by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
Ezekiel 1-3
You have to get your head in gear for Ezekiel. Some of the richest messages in the Bible – messages which are true for us today, just as they were when they were written – are found in this book. Ezekiel is a true prophet, and true prophets often “see” rather than “hear” things from God.
What do I mean? Well, Ezekiel sees visions which represent what the Lord is saying. You know the old Chinese proverb, “A picture is worth a thousand words?” Well, there is never a time when that can be demonstrated better than in the messages from Ezekiel.
So let’s go. To establish the background, Ezekiel is an exile prophet, meaning that he is writing from captivity in Babylon. The once mighty nation of Israel has been carried off to Babylon, but their God is still with them. He encourages the people with promises of an eventual return and rebuilding of Jerusalem. God is indeed faithful to His people.
Now for the visions. What do you see when you see the creatures with four faces which Ezekiel describes? I see the completeness of man, as God has designed him. The four faces represent differing aspects of God’s design. He is a man first and foremost, God’s man. When he walks in the fulness of God’s plan, this man will be as bold and full of authority as a lion, he will be willing to serve as the ox, and he will soar as an eagle above the rudimentary elements of the world. God’s man is a many-faceted man.
Then, as God’s man prophesying to God’s people, Ezekiel is required to eat the scroll first. This, too, is a principle which applies today. In today’s jargon, we would say, “Practice what you preach.”
If we are our Father’s representatives, we must do what we say, and we must do what we expect others to do. That’s integrity, and it’s what God requires.
Now Ezekiel is called to speak to the nation of Israel while they are in exile, so some of the messages will just seem for the moment. Yet if we look closely, we will have the opportunity to receive messages for us also.
Ezekiel can teach us a lot, if we will just listen
Hebrews 10
There is such a contrast between those who honor the Spirit of Grace and those who insult Him. Those who honor God’s precious Spirit have the privilege of entering boldly into the throne of grace to find help in time of need. That time of need could be a time when we have sinned, or it could be when we are in need of strength, wisdom, or provision.
The main thing here is that our Father is ever ready to help us, when our hearts are toward Him.
Yet there is another side of the coin; a side which isn’t as pretty.
Paul speaks of insulting the Spirit of Grace. That’s when we take Him lightly, and continue in a life of sin or apathy towards our God.
We all know people who have had God move mightily on their behalf, and who for a season have seemed to have changed lives, living for Him. Then when the shiny objects of the world have entered the picture, they have no time for their Savior. And some times, they have turned their backs on God completely.
Dangerous territory. I’m not saying that they have committed the unforgivable sin, but I am saying that they have insulted God. Repentance is there for them. But they do need to repent.
I am not talking about just making a mistake. i am talking about after knowing Him to choose a lifestyle which honors the devil rather than God. That’s the dangerous territory, and we want to avoid it at all costs.
Grace is such a terrific gift from our Father, and not one to be taken lightly. Our Father loves us, and wants us to live closely with Him. There is nothing that He won’t do for us when we walk closely with Him.
I pray that you and I will continue to walk with Him – closer and closer every day.
by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
Lamentations 3-5
There is always hope for those of us who walk with God. And Jeremiah knows that very well.
Throughout this book we have seen Jeremiah pour out his heart to the Lord. He has recounted the devastation which has come to his nation, enumerating every abominable action which has taken place.
Yet right in the middle of the book, there is one of the most beautiful verses in the Bible.
“The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning. Great is Thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, therefore I have hope in Him.” (3:22-24)
Imagine Jeremiah remembering those facts in the middle of his despair. If he can say that while the nation of Israel is being totally destroyed, we can certainly say that also.
We all have times when things get tough. Illness, family turbulence, financial problems, and natural disasters are just a few of the circumstances which can come our way, often at no fault of our own. At those times our emotions may be raw, but when we do as Jeremiah did and “remember” (3:20), our thoughts and actions will turn around.
There is always a new day; a better day. Every morning when we arise, we have the opportunity to receive our Father’s mercy. If we just remember how good He is, we will lift our eyes to heaven and receive.
Whatever is happening today, tomorrow can be better. His lovingkindnesses (notice it’s plural) indeed never cease!
Great is His faithfulness.
Hebrews 9
Remember how we keep saying that the Old Testament is the New Testament concealed, and the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed? Probably no chapter in the Bible shines a light on this truth better than Hebrews 9.
All of those centuries when the Jewish high priests were carrying out their sacrifices, they were doing them according to the law which was given to Moses. Everything was done exactly according to the plan. No variations.
Over those years they were going through rituals much more significant even than they realized. They were performing demonstrations of God’s perfect plan which would eventually be carried out through Jesus.
The lambs were slain and the high priests would sprinkle the blood on the altar. (Which we know was behind the curtain, a place unavailable to anyone but the high priest). Now we see that these were only copies of the real event. (V.21).
The real lamb was Jesus, and the real altar was the one in heaven. The day came when the final, perfect sacrifice was made, and just as Jesus said, “It is finished.”
No longer do we need blood of bulls and goats. No longer does the priest go behind the curtain and sprinkle blood on the altar. The real has come, and we are free from those sacrifices. In fact, the curtain is no longer there, because it was ripped from top to bottom when Jesus died on the cross.
Now we are set free from dead works, and we are free to go into our Father’s throne room at any time.
The types and shadows, as they are called, are hints which lead us to the truth about our Lord and about our Father’s plan of salvation.
It’s here now. All we have to do is receive it!
by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
Lamentations 1-2
Now if somewhere along the line you began to think of Jeremiah as hard and cruel, you will change your mind now. He is broken-hearted over his nation, Israel.
The city of Jerusalem had once been called the “perfection of beauty; the joy of the whole earth.” Now it is totally destroyed. The nations around about who have envied Israel’s splendor, now are rejoicing over her destruction. They are “hissing” at her as they go by.
Everyone is in shock. These people have been raised to know that they were God’s special people – called to bring the Messiah to the earth. Even when they were disobedient, they would get warnings but they were still protected.
Yet as the warnings became more persistent, these people refused to listen. When the prophets proclaimed that repentance should come, the majority of Israelites wanted to stone the prophets If they could just shut them up, everything would be ok. They wanted their ears tickled, not wanting to hear the truth.
Well, the prophets were from God, and their word did come to pass. Alas, if only the Jews had listened.
But, as we know, God is not through with His people. As we will see later, He is with them even as they are led off to Babylon.
Hebrews 8
Not only do we have a new High Priest, we have a New Covenant. (In fact the word “testament” is another word for “covenant”).
If the old covenant had been perfect, there would be no reason to replace it, but it wasn’t perfect. In fact, no one ever became righteous by the law. The law pointed out sin, not righteousness.
If only we can get this, our lives will be so different. In this day, “the law is written in our minds and put upon our hearts” (V.10).
Now things are different. Jesus has made us clean by His blood, and His Holy Spirit is living on the inside of us. We are now God’s holy temples, the many mansions of God. (John 14:2).
If we continue by meditating on His Word and spending time with Him, our lives will grow to be more and more pure all the time. His Word feeds our spirits and causes them to grow. As a result, we are not only purer, but also more powerful. We are God’s people.
Spend time with Him, worshipping Him, and there you will see your life changing. You will go from “glory to glory” as you do.
“This is the day which the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24) The dispensation of God’s grace upon His people. The dispensation of His Holy Spirit leading and guiding us into all the truth.
This is our day to rejoice!
