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July 1 Manifest Glory

6/30/2015

July 1

Manifest Glory

Ezekiel 28:20-23 The word of the Lord came to me: 21 "Son of man, set your face toward Sidon, and prophesy against her 22 and say, Thus says the Lord God: "Behold, I am against you, O Sidon, and I will manifest my glory in your midst. And they shall know that I am the Lord when I execute judgments in her and manifest my holiness in her; 23 for I will send pestilence into her, and blood into her streets; and the slain shall fall in her midst, by the sword that is against her on every side. Then they will know that I am the Lord."

GOD has finished with his words of judgment and his sorrow regarding Tyre. Now he points Ezekiel to Sidon. Sidon is 20 miles north of Tyre. The city was a stronghold of Israel's great enemy, the Philistines. The people of Sidon ruled over their neighbors at different times in history and were a great challenge to the Jews who lived in the northern part of the Promised Land where the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali lived.

    Through Ezekiel, God says to Sidon, "I will manifest my glory...manifest my holiness in her." In simple terms, you begin to manifest yourself - show yourself - to others when you speak to them and tell them your name. If you then desire to manifest more of yourself, you tell them your opinions and you speak of your likes and dislikes. In other words, you reveal yourself to others in different ways. Sometimes you hold back. Other times you give more of yourself to others as you allow people to know you on different levels of intimacy.

    God's glory is the visible demonstration of his power to judge and to save. He is about to become more intimate with the Sidonians. He will show his glory to Sidon in judgment. This judgment will also manifest his holiness. The Sidonians will come to personally know as Tyre would, as Babylon would, as Israel would and as all the nations of the world will know one day, that God reveals himself very personally in judgment and salvation to all. He is Lord of Heaven and earth.

    Now see God's gory in this lesson. God proclaimed and did these things about 580 BC. But this was not the end of his glorious manifestation to Tyre, Sidon and others. Look here at Matthew 4:15-17 "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—16 the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned." 17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

    And note this from Mark 3:7-8 Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea, and a great crowd followed, from Galilee and Judea 8 and Jerusalem and Idumea and from beyond the Jordan and from around Tyre and Sidon. When the great crowd heard all that he was doing, they came to him.

    And there is more evidence in the New Testament of how God manifested his glory and his holiness to Tyre and Sidon. (See Matthew 11:21 for example.) He certainly manifested his glory to the people of Zebulun and Naphtali. In these areas, Jesus performed nearly all of his miracles. And 11 of his 12 disciples came from this region. In this region, too, was Jesus' great Transfiguration. The Lord God was very intimate with his people here.

    I pray that when you see God so intricately manifest himself through Scripture, to declare in the Old Testament and to manifest in the New Testament, you will know more intimately of God's glory - his power to judge and to save. Be prepared for the Day of God's Glory to come fully to earth.

Prayer: Manifest your glory and your holiness through me today, Lord God. Amen.

June 30 Of Great Value

6/29/2015

Ezekiel 28:11-13 Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me: 12 "Son of man, raise a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and say to him, 'Thus says the Lord God: You were the signet of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. 13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, emerald, and carbuncle; and crafted in gold were your settings and your engravings. On the day that you were created they were prepared.'"

EZEKIEL 28 is the third chapter of God's message to Tyre, a strong, wealthy city along the Mediterranean coast. It is 147 miles from Jerusalem. This city and its citizens are not among the Jews, who are God's chosen people. I make these points so that we may know God's work extends into all lands. Although he had chosen the Jews to be his particular people to live in a certain spot on earth, God did not then, and he does not now limit his reach to his creation. As taught in John 3:16 "God so loved the world." we are to remember God's word goes to all the world that people of all nations may be saved.

    Thus, God's message here is to the king of Tyre. Even more, it certainly is a message for us all. See in this Scripture the great value God places on mankind. He expresses through Ezekiel how he had raised up the king of Tyre to live in an Eden-like setting. "You were the signet of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty." He was adorned with many precious jewels. God had given him all he could materially desire.

    But as Adam in Eden and the Jews in the Promised Land, Tyre's king became prideful. He looked to himself as the source of all his riches. In response to his self-exalting view, God's judgment came upon him. God mourned the man's heart that kept him from God. The righteous God does not take pleasure in his judgments.

    Isn't the king's downfall a mirror of Adam? He was in Eden. He had the riches of the world before him. How could he desire more? In the devil's bidding, pride infected his mind. Adam became self-focused. He wanted to make his own decisions, be his own man. Such a view always leads to sin. Adam lost the precious "jewels" of a deep, intimate love-relationship with God.

    Go ahead and read Ezekiel 28:1-19. See them as God's words not to a specific man of an ancient civilization, but as words to you to overcome an ancient sin. Then assess your life in light of God's rich love for you. How will you respond?

Prayer: Lord God, you so lovingly created me to live in the great wealth of your love. Adorn me with the precious jewels of your love. Amen.

June 29 Be Meek

6/28/2015

Ezekiel 27:32-36 "In their wailing then raise a lamentation for you and lament over you: 'Who is like Tyre, like one destroyed in the midst of the sea? 33 When your wares came from the seas, you satisfied many people's; with your abundant wealth and merchandise you enriched the kings of the earth. 34 Now you are wrecked by the seas, in the depths of the waters; your merchandise and all your crew in your midst have sunk with you. 35 All the inhabitants of the coastlands are appalled at you, and the hair of their kings bristles with horror; their faces are convulsed. 36 The merchants among the peoples hiss at you; you have come to a dreadful end and shall be no more forever.'"

EZEKIEL 27:1-32 is an account of Tyre's wealth and wonder. The writer describes how Tyre traded with many nations. These multiple nations admired Tyre's wealth, prestige and physical beauty.

    Then came the storms of destruction. The image of Tyre's "sinking" is of people standing on the shore watching a heavily laden merchant ship sinking with all goods and people. There is no possibility to help save anyone because its destruction is beyond the reach of rescue. Note that God does not gloat and celebrate such an end to Tyre. Instead, we hear lamentation, which is deep mourning. God grieves over his people who perish in the sea of sin.

    Our twofold lesson - one we have likely often heard - is this: First, physical wealth, prestige and beauty will not assure our existence in this present life. And two, material wealth will not assure our salvation unto eternal life. As glorious as riches are to the human eye, they mean nothing when we abandon our Lord in their favor. Yes, for a time, all may seem well. But the truth is that one day always has and always will come when God says, "Enough!" He then acts to destroy even earth's most powerful forces such as Tyre, who disobeyed him.

    In this lesson to guide your life, remember Jesus' words from Matthew 5:5 "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." Recognize all we have comes from God. Honor him with all he has given you. Recognize your true wealth is in him. Praise the Lord. After all, it is he from whom all blessings flow.

Prayer: All is yours, Lord. Give our minds the wisdom to use our material wealth wisely. In Jesus' name, amen.

June 21 Precise Warning

6/21/2015

Ezekiel 26:3, 12-14 "Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against you, O Tyre, and will bring up many nations against you, as the sea brings up its waves...12 They will plunder your riches and loot your merchandise. They will break down your walls and destroy your pleasant houses. Your stones and timber and soil they will cast into the midst of the waters. 13 And I will stop the music of your songs, and the sound of your lyres shall be heard no more. 14 I will make you a bare rock. You shall be a place for the spreading of nets. You shall never be rebuilt, for I am the Lord; I have spoken, declares the Lord God."



ONE lesson we can learn in Ezekiel 26 is that the Lord God is very precise with his warnings. Read through the entire chapter, and you will read how God doesn't simply say, "You will be destroyed." Instead, God formed a vivid picture of Tyre's destruction at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon and later Alexander the Great of Greece.

     See the specific words, "You shall be a place for the spreading of nets." In other words God is saying, "You, Tyre, mighty and powerful, will become a small fishing village."

     To the city's inhabitants God's words would seem empty and boastful. Tyre's walls were 150-feet high! Who could destroy such a city? But in 200 years that is exactly what happened. After Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the mainland portion of the city in a 13-year siege, the island section of the city remained. In 323 BC Alexander the Great finished the work as his forces razed the city to essentially "nets cast on rocks".

     The Lord's words came true in God's time. Today Tyre has recovered from being a small village to become a small city. It is a major tourist center on the coast of Lebanon. But in an interesting affirmation of this Scripture, the first picture of Tyre on the Wikipedia website is of a fishing harbor. The nets are still there, and the fishermen ply their trade. But Tyre never again regained any sense of power or prominence.

     Heed God's words, my friends. He will do what he says. He will fulfill his words very precisely. He will do so in his time. I pray you find fear, comfort and assurance in God's sure words this day that you are prepared for the future he has promised.

Prayer: Lord God, we thank you that you are a precise God. We know we can believe you when you precisely say, "if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." (Romans 10:9)

Next post will be June 29.

June 20 Sure Protector

6/19/2015

Ezekiel 25:2 & 6-7 "Son of man, set your face toward the Ammonites and prophesy against them...6 For thus says the Lord God: Because you have clapped your hands and stamped your feet and rejoiced with all the malice within your soul against the land of Israel, 7 therefore, behold, I have stretched out my hand against you, and will hand you over as plunder to the nations. And I will cut you off from the peoples and will make you perish out of the countries; I will destroy you. Then you will know that I am the Lord."

GOD's judgment shifts away from Jerusalem and to Israel's enemies. This Scripture is the first of six judgments God proclaimed against Ammon, Moab, Seir, Edom, Philistia and Tyre. The reason for these judgments is represented in verse 6 "Because you have clapped your hands and stamped your feet and rejoiced with all the malice within your soul against the land of Israel."

    In God's sovereign authority, he used Babylon to destroy countries that had periodically brought great destruction upon Judah. Indeed, the Ammonites were Israel's first enemies as they fought in the Exodus journey (Numbers 21). Judah's enemies had rejoiced over Judah's demise, mocked God's people and took advantage of their weakness.

    Historical texts outside of the Bible confirm God's words here. They record that many of the small states around Judah escaped Babylon's destruction. But King Nebuchadnezzar's forces decimated Ammon and Moab in 552 BC. Edom came from Esau's descendants and was Judah's enemy for centuries. So was Philistia (Philistines). Isaiah speaks of Edom's threats. 1 & 2 Samuel record many of the battles between Israel and the Philistines.

    Take time to also read Ezekiel 25 to see the prophecy of destruction on Tyre. After destroying Jerusalem, Nebuchadnezzar also laid siege to Tyre, destroying some of the coastal city quickly. Then after 13 years of siege, Tyre was utterly demolished, never to regain its glory and strength. Here is God the Father protecting his children. He punishes the evil outside of Judah as surely as he punishes the evil within. He will bring justice to the nations.

    Know today God will continue to protect his own. As we see God's enemies come against his church, we may be discouraged. But have faith that he will act to protect his own. The Bible wonderfully promises God will transform our temporary strife into his victories glory.

    As you consider the circumstances today in which evil seems to reign, remember Psalms 148:13-14 "Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his majesty is above earth and heaven. 14 He has raised up a horn for his people, praise for all his saints, for the people of Israel who are near to him. Praise the Lord!"

Prayer: Protect us, O God from evil around us. As you bring strife into our lives, let us remember you have freely delivered your life to us for eternal freedom and joy. In Jesus' name we rejoice, amen.

June 19 A Husband's Grief

6/18/2015

Ezekiel 24:15-19 The word of the Lord came to me: 16 "Son of man, behold, I am about to take the delight of your eyes away from you at a stroke; yet you shall not mourn or weep, nor shall your tears run down. 17 Sigh, but not aloud; make no mourning for the dead. Bind on your turban, and put your shoes on your feet; do not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men." 18 So I spoke to the people in the morning, and at evening my wife died. And on the next morning I did as I was commanded. 19 And the people said to me, "Will you not tell us what these things mean for us, that you are acting thus?"

WITH one illustration upon another, Ezekiel obediently shows to the exiles in Babylon the picture of God's judgment to occur in Jerusalem. Here is the saddest and hardest of all for the Prophet. God will take Ezekiel's wife from him. But Ezekiel is not to mourn her death in the customary ways of removing his turban or his shoes, nor separating himself from others. He is to continue to associate in conversation and meals. What is the meaning of this?

    Have you ever experienced a grief that caused you to feel, "My grief is so deep others cannot possibly know my sorrow." (I'm feeling that way with the news of the 9 people killed in a Charleston, SC church.) This great grief describes God's heart as he causes his city's death. He longed for them to repeatedly turn and seek him. But he is just, and his judgment is sure against evil. God's grief is deep as he does what he must do.

    Ezekiel's wife is the image of Jerusalem. As she dies, so will Jerusalem. Ezekiel's response is to mirror God's response to his city's death. This is also to be the response of the people who survive Jerusalem's "death". They are to feel a deep grief beyond understanding. This profound sadness will occur only if they fully understand the remarkable blessings they have missed as they sought pleasure in sin.

    We see God's great grief in Paul's writings of Ephesians 4:30 "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption." Our disobedience to God grieves him deeply. He is the loving Father who longs for his children to return home.

    How do you think God feels about your life? You don't live to cause those you love to grieve, do you? I hope not. Live that way for God. Live as if you love God and desire to please him in all things.

Prayer: Lord, your grief is deep for those who oppose you. May we feel that sorrow and help all to truly love you. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.

June 18 Cleansing Fire

6/18/2015

June 18

Cleansing Fire



Ezekiel 24:1-3 On January 15,* during the ninth year of King Jehoiachin's captivity, this message came to me from the Lord : 2 "Son of man, write down today's date, because on this very day the king of Babylon is beginning his attack against Jerusalem. 3 Then give these rebels an illustration with this message from the Sovereign Lord. (NLT)

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Ezekiel 24:10-12 Heap on the logs, kindle the fire, boil the meat well, mix in the spices, and let the bones be burned up. 11 Then set it empty upon the coals, that it may become hot, and its copper may burn, that its uncleanness may be melted in it, its corrosion consumed. 12 She has wearied herself with toil; its abundant corrosion does not go out of it. Into the fire with its corrosion!

THE time arrived. Babylon began its siege against Jerusalem. The Lord God then gave to Ezekiel an illustration of what would happen to the city. The cooking pot would be filled with choice meat, just as Jerusalem and Judah had been filled with God's "choice" people - his chosen people.

    But instead of the pot cooking the meat for a tasty meal, the pot grew hotter and hotter. The fluids were consumed. The meat burned and was discarded in the dust. The pot, too, ruined with corrosion, was destroyed. A picture of ample provision became an illustration of God's fiery judgment.

    The Bible often declares that God's holy fire is the only means of cleansing sin's corrosion from our souls and from the world. His holy judgment destroyed Jerusalem. It eventually destroyed Babylon. God's hot judgment has removed the corrosion of despotic and unrepentant leaders, nations and churches throughout history.

    Take a minute and look at yourself. Is there sin corroding your relationship with God? Is too little Jesus gnawing away at your faith? Is too much of self rusting your heart's love? Then heed the warning from Isaiah 33:14 The sinners in Zion are afraid; trembling has seized the godless: "Who among us can dwell with the consuming fire? Who among us can dwell with everlasting burnings?"

    Indeed, who among us can "dwell with the consuming fire" of God's wrath? None can. That's why Jesus came. His sacrifice and resurrection have quenched the hot revenge of God against our corrosive hearts.

    Yes, rejoice! And know that in Christ Jesus, God will cleanse your corrosive soul. Give thanks today for the promise of Hebrews 12:28 "Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, 29 for our God is a consuming fire." In the power of God's Word, burn away the sins that consume your life. Burn into your soul the truth that gives life.

Prayer: May our hearts burn only for you, Lord God. In Jesus' name, amen.

June 17 Betrayal

6/16/2015

Ezekiel 23:1-7 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 "Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother. 3 They played the whore in Egypt; they played the whore in their youth; there their breasts were pressed and their virgin bosoms handled. 4 Oholah was the name of the elder and Oholibah the name of her sister. They became mine, and they bore sons and daughters. As for their names, Oholah is Samaria, and Oholibah is Jerusalem. 5 "Oholah played the whore while she was mine, and she lusted after her lovers the Assyrians, warriors 6 clothed in purple, governors and commanders, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding on horses. 7 She bestowed her whoring upon them, the choicest men of Assyria all of them, and she defiled herself with all the idols of everyone after whom she lusted...11 "Her sister Oholibah saw this, and she became more corrupt than her sister in her lust and in her whoring, which was worse than that of her sister. 12 She lusted after the Assyrians, governors and commanders, warriors clothed in full armor, horsemen riding on horses, all of them desirable young men...22 Therefore, O Oholibah, thus says the Lord God: "Behold, I will stir up against you your lovers from whom you turned in disgust, and I will bring them against you from every side."

AS our culture sadly debates the sacredness of marriage - "Is marriage necessary?" "Who can be married?" - we must remember that God's words throughout Scripture tell us clearly, "Marriage is God's created union between a man and a woman." Indeed, marriage is so precious in God's plan for our joy and harmony with him and with one another, he uses the marriage relationship to describe Jesus' relationship with the. Hear this great promise in Revelation 19:7-8 Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; 8 it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure—for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. What joy to know God's eternal plan is to come to us as a loving, honoring husband to his bride. He will clothe us in the bridal gown of his purity!

How tragic, it is then, to read of God's first chosen bride, Israel, removing God's fine linens of his holiness. They have rejected their husband to turn in gross unfaithfulness to deadly lovers who will abuse them and then destroy them. The images of immorality, betrayal and death in Samaria's (Israel) and Jerusalem's (Judah) cultures are heartbreaking. How tragic that a people chosen by God turn their hearts that they would lust after anyone or anything else but the most holy husband of all. Oh church of Jesus Christ, are you faithful to your husband?

Prayer: Lord God Almighty, I pray I am clothed in Jesus' blood. That this salvation is my fine linen and you will protect me from the stains of betrayal. In the Spirit's power I pray, amen.

June 16 Who Will Stand?

6/15/2015

June 16

Who Will Stand?

Ezekiel 22:1 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 "And you, son of man, will you judge, will you judge the bloody city? Then declare to her all her abominations. 3 You shall say, Thus says the Lord God: A city that sheds blood in her midst, so that her time may come, and that makes idols to defile herself! 4 You have become guilty by the blood that you have shed, and defiled by the idols that you have made, and you have brought your days near, the appointed time of your years has come. Therefore I have made you a reproach to the nations, and a mockery to all the countries. 5 Those who are near and those who are far from you will mock you; your name is defiled; you are full of tumult. 6 "Behold, the princes of Israel in you, every one according to his power, have been bent on shedding blood." ...13 "Behold, I strike my hand at the dishonest gain that you have made, and at the blood that has been in your midst. 14 Can your courage endure, or can your hands be strong, in the days that I shall deal with you? I the Lord have spoken, and I will do it." ... 30 And I sought for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the breach before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none. 31 Therefore I have poured out my indignation upon them. I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath. I have returned their way upon their heads, declares the Lord God."

FROM the time I am writing this until you read it - about 24 hours - there has been great bloodletting in America. Oh, you didn't catch it on the headline news? You didn't hear it on the talk shows? You didn't see the endless commentary from experts regarding the cause of the bloody atrocity? The terrorists weren't named? How could the disaster have come and gone, but you missed it? Surely it's not possible.

Here let me help you learn about it. Go to this link. http://www.numberofabortions.com. Here you will see the "city that sheds blood" in our midst. It is the bloody deed of abortion. 3,000 people - the same as on September 11, 2001 - have died between the writing and the reading of these words. But most newscasts lead off with the weather update.

What will happen to America? God is searching for someone to "build up the wall and stand in the breach before me for the land, that I should not destroy it." Who will stand in the breach? Who will keep the fiery wrath of God from America?

Prayer: Lord, raise me up to be the man who stands in the breach for your unborn children. In Jesus' name, Amen.