Ezekiel 34 -- Warnings For The Shepherds

As I read what God was promising that He would do when Christ returns to rule over the world during the Millennium, I couldn’t help but think that, as the body of Christ on earth today, we are to be doing these same things, for Ezekiel was being told to chastise the leaders who were not doing what God had called them to do:

n  Search for the lost sheep and take care of them

n  Save them

n  Bring them out

n  Gather them in

n  Bring them to their own land and feed them

n  Lead them to rest

n  Bring back those who have strayed

n  Bandage the hurt

n  Make the weak strong again

n  Tend to them with fairness

The leaders had not done any of this, God says,  They’d been feeding only themselves.  This may mean they were getting rich off of their congregations, but it may also mean that they were spiritually feeding only themselves, concerned only with ritual or possibly not preparing properly for sermons, instead just finding anything to fill an hour.  They weren’t being pastors, helping the sick, the weak, the hurt, those who’ve strayed, nor seeking to lost to be saved.

The worst accusation I noticed was found in verse 4:  “You have ruled the sheep with cruel force.”  That hardly describes what a servant of God should do.

Father, I recall having teachers who did not prepare, who only put in minimal effort, and I was not spiritually fed.  Thank you for helping me to be fed as I prepare to teach, and also for giving me the words You want to feed those I teach.  And besides teaching them, Father, thank You for placing a desire in my heart to be a daily part of their lives as well, being able to encourage them and to comfort them in times of distress or sorrow.  You have so richly blessed me through their lives, and I love seeing You at work in them, leading them to do the same for others.  Thank You, Father!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Ezekiel 33 -- Who Am I Responsible To Tell?

God gave Ezekiel a solemn responsibility.  He was to be the watchman for Israel, the one who warned them, and God further told him that if he faithfully relayed God’s word to Israel and they failed to obey, it would be their own fault.  If, however, God gave him words to deliver and he failed to do so, and as a result the people did not obey because they had not heard, then their deaths in sign would be held against him.

My commentary said, “God held Ezekiel responsible for the house of Israel.  The question arises for every believer:  For whom will God hold us responsible?  To whom shall we witness?  Whom shall we warn?  Our relatives, fellow workers, neighbors, friends?  It is a solemn responsibility, and we harm to our own soul if we do not fulfill it faithfully.”

Also In verses 30-33, God was telling Ezekiel that many people were listening to his messages solely for their entertainment value.  They liked to listen, but they had no intention of OBEYING.  My commentary said that even we do this when our response to a sermon is, “That was a fine message!” rather than “God has spoken to me; I must do something!”

Father, help me to be responsible for what I hear from You and also for faithfully sharing that word with those You point me to.  Don’t let me be guilty of hearing but not obeying, either.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Ezekiel 31 & 32 -- A God of Love, NOT A God of Hate

God issues a lament for Egypt through Ezekiel, reviewing the national pride that led them to the point where God would have to deal with their arrogance.  Any nation which fails to acknowledge God is doomed to fail!  Their pride will end up becoming shame as they are cut down by God and sent to the place of the dead.

The very fact that God lamented over Egypt tells us something about His character.  This nation that despised Him and His people was causing God to feel sorrow that they would not draw near to Him.  My commentary pointed out that this was similar to something Jesus did – shedding “tears for a city of murderers that would not accept Him and come under His protective wing.  God cares for His creatures and does not enjoy judging them.”

What a contrast this is compared with the Muslim god who allegedly orders death not only to infidels who do not believe in Him, but also death to adults and children who are true believers in him as martyrs to the cause of wiping out the infidels.  I choose to cast my lot with the God of love.

Father, I’m so glad that You seek to save, going past all limits to try to save us.  Yet even Your great love must have limits and will not forever be available.  There has to come a time when unbelievers face Your judgment – otherwise Your holiness would be in question and Your promise would go unfulfilled.  You would not be God.  Please quicken hearts to You and show the entire world that You are a God of love, high above any would-be pretenders.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Ezekiel 29 -- Headlines from 2011?

Wow, this sure sounds like a current events primer.  Ezekiel delivered prophesies from God against Egypt.  Match these to recent headlines:

“Israel tried to lean on you for help, but you were like a crutch made out of a weak stalk of grass … I will make Egypt so weak it will never again rule over the nations.  The Israelites will never again depend on Egypt.  Instead, Egypt’s punishment will remind the Israelites of their sin in turning to Egypt for help.  Then they will know that I am the Lord God … The day is near; the Lord’s day of judging is near … An enemy will attack Egypt … When the killing begins in Egypt, her wealth will be taken away, and her foundations will be torn down.  Cush, Put, Lydia, Arabia, Libya, and some of My people who had an agreement with Egypt will fall dead in war … Those who fight on Egypt’s side will fall.  The power she is proud of will be lost … Egypt’s cities will be the worst of cities that will lie in ruins.  Then they will know that I am the Lord when I set fire to Egypt and when all those nations on her side are crushed.”

A lot of what Ezekiel described here was tied to the invasion of Egypt by the Babylonian army centuries ago.  However, the words in 29:16 really caught my eye:  “The Israelites will never again depend on Egypt.”  Since they’ve depended on Egypt over the last 30 or so years via the Israel-Egypt peace accords to keep other Muslim nations from attacking Israel, then could this verse have possibly referred to anything in the distant past?  If so, wouldn’t that make this prophecy fail?  And does God’s word EVER fail?

30:13 continues the thought:  “There will no longer be a leader in Egypt, and I will spread fear through the land of Egypt.”  Egypt has just lost the leader it’s had for some 42 years.  So there has been  a leader up to now.  Yes, there may be another leader to follow, but this lends credence to the fact that this prophecy has yet to be fulfilled also.  Right now, no one is in charge, and chaos and crime are rampant.

Father, I’ve seen in other places in Your Word where prophesies contain multiple years of events – they don’t all happen at once.  Parts have been fulfilled while other parts remain to be fulfilled.  Please help us to be watchful, knowing that every day we are one day closer to the return of Your Son.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Ezekiel 28 -- Not As Wise As We THINK We Are

God had a message for the man ruling the city-state of Tyre.  Yesterday I’d read His words to the citizens of that city-state.  Now He lets the ruler responsible for it have it:

“Because you are proud, you say, ‘I am a god.” … You think you are as wise as  a god, but you are a human, not a god … You are too proud because of your riches.  So this is what the Lord God says:  You think you are wise like a god, but I will bring the foreign people against you, the cruelest nation.  They will pull out their swords and destroy all that your wisdom has built, and they will dishonor your greatness …. I have spoken, says the Lord God.”

The Bible continually warns that if we think we are wise, we are not.  It’s the height of stupidity to think we are above everyone else in wisdom.  We set ourselves up for a fall when we do.

I think a bigger picture here shows up in what my commentary said.  The first ten verses are addressed to the ruler of Tyre.  But the rest of the verses are addressed to its king.  The references to the Garden of Eden, and God’s quote of having thrown him down in disgrace from the mountain of God indicate that Satan was the motivating force behind the ruler of Tyre and he is the one God is addressing here.  “You became too proud because of your beauty.  You ruined your wisdom because of your greatness.”

Over the years, I’ve learned that one becomes wiser by admitting how little he knows, rather than by regaling others of his supposed knowledge.  Wisdom tempts us to say that we know better than God, and it can cause us to not trust Him to have our best interests at heart.  From the other side, Satan loves to tell us how “wise” we are, just as he tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden to eat the fruit and know what God knows.  It’s highly overrated, as the main character of the movie Big Fat Liar kept saying.  How appropriate a name for the devil!

Father, each day I depend upon You to show me through Your wisdom what to do.  Without You, my decisions would be flawed and would take me away from You.  I rely on Your wisdom.  Help me not to trust in my own.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Ezekiel 27 -- All About US?

“… On the day your ship was wrecked.”  I couldn’t help but think of America as I read this.  “When the goods you traded went out over the seas, you met the needs of many nations… But now you are broken … and have sunk to the bottom…  The traders among the nations hiss at you.  You have come to a terrible end, and you are gone forever.”

I don’t want that last sentence to become true.

Ezekiel was speaking God’s word against Tyre, the New York City of its day.  God had already announced that the very foundations of their buildings would be scraped away and fishermen would dry their nets there.  It was unimaginable that Tyre’s destruction could ever occur, yet God’s word never fails, and it is gone today.

So what about America?  We’ve been toned down and softened up in our misguided efforts to accommodate a worldview that denies God and that hides under the term “multiculturalism”.  It seems that it’s unpatriotic to be proud to be an American anymore.  Instead, we’re told we have to apologize for everything we do and have done and in doing so we weaken the very fabric of who we are and Whose we are.  We seem to be trying to be liked by a world that despises us.  This ruse attempts to destroy us from within rather than from without.  The same thing that happened to Tyre and Jerusalem can happen to us.

Father, wake up America.  Turn us back to You.  Keep us from thinking we have to apologize for being Christian.  Help us to stand up to the evil in this world rather than embracing it.  Draw us back to You.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Ezekiel 25 & 26 -- Eerily Echoing Our World Today

Our world is in such upheaval today that we find it hard it believe some of the events that are transpiring.  All the governments in the Middle East that have been relatively stable over the years are suddenly in disarray.  Israel, who has enjoyed protection and relative peace, is beginning to feel abandoned and subject to attack.  The nations of the European Union and their joint currency are battered.  Japan faces economic ruin caused by earthquakes and nuclear disasters.  Even in the U.S., we see protesters breaking windows to gain entry into government buildings, while their legislators flee the state to avoid having to vote on legislation!  All this when just eleven years ago, the world was peacefully celebrating the turn of the century!

That’s the feeling of incredulity I got as I read the prophecies God was giving Ezekiel in these chapters.  The nations mentioned were guilty of bashing God’s people, and He was going to show them what happens to those who even gloat over the problems of the people He considered the apple of His eye.

The citizens of Tyre enjoyed their strategic location on the Mediterranean coast, firmly rooted as a trade hub.  God told them to get ready.  “I will scrape away her ruins and make her a bare rock.”  That’s all that’s left today.

Ammon had been thrilled when the Temple was ruined, in much the same way I saw Palestinians two weeks ago handing out sweet baked cakes to their citizens, celebrating the brutal murder of a Jewish family.  God said, “I will wipe you out of the lands so you will no longer BE a nation, and I will destroy you.  Then you will know that I am the Lord.”  He did it!

Moab and Edom started denigrating the people of Israel, denying that they should claim any special favor from God.  God said, “Moab will not be a nation anymore … The Edomites will know what My revenge feels like.”  Their cities were destroyed by the Babylonians.

Like the Palestinian hatred of Israel, Philistia’s hatred of them brought the vengeance of the Lord upon the Philistines.  “They will know that I am the Lord when I take revenge on them.”

God’s description of what He was about to do to Tyre sounds eerily like what happened in Japan last month:  “I will bring the deep ocean waters over you … the sea will cover you … Other people will be afraid of what happened to you and it will be the end of you.”

Nothing of God’s word ever fails to happen.  He says it, and it’s history.  In all of these ancient tragedies, God was dealing with national pride and sin against Him and His people.  If nations today become so emboldened as to believe they can spit in His face, or act as if He does not exist, or even claim that He has a character different from that He has already revealed to us in Scripture, they invite their own destruction.

Father, thank You for bringing to life these ancient passages and for allowing us to be forewarned about the consequences of abandoning You or of supporting those who already have.  Father, show us how to quickly help our government to change the things we are doing that may be heading us down the path that we don’t need to take.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford