stable for camels
and the Ammonites a couching place
for flocks verse 5
I am the LORD verse 5, 7, 11, 17
Because the Ammonites have clapped their
hands and stamped with their feet
and rejoiced in heart with all your
despite against the land of Israel
BEHOLD therefore I will stretch out
MINE hand on you, and will
deliver you for a spoil to the
heathen and I will cut you off
from the people and I will
cause you to perish out of the
countries I will cause you to
perish out of the countries
I will destroy you, and you
shall know that I am the LORD verse 6- 8
I will stretch out MINE hand verse 7, 13
Thus says the Lord God, Because that Moab
and Seir do say, Behold, the house of
Judah is like to all the heathen
Therefore behold I will open the side
of Moab from the cities from his cities
which are on his frontiers the glory of
the country, Beth-jeshimoth,
Baaalmeon and Kiriathaim unto the
men of the east with the Ammonites
and will give them in possession that
the Ammonites may not be remembered
among the nations and I will execute
judgments on Moab and they shall know
that I am the LORD verse 9- 11
Thus says the Lord God; Because that Edom
has dealt against the house of Judah
by taking vengeance and has greatly
offended, and revenged himself upon
them; therefore thus says the Lord
God; I will also stretch out MINE hand
upon Edom and will cut off man and
beast from it; and I will make it
desolate from Teman; and they of Dedan
shall fall by the sword and I will lay MY
vengeance upon Edom by the hand of
MY people Israel and they shall do in
Edom according to MINE anger and
according to MY fury; and they shall
know MY vengeance says the Lord
GOD verse 12-14
Thus says the Lord GOD; Because the
Philistines have dealt by revenge and have
taken vengeance with a despiteful heart, to
destroy it for the old hatred; therefore thus
says the Lord GOD; behold I will stretch out
MINE hand upon the Philistines and I will
cut off the Cherethims and destroy the
remnant of the sea coast. And I will execute
great vengeance upon them with furious
rebukes; and they shall know that I am the
LORD when I shall lay MY vengeance upon
them verse 15- 17
Mine anger verse 14
I will execute great vengeance verse 17
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)
Ammonites verse 2- 11
they shall set their palaces in Israel
they shall make their dwellings in Israel
they shall eat your fruit
they shall drink your milk
Rabbah verse 5
Heathen verse 7
Moab verse 9, 11
Bethjeshimoth verse 9
Baalmeon verse 9
Kiriathaim verse 9
Edom verse 12- 14
Teman verse 13
Dedan verse 13
Philistines verse 15- 17
Cherethims verse 16
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Profane sanctuary verse 3
Against God’s people verse 3
Clapped their hands at fall of Judah verse 6
Stamped feet at fall of Judah verse 6
Rejoiced in heart over fall of Judah verse 6
Revenge verse 15
Vengeance verse 15
Despiteful heart verse 15
Hatred verse 15
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Prophesy verse 2
Know the LORD verse 5, 7, 11, 17
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Son of man = Ezekiel verse 2- 17
Prophesy against the Ammonites
Tell them to hear the Word of the LORD
Land of Israel: desolate verse 3, 6
You shall know that I am the LORD verse 5
House of Judah – went into captivity verse 3, 12
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
Cause them to perish verse 7
Not be remembered among the nations verse 10
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QUOTES regarding passage
25:3 Next, Ezekiel reviewed their crimes. They said, “Aha!” over God’s sanctuary, an expression of malicious delight over the destruction of the temple and the fall of Jerusalem. They were pleased that Judah was ravaged and the people were carried captive to Babylon (v. 3). Earlier the prophet had condemned them for their open hostility and prophecies of doom against Judah (21:28–29; Heb 21:33–34).
These hostilities were not new. From the earliest days of Israel’s history, the relations with Ammon were unfriendly. In the days of the judges they harassed the tribes on the east of the Jordan and finally were crushed by Jephthah (Judg 10–11). Saul had defeated the Ammonites in the early days of the monarchy (1 Sam 11). Amos condemned them for their savagery in warfare (Amos 1:13–15) and predicted their ultimate destruction (Cooper, L. E. (1994). Ezekiel (Vol. 17, p. 246). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
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The accusation and verdict against Ammon are stated in two mini-speeches (vv.3–5 and vv.6–7), the content of each being essentially the same. Ammon was accused of expressing satisfaction over the misfortune of Judah, her enemy and rival (v.3b). This was clearly shown by the interjection heʾāḥ (“Aha!” cf. 26:2; 36:2). The Ammonites had clapped their hands and stamped their feet in joyous contempt (v.6; cf. comments at 6:11) over the temple’s defilement (cf. 24:21), the desolation of the land of Judah, and the captivity of the Judean people by Babylonia (v.3b); cf. 2 Kings 24:2; Jer 49:1; Zeph 2:8–10).
Ezekiel announced the verdict with his customary particle “therefore” (lāḵēn; vv.4, 7). God was ready to give the Ammonites as a possession to the “people of the East,” who would exploit the land of Ammon by settling down in it and eating the produce of that country (vv.4, 7a). The desolation of the land would be symbolized by the use of Rabbah, their capital, as a pasture for camels and the use of the land of the children of Ammon for a resting place of flocks (v.7b). The “people of the East” are not identified specifically anywhere in Scripture. The phrase was used to refer to any peoples living east of another people. However, the immediate context, parallel passages (mentioned above), and ancient history all argue for the designation of Babylonia as Ezekiel’s contemporary people of the East. Moreover, Josephus (Antiq., X, 180–81 [ix.7]) recorded that Nebuchadnezzar brought Ammon and Moab into subjection in the fifth year after the Fall of Jerusalem (c. 582/581 b.c.).
Ezekiel’s proclamation of God’s continuing purpose for judgment was not changed in his announcement of judgment on Ammon. God desired that this discipline would cause the Ammonites to know that he was the Lord, the God of Israel, the only true God (vv.5, 7). (Alexander, R. H. (1986). Ezekiel. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel (Vol. 6, p. 865). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
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The Ammonites, Moabites, and Edomites were all blood relatives of the Jews. The Ammonites and Moabites were related to Israel through Lot, Abraham’s nephew. Ammon and Moab were the two sons born out of the incestuous union of Lot and two of his daughters (Gen. 19:29–38). Edom is another name for Jacob’s twin brother Esau (Ezek. 25:13; Edom means “red”), and Jacob fathered the twelve tribes of Israel. You would think that nations related by blood would be supportive of one another, but these three nations had a long-standing hatred against Israel and kept the feud going. (Wiersbe, W. W. (2000). Be reverent (p. 120). Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor/Cook Communications.)
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It will be remembered that the Ammonites were descended from Ammon, who was one of the illegitimate sons of Lot, the result of his incestuous relation with his own daughter, who had plied him with liquor until he fell into a drunken stupor and knew not what he was doing. The Ammonites, therefore, were in a certain sense related to the people of Israel; though that relationship was a most disgraceful one. They evidently realized that they were looked upon by Israel with a measure of contempt, because we find them from early days numbered among the enemies of God’s people.
Ezekiel was commanded to set his face against these children of Ammon and prophesy against them. They had, in their supercilious pride, sneered at the sanctuary of Jehovah, and delighted in its profanation; they rejoiced when it was made desolate, and gloried in seeing the people of God go into captivity. God is never an unconcerned witness of such conduct as this on the part of the enemies of His people. He may see fit to deal with them in chastisement because of their failures, but He will not tolerate ridicule on the part of their enemies. And so in this instance He was about to deliver the Ammonites also to the children of the East for a possession: that is, they, too, were to be overrun by the Chaldeans and their armies completely defeated. Many of their people would be carried into captivity, and their great cities would become desolate; even Rabbah, which from ancient times had been recognized as their capital, would be but a stable for camels, a couching-place for flocks. Thus by bitter experience the Ammonites would be made to realize God’s indignation. Because of the way they had rejoiced when they saw His judgments falling on the land of Israel, they, too, would be delivered for a spoil to the nations and would be cut off from the peoples: that is, they would cease to be recognized as an independent dominion. Ammon was to be utterly destroyed because of the indignation of the Lord. (Ironside, H. A. (1949). Expository notes on Ezekiel, the prophet. (pp. 170–171). Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers.)
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Ver. 3. And say unto the Ammonites, &c.] Either to their ambassadors at Babylon, or merchants there; or by letters to them, the prophet being in Chaldea, at a distance from them: hear the word of the Lord God; not Chemosh their idol, nor their lying oracles, but the word of the true and living God; which is always accomplished, and is never frustrated: thus saith the Lord God, because thou saidst, aha, against my sanctuary, when it was profaned; that is, expressed joy, as the Targum paraphrases it, at the destruction of the temple, when it was burnt by Nebuchadnezzar; it was foreknown by the Lord that they would do so, and are here threatened before-hand; for as yet the temple was not destroyed; a proof this of God’s prescience of future contingencies: and against the land of Israel, when it was desolate; the country of the ten tribes, which had been desolate from the sixth of Hezekiah, when the people of it were carried captive by Salmaneser king of Assyria; this also was matter of joy to the Ammonites: and against the house of Judah, when they went into captivity; the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin, who were carried captive by Nebuchadnezzar; part of which had already been carried captive under Jeconiah, and the rest would be, and were, under Zedekiah; which completed the destruction of Israel and Judah, and gave the utmost pleasure to their enemies the Ammonites; who were so impious as to rejoice at the destruction of their temple, the place of their religious worship, which they abhorred; and so inhuman as to express the delight and satisfaction they had in the ruin of their fellow-creatures and neighbours, and who were originally related to them; this brutish and barbarous behaviour of theirs is resented by the Lord. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 6, p. 130). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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The verb qādaš in the Qal connotes the state of that which belongs to the sphere of the sacred. Thus it is distinct from the common or profane. In the Piel and Hiphil it connotes the act by which the distinction is effected. It is a denominative verb.
The suggestion that the root qdš is derived from an original biliteral qd (“cut”) is attractive but tenuous in view of the uncertainties surrounding the transmission of biliteral roots to the triliteral form. The meaning “to separate” is favored by many scholars, but the fact that qdš rarely, if ever, occurs in a secular sense makes any positive conclusion in this regard difficult because of the limited evidence on which to base philological comparison.
The word occurs in several dialects of Akkadian with the basic meanings “to be clean, pure, consecrated.” In the Canaanite texts from Ugarit, the basic meaning of the word group is “holy,” and it is always used in a cultic sense.
A definitive use of the term occurs in Num 16:38 [H 17:3]. The censers of the Korahites were regarded as holy because they had been devoted to the Lord. They were thus regarded as having entered the sphere of the sacred by virtue of cultic ritual (v. 17 [H 16:18]) and were accorded a special place in the sanctuary. The devotion of the censers seems to have created a condition of inviolable holiness that could not allow for their being treated in a common way. It seems best to see the root qdš as serving to delineate the sphere of the “holy.”
In the Qal the verb qādaš is used most frequently to describe the state of consecration effected by Levitical ritual. In Ex 29:21, 37; 30:29 certain articles used in the Levitical service were consecrated to God and were thus recognized as belonging to the realm of the sacred. Transmission of the state of holiness to anything that touched a person or object so consecrated (Ex 29:37; 30:29; Lev 6:18 [H 11], 27 [H 20]) does not necessarily imply that a transferable divine energy exists in the “holy.” Rather, it seems that the person or object entered the state of holiness in the sense of becoming subject to cultic restrictions, as were other holy persons or objects, in order to avoid diffusion of the sacred and the profane (cf. the state of holiness of the priesthood [Lev 21:1–8] and the strictures applied to a garment accidentally sprinkled with the blood of the sin offering [Lev 6:27, [H 20]).
In the Piel the word is used most frequently of the act of consecration. In Ex 19:23 the consecration of Mt. Sinai by establishing boundaries around it served to keep out all that might have profaned God’s holy presence.
The ethical connotations of the concepts of holiness find their basis in the proscriptions against diffusing the realms of the sacred and the profane (Lev 22:32).
In the Niphal the verb qādaš may connote the concept “to prove one’s holiness.” God proves his holiness by judging sin (Lev 10:3; cf. 1–2; Num 20:13; Ezk 28:2). His holiness is also demonstrated in his adherence to his promises (Ezk 20:41; 28:25; 39:27). (Mccomiskey, T. E. (1999). 1990 קָדַשׁ. R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (electronic ed., pp. 786–787). Chicago: Moody Press.)
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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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Countless people in supposed evangelical churches believe they are saved simply because they walked an aisle and prayed a prayer to “receive Christ.” They are assured of their salvation regardless of how (or whether) their supposed salvation manifests itself in their lives. Proponents of such easy-believism make the same fundamental error as the Gnostics: if you say you believe the right things, it doesn’t matter how you live. The result is a false assurance of salvation that tragically leads many people to hell. (p. 113 Christ’s Call TO REFORM the Church by John MacArthur)
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A bill that would prevent the government from targeting Chick-fil-A and other businesses for their donations to religious organizations passed the Texas state House Monday and appears set to become law.
The bill, SB 1978, gained momentum in the legislature after San Antonio’s City Council voted 6-4 in March to exclude Chick-fil-A from the airport, in part due to the company’s donations to the Salvation Army and Fellowship of Christian Athletes, as Christian Headlines previously reported. The website Think Progress claimed the organizations had a history of “anti-LGBT discrimination.”
The bill would prevent such a scenario.
“A governmental entity may not take any adverse action against any person based wholly or partly on the person’s membership in, affiliation with, or contribution, donation, or other support provided to a religious organization,” the bill’s text says.
It passed the House, 79-62, and needs to clear only minor hurdles before it is sent to the desk of Republican Gov. Greg Abbott. Republicans control both chambers.
“What we want to make sure is if you donate to the Salvation Army, you won’t be labeled as a bigoted,” said GOP Rep. Matt Krause, the bill’s sponsor, according toThe Dallas Morning News.
Democratic Rep. Mary Gonzalez, an openly LGBT member, urged her colleagues to oppose the bill.
“We can’t discriminate against one in order to protect the other,” Gonzalez said. “The scariest part of this bill … is the individuals who will take this bill and use your vote for this bill to perpetuate hate.”
The traditional group Texas Values supported the bill. The organization also set up a website, SaveChickFilA.com, encouraging its supporters to contact House and Senate members about the bill.
“No Texas business or individual should ever be punished for practicing their faith,” Texas Values said on the website.
Jonathan Saenz, president of Texas Values, said the legislature has “an opportunity to hold the San Antonio City Council accountable” and “make it clear that you should not discriminate based on religious beliefs.” (Christian Headlines)
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God instructs Samuel to anoint Saul as the first king over Israel.
INSIGHT
The sovereignty of God is a difficult concept to keep in balance. Often we find ourselves making too much or too little of it.
It is true, however, that many of the events in our lives, which seem to come at random with no significance, are actually events that the Lord is using to orchestrate His purpose in our lives.
For example, Saul goes looking for donkeys and ends up discovering that he will be king of Israel. We should always bathe our daily activities in prayer, for we never know what the Lord might be preparing for us. (Quiet Walk)
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THE PLACE OF THE MIND
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. Matthew 11:29
I am not suggesting that the gospel is irrational, nor am I simply proclaiming that because it is miraculous and supernatural it is therefore unreasonable. Not at all! What I am saying is that we are here entering a realm that we cannot enter by reason alone. It is not unreasonable, but it transcends reason. It is not unreasonable for me to believe that when God acts, I cannot understand Him; and that is precisely what we are confronted with when we come to the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Let no one imagine, therefore, that the teaching is that we just leave our intellects outside when we come into the house of God and abandon ourselves in a passive state to any feeling that may come or to any kind of emotion. Far from it! But we do say that when God does something, we must accept it as being supernatural and miraculous, and we must not, therefore, be surprised when we find that it is so.
We must believe and accept what God has done and then proceed to understand. To me the argument comes in this way: As a human being in this world I have been conscious of the need of rest. I have used my mind and my reason, I have listened to the world and its teaching and all its philosophies, but I find that they cannot give me rest and I am at the end of my tether. Then I am here confronted with a new offer that says, “Listen to this.” I say it is reasonable to listen, and the moment I do so, I begin to find that what Christ has to say is indeed essentially different.
A Thought to Ponder: We are here entering a realm that we cannot enter by reason alone. It is not unreasonable, but it transcends reason. (From The Heart of the Gospel, p. 183, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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Sit Still
“Then said she, Sit still, my daughter, until thou know how the matter will fall: for the man will not be in rest, until he have finished the thing this day.” (Ruth 3:18)
This was the instruction given to Ruth by Naomi in hopes that her kinsman, Boaz, would be willing to perform his family duty and marry Ruth, whose Jewish husband had died in Moab. Ruth’s behavior had been honorable, and she had done what she could to let Boaz know she was willing to be his wife, but now she could do nothing except to sit still and wait.
This lesson needs to be remembered by Christians today. All too often we rush ahead of the Lord, fearful that things won’t work out unless we take matters into our own hands. When the Jews were being invaded by the Assyrian armies and felt they needed an alliance with Pharaoh, God warned: “The Egyptians shall help in vain, and to no purpose: therefore have I cried concerning this, Their strength is to sit still. . . . In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength” (Isaiah 30:7-15).
Long before, when the children of Israel were in even more desperate circumstances, with the Egyptian armies pursuing them and the Red Sea in front of them, Moses had said: “Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD” (Exodus 14:13). Soon, Pharaoh’s chariots were at the bottom of the sea, just as, in due time, Boaz did marry Ruth, and as, 600 years later, the hosts of the Assyrians were slain by the angel of the Lord (Isaiah 37:36).
There is, certainly, a time to work—and work hard—in the service of the Lord. There are spiritual battles to be fought and races to be run. But when we have done the best we know how, according to the Scriptures, and still don’t see the answer, there comes a time when we must simply sit still, and wait for the Lord. He would have us “be still, and know that [He is] God” (Psalm 46:10). (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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Oscar writes (HI): I wanted to share an important lesson I learned as a young 2nd Lieutenant: Sometimes life gives you lemons and sometimes it gives you a pepper spray shot straight to the eyes.
When that happens, a traumatic experience ensues; one with a pain so severe that most contaminated individuals experience a debilitating and intense burning sensation. Your eyes slam shut, the mucous membranes in your eyes, mouth, ears, and nose become uncontrollably inflamed. You experience temporary blindness and you cough frantically as you struggle to breathe. Some even fall to their knees, unable to keep moving. What you learn going through such an experience is, if you resolve to do so, you can overcome more than you know. You can accomplish specific objectives if you concentrate and push through the pain. You learn that in the midst of all that pain, you have friends, colleagues, and family that will pick you up when you fall and help point you in the right direction when you can barely see the way.
No matter what you are going through, never forget that it is temporary and that you are never alone. You are stronger than you know. If you ever need help and if the situation ever seems helpless, all you need to do is call.
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