365 Reflections

There's a Bible statement that every believer must take very seriously: To whom much is given, much is required (see Luke 12:48). That is, the more we know of the Lord, the more we understand His ways, the more revelation we have of Him, and the more blessings we have received of Him, the more accountable we are to Him. This is the case for Israel. Why does this nation suffer so much still to this day under the constant threat of persecution and suffering? They are His chosen. They are the people He called to Himself to bear His witness to the world. And they have done so in many ways. All of the Bible is written by them. All that we know of Christ has come from them. And much of our societal advancements originate in them. The wisdom of Solomon, which is STILL unmatched 2800 years later, is a testament to the depth of their heritage. The law of God is STILL the basis for much of society's social agreement.  But make no mistake, to whom much is given, much will be required. Eze...

Every preacher loves a good sermon illustration. Sometimes, they use props. These are communication devices intended to help the hearer better catch the truth of God's Word in a multi-sensory experience that hearers can feel and experience. They are often what people remember after the sermon.  In Ezekiel's case, the sermon illustration was himself. The first part of chapter four seems harmless enough. He's asked to arrange some cookware and bricks around his house.  Ezekiel 4:1–3 (ESV) “And you, son of man, take a brick and lay it before you, and engrave on it a city, even Jerusalem. 2 And put siegeworks against it, and build a siege wall against it, and cast up a mound against it. Set camps also against it, and plant battering rams against it all around. 3 And you, take an iron griddle, and place it as an iron wall between you and the city; and set your face toward it, and let it be in a state of siege, and press the siege against it. This is a sign for the house of Isra...

After the Lord calls Ezekiel to be His watchman over the people of Israel, the prophet has another powerful moment with the Holy Spirit that catches the reader's attention.  Ezekiel 3:22–23 (ESV) And the hand of the LORD was upon me there. And he said to me, “Arise, go out into the valley, and there I will speak with you.” 23 So I arose and went out into the valley, and behold, the glory of the LORD stood there, like the glory that I had seen by the Chebar canal, and I fell on my face. At first, this seems like a wonderful invitation from the Lord. Ezekiel is called to a valley and when he arrives, the glory of the Lord revisits the prophet. Yet consider what happens next: Ezekiel 3:24–25 (ESV) But the Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet, and he spoke with me and said to me, “Go, shut yourself within your house. 25 And you, O son of man, behold, cords will be placed upon you, and you shall be bound with them, so that you cannot go out among the people. The prophet bows d...

Not only does God call prophets to ministry, He prepares them.  First up, a diet on the sweet and blessed Word. Ezekiel 3:1–3 (ESV) And he said to me, “Son of man, eat whatever you find here. Eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.” 2 So I opened my mouth, and he gave me this scroll to eat. 3 And he said to me, “Son of man, feed your belly with this scroll that I give you and fill your stomach with it.” Then I ate it, and it was in my mouth as sweet as honey. God's Word is often described as sweet in the scriptures.  Psalm 19:10 (ESV) More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Psalm 119:103 (ESV) How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Now what's amazing is how the message of sweetness can be so easily rejected. For God will send Ezekiel to a hardened people. A people who are familiar with the Lord and, therefore, have inbred contempt for Him and His agents....

I love the origin stories of the great superhero films. They always fill me with wonder at how these ordinary people with flaws or powers discovered a purpose greater than themselves and navigated their way into a calling to help and serve countless others.  Of course, the prophets of God helped and serve to this day not in imaginary entertainment but in real life. In Ezekiel 1 and 2, we have the "origin story" of this Biblical hero in a dark time of history. Having just encountered the Lord in the storm and riding on a sort of cosmic chariot, God now speaks: Ezekiel 2:1–2 (ESV) And he said to me, “Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak with you.” 2 And as he spoke to me, the Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet, and I heard him speaking to me. The summons to stand on one's feet calls to mind the commissioning of a great dignitary or leader of the nation. While prophets were often hated in their time, they are the dignitaries of world history. As Jeremi...

Let's begin a journey through the last of the major prophets in the Old Testament. Prophet and priest Ezekiel suffers among his people in the land of Babylon. In a moment, perhaps unexpectedly, he meets with God. The third verse states: Ezekiel 1:3 (ESV) the word of the LORD came to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the Chebar canal, and the hand of the LORD was upon him there. The hand of the Lord upon him leads the eyes of Ezekiel to behold Him. The prophet begins this book detailing a vision of the Lord that both compelled him into service and confuses us today.  Ezekiel 1:4–5 (ESV) As I looked, behold, a stormy wind came out of the north, and a great cloud, with brightness around it, and fire flashing forth continually, and in the midst of the fire, as it were gleaming metal. 5 And from the midst of it came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: they had a human likeness, How is the Lord introduced? In a storm....

There's no avoiding sin in the life of a believer. John affirms that any of us who deny sin are living in self-deception.  1 John 1:8 (ESV) If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. So when we read the texts of God's judgment upon sinful believers in the Old Testament, a certain apprehension grips our hearts concerning our own imperfect behavior. What would happen to us? What would God do to discipline us? Would He treat us as Israel of old? No matter what might befall us in the Lord's discipline, there is a pattern outlined in Lamentations 5 that guides our prayer life back to the Father.  Lamentations 5:1–5 (ESV) Remember, O LORD, what has befallen us; look, and see our disgrace! 2 Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers, our homes to foreigners. 3 We have become orphans, fatherless; our mothers are like widows. 4 We must pay for the water we drink; the wood we get must be bought. 5 Our pursuers are at our necks; we are weary;...