Ezekiel 3
LORD feeds Ezekiel a scroll verse 1- 3
Moreover HE said unto me – Son of man – eat that you find
eat this roll – and go speak unto the house of Israel
so I opened my mouth – and HE caused me to eat that roll
And HE said unto me – Son of man – cause your belly to eat
and fill your bowels with this roll that I give you
Then did I eat it
and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness
LORD commissions Ezekiel to preach verse 4- 9
And HE said unto me – Son of man
Go – get you unto the house of Israel
and speak with MY words unto them
For you are not sent to a people of a strange speech – hard language
BUT to the house of Israel
not to many people of a strange speech
and of a hard language
whose words you cannot understand
Surely – had I sent you to them
they would have hearkened unto you
BUT the house of Israel will not hearken unto you
for they will not hearken unto ME
for all the house of Israel are impudent and hardhearted
BEHOLD I have made your face strong against their faces
and your forehead strong against their foreheads
as an adamant harder than flint have I made your forehead
fear them not – neither be dismayed at their looks
though they be a rebellious house
LORD commands Ezekiel to understand scroll first verse 10- 11
MOREOVER HE said unto me – Son of man
all MY words that I shall speak unto you receive in your heart
and hear with your ears
And GO get you to them of the captivity unto the children of your people
and speak unto them – and tell them – THIS says the Lord GOD
whether they will hear or whether they will forbear
Ezekiel observes rumblings of Cherubim verse 12- 13
THEN the Spirit took me up
and I heard behind me a voice of a great rushing – SAYING
Blessed be the glory of the LORD from HIS place
I heard also the noise of the wings of the living creatures
that touched one another
and the noise of the wheels over against them
and a noise of a great rushing
Holy Spirit carried Ezekiel to captive Israelites verse 14- 15
SO the Spirit lifted me up – and took me away – and I went in bitterness
in the heat of my spirit
BUT the hand of the LORD was strong upon me
THEN I came to them of the captivity at Tel-abib
that dwell by the river of Chebar and I sat where they sat
and remained there astonished among them SEVEN days
LORD explains responsibilities verse 16- 19
And it came to pass at the end of SEVEN days
that the word of the LORD came unto me
saying
Son of man –
I have made you a watchman to the house of Israel
THEREFORE hear the word at MY mouth
and give them warning from ME
When I say to the wicked You shall surely die
and you give him not warning
nor speak to warn the wicked
from his wicked way
to save his life
The same wicked man shall die in his iniquity
BUT his blood will I require at your hand
YET if you warn the wicked
and he turn not from his wickedness
nor from his wicked way
he shall die in his iniquity
BUT you have delivered your soul
Warning essential to message of Ezekiel verse 20- 21
AGAIN – When a righteous man
does turn from his righteousness and commit iniquity
and I lay a stumbling block before him
he shall die
BECAUSE you have not given him warning
he shall die in his sin and his righteousness
which he has done
shall not be remembered
BUT his blood will I require at your hand
NEVERTHELESS if you warn the righteous man
that the righteous sin not – and he does not sin
he shall surely live
BECAUSE he is warned
ALSO you have delivered your soul
Ezekiel observes the glory of the LORD verse 22- 23
And the hand of the LORD was there upon me
and HE said unto me
Arise – go forth into the plain
and I will there talk with you
THEN I arose – and went forth into the plain – and BEHOLD
the glory of the LORD stood there
as the glory which I saw by the river of Chebar
and I fell on my face
LORD controlled when Ezekiel could speak verse 24- 27
THEN the Spirit entered into me – and set me upon my feet
and spoke with me – and said to me
Go – shut yourself within your house
BUT you – O son of man – BEHOLD they shall put bands upon you
and shall bind you with them
and you shall not go out among them
And I will make your tongue cleave to the roof of your mouth
that you shalt be dumb and shall not be to them a reprover
FOR they are a rebellious house
BUT when I speak with you I will open your mouth
and you shall say to them
THUS says the Lord GOD
He that hears – let him hear
and he that forbears – let him forbear
FOR they are a rebellious house
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 3 And HE said to me, Son of man, cause your belly to eat, and fill your bowels with this roll that I give you. Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness. (4966 “sweetness” [mathowq] means pleasant thing, the properly of something tasting as if it contains sugar, or agreeable.)
DEVOTION: The LORD is communicating with HIS servant a prophet to Israel. HE gives him the name of “Son of man” to show that Ezekiel is a man called of God to go to a people that needed a message from the LORD.
Ezekiel was commanded to internalize the message the LORD had for the children of Israel. He had to know what the LORD wanted to say to the people and realize that the LORD wanted the message to be agreeable with HIM. He was to only share what the LORD had given him as a message to Israel. He was not to add to it or take anything away from the message.
The prophet thought that the message was like honey to the taste. He had to realize that the LORD was sharing what needed to be said to correct the behavior of the people. There would be some that didn’t want to hear the message but there would be others who would hear what the LORD had to say and appreciate it.
Anyone who is a genuine believer wants to hear what the LORD has to say to them. We need to be listeners to the Word of God as we study and meditate on it daily. There is a difference between just reading the Word of God and internalizing it into our life. The Holy Spirit will help us internalize the message of God and make it sweet to our taste.
Sometimes when we share it with others it might seem bitter.
Our daily meals in the Word of God have to be ones that give us a full soul to worship and serve the LORD. If we don’t know that the LORD loves us it is hard to share HIS love with others. Remember that sometimes HE does give us tough love to help us mature.
CHALLENGE: Is the Word of God sweet as honey to your taste as HE allows it to correct our behavior and gives us orders to serve HIM.
______________________________________________________________
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 17 Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me. (6822 “watchman” [tsaphah] means look, espy, to view, to observe accurately, keep guard, or to peer.)
DEVOTION: Ezekiel was called of God for a purpose. He was to observe the people and inform them of the messages he received from the LORD.
He was the designated prophet in Babylon to the children of Israel. He was to hear the word of the LORD. He was to give the people warning. It seems simple but if the people are not listening to him it is hard to get his message across to them.
This is true today. There are men who are genuinely called of God to call the people of our world into a proper relationship with the LORD. They speak but very few listen to them.
Should they stop speaking? NO!!! The LORD wants those chosen by HIM to go into the world and preach the Gospel to all who will hear this message. When the death, burial and resurrection of Christ are preached on every street corner, HIS name will be glorified.
The majority don’t believe in a resurrection from the dead. Many believe that once you are death you are dead. This is a message from the devil. He knows that most of the people would rather believe a lie instead of hearing and believing the truth.
Our responsibility as a believer is to get this message out no matter what the response may be. Once the message is out there and people reject it their blood is on their own hands but if we fail to spread the message where the LORD sends us then we have to answer to the LORD.
Are we observing accurately the signs of the times? Are we warning those around us of a coming judgment? God observe all we do for HIM and what our attitudes and motives are regarding the sharing of the message of truth regarding a Savior who died for our sins, was buried and rose again on the third day.
Those who reject this message will spend eternity in the lake of fire with the devil and his angels.
CHALLENGE: Pray that this message of warning will be shared with all those who claim Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.
_______________________________________________________
: 19 Yet if you warn the wicked, and he turn NOT from his wickedness, Nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity, but you have delivered your soul. (5337 “delivered” [natsal] means to save oneself, to be saved, be secure, to free from harm or evil, and in some cases from imprisonment, or snatch away)
DEVOTION: The calling of Ezekiel was to be a prophet in his time period. The LORD gave him the responsibility to warn the rest of the nation that they were headed in the wrong direction and they needed to turn back to the LORD with confession of sin and change their ways.
Ezekiel was not given an easy task. The children of Israel had lived a long time in sin and neglect of the LORD. They were enjoying what they were doing – living in sin – and they didn’t want to hear a message to turn from how they were living to the way the LORD wanted them to live.
This is true today as well. There are many people who think that they are believers but are living as they please instead of the way the LORD wants them to live. They seem to think that God will just take them into heaven they way they are and not be concerned.
This thinking is from the devil and not from the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit wants us to daily confess our sins and turn from our wicked ways and follow the LORD with HIS help.
It is two different lifestyles. One is leading to heaven and the other is leading to Hell for eternity. It is sad that Ezekiel had to preach this message to his own people but the LORD told him to and he did it. Even if they didn’t want to listen.
There are many people today in our world who claim to be believers but are living in a lifestyle that is not pleasing to the LORD. Our responsibility is to warn them that they are headed in the wrong direction and need to turn and walk in the way the LORD wants them to walk.
If we are walking with the LORD and confessing our sins each day, then we can go to others with this message because they will see that we are trying to live a life that is pleasing to the LORD and want to follow HIM better.
CHALLENGE: Ezekiel set the example in his day. We need to set an example in our day.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 21 Nevertheless if you warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he does not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also you have delivered your soul. (2094 “warn” [zahar] means to admonish, teach, shine, send out light, be light, or be shining.)
DEVOTION: Ezekiel received his commission for service to the LORD. He was to eat the Word of the LORD found on a scroll. It was sweet as honey in his mouth.
He was sent to the house of Israel. He knew their language. However, the LORD warned him that they would not listen to him. They had not listened to the LORD in the past. They had not listened to HIS prophets. He was appointed a watchman. He was called the son of man.
He had the responsibility of warning the righteous and the wicked of their actions. If they repented they would live. If they didn’t repent they would die.
However, Ezekiel was held accountable for not warning those who needed the warning. He was to be a light in a dark place. He was to be the one to teach and admonish the children of Israel regarding their actions. If he didn’t teach and admonish, their blood was going to be on his hands.
All ministers have the responsibility to teach and admonish those who they come in contact with regarding the teaching of the Word of God. They are to be warned regarding their actions.
If ministers fail to warn those who are in their world of their actions, then they will be held accountable. Ministers or watchmen are to be lights in a dark world. Let’s share the light with those who are in our world.
We are all ministers of the Word of God. We would encourage each one that receives these devotions to send them to everyone on their email list at least once before the end of this season.
There may be people on your email list who are just waiting to start having a regular time in the Word of God. Please share the light!!!!
CHALLENGE: The fear of rejection is real for those who share the truth of the Word of God with others. Remember the difference between those who can just kill the body and SOMEONE who can put the body and soul in the lake of fire for eternity.
________________________________________________________-
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)
_________________________________________________________
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Eat the roll verse 1
God’s words verse 4, 10
Word of the LORD verse 16, 17
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
God’s words verse 4, 10
I have made your (Ezekiel) face strong
against their faces and your forehead
strong against their foreheads verse 8
Lord – Adonai (Owner, Master) verse 11, 27
GOD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 11, 27
Lord GOD verse 11, 27
LORD – Jehovah verse 12, 14, 16, 22, 23
Glory of the LORD verse 12, 23
Hand of the LORD verse 14, 22
Word of the LORD verse 16
I have made you a watchman to the
House of Israel therefore hear
the word of MY mouth and
give them warning from me verse 17
When I say to the wicked verse 18- 27
You shall surely die; and you give
him not warning , nor
speak to warn the wicked
from his wicked way, to save
his life, the same wicked man
shall die in his iniquity: but
his blood will I require at
your hand
Yet if you warn the wicked and he
turn not form his wickedness
nor from his wicked way, he
shall die in his iniquity; but
you have delivered your soul
I will make your (Ezekiel) tongue cleave to
the roof of your mouth, that you
shall be dumb, and shall not be
to them a reprover – for they
are a rebellious house
But when I speak with you, I will open your
mouth, and you shall say to them,
Thus says the Lord GOD: Hear
Let them hear, and he that forbeears,
let him forbear: for they are a
rebellious house
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Spirit took Ezekiel up and he heard verse 12, 14
Spirit entered Ezekiel verse 24
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Voice of great rushing saying
Blessed be the glory of the LORD
from HIS place verse 12
Wings of the living creatures verse 13
Noise of the wheels verse 13
Noise of a great rushing verse 13
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
People of strange language or hard speech verse 3,4
would have hearkened to LORD
Tel-a-bab verse 15
River of Chebar verse 15, 23
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Not hearkening to LORD verse 7, 11, 27
Impudent verse 7
Hardhearted verse 7
Rebellious house verse 9, 26, 27
Bitterness verse 14
Wicked verse 18, 19
Not giving warning verse 18
Iniquity verse 18- 20
Stumblingblock verse 20
Sin verse 20, 21
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Word of God is to be internalized verse 3, 10
Hear the word of God verse 6, 10, 17, 27
Fear not people verse 9
Be not dismayed verse 9
Speak the Word of God verse 11
Give warning from the LORD verse 17- 21
Salvation verse 18
Deliverance verse 19, 21
Righteous verse 20, 21
Life verse 21
Direction given by LORD verse 24- 27
Reprover verse 26
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Son of man = Ezekiel verse 1, 3, 9, 10, 12- 15,17, 21, 25
Told to eat the roll of a book
Not sent to a people of strange speech
or hard language
People of strange speech or hard
language would have listened
I (the LORD) have made his face strong
against their (house of Israel) faces
His face as an adamant harder than flint
Told to fear them not, neither be dismayed
at their looks
To receive LORD’S words in his heart and
hear them with his ears
Assignment: to go to the children of
your people in captivity
and speak to them, and tell them
Thus says the Lord GOD whether they
will hear or whether they will
forbear
Spirit took him up
Heard behind him a voice of a great rushing
saying Blessed be the glory of the
LORD from HIS place
I went in bitterness, in the heat of my
spirit, but the hand of the LORD
was strong upon me
Came to the captivity at Tel-abbi
dwelt by the river of Chebar and sat
and remained astonished – seven days
Word of the LORD came to him
Watchman – to warn Israel
Delivered his soul
LORD talked with him
I saw by the rive of Chebar- the glory of
the LORD
I fell on my face
Spirit entered him and set him on his
Feet and spoke with him and
Said to him: Go, shut yourself
within your house
He was going to be put in bands and
bound and shall not go out
among the people
House of Israel verse 1, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11, 17- 27
Will not hearken to LORD
People of house of Israel are
impudent and hardhearted
Rebellious house
Children of his people verse 11
Captivity at Tell-abib verse 15
by the rive of Chebar
Ezekiel astonished verse 15
Ezekiel watchman verse 17
God going to talk with Ezekiel verse 22
Rebellious house verse 26, 27
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
________________________________________________________________
DONATIONS:
Remember that all donations to Small Church Ministries are greatly appreciated. The treasurer will send a receipt, at the end of the year unless otherwise requested. Please be sure to make check out to “Small Church Ministries.” The address for the treasurer is P.O. Box 604, East Amherst, New York 14051. A second way to give to the ministry is through PayPal on the website: www.smallchurchministries.org. Also, if you can support this ministry through your local church please use that method. Thank you.
____________________________________________________________
QUOTES regarding passage
3:1–3 Ezekiel was commanded four times to eat the scroll, then to go preach his message to the Israelites. These commands revealed that the message of the Old Testament prophets was external and originated with God. They did not discover the truths they preached through logic or deduction but through divine revelation. Nevertheless, God did not supplant the personality of the prophets through whom he spoke. Their messages also reflected their personalities, backgrounds, and individual character traits. Thus the truths that emerged were neither wholly from the prophets alone nor from God alone but from both. Their messages were divine truths through human channels.
When Ezekiel obeyed the command to consume the scroll, he discovered that its taste was sweet though its message was stern (vv. 2–3). The subject of his message was judgment, a message that was just and right in light of Judah’s rebellion and disobedience. When the apostle John ate the scroll of his vision (Rev 10:8–11), it tasted like honey but produced a bitter stomach. The sweetness of God’s Word is a figure also used elsewhere in the Old Testament (Pss 19:10; 119:103). Bitterness was a contrasting characteristic of the message that contained severe judgment. Normally the Word of God was considered sweet, but in this case its truth was the declaration of coming bitterness of judgment that would be a bitter experience for an apostate people (Jer 2:19; 4:18). (Cooper, L. E. (1994). Ezekiel (Vol. 17, p. 79). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
___________________________________________________________
2:8–3:3 The Lord’s charge to Ezekiel emphasized the absolute necessity of hearing, understanding, and assimilating God’s message prior to going forth as a spokesman for the Lord. Ezekiel was to listen to God (2:8a) and not rebel against him as did the people of Israel, who failed to listen to his word. Ezekiel was not to let the people pull him down to their level.
Before beginning his ministry, Ezekiel was to symbolize his complete acceptance of the Lord’s message by eating the scroll (2:8b–3:3). The nature of the message he would proclaim was written on the scroll: funeral dirges, mournings, and lamentations (2:9). Certainly this was not a joyous note to begin on. But even when the ministry would seem difficult and distasteful, the Lord would cause his word to be as sweet as honey (3:3; cf. Pss 19:10; 119:103; Prov 16:24; 24:13–14; Jer 15:16). (Alexander, R. H. (1986). Ezekiel. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel (Vol. 6, p. 763). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
_____________________________________________________________
3:1–3. God had already told the prophet to eat what He would give him (2:8). Now God repeated the order, specifically telling him to eat the scroll he had just received. The purpose was so he could then go and speak to the house of Israel (cf. comments on 3:4 about “Israel”). His task as a prophet was to deliver God’s word to God’s people.
As Ezekiel ate the scroll, it tasted as sweet as honey. Though his message was one of judgment, it was still God’s word. The sweetness came from the source of the words (God) rather than the content of the words (judgment). This same thought was expressed by David (Ps. 19:10), Jeremiah (Jer. 15:16), and the Apostle John (Rev. 10:9–11). (Dyer, C. H. (1985). Ezekiel. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, pp. 1230–1231). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
__________________________________________________________
IN VISION the prophet heard the command of the attendant messenger of the Lord of hosts, bidding him eat the scroll on which the word of the Lord was written. John had a similar vision on Patmos. Both he and Ezekiel are depicted as literally devouring the book. One is reminded of the declaration of Jeremiah, “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and Thy Word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart” (Jer. 15:16). And again, the asseveration of the patriarch Job, “I have esteemed the words of His mouth more than my necessary food” (Job 23:12). In meeting the temptation of the devil to act without a command from the Father and so to make bread from stones, our blessed Lord quoted from Deut. 8:3 when He said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4). Only as we feed on the Word can we become strong in the Lord and the power of His might. Before Ezekiel went forth to give the word of God to others, he must eat the roll—that is, feed upon that word himself. The testimony of the Lord must become a part of his very being, so to speak, if he would so declare it that those to whom he ministered would feel the force of it in convicting power.
At first the prophet took the roll into his mouth, but did not seem to swallow it. In this he was like many who have a certain head knowledge of or intellectual acquaintance with the truth of Scripture, but have never really made it their own. So to Ezekiel the word came imperatively, “Son of man cause thy belly to eat.” God desires truth in the inward parts. David could say, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee” (Ps. 119:11). The truth must possess the very reins of our being. We must not only taste its sweetness, but also feed upon it, receive it into our inmost being, that it may completely dominate our lives. Then, and then only are we prepared to give it forth to others. The minister of God must enjoy the Word himself by meditating upon it, inwardly digesting it, and so making it a part of himself. Then he is ready to declare the whole counsel of God to those who are famishing for want of it. (Ironside, H. A. (1949). Expository notes on Ezekiel, the prophet. (pp. 19–20). Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers.)
________________________________________________________
Ver. 3. And he said unto me, son of man, cause thy belly to eat, &c.] Or devour, and consume; that is, concoct and digest; don’t cast it out of thy mouth, as soon as thou hast tasted of it; but let it go down into the stomach, and there digest it; and from thence into the belly, that so, upon the whole, virtue may be received, and nourishment come by it: and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee; eat to satiety; so the Targum, “son of man, thou shalt satiate thy soul, and fill thy belly, if thou receivest what is written in this roll, which I give thee:” this was sufficient to qualify the prophet for prophesying, and furnish him with materials enough; and these fit and proper for the discharge of his office; and so such who study the word of God with application become scribes well instructed in the kingdom of heaven; and being filled themselves, are able to bring forth things to the comfort and satisfaction of others: then did I eat it, and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness; that is, as the roll was spread before him, he looked into it, and read it, and meditated upon it, and laid it up in his memory, in order to deliver it out when commanded; and though it contained things very distressing, and which would occasion lamentation, and mourning, and wo; yet, considering that these were the will of God, and in righteous judgment to men, he could not but acquiesce in and approve of them. All the words that come out of the mouth of God are as sweet as honey, yea, sweeter than that, Psal. 19:10 and 119:103 and so the Targum interprets it of the words of the Lord, “and I took it, and his words were in my mouth as sweet honey;” and especially the Gospel, and the truths of it, are like honey; they are gathered by laborious ministers, as honey by the industrious bee, out of the various flowers of the Scriptures, with which being laden, they bring into the hive of the church, and dispose of for general usefulness; these are like honey for healthfulness, for nourishment, and for sweetness to the taste; that which makes the Gospel so are the exceeding great and precious promises in it; its doctrines of grace, and those of peace and reconciliation, of pardon, righteousness, eternal life and salvation, by Jesus Christ; and, above all, Christ himself, who is the sum and substance of it; and all its truths being quickening, comforting, and refreshing: but then the Gospel is only sweet when it is eaten; not merely heard, assented to, and superficially tasted of, but eaten and fed upon by faith; and so it is sweet, not to unregenerate persons, whose taste is not changed; nor to nominal and notional professors, who have only a superficial taste of it; but to true believers in Christ, spiritual men, who judge and discern all things; see Rev. 10:9, 10. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 6, pp. 13–14). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
________________________________________________________
1–14. I beg the Reader to pause again and again, while going through the very solemn service of Ezekiel’s ordination. What an idea doth it awaken in the mind of its importance. Though the Lord Jesus himself is the Bishop who layeth on hands: yet no haste is observed. With what earnestness is the Prophet reminded of his charge! Eating and feeling the effects of the roll, plainly set forth, how God’s word is to be received, as well by ministers as people. The preacher that doth not first preach his sermon to his own soul, will feel no interest that it should be felt by his hearers to their eternal salvation. But those words are warmly delivered, which come from the heart. Jerem. 15:16; Luke 9:44; Rev. 10:9. What is here said of the Spirit’s taking him up and carrying him away, may serve to teach faithful ministers of Jesus, how graciously the Lord, the Holy Ghost watches over them for good, and sends them forth to his service. Acts 13:2, 3, 4. (Hawker, R. (2013). Poor Man’s Old Testament Commentary: Ezekiel–Malachi (Vol. 6, p. 12). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.)
_________________________________________________________
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!!)
_____________________________________________________________
That light seems to shine brightest of all when darkness falls upon our surroundings. Our world is now in crisis, and many people I know are living with a sense of loss and a fear of the future. The Word of God is available to convince your mind, to convict your will, and to comfort your heart. If you will read it, cherish it, and let it dwell within you richly, you’ll see the darkness retreat as the light of God’s truth shines brightly in your life. (p. 160,
________________________________________________
Confident and consistent: Both of these words begin with the prefix of con, which means “with.” Confidence means “with faith” while consistency translates to “with a place” – that is, the idea of standing firm like the tree planted by the river. (p. 164-5)
Living With Confidence in a Chaotic World by Dr. David Jeremiah
____________________________________________________________
We now have a Facebook page for Small Church Ministries – please invite others to join us on Facebook. Thank you. Look for the logo from the devotionals.