Ezekiel 34: 11-16
“GOD, the Master, says: From now on, I myself am the shepherd. I’m going looking for them. As shepherds go after their flocks when they get scattered, I’m going after my sheep. I’ll rescue them from all the places they’ve been scattered to in the storms. I’ll bring them back from foreign peoples, gather them from foreign countries, and bring them back to their home country. I’ll feed them on the mountains of Israel, along the streams, among their own people. I’ll lead them into lush pasture so they can roam the mountain pastures of Israel, graze at leisure, feed in the rich pastures on the mountains of Israel. And I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep. I myself will make sure they get plenty of rest. I’ll go after the lost, I’ll collect the strays, I’ll doctor the injured, I’ll build up the weak ones and oversee the strong ones so they’re not exploited.”
“For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will search and find my sheep. I will be like a shepherd looking for his scattered flock. I will find my sheep and rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on that dark and cloudy day. I will bring them back home to their own land of Israel from among the peoples and nations. I will feed them on the mountains of Israel and by the rivers and in all the places where people live. Yes, I will give them good pastureland on the high hills of Israel. There they will lie down in pleasant places and feed in the lush pastures of the hills. I myself will tend my sheep and give them a place to lie down in peace, says the Sovereign LORD. I will search for my lost ones who strayed away, and I will bring them safely home again. I will bandage the injured and strengthen the weak. But I will destroy those who are fat and powerful. I will feed them, yes—feed them justice!”
These verses and absolutely lovely! They foretell the tenderness with which the Lord Jesus handled the common folk of first century Palestine. I love being the sheep of such a shepherd. He sees to my nourishment and protects me, like the perfect mom and dad. There is no other god who chooses to use the lowly to shame the worldly wise, cares for us individually and offers himself in intimate relationship. He is wonderful.
Lord, I love you! I praise you, for who you are, beautiful in every way. Thank you for finding me, taking me into your flock, and tenderly tending to my needs. You who created and maintain the universe know and cares for the subatomic particle that is me. I am in awe, and I am yours.
Ezekiel 30:25
“I’ll make the arms of the king of Babylon strong and put my sword in his hand, but I’ll break the arms of Pharaoh and he’ll groan like one who is mortally wounded. I’ll make the arms of the king of Babylon strong, but the arms of Pharaoh shall go limp.”
“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 I the hand of Babylon’s king and he brings it against the land of Egypt, Egypt will know that I am the Lord.”
In our times we call the oppressor evil and assume they are the devil’s pawn. Here God says he put his sword in the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, a pagan tyrant. It would be like saying God put his sword in the hand of Adolph Hitler.
God uses the just and the unjust to serve his plans. Always be aware his purpose may be traveling incognito through the travails of mankind and that judgement may masquerade as oppression.
Lord, keep me from quick judgement, assuming I know what you are up to. Keep my eye clear of preconceptions. Keep me alert for signs of your work behind history’s scenes that I may rejoice in your creativity. Give me wisdom to watch, wait and serve until you come again.
Ezekiel 29: 13-14
“‘But,’ says GOD, the Master, ‘that’s not the end of it. After the forty years, I’ll gather up the Egyptians from all the places where they’ve been scattered. I’ll put things back together again for Egypt. I’ll bring her back to Pathros where she got her start long ago.’”
“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. I will restore the prosperity of Egypt ad bring its people back to the land of Pathros I southern Egypt from which they came.”
God is love, and he showers his nature upon all peoples of the earth. The Old Testament prophets record his delight in and discipline of many nations. Here it is Egypt. In the first century God incarnate died so they may be grafted into his family tree. He does not respect man’s divisions. His vengeance is reserved only for evil, wherever he finds it, regardless of color or tribe.
Lord, praise you for your infinite love for all people, all creation. I want to live in it, shine with it, give it back to you. Keep my heart from evil lest it earn your vengeance. Root me solidly in your family in the place you prepared for me. I am overwhelmed by your amazing grace and tender care for me. Thank you.
Ezekiel 29:2-6
“Watch yourself, Pharaoh, king of Egypt. I’m dead set against you, You lumbering old dragon, lolling and flaccid in the Nile, Saying, ‘It’s my Nile. I made it. It’s mine.’ I’ll set hooks in your jaw; I’ll make the fish of the Nile stick to your scales. I’ll pull you out of the Nile, with all the fish stuck to your scales. Then I’ll drag you out into the desert, you and all the Nile fish sticking to your scales. You’ll lie there in the open, rotting in the sun, meat to the wild animals and carrion birds. Everybody living in Egypt will realize that I am GOD.”
“Son of man, turn and face Egypt and prophesy against Pharaoh the king and all the people of Egypt. Give them this message from the Sovereign Lord: I am your enemy, O Pharoah, 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.’ I will put hooks in your jaws and drag you out on the land with fish sticking to your scales. I will leave you and all your fish stranded I the wilderness to die. You will lie unburied o the open ground, for I have given you as food to the wild animals and birds. All the people of Egypt will know that I am the Lord.”
The Lord teaches and heals in our struggle with sin. But he will not tolerate a brazen attempt on his throne like Pharoah’s. My reaction is, “I’m not guilty of that.” With deeper reflection I see there are things in my life that persistently sit above his call on my heart. I’ve lived them so long I think they are who I am, not what I do, and so fly underneath my radar. I need an adjustment and my gracious divine parent never fails to deliver.
Lord, a million thanks for your adjustments that keep me from erring into Pharoah’s fate. Your oversight is a welcome relief in the constant monitoring of Self. Keep at it Lord! Prune and mold me, making me your own. Set me free.
Ezekiel 28:26
“They’ll live there in safety. They’ll build houses. They’ll plant vineyards, living in safety. Meanwhile, I’ll bring judgment on all the neighbors who have treated them with such contempt. And they’ll realize that I am GOD.”
“They will live safely in Israel and build homes and plant vineyards. And when I punish the neighboring nations that treated them with contempt, they will know that I am the Lord their God.”
It is easy to see only what we want to see. The Pharisees in Jesus time did just that with verses like this. Their Messiah came to vanquish and exact vengeance. They choose not to see the many scriptures that paint a suffering messiah. It led them terribly astray and unprepared for destruction. We still do this because it is our nature, ever self-absorbed. But God’s Spirit is at hand to help us see clearly. He protects us from despair when that sight overwhelms and gives us hope for the redemption of what it reveals.
Lord, give me open, perfectly focused eyes. Strip away my sinful filters. Help me believe in your power to heal the brokenness of our time and vanquish the enemy of our souls. May I see strongly and compassionately, for you.
Ezekiel 28:19
“All who once knew you now throw up their hands: ‘This can’t have happened! This has happened!’”
“All who knew you are appalled at your fate. You have come to a terrible end, and you will exist no more.”
Material abundance and the consequential decrease in self-discipline blinds us to how bad things can get. We think our fortress of ‘stuff’ will keep us safe. Only God can keep us safe. He keeps not our self and its accoutrements safe but keeps us safe from self. Then we are free to follow him through despair and contentment, night and day, confusion and comprehension, safe from sin and eternal death.
Lord, there is no one else I can trust for my safety. You alone are big enough to hover over every second of my life, shielding and directing according to your perfect will. You gently wean me from my self, setting me free to really live. It’s another one of your upside down, inside out ways and I praise you for it. Keep working with my heart of clay and restore it as flesh, to your glory.
Ezekiel 28:5-6
“Your sharp intelligence made you world-wealthy. You piled up gold and silver in your banks. You used your head well, worked good deals, made a lot of money. But the money has gone to your head, swelled your head—what a big head! Therefore, GOD, the Master, says: ‘Because you’re acting like a god, pretending to be a god, I’m giving fair warning: I’m bringing strangers down on you, the most vicious of all nations.’”
“Yes, your wisdom has made you very rich, and your riches have made you very proud. ‘Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Because you think you are as wise as a god, I will now bring against you a foreign army, the terror of the nations.’”
This is an accurate description of our times. Our heads can swell too. Success always tempts but the Lord is more compelling. He brings us up short before hubris fully develops. It is a relief to rely on his corrective presence.
Lord, I am a sinner. Grace me to align with your plumb-bob. I count on your help. Have mercy on me.
Ezekiel 26:4-7
“I’ll wash away the soil and leave nothing but bare rock. She’ll be an island of bare rock in the ocean, good for nothing but drying fishnets. Yes, I’ve said so. Decree of GOD, the Master. She’ll be loot, free pickings for the nations! Her surrounding villages will be butchered. Then they’ll realize that I am GOD. GOD, the Master, says: Look! Out of the north I’m bringing Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, a king’s king, down on Tyre.”
“I will scrape away its soil and make it a bare rock! It will be just a rock in the sea, a place for fishermen to spread their nets, for I have spoken, says the Sovereign LORD. Tyre will become the prey of many nations, and its mainland villages will be destroyed by the sword. Then they will know that I am the LORD. This is what the Sovereign LORD says: From the north I will bring King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon against Tyre. He is king of kings and brings his horses, chariots, charioteers, and great army.”
Tyre was an ancient Phoenician seaport of many centuries in Modern Lebanon. It was considered impregnable, built on a island connected to the mainland by a causeway. Complete destruction was unimaginable. But it happened. When Nebuchadnezzar was finished with them nothing was left but for survivors to cannibalize the dead.
We also think, “It could never happen to us.” But it could, and does. Human capacity for brutality shocks our frame of reference and we find ourselves living in hell. Here the context is physical, but it could be emotional, relational or cultural. Only the Lord can prepare us for our future. Seek him now so he will be there for us then.
Lord, make me ready for my future. Even more, make me able to be your vessel in whatever the future holds. Shape me in that time to serve not my own self-interest, but others who are needy and adrift. Give me unflinching eyes to see and understand. Make me courageous in facing evil and valiant in doing good, all for your glory.
Ezekiel 25
Ezekiel 25
God gave Ezekiel messages of judgment against Ammon, Moab, Edom and Philistia. All hated Judah and maliciously cheered when Judah’s temple was destroyed. God promised to permanently wipe them all from the map and their centuries old kingdoms disappeared at this time. Vengeance belongs to God alone. It is good to rail against oppression but then let it go. He hears our accumulative cries and will deliver according to his timing. Our emotional and physical energies can be put to better use elsewhere.
Lord, taking up the cause of the oppressed and yet stopping short of rage on their behalf is hard. It takes exquisite control of my feelings and I don’t do that well. But you do. Motivate me with your compassion and give me peace in trusting you for vanquishment. Protect me from resignation. Fill me with hope as I trust in your perfect vengenance in which all the oppressed of all the ages will see deliverance.
Ezekiel 24:15-17
“GOD’s Message came to me: “Son of man, I’m about to take from you the delight of your life—a real blow, I know. But, please, no tears. Keep your grief to yourself. No public mourning. Get dressed as usual and go about your work—none of the usual funeral rituals.””
“Then this message came to me from the Lord: 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. Groan silently, but let there be ne wailing at her grave. Do not uncover your head or take off your sandals. Do not perform the usual rituals of morning or accept any food brought to your by consoling friends.”
Ezekiel’s private grief is meant to picture the destruction of the temple, the people’s joy and delight. Being God’s prophet was painful and heartrending. None of them had easy lives. Suffering is part of walking with God, yet we run from it. Better to see it as a season, giving vibrancy and substance to our relationship with the Lord. If serious about knowing God, do not be surprised when it calls. God has a larger purpose on his mind then our happiness. Sometimes that purpose involves hard things, and he chooses to use us to take care of them.
Lord, help me in the suffering you call me to. Strengthen me to endure it. May I ever stay close to you, ready and willing for the next assignment.
Ezekiel 23:48-49
“I’ll put an end to sluttish sex in this country so that all women will be well warned and not copy you. You’ll pay the price for all your obsessive sex. You’ll pay in full for your promiscuous affairs with idols. And you’ll realize that I am GOD, the Master.”
“In this way I will put an end to lewdness and idolatry in the land, and my judgement will be a warning to all women not to follow your wicked example. You will be fully repaid for all your prostitution- your worship of idols. Yes, you will suffer the full penalty. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.”
Again, the Lord reminds us through Ezekiel, he does not send judgement to make us miserable because we displeased him. It is to call us home to himself, to the relationship for which we were made, where we may be healed and set free.
Lord, thank you for standing firm as a good parent. I know from experience disciplining children is hard work. Yet you never turn aside from your parental responsibilities. You set me free but faithfully provide the limits that keep me focused forward, on life with you. You are good!
Ezekiel 23:36-39
“Then GOD said to me, ‘Son of man, will you confront Oholah and Oholibah with what they’ve done? Make them face their outrageous obscenities, obscenities ranging from adultery to murder. They committed adultery with their no-god idols, sacrificed the children they bore me in order to feed their idols! And there is also this: They’ve defiled my holy Sanctuary and desecrated my holy Sabbaths. The same day that they sacrificed their children to their idols, they walked into my Sanctuary and defiled it. That’s what they did—in my house!’”
“The Lord said to me, ‘Son of man, you must accuse Oholah and Oholibah of all their detestable sins. They have committed both adultery and murder – adultery by worshiping idols and murder by burning as sacrifices the children they bore to me. Furthermore, they have defiled my Temple and violated my Sabbath day! On the very day that they sacrificed their children to their idols, they boldly came into my Temple to worship! They came in and defiled my house.’”
In my youth I could not imagine things like this happening. Now, in our politically correct culture, it is not so far-fetched. Cut loose from the anchor of absolutes and anything is possible. When people define right and wrong according to their own interest the interests of others suffer. We need another Billy Graham who, in the spirit of Ezekiel, called a generation to account for its religious faith and moral compass.
Lord, please send us another prophet in the spirit of Ezekiel. Confront us with the errors of our thoughts and devotions. Convict us of true truth, your way of living, that we my repent, turn to you and fully live.