January 20, 2023
Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.
Reading along with us in Ezekiel? Here’s today’s reading:
Ezekiel 11 (NIV)
God’s Sure Judgment on Jerusalem
1 Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the gate of the house of the Lord that faces east. There at the entrance of the gate were twenty-five men, and I saw among them Jaazaniah son of Azzur and Pelatiah son of Benaiah, leaders of the people. 2 The Lord said to me, “Son of man, these are the men who are plotting evil and giving wicked advice in this city. 3 They say, ‘Haven’t our houses been recently rebuilt? This city is a pot, and we are the meat in it.’ 4 Therefore prophesy against them; prophesy, son of man.”............Continue Reading
Great chapter! Although God has left the Temple, He remains with those who live – the remnant. He continues to hold out hope to those who are faithful to him even if they are in exile. Further, He promises one day to return them to their land and give them “hearts of flesh” that will want to keep his decrees and laws.
The vision that the Lord had showed him he was commanded to tell the the exiles everything ,That was what he did. God showed in the vision that he would bring them all back from Exile and give them a heart of flesh and not of stone. and give everything back to them and they will then follow the Lord. Shows his great vison of forgiveness . T
Steve. Absolutely love that verse Remove a heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. That’s the greatest miracle! We look for physical healings. The greatest healing is someone with a new heart. Which changes their thinking and attitude on all things. Born new!! So The lord says he will be with those that are in exile and not with those In Jerusalem. those in exile miss the temple and the presence of the lord. Strong message to the leaders of Jerusalem. Their thinking is totally off. Thinking they are protected even from the lord because of their position. Those n leadership position will be judged more strongly. Sobering verse
Ezekiel 11
God never leaves without restoring hope. While the punishments in the Old Testament seem harsh to us as we read He always leaves His people with a message of restoration coming. The knowledge that we can always come back to Him no matter how far away we think we have strayed or how bad we think our sin to be, there is always Hope in Christ and a Father who wishes for us to be restored to Him.
Ezekiel 9-12
God declares judgement on those who still remain in Jerusalem and it is to their leaders that God desires to communicate this to. False worship and detestable practices have happened during their watch and the people have suffered as well. They fear the sword but it is the very thing they need and what God will bring. But God does this though so so they will know that He is the Lord. They should have known it already, but instead they conformed to the ways of the nations around them rather than God’s ways. What a good lesson for us as we function in a corrupted society. And yet God also gives them a picture of hope and restoration. He will not only change their circumstances but he will also change their hearts. He will give them the ability to be obedient since they have drastically failed on their own. It is the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives that very well may be the fulfillment of prophecies like this fund in the Old Testament.
Ezekiel 11
Ezekiel 11
After the Lord gives his judgement on the leaders (he knew the evil things they were saying and thinking), he departs from Jerusalem and shifts his attention to the exiles of Israel. Even though they were not in their own land, God was with them. He gives them an important word of immense hope: “I will give you back the land of Israel again.”… “I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh… They will be my people, and I will be their God.”
And He gives us a similar hope today – he puts the Holy Spirit in us to guide us in his way and help us to obey him. And we are His people, and He is our God.
Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Although I have cast them far off among the Gentiles, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet I shall be a little sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone.” ’
God is even with them in their dispersion. He says he will be a “little sanctuary for them”. I think of the Holy Spirit indwelling believers, making our hearts and minds a “little sanctuary”. A good thing to remember as the world becomes more and more chaotic or if our bodies are failing or even persecuted or threatened, that we have the indwelling Spirit as a little sanctuary.