Author: Dan

Greetings from Tucson Welcome to ShalomWalk. A place of respite for the inquisitive mind and the weary heart. I'm Dan Craig, my I co-writer is Beth McKean. We are both retired professionals, we're both Christians, and we both enjoy writing about things that matter to us. We want to share things that we think about, as the days come and go. The blog will be comprised of; (1) single page essays on a wide range of topics derived from reading scripture; (2) recipes from Pepper with a story behind each recipe; (3) other kinds of useful information for running a household; (4) Photographs from Pepper and original instrumental music from Dan. Our blog focus. By wisdom our house is built on a sturdy foundation; by understanding the roof brings comfort from the heat of life; by knowledge the rooms are filled with grandeur. As a person thinks in their heart, they become in real life (implied in Proverbs 24:3-4 and Proverbs 23:7). May God bless you and keep you safe in His heart. May God bring you his truth and peace. Amen.

Rebellion Is Their Name

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It was my observation after reading Ezekiel chapter 1 and then progressing to chapter 2 that we are given a detailed image of the throne. Why did God show this to Ezekiel? Consider the message that Paul heard on the Damascus Road. Paul was clearly chosen by God, things happened around hi to be sure he got the message. There was no question in his mind what had happened. Now in the case of Ezekiel we see something similar.  His nickname appears in this chapter – Son of Man.  I suspect God applied this phrase to Ezekiel as an affectionate nickname; as a term of endearment. The Hebrew term for Son of Man is Ben-Adam. We see something similar in Daniel 7:17, we find the term Son of Adam, Son of the earth. I think this means he was called to be a representative of God on earth.

In the passage we are about to read, Ezekiel is told — Get up. Get off the ground, I want to talk to you.  I think that God did not want to talk to the back of Ezekiel’s head. He stood Ezekiel up so Ezekiel was looking at the glory before him – this reveals the affection God has for people who walk with God.  As much as we could imagine, within the confines of extreme holiness and the translucent shroud that protected us, they were looking at each other.  Ezekiel’s instinct is to get prostrate, God says to him, not today.  I am affirming your commission.  Right here, right now. Face to Face.

Ezekiel 2:1-5 says — He said to me, Son of man, stand up on your feet and I will speak to you. As he spoke, the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet, and I heard him speaking to me. He said: Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me; they and their ancestors have been in revolt against me to this very day. The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn. Say to them, This is what the Sovereign Lord says. And whether they listen or fail to listen, for they are a rebellious people, they will know that a prophet has been among them. [NIV]

The short version of this passage is simple – Get up.  You are my prophet to Isreal.  They will not like you, but they will know one thing for sure – A prophet has been called to walk among them.  They will know that I am the Lord their God and I am not Silent.  This tells us something about how God thinks.  He is immensely pleased to work with us.  He delights in our willingness to serve.  When we show a tiny bit of interest, he is all over it.  He brings power and strength. He fills us with himself and then works from within us to accomplish his tasks.  If you ponder this for a bit, you will realize how truly amazing this situation is.  The one true living God choosing to work through us, training us in his way.  He does not need help, but he has decided to partner with us to implement his plan.  Goodness.  We are loved.


Matthew Henry said — Thus, in a similar case, Daniel was strengthened by a divine touch (Daniel 10:18) and John was raised by the right hand of Christ laid upon him (Revelation 1:17). The Spirit set him upon his feet, made him willing and forward to do as he was bidden, and then he heard him that spoke to him. He heard the voice before, but now he heard it more distinctly and clearly, heard it and submitted to it. The Spirit sets us upon our feet by inclining our will to our duty, and thereby disposes the understanding to receive the knowledge of it.

We find the conclusion of this passage, Ezekiel is being called, prepared, strengthened and sent to deliver a message to a rabble. A rebellious group of people who have been pushed off the island, the land of the promise to the land of Babylon.  Ezekiel knew what this was all about.  He knew it would not be an easy life.  But he had a calling and purpose.  His people were in captivity for rebellion against Gods law.  He hoped God would be gracious, but his resolve to serve was clear.  We do the same. I choose Jesus.

They Say I’m Nothing, but I’m Something by Londeka Zondi

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They Say that I’m Nothing, but I’m Something

They say I’m poor,

They say I’m nothing.

They say I’m poor and they say I’m nothing because I’ve got nothing to offer to any living soul.

I’ve got no money, no food, no child, no wife nor husband and no home to go home to that is because I’ve got no money.

But I say I’m blessed

I’m blessed because God told me so.

He loves me the same way he loves every life on earth. I’m blessed because I’m still alive.

I breathe the same air that rich men breathe,

I walk on the same ground that rich men walk . . . therefore  I am no different.

I am rich with life

I am rich with love

I’m rich with hope that one day they will see the beauty that God treasured in me because I am something indeed

By Londeka Zondi
a 19 year old from South Africa

Cain and Abel

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by Mike Bennett

The first brothers didn’t get along. Cain got jealous of his brother Abel. He let himself get so mad, he did something terrible and tried to hide it from God!

Cain and Abel

After Adam and Eve ate the fruit that God told them not to eat, they had to move out of the beautiful Garden of Eden. Their lives were harder now because they had chosen to disobey God.

Adam and Eve had a baby, and they called him Cain. His mother said, “I have gotten a man from the Lord.” Perhaps she thought he would be the one who God promised would defeat Satan. Even if she didn’t, she certainly had high hopes for her firstborn son.

Then Adam and Eve had another baby boy. He was named Abel.

The brothers grow up

Cain and Abel were different in many ways. Cain grew up to be a farmer. Abel raised sheep.

More important, their attitude toward God was different. Abel gave an offering to God, and it was the best he had. Abel believed and trusted God (Hebrews 11:4).

Cain also gave an offering to God, but the Bible says God was not happy with it.

Cain got very angry. Perhaps he felt it was unfair. Maybe he was jealous that God was happy with Abel.

But God cared about Cain too. He asked Cain, “Why are you angry?” God told Cain that if he did the right things, God would be happy with him. But if not, he was in danger of sin. Just as when Satan talked Cain’s parents into sinning, sin was waiting to pounce on Cain. God told him to rule over these bad attitudes.

But Cain didn’t listen. He got angrier and convinced himself he was right.

Killing and lying

Sin can lead us to do things we did not plan to do. The results of sinful thinking and acting may be far worse than we intended.

Cain was so mad he murdered his brother! Cain killed Abel because Cain’s “works were evil and his brother’s righteous” (1 John 3:12). He didn’t like being shown up by his younger brother. Satan is a hater, and Cain chose to hate too. So when they were alone in the field, Cain killed Abel.

Cain thought no one had seen him do it. But Cain should have known that he couldn’t hide from God. God knew what happened, but he gave Cain the chance to admit it. God asked Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?”

Cain said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”

But Cain lied. He knew exactly where Abel’s body was.

And he knew that we all should do our best to take care of our brothers. We can’t control our brothers and sisters, but we shouldn’t do anything to hurt them. We should help and care for them. In that way we are our brother’s keeper.

Cain’s punishment

God knew exactly what Cain had done. He knew Cain was lying. It was as if Abel’s shed blood was crying out to God that a terrible murder occurred.

Cain’s final punishment would be to die. But before that, God told Cain about the curses he would face. The ground wouldn’t grow as much food for him, and he would have to work harder. He would have to move around and worry that others would try to kill him.

Cain complained that the punishment was too much. He did not say he was sorry. He did not admit that he had done a terrible thing.

But God did not want other people to take revenge on Cain. He put a mark on Cain to remind people not to kill him.

The way of Cain

Cain picked the road that leads to death. He chose to be selfish. He chose to trust in himself instead of God. He chose to think about his hurt pride. The Bible calls this the way of Cain (Jude 1:11).

We must remember that when we get mad, sin is waiting to pounce on us too. We must remember that hating others is like murder (1 John 3:15). We must ask God to help us rule over ourselves and sin. We must try to care for our brothers and sisters.

We must not follow the way of Cain.

Questions

Here are some questions to think about or talk about as a family:

  1. Why was God happy with Abel’s gift?
  2. Why was Cain mad?
  3. What should Cain have done?
  4. How can we make sure we don’t follow the way of Cain?

Fun Facts About The Bible

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 The Bible’s content was written over the course of at least 500 years

If you grew up with a lot of exposure to the Bible, it might be easy to assume the authors of the books of the Bible were like modern journalists: writing things down as they happened. However, this was not the case. The Bible includes stories from the first century CE as well as stories about the beginnings of the cosmos—but most biblical scholars agree that the books we find these stories in reached their present forms between 350 BCE and 150 CE.

Of course, these books reference sources from outside that window. For example, parts of the Torah rely on oral traditions and writings that are much older than the present form of the Pentateuch, and the Song of Deborah (the fifth chapter in the book of Judges) is often referred to as one of the oldest works of Hebrew poetry in the Bible.

The Teacher of Truth

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It has been my observation the Holy Spirit has many different tasks; this includes indwelling believers to bind them together with God and help them become more like Him. For Christians, the experience of eternal life does not begin at death but when they trust in Jesus and God places His Spirit within them (see 2 Timothy 1:14). Paul says — Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set His seal of ownership on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come (2 Corinthians 1:21-22). Holy Spirit equips people for ministry, is our guarantee (deposit) of eternal life, gives people insight and wisdom, teaches people truth, communicates with the Father on people’s behalf, and empowers Christians to walk with God.

He lives within followers of Jesus and produces lasting change in their character. John 14:26 says — But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said [NIV]. He produces God’s love in human hearts. Romans 5:5 says — “Hope does not put us to shame, … God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit [NIV]. The Holy Spirit speaks the truth. John 16:13 says — When He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come [NIV]. This infusion of the Spirit is remarkable, life changing, stabilizing, and essential.

The Holy Spirit is a promise of the great things to come for those who trust God. Ephesians 1:13-14 says You also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession [NIV]. He provides us with the skills and abilities necessary to share God’s love. Hebrews 2:4 says — God also testified to it by signs, wonders, and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to His will [NIV].

Jesus Himself was filled with the Holy Spirit to carry out His ministry. Luke 4:18 says — The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free [NIV]. Jesus spent a lot of time talking about the Holy Spirit and wanted His disciples to understand the power of the Spirit. He told them it was “better” for them that He leave, because then the Holy Spirit would be sent to them (implied in John 16:7).

The first followers of Jesus were filled with God’s Spirit to take the gospel to the known world, and so are we. Acts 2:1-4 says — When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them [NIV].

This passage from Acts is vital to understanding the Holy Spirit. After Jesus died, rose again, and ascended to heaven, the Holy Spirit came down and filled up every disciple and apostle of Christ to spread the gospel to the world. Now, whenever anyone puts their faith in Christ, the Holy Spirit immediately lives within them. God’s people get to experience the power of the Holy Spirit like Jesus did. The Holy Spirit provides believers with the strength to live the Christian life. John 15:5 says — Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in Me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing [NIV]. It is the Holy Spirit who convinces us that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.

I choose Jesus.

There Is No Peace

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“There is no peace like the peace of those whose minds are possessed with full assurance that they have known God, and God has known them, and that this relationship guarantees God’s favor to them in life, through death and on forever.”  — a quote from JI Packer