365 Reflections

It's one of the most amazing things about the land of Israel. Presently it is flourishing economically, agriculturally, technologically, militarily, and diplomatically. Surrounded by enemies on all sides, this small nation continues to stand as a testament to the surety of God's Word.  Ezekiel 36 arrives on the heels of the doom announced to Edom in chapter 35, who sought to exploit Israel's discipline of exile to Babylon by taking the land for themselves. It never happened, and the land of Edom has become a desolate waste just as Ezekiel 35 foretold.  Not Israel. The exact opposite has happened to God's favored nation. In Ezekiel 36, the Lord tells His prophet to speak to the mountains of Israel and declare the blessing that will surely arrive as He brings His people back to the land.  Ezekiel 36:8–9 (ESV) “But you, O mountains of Israel, shall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit to my people Israel, for they will soon come home. 9 For behold, I am for you,...

Isaiah 66:7–8 (ESV) “Before she was in labor she gave birth; before her pain came upon her she delivered a son. 8 Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall a land be born in one day? Shall a nation be brought forth in one moment? For as soon as Zion was in labor she brought forth her children. Amazingly, Isaiah ends on a euphoric note of hope. God will bring a miraculous resurrection to Israel and one day she will be born. Now I happen to believe the fulfillment of that text happened on May 14, 1948, when Israel declared itself a state, and the U.S. President recognized her sovereignty moments later against the wishes of his cabinet. Biblical History was made and the world changed forever.  Isaiah does what a lot of prophets in the Bible do. They spoke of things to happen in their generation and the ultimate things to happen much later. The fact is, God was so gracious to His people, that He fulfilled their comeback prophecy twice, separated by 2400 years of hist...

The more we see of Ahab in action, the more we see the morally bankrupt character he represents. Recently rebuked by the prophet for sparing Ben-hadad over the exchange of property, his appetite for selfish indulgence only grows. He spies a piece of land nearby owned by a man named Naboth. 1 Kings 21:1–4 (ESV) Now Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel, beside the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. 2 And after this Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your vineyard, that I may have it for a vegetable garden, because it is near my house, and I will give you a better vineyard for it; or, if it seems good to you, I will give you its value in money.” 3 But Naboth said to Ahab, “The LORD forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers.” 4 And Ahab went into his house vexed and sullen because of what Naboth the Jezreelite had said to him, for he had said, “I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers.” And he lay down on his bed and turned away his face and would eat no foo...

Numbers 34:1–2 (ESV)   The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Command the people of Israel, and say to them, When you enter the land of Canaan (this is the land that shall fall to you for an inheritance, the land of Canaan as defined by its borders), The Lord promised this land and the Lord outlined the borders for them. It was to be a sizable piece of land as well as a good land. It even came with ocean front property. What do we learn from a text that seems so void of spiritual insight? A lot. First we learn that God knows exactly where we are to go and what we are to do. Will we listen to Him? He has outlined for His people the places He wants them. He determines our steps. You are not aimless if you are walking with Christ. You have a specific destination in Him. Second we learn that God believes in us. There were many different typographical areas for Israel to conquer in that land. Some seacoast, some desert region, some lush and fertile, others marshy. The land wa...