Monday, August 23, 2010

August Twenty Three

~Good Morning~

My wise friend told me that the bible is layed out in a specific order for specific reasons. And that may be one of the reasons I am struggling with it……GENIOUS I tell you. Doesn't that make sooo much sense!

I understand that God is using this for his purpose to show what they did wrong. But why would he use Ezekiel's wife. And why is Ezekiel just go along with it and no protest or asking for him not to let his wife die??

15 Then this message came to me from the Lord: 16 "Son of man, with one blow I will take away your dearest treasure. Yet you must not show any sorrow at her death. Do not weep; let there be no tears. 17 Groan silently, but let there be no wailing at her grave. Do not uncover your head or take off your sandals. Do not perform the usual rituals of mourning or accept any food brought to you by consoling friends."

 18 So I proclaimed this to the people the next morning, and in the evening my wife died.


 

Today's Scripture:

Ezekiel 24:15-25:17

The Death of Ezekiel's Wife

 15 Then this message came to me from the Lord: 16 "Son of man, with one blow I will take away your dearest treasure. Yet you must not show any sorrow at her death. Do not weep; let there be no tears. 17 Groan silently, but let there be no wailing at her grave. Do not uncover your head or take off your sandals. Do not perform the usual rituals of mourning or accept any food brought to you by consoling friends."

 18 So I proclaimed this to the people the next morning, and in the evening my wife died. The next morning I did everything I had been told to do. 19 Then the people asked, "What does all this mean? What are you trying to tell us?"

 20 So I said to them, "A message came to me from the Lord, 21 and I was told to give this message to the people of Israel. This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will defile my Temple, the source of your security and pride, the place your heart delights in. Your sons and daughters whom you left behind in Judea will be slaughtered by the sword.22 Then you will do as Ezekiel has done. You will not mourn in public or console yourselves by eating the food brought by friends. 23 Your heads will remain covered, and your sandals will not be taken off. You will not mourn or weep, but you will waste away because of your sins. You will mourn privately for all the evil you have done. 24Ezekiel is an example for you; you will do just as he has done. And when that time comes, you will know that I am the Lord."

 25 Then the Lord said to me, "Son of man, on the day I take away their stronghold—their joy and glory, their heart's desire, their dearest treasure—I will also take away their sons and daughters. 26And on that day a survivor from Jerusalem will come to you in Babylon and tell you what has happened.27 And when he arrives, your voice will suddenly return so you can talk to him, and you will be a symbol for these people. Then they will know that I am the Lord."

Ezekiel 25

A Message for Ammon

 1 Then this message came to me from the Lord: 2 "Son of man, turn and face the land of Ammon and prophesy against its people. 3 Give the Ammonites this message from the Sovereign Lord: Hear the word of the Sovereign Lord! Because you cheered when my Temple was defiled, mocked Israel in her desolation, and laughed at Judah as she went away into exile,4 I will allow nomads from the eastern deserts to overrun your country. They will set up their camps among you and pitch their tents on your land. They will harvest all your fruit and drink the milk from your livestock. 5 And I will turn the city of Rabbah into a pasture for camels, and all the land of the Ammonites into a resting place for sheep and goats. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

 6 "This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because you clapped and danced and cheered with glee at the destruction of my people, 7 I will raise my fist of judgment against you. I will give you as plunder to many nations. I will cut you off from being a nation and destroy you completely. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

A Message for Moab

 8 "This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because the people of Moab have said that Judah is just like all the other nations, 9 I will open up their eastern flank and wipe out their glorious frontier towns—Beth-jeshimoth, Baal-meon, and Kiriathaim. 10And I will hand Moab over to nomads from the eastern deserts, just as I handed over Ammon. Yes, the Ammonites will no longer be counted among the nations. 11 In the same way, I will bring my judgment down on the Moabites. Then they will know that I am the Lord.

A Message for Edom

 12 "This is what the Sovereign Lord says: The people of Edom have sinned greatly by avenging themselves against the people of Judah. 13 Therefore, says the Sovereign Lord, I will raise my fist of judgment against Edom. I will wipe out its people and animals with the sword. I will make a wasteland of everything from Teman to Dedan. 14 I will accomplish this by the hand of my people of Israel. They will carry out my vengeance with anger, and Edom will know that this vengeance is from me. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!

A Message for Philistia

 15 "This is what the Sovereign Lord says: The people of Philistia have acted against Judah out of bitter revenge and long-standing contempt.16 Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will raise my fist of judgment against the land of the Philistines. I will wipe out the Kerethites and utterly destroy the people who live by the sea. 17 I will execute terrible vengeance against them to punish them for what they have done. And when I have inflicted my revenge, they will know that I am the Lord."

Jeremiah 34:1-22

Jeremiah 34

A Warning for Zedekiah

 1 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came with all the armies from the kingdoms he ruled, and he fought against Jerusalem and the towns of Judah. At that time this message came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 "Go to King Zedekiah of Judah, and tell him, 'This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I am about to hand this city over to the king of Babylon, and he will burn it down. 3 You will not escape his grasp but will be captured and taken to meet the king of Babylon face to face. Then you will be exiled to Babylon.

 4 "'But listen to this promise from the Lord, O Zedekiah, king of Judah. This is what the Lordsays: You will not be killed in war 5 but will die peacefully. People will burn incense in your memory, just as they did for your ancestors, the kings who preceded you. They will mourn for you, crying, "Alas, our master is dead!" This I have decreed, says the Lord.'"

 6 So Jeremiah the prophet delivered the message to King Zedekiah of Judah. 7 At this time the Babylonian army was besieging Jerusalem, Lachish, and Azekah—the only fortified cities of Judah not yet captured.

Freedom for Hebrew Slaves

 8 This message came to Jeremiah from the Lordafter King Zedekiah made a covenant with the people, proclaiming freedom for the slaves. 9He had ordered all the people to free their Hebrew slaves—both men and women. No one was to keep a fellow Judean in bondage. 10 The officials and all the people had obeyed the king's command, 11 but later they changed their minds. They took back the men and women they had freed, forcing them to be slaves again.

 12 So the Lord gave them this message through Jeremiah: 13 "This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I made a covenant with your ancestors long ago when I rescued them from their slavery in Egypt. 14 I told them that every Hebrew slave must be freed after serving six years. But your ancestors paid no attention to me. 15Recently you repented and did what was right, following my command. You freed your slaves and made a solemn covenant with me in the Temple that bears my name. 16But now you have shrugged off your oath and defiled my name by taking back the men and women you had freed, forcing them to be slaves once again.

 17 "Therefore, this is what the Lord says: Since you have not obeyed me by setting your countrymen free, I will set you free to be destroyed by war, disease, and famine. You will be an object of horror to all the nations of the earth. 18Because you have broken the terms of our covenant, I will cut you apart just as you cut apart the calf when you walked between its halves to solemnize your vows. 19 Yes, I will cut you apart, whether you are officials of Judah or Jerusalem, court officials, priests, or common people—for you have broken your oath. 20 I will give you to your enemies, and they will kill you. Your bodies will be food for the vultures and wild animals.

 21 "I will hand over King Zedekiah of Judah and his officials to the army of the king of Babylon. And although Babylon's king has left Jerusalem for a while, 22 I will call the Babylonian armies back again. They will fight against this city and will capture it and burn it down. I will see to it that all the towns of Judah are destroyed, with no one living there."
  

Jeremiah 21:1-14

Jeremiah 21

No Deliverance from Babylon

 1 The Lord spoke through Jeremiah when King Zedekiah sent Pashhur son of Malkijah and Zephaniah son of Maaseiah, the priest, to speak with him. They begged Jeremiah, 2"Please speak to the Lordfor us and ask him to help us. King Nebuchadnezzarof Babylon is attacking Judah. Perhaps the Lordwill be gracious and do a mighty miracle as he has done in the past. Perhaps he will force Nebuchadnezzar to withdraw his armies."

 3 Jeremiah replied, "Go back to King Zedekiah and tell him, 4 'This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I will make your weapons useless against the king of Babylon and the Babylonians who are outside your walls attacking you. In fact, I will bring your enemies right into the heart of this city. 5 I myself will fight against you with a strong hand and a powerful arm, for I am very angry. You have made me furious! 6 I will send a terrible plague upon this city, and both people and animals will die. 7 And after all that, says the Lord, I will hand over King Zedekiah, his staff, and everyone else in the city who survives the disease, war, and famine. I will hand them over to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and to their other enemies. He will slaughter them and show them no mercy, pity, or compassion.'

 8 "Tell all the people, 'This is what the Lordsays: Take your choice of life or death! 9 Everyone who stays in Jerusalem will die from war, famine, or disease, but those who go out and surrender to the Babylonians will live. Their reward will be life!10 For I have decided to bring disaster and not good upon this city, says the Lord. It will be handed over to the king of Babylon, and he will reduce it to ashes.'

Judgment on Judah's Kings

 11 "Say to the royal family of Judah, 'Listen to this message from the Lord! 12 This is what the Lord says to the dynasty of David:

   "'Give justice each morning to the people you judge!
      Help those who have been robbed;
      rescue them from their oppressors.
   Otherwise, my anger will burn like an unquenchable fire
      because of all your sins.
 13 I will personally fight against the people in Jerusalem,
      that mighty fortress—
   the people who boast, "No one can touch us here.
      No one can break in here."
 14 And I myself will punish you for your sinfulness,
      says the Lord.
   I will light a fire in your forests
      that will burn up everything around you.'"


 

  

Ezekiel 29:1-16

Ezekiel 29

A Message for Egypt

 1 On January 7, during the tenth year of King Jehoiachin's captivity, this message came to me from the Lord: 2 "Son of man, turn and face Egypt and prophesy against Pharaoh the king and all the people of Egypt. 3Give them this message from the Sovereign Lord:

   "I am your enemy, O Pharaoh, king of Egypt—
      you great monster, lurking in the streams of the Nile.
   For you have said, 'The Nile River is mine;
      I made it for myself.'
 4 I will put hooks in your jaws
      and drag you out on the land
      with fish sticking to your scales.
 5 I will leave you and all your fish
      stranded in the wilderness to die.
   You will lie unburied on the open ground,
      for I have given you as food to the wild animals and birds.
 6 All the people of Egypt will know that I am the Lord,
      for to Israel you were just a staff made of reeds.
 7 When Israel leaned on you,
      you splintered and broke
      and stabbed her in the armpit.
   When she put her weight on you, you gave way,
      and her back was thrown out of joint.

 8 "Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will bring an army against you, O Egypt, and destroy both people and animals.9 The land of Egypt will become a desolate wasteland, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.

   "Because you said, 'The Nile River is mine; I made it,' 10 I am now the enemy of both you and your river. I will make the land of Egypt a totally desolate wasteland, from Migdol to Aswan, as far south as the border of Ethiopia. 11 For forty years not a soul will pass that way, neither people nor animals. It will be completely uninhabited.12 I will make Egypt desolate, and it will be surrounded by other desolate nations. Its cities will be empty and desolate for forty years, surrounded by other ruined cities. I will scatter the Egyptians to distant lands.

 13 "But this is what the Sovereign Lord also says: At the end of the forty years I will bring the Egyptians home again from the nations to which they have been scattered.14 I will restore the prosperity of Egypt and bring its people back to the land of Pathros in southern Egypt from which they came. But Egypt will remain an unimportant, minor kingdom. 15 It will be the lowliest of all the nations, never again great enough to rise above its neighbors.

 16 "Then Israel will no longer be tempted to trust in Egypt for help. Egypt's shattered condition will remind Israel of how sinful she was to trust Egypt in earlier days. Then Israel will know that I am the Sovereign Lord."
  

Ezekiel 30:20-31:18

The Broken Arms of Pharaoh

 20 On April 29, during the eleventh year of King Jehoiachin's captivity, this message came to me from the Lord: 21 "Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. His arm has not been put in a cast so that it may heal. Neither has it been bound up with a splint to make it strong enough to hold a sword.22 Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am the enemy of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt! I will break both of his arms—the good arm along with the broken one—and I will make his sword clatter to the ground. 23 I will scatter the Egyptians to many lands throughout the world. 24 I will strengthen the arms of Babylon's king and put my sword in his hand. But I will break the arms of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he will lie there mortally wounded, groaning in pain. 25 I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, while the arms of Pharaoh fall useless to his sides. And when I put my sword in the hand of Babylon's king and he brings it against the land of Egypt, Egypt will know that I am the Lord. 26 I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, dispersing them throughout the earth. Then they will know that I am the Lord."

Ezekiel 31

Egypt Compared to Fallen Assyria

 1 On June 21, during the eleventh year of King Jehoiachin's captivity, this message came to me from the Lord: 2 "Son of man, give this message to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and all his hordes:

   "To whom would you compare your greatness?
 3 You are like mighty Assyria,
      which was once like a cedar of Lebanon,
   with beautiful branches that cast deep forest shade
      and with its top high among the clouds.
 4 Deep springs watered it
      and helped it to grow tall and luxuriant.
   The water flowed around it like a river,
      streaming to all the trees nearby.
 5 This great tree towered high,
      higher than all the other trees around it.
   It prospered and grew long thick branches
      because of all the water at its roots.
 6 The birds nested in its branches,
      and in its shade all the wild animals gave birth.
   All the great nations of the world
      lived in its shadow.
 7 It was strong and beautiful,
      with wide-spreading branches,
   for its roots went deep
      into abundant water.
 8 No other cedar in the garden of God
      could rival it.
   No cypress had branches to equal it;
      no plane tree had boughs to compare.
   No tree in the garden of God
      came close to it in beauty.
 9 Because I made this tree so beautiful,
      and gave it such magnificent foliage,
   it was the envy of all the other trees of Eden,
      the garden of God.

 10 "Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lordsays: Because Egyptbecame proud and arrogant, and because it set itself so high above the others, with its top reaching to the clouds, 11I will hand it over to a mighty nation that will destroy it as its wickedness deserves. I have already discarded it.12 A foreign army—the terror of the nations—has cut it down and left it fallen on the ground. Its branches are scattered across the mountains and valleys and ravines of the land. All those who lived in its shadow have gone away and left it lying there.

 13 "The birds roost on its fallen trunk,
      and the wild animals lie among its branches.
 14 Let the tree of no other nation
      proudly exult in its own prosperity,
   though it be higher than the clouds
      and it be watered from the depths.
   For all are doomed to die,
      to go down to the depths of the earth.
   They will land in the pit
      along with everyone else on earth.

 15 "This is what the Sovereign Lord says: When Assyria went down to the grave, I made the deep springs mourn. I stopped its rivers and dried up its abundant water. I clothed Lebanon in black and caused the trees of the field to wilt.16 I made the nations shake with fear at the sound of its fall, for I sent it down to the grave with all the others who descend to the pit. And all the other proud trees of Eden, the most beautiful and the best of Lebanon, the ones whose roots went deep into the water, took comfort to find it there with them in the depths of the earth.17 Its allies, too, were all destroyed and had passed away. They had gone down to the grave—all those nations that had lived in its shade.

 18 "O Egypt, to which of the trees of Eden will you compare your strength and glory? You, too, will be brought down to the depths with all these other nations. You will lie there among the outcastswho have died by the sword. This will be the fate of Pharaoh and all his hordes. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!"


 


 


 

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