Ezekiel 33
Individual responsibility taught verse 1- 6
Again the word of the LORD came unto me – saying
Son of man – speak to the children of thy people
and say unto them
WHEN I bring the sword come upon the land
IF the people of the land take a man of their coasts
and set him for their watchman
IF when he sees the sword come upon the land
he blow the trumpet – and warn the people
THEN whosoever hears the sound of the trumpet
and takes not warning
IF the sword come – and take him away
his blood shall be upon his own head
he heard the sound of the trumpet
and took not warning
his blood shall be upon him
BUT he that takes warning shall deliver his soul
BUT IF the watchman sees the sword come
and blow not the trumpet
and the people be not warned
IF the sword come – and take any person from among them
he is taken away in his iniquity
BUT his blood will I require at the
watchman’s hand
Ezekiel’s responsibility: Give LORD’S message verse 7- 9
So you – O son of man – I have set you a watchman
unto the house of Israel
THEREFORE you shall hear the word at MY mouth
and warn them from ME
WHEN I say unto the wicked – O wicked man – you shall surely die
IF you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way
that wicked man shall die in his iniquity
BUT his blood will I require at your hand
NEVERTHELESS
IF you warn the wicked of his way to turn from it
IF he do not turn from his way
he shall die in his iniquity
BUT you have delivered your soul
Message of repentance verse 10- 11
THEREFORE – O you son of man – speak unto the house of Israel
Thus you speak saying
IF our transgressions and our sins be upon us and
we pine away in them
HOW SHOULD WE THEN LIVE?
Say unto them – As I live – says the Lord GOD
I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked
BUT that the wicked turn from his way and live
turn ye – turn ye from your evil ways
FOR WHY will you die – O house of Israel?
Message to the Righteous verse 12- 13
THEREFORE – you son of man
say to the children of your people
The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the
day of his transgression
as for the wickedness of the wicked
he shall not fall thereby in the day that
he turns from his wickedness
Neither shall the righteous be able to live for his
righteousness in the day that he sins
WHEN I shall say to the righteous – that he shall surely live
IF he trust to his own righteousness – and commit iniquity
all his righteousness shall not be remembered
BUT for his iniquity that he has committed
he shall die for it
Message to the Wicked verse 14- 16
AGAIN – WHEN I say unto the wicked
You shall surely die
IF he turn from his sin – and do that which
is lawful and right
IF the wicked restore the pledge
give again that he had robbed
walk in the statutes of life
without committing iniquity
He shall surely live – he shall not die
none of his sins that he has committed
shall be mentioned to him
he has done that which is lawful and right
he shall surely live
Excuse of the people verse 17- 20
Yet the children of your people say
The way of the Lord is not equal
BUT as for them – their way is not equal
WHEN the righteous turn from his righteousness
and commit iniquity
he shall even die thereby
BUT IF the wicked turn from his wickedness
and do that which is lawful and right
he shall live thereby
Yet you say – The way of the Lord is not equal
O house of Israel
I will judge you every one after his ways
Escaped representative of Jerusalem verse 21- 22
AND it came to pass in the 10/5/12 of our captivity
that one that had escaped out of Jerusalem came unto me
saying
The city is smitten
Now the hand of the LORD was upon me in the evening afore
he that was escaped came – and had opened my mouth
until he came to me in the morning
and my mouth was opened
and I was no more dumb
Ezekiel given message for those in Jerusalem verse 23- 26
THEN the word of the LORD came unto me
Saying
Son of man – they that inhabit those wastes of the
land of Israel speak – saying
Abraham was one – and he inherited the land
BUT we are many the land is given us for inheritance
WHEREFORE say unto them – thus says the Lord GOD
You eat with the blood – and lift up your eyes toward your idols
and shed blood – and shall you possess the land?
You stand upon your sword – you work abomination
you defile every one his neighbor’s wife
and shall you possess the land?
Message of judgment of sin verse 27- 29
Say you thus to them
Thus says the Lord GOD
As I live – surely they that are in the wastes shall fall by the sword
and him that is in the open field will I give
to the beasts to be devoured
and they that be in the forts and in the caves
shall die of the pestilence
FOR I will lay the land most desolate
and the pomp of her strength shall cease
And the mountains of Israel shall be desolate
that none shall pass through
THEN SHALL THEY KNOW THAT I AM THE LORD
WHEN I have laid the land most desolate because of
all their abominations which they have committed
People consider Ezekiel entertainment verse 30- 33
Also you son of man
the children of your people still are talking against you
by the walls – and in the doors of the houses
and speak one to another
every one to his brother – saying
Come – I pray you
and hear what is the word that comes
forth from the LORD
And they come unto you as the people comes
and they sit before you as MY people
and they hear your words
BUT they will not do them
for with their mouth they show much love
BUT their heart goes after their covetousness
AND – lo – you are unto them as a very lovely song of one that
has a pleasant voice – and can play well on an instrument
FOR they hear your words – but they do them not
AND when this comes to pass (lo – it will come)
THEN they shall know that a prophet has been among them
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believer
: 6 But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned, if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand. (6822 “watchman” [tsaphah] means a guard who keeps watch, observe attentively, spy, to look out or about, guard or scan)
DEVOTION: The main responsibility of a watchman is to see if there is trouble coming to a place and warn those who are there that it is coming. There should be no sleeping on the job. There should always be someone there that can keep a good eye out for trouble.
Today we need people to realize that they are watchmen for their own personal relationship to the LORD and to their families if they have one. However, we find that too many people are only concerned about themselves instead of taking time to help others who need to make wise decisions in their lives.
Here we find that the LORD is telling Ezekiel that he is a watchman for the children of Israel and needs to warn them that they are headed in the wrong direction. If they listen to him then they can be saved from captivity or death. However, it doesn’t end there. People need to know that if they don’t follow the LORD, they will face judgment in the future. Those who have the ability to warn and don’t will be judged for their bad behavior toward others.
We need to realize as this warning states that all believers are watchmen for their friends and family and need to warn them if we see trouble coming. The trouble we are to warn them of is an eternity in hell if they don’t make a proper decision regarding a relationship with the LORD.
Remember that even believers are going to stand before the LORD and give an account of their lives. Blessings will only come for our good service to the LORD and not for our lack of warning of those we love regarding the future judgment.
CHALLENGE: Is the LORD telling you to go to someone in your family or friends that need HIM in their life? If so, going is necessary. Are you listening to HIS still small voice?
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: 10 Therefore, O you son of man, speak unto the house of Israel; Thus you speak, saying, If our transgressions and our sins be upon us, and we pine away in them, how should we then live? (4743 “pine away” [maqaq] means to rot away, decay, fester, moulder away, consume away, corrupt, waste away or putrefy.)
DEVOTION: Ezekiel was given an awesome responsibility. He was to go to a people who didn’t want to listen to his message and get them to respond in a positive manner. He was to come humbly to the people and give them a warning. He was to expect them to listen. It is hard to preach to a congregation that doesn’t want to hear what you have to say.
The problem was that if he didn’t do it he was going to be held accountable for the souls of those individuals. If he chose to not accept the responsibility he was going to be judged of the LORD guilt of a sin.
So here is the dilemma of a messenger of the LORD. He has the responsibility to be obedient and give the proper message to the people who don’t what to hear what he has to say but he has to say it or he will face the LORD for his disobedience. Ouch!!!
The people were saying to Ezekiel that they were decaying in their sin and couldn’t stop. He was saying that the LORD only required one thing of them. They had to “turn” from their sin and head in a different direction. It was simple according to the LORD but the people were making it more difficult than it had to be.
They thought they couldn’t change their lifestyle. They were wrong. It was possible but it would take work. They didn’t want to do the work. They were complaining to the wrong person.
Ezekiel told them how they must live if they wanted to avoid judgment. They just wanted him to pacify them in their present lifestyle. They thought he was asking the impossible. God doesn’t expect the impossible. HE gives the Holy Spirit to help those who are seeking HIS guidance. The Holy Spirit can give anyone strength to fight the battles that need to be fought to help us head in the right direction.
One thought that we need to realize is that Ezekiel was a prophet but he also was a sinner who needed to serve the LORD faithfully. He was not sinless as Christ was but was a sinner called of God to go to his own people with a message from the LORD. That is true of every pastor and evangelist that comes to every church in our world today. They are not sinless but the ones who are honest realize that they are just sinners talking to sinners about living a life that is only possible with the help of the Holy Spirit. They need to come humbly before the people with a message that only God can use to get into the hearts of those who are listening with an intention to change. Most are not listening or are looking at the man rather than the message.
CHALLENGE: Turning from old habits is hard but not impossible. We have been warned!!! No excuses are accepted only work through the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transition Believers
: 11 Say to them: ‘As I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’
: 13 When I say to the righteous that he shall surely live, but he trusts in his own righteousness and commits iniquity, none of his righteous works shall be remembered; but because of the iniquity that he has committed, he shall die. (7725 “turn” [shuwb] means return, restore, recompense, to turn away from sin, conceived of as returning to God or returning from a location, abandon, or go back.) (982 “trusts” [batach] means confidence, secure, careless, unsuspecting, to be bold, or rely on.)
DEVOTION: The prophet Ezekiel was called to be a watchman over the people of Israel. His responsibility was to be on the lookout for trouble.
In his day there were people in a city that were to guard the city by looking out to see if an enemy was coming to fight against the city. If the watchman saw an army coming, he was to sound that alarm to get all the people who were fighters ready to fight the enemy coming. If a watchman fell asleep on the job and an army came it would cause the people to judge the man worthy of death. If he was faithful, they could reward him.
The LORD used this illustration to show that Ezekiel and every faithful believer are to sound a warning to those around them if they saw that they were headed in the wrong direction. They were to tell them what the LORD expected of them and ask them to “turn” from the direction they were headed in the direction the LORD wanted them to go. If that happened, they would be spared.
The other group was those who were doing what was right but decided to head in the direction of those who did things that were displeasing to the LORD. They were to be warned to go back to following the LORD or they would face judgment. This group had to “turn” back to following the LORD. Ezekiel 33: 11 “…I only want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live. Turn! Turn from your wickedness, O people of Israel! Why should you die? (NLT)
Each day we make a choice regarding what direction we are going to head. If we chose to disobey our parents or teachers we are heading in the wrong direction. If we are obedient to our parents or teachers we are heading in the right direction. Our choice determines if we are pleasing to the LORD or not. There are blessings and/or consequences to our actions.
Are you helping others head in the right direction through your example of what a Christian should act like?
What happens when we get influenced by those who are our “friends” and they start leading us away from what we have been taught about following the LORD? Ezekiel was called to be a watchman. We are called to be a watchman for our personal choices and to help those who look up to us to help them make good choices if they claim to be followers of the LORD.
If we see someone who has grown up with us in church going in the wrong direction and we don’t come alongside them to encourage them to come back to serving the LORD we are doing to face a judgment.
If we see someone who has grown up with us in church that is going in the right direction we need to be an encouragement to them to keep heading in the right direction. If we as believers start going in the wrong direction the LORD says that HE will send warning to us as well. HE will send weakness, sickness, and sometimes premature death to those who are genuine believers who will not listen to the warnings. Does this mean they lose their salvation? NO!! They will be saves “yet so as by fire.”
One problem that seems to happen is that some count on a prayer they said when they were young to save them but they never had a life change as far as their habits are concerned. They have no desire to study the Word of God. No desire to prayer. No desire for church attendance. If this is the case the prayer was just empty. Change is necessary.
We are here on this earth to be someone who gives guidance the best we can to those who are in our world. Our example means a lot to friends, even if they say it doesn’t. If we are consistent in our lifestyle people will notice.
There will be times when we are not doing what the LORD expects of us but HE will forgive us if we “turn” from the wrong direction and head in the right direction. Hopefully, someone came alongside you and encouraged you back to the right direction. Thank them for their true love.
CHALLENGE: Ezekiel took his responsibility seriously and so should we. The LORD depends on humans to help humans. It is very rare that HE would send an angel to get us to head in the right direction. They are observing our actions. So is the LORD!!!
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 31 And they come unto you as the people cometh, and they sit before you as my people, and they hear your words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they show much love, but their heart goes after their covetousness. (5690 “much love” [egeb] means erotic love, inordinate love, lust, strong desire or affection with sensual focus, love or lovely.)
DEVOTION: Here we have the LORD instructing Ezekiel that the people are going to come, sit, and hear but do nothing with the messages. They were going to say nice things to Ezekiel but paid no attention to him.
It was a fake love that they had for him. This word said that they showed a sensual love toward him but their heart was more attracted to money. They loved money more than obedience to the LORD. Ezekiel might have believed their words but the LORD tells him the truth about their actions.
The problem is that the people who attended services today have the same problem. They are more interested in their power, wealth, and hobbies than will serving the LORD. Their thought life is all messed up. They think as long as they give God an hour of their time HE should be happy. HE should bless them in what they want to do instead of what HE wants them to do with their time, talent and treasure.
A majority of those who attend church are heading in the wrong direction. Their lifestyle shows that they don’t care to change. The Christian life is all about change. Each day the LORD reveals to genuine believers something that needs to improve in their life. Some of us listen but usually it takes years to change some of the things the LORD wants us to change. We are slow at working at the changes we know should happen in our life. One of the excuses we can use is that we take two things into our new lifestyle from our old nature: laziness and selfishness.
We are fighting these battles each day. The LORD knows we are facing these battles and HE gives us strength when we ask for it. HE gives us discernment when we ask for it. HE gives us hope all the time.
It is a daily choice regarding what we think is most important in our lives. Our possessions are not going with us. When we die we leave everything behind. Only what we have stored in heaven will be applied to our appearance at the Judgment Seat of Christ. How many stars will we have in our crowns???
CHALLENGE: Genuine love is Agape Love. That is a love that thinks of others before us. It is a love that only God can give us through the Holy Spirit. Selfish love is only from our old nature.
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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Word of the LORD verse 1, 23
Thus says the Lord GOD verse 25, 27
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 1, 22, 23, 29, 30
LORD is alive verse 11, 27
Lord – Adonai (Owner, Master) verse 11, 17, 20, 25, 27
GOD – Jehovah verse 11, 25, 27
Lord GOD verse 11, 25, 27
No pleasure in in the death of wicked verse 11
I will Judge you ever one after his ways verse 20
Hand of the LORD verse 22
Judgment of God verse 25- 29
Those in the wastes shall fall by
Sword
Those in the open field will I give
to the beasts to be devoured
Those in forts and in caves and
mountains of Israel shall be
desolate
I am the LORD verse 29
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)
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Watchman not blowing trumpet verse 6
Iniquity verse 6, 8, 9, 13, 15, 18
Wicked verse 8, 9, 11, 12, 14, 15, 19
Not turning from iniquity verse 9
Transgressions verse 10, 12
Sins verse 10, 12, 14, 16
Evil ways verse 11
Wickedness of the Wicked verse 12
Trust in his own righteousness verse 13
Robbed verse 15
Say the way of the LORD is not equal verse 17, 20
Righteous turn to iniquity verse 18
Eat blood verse 25
Worship idols verse 25
Shed blood verse 25
Work abominations verse 26, 29
Defile neighbor’s wife verse 26
Talking against God’s servant verse 30
Not doing the words of the LORD verse 31, 32
False love verse 31
Covetousness verse 31, 33
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Watchman blowing the trumpet verse 4
Hear the word of God’s mouth verse 7
Warn people verse 7
Deliverance of watchman verse 9
Turn verse 11, 12, 14, 19
Righteousness verse 12, 13, 18
Righteous verse 12, 13, 18
Lawful & right verse 14, 16, 19
Restore a pledge verse 15
Statutes of life verse 15
Live verse 19
Inheritance verse 24
Know the LORD verse 29
Prophet verse 33
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Son of man = Ezekiel verse 2, 7- 10, 12, 17, 22-24, 30-33
He is a watchman for house of Israel
He is to hear the word of LORD’s mouth
HE is to warn people
Not warn causes blood will be required
of LORD of you
Delivered soul if you warned
Say – the way of the LORD is not equal
I was no more dumb
Children of your people still are talking
against you by the walls and in
the doors of the houses
Their mouth they show much love, but
their heart goes after their
covetousness
They hear the words but they do them
Not
Prophet has been among them
Children of HIS people verse 2, 12, 17, 30
Watchman verse 2- 6
Ezekiel watchman verse 7
House of Israel verse 7, 10, 11, 20
Say the way of the LORD not equal verse 20
House of Israel verse 20
Twelfth year of captivity – tenth month
fifth day verse 21
Jerusalem is smitten verse 21
Land of Israel verse 24, 28
Abraham verse 24
inherited the land
Ezekiel a prophet verse 33
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
Die verse 8, 11, 15, 18,
Pine away verse 10
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QUOTES regarding passage
On earth man lives in a “political” environment that deeply influences his “spiritual” life, as Ezekiel has abundantly demonstrated. Under these circumstances, they saw little profit in individual righteousness. If individuals are not striving to be righteous, there can be no community righteousness. (Ezekiel: Prophecy of Hope by Andrew W. Blackwood, Jr. p. 202,)
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To his despairing compatriots, Ezekiel makes four fundamental points of moral life. He has said these things before, and will say them again, but here they are presented in their sharpest outline. (1) God desires that men shall live. (2) Life must be an individual choice. (3) The way of life is repentance. (4) Man, who is free to sin, is free to repent. (Blackwood, Andrew W. Jr., Ezekiel – Prophecy of Hope, p. 202)
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“Turn! Turn from your evil ways!” (v. 11). This was a call to repent so they could be healed and restored. God took no pleasure in the death of the wicked, so he was always careful to warn of judgment and to call for repentance (cf. 18:23, 32). (Cooper, L. E. (1994). Ezekiel (Vol. 17, p. 295). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
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Ezekiel sought to encourage the exiles. God did not find pleasure in death because of wickedness. Conversely God delighted in those who turned from sin (v.11), followed his ways in the Mosaic covenant, and lived! Each individual was personally responsible and could not blame anyone else for his righteousness or his wickedness. If he were declared to be righteous, it was because he had decided personally to follow the Lord and his covenant. If he were judged to be wicked, it was because he personally had decided to reject the Lord and his law and to live according to his own desires (vv.12–20). To some Judeans it did not seem that God’s ways were fair and just (v.17). They still wanted to put the godless on the same level as the righteous. However, God’s ways are always fair and just, for he does not blame one person for another person’s sin. The Lord fairly judges every person according to his own actions (v.20). (Alexander, R. H. (1986). Ezekiel. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel (Vol. 6, p. 905). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
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33:10–11 how then can we survive? The Israelites reasoned that if they were liable to death in judgment that was inevitable, they were in a hopeless condition and had no future. God replied that He had no pleasure in seeing the wicked go into death for their sin, but desired them to repent and live (cf. 2Pe 3:9). The divine answer to the human question is “Repent and be saved!” (cf. 18:23, 30–32). Here was a blending of compassion with the demands of God’s holiness. Repentance and forgiveness were offered to all.
33:12–20 See notes on 18:19–29. One of the basic principles of God’s dealing with His people is presented here: judgment is according to personal faith and conduct. The discussion is not about eternal salvation and eternal death, but physical death in judgment for sin which, for believers, could not result in eternal death. The righteous behavior in v. 15 could only characterize a true believer, who was faithful from the heart. There is no distinction made as to the matter of who is a true believer in God. There is only a discussion of the issue of behavior as a factor in physical death. For those who were apostate idolaters, physical death would lead to eternal death. For believers who were lovers of the true God, their sin would lead only to physical punishment (cf. 1Co 11:28–31; 1Jn 5:16, 17). “Righteous” and “wicked” are terms describing behavior, not one’s position before God. It is not the “righteousness of God” imputed as illustrated in the case of Abraham (Ge 15:6; Ro 4:3–5), but rather one’s deeds that are in view (vv. 15–19). (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Eze 33:10–20). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
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Here, as in chapter 18, the principle is laid down that no man need consider himself in a hopeless condition because he has failed in the matter of obedience to the law of God. While he is rightly under condemnation because of sin, yet the Lord has no pleasure in the death of the wicked but desires that all men should turn from their evil ways and live. So He entreats those who have gone astray saying, “Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?” If men thus turned, God would have mercy on them.
On the other hand, no one was entitled to glory in his own righteousness, or to become careless after a life of obedience to the law. His righteousness did not deliver him if he turned away from the law and took the path of transgression: he would fall in his own wickedness in the day that he sinned. He who trusted in his own past righteousness and congratulated himself on his good record, and so allowed himself to become careless in the future, would have to learn in bitterness of soul that he had to do with One who demanded of him continued obedience to the law that He had given. But if once more he recognized the error of his ways and turned back to God, seeking to walk obediently, the Lord declared he should not surely die, but because of his reformation of life the past would be remitted, and he would live before God here on the earth.
It should be clearly seen that this is not a question of the salvation of the soul; it is not a matter of redemption by the blood of Christ, such as we have in the New Testament. It sets forth God’s dealings with men under law, in accordance with the principles of His government over the earth.
Many in Israel, failing to realize this, blamed God for the disasters that had come upon them, forgetting that He was judging them for their own sins. Notice how they dared to put the blame on the Lord rather than to acknowledge their own failures. (Ironside, H. A. (1949). Expository notes on Ezekiel, the prophet. (pp. 228–229). Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers.)
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Ver. 13. When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live, &c.] A happy life, here and hereafter; an eternal life, and not die the second death: this must be understood, should he appear a truly righteous person; one that does not trust to his own righteousness, but to the righteousness of Christ, and lives by faith on that; looking for the hope of righteousness through it, and behaving agreeably to his character: but if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity; as he will by trusting to it; if he trusts to it for acceptance with God, and justification in his sight, and thinks himself proof against all temptation to sin on account of it; and that he has righteousness enough to make amends for sins committed, or for other sins he may commit; and which he may venture upon through this false notion, and so be led on to an open course of sinning, and series of committing iniquity: all his righteousness shall not be remembered; God will take no notice of it; it shall be of no avail to justify him from sin, and secure him from wrath; it will be as if it never had been: but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it; an eternal death, which is the just wages of sin; from which a man’s own righteousness can never deliver him, though the righteousness of Christ does deliver from it; see Prov. 10:2 and 11:4. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 6, p. 170). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
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David is anointed to be king.
INSIGHT
David is indeed an outstanding individual. As a teenager, he is known to be “skillful in playing, a mighty man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a handsome person; and the Lord is with him” (v. 18). In each of these things, David is not just lucky. David works hard at all the things for which he is known, including the fact that “the Lord is with him.”
Each of us has been given talents and abilities. Like David, if we are to achieve our God-given potential, we must be slaves to the things that advance those abilities.
PRAYER
· Offer your praise to the Lord that we are the objects of His tender mercies and powerful leading: (Quiet Walk)
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TRUE AND FALSE HAPPINESS
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Matthew 5:6
Man under the influence of alcohol may feel perfectly happy for the time being, but the question is, has he solved his problems? To place happiness before health and to regard it as the supreme good is to be guilty of a fundamental fallacy in the matter of standards.
Such unthinking procedure includes also the fallacy of failing to see that ultimately happiness depends upon health and is something that results from health. Any other type of happiness is negative and dependent only upon the absence of conditions that prevent happiness. However much we may strive to lessen our unhappiness, while there is disease, there can be no true happiness. Nothing is so fallacious, therefore, and so fatal to true happiness as to make ease and happiness ends in and of themselves.
When our Lord said, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6), he did not say that they would be happy who hungered and thirsted after happiness. The blessedness, the happiness, the joy is something that will result from our seeking righteousness and from our becoming righteous. It is a by-product, an end-result. We are not to place blessedness or happiness in the supreme position. We are to seek righteousness, and, having found it, we shall then find ourselves to be happy and filled with blessedness.
What ultimately accounts for the failure of the false prophet to think clearly is the fact that he is deliberately determined to defend himself and to think well of himself. Pride is the root cause of the trouble. The view of the false prophet starts with the postulate that whatever else may be the cause of the troubles in life, it is not man himself.
A Thought to Ponder: The blessedness, the happiness, the joy is something that will result from our seeking righteousness and from our becoming righteous. (From Truth Unchanged, Unchanging, pp. 48-50, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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What God Requires
“And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, To keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?” (Deuteronomy 10:12-13)
This sounds simple enough, and the people of Israel readily agreed with Moses to do these things. Modern religious liberals cite such a lifestyle as all that is necessary to satisfy God. But the rub is this: Who dares claim to “walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD [his] God with all [his] heart”? Anyone who makes such a claim would be breaking God’s commandment against lying.
Solomon reached a conclusion of like kind: “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man” (Ecclesiastes 12:13). Indeed so, but who can “keep his commandments”? “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:10).
Another favorite verse of the liberals is Micah 6:8: “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” Yes, but the problem is that “there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not” (Ecclesiastes 7:20).
There was one such man, of course! The Lord Jesus Christ “did no sin,” yet was willing to “bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness” (1 Peter 2:22-24). What we could never do, He has done for us. Now, through faith in the finished work of Christ, we have been set free from the bondage of sin and can indeed “have [our] fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life” (Romans 6:22). (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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Chuck Swindoll: Church attendance doesn’t mean a place to sit on Sunday, it’s to challenge your thinking and reshape your life.
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In this light, any belief system that pulls persons away from the Gospel of Christ, denies and subverts Christian truth, and blinds sinners from seeing Christ as the only hope of salvation is, by biblical definition, a way that leads to destruction. Islam, like every other rival to the Christian gospel, takes persons captive and is devoid of genuine hope for salvation. Thus, evangelical Christians may respect the sincerity with which Muslims hold their beliefs, but we cannot respect the beliefs themselves. We can respect Muslim people for their contributions to human welfare, scholarship, and culture. We can respect the brilliance of Muslim scholarship in the medieval era and the wonders of Islamic art and architecture. But we cannot respect a belief system that denies the truth of the gospel, insists that Jesus was not God’s Son, and takes millions of souls captive. This does not make for good diplomacy, but we are called to witness, not public relations. We must aim to be gracious and winsome in our witness to Christ, but the bottom line is that the gospel will necessarily come into open conflict with its rivals. (Dr. Albert Mohler’s Blog)
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The prophet Nathan openly rebukes David and stirs him to repent.
INSIGHT
When Nathan comes to accuse David of adultery and murder, it is well within David’s power to shout: “Off with his head!” But David does not issue that order. Instead, his heart breaks. The horror and magnitude of his sin is incalculable, but it is to David’s credit that he immediately repents. Rather than resisting repentance because we feel we don’t deserve forgiveness, we should do as David did-repent that very instant.
(Quiet Walk)
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ONE CURE
Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.1 Peter 2:24
There is but one cure for the ills of man. When my conscience accuses me, there is but one thing I know of that can give me rest and peace. It is to know that Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God, who bore my sins “in his own body on the tree,” has forgiven me. It is to believe and to know that because He loved me and died for me, I am clear of accusation. Then, conscious as I am of my weakness and failure and my lack of power to live a life worthy of the name, I am again driven back to Him. It is only from Him and the power of the Holy Spirit that He imparts that I can be made more than a conqueror.
As I contemplate meeting my Maker and my eternal Judge, my only hope is that I shall be clothed with the righteousness of Jesus Christ and that He will take me by the hand and present me “faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy” (Jude 24). It is always and only in Christ that I find satisfaction. It is only in Him that my problems are solved. The world with all its methods cannot help me at the moment of my greatest need. But Christ never fails. He satisfies always and in every respect. The more I contemplate Him, the more do I agree with Charles Wesley when he said:
Thou, O Christ, art all I want;
More than all in Thee I find!
He still remains the only hope for individual man, the only hope for the whole world. Is the gospel still relevant? It alone can deal with and solve the problems of man.
A Thought to Ponder: There is but one cure for the ills of man. (From Truth Unchanged, Unchanging, pp. 124-125, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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Unsearchable Things
“It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter.” (Proverbs 25:2)
Education is sometimes claimed to be a “search for truth,” and scientists in particular take pride in their “research.” No doubt the scientific method has led to many useful discoveries and inventions, and rulers often have sponsored “government research” for their own ends. Furthermore, God’s primeval “dominion mandate” (Genesis 1:26-28) in effect ordains the conduct of beneficial research.
At the same time, there are some things that are far beyond the research capabilities of human investigations. Yet, they are understandable to the believing heart because these unsearchable things are near to the heart of God, who made us in His image. “I would seek unto God,” Job said, “and unto God would I commit my cause: Which doeth great things and unsearchable; marvellous things without number” (Job 5:8-9).
“Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable” (Psalm 145:3). “There is no searching of his understanding” (Isaiah 40:28). “Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite” (Psalm 147:5). There is far more to be discovered concerning God and His great creation than all the scientists can ever hope to discover in this life. But those who love Him will have an eternity of time to search out the majestic complexities of His infinite universe, for “eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9-10).
What a marvelous paradox! “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!” (Romans 11:33). Yet unsearchable though they be, Paul, “less than the least of all saints,” was able to “preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ” (Ephesians 3:8). (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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JOS, Nigeria, May 29, 2019 (Morning Star News) – Gunmen suspected to be local Fulani Muslims killed several Christians as they made their way home from church services in Jos, Nigeria on Sunday (May 26) following the murder of another area Christian last week, sources said.
Area Christian Peter Sarki informed Morning Star News by text message that local Muslims east of Jos, Plateau state, killed seven Christians on Sunday after unidentified Muslims killed Moses Victor, a member of the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA), in the Rikkos area of Jos on May 20.
Police put the number of people killed in the areas on Sunday (May 26) at five and said 12 houses were burned. Sarki said more than 12 houses were burned, and that 12 additional Christians were wounded in the attacks. He said the violence took place in the areas in the Jos areas of Rikkos, Angwan Rukuba, Tina Junction, Cele Bridge, Dutse Uku, and Yan Trailer.
Sarki identified two of the Christians killed as they made their way home from ECWA church services on Sunday morning as Enoch Monday and Istifanus Ismailaj. Michael Anthony Pam of St. Michael’s Catholic Church, Nasarawa Gwong, and four others yet to be identified were also killed, he said.
“Pam was the president of the Catholic Youth Organization of Nigeria of his parish,” Sarki told Morning Star News.
Tyopev Matthias Terna, spokesman for the Plateau State Command, said in a press statement that the body of Enoch Monday was found on Sunday between Dutse Uku and Angwan Damisa in Jos North Local Government Area, and that units were dispatched to the area to restore calm.
As gunfire echoed and smoke from burning homes billowed in the distance, a Morning Star News correspondent and his family were temporarily stranded at their church building near the area on Sunday morning after receiving word from local people that Cele Bridge, Tina Junction, Rikkos, Dutse Uku, Yan Trailer and Angwan Rukuba were under attack. Other motorists who had attempted to pass through the areas were forced back due to the attacks.
The attacks may have led to more fatalities. The head of a northern Nigeria pastors’ fellowship known as the Arewa Christians and Indigenous Pastors Association (ACIPA), the Rev. Luke Shehu, said in a press statement that “about 30” Christians were killed and 20 houses burned.
Pastor Shehu, who oversees a congregation in Jos, said that ethnic Fulani Muslim militia were responsible for the attacks, which he said were part of a planned “Fulanisation and Islamization” of Nigeria.
“Despite the intervention of security operatives, in less than 12 hours about 30 Christians were killed and over 20 houses where burnt or destroyed by Muslim militia, some in military uniforms from around Tina junction, Cele bridge, Dutse Uku and Nasarawa areas, all bordering Muslim communities in Jos North,” Pastor Shehu said. “These targeted attacks on innocent Christians are unacceptable, particularly with confirmed arrests of over 30 Christian women fruit and food vendors by soldiers around Tina junction in Jos after the attack today, 27th May 2019.”
A purported executive order by President Muhammadu Buhari revoking all firearms licenses beginning June 1 is largely seen as a ploy to keep Christians and minority tribes unarmed in the face of the heavily armed “Fulani militias and terrorists,” he said.
In the Riyom LGA of Plateau state about an hour south of Jos by car, gunmen believed to be Fulani militants reportedly killed six members of one family on Monday (May 27) at 7 p.m. Two children, their parents and grandparents of the Lo-Gwong Du family were killed, according to local press reports.
Christians make up 51.3 percent of Nigeria’s population, while Muslims living primarily in the north and middle belt account for 45 percent.
Nigeria ranked 12th on Open Doors’ 2019 World Watch List of countries where Christians suffer the most persecution.
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