Ecclesiology

Not one Thing

Dan

It was my observation that Solomon understood the need to gather wisdom and build a compendium of sayings, yet he also was aware that too many books on any subject would numb the mind and lose the reader in a sea of weariness and daydreaming.

Solomon penned in Ecclesiastes 12:11-12 — The words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails—given by one shepherd. Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to them. Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body [NIV].

I mused at the visual scene created by the idea that wise words are like goads. Why? A goad was a long stick with a sharp point much like a nail, used by herders to move a stubborn animal. The goad is similar to wisdom shared with a person who is resisting change, the goad helps to reduce resistance to the nudge of God. When the pain exceeds the gain of resistance, movement begins.

The things that Solomon gleaned from Elohim have been used with great advantage by the children of Abraham. Solomon understood and built the messaging around this idea — wisdom from God is profitable to build clear statements of God’s intent, defense of the message, correction of the misguided, and expansion of our understanding of God’s way.

God’s wisdom can be received in humility, or it can be a goad. The effect is the same. God’s wisdom pulls us away from trouble, focusing our thoughts, amending our focus to glorify God. We all know the truth of God can be confrontive (Acts 2:37), it can lead us to a viewpoint we were not initially considering. The notion of a nail mentioned in Ecclesiastes 12:11-12 seems to be telling us that knowing the truth will ‘nail down’ our wavering and bobbling when navigating life. Where the goads are temporary pokes, the nails are a much more persistent navigational aid, guiding lights, boundaries on our activities that keep us safe in God. How is truth communicated? By the simple spoken word between friends, by writing (books and letters) and by mass meetings (church services, bible studies).

Spoken word. We call up a friend, set up a meeting at a coffee shop or in our back yard with a few chairs, and we share ideas. We talk about our needs, wants and troubles. We trade insight from God, and we help each other find the way forward. Wisdom is shared, God is glorified.

Written word. Letters and ideas are written down. The letters are passed around, the interest grows, and people realize that God’s wisdom is respected in the letter. During the days of the early church, in a very few cases, the letter becomes scripture. Did Paul understand the endgame when he started writing? I am not sure he understood at first; but I suspect later in his ministry he knew.

Oration. We gather as a community and appoint a wise leader to share insights with us. We draw strength from each other. Wisdom is shared. People are uplifted, lives are enriched. We, as a community honor the things of God, and grow together understanding the deeper truths of God.

I suspect if we had all the books ever written on wisdom, we would find it difficult to gain much value – data overload would arrest assimilation. We have as much as Elohim has seen fit to reveal, we can barely wrap our mind around scripture. It has been the goal of secular writers to generate tons of paper with advice of how to live our life without scripture – mere chaff. I am convinced no one can provide better instructions on wisdom than the Word of God. Nada. Not one other book.

I choose Jesus.

Avoiding the Traps

Dan

It was my observation while reading Ecclesiastes 12, in the first few verses we have an interesting call to action from Solomon for the young men of his generation (and for us). He tells young men to get focused now, find your cadence, your walk with God, get to know Elohim, and become comfortable with his yoke before trouble starts. Learn to trust him now, so when the days fill up with trouble, we do not lose sight of hope or stray from his path. He paints a sense of urgency, that we should not wait until we are getting older to find the path; we need to get started now.

Solomon comments in Ecclesiastes 12:1-2 – Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, I find no pleasure in them [the activities of the day] — [So, do this] before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars grow dark [before your vision fades], and the clouds return after the rain [find your cadence] (paraphrased, NIV).

He encourages us to consider our actions, choose things of merit, avoid foolish activities that do not feed the soul and others around us. He encourages us to focus on Elohim, delivering the honor and respect due to the King of all Kings. Troubles come and go, but God stays the same. When he speaks of dark days and clouds coming after the rain, we are reminded that our health is tenuous. We need to get things done while we can move forward. Solomon knows that trouble is coming; our processing ability will wane, even though Elohim is long-suffering, providing ample space and time for restoration of our walk; we do not have unlimited time.

Job 35:9-12 says — People cry out under a load of oppression; they plead for relief from the arm of the powerful. But no one says, where is God my Maker, who gives songs in the night, who teaches us more than he teaches the beasts of the earth and makes us wiser than the birds in the sky?’ He does not answer when people cry out because of the arrogance of the wicked [NIV].

Oppression is difficult for the old and blind, our useful days are behind us, our strength is diminished. Friends are few, we gradually decline. If we were fortunate to meet wise people who helped us to prepare for the autumn of our life, then we can reflect and teach how to embrace the good life and how to find a forever life on the golden streets of the City of God. Life continues, death eventually arrives, and the cycle of life continues with the next generation. We are wise to draw close to God now when it is easy, rather than waiting until we get a little fuzzy in our thinking. Job tells us that we are wise to not lose sight of God, we do not want to fall into the troubles of the wicked and stop hearing God’s advice.

Psalms 71:17-18 says — Since my youth, God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds. Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come [NIV].

I know some of us do not have a clear idea of God’s plan. Now, today, this moment is the time to start searching the scripture, looking for clues about the nature of this God we serve and to find the plan he has put into place for us. Easy? Not so easy. Doable? Yes. Patience and a focused heart will bring the will of God for you to light. I am and old guy, I can see seasons in my life where I was productive for my family but not very productive for God. I still can serve God, and do engage, but the psalmist says much of my role at this stage is to declare the power available to the next generation, to help paint the path for others, to help others avoid the traps I stepped into.

I choose Jesus.

The Words you cannot Understand

Dan

It was my observation that the end of Ezekiel chapter 2 included a scroll that was not tasty and now we find at the top of chapter 3 a scroll that tastes like honey. Clearly these preliminary events are preparing Ezekiel for his work, he is being filled up with the message from God.

Ezekiel 3:1-6 says — And he said to me, “Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the people of Israel.” So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat.  Then he said to me, “Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it.” So, I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.  He then said to me: “Son of man, go now to the people of Israel and speak my words to them. [NIV]

What is Ezekiel to do? He is to take in the twin messages (scrolls) and admit the messages to his heart, to apply it to his mind, to embrace the nature of the message, and ruminate and chew upon the thoughts of God in the entirety, overcome any difficulties and then discover God’s plan as to how to deliver the message. 

We know that Jeremiah encountered a similar situation, he was told to find the words from God and eat them (see Jeremiah 15:16). Imagine finding a stack of Naam Bread with God’s word printed on them.  Then consider the request from God to eat that Naam bread. This is the situation Ezekiel was in. He was told to receive the message into his heart, meditate on the message, and give himself to the message (see 1 Timothy 4:15).

I think that Ezekiel had reason to fear that the consumption would not be pleasant if he had any inkling as to the nature of the message. God can say eat this much faster than he can actually chew and swallow the message. His angst was clear, but his obedience was greeted with a good tasting morsal. This suggests if we are willing to obey, we will find comfort in the event outcome that overcomes any hardship we might encounter. If we are willing to receive the word of God into our heart, enable Jesus to write it upon our heart with his blood, then we can anticipate a rich indwelling of the message and the Spirit of God.

When Ezekiel opens the scroll, as a spirit of revelation, the message spreads before him, opening his understanding to the deeper things of God, as the Spirit of wisdom provides knowledge of things and causes us to embrace the unfamiliar. We know that gracious people can receive the truth of God with great delight, even as those who are aware of the message but reject the content find extreme discomfort. John the revelator talked about such things. John indicated that a book was removed from the angel’s hand and was consumed. At first the book was sweet as honey, but then the message produced a tummy ache (see Revelation 10:9-10).

He knew he was required to find the Israelis and talk. Why? Because it was for their benefit to hear the message from God, and to hear the Judgements soon to come if their behavior was not tamped down.  This message is not for the conquer in Babylon, it is for the conquered, Israel. Strangers are not used to correct the child, good parenting requires the parents engage in proper conduct, bringing the nation to repentance. Their response? Not so good. But for me… I choose Jesus.

Stay in your Swim Lane

Dan

It has been my Observation, that Ezekiel is repeatedly told he must speak to them the specific message, and only the message which God spoke to him. This suggests he was not free to speak the mere substance of the message from God, but to speak the same language, terms, and phrases used by God. Paul was careful to differentiate between his words and the words of the Spirit of God (see 1 Corinthians 2:13). It is best to speak God’s mind with his term, his phrases, his logic. When needed, take the time to define the words; but use his words.  That is the safe harbor.

There is more in this line of reasoning. We are wise to recall that Ezekiel is directed to speak to the House of Israel, not the house of Babylon. Ezekiel was commissioned to help the captives not the captors. This provided impetus for his compassion. His concern caused him to focus on the House of Isreal with a tender hand.

Ezekiel 3:5-6 (paraphrased) says — You are not being sent to a people of obscure speech and strange culture, but to the people of Israel – you speak their language. If I had sent you to the foreigners, they would have understood your words and listened to you; but you do not speak their language. Therefore, you were not sent to them.  [NIV]

Ezekiel himself was a captive, but he seemed to have some freedom to accomplish his prophetic vocation without significant interference from Babylon. We can presume this was God’s protection.  Initially, he traveled in a mob once he was captive; forced to migrate travel to a strange land and join a bilingual group of slaves who were building the city of Babylon and the surrounding area. The Babylon King needed a cheap workforce, slaves were free labor. Invade, win a battle, gather the loosing team, and put them to work to accomplish your goals. The people of Isreal were blended in with a bunch of nations. They shared a common toil and tribulation, they were fellow-sufferers and travelers, and in sadness they migrated (under force) from the coastal regions of Judah to Babylon. The tears of many nations were mingled, but they had little trust in each other, they remained apart even in the crowd of slaves.

Certainly, the other slave nations were aware of Ezekiel and his ministry. They knew he was trying to help the Israelis recover from their shock and reconnect with their God. But at the same time, I suspect the message of Ezekiel had no real interest to them or the Babylonians until Cyrus came into the picture.

At the same time, it was enough for Ezekiel to minister to the house of Israel. He had little time to learn new languages and cultures. He had enough to keep his captors at bay and deliver the message to the House of Israel. Interpreters were not easy to find nor had God prepared an interpreter for Ezekiel. The mandate was clear from God given the circumstances and the language barrier sealed the deal.

Consider this – all languages we do not know will seem strange and awkward to speak. Our profit was not sent to them, he did not know their language, culture, or habits. Clearly no serious messaging could happen. We know that Paul was a learned man and given to several languages. Still, we see from the book of Acts a practical use of the Gift of Tongues and Gift of Interpretation. Many people heard the church, speaking in their own tongue. God could have done the same thing for Ezekiel. But he did not! The time was not right for the message to be spread to a group beyond the captive House of Isreal.  That time did not come until the new covenant.  Ezekiel was sent to only one group – the house of Isreal.

Once again, we see how the Grace of God works, his plan, his schedule, his message.  His distribution plan for the message.  We worship the one true living God.  Stay in your swim lane.  I choose Jesus.

I have made you a Watchman (Part II)

Dan

It was my observation that Ezekiel was given a profound second nickname, I addressed some of this in the first essay on this subject. In my previous essay (Part I) we examined the instructions on what to do with the rebellious Israelis. In this essay (Part II) we find the second half of the command for the watchman. Let us explore God’s instructions for the righteous under the old covenant.

Ezekiel as the watchman is told to take notice of the things God has said, not just what Ezekiel has said, but the entire counsel of God. This includes Isaiah, Jeremiah, and all the other prophets. He was not commissioned to function as a spy but to make simple observations as to the character of the righteous. It is good to assume we should listen first; earn the right to speak through our own actions and behavior; and then find a way to help people change their ways.

Ezekiel 3: 16 -17 says — At the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel” [NIV]. Ezekiel 3: 20 -21 says — “Again, when a righteous person turns from their righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block before them, they will die. Since you did not warn them, they will die for their sin. The righteous things that person did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. But if you do warn the righteous person not to sin and they do not sin, they will surely live because they took warning, and you will have saved yourself.” [NIV]

As a watchman, Ezekiel is compelled to speak out what he has heard. He functions like a newsman on the evening news. He gives forth a warning, an alarm from the heavens, not in his own name, but just like a reporter should. He gives the facts, as he knows them, straight from God (Implied in Isaiah 56:10). The watchman knows the counsel of God from the scriptures and the prophets. Using the wisdom from God, we are warned (see Psalms 19:11). But in this case, Ezekiel is advised to differentiate between the rebellious and the righteous. We presume God will shape the watchman’s message to fit the audience.

Ezekiel was asked to warn people not to neglect their work and quit the service of God (see Psalms 19:11). The best men in the world occasionally need to be warned to return to the proper path. Look at what happened to Ezekiel a little earlier in this chapter (see Ezekiel 3:14). Stuff happens, God intervenes, and stuff gets better (implied in Hebrews 4:1). There are many people who start on the path, they engage in service, but then speedbumps start, and they become discouraged. They don’t become apostates, they don’t deny the existence of God, they don’t deny the ransom. They simply get discouraged and pull back. They become one of the ones Jesus spoke of as the ‘one’. The one he went after (leaving the 99 safe) to bring back into the safe haven with the rest of the flock.

They become careless and remiss in their walk with God, with worship, with scripture reading, with prayer. They become an easy target for the enemy. The restraints are removed and trouble starts. If they resist the call of Jesus to return, then the speedbumps become larger. The goal is repentance.

Ruin is coming their way. But the man of God, no matter how far off the track he is, being warned, internalizing the warning, will withdraw from sin. He will find it down deep inside — the call to return. He will respond to wisdom if he was once wise himself (implied in Proverbs 1:7, Proverbs 9:9, Proverbs 9:12). We must never believe that we are immune from troubles and speedbumps. They are tools of choice used by God to build our strength against sin and character. They often lead to larger tasks. I choose Jesus.

I have made you a Watchman (Part 1)

Dan

It was my observation that seven days have passed since the vision of Chapter 1 started. He started that vision on a Sabbath and this session is on a sabbath.

Ezekiel 3: 16 -19 says — At the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so, hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die fortheir sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. But if you do warn the wicked person and they do not turn from their wickedness or from their evil ways, they will die for their sin; but you will have saved yourself.” [NIV]

He that had been musing and meditating on the things of God all the week was fit to speak to the people in God’s name on the sabbath day, and disposed to hear God speak to him. He was eased back into the real world with him resisting (see Ezekiel 3:14). Now we see a slightly different tone. He knows his duty. He looked for a way to delay the beginning of his ministry and was rebuffed. I do not think it is wise for us to believe that we will reach a level where the taskings are easy and intimate ‘face time with the boss’ occurs often. God tells his man what the work is all about, defines his duties and places parameters on the messaging. In this regard, we should note God’s approach to leadership.

Here was Ezekiel, hanging out, having said little at this point. He went from the mountain top to the outhouse all in seven days. He is among his people when God appears again. He tells Ezekiel to get to work, the people have a right to know and a responsibility to respond. Ezekiel has been appointed the watchman, the giver of news, the disturber of their peace, a protector against thieves, he is the watchman. His job is to watch for the enemy and sound the alarm upon the first appearance of danger, he is the watchman (see Isaiah 21:8, Isaiah 62:6).

For a Roman soldier, being a watchman is a specific type of Job. It is a cut above the normal soldier. They fight the silent battle of security. They know the rules. Eyes open. Head moving. Ears open. Listening. Focus. Failure is not an option. If they are on this task, they risk the enemy sneaking up to them and taking their life. On the other hand, they are held accountable with their life for maintaining a safe perimeter. If they fail to warn about danger, they lose their life in the morning. They know their task is indispensable – they take their job seriously. They are needed (see Psalms 127:1-2). They are rewarded.

Ezekiel is very comfortable to be one on one with God, he pulls back from the crowds, even during his workday and he is comfortable to converse with God, to hear him, to commune with him. If we were looking for peace, what better place to be than talking with God. Ezekiel willingly entered into these visions; they were the eye of the Hurricane for him. No stress here! He was safe, protected, and basking in God’s glory. I could not imagine a better place to be. Where else should he desire to be? If we have experienced communion with God, I cannot imagine Ezekiel preferred anything but that. It far exceeded any mere conversing with the House of Isreal on earth.

However, we know that Ezekiel is a watchman. He is on task. He is accountable for his work. He needs to get up and speak; he needs to do the work of God. So do we. I choose Jesus.

Confine Yourself to Quarters

Dan

It has been my observation that the early chapters for the book of Ezekiel are a series of give and take events between Ezekiel and the God he serves. We find ourselves at the end of the third chapter. After all the pomp and glitter of his visions and the clear directives of how he should respond to the rebellious House of Israel in Chapters 1-3, we would expect to see him walk outside his house, find a high spot amongst the Israelites and start talking. We would expect a large group to gather at first until the message started to bite. And so, we find the watchman in his first act of ministry. This first event seems a bit unexpected given the power and grandeur of his commissioning.

Ezekiel 3:22-27 says — The hand of the Lord was on me there, and he said to me, “Get up and go out to the plain, and there I will speak to you.” So, I got up and went out to the plain. And the glory of the Lord was standing there, like the glory I had seen by the Kebar River, and I fell facedown. Then the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet. He spoke to me and said: “Go, shut yourself inside your house. And you, son of man, they will tie with ropes; you will be bound so that you cannot go out among the people. I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth so that you will be silent and unable to rebuke them, for they are rebellious people. But when I speak to you, I will open your mouth and you shall say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says.’ Whoever will listen let them listen, and whoever will refuse let them refuse; for they are rebellious people [NIV].

In this passage, we find the usual interaction. God tells him to get up, head to the flatlands (away from the river) so we can visit. Ezekiel goes to the flatlands and sees the same thing he saw at the river Kabar; So, he lays prostrate in respect, then the Spirit of God stands him back up and starts talking. 

As he drops to the ground, I suspect he would be thinking – God can be any place he wants to be, any time he wants to be, in any form of Glory he wants to display. He is a man who once took issue with his calling and withdrew from the previous visions (see Ezekiel 3:14). Transformed, he is a man who is now comfortable talking with the one true living God.

I do not think that we should expect to see such a vision, but we should expect to interact with God. He is not silent. We will hear him in meditation, through scripture, and in prayer. We do within the confines of our faith have a glimpse of the Glory of God (see 2 Corinthians 3:18). As he is being raised up, I suspect he was wondering if he has already made a mistake, hanging out in his house. He gets fully up and he gazes at the Glory of God. I suspect he was expecting a direct statement – go here, do this. Instead, God orders him to sequester himself at home.  Immediately!  God tells him to not appear in public. I think he might have been relieved. He was off the hook. Then the rest of the story unfolds. Men came to his home and tied him up.  Opps!

I think that our choices often define our speedbumps. It is reasonable to expect God to sideline pastors when they do not tend to their flock and do not respond to gentle nudges to get things done. We pray for stuff we have no business requesting and then God sends us a ‘I Love you’ note in the form of a speedbump – the very outcome of the poor prayer decision we made a few weeks ago. Ezekiel is now confined to quarters, bound, laying on the floor and unable to speak. Talk about a speedbump!

Yet God uses this situation to demonstrate the siege of Jerusalem where people were confined to their homes and unable to talk to others. He shows that even in this dire situation, He is the Lord God Almighty. He is in control. He is sovereign. He shall be respected. I choose Jesus.