Ezekiel 7
Message from the LORD: Sin is judged verse 1- 4
Moreover the word of the LORD came to me
saying
Also – you son of man
thus says the Lord GOD to the land of Israel
An end – the end is come upon
the four corners of the land
Now is the end come upon you
and I will send MINE anger upon you
and will judge you according to your ways
and will recompense on you
all your abominations
And MINE eye shall not spare you neither will I have pity
BUT I will recompense your ways to you
and your abominations shall be in the midst of you
and you SHALL KNOW THAT
I AM THE LORD
Message from the LORD: You will know ME verse 5- 9
Thus says the Lord GOD
An evil – an only evil – behold – is come
An end is come – the end is come
it watches for you
Behold – it is come
The morning is come to you
O you that dwell in the land – the time is come
the DAY OF TROUBLE is near
and not the sounding again of the mountains
NOW will I shortly pour out MY fury upon you
and accomplish MINE anger upon you
and I will judge you according to your ways
and will recompense you
for all your abominations
And MY eye shall not spare – neither will I have pity
I will recompense thee according to your ways
and your abominations
that are in the midst of you
And you SHALL KNOW THAT I AM THE LORD that smites
Message from the LORD: Reason given verse 10- 13
BEHOLD the day – BEHOLD
it is come the morning is gone forth
the rod has blossomed – pride has budded
Violence is risen up into a rod of wickedness
none of them shall remain – nor of their multitude
nor of any of theirs
neither shall there be wailing for them
The time is come – the day draws near – let not the buyer rejoice
nor the seller mourn
for wrath is upon all the multitude thereof
For the seller shall not return to that which is sold
although they were yet alive for the vision is touching
the whole multitude thereof which shall not return
Neither shall any strengthen himself in the iniquity of his life
Reaction to the coming judgment: Apathy verse 14 – 15
They have blown the trumpet – even to make all ready
BUT none goes to the battle
for MY wrath is upon all the multitude thereof
The sword is without and the pestilence and the famine within
he that is in the field shall die with the sword
he that is in the city famine and pestilence
shall devour him
Reaction to the coming judgment: Weakness verse 16- 18
BUT they that escape of them shall escape
and shall be on the mountains like doves of the valley
all of them mourning – every one for his iniquity
All hands shall be feeble
and all knees shall be weak as water
They shall also gird themselves with sackcloth
and horror shall cover them
and shame shall be upon all faces
and baldness upon all their heads
Reaction to the coming judgment: Wealth discarded verse 19- 22
They shall cast their silver in the streets
and their gold shall be removed
their silver and their gold shall not be able
`to deliver them in
the DAY OF THE WRATH of the LORD
they shall not satisfy their souls
neither fill their bowels
BECAUSE it is the stumbling block of their iniquity
As for the beauty of his ornament – he set it in majesty
BUT they made the images of their abominations
and of their detestable things therein
THEREFORE have I set it far from them
And I will give it into the hands of the strangers for a prey
and to the wicked of the earth for a spoil
and they shall pollute it
MY face will I turn also from them
and they shall pollute MY secret place
for the robbers shall enter into it – and defile it
Reaction to the coming judgment: Helplessness verse 23- 27
Make a chain – for the land is full of bloody crimes
and the city is full of violence
WHEREFORE I will bring the worst of the heathen
and they shall possess their houses
I will also make the pomp of the strong to cease
and their holy places shall be defiled
Destruction comes
and they shall seek peace – and there shall be none
Mischief shall come upon mischief
and rumor shall be upon rumor
THEN shall they seek a vision of the prophet
BUT the law shall perish from the priest
and counsel from the ancients
The king shall mourn
and the prince shall be clothed with desolation
and the hands of the people of the land
shall be troubled
I will do to them after their way
and according to their deserts will I judge them
And they SHALL KNOW THAT I AM THE LORD
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 9 And mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: I will recompense you according to your ways and thine abominations that are in the midst of you; and you shall know that I am the LORD that smites. (5414 “recompense” [nathan] means to give, set, put, bestow, grant, permit, pay wages, appoint, deliver or designate.)
DEVOTION: This word is used to say that we are going to receive pay for our actions. At the end of a week, we expect our employer to give us a paycheck for all the work we have done.
The LORD is using this word to say that HE will give them a paycheck for our actions. The children of Israel were given judgment because of their actions regarding the worship of the LORD. They had chosen a way or path for their life that was not pleasing to the LORD.
They promoted false worship. They had prophets and priests that told them that they were OK with God. They were lying to them. Now they are receiving the wages of their sins.
They were going to have famine and pestilence. They were going to be invaded by a heathen nation. While all this was going on the LORD stated that he would not spare or pity them.
We will receive a paycheck for our worship of the LORD. We receive blessings or curses for our actions after we decide to follow the LORD. Those who say they are followers of the LORD and don’t want to be in the house of the LORD on Sunday are telling the LORD that worship is unimportant to them.
Those who say they are followers of the LORD and don’t want to pray for their food are saying that prayer is unimportant to them.
Does that mean that all those who attend church every Sunday and pray at every meal are better than others? Does that mean that they can only expect blessings in their lives? Does that mean those that attend worship service and pray will never have any problems? NO!!!
There are some who think they are better than others because they go to church and pray but the rest of their life is not in order or they have a false pride because of their actions.
God looks at our motive, as well as, our actions. We can act right for the wrong motive. God wants us to act right for the right motive which is to bring glory to HIS name not our own. Remember that if we act right with the right motive that does not mean anything bad will happen to us. Even when bad things happen to us it is for our good.
We have presented the fact that we grow stronger through affliction. God wants us strong. God wants us to act right for the right motives to bring glory to HIS name. What does God think of our actions today????
CHALLENGE: Think about what kind of pay check you will receive from the LORD for the work you have done for HIM this week. Will it be a large paycheck or a small one or none at all? HE expects service each day of each week! Is HE asking too much of us?
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 19 They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed: their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the stumbling block of their iniquity. (7649 “satisfy” [sabea] means sate, full, abounding, have had enough, or state of physical contentment)
DEVOTION: We live in an materialistic society. Wealth seems to mean everything to everyone. Even the poor will take what the government gives them and then go and work under the table for more money. There are bumper stickers that state “He who dies with the most toys WINS.” Accumulation of things is a favorite pastime with many. There are programs on television that show houses of people who are hoarders. They can barely walk through their houses because they have things stacked from floor to ceiling in all of the rooms of the house.
Here we find the people of Jerusalem throwing out their gold and silver. It means nothing if there is no food to eat. It means nothing if there are enemies at the doorstep waiting to kill them.
They had made idols of their jewelry and precious metals but they were not going to save them from death. Some may have come to the conclusion that they needed to repent of their sins and turn to the LORD instead of counting on their wealth to give them a good life.
Today we seem to be following in their footsteps. Even believers think it is more important to collect wealth or precious things in order to be content with what they have.
Once I asked a fellow believer “What is the definition of ‘enough’?” and he said “a little bit more.” It can ruin the thought life of a believer if they are only thinking “How can I get a better job to earn more money?” Instead of thinking “How can I serve the LORD better to receive HIS blessing?”
Our thinking needs to keep the LORD as the priority rather than the accumulation of wealth. Remember that our occupation is to serve the LORD once we become a believer. Our avocation is to earn enough money to give us the freedom to serve the LORD. Our thinking has to be along those lines to properly understand our reason for continuing to live in this world.
CHALLENGE: Reminder to our thinking is that we are not to be takers but givers. We can never out give God. Our wealth needs to be available to serve HIM.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 26 Mischief shall come upon mischief, and rumor shall be upon rumor; then shall they seek a vision of the prophet; but the law shall perish from the priest, and counsel from the ancients. (1943 “ mischief” [hovah] means ruin, disaster, calamity, fall, an event that completely destroys something or misfortune.)
DEVOTION: The judgment of the LORD had come and now the people what to hear from God. However, they only want to hear good news and not the judgment that they deserve for not following the LORD.
The LORD however, informs them that there is going to be disaster upon disaster because they wouldn’t listen to the former prophets who were warning of this day coming if they didn’t repent and change their ways. It seems that we humans have to get a wakeup call to late. We don’t listen when we are supposed to but after the judgment is on its way.
Now the people of Jerusalem want to hear from the LORD but there will be no prophet telling them that they won’t have to suffer. There will not be a priest who will start offering the right offerings that will cause the judgment to be over. There will be no more older people sitting at the gate of the city giving righteous judgments over issues between people. All these individuals will not be able to help them during this time period.
Can we be going through the same thing here in a America now? Are there no true prophets of God preaching from our pulpits concerning the judgment that might be coming because of our disobedience to the Word of God? Could there be no true pastors warning their people to change their ways? Could there be no more wise deacons and elders in the churches who will help the people make wise decisions regarding the treatment of those fellow believers who worship with us?
Too often we are ready to wait until it is too late for a church to change before it dies. Too often a family has to fall apart before fellow believers come alongside to help the marriage.
CHALLENGE: Are we listening to the warning messages the LORD is sending our way today???
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: 27 The king shall mourn, and the prince shall be chothed with desolation, and the hands of the people of the land shall be troubled: I will do to them after their way, and according to their deserts will I judge them; and they shall know that I am the LORD. (4941 “deserts” [mishpat] means a determination of right and wrong on legal matters, a forensic cause, sentence of a judge, decisions, decision by arbitration, or legal specification)
DEVOTION: The LORD judged people according to their conduct in the Old Testament and the same is true in the New Testament.
Each of us will be judged by our actions. We don’t know all the commands of the LORD but we know enough to know what the LORD expects of us and therefore we are accountable for what we know that is right in the eyes of the LORD and what is wrong n the eyes of the LORD.
Too often we find that people what the LORD to grade on a curve but HE knows the beginning and the end of our lives and HE knows what we have learned about HIM and holds us accountable for our actions according to our knowledge.
HE is the final judge and we will meet HIM one day and HE will, so think, show us our life on a screen and we will see what we have done while we were here on this earth. HE will show us each opportunity we had to change our behavior to please HIM and what we did when we had that choice.
We are guilty of our own choices even if we would like to blame the LORD for our actions. It will not work. So, we need to change what we are doing now that we know the fact that there is no excuse on judgment day.
CHALLENGE: Our choices need to change as we learn more of what the LORD expects of us. HE will give us the strength to live a life that is pleasing to HIM if we make the right choices daily. HE will forgive when HE knows our heart is right with HIM.
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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)
God’s secret place (Holy of Holies) verse 22
Holy places verse 24
Priest – law shall perish from them verse 26
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Word of the LORD verse 1
Law verse 26
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 1, 4, 9, 19, 27
Lord – Adonai (Master, Owner) verse 2, 5
GOD – Jehovah verse 2, 5
Lord GOD verse 2, 5
Anger of the LORD (Judge) verse 3, 8, 19
Recompense verse 3, 4, 8
God’s eye will not spare verse 4, 9
Not have pity verse 4, 9
I will recompense your ways upon you verse 4, 9
Judgment of God (evil) verse 5- 27
I will shortly pour out MY fury verse 8
I am the LORD that smites verse 9
Wrath is upon all the multitude verse 12, 14
Sends famine and pestilence verse 15
Day of the wrath of the LORD verse 19
I will do unto them after their way
according to their deserts 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)
Strangers verse 21
Wicked of the earth verse 21
Worst of the heathen verse 24
shall possess houses of Israel
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Ways verse 3, 4, 8, 9, 27
Abominations verse 3, 4, 8, 9
Evil verse 5
Pride verse 10
Violence verse 11, 23
Rod of wickedness verse 11
Iniquity verse 13, 16, 19
Images of their abominations verse 20
Detestable things verse 20
Wicked verse 21
Pollute verse 21, 22
Robbers shall enter in God’s secret place verse 22
Defile secret place of LORD verse 22
Bloody crimes verse 23
Pomp verse 24
Holy places defiled verse 24
Mischief verse 26
Rumor verse 26
Deserts verse 27
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Know that I am the LORD verse 4, 9, 27
Peace verse 25
Prophet verse 26
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Ezekiel verse 1
Son of man = Ezekiel
Israel : four corners of the land verse 2
Day of Trouble verse 7, 10, 12, 18
horror shall cover them
shame shall be upon all faces
baldness upon all their heads
No peace verse 25
Counsel of the ancients – shall perish verse 26
King shall mourn verse 27
Prince shall be clothed with desolation verse 27
Hands of the people of land shall be
troubled verse 27
They shall KNOW that I am the LORD verse 27
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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QUOTES regarding passage
7:19-20. In addition to lamenting their loss the people would remove the obstacles that had caused it (vv. 19-22). They would throw their silver into the streets, and their gold would be an unclean thing. Also their idols made from the metal of their jewelry would be an unclean thing, so items once deemed precious would be discarded. The word for “unclean thing” (niddâh) was used of the ceremonial impurity of menstruation (Lev. 15:19-33) and the touching of a corpse (Num. 19:13-21). It pictured the revulsion Israel would feel toward her wealth. (Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary. (1985). The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Eze 7:19–20). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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7:19–22 The second element of the destruction of the nation focused on their useless material resources. The silver and gold was worthless for averting judgment (v. 19). This was a sobering reality for a materialistic society. When the invading armies came to the villages and towns, their silver and gold would be abandoned like an unclean object, thus signifying the repulsiveness of materialism.
The phrase “They were proud of their beautiful jewelry” may also be translated, “And as for their beautiful adornments,” a reference to the use of gold and silver to decorate places of worship (v. 20). Personal jewelry that was once given to adorn the tabernacle and the temple was being used to beautify pagan shrines. This wealth would be given to foreigners, a reference to the invading army who would take it as spoils of war. (Cooper, L. E. (1994). Ezekiel (Vol. 17, pp. 114–115). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
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7:19–20. In addition to lamenting their loss the people would remove the obstacles that had caused it (vv. 19–22). They would throw their silver into the streets, and their gold would be an unclean thing. Also their idols made from the metal of their jewelry would be an unclean thing, so items once deemed precious would be discarded. The word for “unclean thing” (niddâh) was used of the ceremonial impurity of menstruation (Lev. 15:19–33) and the touching of a corpse (Num. 19:13–21). It pictured the revulsion Israel would feel toward her wealth.
Why would the people suddenly loathe their material wealth? One reason was the inability of silver and gold to buy the security for which it was originally amassed. It would not be able to save them. God could not be “bought off.” Another reason for the sudden revulsion of wealth was the inability of the silver and gold to buy food to satisfy their hunger in the famine. (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. 1241). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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People throwing away their valuables (Ezek. 7:19–21) is the fifth and final picture. During the final years of the kingdom of Judah, the rich were getting richer and the poor were getting poorer, with the rich robbing the poor without any interference from the courts. The prophets thundered against this evil, but the leaders would not listen. The refugees couldn’t carry their wealth as they fled from Jerusalem, so they treated it like garbage and threw it into the streets. You can’t eat money, and what good is money when there’s no food to buy in the city? Furthermore, there wouldn’t be any places to purchase supplies as the people fled to the mountains. Their gold and silver were only excess baggage that would slow them down, and their idols were even more worthless. In a time of crisis, we quickly learn what’s valuable and important to life. The lust for wealth lured them into sin, and their sins brought about judgment. The Babylonian soldiers took the wealth of the Jews as loot, along with their expensive idols; this was God’s payment to Babylon for their services in chastening Israel. (Wiersbe, W. W. (2000). Be reverent (pp. 40–41). Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor/Cook Communications.)
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7:17–22 This section described the mourning of the helpless and frightened people. In distress, they recognized the uselessness of the things in which they trusted. Their wealth provided nothing. Their “silver and … gold” (v. 19), their “ornaments” (v. 20) were as useless as the idols they made with them. (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Eze 7:17–22). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
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Ver. 19. They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed, &c.] As being of no use unto them to preserve them from famine and pestilence, and as being an hinderance to them in their flight from the enemy. Kimchi observes that this may be interpreted of their idols of gold and silver, which shall now be had in contempt by them, and cast away, when they shall find they cannot save them from ruin; see Isa. 2:20. Their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the Lord; these can neither deliver from temporal judgments nor from wrath to come; see Prov. 10:2 and 11:4. nor idols made of them: they shall not satisfy their souls, nor fill their bowels; gold and silver cannot be eaten; these will not satisfy the craving appetite, nor fill the hungry belly: the words shew that the famine would be so great, that bread could not be got for any money; and therefore gold and silver would be of no avail; since they could not be fed upon, or give any satisfaction to a famishing soul; nor could idols of gold and silver neither: because it is the stumbling-block of their iniquity; what was the occasion of their iniquity, covetousness, and idolatry, at which they stumbled, and fell into sin, and so into punishment for it. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 6, p. 32). 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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Confession and Forgiveness
“He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” (Proverbs 28:13)
Every person, even the most godly Christian believer, at least occasionally commits acts of sin—sins of omission, if not sins of commission. “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8).
When a Christian does sin, the remedy is available. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). This forgiveness is based on the fact that “the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).
The problem is that the very compulsion that caused the believer to commit the sin in the first place will often lead him to try to justify the sin. If that is not possible, he will try to hide it, or even to deny it.
The antidote for this situation, of course, is to confess and forsake his sin(s). This confession, however, cannot be simply a generalized confession (“please forgive all my sins”) but a specific “naming” of the particular sins, acknowledging that it was, indeed, a sin in the sight of God, deserving of divine punishment and repudiation by a holy God. Similarly, the term “forsaketh” does not mean simply to quit engaging in the particular sin, but to quit even thinking about it—no longer either desiring the sin or being depressed under the guilt of it. If possible and applicable, this would also entail making restitution to anyone who had been injured by that sin; otherwise, the confession need be made only to God.
And God will forgive and cleanse. Then, “forgetting those things which are behind,” we can “press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14). “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven” (Psalm 32:1). (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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The Lord fells the walls of Jericho.
INSIGHT
The Word of God often goes against all reason. Consider Joshua, a military strategist so brilliant that his campaigns are still studied today. He is standing afar, looking at the city of Jericho, pondering how to conquer it. The angel of the Lord appears to him saying, “Walk around the city several times and shout. That ought to do it!”
Can you imagine the response from the standpoint of military strategy? It is sheer nonsense. Yet it is a test of faith and obedience. Joshua believes and obeys, and the fallen walls are history. (Quiet Walk)
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UNDERSTANDING CHRIST
For the works which the Father gave me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me. John 5:36
When you are faced with something that perplexes you about our Lord, the first thing to do is always to start with the Lord Himself and not with what He is doing. I am not surprised that people ask the questions they do about Christ, because if they are not right about His person, they will never understand His activities, and it is really for this reason that they cannot understand His death. The disciples only understood the meaning of His death after the resurrection; it was in the light of the resurrection that they knew He was the Son of God, that they began to understand the meaning of His death upon the cross. No one will ever understand the doctrine of the cross unless he has grasped the doctrine of the person.
This, in effect, is what our Lord was telling John the Baptist in Matthew 11:2-6: “John, you cannot understand what I am doing. But are you trusting Me, do you really know who I am, are you right about Me? You see, your question has led you to doubt Me in other things. You have allowed the things I am not doing to raise a query in your mind about My person. John, come back to the beginning—be right about Me. These are the things that I am doing. Only the Messiah could do these things; here are the works that authenticate Him. As I said to the people the other day, ‘For the works which the Father gave me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me’” (John 5:36).
A Point to Ponder When you are faced with something that perplexes you about our Lord, the first thing to do is always to start with the Lord Himself and not with what He is doing. (From The Heart of the Gospel, pp. 48-49, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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The Three Boys
Three boys are in the schoolyard bragging about their fathers. The first boy says, “My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a poem, they give him $50.”
The second boy says, “That’s nothing. My Dad scribbles a few words on piece of paper, he calls it a song, they give him $100.”
The third boy says, “I got you both beat. My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a sermon, and it takes eight people to collect all the money!” (sent by Mary)
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We’re talking about a solid, foundationally positive outlook on life; an absolute persuasion that God has already won any conceivable battle that this day might concoct, and therefore we can smile confidently no matter what. (p. 194)
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As we await the return of Jesus, the analogy is crystal clear. Our job is simply to till the soil, to nurture each other, to make good use of the “early rain” (when Christ came to earth the first time), and to prepare for the “latter rain” when He will come to bring the harvest. (p. 197)
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Two thousand yeas have passed since Christ promised His return, but that’s less than half the number of years between Genesis and Luke. According to Jewish tradition we are in the year 5769, subtract 2009 and the result would be nearly four thousand years between Adam and the birth of Christ. (p. 198)
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I like the little story about the foolishness of quantifying God’s timing. A little boy asked God, “How long is a second in heaven?” God said, “One million years.” The boy asked, “How much is a penny in heaven?” God answered, “One million dollars.” The boy said, “Could I have a penny? he Three Boys
Three boys are in the schoolyard bragging about their fathers. The first boy says, “My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a poem, they give him $50.”
The second boy says, “That’s nothing. My Dad scribbles a few words on piece of paper, he calls it a song, they give him $100.”
The third boy says, “I got you both beat. My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a sermon, and it takes eight people to collect all the money!” To which God answered, “In just a second.” (p. 200)
(Living With Confidence in a Chaotic World by Dr. David Jeremiah)
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