Human – Page 5 – Shalom Talk

Rebellion is their Name

Published on July 8, 2025July 8, 2025 by DanLeave a comment

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.bellion is their Name

Gulliver’s Travels

Published on July 1, 2025July 8, 2025 by DanLeave a comment

It has been my observation while reading Ecclesiastics that Solomon struggled to find something new that had not been done. He really struggled with this idea. Permit me to fast forward and talk about things that are new today. Consider the lowly cell phone, our ability to talk to computers, and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Were we not introduced to these things in the mid 60’s by the Star Trek Communicator? Gene Roddenberry created the prototype Star Trek show in 1964, you may recall that most historians believe that Gene was influenced by the thought ‘engine’ in Gulliver’s Travels, a 17^th century novel. In the mid 60’s Captain Kirk used a flip-phone and talked to his computer all the time, just like we do now. So, do we really have ‘new stuff’ or just clever remakes and embellishments 60 years later? New Stuff? In 1956 the initial ideas for AI were explored at Dartmouth – I took a few classes on AI software development at the University of Nebraska in 1985. Now, 70 years later, Google uses AI for routine searches. Yep, I think Solomon got it right, nothing much is new under the sun.

We read in Ecclesiastes 2: 12-17 — I turned my thoughts to consider wisdom, and also madness and folly. What more can the king’s successor do than what has already been done? I saw that wisdom is better than folly, just as light is better than darkness. … Then I said to myself, “The fate of the fool will overtake me also. What then do I gain by being wise?” I said to myself, “This too is meaningless.” For the wise, like the fool, will not be long remembered; the days have already come when both have been forgotten. Like the fool, the wise too must die. So, I hated life, the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, chasing after the wind [NIV].

At the beginning of chapter 2, Solomon builds and creates everything he can imagine, his world is opulent. Yet, when he completes the work, he felt no satisfaction. Just more angst. He learned that ‘doing stuff’ without a goal outside of himself leads to the blahs. When he did things that included God, he felt settled, content. With out God in the formula, any pleasure derived from the action was short lived, the pleasure wore off and he drifted deeper into despair and self-hate.

He wonders if things would have been different without God’s wisdom. Perhaps being a simpleton, oblivious to the endgame, was best. In time, he reasoned that enjoying God’s company was a better plan. God’s wisdom prevailed.

Ecclesiastes 2:22-26 says — What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun? All their days the work is grief and pain; even at night their minds do not rest. This too is meaningless. A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge, and happiness; but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God [NIV].

Solomon was bright enough and wise enough to know the proper response, but he was a bit stubborn and not able to wrap his mind around the solution initially. He gradually learned that we do better when we learn to accept the simple pleasures of work and taking care of our families as an offering to God. “You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence” (Psalms 16:11). “Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress — I will never be shaken” (Psalms 62:1-2).

When we find contentment in these things, we start losing the angst and moving towards God’s peace. Solomon knows the truth about work is simple – there is no enjoyment without God’s involvement. If we do our tasks and projects with him at the helm, cognizant of his presence, we can find joy and peace in our life. When you walk with God, the angst will ebb away.

I choose Jesus.

I Am Not Doing This for Your Sake

Published on June 26, 2025May 30, 2025 by DanLeave a comment

It was my observation the message in the first part of Ezekiel 36 is a broad scale explanation of why God has hammered the friends and neighbors of the Hebrews. They understand what is going on and some are still defiant, others are perplexed. In their discouragement, they know of their unworthiness, and they are unsure of their future. They know their resistance was strong and unabated. God feels their uneasiness and chooses to introduce them to their distant future.

In this chapter we find a powerful promise of a new covenant. They are not specifically told it is a new covenant, but the messianic promise is clear. God has a new plan. He does it all, we are the recipients of a new life. He delivers a promise that we would be prepared, reformed by his grace and mercy, to walk with him. In the end he makes it clear that this message is page two of their life.

There is more, God makes it clear there is life with Him after exile; there is a path out of their dilemma, there is a way to extract themselves from spiritual infidelity. At first, they did not see the solution but it explains why they were in Babylon. The subliminal message feels like ‘absence makes the heart grow fond once again’. The separation from the thing they have known all their life was soon felt and that which they had taken for granted, now absent, was missed and then lamented.

I think the exile is also intended as an introduction to the full impact of the new covenant of grace, the full power of grace is magnified by the harshness of the exile as an antithesis to walking with God. You might recall the messianic hints in Ezekiel 34. In that chapter we explored a promise of the coming shepherd, and all the implications of that shepherd. Now, in this chapter, we expand on that message, we talk about the promises of the Holy Spirit, and the richness of the soon-to-be new covenant. We get a glimpse of his gracious influence, methods of operation, sanctification model, and the process for justification.

Yet, he also knows that some may still resist. They will remember their ways and not believe that God can and will forgive them. In that mindset, they truly lament, then he offers honesty and hope…

Ezekiel 36: 24-32 says — For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. Then you will live in the land I gave your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God. I will save you from all your uncleanness. I will call for the grain and make it plentiful and will not bring famine upon you. I will increase the fruit of the trees and the crops of the field, so that you will no longer suffer disgrace among the nations because of famine. Then you will remember your evil ways and wicked deeds, and you will loathe yourselves for your sins and detestable practices. I want you to know that I am not doing this for your sake declares the Sovereign Lord. Be ashamed and disgraced for your conduct! [NIV]

In our worst day, defiant of his grace, we will always find self-love at the core of our sin. What causes us to repent? It’s simple, I suspect repenting occurs when we cannot but wince when we notice the absurdness of our action that set us at odds with God. But before we can get to that point there will be a self-quarrel to accept the facts and then reconcile to the need to repent. It is constant, this wincing thing, because our mistakes and transgressions are non-stop. How then shall we live?

We find solace in the Goodness of God. His goodness overcomes our badness and leads us into the proper state of mind to repent. We resist kicking and yelling right up to the point where we relent and repent (or we do not repent and consequences happen). It is a repetitive cycle. Our God loves us through it all. He smiles as we struggle, because he knows the outcome and humors us as we work through the details. Who could love us more than God does. Anyone? I suspect not. Our wife and children take a close second in that race, but he is king of the hill. I choose Jesus.

The Breath Of God

Published on June 24, 2025May 30, 2025 by DanLeave a comment

It has been my observation, to understand God is to understand the three persons who comprise God. Getting your head wrapped around the difference between God the Father and Jesus is one thing. But many struggle to grasp who the Holy Spirit is in a way they could explain clearly to someone else. Yet, scripture tells us that knowing the Holy Spirit is the path to God’s wisdom. Understanding the Holy Spirit is vital to your walk with God.

The Bible describes the Spirit as the “breath” of God. John 20:22 says – and he [Jesus] breathed on them and said, Receive the Holy Spirit [NIV]. When you start walking with the one true living God, the Holy Spirit transforms you to become more like Jesus. The Holy Spirit has a will (1 Corinthians 12:11). The Holy Spirit can be grieved (Ephesians 4:30). His direction is consistent with God’s plan. Paul says — Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom (2 Corinthians 3:17)

1 Corinthians 2:9-12 says –What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived — the things God has prepared for those who love Him — these are the things God has revealed to us by His Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us [NIV].

Clearly, Paul is encouraging us to explore the deeper relationship with God. But not just an awareness, rather he us telling us that we are to peer deep into the connection between us and the Holy Spirit, we are to give profound attention to his nudge, for he becomes a window to the wisdom and majesty of the one true living God. Where do we learn? At the feet of the one true living God. How do we learn? We learn through the conduit provided by the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says – Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies [NIV]. Ephesians 4:30 says – And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption [NIV]. John 14:16 says – And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever [NIV]. Romans 5:5 says – and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us [NIV]. 1 Corinthians 3:16 says – Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? [NIV]

The Holy Spirit hovers over believers in Christ and dwells within them at the same time. He is painfully aware of the massive cost (the death of Jesus) to establish this line of communication between us. He has access to and knows the Father’s thoughts – he is permitted to communicate many of those thoughts to us.

What is the impact? When you pray or read the Bible, you may very well sense God speaking to you through scripture; after all, that is one of key roles of the Holy Spirit in our life. God’s plan for us exists, we learn that plan from the Holy Spirit when we are meditating on Scripture. As our advocate (in addition to Jesus), he brings our hopes and dreams to the feet of God the Father. The Holy Spirit works in your life, teaching and giving opportunities for service. In that service, we learn to honor God’s notions and his way. The more you let this sink in, the easier it will be to give the Holy Spirit the proper place of authority He deserves in your life. Furthermore, his plan for your life will become noticeably clear.

Faith, Hope and Love – here are three elements we can grasp that honor God and honor the temple he has given us. Love is the cornerstone, the under girth of faith and hope. Faith and hope are fueled by the nudge and teaching about love from the Holy Spirit. The more we learn about trusting God (faith) and embracing the larger picture of everlasting life (hope), the more effective God’s love is in our life. How do we know this? These things are not tangible, you cannot touch love as a stand-alone object. These things appear through our actions. You cannot touch them, but you can see the impact of faith, hope, and love in your life and others around you.

Why does this matter? When these things are fueled by the Holy Spirit, active in our life, growing us and nurturing us, we are able to reflect these attributes using the Gold Standard for these attributes – we model our behavior in accordance with the one true living God. He displays these attributes; we are created in his image; we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to demonstrate these attributes. Selah!

The Holy Spirit is an equal among and a true member of the Trinity. Jesus, the Father, and the Holy Spirit interact and exist in a binding community, co-equal, co-eternal, and one in essence with one another. Genesis 1:1-2 says — In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters [NIV]. Mark 1:9-12 says – At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, He saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on Him like a dove. A voice came from heaven: ‘You are My Son, whom I love; with You I am well pleased’ [NIV].

Acts 15:8 says — God, who knows the heart, showed that He accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as He did to us [NIV]. 2 Corinthians 13:14 says — May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all [NIV]. Acts 2:33 says – God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. Exalted to the right hand of God, He (Jesus) has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out [upon us] what you now see and hear [NIV].

Can we resist the influence of the Holy Spirit that envelopes us and fills us up to the brim? Can we avoid the message that comes straight from the thoughts of God? Can we run from God’s truth? I suspect not. Read his word, pray, listen to Him, grow in faith, walk with God!

I choose Jesus.

How does it happen? Why does it happen? What is the outcome?

What is the trinity all about? Why does it matter?

How do you touch the fruit of the Spirit? Can you? Can you see the effect of the fruit of the Spirit?

Now that you have a better idea of how the Holy Spirit operates, what changes do you need to make to work with the Spirit of God rather than skirting God’s wisdom and guidance related to you by the Holy Spirit?

The Hand Stretched out Before Me

Published on June 19, 2025May 30, 2025 by DanLeave a comment

It was my observation when pondering upon the commissioning of Ezekiel as prophet in Ezekiel 2:6-10, we find God advising him how to function in his role. He is told to be very bold. He must act with confidence. His work will not be easy. He must stand firm, and not be driven off of his tasks no matter how weird the task appears. He must never lose sight of who he is working for. God makes it clear to Ezekiel — They are a rebellious bunch of scorpions but they are my scorpions and I need to talk to them and get them back on track.

Ezekiel 2:6-10 says — And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words. Do not be afraid, though briers and thorns are all around you and you live among scorpions. Do not be afraid of what they say or be terrified by them, for they are a rebellious people. You must speak my words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen, for they are rebellious. But you, son of man, listen to what I say to you. Do not rebel like that rebellious people; open your mouth and eat what I give you. Then I looked, and I saw a hand stretched out to me. In it was a scroll, which he unrolled before me. On both sides of it were written words of lament and mourning and woe. [NIV]

If you have been called to do things for God, then it is imperative that you are not afraid of mere men. At the end of the day we work for God, we answer to him not the men that surround us. The scorpions are constantly harassing God’s called, entangling them in their talk, looking for fault (see Matthew 22:15). We all know the bite of a scorpion is 1000 times harsher than a thorn-hedge (see Micah 7:4).

These scorpions are also hurtful to the Israelis caught up in the rebellion but not sure what to do. To those who would listen to Ezekiel, the scorpions choke out the message and belittle the messenger. God will not fail to reward the scorpions for their evil if they do not repent. Therefore, even in their disbelief, God makes use of the scorpions for correction and instruction in much the same way that Gideon taught the men of Succoth with thorns and briers (see Judges 8:16).

Clearly these people have earned the wrath of God, yet he tries again and again to bring them back to their senses. However, while the bad stuff continues, Ezekiel knows he lives amongst them. He will not be safe in the quiet of his own home, these are his neighbors and they are not nice people. Given the opportunity, they will make his life extremely difficult. We are reminded of the things that Jesus said to one of the churches in the book of Revelation – I know where you live, the same place where Lucifer’s seat resides (see Revelation 2:13). This is a strong statement and I suspect it applies to these scorpions.

Imagine the transition for Ezekiel, first he is hanging out in the middle of a vision, then he is talking with God about stuff. But when he edges back to reality, he finds himself with a parcel of scorpions, people who are hecklers doing their utmost to drive him away. I think they knew their captivity was self-inflected, they were being controlled by Babylon, but they could bark out all manner of threats and noise to scare Ezekiel in the same way that people railed against Jeremiah (see Jeremiah 3:5).

In the midst of all this commotion, Ezekiel has learned to keep his eye on the endgame. He knows that he must be faithful to his calling. The people who are harassing him need him and need the message. He knows that God will eventually soften their hearts. He knows God will do the work if Ezekiel does his part and accurately reflects the message. The weight of this mantle is no small thing for him. It would be easier to blend in and avoid trouble. But God has placed a love for these scorpions in his heart and he is determined to stay faithful. Goodness, if only we had a heart similar to this, amen. And, with the missive that comes from this final thought, I choose Jesus.

This is the Path

Published on June 17, 2025May 30, 2025 by DanLeave a comment

It was my observation while reading the Book of Psalms that the message in Psalm 119:105 is much more useful than first meets the eye. Consider the message in this verse – ‘My word is a lamp unto your feet’. From this verse, build a visual of an angel right in front of you, holding a lamp in the evening hours, so you can see the ground in front of you. That light gives us the direction that we need to walk safely and stay close to Elohim. Of course, we know the Lamp at our feet is God’s Word. But consider an actual lamp before our feet. Scripture paints the path we are to walk just as an actual lamp paints a path for us to follow. But how do we understand what God is telling us? For example, when The Spirit of God says, ‘I am your righteousness’, what does that word ‘righteousness’ actually mean? What does this word tell us about the one true living God? When Jesus says, ‘I am the truth’, do we focus on the word ‘truth’ or the phrase ‘I am’?

Verses matter. Phrases matter. Vocabulary matters. If you are going to meditate on a verse, having a vocabulary of biblical terms is immensely helpful. Otherwise, how do you know what to think about the verse? How do you ask proper questions? When the answer comes to you, how do you know what the answer even means? That is what vocabulary’s all about.

It is one thing to memorize a verse. It is another thing to understand the meaning of that verse. And it is yet another thing to understand how the words that are used to construct that verse relate to other verses and shape the meaning of the other verses. I know this is very intense, but this is what mining the Word of God is all about.

Furthermore, this is the essence and purpose of meditation. Taking a look at a verse, identifying the words that are important to you for today, and then really drilling down into what the verse means (unpacking), how does it affect me, what does God want me to know about this subject that he has put in front of me today. You want to know what Elohim’s plan is, But how? I suggest when you drill down into the Word, you will start to discover things. Then, his plan begins to unfold in front of you. Elohim gets excited when you show interest — incredibly excited. He shows up with lots of help!

The Spirit of God works diligently to help you get the message if your heart is ready to receive. That is part of the meditation process, getting your heart in the right place to receive. None of this is easy, it is much easier for me to write about it than it is to actually do it. I struggle with this just like you struggle with it — we all struggle with it. But I can assure you that understanding scripture over time does get easier as your biblical vocabulary becomes broader.

Take your time, try to learn one or two things a day. Get a notebook, try to express the definition for the new words you may have learned. And you will be amazed at the end of the month if you are able to achieve that daily goal — you will have 20 or 30 new words added to your vocabulary. Stay with it and at the end of the year you have added 300-400 new words to your biblical vocabulary. Scripture will be considerably easier to understand at that point.

What does it all mean? It all starts with a remarkably simple task — try and figure out the message — one verse, one term at a time. You want to know God; this is the path. You want to walk with God, this is the path. You want to feel his presence when you are mired in trouble, this is the path. You want to help your children; this is the path. You want to help your wife or your husband; this is the path. You want to know what to do on the job, this is the path. I can think of no finer way to spend your life. This is the path.

I choose Jesus.

Rebellion Is Their Name

Published on June 10, 2025May 30, 2025 by DanLeave a comment