Tag: Fall Of Man

The Clay City (Part 2)

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It has been my observation that the Clay model of Jerusalem built by Ezekiel in the fourth chapter was an interesting tool to illustrate the 390 years of apostacy within the House of Israel and the 40 years of sin for the house of Judah. First, he was asked to lay on his right side for 390 days. Then he is asked to lay on his left side for 40 days. You might wonder how he managed to eat. Well, God provided explicit instructions on provisions and food preparation. Everything was planned for Ezekiel to be successful for the 430 days (390 + 40) of hanging out on display with the clay model of Jerusalem.

Ezekiel 4:4-8 says — Then lie on your left side and put the sin of the people of Israel upon yourself. You are to bear their sin for the number of days you lie on your side. I have assigned you the same number of days as the years of their sin. So, for 390 days you will bear the sin of the people of Israel. After you have finished this, lie down again, this time on your right side, and bear the sin of the people of Judah. I have assigned you 40 days, a day for each year. Turn your face toward the siege of Jerusalem and with bared arm, prophesy against her. I will tie you up with ropes so that you cannot turn from one side to the other until you have finished the days of your siege [NIV].

In my essay titled ‘The Clay City (Part 1) I outlined the creation of the clay model and the 390 days of lying near the model on his left side to display the sin of the House of Israel. Now we take a look at the 40 days he laid on his right side to bear the sin of the House of Judah. This 40-year period demonstrated the reign of King Josiah.

In 2 Kings 23:27, we read — I will banish Judah from my presence just as I have banished Israel. And I will reject my chosen city of Jerusalem and the Temple where my name was to be honored [NIV].

I think this suggests that in spite of Josiah’s meager effort to turn the nation back to God, the House of Judah was already too deep into rebellion. The judgement of God was moving forward, the actions of the few could not hold back the judgement for the actions of the many. Their corporate sin and rebellion had set the course.

Ezekiel was told to set his face. This suggests he was to exude commitment and assurance of his actions; in much the same way the Babylonians were aggressive because Zedekiah broke his agreement with Nebuchadnezzar. This entire theatrical display was a sign to the House of Israel (the captives in Babylon) who were eyewitness to the actions of Ezekiel. I think the prophet was directed to use this imagery (theatrical display) in much the same way that Jesus made use of parables. Jesus constantly spoke about hearing things they might not fully understand, seeing things they might not fully perceive (see Matthew 13:14-15). In time, the apostles would gradually learn the meaning and then generate an understanding of what was plain, yet difficult to accept.

The message in this Clay City presentation from Ezekiel was designed to help the people see their sin and find the path to repentance. He was not saying the hand of God would be stayed, he was clear on the cause of their trouble. But he was saying there would be an eventual end to the trouble for those who repented. He was calling them to engage in sorrow, lament the cause of their trouble, reject the sin that pulled them away from God. As they embraced the shame of their sin, they started on the path towards God’s mercy.

These periods (390 years for Israel and 40 years for Judah) were the time of sorrow. They both ended with the emancipation by Cyrus and return of the Hebrews to Jerusalem (see Ezra 9:13). This display demonstrated why the Hebrews were bound by the cords of their sin (see Lamentations 1:14). But later

in Ezekiel’s ministry, he tells them of the redemption coming. As we continue through the analysis of Ezekiel in coming essays, we will soon see their sorrow does not last forever. I choose Jesus.

The Clay City (Part I)

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It was my observation while reading the fourth chapter of Ezekiel that God introduced Ezekiel to the House of Israel with unconventional tactics, almost theater in nature. He was bound up with ropes in his house for a while. Now, he is outside and building a model of Jerusalem in clay. He is told in clear words; this model is a sign for the house of Israel. No big amphitheater events, no drama at the river, no shouting in the streets on a soap box. This is a picture of the siege for Jerusalem that is soon to come.

Ezekiel 4:1-3 says — “Now, son of man, take a block of clay, put it in front of you and draw the city of Jerusalem on it. Then lay siege to it: Erect siege works against it, build a ramp up to it, set up camps against it and put battering rams around it. Then take an iron pan, place it as an iron wall between you and the city and turn your face toward it. It will be under siege, and you shall besiege it. This will be a sign to the people of Israel [NIV].

These people were a long way from Jerusalem, they had been forced with the threat of death to leave their homes and walk to a place along the Kabar River to make things for Babylon. They longed to go home. Their heart was still in Jerusalem, the faithful had their eye on God (see Daniel 6:10). The presumptuous were arrogant in their belief the trip back to their home was just around the corner – after all, they were God’s people.

They were sure the King of Jerusalem would stand tall and get them back. He would get them out of the mess. It is possible that communication occurred from time to time between the captives and the people in Jerusalem. Clearly, they were not prepared for the message that was coming to them from Ezekiel. They had no sense of what was soon to happen – the siege of Jerusalem by the Chaldean Army (from southern Babylon, the army of Nebuchadnezzar II) and the famine inside the city that would be associated with that siege.

This display from Ezekiel was designed to catch the attention of the more thoughtful of the group. They had to come by and look at the event. Then they had to talk about what they were seeing with Ezekiel and with others to make some sense of it. I would suspect most saw it as mere theatre, but some realized what was portrayed and wondered what to make of the message.

He was told to build small structures representing the temporary forts built by the Chaldeans. He placed an iron pan between the clay city and himself. Most think this represents the inflexible position of both sides. The Chaldeans were pressing to become masters of the city, crushing the culture and the government. The Jews were resolved to resist, but eventually after about 13 months they lost the event.

I should also say that the total timeline for the siege was 18 months. There was about 5 months in the 18-month window that the Chaldeans were preoccupied with an advancing Egyptian army (see (Jeremiah 37:5-8). Once that situation was resolved by pushing back the Egyptians, they continued working the siege to completion (see Jeremiah 52:4-6).

After the clay model was built, Ezekiel lay on his side for a long time (390 days, yes over a year) to demonstrate the seriousness of the situation. Most commentators suggest the 390 days spoke to the 390 years of Hebrew apostacy from Jeroboam (approximately 929BC) to the fall of Babylon by Cyrus (approximately 539BC). This is the period of time that the house of Israel (the ten tribes) had been in rebellion. It was Cyrus who sent the House of Israel back to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. God will have his way. He is sovereign.  I choose Jesus.

Guard your Heart.

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It has been my observation that we are vulnerable to the many variations of Lucifer’s foolishness that will ultimately reduce to a single initiative — Distraction. There are plenty of distractions in this universe to pull our attention away from the things we need to embrace to experience God’s abundant life. David tells us — I will guard my ways that I may not sin with my tongue; I will guard my mouth as with a muzzle while the wicked are in my presence (Psalms 39:1). Paul says — Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, … as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you (1 Timothy 4:16). Peter says – Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8).

The ultimate outcome of an abundant life is undistracted worship of the one true living God in appreciation for what he has accomplished in our life. Concerning the worship of God, I have noted that Soloman views worship as a remedy to negate the impact of Lucifers distractions. When we worship and drink in scripture, we are protected by God’s firm assurances that lead us to action – he has our back. ‘Learning how to Learn’ is a vanguard concept that helps us to (1) avoid being deceived by Lucifer’s distractions, (2) avoid having our heart vexed with the disappointments that are hidden in the distractions, and (3) illuminate a path to embracing the fruit and gifts of the Spirit. God will overcome our struggle, he will teach us how to learn his way, he will teach us the truth. We shall win!

If we keep our heart focused, we can maintain the communion we enjoy with the one true living God; but we must be cautious and aware of the troubles that can come our way. We need to identify the path and move towards an authentic undistracted life – live your life in a consistent manner. Think about the same stuff alone that we think about around others. Say the same thing to people that we say directly to God. Do the same things alone that you do in front of others. This notion starts and ends with respect, respect for the things of God, respect for others, respect for self.

Jeremiah said —   Yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have. They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them,” declares the Lord. This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, … plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, … and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you, … and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile” (Jeremiah 29:8-14).

We must pay attention to the messaging we are bombarded with inside the church and outside the church. Be careful of the things you let creep into your heart. Test everything you hear from all sources; align the messaging you are hearing with scripture. If it is not reinforced by God’s word, ignore the messaging. For the messages that are true, let go of the uneasiness, find a way to embrace the truth. God will not refrain from telling the truth, He will unfold truth in a way that we can grab onto, but he is quick to offer mercy to our tender repentant hearts. His eye is on our soul, His eye is on our heart, His eye is on our mind. He is gentle and kind. Yield to Him.

Proverbs tell us — My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body. Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it (Proverbs 4:20-23).   

I choose Jesus.

The Hand Stretched out Before Me

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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.

The Hand Stretched out Before Me

Published on 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.

The Hand Stretched out Before Me

Published on 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.

The Pursuit

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It has been my observation that all of us who trust in God can always have confidence in the one true living God. In Psalms 97 we find a God of power and dignity. A God that delivers his people from troubles. We find the author of our salvation. For me, I see a God who reached into my dismal shell of a life and renewed his grace within me.  Let us take a look at the details.

Psalm 97:1-7 says — The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice. Clouds and thick darkness surround him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. Fire goes before him and consumes his foes on every side. His lightning lights up the world; the earth sees and trembles. The mountains melt like wax before the Lord of all the earth. The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all people see his glory. All who worship images are put to shame (NIV).

When I had nearly given up hope of ever being ‘in service of the King’ again, he reached out to me, a person whose life was the definition of a rebel. He called me back. There was no place for me to look for salvation except in the grace of Jesus, nothing else has any value. I tried. There was nothing. I looked in philosophy, I looked in history, I looked in science, I looked in Math, nothing. There is nothing else but Jesus. There is no other name on the face of the earth that can bring us hope. None.

For the Hebrew nation and for me Psalms 97 speaks about Jesus, the author of our salvation. Our salvation is assured by God’s power, it is treasured and delivered in God’s grace, it is guaranteed to be secure, permanent, authoritative. We are saved by his strong tower, we are enabled to run the race, we are permitted to take shelter in the tower, we are safe. If I look beyond this deliverance, from my life as a rebel to the deeper things of the Spirit, I quickly notice the messianic salvation, my everlasting ransom, the repair of my soul, my rescue from death. and the restoration of my walk in Jesus.

This I know for sure — there is a world without end; and it will be well or ill with us according to our willingness to embrace the Grace of God. Plato had a feeling for this ‘world that does not end,’ but he did not find an answer to the question – is it real? Plato died when Alexander the Great was a child, Alexander the Great conquered Israel on his way south to conquer Egypt and build the city of Alexandria, soon the libraries he established became the global home of most knowledge known to man.

There are many historians that think the Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) was retained in the Alexandrian library. Why does this matter? Because this library was a repository of known knowledge. This library would have provided an answer to Plato’s question, he was curious, but he died before the library was completed. Do not wait – God’s word is readily available. Read. Now. Not tomorrow. Now.

All of us, including me, know of the confusion we felt when we first became aware of our sin and the impact of that sin (before we knew Jesus). We felt trapped, unable to escape the effect, unable to bring ourselves to accept Jesus. We ran to and frow, looking for anyone with answers that could override Grace. We tried to build community in our sin and tell ourselves it was not sin; we became forward thinking people abandoning the age-old truths. We puffed up our little heads and glared at the one true living God. Defiant, we refused to submit. We joined hands with other rebels and resisted the gospel. We kept one another’s countenance as bright as possible and wandered in confusion together. Then it happened. The light of truth outran the darkness in our heart. In the light we saw we had no clothes on. We were standing in sin. No protection. The light exposed everything. Darkness can only be overcome by one thing – the way, the truth, and the light. Selah. We yield. I thank God he chose to pursue me.

I choose Jesus.