Ezekiel 7

WEEK 1                                               Ezekiel 7

SATURDAY  Reflections

God is saying he is allowing Israel to face the consequences for what they have done. Undeserved things happen to people all the time. Jesus warned his followers of this, but this doesn't mean that God initiated it; if it comes from God, then you deserve it.

 

I note that God doesn't show pity on His holy places when judgment falls. God allows His temple to be defiled along with everyone else's stuff (verse 22). Considering the destruction God allows of His temple, God is demonstrating that even in destruction, God is with His people.

Eze 7:1-27
(1)  Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
(2)  Also, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord GOD unto the land of Israel; An end, the end is come upon the four corners of the land.
(3)  Now is the end come upon thee, and I will send mine anger upon thee, and will judge thee according to thy ways, and will recompense upon thee all thine abominations.
(4)  And mine eye shall not spare thee, neither will I have pity: but I will recompense thy ways upon thee, and thine abominations shall be in the midst of thee: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
(5)  Thus saith the Lord GOD; An evil, an only evil, behold, is come.
(6)  An end is come, the end is come: it watcheth for thee; behold, it is come.
(7)  The morning is come unto thee, O thou that dwellest in the land: the time is come, the day of trouble is near, and not the sounding again of the mountains.
(8)  Now will I shortly pour out my fury upon thee, and accomplish mine anger upon thee: and I will judge thee according to thy ways, and will recompense thee for all thine abominations.
(9)  And mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: I will recompense thee according to thy ways and thine abominations that are in the midst of thee; and ye shall know that I am the LORD that smiteth.
(10)  Behold the day, behold, it is come: the morning is gone forth; the rod hath blossomed, pride hath budded.
(11)  Violence is risen up into a rod of wickedness: none of them shall remain, nor of their multitude, nor of any of theirs: neither shall there be wailing for them.
(12)  The time is come, the day draweth near: let not the buyer rejoice, nor the seller mourn: for wrath is upon all the multitude thereof.
(13)  For the seller shall not return to that which is sold, although they were yet alive: for the vision is touching the whole multitude thereof, which shall not return; neither shall any strengthen himself in the iniquity of his life.
(14)  They have blown the trumpet, even to make all ready; but none goeth to the battle: for my wrath is upon all the multitude thereof.
(15)  The sword is without, and the pestilence and the famine within: he that is in the field shall die with the sword; and he that is in the city, famine and pestilence shall devour him.
(16)  But they that escape of them shall escape, and shall be on the mountains like doves of the valleys, all of them mourning, every one for his iniquity.
(17)  All hands shall be feeble, and all knees shall be weak as water.
(18)  They shall also gird themselves with sackcloth, and horror shall cover them; and shame shall be upon all faces, and baldness upon all their heads.
(19)  They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed: their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the stumblingblock of their iniquity.
(20)  As for the beauty of his ornament, he set it in majesty: but they made the images of their abominations and of their detestable things therein: therefore have I set it far from them.
(21)  And I will give it into the hands of the strangers for a prey, and to the wicked of the earth for a spoil; and they shall pollute it.
(22)  My face will I turn also from them, and they shall pollute my secret place: for the robbers shall enter into it, and defile it.
(23)  Make a chain: for the land is full of bloody crimes, and the city is full of violence.
(24)  Wherefore I will bring the worst of the heathen, and they shall possess their houses: I will also make the pomp of the strong to cease; and their holy places shall be defiled.
(25)  Destruction cometh; and they shall seek peace, and there shall be none.
(26)  Mischief shall come upon mischief, and rumour shall be upon rumour; then shall they seek a vision of the prophet; but the law shall perish from the priest, and counsel from the ancients.
(27)  The king shall mourn, and the prince shall be clothed with desolation, and the hands of the people of the land shall be troubled: I will do unto them after their way, and according to their deserts will I judge them; and they shall know that I am the LORD.

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Hosea 6

WEEK 1                                             Hosea 6

FRIDAY  Reflections

"For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings." (Verse 6 NIV).

 

God is a God of forgiveness. God wants us to ask for forgiveness. However, God would rather we live right, to begin with. He doesn't want us to continually do wrong with a plan to offer sacrifice to pay for it later. He wants us to show mercy and grace to those around us more than He wants our gifts. To plan to just continually live in disobedience is a dangerous thing, I might say, even treacherous. 

Hos 6:1-11
(1)  Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up.
(2)  After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.
(3)  Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.
(4)  O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee? for your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it goeth away.
(5)  Therefore have I hewed them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of my mouth: and thy judgments are as the light that goeth forth.
(6)  For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
(7)  But they like men have transgressed the covenant: there have they dealt treacherously against me.
(8)  Gilead is a city of them that work iniquity, and is polluted with blood.
(9)  And as troops of robbers wait for a man, so the company of priests murder in the way by consent: for they commit lewdness.
(10)  I have seen an horrible thing in the house of Israel: there is the whoredom of Ephraim, Israel is defiled.
(11)  Also, O Judah, he hath set an harvest for thee, when I returned the captivity of my people.

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Matthew 25

WEEK 1                                                Matthew 25

THURSDAY  Reflections

Matthew 25 contains three of the more familiar parables of Jesus: The Ten Virgins, The Talents, and The Sheep and the Goats. The first speaks of being ready for Christ's return, the others speak of being faithful until He returns. 

Christians understand that salvation can't be bought but only accepted. So being ready isn't a matter of doing something but having something, the Spirit of God (anointing with oil frequently indicates the Spirit coming on them). It isn't something you can buy but it is something you receive.

This being said it isn't just having the Holy Spirit (or claiming to) but being faithful in life and this is seen in the next two parables. The actions, as I read this, isn't something the stewards or the sheep are doing to earn their salvation but in faithful response to what they have been given and flowing naturally from their lives. 

I note here the stewards don't come across as prideful but as just doing their jobs. The sheep are actually surprised that their actions were counted as works to God because they were doing what they naturally do. Both seem to be like the apple tree who is praised for growing apples and asks, "Why praise me? This is what I do." 

Salvation is free and given by grace, we can't and don't earn it. However, Jesus living in us will cause us to begin to act differently and be different. It is a transformation.

Mat 25:1-46
(1)  Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
(2)  And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
(3)  They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
(4)  But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
(5)  While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
(6)  And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
(7)  Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
(8)  And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
(9)  But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
(10)  And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.
(11)  Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
(12)  But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.
(13)  Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
(14)  For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.
(15)  And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.
(16)  Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents.
(17)  And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two.
(18)  But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money.
(19)  After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them.
(20)  And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.
(21)  His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
(22)  He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them.
(23)  His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
(24)  Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:
(25)  And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.
(26)  His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:
(27)  Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.
(28)  Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.
(29)  For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.
(30)  And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
(31)  When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
(32)  And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
(33)  And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
(34)  Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
(35)  For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
(36)  Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
(37)  Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
(38)  When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
(39)  Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
(40)  And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
(41)  Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
(42)  For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
(43)  I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
(44)  Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
(45)  Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
(46)  And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

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Proverbs 21

WEEK 1                                        Proverbs 21

WEDNESDAY  Reflections

"It's easier to ask forgiveness than to ask permission." I don't know how often I have heard this and in the correct context it can be true, but not when it comes to the things of God. Proverbs 21:3 says "To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice" (NIV). When it comes to your boss, asking forgiveness might be better than asking permission, but with God, it's always easier just to do what is right. 

What proverb really catches your attention?

Pro 21:1-31
(1)  The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.
(2)  Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts.
(3)  To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.
(4)  An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin.
(5)  The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness; but of every one that is hasty only to want.
(6)  The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a vanity tossed to and fro of them that seek death.
(7)  The robbery of the wicked shall destroy them; because they refuse to do judgment.
(8)  The way of man is froward and strange: but as for the pure, his work is right.
(9)  It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman in a wide house.
(10)  The soul of the wicked desireth evil: his neighbour findeth no favour in his eyes.
(11)  When the scorner is punished, the simple is made wise: and when the wise is instructed, he receiveth knowledge.
(12)  The righteous man wisely considereth the house of the wicked: but God overthroweth the wicked for their wickedness.
(13)  Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard.
(14)  A gift in secret pacifieth anger: and a reward in the bosom strong wrath.
(15)  It is joy to the just to do judgment: but destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity.
(16)  The man that wandereth out of the way of understanding shall remain in the congregation of the dead.
(17)  He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man: he that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich.
(18)  The wicked shall be a ransom for the righteous, and the transgressor for the upright.
(19)  It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and an angry woman.
(20)  There is treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man spendeth it up.
(21)  He that followeth after righteousness and mercy findeth life, righteousness, and honour.
(22)  A wise man scaleth the city of the mighty, and casteth down the strength of the confidence thereof.
(23)  Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles.
(24)  Proud and haughty scorner is his name, who dealeth in proud wrath.
(25)  The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labour.
(26)  He coveteth greedily all the day long: but the righteous giveth and spareth not.
(27)  The sacrifice of the wicked is abomination: how much more, when he bringeth it with a wicked mind?
(28)  A false witness shall perish: but the man that heareth speaketh constantly.
(29)  A wicked man hardeneth his face: but as for the upright, he directeth his way.
(30)  There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the LORD.
(31)  The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD.

Hosea 5

WEEK 1                                         Hosea 5

 

TUESDAY  Reflections

 

Why are bad things going to happen to Israel and Judah? "Ephraim is oppressed and broken in judgment because he willingly walked after the commandment" (verse 11 KJV).  

What is God's response to their actions? " I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offense, and seek my face: in their affliction, they will seek me early" (verse 15 KJV). God's judgment, per se, is more often than not allowing people to face the consequences of their sins on their own. Yes, often there are consequences for sin, even if someone truly repents. God may mediate it, but at least the eternal consequences are dealt with. I believe the consequences in this life are muted even when we have to face them. God, however, wants what we face if we don't repent to turn us to him.    

Hos 5:1-15
(1)  Hear ye this, O priests; and hearken, ye house of Israel; and give ye ear, O house of the king; for judgment is toward you, because ye have been a snare on Mizpah, and a net spread upon Tabor.
(2)  And the revolters are profound to make slaughter, though I have been a rebuker of them all.
(3)  I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hid from me: for now, O Ephraim, thou committest whoredom, and Israel is defiled.
(4)  They will not frame their doings to turn unto their God: for the spirit of whoredoms is in the midst of them, and they have not known the LORD.
(5)  And the pride of Israel doth testify to his face: therefore shall Israel and Ephraim fall in their iniquity; Judah also shall fall with them.
(6)  They shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek the LORD; but they shall not find him; he hath withdrawn himself from them.
(7)  They have dealt treacherously against the LORD: for they have begotten strange children: now shall a month devour them with their portions.
(8)  Blow ye the cornet in Gibeah, and the trumpet in Ramah: cry aloud at Bethaven, after thee, O Benjamin.
(9)  Ephraim shall be desolate in the day of rebuke: among the tribes of Israel have I made known that which shall surely be.
(10)  The princes of Judah were like them that remove the bound: therefore I will pour out my wrath upon them like water.
(11)  Ephraim is oppressed and broken in judgment, because he willingly walked after the commandment.
(12)  Therefore will I be unto Ephraim as a moth, and to the house of Judah as rottenness.
(13)  When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah saw his wound, then went Ephraim to the Assyrian, and sent to king Jareb: yet could he not heal you, nor cure you of your wound.
(14)  For I will be unto Ephraim as a lion, and as a young lion to the house of Judah: I, even I, will tear and go away; I will take away, and none shall rescue him.
(15)  I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early.

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