Ezekiel 5
Object lesson regarding hair of Ezekiel verse 1- 4
And you – son of man – take you a sharp knife – take you a barber’s razor
and cause it to pass upon your head and upon your beard
THEN take you balances to weigh – and divide the hair
You shall burn with fire a third part in the midst of the city
when the days of the siege are fulfilled
and you shall take a third part
and smite about it with a knife
and a third part and scatter it in the wind
and I will draw out a sword after them
You shall take thereof a FEW in number
and bind them in your shirts
THEN take of them again – and cast them into the midst of the fire
and burn them in the fire for thereof shall a fire come
forth into all the house of Israel
Cause of captivity: Rebellion verse 5- 6
THUS says the Lord GOD
This is Jerusalem
I have set it in the midst of the nations and countries
that are round about her
And she has changed
MY judgments into wickedness more than the nations
and MY statutes more than the countries that are
round about her for they have
refused MY judgments
and MY statutes they have not walked in them
Heathen nations had higher standard then Israel verse 7
THEREFORE thus says the Lord GOD
BECAUSE you multiplied more than the nations
that are round about you
and have not walked in MY statutes
neither have kept MY judgments
neither have done according to the
judgments of the nations
that are round about you
Extent of punishment explained verse 8- 11
THEREFORE thus says the Lord GOD
BEHOLD I – even I – am against you
and will execute judgments in the midst of you
in the sight of the nations
And I will do in you that which I have not done
and whereunto I will not do any more the like
because of all your abominations
THEREFORE the fathers
shall eat the sons in the midst of you
and the sons shall eat their fathers
And I will execute judgments in you
and the whole remnant of you will I scatter into
all the winds
WHEREFORE – as I live – says the Lord GOD
Surely because you have defiled MY sanctuary
with all your detestable things
and with all your abominations
THEREFORE will I diminish you
neither shall MINE eye spare
neither will I have any pity
LORD divides punishment in thirds verse 12- 13
A third part of you shall die with the pestilence and with famine
shall they be consumed in the midst of you
and a third part shall fall by the sword round about you
and I will scatter a third part into all the winds
and I will draw out a sword after them
THUS shall MINE anger be accomplished
and I will cause MY fury to rest upon them
and I will be comforted and they shall KNOW
that I the LORD have spoken it in MY zeal
when I have accomplished MY fury in them
Nations will take notice of punishment verse 14- 15
MOREOVER I will make you waste
and a reproach among the nations that are round about you
in the sight of all that pass by
SO it shall be a reproach – taunt – instruction – astonishment to
the nations that are round about you
WHEN I shall execute judgment in thee in anger
fury – furious rebukes
I the LORD have spoken it
Four types of enemies will attack Israel verse 16- 17
WHEN I shall send on them the evil arrows of famine
which shall be for their destruction
and which I will send to destroy you
and I will increase the famine upon you
and will break your staff of bread
SO will I send upon you famine and evil beasts
and they shall bereave you
and pestilence and blood shall pass
through you
and I will bring the sword upon you
I the LORD have spoken it
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 6 And she has changed my judgments into wickedness more than the nations, and my statutes more than the countries that are round about her: for they have refused my judgments and my statutes, they have not walked in them. (4784 “changed” [marah] means show rebellion, show disobedience, to be obstinate, to resist, to oppose and refractory.)
DEVOTION: Change is good sometimes. We were promised change in this country and it was not good. We are sometimes promised changes at our work place and that is sometimes not good. Many people are downsized from many companies. There has been a change in the price of gas in the last few days. That is not a good change.
When Ezekiel used the word he meant that the people of Judah were showing rebellion toward the LORD. They had looked at his statutes and judgments and said they don’t want any part of them.
So they just didn’t obey them. They made up their own rules to please themselves. There rules were exactly the opposite of what the LORD had instructed them to do.
So HE showed them through object lessons by Ezekiel what HE was going to do to them. HE used the hair on his head and beard to show them what was going to happen to Jerusalem.
Ezekiel was to cut his hair with a sharp knife. Then he was to divide the hair into three separate piles. One third was to be set on fire. One third was to be hit with a knife. The final third was to be scatter to the wind.
The people were rebelling against the laws of God. God doesn’t put up with rebellion. HE judges rebellion. If a nation doesn’t want to follow the laws of the Creator of the Universe, they will be judged.
The Bible defines marriage as a union between one man and one woman for life. It defines anything different as sin. If a nation wants to go against the laws of God they should expect judgment.
Remember HE is longsuffering but it doesn’t last forever. HE will judge any nation that rebels against HIS laws. We know that HIS laws were established to keep society functioning in a good manner. There has to be a standard. Once the standards are broken the nation fails.
CHALLENGE: Keep the standards of the Word of God and you will not fail in God’s sight. Churches need to keep the standards of the Word of God to not lose their candlestick. Nations need to keep the standards of the Word of God to not go into captivity.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 8 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD; Behold, I even I, am against you, and will execute judgements in the midst of you in the sight of the nations. (5869 “sight” [‘ayin] means eye, the range of the eye, presence, understanding as a mental perception, to be in a place in which others can observe, or outward appearance)
DEVOTION: The LORD wants the world to see that HE deals with HIS people in a manner similar to HIS dealing with them. HE is not going to let HIS people sin and not judge them for it. HE is going to be consistent in HIS judgment of sin.
It is worst when HIS people sin because they are supposed to set the example for the rest of the LORD. They are supposed to be better than the rest of the world. They are supposed to be worshiping the LORD in spirit and in truth one hundred percent of the time.
We know that we can’t serve the LORD 100% of the time but we can confess our sins and HE is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins. This is something that we can tell and show those who are not believers in our daily walk with the LORD.
We know that we are going to sin but we know we should confess them and ask the LORD to forgive and restore us to a proper relationship with HIM. If the world sees our confession and forgiveness, they will realize that we don’t claim to be sinless but sinners who have a walk with the LORD that is real. We are not faking that we are sinless but our goal is to sin less.
If we are a proper witness for the LORD confession is part of our daily walk with HIM and HIS forgiveness is part of that walk as well.
The world of Israel saw the LORD judge them for their sins which they were not willing to confess and change their behavior and they will see our sins and will see if we are willing to change our behavior.
CHALLENGE: What does the world see in the church and in our personal walk with the LORD? Do they see us confessing our sins and trying to live a life that is pleasing to the LORD or do they just see us as sinners who don’t care? They can tell the difference – can we?
__________________________________________________________
: 11 Wherefore, as I live, says the Lord GOD; Surely, because you have defiled my sanctuary with all your detestable things, and will all your abominations, therefore will I also diminish you; neither shall my eye spare, neither will I have any pity. (1639 “diminish” [gara‘] means take, restrain, keep back, withdraw, shave, trim, cut down, or cut off)
DEVOTION: In the Old Testament the place of worship was the Temple that the LORD allowed Solomon to build. While the children of Israel were wandering in the wilderness it was called the Tabernacle in the Wilderness. God gave the people a place that was HOLY for them to worship in since they left Egypt.
When people who were not priests entered the Tabernacle or Temple they were killed. It was a place that only the priests were to enter. However, it changed after Solomon’s time as there were many things done in the Temple that didn’t honor the HOLINESS of GOD. Here we find that the LORD is informing the people that HE knew what they were doing in HIS HOLY PLACE on earth in Jerusalem. HE was not pleased.
Today we are to worship the LORD in a local church on a regular basis. The churches that was established in the New Testament were to be places where those who were declared HOLY to enter each Sunday to worship the LORD. However, we find that those entering many places that are called churches enter with very little worship and their lives are not HOLY.
God wants HIS people to confess their sin and keep short accounts with HIM. This needs to be done daily. As those who are genuine believers enter a building called the church they are to act like they are HOLY because they have been declared to be HOLY by the LORD.
We are not to bring detestable things into the presence of the LORD. We are not to defile our bodies which are the TEMPLE of the LORD. We need to genuinely examine ourselves daily and confess our sin if we are to come together and truly worship the LORD. The children of Israel didn’t do it and the sad fact is that many of us don’t do it regularly either.
CHALLENGE: We need to examine our lives daily to stay in tune with the LORD, so that, when we come together, we act like individuals who genuinely love the LORD and each other.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 15 So it shall be a reproach and a taunt, an instruction and an astonishment unto the nations that are round about you, when I shall execute judgments in you in anger and in fury and in furious rebukes. I the LORD have spoken it. (4148 “instruction” [muwcar] means discipline, warning, punishment, chastening, or correction.)
DEVOTION: Ezekiel was to use another object lesson to help teach the children of Israel that the LORD was going to fulfill HIS word of judgment.
This object lesson was included the use of his personal hair. He was to cut it and divide it into three groups. God was going to judge the nation in three different ways. HE wanted them to realize that HE was angry with the way they were treating HIS law and HIS sanctuary.
They would not listen to the prophets. They would not obey HIS commands or statutes or judgments. The world HAD to know that HE was a righteous God.
Therefore, HE had to chasten HIS people for the whole world to see. They were going to see Israel as an object that has low status or dishonor because of the way they treated the law of the LORD. They were going to be spoken about in an abusive manner. They were going to be a horror to look at when the LORD was done with them.
This was done, so that, they would learn from their sin. When the LORD disciplines HIS people it is always for their own good. HE wants them to correct their actions and start serving HIM in a proper manner. The chastening of the LORD is for HIS children’s education. Sometimes they learned and sometimes they didn’t listen and needed further chastening.
The world sees our obedience and our disobedience. If we remain disobedient, HE has to do something to protect HIS good name. HE promises blessings to those who are obedient. HE promises rebukes to those who disobey. HE keeps it very simple.
Each day we have to make a choice. Each day we have to take up our cross and follow HIM. Does this mean that our relationship is based on our works? NO! Our relationship is based on the blood of Christ on the cross for our salvation. It means that our fellowship with HIM is based on our obedience.
Are we being obedient today? Each day is a new day with HIM!!! HIS mercies are NEW every morning!!! Praise HIS name!!
CHALLENGE: Warnings are on every side of us that HE is not pleased with our disobedience. HE can make HIS point on any nation at any time. Pray for revival in your nation!!)
_______________________________________________________________
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Sanctuary verse 11
___________________________________________________________
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Judgments verse 6- 8, 10
Statutes verse 6, 7
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
Lord – Adonai (Master, Owner) verse 5, 7, 8, 11
GOD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 5, 7, 8, 11
Lord GOD verse 5, 7, 8, 11
Judgments of LORD verse 6, 8, 10, 11, 15
I, even I, am against you (Israel) verse 8
I will execute judgments in the midst of you
in the sight of the nations verse 8
I will execute judgmetns in you, and the
whole remnant of you will I scatter
into all the winds verse 10
I also will diminish you
neither shall mine eye spare
Neither will I have any pity verse 11
I will draw out a sword after them verse 12
God’s spoken word verse 15, 17
Anger of the LORD verse 13, 15
My fury shall rest upon Israel verse 13
LORD – Jehovah verse 13, 15, 17
I the LORD have spoken it in MY zeal verse 13
I have accomplished MY fury in them verse 13
I will make (Israel) waste and a reproach
among the nations verse 14
I shall execute judgments in Israel in anger
and in fury and in furious rebukes verse 15
I the LORD have spoken it verse 15
I shall send upon them the evil arrows of
famine, which shall be for their
destruction verse 16, 17
I will send upon them evil beasts
pestilence and blood verse 17
I the bring the sword upon you verse 17
I the LORD have spoken it verse 17
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Nations and countries verse 5- 8, 14, 15
Judgments of the nations verse 7
Judgment of Israel in the sight of the nations verse 8
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Wickedness verse 6
Refused judgments of God verse 6
Not walked in judgments and statutes verse 6, 7
Abominations verse 9, 11
Defiled sanctuary verse 11
Detestable things verse 11
Astonishment verse 15
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Reproach verse 15
Instruction verse 15
Rebuke verse 15
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Son of man = Ezekiel verse 1
Told to take a sharp knife and barber’s
razor to his head and then
divide the hair
Then burn with fire 1/3 part in city
Then take another 1/3 and smite with
knife
Then take another 1/3 scatter in the wind
Also take a few in number and bind them
in your skirts – then cast them in
the midst of the fire verse 1-4
House of Israel verse 4
Jerusalem verse 5
Has changed MY judgments into wickedness verse 6
Fathers shall eat the sons in the midst of you verse 10
Sons shall eat their fathers verse 10
Whole remnant verse 10
A third shall die with the pestilence and famine verse 12, 16, 17
A third will die of sword verse 12, 17
A third will be scattered to the wind verse 12
Israel will be a reproach and a taunt, an
instruction and an astonishment unto
the nations verse 15
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
Using another oath formula, “as surely as I live,” God swore by his own life that he would judge Israel (v. 11). Not only was Israel guilty of idolatry and its accompanying detestable practices, but they had brought this abominable worship into the temple of God in Jerusalem. This is the first reference in Ezekiel to the problem of the defilement of the temple, discussed more completely in 8:1–18. Their unparalleled sin was the basis for unprecedented judgment. One-third were to be destroyed by plague and famine, one-third by the sword, and one-third scattered in every direction at the destruction of the nation (v. 12). These words of judgment are awesome when related to the declaration of v. 5, “This is Jerusalem,” and v. 11, “I will not look on you with pity or spare you.” The greatness of God’s love for his people demands a firm and severe response whenever that love is ignored or violated. (Cooper, L. E. (1994). Ezekiel (Vol. 17, pp. 103–104). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
_______________________________________________________
5:9–17 The elements in God’s judgment on the people for their sins can be enumerated in this way: (1) a judgment that will be worse in extent than ever before; (2) a terrible famine that will lead to cannibalism; (3) pestilence, meaning plagues and diseases associated with famine; (4) violent death by sword or wild beasts; and, (5) the scattering and killing of a remnant. These punishments would come as the result of the people’s idolatry—they had defiled God’s temple with detestable things and abominations (v. 11), evidencing their complete disregard for the Law (vv. 6, 7; 11:18). The Ten Commandments were the foundation of all Mosaic legislation, and they prohibited idolatry (Ex. 20:3). Further, these judgments would be accomplished: (1) without pity and with no hope of escape (v. 11), (2) with a full expenditure of God’s wrath (v. 13), and (3) with the result of making God’s people an object lesson of warning among the onlooking neighbor nations (v. 15). In His covenant with His people, God had promised to send these curses if the people chose to rebel against Him (Deut. 28:15–68). The disobedient and rebellious people should not be surprised at the horror they were soon to face. (Radmacher, E. D., Allen, R. B., & House, H. W. (1999). Nelson’s new illustrated Bible commentary (Eze 5:9–17). Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers.)
__________________________________________________________
5:11 as I live. Here was a solemn oath pledging the very existence of God for the fulfillment of the prophecy. It is found 14 times in this book. Their greatest sin was defiling the sanctuary, showing the height of their wickedness. (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Eze 5:11). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
___________________________________________________________
11 Wherefore, as I live, saith the Lord God; Surely, because thou hast defiled my sanctuary with all thy mdetestable things, and with all thine abominations, therefore will I also diminish thee; neither shall mine eye spare, neither will I have any pity.
As I live; a form of an oath becoming none but the living God, used often in Scripture and in this prophet. Defiled; violated and profaned. My sanctuary; my temple. With all thy detestable things; not that all they did abominably was done in the temple; but either because they never heeded how they were polluted, but with legal pollutions on them came to the temple; or rather, brought in their idols, all their detestable counterfeit gods, as Jer. 7:30, and, in 2 Kings 16:10; 23:12, 13, their own altars, as Ahaz and Manasseh. All their idolatry and wickednesses, expressed by two words of like emphasis. Diminish; lessen, break to pieces, cut up by the roots such stinking weeds. Neither shall mine eye spare; there shall not be the least sign of pity in my eye, though I see all their misery. Neither will I have pity; nor yet will I retain any affection of kindness for them; my heart, as my eye, shall be far from all pity and commiseration towards them. (Poole, M. (1853). Annotations upon the Holy Bible (Vol. 2, pp. 676–677). New York: Robert Carter and Brothers.)
_________________________________________________________
Ver. 11. Wherefore, as I live, saith the Lord God, &c.] This is a form of an oath, and shews that what is after said should certainly be done; God would not repent of it, nor revoke it: surely, because thou hast defiled my sanctuary, with all thy detestable things, and with all thine abominations; that is, with their idols and idolatrous worship, which were detestable and abominable to the Lord; so Manasseh not only built altars for Baal in the house of the Lord, but set up in it a graven image of the grove, 2 Kings 21:3, 4, 7: therefore will I also diminish thee; as they lessened his glory by such abominable actions, so he threatens that he would lessen their privileges and blessings; as they took away from him the worship and honour that were due to him, so he would take away from them their civil and church state, his sanctuary, word, and ordinances, and deprive them of every thing that was valuable and excellent. The Targum paraphrases it, “I will cut off the strength of thine arm;” weaken her power: neither shall mine eye spare, neither will I have any pity; when in the greatest misery and distress. The Targum is, “my Word shall not spare,” &c. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 6, p. 25). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
_______________________________________________________________
With but five exceptions all uses of mārâ/merî refer to rebellion against God. These five exceptions are; (I, 2) Deut 21:18, 20, dealing with disciplinary procedures to be pursued by parents with a stubborn (sôrēr) and “rebellious” son; (3) Job 17:2, “Are there not mockers with me and my eye continues in their “provocation/spite-fulness”?” (4) Job 23:2, “My lament is still rebellious”; (5) Prov 17:11, “The wicked man thinks of nothing but rebellion.” (Hamilton, V. P. (1999). 1242 מָרָה. In R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer, Jr. & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer, Jr. & B. K. Waltke, Ed.) (electronic ed.) (526). Chicago: Moody Press.)
_____________________________________________________
This sin of rebellion may be in word: Num 17:10 [H 25]; 27:14, complaining; Ps 78:17ff., challenging and defying God to do the abnormal, to cater to their tastes and delicacies. Or, it may be a rebellion in deed: I Sam 12:15, obedience to man over God; I Kgs 13:21, 26, actions contrary to God’s clearly expressed will by a “clergyman”; Jer 4:17, “your own behavior and actions”; Isa 3:8, “their words and their deeds.” What is most often rebelled against is “the commandment/the word of the Lord,” (ʿet) pî (literally, “the mouth”). This is the most frequent direct object of the verb mārâ: I Kgs 13:21, 26; Lam 1:18; Ps 105:28; Num 20:24; 27:14, inter alia. (Hamilton, V. P. (1999). 1242 מָרָה. In R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer, Jr. & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer, Jr. & B. K. Waltke, Ed.) (electronic ed.) (526). Chicago: Moody Press.)
__________________________________________________________
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!!)
__________________________________________________________
FATHER PUNISHED BY BRITISH COLUMBIA GOVERNMENT/COURT FOR NOT AFFIRMING HIS DAUGHTER’S TRANSSEXUALISM (Friday Church News Notes, May 3, 2019, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) – The following is excerpted from “Father Gagged, Found Guilty of ‘Family Violence,’” The Federalist, Apr. 24, 2019: “Last week, Justice Francesca Marzari of the Supreme Court of British Columbia, Canada, declared a father guilty of ‘family violence’ against his 14-year-old daughter on the sole basis that he had engaged in ‘expressions of rejection of [her] gender identity.’ These ‘expressions’ revolved entirely around his polite refusal to refer to his daughter as a boy in private, and his steady choice to affirm that she is a girl in public. As previously reported, the BC Supreme Court ordered in February that 14-year-old Maxine* receive testosterone injections without parental consent. Accordingly, Maxine began regular injections at British Columbia (BC) Children’s Hospital over the course of the last two months. … Her father, Clark*, strongly objects to this treatment and immediately sought to reverse the decision in the BC Court of Appeal. Hoping to raise awareness of his case, Clark gave a number of interviews to media outlets, including The Federalist. In these interviews, he repeatedly referred to his daughter as a girl, stating to The Federalist that ‘she is a girl. Her DNA will not change through all these experiments that they do.’ While many might take this to be an honest statement of biological fact, Marzari quoted it as a prime example of Clark’s ‘family violence of a public denial of [Maxine’s] gender identity.’ Marzari convicted Clark of this violence, and issued a ‘protection order’ preventing him from speaking to journalists or the public about his case. While the main thrust of Marzari’s ruling focused on Clark’s public statements, Marzari also ordered that Clark be enjoined from ‘exposing’ Maxine to any materials that might ‘question whether [her] gender identity is real or the treatments [she] seeks are in [her] best interests.’ … What Marzari found particularly egregious, however, was not Clark’s private interactions with his daughter but his ‘continued willingness to provide interviews to the media … in which he identifies [Maxine] as female, uses a female name for [Maxine] … and expresses his opposition to the therapies [Maxine] has chosen.’ According to the court, this willingness placed Maxine at ‘a significant risk of harm.’ (*Clark and Maxine are not the real names of the father and daughter involved. Their identities have been concealed by court order. Court documents use the initials CD and AB, respectively.)”
____________________________________________________
God miraculously parts the Jordan River for the people of Israel to cross over.
INSIGHT
There are two times in history when God parts water for the Israelites-once at the Red Sea as they flee from the Egyptian army and again at the Jordan River as they enter the Promised Land.
The Red Sea experience receives more acclaim, but the Jordan River experience is just as miraculous. The water parts for a distance of almost 20 miles as the nation passes over on dry ground during the flood stage.
God is faithful to accomplish His good purposes for His people. (Quiet Walk)
_____________________________________________________
ACCEPTING AN SUBMITTING
The common people heard him gladly. Mark 12:37
If it were a matter of understanding and abstract reasoning, then this Gospel of the New Testament and salvation would just be for a handful of people in this world. You would have to be an expert philosopher; you would have to go to colleges and universities to be trained in philosophy. So there would be no gospel for the common, ordinary man. But thank God, here is a Gospel that tells us that “the common people heard him gladly.”
Philosophers cannot preach to the poor; the poor could not follow them, and all the Greek philosophers have nothing to say to such people. But the Gospel is preached to the poor. Here, then, is a proof of the whole thing. It is not understanding that is essential—it is accepting and submitting; it is giving yourself to Jesus Christ.
So we see that the message of the Gospel is that if you are in trouble and in difficulty about Him, don’t stop with arguing and going around in circles. I say this with feeling because I have known myself what that means. I did it for years, arguing and reasoning, and you come back exactly to where you began. I do not hesitate to say that if you persist in trying to understand the essence of this Gospel, you will die in the same position as you are now—you will never understand. Do what John the Baptist did—go to Christ as you see Him in the Gospels.
That is why, by the grace of God, the Gospels have been written. We cannot go see Christ in the flesh, but we can go to the Gospels and have a look at Him. And this is what we see: We are struck by the way He expounds the Scriptures in a way no one ever did before.
A Thought to Ponder
It is not understanding that is essential—it is accepting and submitting; it is giving yourself to Jesus Christ. (From The Heart of the Gospel, pp. 20-21, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
_________________________________________________________
Redeeming the Time
“See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:15-16)
This incisive expression—“redeeming the time”—occurs also in Colossians 4:5: “Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.” The Greek word for “redeem” means to “buy back,” to “ransom,” or even to “rescue.” That is, time is a very valuable asset, in danger of being lost forever unless it is rescued or redeemed.
As a matter of fact, time is just about the most valuable asset we have. If we squander our money or lose our health, there is always the possibility of earning more money or being restored to health, but wasted time is gone forever. In our text, those who are wise redeem the time, whereas those who are fools waste or misuse it. The word in the original for “circumspectly” is translated “diligently” in Matthew 2:7. The text thus indicates that those who redeem the time are walking diligently; the parallel passage in Colossians 4:5 says they are walking in wisdom. The time God gives us, therefore, should be used both carefully and diligently.
The marvelous passage in the 139th Psalm that describes the growth of the human embryo concludes with a remarkable declaration: “In thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them” (Psalm 139:16). The words “my members” are not in the original, and “in continuance” is actually the Hebrew word for “days.” Thus, the verse is really telling us that all of our days were written in God’s book even before we were conceived. Each day of our lives is vitally important in the plan of God.
“So,” as Moses prayed to the Lord, “teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom” (Psalm 90:12). (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
________________________________________________________
The scholars held a firm conclusion that those with a belief in God had 33 percent less brain response to anxiety; those with and outright certainty of God’s existence demonstrated 45 percent less anxiety than atheists. (p. 173)
_______________________________________
So many of us began with a deep devotion to Christ, but we took detours form the narrow path of obedience. We are all prone to wander. Abiding is not about never missing you’re appointment God. It is more about finding your way back when you stray. As the old song says, “pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again.” (p. 175)
______________________________________
Our sins may be forgiven, but our work will not be forgotten! (p. 179
________________________________________
As we watch Him work in us through prayer, our confidence in Him grows and matures and when we stand before Him on that day, we will be assured. (p. 180)
__________________________________________
But those hard nosed decisions to be consistent will separate you from the lukewarm faith crowd. (p. 182 ) (Living With Confidence in a Chaotic World by Dr. David Jeremiah)
___________________________________________________________
Karen posted on Facebook: I was at the grocery store this morning and heard a loud crash and something shattering. Being nosy, I walked towards the sound and saw some people whispering and looking back to the end of the next aisle. When I walked down that aisle, I saw an older lady had hit a shelf containing dishes with her cart and many had fallen to the ground and broke. She was kneeling on the floor embarrassed, frantically picking up the shattered pieces, while her husband was peeling off the bar code from each broken dish saying “Now we will have to pay for all this!”
I felt so bad for her, and everyone was just standing there staring at her!! I went and knelt beside her and told her not to worry and started helping her pick up the broken pieces. After about a minute, the store manager came and knelt beside us and said, “Leave it, we will clean this up. Let’s get your information so you can go to the hospital and have that cut on your hand looked at.”
The lady, totally embarrassed said, “I need to pay for all this first.” The manager smiled, helped her to her feet and said, “No ma’am, we have insurance for this, you do not have to pay anything!”
For you who have read this so far, I would like you to give me a minute. Wherever you are, close your eyes, and imagine God doing the same for you!
Collect the pieces of your broken heart from all the blows life has thrown at you. God will heal all your wounds, and I assure you that your sins and mistakes will be forgiven.
You see, we all have the same insurance, and it’s called Grace. When you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior and ask for forgiveness, the Manager of the universe, GOD, will say to you “Everything has already been paid for, now go on your way, all is forgiven!” (Joan McCartney)
___________________________________________________
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.